Brilliant light blinds me, then my eyes adjust. We're in some kind of airlock, a pressure-sealed door in front of me. The hatch above closes, leaving only the lights strips that line the sides of the ceiling. They cast a warm glow upon the gray walls and make Luric's hair appear almost burgundy. There's nothing in here except the hovercraft.
Luric shoves the orb controller down and it retracts into the floor.
I don't feel the restraints anymore, so I shoot to my feet, my heart pounding. Must be on an adrenaline rush. "Where and what is this place?"
He stands and steps towards me, but I jump out of the craft and ready myself to fight—not that I know how to defend myself—and back up against the wall.
"You don't need to fear me, Pen." Luric gives his head a shake. "Although, I guess I can understand your apprehension."
"You think?" I fold my arms. "How 'bout you tell me what's going on?"
He points to the door. "That's home. My family is in there."
"Your family?" What kind of family lives under the water in an airlock?
"We come from an . . . interesting culture." It's as if he reads my mind. "Come in with me, and you can take a shower and then have something to eat."
Before I can answer, the door hisses and swings open. A man similar in appearance to—but much older than—Luric rushes in and yells something in a language my ears don't recognize. The man's chest heaves and he takes a look at me, like I'm the most ugly thing he's seen in his entire life.
Luric takes a step back, and though I don't understand his words, his voice is pleading. He stands behind me and puts his hands on my shoulders. I think to shrug him off, but my gut screams to let him do what he needs to do. I have a strong feeling my life depends on it. So I try to look pleasant and fold my hands in front of me.
The old man's face softens, but he folds his arms and looks me in the eye. "You are hungry?" His accent is even thicker than Luric's.
My stomach rumbles on cue, and I nod and rub my arms.
He sighs and motions for me to go through the door. "Your name?"
"Pen." I step into a small, almost identical room filled with what I guess to be high-tech diving equipment.
There are four suits in separate cases, each a different color, and they're sleek in design. I bet they cost a fortune. But anyone who can afford their own submarine would be rich, I guess. They sound Middle Eastern, so maybe they have an oil field, or something. I have so many questions, but wonder if I am allowed to speak.
We come to another pressurized door, and Luric waves his hand across a black sensor near it. It opens, and they both wait for me to go through it. Well, if I have to get shanghaied in a freaky sub, at least I'm surrounded by gentlemen.
I step into what seems to be a dining room, it long but not wide. Everything is the same drab gray—they must have something against accent colors. There's a steel table at the end of a short hallway with matching benches at its sides, and a small kitchen sits at my right. There's a stove and what I think is a microwave, although they're way nicer than the ones I have in my apartment. There are no windows, only lighting panels in the ceiling.
The old man, whom I've decided is Luric's father, gestures for me to sit at the table. I slide into one of the benches and Luric sits down at the one across from me.
"Wait here." His dad walks away down a narrow hallway.
"Was that your father?" I rest my elbows on the cold, metal table. My stomach churns, and I'm certain it's so empty it's starting to eat itself.
"Yes." Luric holds his head in his hands. "He isn't happy with me."
"I could tell. What's his problem?"
"I am not supposed to bring anyone back here. Ever." He gives his purple hair a ruffle, and looks me in the eye, that green almost mesmerizing. I could get lost in them. "He had very sternly instructed me to not rescue you."
Wait . . . they knew I was stuck on that horrid island, and they weren't going to rescue me? Those green eyes aren't so appealing, all of a sudden. "Pardon?"
"We don't have dealings with the Terrans." He glances away, his lips a flat line.
The 'Terrans?' Seriously? The people of Earth? Am I in a B-Movie, now? I laugh. "So you don't even have dealings with each other?"
He scoffs. "You would be wise to avoid making jokes like that around my parents. You'll be fortunate if they don't wipe your memory and stick you right back on that island."
Memory wipe? "Oh, so ya'll're the MIB?"
He squints. "The what . . .?"
I shake my head. Who's never heard of The Men in Black? Purple-haired people who live under the ocean, that's who. "Never mind." I think I must be in the most elaborate practical joke in the history of ever.
Luric's father returns, but a woman now holds onto his arm. She's older, too, in a long dress and her navy blue hair is piled on her head in a funky sort-of beehive. Yup, definitely a B-Movie.
She steps closer and looks me over with narrowed eyes, then says something in that weird language of theirs.
Luric whines at her. Wow, somehow didn't take him for the whiny type. He looks at me and smiles. It's that goofy kind of smile boys get when they're about to ask you out, and I grimace. No, no. I am not into guys who still live with their parents on a weird submarine and think they're not of this world. Where's the exit?
But his mother gives my shoulder a pat and tilts her head. "You do not like my son?"
My mouth drops open and I'm too shaky to close it. They seem to hear my thoughts. "Uh . . . um . . ."
The father leans against the wall. "We should put her back. Her people may come looking for her."
Luric sighs. "But what if they do not? We can't just let her die."
They all start arguing in their language and I shake my head. "Hey, aliens."
They stop and look at me.
I try not to sink into my seat, and hold my head high. "Don't I get a say in this?"
The mother shrugs. "What do you have to say?"
What, indeed? "Um, I'm sure Luric is nice and all, but I don't know anything about him and I'm not big on blind dates." How do I convince them to take me home? "But I really appreciate your hospitality. Is there any way you could take me to the nearest tourist destination? I can find my way home from there."
The father raises his eyebrows. "We cannot go anywhere near a place infested with Terrans."
'Infested?' That's rude. "Then give me a boat and some food and I'll get myself to one."
"We don't have a boat," says the mother.
"Why am I not surprised?" My head starts to pound, and I rest my head in my hands. I start to wonder if the gnawing in my stomach is truly hunger, or if it's something more sinister. That stagnant pond is the first thing that pops into my head. I shouldn't have drank out of it.
Someone touches my shoulder. I look, and it's Luric. He's slid in next to me. I push his hand off. It's creepy that he brought me here with ulterior motives, obviously to make me his girlfriend. His parents wander into the kitchen and have a heated discussion I can't understand. I just want out of this place, away from all of them.
"I did not bring you here to make you my mate," he whispers into my ear.
Another time he seems to read my mind. Are they really aliens? This is the Bermuda Triangle, so is it really all that far-fetched?
He touches my arm. "However, they're thinking that I want you is the only reason they have not thrown you back into the ocean like a fish that's too small. I would suggest you play along, at least until I can sneak you out and return you to your people."
I look into those forest-y eyes, and I see kindness. Maybe I had Luric wrong. "You don't have anyone here?"
"No, I have grown up here, all alone with my parents." He rests his hands on the table.
"And they're okay with you wanting to be with a Terran?" I let out a laugh, and my head throbs. "They don't seem to like my kind."
"They know there are no other options. We crashed here when I was a child, with no way back. They said long ago I would probably have to take a human girl someday." He touches my hand. "But, don't worry, I will take you home. I'll probably be alone forever, as I don't think it would be fair to make any girl live down here."
I hold my aching stomach and scoot closer. "Why don't you just go live amongst the humans?" Hey, why not play along?
"I would not fit in, and I'd rather stay here."
I nod, and a sharp pain shoots up my neck, spots appearing in my vision.
Luric grasps my hand. "Are you all right?"
Bile rises in my throat and I cough hard. "No."
He helps me up but I can barely stand, so he supports me and leads me towards the hallway. I hesitate and try to stay put. Why should I trust him?
"We're just going to the infirmary," he says. I trip, and Luric puts his arm around my waist, gently holding me up. I hate to admit it, but it makes my heart beat a little faster. "Maybe the equipment can figure out what's wrong with you."700Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ppbcZPGgY
