We’d made it home.
The door opened on its own, hinges completely trashed. The air quickly rushed inside, and, suddenly, a variety of memories came back to me. The smells, the feeling of the sun, and the sight of so much green was enough to keep me satisfied forever.
It was such a strange sensation, feeling the world again. Despite my exhaustion, I managed to crawl out of the ship. I fell onto the dirt, leaves, and insects. I spread my arms out and screamed with so much happiness. It was back. The world was still here.
Not many people get chances like this, but Talis had chosen me. I owed him my life.
But before I could begin to thank him for all that he had done for us, the radio turned back on. ”Hello? Are you there? My name is Adeline. I am a doctor. We have supplies. Come in. Over.”
Talis took the receiver in hand and shakily responded. “Hello? What year is it?”
“Twenty-twenty. But that’s not important now. Trust me.”
Talis looked at me, clearly worried. This Adeline woman, whoever she was, waited for my response.
He cleared his throat and muttered, “I am from the Nyelan Coalition. We bring you no harm. We’re just asking for shelter, food, and peace. We have a newborn with us.”
There was an odd pause. “It’s not safe on these lines. We will send a team to find you. Wait there.”
“Roger.”
We exited the ship. It was totaled, but the sounds of the birds in the sky shook me out of my worry. My body was telling me I shouldn’t have been walking or moving around, but I wanted to show Juliana her new home, our blue and green orb with so much promise.
She might never meet her grandmother, or any of the extended family, and life here was sure to be different and rife with difficulty. But we were starting something different. It would be a new movement. An honest family.
Slowly, a small group of men and one woman came down from the trees, bearing weapons and forest camouflage. Talis braced to lunge forward, muscles bulging. I stepped forward without fear and knelt down with my baby nestled in my chest. “Please don’t hurt us. We are just trying to survive,” I said.
There were three men. One was clearly a man of great physical strength. The other two were thinner, but agile. “No quick movements. These lands are off limits.”
They parted ways and a beautiful woman walked through their wake. “Who is he?” the woman asked.
I glanced back at Talis who was breathing heavily and inching away from his ship. I answered, “I am his mate.”
“He is not from Earth. Judging by his height, the shape of his retinae, and his tattoos, he is of an alpha race,” she said. “Are you even aware of the consequences of what you’ve just done?”
I kissed and held Juliana and stood gracefully. “You want to talk about consequence? Fine,” I said. “But know this. I spent six years in deep space, trying to save our species.”
“Lies,” she said. “I knew this would happen eventually…”
“We left home in 2028,” I reiterated.
“That’s improbable,” she said, walking forward until we met, face to face. She threw gun around her shoulder.
“You came back. How??
? she asked, eyeing me curiously.
Talis put his arms around me and kissed my temple. “It’s a long story,” he said.
I didn’t understand the life they had built, but they were clearly on their own, and they seemed to have some sort of inside information about what was going on.
I swallowed and bowed my head. “All we want is a place to stay. Talis is from Nyela. He’s practically a giant compared to the others in the cities,” I said. And then, I nudged my baby toward her. “And we have Juliana to think about now. We need a safe spot to stay hidden.”
Adeline pondered all of this for some time until she stared into my eyes and took my hand. “I have a daughter to these three men,” she said, confirming that we had some common ground. “But you are human, and you bore the child of an alpha. How do I know that you’re actually human?”
I lowered Juliana back to my breast and felt the urge to sit down. To give up and head to the city to find a job, so I could build our own safe refuge. It would take some time, and we would be forced to find comfort in being homeless. I could steal some blankets and supplies from the old homestead.
“Look. It is obvious that we’ve gone too far. We’ll find a way out of here and figure something out on our own,” I said.