ZER

FOUR

When I opened my eyes I didn't see any light on. I sit upon my bed and look at the window, it was pitch black. I walked to see closer and my eyes went wide.

The ground is glowing.

The sky is twinkling.

The sight before me is very alien yet it is the most beautiful sight I ever have seen. The reddish grass is glowing in the darkness, every time a wind brushes their blades they glow even more. The air outside looks a bit foggy making everything looks dreamy. The sky is so clear I could see colorful stars, or are they another planet? With my naked eyes, I can see the galaxy above me as if it was capture by a satellite camera.

So foreign, yet so stunning.

I sit down in front of my windowpane for a while, enjoying the magnificent sight before me, and again reality hits me in my gut. I'm no longer on Earth.

I'm my only kind on this planet.

Today is going to be a big day, not only for me but also for humankind. When I agreed to be shipped to another galaxy, I was promised a lot of things, but that one promise was what motivates me to take the biggest leap in my life.

New identity.

I see the sun starts to rise on the horizon. Instead of a combination of blue, yellow, and orange, I saw magenta, purple, and red. Their sun is blueish and their sky is reddish, just like their water.

I decided to go downstairs and see what the others are up to. I changed my last night outfit to a baggy old t-shirt and black leggings. When I on the stairs I could hear some noises from the back, I follow them and find myself in what looks like a kitchen, a very modern one.

"Oh, you're up early." I saw Tra pacing in the kitchen. "Would you like some tea? That's how Tzarian usually starts our day."

"Sure," I reply.

He swings his hand in front of a cabinet and the door opens. He took two cups and pour yellowish water from a tall kettle.

"It's a bit strong, you might want to try a little bit first." He hands me a cup it is nice and hot.

I took a sip and cough. That was very strong. "It reminds me of coffee," I told him.

"What's that?" Tra asks me.

"A very strong... tea from Earth." I reply. "But it's good, thanks, do you happened to have something sweet I can add to this?"

And Tra looks at me like I have two heads. "Why in the name of the universe would you like to add something sweet to this?"

I smiled at him, well, my first case of culture shock. "That's how most of us drink tea back home, I guess humans prefer sweetness than bitterness."

He looks at me for a moment and swings his hand, he took a bottle of greenish liquid and hands it to me. "It's frug, very sweet." He explains.

I pour a teaspoon first and try my cofftea again, now it's perfect. "Want to try?" I offer him.

He almost gags and politely declines.

"What time are we going to the event?" I ask him.

"After lunch, whenever you ladies are ready, no rush, after all, all of you are our most honored guests." He explains.

That is very nice of them. I leaned on the kitchen island and drink my cofftea in peace. I stand there watching Tra swinging his hands back and forth preparing for breakfast. He doesn't really cook, more like instructing the AI.

"Oil." He says, and oil will appear.

"Lower the temperature."

"Mix."

And so on, and before I know it he made five different dishes in less than 15 minutes. He told his AI to send the plates outside and turns to me. "Let's go to the dining room, most of them are awake by now."

I follow him and see most of the females are wearing what they wore yesterday. Maybe they don't need many clothes? Maybe they have plenty of the same ones?

Chit chat starts when Tra picks up his utensils. I can pick up the topic for today.

The Choosing.

Tzarian.

Women's Rights.

And babies.

My stomach drops as they starting to talk about baby, offspring, heir, you name it. I was told that there is 50% chance I can carry Tzarian baby. And that information is highly classified one. I can only assume because Tzarian Government doesn't want to have a riot going demanding for human females, and I definitely will protect my kind from baby-crazy males of Tzar.

"May I have your attention please!" Tra shouts from the end of the table. "Dear valuable guests of Tzarian, as we all know today will be The Choosing day. Today is the day where all of you get to choose one of the finest males of Tzar. I will not bother to give you details about each one of them but I know, Tzarian will only choose the strongest, highly intelligent males to The Choosing event. I'd like to remind you that there is no pressure for you to choose any of them, you can stay for the next Choosing should you don't find any male you redeem suitable for you. With that being said, you only have two chances, and if by the next event you refuse to choose then we sadly will have to send you back to your planet."

Yep, I will make sure that will never happen to me.

"We will depart at any time of your preference. No rush, no push, you just say when and we will go. The event will take in the Court's Great Hall, there will be a lot of available males and also some of the unavailable males, WHICH are not for choosing. These males will attend the event to make sure everything will go smoothly and report today's event to the High Court. Please make sure when you choose a male to look at their wrist." Tra lifts his left wrist and I saw a thin silver band, it contrasts beautifully with his dark brown skin. "All men blessed with a female company has a silver band on their wrist, and to offer another silver band is one of the highest violation of law in Tzar."

He looks at each one of us females. "Apart from that, please enjoy today. Tzarian has organized today's event from months before and we wish you have a pleasant experience with us." He ends his speech by clasping his hand. The other females start to rise from their seats and walking up to their room.

Tra is married? Mated? Unavailable? Whatever word do they use here? Then where is his female? I want to ask badly but it's not like we are close or anything, and I don't know if that question is a personal one or not. So I decided to keep my question for myself and walk back to my room. I took my time in the shower, I have to say taking a shower in Tzar isn't as comforting nor pleasurable as taking shower back at...

Stop it. It's your past now.

I took out my best outfit, a sleeveless pearl buttons down, and a long pleated emerald green skirt that reaches just below my knees, it was my mother's before she...

STOP!

I closed my eyes and try to take deep breaths. Today is the day I will seal my fate. I will push all my horrible past in a chest inside me, triple lock it, and throw the keys to the deepest part in my head.

I need to get going.