Moon Angel

Epilogue

The first thing I saw when I woke up was the white. Everywhere, it seemed. Where was I?

Once my eyes came into focus, I noticed the lines in the white and the lights on the ceiling of whatever room I was in. I couldn't work out how I had ended up here, but then it came back to me; rescuing Em, the chase through the forest, and now... well now, I was here. Wherever here was right now.

I sat up taking in more of the room. It was basically a small rectangular box with white on every side. It turned out I was sitting on a small bench-like bed that protruded out from one wall. There was nothing else. Just white. If it hadn't been for the dark clothing I still had on and the brown colour I had died my hair too, I would have almost blended in.

I stood up. I couldn't see any windows or doors. How was anyone meant to get in or out of this box?

My question was answered when a section of the wall seemed to disappear in front of me. I touched it with my hand to find that it was still just as solid as before. A woman walked in front of the new window, a flat device in her hand.

"I'm glad to see that you are awake and more or less unhurt. When Badru and Aku carried you and your friend in unconscious, I almost lost it. The Zorkan would not have been pleased to find out that you were harmed. But you were not, so all is well."

I tried to make sense of what she was saying. The Zorkan had wanted us unharmed. That was good at least.

"Friend?" I asked, interrupting her. They had brought Em here too?

"Yes," she said, obviously not pleased with her fellow Elvirans.

"Is she alright?" I tried to keep the panic out of my voice.

She tapped the flat device in her hand and another section of the wall disappeared. Through the new gap, I could see Em lying on the bench with her knees up, staring at the ceiling.

"Em!" I shouted, running to the window.

"She can't hear or see you," the woman said calmly. I turned around to face her again.

"Let her go!" I pleaded. "She has nothing to do with any of this."

"Unfortunately I can't do that," she said blankly.

"Why not?" I almost shouted at her.

"Well, for one, you seem most attached to the human. Badru seemed convinced that having her here would mean that you are co-operative for the whole journey. And two, we can't let her go now."

"Why not?" I asked again, quieter this time. I understood their reasoning and it seemed like she had something more to say.

She moved to the side and pointed towards a small window behind her as if that was all the explanation that I needed. And it was.

Out the window was a black void. Millions of tiny bright lights were scattered across it. They were stars, I realised, my eyes widening, and that meant we were in space. Travelling far away from Earth, the planet that had become home for me, towards Elvira, my real home, but which was feeling more and more distant and hostile the closer I came and the more I found out.

Even if I could find a way to escape, there would be no turning back now.