As far as my eyes could see, there was lush, dense jungle. The flora was unlike anything I’d ever seen. Even though it was midday, its vibrant colors reminded me of neon paint in a club under black lights, like those ancient golf-in-glow places my great-grandma used to force me to go to.
While the shape of the underbrush leaves appeared to be similar to those of the nearly endangered rainforest that had miraculously survived and was on the mend, they were much larger, as if fertilized. It was as if I had entered a simulation inspired by the classic film series Avatar, but there were no blue aliens to greet—or attempt to kill—me.
Everything around me appeared to be wild and untamed.
Only the warm air was so humid that I was forming a layer of moisture on my skin, dripping in places I didn’t think could sweat, even in my gold bartending dress. My brow furrowed in perplexity as I inhaled deep breaths of the scent of damp moss and nearby flowers mixed with the saltiness of the ocean.
I sighed, my hand over my eyes, trying to see the sky through the thick leaves to see how far the cliff extended. The villa appeared to be perched on its own ledge, with its tree tops unable to reach the summit. The light peach cliffside was covered in thick vines, leading to the edge of a jungle at the top.
Loud bird calls echoed above. I couldn’t find their source, no matter where I looked.
There was no evidence of our ship crashing, at least none that I could see. If Soraya awoke here with me, she wouldn’t be able to get that far because there didn’t appear to be any other way off of this ledge other than flying, at least none that I could see.
“Someone definitely has a lot of money if they live in a secluded place like this…”
“Credits, power, and connections,” a shrill voice proudly replied in front of me as I stood there. “Achieving such a feat is extremely difficult, and most never even come close to accomplishing it in their lifetime.”
Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, attempting to calm my nerves.
Working as a bartender had taught me a lot about cocky business owners and politicians, and how little they cared about anything other than themselves and what they could do to get ahead.
“All of that and you couldn’t buy yourself a better personality.”
As I opened my eyes, I removed my hand from my face and looked at the arrogant male. I gasped and took a few steps backward.
An avian creature that appeared like a cross between a man and a giant bird stood in front of me, clutching a collection of leather-like material belts in one of his hands, which he carried at the end of his large wings.
“Other than Carth’aiq and his Sah-Rah, I’ve never had someone talk about me like that.” The birdman cocked his head at me, his beady eyes fixed on me. I was frozen in place, feeling a mix of fear and curiosity. “Is this a common human trait? Attempting to insult others for amusement.”
My mind was racing as I tried to make sense of what was going on, and all I could do was stand there with my mouth agape, at a loss for words.
The cocky male birdman stood before me, his amber beady eyes intently studying me as he ruffled his feathers. The green details and gold tips of his black feathers gleamed in the sunlight, as if he were encrusted with jewels.
I couldn’t decide which was more surreal: waking up in this strange place or understanding this avian monster.
“Am I being Punk’d?” I slowly spun around, searching the sky for drones and the jungle brush for hidden cameras, and frowned when I couldn’t find any. “Or is this some kind of simulation? Did I get carried away during my time off aboard the space cruise ship, and this is some new living story?”
“I’m not sure what ‘being Punk’d’ or a ‘living story’ are.” The birdman whipped two of the straps over his shoulders, catching them under his wings and clasping them in a crisscross formation. “Perhaps you hit your head too hard in the crash landing because you’re not making any sense.”
He examined his strange belt chest armor, adjusting and inspecting each device sheathed in it with his hands. In his attempt to adjust how the belts sat on him, he fluffed his feathers, making himself appear less intimidating and more like an overgrown rooster tangled up in something.
I put my hand over my mouth in an attempt to stifle the laughter that was about to escape, but I was unsuccessful.
As I considered how ridiculous it was that I was speaking to a cocky chicken, fits of laughter began to flow through me like water gushing out of a broken dam. I couldn’t stop laughing as I thought about how ridiculous this whole situation was.
He squinted at me, his amber orbs narrowing as he let out an angry, sharp chirp.
“I’m not sure what’s funny,” the avian creature grumbled, flattening his wings against his body. “You’re the one whose ship trespassed into Yzefrxyl territory and was retaliated against. Thanks to your government, I was put in charge of leading the program to assist human refugees, while my brother manages the sanctuary’s construction.”
It was as if a bucket of ice had been dumped on me, silencing my laughter as I gasped, my attention riveted on the unknown creature.
Were my foggy memories real?
Glimpses of memories flashed through my mind for a brief moment before the cocky bird narrowed his eyes even more and gave me another of those nasty scowls, clicking his tongue on the top of his beak, clearly unimpressed with my reaction.
The question was obvious—if he wasn’t joking, then everything about my situation was very real... and I was conversing with an alien, which could only happen in dreams, simulations, and the media.
“How do we understand each other?” My hands dropped from my face as I scanned his body, my gaze falling on the blasters on his belt armor. “Were you a part of the army that attacked us?”
