Invincible

Chapter 3 - The City

The ship's landing is so much smoother. The Luvah must want to be gentle with the boy. His eyes have fluttered open once or twice, but nothing else.

The Luvah leave us in the ship, unguarded. The door closes behind them again. The loud click that must be its lock wakes the boy up. He tries to sit, and fails.

"Where am I?" He asks, voice scratchy and hoarse. I wish that I could answer him, but I don't think he would know sign language. Dried blood is caked in the fringe of his brown hair.

When I don't answer, he manages to sit his head up, scooting himself further into my lap. I hear the intake of breath as it hits him. That we are now owned by the Luvah's leaders.

He tilts his head back, and looks at me upside down. I offer a small smile. He tries to return it, but the effort moves his cut and a drop of blood falls from it. I use the end of my sleeve to wipe it away.

"Do you talk?" He asks, and I shake my head. He manages to sit up, and moves to sit across from me, resting his back on the door.

"I'm Dax," he offers me his hand, and I shake it. His hand is so much bigger than mine, and I've never touched a boy's hand before. Most of the ones in my village were army boys, or just too disgusting to touch.

I reach for his arm, he looks a bit surprised but lets me hold it anyway. I trace the shape of my name onto his arm, and keep doing it until he pronounces it right.

"Crynn. I like that, it suits you." He smiles, and something inside me flutters. I smile back, but then the Luvah return, and the moment is gone.

One of them passes me what looks like a tablet through a window at the top of the door. They don't acknowledge Dax.

"Your speaking device. I'm sure you'll figure it out, it's easy enough." The Luvah then move to the front of the ship and start the take-off procedures.

I study the device, looking for a way to turn it on. Dax helps, running his fingers over the edges. He finds a button and presses it. The device's screen lights up, showing a keyboard.

"I'm guessing you type what you want to say and press that," Dax moves next to me. I tilt the screen away from him and type.

"Hi." The robotic voice has been set to a lady's voice. It's strange, I'm not talking to Dax, but I might as well be.

"I've already met you, but hello again." Dax grins, his whole face lighting up. He grimaces when his cut gets pulled, but it doesn't rip open. His eyes are captivating, a deep ocean blue.

The Luvah all walk over to the cage. Their guns have been taken off, but they are still intimidating.

"We just missed the sale, so you will be held for a week. The boy needs it to recover anyway." The tallest one speaks, using the translator. It's adjusted to his voice, so we can hear the rasp that comes with old age.

I nod, and I'm sure Dax does too. The shortest Luvah unlocks the door and puts cuffs on us. They aren't metal, they are some form of stretchy rope. I saw electric ones hanging when I came in, so I guess we aren't a threat.

We're led off the ship, and get our first glimpse of the Luvah city. Their structures are covered with foliage on every possible surface, and built from white concrete. A few have tunnels that connect them over the paths. Ships are flying all across the sky, like cars used to drive on roads.

I stare in amazement right until we go inside the building. The interior is just as amazing. Every surface is smooth, sleek. Except for the walls. Vines crawl up them, bringing the outside inside. I guess the environment is truly all they wanted Earth for.

"The female is #0831 and the male is #6234," the tallest Luvah seems to be the leader of their unit. He's the one doing all the talking.

The female behind the desk taps her screen a few times and smiles at him.

"Alright, leave them with me. They'll have to share a room, but I'm sure they can cope." She looks over at us, frowning at Daxs bruises.

The three male Luvah leave, and we are left to follow the female. She leads us down a long hall. Doors are every two or three metres. Most rooms are empty, so I don't get why we have to share.

"Here we go, please step inside." She unlocks the door and ushers us inside. There is a small room, with two sets of clothes sitting on a table with two chairs. The walls are blank and blindingly white.

"Change into these, then go through that door." The female takes our handcuffs off and points to a door. It's not hard to miss the door, its grey handle is striking against the sea of white.

She leaves, shutting us in. The lock chinks as it shuts. That's it. We're stuck.

"Here," Dax throws me one of the piles of clothes. They're simple, nothing more than a dress, leggings, and undergarments

"Turn around," I type into the speaker thing. Dax grins, rolls his eyes and turns to face the wall.

I also face the other way and quickly change. By the time I'm done, Dax is also done. His eyes look me over once. He smiles and walks to the door.

"Ready?" He asks, putting his hand on the handle. I nod. He waits for me to walk over to him, then opens the door.