The Starseed Experiment

Chapter Five

Her parents named her Jezebel. It was known from the beginning that Julia's unofficial husband Robert wanted a male as their firstborn. He was ultimately displeased that it was a female. He took his anger out on her, showing no mercy. As she grew, she learned to fear him. The second child was also a female, they named her Belinda. It was not as was planned. He learned compassion with her, but not enough to where she didn't fear him as well. Jezebel loved her so very much, more than she loved anything or anyone. But she could not protect her. It hurt as much as the abuse their father rained down upon them. Finally Robert had his son, Malthazar. Robert treated him like a prince to his self-proclaimed title of King. With his son in the world, he didn't much regard his daughters, neglecting them. But they still had their mother. A mother who trudged through the bad just for them, who put up with Robert's menace just for them; though, she did not flee, fearing for her life.

Robert refused to have a conventional job, claiming his job was to put God above his family. He believed his purpose in life was to judge every single soul on Earth, to rage his wrath against them. Julia still had no faith in God, finding his so called duties irresponsible and cold. But when she worded this he lashed out with threats that he would kill her. Often while laying awake at night Jezebel would hear her mother calling out, "If you're going to kill me, then kill me!"

Jezebel had nightmares of her father taking her life, screaming for help as she awoke just for him to be the one to comfort her. Some nights she'd hear a voice echoing in her head, a man claiming he was watching, that she would live until they met. Her father talked of nothing but God, so she saw the voice as God. He'd protect her. But what did it mean when it said live until they meet? She knew you had to die before meeting God. She wondered if she'd never die, and that thought comforted her.

"I talk to God," she would tell her father, and he would praise her.

But although God was his focus, he would often talk to Julia about his belief in a race of aliens. They were strong and beautiful. He'd say he would dream of them, that they would take him away. That they would come for them. He had an epiphany, a vision of a blue planet, a vision of a woman reaching out to him. Julia, but not. He went to her, kneeling down, "You are a Queen!"

Julia recoiled. It was ludicrous. Although she believed in aliens, why, after all his mistreatment, would he call her that?

Julia always strove for knowledge, seeking truth. She knew Robert held no truth in anything he said, but perhaps he was right. She was her own deity, she believed in nothing but herself. She found higher power from within and she encouraged it for others, for them to see their true potential.

Although she was the opposite of Robert in his judgement, while she was empowering, she wished the same for him.

He did see himself as a higher power, one that was horrifying. But he wanted to change, deep down he knew he was a terror amongst his family. And that was half of why he ushered them all into their van, telling them they had to leave town, that they would be rescued.

Jezebel sat between her younger siblings, Malthazar, of whom she was horribly jealous and did not get along with, and Belinda, her best friend. It was night and they drove far and for what seemed like hours. As they neared their destination she felt an eeriness, a cold rush of fear that they were not supposed to go. She prayed to God that they would be safe.

They came to a clearing in the middle of nowhere and Robert ushered them out. It was so dark that Jezebel clung to her mother, anxiety creepy through her bones. She was scared and she didn't know why.

Robert turned to them. "A pyramid spaceship," he spoke eagerly, "It will come tonight." He looked to Jezebel, "Don't you want to see a spaceship?"

The eldest knew she was the only one of the three who could comprehend what was going on, the other two were too young. She thought quickly. It would be amazing to see, but it would also be so unnatural that it would be frightening.

"The capstone," he called it.

It was strange, why he would expect a pyramid. He had never explained that he got flashes of such a craft in his daydreams, unaware that they were memories. That he was remembering that day at base. The pyramid had been missing its point. That was what he was expecting.

In the center of the clearing was a stone slab, of which Robert laid down upon. He closed his eyes and prayed aloud, "Oh God, come take us away from this place. We belong in your kingdom."

Jezebel stared at him. Even at a young age, she knew what crazy looked like. It felt wrong. And then suddenly she saw it, a change in him. It was faint at first in the darkness, but it was clear to her that he was inhuman. His skin turned leathery and green. It looked like the skin of an alligator. Her eyes widened and she wanted to scream, but she held it in as his normal appearance returned. She looked up at her mother, she didn't seem to have noticed.

She watched on again as her father rested, saying his prayer like a mantra. But the spaceship never came.