ONE
It started with the night sweats.That was when Cecelia knew, with certainty, that it had come back.She hadn’t wanted to believe it, but she’d felt a clawing, choking desperation for some time now.And she knew.The ugly disease inside her body was returning.Or perhaps it had never truly left and her doctors had been a little too reassuring after two years of negative tests.
But after two particularly grueling rounds of chemo, one round of radiation therapy, and months of crying herself to sleep, months of telling herself to be strong when all she wanted to do was curl up into a ball…it had felt good to hope.It had felt good to believe that she could be a normal woman in her twenties.It had felt good to go out with her girlfriends and not have to worry about an appointment the next morning.It had felt good to date a cute guy without imagining the look of pity on his face when her cancer inevitably came up in conversation.It had felt good to feel normal,healthy.
But Cecelia knew, deep down, that it was back.And a strange sort of sad acceptance washed over her with that knowledge….because this time she knew that she might not be able to receive treatment.
Why?
Because she’d been captured by aliens…aliens that had imprisoned her and other human women.They’d caged them like animals in a dark room.There had been more women, but slowly their numbers had dwindled, considering the aliens used them as prizes in their alien fighting ring.
But then she’d been rescued byanothergroup of aliens and she was currently ontheirhome planet…a planet called Luxiria.
It seemed crazy, but it was her reality.And she didn’t know what the Luxirians plans were for them, or if she would ever see Earth again.Six other women—human women—had been rescued with her and then transported to this planet, but only five women were housed in the spacious, brightly lit room that the Luxirians kept them in.The sixth had been taken by a Luxirian alien and they hadn’t seen her since.Even though they were treated well by their new captors…the knowledge that the sixth woman had yet to return set them all on edge.It was like they were waiting for the other shoe to drop.
On top of that all, her night sweats were back…and with a vengeance.
Damn, she thought, looking around the room as the other women slept.It was morning, or at least, the very beginning of dawn.Luxiria, much to her amazement, had two suns and Cecelia could see them rising along the black sand horizon of the planet, bathing the light in soft muted pinks and peaches.There was one massive window that faced the sunrise’s direction and the black sand that littered the ground stretched for miles.Massive, jagged black and gray mountains rose from the sand in the distance, creating an impressively intimidating landscape, one very…well, alien.She’d never seen anything quite like it before.
It was quiet in the room since she was the first one awake.With a quick glance behind her, she saw that she’d soaked her pallet and the fur blankets below her.The clean tunic that she’d put on just before bed was drenched and despite getting at least four or five hours of sleep—a record for her lately—she felt as if she hadn’t slept in years.
She wiped her forehead, her hand coming away slick, and she wondered, not for the first time, why her body was betraying her like this.It wasn’t fair, but then again, if the cancer had taught her anything, it was that life wasn’t fair.
As quietly as possible, so as not to wake the other women, who needed their sleep just as much as she did judging from the nightmares she frequently heard among them, she tiptoed to the metal, swooshing door on the far right wall.They’d all been thrilled to see they had access to a bathroom, albeit a strange one.There was an enclosed glass tube, which they eventually figured out was a shower, and a toilet, although it resembled something more like a chamber pot, just with more efficient plumbing.There was no sink, however, and no mirror, but in the reflection of the glass tube, she could see her appearance.And it was haggard.
Dark bags under her eyes stood out to her.Her brown hair fell around her shoulders in limp, damp strands and her skin held a sickly sheen that she wanted to scrub off.She took a deep, experimental breath and while her breathing wasn’t as labored as it had been when she first received her diagnosis, she knew that shortly, it would be.
She needed to get home.They’d only been on the planet for five days, but she knew that five days was already too long.
Quickly, she turned on the shower with a wave of her hand over the silver keypad.It only had one temperature setting and while the water was a little cooler than she liked, it helped soothe her heated skin and wash away the salty sweat that had accumulated.Once she was finished, she pulled open a hidden cabinet, which held a fresh supply of tunics that the Luxirians had supplied for them.
When she emerged from the bathroom, she saw that Lainey was awake, sitting up on her soft pallet.Every time Cecelia saw her, she couldn’t help but be envious of her beauty.Thick auburn hair, piercing blue eyes, and flawless, porcelain skin.She had the kind of stunning beauty that was only seen on runways and magazine covers.And she was beautiful until she opened her mouth.Lainey was as cutting and sarcastic as she was pretty.
At least to most of the other girls.
For some reason, Lainey had never been unkind to her.Cecelia figured it was because she knew she was sick.And despite her ‘mean girl’ nature, there was something about Lainey that Cecelia couldn’t help but like.She seemed…sad.Lost.Hurt.And she took it out on those around her.
They were quiet as Cecelia made her way past her pallet to sit down in the sunken lounge area, filled with comfy cushions, that surrounded a fire pit.It was their gathering place in the mornings and evenings and where they ate their meals that the guards brought into them.
Lainey soon joined her, her skin slightly flushed from sleep.Then she asked, “What do you have?”
The question, while expected, jolted Cecelia.Still, she found herself answering quietly, as though on autopilot, “Lymphoma.Hodgkin’s.”
“Were you getting treatment?Before…we got taken?” Lainey questioned, tilting her head to the side.Her voice was soft and her signature resting bitch face seemed to be on hold for the moment.
“No,” Cecelia whispered.“I’d been in remission.It’s coming back.”
“Shit.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Cecelia replied, unable to help the small twist of her lips.Her eyelids felt heavy but she knew that sleep would elude her now.“How did you know?”
Lainey stared at the fire pit even though it wasn’t lit.Cecelia almost thought she wouldn’t answer until she said, “My best friend had breast cancer.”
“Oh.”
“It was pretty aggressive.She died last year.”
Cecelia felt her chest tighten.“I’m—I’m sorry.”
