Journey

Lorelei

I was headed to my room to pack up to move back down to the trials sleeping area. However that didn't happen the way I wanted it to. I met up with Leopold and he pulled me into a Janitor's Closet to talk to me in private.

"What do you need to talk to me about?" I ask.

"I'm really sorry." He tells me.

"About what?" I say getting worried.

"I didn't want it to be you."

"What did you do?" I ask him my voice getting higher.

"Lorelei I'm sorry."

"What did you do?!" I almost yell.

"They said one of us was going to stay behind but I never thought it would be you. I never would have agreed if I'd known they'd choose you." Leopold told me.

"I'm staying behind?" I ask emotionless.

"I didn't think they'd choose a child to stay behind." Leopold told me.

"Oh."

"Please say no Lorelei. This is extremely dangerous and I don't want my only friend to die."

"Listen to me. I won't die. I wouldn't say no."

"I'm sorry." He told me.

"It will be alright." I tell him.

I spend the next few minutes trying to convince myself of this lie but it doesn't work. I walk to my hospital room. I don't want to pack anymore but I don't have anything better to do. I open my door and see Indiana standing over my bed.

"What in worlds are you doing here?" I ask/yell.

He turns around startled. He drops what he was looking at onto the bed.

"What was that?" I ask.

He turns around and picks up what fell onto the bed. The black box.

"What are you doing with that. That is very private." I complain.

"Come on Lorelei. You have to do better than that. I know they like choose you or something to do something for them." Indiana tells me.

"I want to see what you just said written on paper." I tell him.

Indiana laughs. I shrug.

"Anyway I have a box of my own." Indiana tells me.

"Oh" I mouth.

"Want to experiment with the boxes?" He asks me.

"Oh for sure!" I exclaim.

I grab my box and run down the hall to Indiana's room. His room is so much better than mine let me just rant for a moment.

My room has ugly fluorescent lights that make it feel like I am trapped. His room lights don't make you feel trapped at all. That make you feel right at home.

"Oh your room is so much nicer than mine." I tell him.

"Yeah. No offense to you but your room is kind of ugly." He tells me.

I strongly agree. Indiana's box was chilling in a box of its own. It seemed to be swimming in the tiny paper that it kept shooting out. Indiana pulled a piece of paper out of the box

Answer now

"What in heaven's name is this?" Indiana exclaims.

The room was silent when suddenly we all jumped when the sound of paper falling out of the box filled the room. I had my eyes shut.

"Was it yours?" I asked.

"Nope."

Crap it was mine. I reach down and put up the little sheet of paper.

Do you fear us?

"What in stars is going on?" I ask.

I place the box in Indiana's box. Indiana shuts the box. The sound of paper coming out of the box filled the room again however it was a little muffled by the box.

"Don't open that box Lorelei." Indiana warns me.

I can't help myself. I quickly reach for the box and pull the piece of paper out of the box.

We are from the planet Ursus Minor. We are colonists like you.

"This is officially scary." Indiana tells me.

"No hold up. These people are the other colony in Orion a and b." I tell him.

You finally get it?

"Why did they put their words in riddles?" I ask.

Indiana just shrugs.

We need you for the mission. Lorelei you already know your part in the mission. Indiana, you are going to protect Lorelei with your life. The war depends on her. It is your job to judge whether or not the situation is threatening Lorelei's life.

"Oh no." I groan.

"What?" He asks.

"Leopold approached me before I went to my room and told me that I was staying here in the compound while the rest of you are going home."

"I guess that changed." Indiana sighs.

"I'm sorry Indiana."

"I don't like these people from Ursus Minor." Indiana tells me.

"Tell me about it." I say rolling my eyes.