Displaced

Chevelle - Six

Paul walked us out of the mall. The afternoon sun was blinding, but I was so happy to see it all the same. I never thought I'd get a chance to, and the darkness was starting to get disorienting. There were no swarms of cop cars waiting outside like I had been hoping. In fact, it was eerily void of life. Paul placed a small plastic dot on our right wrist, and before I could ask him what the heck was going on, the mall, the outside world, planet Earth, all dissolved from our view and we were standing inside of "home."

Welcome home. No, no, thank you. I didn't want to go to Paul's home, to be a part of it. Especially since Paul's home was a freaking spaceship. Not kidding, because the first thing I saw when my vision came back into focus was Earth from outside of the atmosphere.

"Please tell me that's a TV," I whimpered.

Shaking noticeably, Timber walked toward the window and tapped the glass. He spun on his heel, glaring at Paul. "What is going on? Where are we?"

"Earth's orbit." Paul said it so calmly. Now he had officially stepped over from comforting to creepy. He took in a deep breath. "I was confused and scared at first too, but I promise this is a good thing. Quite possibly the best thing for you, your families, and our species."

"We've been kidnapped by aliens," I choked out. "Please wake me up now, please. I want to go back to my real home." I wanted to see my mom, my dad, my dog, even my annoying little brother. How could he expect me to leave all of that behind and then call it a good thing?

For a moment, Paul only stood there and watched us. The kids were crying and starting to freak out, calling for their mom and dad. Timber was pacing. His footsteps were heavy, fists clenched so hard his knuckles were white, though the rest of him seemed calm and composed. As for me, I just stood there like a total loser, still hugging that stupid hippo. I stood and stared at Paul with my jaw dropped and my eyes wide with tears because I still couldn't believe that any of this was real. How could it be? It all started with meeting a mega superstar hottie, climaxed with a love confession from a stud, and now I was in freaking outer space?

But if it was a dream, shouldn't I have woken up by now? At the very least, I should have had some more control. Every other dream I've had where I know I'm asleep, I'd always been able to magically make things go my way. Not with this. It was real, and it took about thirty pinches for me to finally accept that fact.

Paul walked over to the children and touched each one gently on the forehead. "I promise you will not be harmed. There is a safe and loving home waiting for each of you."

"They have parents," Timber said sharply.

"Parents who left them alone in a mall to selfishly pursue other things," Paul said softly. "We've been watching. My superior has a special soft spot for children, so I am glad she was able to claim them. They will be much happier here than with the others."

I lost it then. "What are you talking about?"

He shook his head. "There is one more place I need you to follow me, and then I promise to answer as many of your questions as I'm allowed."

"What if I don't want to?" Timber folded his arms in front of him.

"Then you remember what happens to those who fight? Those rules still apply."

Timber growled and waved a hand in front of him. "Fine, I'll comply for the time being."

I wondered if he was thinking the same thing I was. If he rebelled, who else would get hurt? Just him? Both of us? The kids too? Because the idea of trying to run away again did cross my mind. Then I remembered I was on a spaceship. There weren't a lot of places I could go. I was still baffled about being on the ship to begin with. Space. Right outside. Talk about claustrophobia. One crack in the glass and it was all over for all of us. I still wasn't ready to die.

Nodding at Paul, I rubbed Timber's forearm. An hour ago, I'd probably have admired the strong, defined curvature of his muscles under his button-down T-shirt. None of that popped into my head then. All I wanted was for him to calm down and not do something stupid that would get us all hurt or killed.

Paul seemed to approve, because when his gaze met mine, his smile widened. "Follow me then. I will show you to where you'll be staying."

He led us down a hallway. It reminded me a lot of an apartment set-up. There were numbers on all of the doors, plush maroon carpeting on the ground, and a fake, home-like beige paint on the walls. A few pictures of landscapes hung between every three doors. The bright fluorescent lights overhead and the clank of the metal under the carpet as we walked were good reminders that we weren't in a standard apartment building.

We stopped, and Paul unlocked a door. Number 111. He pointed at Timber and I. "This is where you'll stay. I will return as soon as I drop off the children to their respective units. Then we'll talk."

He practically shoved us into the room. Right before he closed the door on us again, Timber grabbed Paul by the arm.

"Lara stays with us," he said.

"Hmm?" Paul asked.

"Lara, she stays with us. I promised I would watch her until she found her mom."

Paul frowned, but nodded. "That's fine if it's what she wishes."

Lara, who up until now had been practically invisible, stepped forward. She pushed her way past Paul and took Timber's hand. Paul smiled and shut the door behind him as he left the three of us inside. The lock turned. I waited a few seconds before looking at the door to see if I could unlock it from the inside. Wherever the lock was, it wasn't anywhere I could find it. Defeated, I leaned against the door and sank to the ground.

Quiet. Everyone was so quiet. I couldn't stand it. That was when the tears started to pool in my eyes, and once they started, there was no stopping them. I pulled my knees to my chest, clutched the hippo and buried my face in it, breaking down into a total sobfest. And I didn't care anymore. All I wanted to do was go home. Whatever joke was being played on me wasn't funny. Whatever goal these alien people had, I didn't want any part of it.

I felt small arms wrap around my shoulders. When I lifted my gaze, I saw Lara, holding me and crying too. She was also smiling. Why wasn't she crapping bricks and freaking out too? I risked a glance over at Timber. He stood off to the side, his gaze bouncing between the floor and me. Slowly, he rubbed his arms with his hands, as if trying to warm himself, but I knew what he was really trying to do. He was trying to keep his cool. I beckoned him over with a wave. No reason why he couldn't get in on some of the love too.

Slowly, he came over, knelt down, and held both Lara and myself in one embrace. We hugged one another until Paul returned.