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Abandoned 1
Thuds sound against the wall of my pitch black room, making me flinch every few seconds. Mom's screams stopped a few minutes ago, but that never seems to slow him. He goes until he is finished or exhausted. Fear and a sense of utter weakness pass over my chilled body. I pull my thin blanket up a little higher and squeeze my eyes shut. He was coming for me, and mom saved me as usual. I was too weak to work today, and to my father, that is unacceptable. A coughing fit begins to build within my chest, and I panic. If I cough with him this close to the door, he will be reminded of my existence. To save myself I press my lips together as hard as I can and squeeze my eyes closed. "Please," I pray just as one of my brothers speaks. "Dad. Stop. She is unconscious. Mam worked today. It's the wee shrimp that didn't," he practically snarls, and the thuds cease as my blood goes ice cold. Seconds feel like years before I hear the devil sigh. "The bure is jammy the old soith ex
Abandoned 2
Bright colors paint the walls around me as I try to figure out where I am. One thing is for sure I am not in my dark bedroom, and I'm not in a hospital. The bright green person touching my head is definitely not a doctor...not a human doctor. The thing smiles at me, and I see little pointed fangs where its canines should be. "Please...where's my Mam," I whisper, and the creature holds up a finger before stepping towards a bright panel. It presses something and steps back toward me cautiously. "Please remain calm," it says, and my eyes widen. "Where's my Mam," I question as my muscles instinctively prepare for pain. "Your Mam is on Earth. You have been transported to Kea. My home planet. Your illness and injuries have been healed. You have been sent from your planet to participate in a Harvest tournament. I am your correspondent, Jali (jail-ee). My job is to inform you of rules and traditions relating to the Harvest. I understand you have many questions, but your body needs susten
Abandoned 3
As Jali explains basic Harvest practices, my peripherals catch two figures heading our way. My ears immediately tune out Jali's words, and my body goes on the defensive. I don't know if the approaching figures are friends or foes, so I keep my eyes on Jali and my body ready. When they stop inches from the table, Jali looks up with a smile, and my nerves ease a bit. I give the two a few timid glances, and I am shocked to see what appears to be another human. Since her eyes seemed trained on Jali, I let myself look her over. She seems to be the same age as me. She is super pretty with her dark hair, green-bluish eyes, and straight nose...I wish I were as pretty as her. "Morning Jali, I see your harvested has arrived," the tall purple being says, and Jali nods smoothly. "This is Fiadh (fee-ah). She was the closest to death I have ever seen. We were just discussing the tournament," Jali says, and the other human looks at me for the first time. She practically beams at me, but
Abandoned 4
I snuggle deeper into the blue blanket I pull from my massive bed and sigh. Tranquility is as foreign to me as the beings around me, but I am finding I like both. A shooting star catches my eye, and I smile as I watch it zoom passed this oddly beautiful world. Deep rich hues of color are everywhere you look. From the people to the soil, this world is like a rainbow. I know I won't be able to sleep in the massive bed, so looking out the window until I grow drowsy will be fine. There is so much to look at. I lean my forehead against the glass, and within seconds, a soft knock vibrates off my door. I freeze on instinct before slowly thawing. I am no longer trapped in my father's home. I am safe. I whisper those three little words over and over as I climb to my feet and straighten out my nightgown. I take even measured steps to keep my heartbeat down before opening my door to find the tall chocolate-skinned human I met at breakfast. "Hey Fiadh, right," she says, and I nod as my finger
Abandoned 5
"You seem happier," Jali says softly as she hands me another small book. I smile, and nod. I don't just seem happy. For once in my life I am happy. I am safe. No one has hit me. I have friends. I am allowed to read and learn. Everything is perfect. "What else would you like to know about the Harvest. It's only four days away," Jali says, and I shrug as I open my book. I haven't asked about the Harvest very much because whatever happens I don't have a choice in the matter. I am apart of an alien competition, and when it ends, a male will ask me to be his. "You don't have a single question," she asks, almost desperately, and I look at her. "If you had a choice, what planet would you want to live on," I ask, and she smiles. She sits down at the small table and leans forward excitedly. "During our training they have us tour the planets and get familiar with each planet's customs. I really enjoyed it. My favorite places were Shikaz, Glortinon, and Vaal. The planet
Abandoned 6
My breaths are coming out in short pants, and my legs won't stop pacing. I haven't been this scared in two weeks. "Fiadh," Jali says softly, but I still flinch. I twist the beautiful white fabric of my skirt even harder in my hand as I force myself to meet her worried eyes. "Meeting the females will be stressful, but do not forget you have four other women who will be standing beside you...including Zuri. She will protect you," Jali says, and I nod as a sliver of calm slips down my spine. She is right. My friends will be with me. They will be nervous too. We will be a team...Like mom and I were. "I don't like thinking about how outnumbered we are," I whisper, and Jali nods as she approaches me with a bottle of liquid. "This is a nice fragrance spray," Jali says, and I nod as she mists the front of my dress. "Think of each group as its own. Technically you all are equal. It will be planet vs. Planet in that room. Not everyone against the females from Earth," Jali says,
Abandoned 7
"Attention, after meeting with your next group, you may retire for thirty minutes. For the last switch, please listen up," the male Kea says, and the chatter around our table halts. The rest of the room falls silent also and I lift my eyes from my lap. I have been avoiding eye contact for the last two rounds. I am emotionally exhausted. Every group since the Froles has been pleasant, but I have never been exposed to this many people. I feel like my energy has been zapped away from me. I want to make friends. I really do, but I don't know how to interact yet and my anxiety makes me tired. The male Kea lists the names and colors just like he has this entire time and I breathe out a rather loud sigh of relief. This is the last group. Then I get to escape to my room and scrub my face. I get to curl up on my soft bed and read a beautiful book. I grin as my mind conjures up the image of my escape, but I quickly regain control. I don't want my friends thinking I dislike spending time
Abandoned 8
"We have to go back," I softly whine, and Jali nods while giggling. "Yes. If you had paid attention, you would have known that," Jali says, and I gaze at my bed longingly. I was hoping I could shower and jump into bed after meeting with the females. I completely forgot we were expected to eat dinner with the males. "I'm exhausted," I mumble as she fusses with my hair. She nods and dabs at my cheeks with something I can't see. "That's normal," she replies, matter-of-fact-like, and I groan. I am quickly realizing I can't get out of this. I am going to be stuck eating dinner with a whole bunch of guys. Males make me uncomfortable on a good day; then factor in my exhaustion, and this is a recipe for disaster. "But I'm not hungry. We had a bunch of finger foods while meeting the other women," I grumble, and she laughs. "While I am enjoying you showing more emotion, I can't excuse you from this. This is day one of the tournament, Fiadh. Everything must go according t
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