I’m close enough to see a pile of feathered and non-feathered limbs where the prop landed, but I still don’t see any cameras. Was this a prop launch test, maybe? Or are the cameras hidden? Oh my god, am I inadvertently starring in a reaction video?!
Bouncing on the balls of my feet in excitement, I approach the fallen prop. None of my not-so-subtle glances at my surroundings reveal anything suspicious. No people, no cameras. Aside from a small patch of rocks nearby, there’s really nowhere for them to hide, either, which means this really must be a surprise reaction video, or perhaps one of those mysterious treasure hunts. And I stumbled upon it by complete accident! It’s probably unfair to the actual contestants but screw it. Finders, keepers. Now, to see what I’ve actually found.
The prop’s wings are incredibly detailed. Each feather is attached to the wings seamlessly, and the wings are protruding straight from the prop’s back. No stitching or glue stains. In fact, the attention to detail is exquisite. I can’t even begin to imagine how well it must be made not to shatter on impact.
Once white, the wings are now mottled gray and black, covered in dust and some sort of sticky sludge. One wing is bent out at an awkward angle and covers most of the mannequin. One of the wing’s support struts is obviously broken. Curious about the restof the fake angel’s appearance, I grab the wing and, as gently as I can, move it to the side.
The prop, shaped like a beautiful blonde man with pale skin, groans. I freeze, my brain has just enough time to wonder if this is part of the reaction video before the prop…no, the man, opens his eyes. They’re sky blue and a little unfocused, but the second he aims them in my direction, they widen as he lets out an ear-splitting scream.
Chapter 3
Omni
Iwaketofinda monster, clearly preparing to devour me, crouching over my body. A fucking monster! Winds be damned. Why haven’t any of the humans on the Supernova ever told me their planet is inhabited by such terrifying creatures?
My sudden scream seems to startle it into staggering back and falling onto its ass. Perhaps it’s merely a scavenger and will leave me alone now that it knows I’m alive. Although, judging by the rows of long teeth and its striking green color with red markings that in no way fit into the desert surrounding us, this thing is definitely a predator.
Agonizing pain slams into me as I desperately try to crawl away from the beast, my left wing uselessly dragging on the sandy ground. Fuck. This is going to be a problem.
“What the actual fucking fuck?!” the monster screams out as I scramble up onto my feet. The pain is terrible but if I stay down, I’m dead. The creature watches through two different sets of eyes. The huge, round ones on the top of its head are immobile, but the smaller pair lower down on its face dart around, wide with alarm, which gives me pause. Looking more closely, I realize the creature’s skin is oddly loose. The red spikes on its head wobble from side to side as it shakes its head and they don’t look sharp at all. And its teeth are just…markings on its face?
“Jesus fucking Christ, you scared the shit out of me!” the creature curses and I finally realize it’s no monster at all. It’s a human female, dressed like a monster. I have no clue why she would do that. Perhaps to scare off local predators? Or attract human males in a strange mating ritual? I’m certainly attracted now that I know she’s not going to bite my head off.
Looking through her disguise, I can see how deliciously full-figured she is. Nothing like the scrawny humans living on board the Supernova with my crew. Her face is round and soft and her real eyes show off a kaleidoscope of beautiful golden brown irises around pinpricked pupils. A strand of longish honey-colored hair has escaped from beneath the hood of her fake skin, hinting at a wavy waterfall hiding under her disguise. I’ve met quite a few humans in my time, mostly while rescuing them from slavery, but none have ever been this beautiful.
My features must still betray some of my earlier shock because the female facepalms, as Astra calls it. “The costume! Sorry,” she apologizes. Pulling down the hood, she reveals more of those honey-colored strands tied back in a tight bun. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I completely forgot I was wearing it. Are you okay? Should I leave? If you’re shooting some video here andI’m in the way, just let me know. Trust me, I know how much it sucks when someone walks into a scene and ruins the perfect shot. I just didn’t think you were— Er, I mean, your costume is abso-fucking-lutely amazing! Those wings? Wow! Just wow. That must be some advanced animatronics to get them to move like that. The fake blood is a nice touch, too.”
