A Shot At Nothing

Chapter 2

Cala was wearing a white dress. It was sleeveless, and a gold belt held together a flowing scarf at her waist. The front of it curved up, then back down and ruffles overflowed the skirt.

To put it simply, the dress was beautiful.

However, Cala didn't think so. This was the dress she had worn almost everyday under her imprisonment. Her alien master had bought it years ago, and it was the only one of her few pieces of clothing that still fit. To anyone else, Cala's dress was one to envy. Cala however, knew it was the symbol of a servant. Her alien masters dress had been much, much, much prettier. Real gold, real diamonds. And Cala's dress was made out of sacks.

However, Cala needed something to wear other then pants and a t-shirt. She was going to the richest part of town, and to barter. If she wore something simple, the vendors would never have taken her seriously. Despite years of rule under aliens, humans never lost their arrogance.

Quickly, she wrapped a white cloak around her, to add to her look. The white cloak didn't fit in with her dress, but it had been Sir Jones, and she needed his confidence and strength for what she was about to do. She stood there for a few moments. Finally, she was ready to leave. Then she stopped.

Could she really do this?

She appraised herself in the mirror. Long, black hair which framed her face in waves. Thin lips. A too large nose.

"Not pretty enough," whispered a voice in her head, "No one will take you seriously"

Cala gritted her teeth. She would not be a coward.

She faced the mirror once again and put on the most confident look she could. Her reflection glared back at her. Sir Jones had always called this her don't mess with me look.

"Never lose it" he had told her, laughing.

Cala frowned, and turned away. She didn't need herself to break out crying.

She wrenched the door open, and ran out.

Diamond sparkled everywhere. Some extra-terrestrial rock spread across the ground, a floor. Glass windows let in the smoky orange light. Rooms spread around in a circle, and down hallways as far as the eye could see. It was magnificent. The palace of two duke aliens. However, Cala didn't even spare a glance. She had spent much too long cleaning each room, over and over again, ever since she was 4 years of age. The magnificence of the place had long ago worn off. Especially after her mother had toppled down dead in the middle of the foyer, from the effort of cleaning the palace after a party the masters had hosted.

Cala ran out the door and finally, reached outside. She stopped and her eyes widened. Now this, was something she still gawked at.

The road in front of her glowed, with streaks of silver flashing through it. It split a few feet forwards, out into different parts of the city. On the edge, water expanded out so that the streets could be accessible to the water aliens that had lived here before. Giant crystal towers sat upon rocks. No not rocks, the remains of the concrete buildings before the aliens. The towers were still arranged like the great cities of the past had been. The aliens had been too lazy to change everything. But it was still magnificent. Bio-luminescent mushrooms were everywhere, in a variety of sizes. Other glowing plants lined the streets. Obviously, the aliens had introduced new plants, trying the make it feel like home. Cala felt a pang of pity for them, before smothering it down. The aliens had killed billions, they didn't deserve pity.

Cala walked forwards, gawking in wonder. The path she had taken was leading her to the kingdom, where the queen had lived. She could she the great palace. It was set at the edge of a waterfall, which lead into an endless chasm. Shimmering buildings stacked on top of each other, getting fancier and fancier the higher they were. Tree's sprouted in random places. Tree's. Cala almost squealed in delight. They were spots of green in the forever glowing city. And then she stopped and shuddered as something else entered her view.

The endless forest. Dark, looming, gnarled skeletons of trees stood at the entrance. The ruins of great cities just past them. Cala knew what had happened. The humans had been very far into the world of technology. Portals for teleportation. Floating cars. Buildings everywhere. A electric sun, to light up the world on stormy days. Cities built underwater. Lasers that could reach the aliens.

The aliens hadn't liked that. The first second they won the war, they destroyed everything. Even now, there wasn't even a lightbulb still in existence. When past humans had imagined the future, they probably never saw horse drawn carriages.

Cala shivered, and started forwards again. She had to make it to the palace soon. But her foot didn't find solid ground. Seconds later, she was submerged in ice cold water. She had stepped off the path, and into the channels of water.

Cala sunk slowly, the burlap dress covering her view of the surface as it billowed around her. Her arms were already going numb from the cold, as she fought to go up.

"Fight!" she thought to herself, but it was too late. Cala had lived her life in a palace, her body wasn't use to the cold. She stopped moving as her body slowed down, and sank down towards the bottom of the lake path.

And then she felt someone dragging her up. She gasped for air, as she reached the surface. Her rescuer dragged her onto the walkway.

"Hey," a voice asked, "Are you okay?"

Cala rolled over and retched up water. She looked up, to a face above her.

He was the most beautiful person Cala had ever seen. She started to blush.

Sea green eyes, and tanned skin. Hair bluer than the sky, and teeth so white they were blinding.

This was love.

Then, he burst into flames.

Cala shot back, barely avoiding falling back into the water.

"Shit" the boy grunted, rolling around on the ground, "You little..." he broke off into a long string of cussing.

Another boy entered her vision. He had coppery hair, glowing brown eyes, and was well built. Cala decided he was even better looking then the first one.

"Oops" he said, stepping over Cala's rescuer, "Your face was so ugly I thought you were a monster."

"HA!" the first boy cried out dramatically, "IF THIS IS YOUR WAY OF SHOWING LOVE CHANNERY IT'S NOT FUNNY."

"It's Chance you squid" the other boy, apparently named Chance, grumbled. He smothered out a flame on a nearby mushroom with his foot.

"Awww is that going to be my pet name now-" Chance swung a foot out hitting him in the face.

Cala couldn't help but laugh.

Chance and the blue haired boy looked up.

"Is something wrong with her?"

The spell broke. Cala blinked.

"Oh no yes! I'm fine" she said hurriedly, standing up and brushing water out of her hair. She put on a poker face, no one would take her seriously if she looked like a lovestruck little girl. The boys looked at her, shrugging and turning away.

Cala ran off, shuddering. In the background she could hear laughing. Probably at her. These were the first guys she had ever met, and already she had made a fool out of herself. When Sir Jones had told her about people out in the real world, she thought she'd be indifferent, walking past them head held high.

How wrong she was.

She couldn't help but glance back, hoping to catch another look, but they had disappeared.