Cloaked

Trophies

Juno POV

I woke up to a biting pain that crippled my stomach. I pulled my bed of furs up to my chin. For a moment, I forgot where I was and truly believed that everything had been a dream. My sharp hunger pangs brought me back to reality.

Everything came rushing back like a bad dream. Fixing the ship, making a deal with Scai'k, and sleeping in the foreign bedroom. Longing rolled over me in waves when I remembered my family, and more importantly, Trey.

I smacked my tongue and swallowed a wad of spit, only to be greeted by a throat as dry as sandpaper. With a cough, I began to take in my surroundings. Last night had been too dark, and I'd been too tired, to really take in my environment.

As it had been yesterday, the lighting outside my room appeared very low. My room lights were off, but my eyes had adjusted well enough to make out the walls. The entire structure of the room was mainly stone. Intricate carving and letters lined the walls. A few shelves were scattered around, and my bed sat in the back corner. The dark colored furs and my backpack were really the only items that filled the room. It was very empty.

Suddenly, a metallic glint caught my eye. Another doorway. I squinted my eyes at the door. It was at least eight feet tall, and the handle was about three or four feet high off the ground. Curiosity got the best of me, and I was compelled to investigate. I slipped out from under my pelts and tiptoed over to the strange door. I had a suspicion that I wasn't supposed to open it, but I couldn't hear Scai'k anywhere nearby.

My fingers grazed the handle, which barely came up to my neck. Unlike twist handles that we used on Earth, this one was sort of like a bar that you used to move it. I wrapped my fingers around the huge handle and tugged. The door didn't budge an inch. I tried against, this time harder. Still nothing.

I sighed at my thwarted attempts and leaned against the door with my arms crossed. With a terrified squeak, the door gave way and was pushed backwards. I fell onto the cold, stone flooring. I immediately jumped to my feet and massaged my sore behind, which now had a sharp pain. I turned around, realizing that I had opened the door by leaning against it. You push to open the door? How strange... I thought curiously.

My feet barely made a click as I slid into the dark room. As soon I had fully entered though, I mechanical voice announced something in the Yautja language and the light flew on in the room. I shielded my eyes, even though it wasn't that bright.

When I opened my eyes, I gasped in horror. Shelves lined the walls filled with the skulls of many different creatures. Some I recognized, some I didn't. Huge skull with spines still attached hung from the ceiling. There must have been at least 50 different bones in there. I shuddered as I wondered how many had died. Had Scai'k killed them?

I turned away, squeezing my eyes shut in horror as I attempted to bite back the fear that consumed me. I clenched my teeth together before realizing that the doorway back to my room lay just ahead of me. I sprinted out of the chamber and slammed the door behind me. My stomach had dropped. I dove into my bed and burrowed beneath the pelts. They wrapped around me and formed a protective barrier. I never wanted to see that monster again.

Scai'k was not my ally. He was my enemy. A murder. I mean, this was his ship, so he must have been the one to take all those creature's lives. How could he do this? He had mentioned killing some kind of difficult prey, but never that he did it frequently! I was terrified, and above all, furious at myself for being so quick to join the Yautja.

*****

My eyes fluttered open to the sound of metal colliding with the stone floor. Somehow, in the midst of all my brooding, I had managed to fall asleep. When I realized that Scai'k was approaching my room, my anger intensified and I buried my face into the sheet.