Fake blood? Swiping my forehead, my hand comes back sticky with blood. Fortunately, the wound has stopped bleeding already and, aside from the broken wing, I don’t seem to have any serious injuries. Considering the height I fell from, that’s a winds-damned miracle.
Getting up onto her feet, the female examines me, her gaze growing a little wary. “Where’s your crew? You are shooting a video here, right? I mean, why else would you be alone in the desert, performing such an incredible stunt? I didn’t even spot the rigging. I know it’s probably a trade secret but damn, I’d love to know how you did it.”
She thinks I’m performing for an entertainment video here, which is a conclusion that works for me because I can hardly admit I’m an alien who just fell from a winds-forsaken spaceship. If I could get her to help me without contacting the Earth authorities, a lot of my problems would be solved. I need a place to stay while my wing heals, and I will need access to Earth technology to locate Garresh’s ship. Since I cannot hope to blend in with the humans thanks to my wings, pretending I’m an actor is probably my best shot at getting out of this alive. It didn’t escape my attention that we’re in the middle of nowhere, with no sign of shelter or water in sight. If I don’t get help, I’ll be dead in a few days, and I don’t want to risk approaching other humans. They might not be as welcoming as this little female is.
Now that she isn’t wearing her spiky disguise, I realize just how short she is, the top of her head barely reaching my shoulders. Perfect height to carry her in my arms while I take us intothe sky and fuck her high above the ground. Except, that’s not happening, and not just because my wing is broken. Mating flights are strictly reserved for life partners. Mates. It’s funny, I never even considered taking a mating flight with any of my previous conquests. Not that this human is or ever will be one of my conquests. We’re literally from two different worlds. I need to get off this planet before someone realizes what I am and locks me up like a museum exhibit. Why am I even thinking about sex when I should be figuring out how to unfuck my fucked up situation?
With what I hope is a friendly smile, I finally reply to one of the human’s numerous questions. “Yes, exactly. I’m an actor. I got stranded here and—” Her confused frown stops me.
“Oh,” she says, sucking her lips into her mouth. “You’re a foreigner. You probably don’t even understand what I’m saying.”
Her words make me realize the situation is even worse than I thought. I should have known there would be a communication issue, but with falling from a spaceship and crashing into the middle of a desert before waking up to find a monster lurking over me, there wasn’t really much time left over to stop and think.
Translator nodes, the small implants nearly everyone in civilized parts of the galaxy wears, translate everything I hear, including Earth languages, which means I can understand every word the little female says. However, it doesn’t go both ways. She won’t understand anything I say.
Great winds! How am I supposed to communicate with anyone on this damned planet? “I do understand you,” I say slowly, as if that could somehow magically make her understand me. I’m so fucked.
“Um. Okay. Maybe we could try a translation program?” Pulling out a small electronic device, she activates it and types something in. Another issue arises. I can only understandspoken words. The translator nodes do nothing for written language.
“Hmm. I don’t know what language to pick. Can you just pick it from the list?” She offers me the device with a smile so beautiful I find myself smiling back. My smile, however, falls when I see the alien writing on the screen.
So far, I’m spectacularly failing at pretending to be human and I’m worried what the female will do when she realizes what I really am. In most of the human alien movies our human crewmembers made us watch, any aliens captured on Earth end up in extremely unpleasant situations. I won’t let a bunch of crazy scientists experiment on me, thank you very much. If necessary, I will fight the authorities, but I’d much rather avoid direct confrontation.
“It’s not on the list?” the female asks. “Or you can’t read this alphabet? I could switch the website to something else, I suppose. Perhaps the Russian alphabet? I forgot what it’s called, but I’m sure I can find it here somewhere.”
Gently putting my hand over hers to stop her without startling her, I shake my head. There will be no alphabet on her device that I could read.
The female stiffens at my touch but doesn’t pull away, so at least she’s not afraid of me. Yet. I’m sure that will change once she realizes I’m not human.
“Wait,” she says slowly. “You can understand me?”
