She's My Alien Bride [ChaerLia]

CH. 2: Contact

The faint sound of paper rustling against paper woke me. It took a few moments to get my bearings back, blinking my eyes so it would adjust to the fluorescent light on the ceiling. On my face was a wide smile as I moved my head side to side, fee ling the muscles on my neck relax. "What a strange dream," I said to myself as I stood up from the couch. "Time to get breakfast."

A subtle movement on my immediate right made me stop and stare. There in one of the corners of the library stood a pale yet beautiful looking girl, staring at the books one by one. She was reading it in such a manner that she would scan the pages quickly, close her eyes, then toss the book at the side, getting another. Was it still a dream? I wondered, as I slapped my face softly with my palms.

The girl didn't pay attention to my ogling. She continued with her tasks, as if completely unaware of my presence. As I studied her familiar face, I noticed her sunset orange eyes, her radiant skin, bright red hair, and perfect features.

Those details were the only thing I needed as I reminder of what I have seen last night.

"You're an alien!" I gasped, unable to control myself as the events of last night came crashing down my head.

The entity stopped, her delicate fingers hovering on a page. I covered my mouth, fearing that she'd suddenly turn berserk because of my reaction. She didn't. The alien proceeded with her activity, ignoring me once more. My eyes flitted to the door. It was ten meters away from me. I made a mental calculation of the seconds it would take to reach it if I ran. She'd probably catch me, I thought with a sinking feeling.

Another bothersome thought crossed my mind. We were inside my deceased father's library, several kilometers away from the inn. Even if I screamed for help, nobody would come to the rescue. Oh dad. Why did you have to build the library so far from our home? Granted that I've always loved it for that very reason. Because no one would disturb me here while reading. But it didn't sound appealing right now.

Beads of sweat appeared on my forehead. You need to try to escape Jisu, I urged myself. If you don't, you'll be a goner. Saying a silent prayer, I moved an inch towards the door. The alien didn't budge. See? Easy peasy.

I moved another step, hoping that she wouldn't notice. Once more, she didn't. Slowly but surely, I walked to the door, all the while saying lalalala in my head to get rid of the building anxiety. Just a few steps Jisu. You're almost there.

Three or four steps away from my escape route, I decided to gather my courage and go for it. As I touched the doorknob, the alien girl dropped one of the books she was reading on the table in front of her. It slammed menacingly, emitting a low squeak from me. "Sit," she commanded, pointing to the couch where I was zonked out minutes ago.

I followed her instruction, sinking on the white cushion with a horrible feeling on the pit of my tummy. "Back to the start," I mumbled to myself, wiping the sweat on my brows with the back of my hand.

"What was that?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.

"N-nothing," I squeaked.

The alien was sitting on top of the mahogany table in no time, running her eyes all over my body. It felt like I was being x-rayed. Dang! What if I was? She was an alien after all. I covered my chest with my arms self-consciously. "Don't kill me. I won't tell anyone you're here." Lame-o Jisu!

She studied me. "Why would I do that?" I stared directly at her, too stunned to speak. If she wasn't here to kill, then what was her purpose? The alien stood up gracefully, heading towards my direction. Someone please help me,  I thought in fear.

When she was standing right in front of me, miss alien reached out a hand. "My name is Chaeryeong," she spoke gently. "It's the closest thing to my name back home. But I doubt that you'll understand it. Earth has an entirely different language."