ONE
“Leah, please report to the medical bay.”
Everyone stares at me as I stand from my seat. So much for eating breakfast in peace. What could they possibly want with me? Will I see any of them again?
Luna and Adryn left over two weeks ago, and no one has seen them since. Everyone has been wondering where they are and what has happened to them. Is the same thing going to happen to me?
“Leah, everything is going to be okay,” Ella gently touches my hand.
“I bet Headmistress Helena just wants to talk.” Rava gives me a weak smile. “You’ll come back to finish breakfast and be just fine.”
We all know that’s not true. Luna and Adryn haven’t returned, so why do they thinkI’mgoing to return?
“It could be because you were ill last week,” Ella suggests.
I sigh and nod. “The unknown sickness,” I mumble.
“Everything is going to be fine. Maybe they’ve found a cure for you or know what’s wrong.” Ella smiles.
“Leah, please report to the medical bay.” Headmistress Helena’s voice comes over the intercom again.
“I’d better get going before I get a ruler to the hands,” I tell Ella and Rava. “Hopefully, I’ll see you in a couple of minutes.”
But as I say those words, I know it’s not true. In my gut, I know I’m never coming back to this cafeteria. I walk out and head straight toward the medical bay, where the armed, dangerous, and massive men are standing guard.
It’s been over two weeks since they came onto our space station. To say they scared us is an understatement. None of us has ever seen a male, and yet here they are. What do they want with us?
Luna was going to tell me what they were doing here, but before she could, her name got called, and I haven’t seen her since.
I walk down the hallway, toward the medical bay. My heart beats faster the closer I get to my destination.
“Leah, hurry up and get in here.” Headmistress Helena comes out of the room. “They are waiting for you.”
Waiting forme?
I step into the room, and before I can focus on anything, a sharp prick hits my neck, and everything goes black.
***
“Do you think Leah is okay?” someone whispers. “She has been out for a while, and I’m worried that something is wrong with her. Should someone tell the guards?”
“How are we going to tell them about anything?” another person asks. “We aren’t able to communicate with them.”
What is wrong with me? My body feels heavy and cold, like I’ve been frozen to death and left outside.
I moan as my head aches along with my body. Am I really dying? The only thing I remember is feeling a sharp scratch in my neck and everything going black. Does Headmistress Helena know they are killing us and not taking us back to their world?
“Leah!” someone else yells. “Open your eyes and show us that you are okay.”
“Give her some time. We all know it’s hard to adjust when you first wake up. Whatever they gave us is really strong, and something feels different on their planet,” another person tries to reason. “Take your time trying to open your eyes. You will be sensitive to the light at first, but it will get better after a while.”
“C-cold,” I mutter.
“All of us are. They haven’t come back in a while, but they didn’t seem to care that we were freezing,” the same person explains.
I crack my eyes open and hiss as the light stings my eyes.
“Open your eyes slowly,” the same person reminds me. “Don’t rush it so you don’t hurt yourself.”
