Between Two Worlds

Chapter One

When we landed, we found things to be more developed there than we ever thought possible. Modest houses inhabited the large area and sat on soft red clay. Children, much like the ones on Earth, save their eyes, were playing a game that looked a lot like tag and were zipping by at record speeds. This wasn't what we were led to believe on Earth. We were told this planet was barren and waiting for us to breathe life into it.
***

​Large flowers ripe with prickly fruit brushed past me as I moved through the trail I took every morning. I looked to my left to see if I was keeping up with Zen. He looked back at me and I lost some of my momentum. His large gold eyes held something in them that I've never noticed before. I felt my face flush returned by his mouth spreading into a Cheshire smile.

​"I told you that racing me would be a lost effort on your part," he told me grinning even more widely.
​"I was going easy on you," I said with a wink, picking up my pace. I knew I could never keep up with him. On the rare occasion when I won, I knew it was only because he was letting me. My cheeks heated again thinking of him and how pure of a soul he was.
​He slowed his pace and I passed him too easily. He was letting me win again. It was all part of our game, he would either let me win or easily beat me and tease me relentlessly. Our morning runs were the main thing I looked forward to every day. I would miss this when my time here was over. If I was being honest with myself, I would miss him too. That wasn't supposed to happen, and I blamed my treacherous heart for it.

​I could see the tree with flowing branches and soft jade leaves that marked the end point. This time I decided to run past it daring Zen to come after me. He was a considerable distance behind me at this point. I gave him one last smirk over my shoulder noting his face was riddled with pure shock. I'd never gone past the jade tree before in all the months I'd been there. It was basically a state line to their community, and they warned us not to go past it since the others on this planet weren't too found of humans. I wouldn't go too far though, just enough to get a rise out of Zen.

​Smiling to myself I kept rushing by taking in the different plants I hadn't seen before. Champaign colored flowers and trees with pale yellow leaves surrounded me. I hadn't seen anything like them anywhere else I'd been here. He must have caught up to me a little because I could hear him shouting in the distance begging me to stop.

I was about to heed his warning when I saw a purple gleam ahead of me. It was almost like a Siren's song begging me to come closer. I closed the distance between myself and the gleam to find It was the reflection from a body of water. A body of purple water.

I audibly gasped taking it all in. It was almost begging me to jump in and after the run I was sweating profusely. Without thinking it through, I started taking off my t-shirt and pants. Soon I was standing there in only my underwear and let my long, dark hair out of the bun I'd hastily put it in earlier that morning.

I arched forward about to immerse myself in it when a hand gently touched my shoulder. I freaked out for a moment until I realized it was Zen. He looked at me with sad eyes and shook his head ever so slightly.
"You aren't supposed to be here Mora," He said in a small voice. "If anyone finds out you here we would both be in incredible danger." If he didn't look so distraught, I would've thought he was joking.
That was when I realized I was standing there in my underwear.

Whatever was going on with me was quickly gone and I was scrambling to get my clothes back on. "I don't know what happened... the lake... it was calling to me," I managed to stammer the words out. I was too embarrassed to say anything else.

He raked a hand through his short brown hair and let out a sigh. "I should go to The Elders about this..." he trailed off and a wave of emotions flitted across his face. He reached out and brushed my hair behind my ear. "I can't though... You..." He dropped his hand and we walked back to the community without saying much else to each other.
​
***

​After a quick shower, I changed into a flowy blue blouse and jeans. It was about time for me to head for the dining hall when I felt my implant tingle. I sat down at the small desk in my room and pulled out my transmitter. Sure enough, I had a message from my Commander asking me to contact him immediately. "Call Commander ​Lore," I ordered to my device.

​​It rang a few times before a 3d image of him appeared on my bedroom wall. "I thought we weren't supposed to have our meeting until tomorrow," I eyed him warily. "What's going on?"
​"Why Mora, I'm hurt. Can't I just to check on you to see how you're doing without it being mission related?" He feigned being hurt by my suspicion.
​"Enough Nathaniel, I am going to be late for breakfast and the others will be Concerned," I rolled my eyes at him. "Make it quick." I wouldn't normally be so snarky to someone in charge but given our history I couldn't always hide my distaste. He was the reason why I was sent here in the first place. Even though I was enjoying it here, I was still a little bitter about it.
​"You haven't reported anything new lately. Anything I should know about?"
​"We've been here for months now. I think I've seen just about everything in this community and you know we do not have the ability to go to the other ones," I scowled at him.

​"I see," He said simply. "I was just hoping you could find what we are looking for and we could get you and the others back to Earth."

​Then, I just remembered what had happened earlier that morning. "Well actually, something strange did happen earlier...."

​"Go on," he said eagerly.

​"I was on my morning run and..." A gentle knock on my door interrupted us. "I have to go. We'll finish this another time. Thanks for making me late jackass."

​"No, Mora wait..." I didn't let him finish his thought and ended the call. I then shoved my transmitter into the desk and straightened up.

​"Come in," I called out. My implant began tingling again, but I ignored his messages. I would have to remember to put my transmitter on mute later. The tingling in my arm was becoming almost as annoying as Nathaniel.
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