[Dedicated to gorgeous-mermaid for the lovely fan-art above!]

MY HEAD WAS POUNDING BY the time I stirred, and opening my eyes had been more painful than I'd ever thought possible. To make things worse, the room I was laying in was blindingly white, almost like a hospital room. Was I in a hospital? The thought made me panic at first, but my exhausted body refused to obey my commands, and so my attempt to sit up just didn't go to plan. I could only manage to have my eyes narrowed at first, the effects of a hangover hitting me hard. It was unbearably painful, but so was the moment when everything suddenly came back to me.

I'd been drunk. Louis had been upset with me because I was making bad decisions. He'd wandered off to get me some water...  And then his bitch of a soon-to-be-bride had popped up out of the blue only to stab me in the side. Literally.

I sighed in frustration, annoyed with myself for being so stupid; stupid for deciding to let my ex get under my skin so much as to make me feel like drinking was the only way to erase his memory, and also because all the signs that the redhead had been odd were there from the start - from the way she spoke, to how she smelt. Yet, I'd been way too drunk and confused to realise that she was of another world.

"Idiot," I groaned, turning my head away from the light hanging above me. Finally, I managed to open my eyes completely, though it didn't take long for me to squeeze them shut again after glancing around the large white room. It did look like a hospital, with white walls, rows of beds and what appeared to be a heart monitor to my left. Only then did I realise I'd been strapped to the bed with a needle embedded into my skin. I wasn't surprised, funnily enough - I was more amused, and that was the exact reason why I had to wonder if  were still a little tipsy. I knew that Louis would have tried to talk some sense into me if he were there.

Louis. His name popped into my mind all of a sudden and I felt fear, not for myself, but for him. If Klaru was worried about him, and out looking for him like a good partner would do, then she wouldn't have violently stuck a syringe into me and dragged me back to the, what I could only assume, was the Mothership. She would have asked me, like a normal person, if I had seen or heard anything about him. But I had to remind myself that she wasn't a normal person. 

She was in fact, a bitch.

The Councillors had taken control of Louis' ship, forcing his crew to do their bidding while they hunted the prince down. My worry was how Klaru had magically appeared, almost coincidentally. Was she perhaps a traitor? Maybe she worked with the Councillors? The thought made me panic, adrenaline kicking through my system as I wriggled like hell against the bonds, trying to escape. My attempts were fruitless, for I ended up sighing deeply in defeat and flopping back down against the bed in exhaustion. 

"Drunk, drugged and hooked up to a machine," I muttered to myself. "Fuck sake."

Just as I'd started to concoct my great escape, the far away door slid open. Four figures entered the room and I was surprised to find that I recognised every single one of them; Klaru and the three Councillors who Louis and I had been spying on from the shrubbery. Klaru stood in front, walking confidently into the room with the three men at her heels. It took me a moment to remember that Klaru too was royalty and it clicked into place as to why she appeared to be the one in charge. In charge of what though? The plot to rid Louis and help the Councillors conceal the fact that humans truly exist? Anger boiled within me as she came to a stop at the foot of the bed.

She looked me up and down before speaking. "Humans are so gullible," she began in an amused tone. "Always so easy to manipulate and toy with. I often wondered why our prince found your kind so fascinating. It is not as if you are a species more intellectual and peaceful than us. Yet he seems to think you are the most incredible thing out there in the universe." 

I didn't say anything. What exactly could you say to a crazy woman who believed that humans were scum? Somehow, 'thank you' didn't seem like the best option.

She looked over her shoulder and addressed the men for the first time. "Gentleman, we are here, witnessing a human being at their most vulnerable. This, before us, is what could happen to our people if we continue to let our prince meddle with forces he cannot even begin to comprehend."

Oh, come on, I thought. I rolled my eyes while none of them were looking and waited for her to continue with her ever so courageous speech.

"He is a danger to us all," spoke the blond male, his eyes wide and piercing, just like the first time I had seen him. Now, at such close proximity, I was even more unnerved by him. He looked like something out of a nightmare, a creature that pounced on you and terrorised you until you jolted awake. "Him and his experimental interests," he continued in disgust. 

"Calm, Malor," Klaru hushed. Her yellow eyes were glowing brightly under the lights. "The prince is not our main interest at the moment. First, we must interrogate the mortal and find out what she knows."

Interrogate? Alarm bells should have been going off in my head, however all I could think of was how silly and cliché it all was; being drugged, kidnapped and soon to be questioned. It was like I was in a movie. And that's when I realised that the captive person usually managed to escape using their wit and charm ... both of which I unfortunately didn't possess. Great.

The black man glanced down at me, his white eyes sending shivers down my spine. I remembered how the three of them had held the Striking Blades when I'd first seen them, how menacing they had looked and how Louis had told me that they could kill a person if they so wished. The more his eyes bored into mine, the more angry he looked and the more I wanted to be back, drunk on the dance floor with Louis.

Louis. Did he know I was missing yet? Had he told Jason? Were they looking for me? Part of me hoped so but I knew that if they were, both of them would be in terrible danger. Louis would walk right into a trap - I could only guess that taking me hostage was a trap - and the Councillors would kill him as soon as they could. And Jason, poor Jason would be helpless against them. All he had to do was start talking in his weird scientist way to piss them off and have a Striking Blade suddenly pressed against his chest. The thought made me shiver.

"Do you wish for us to use torture?" the darker one asked. He looked to Klaru for an answer, leaning forward as if anticipating her reply to be 'yes.' Sick git, I thought. I could recall Louis telling me how peaceful his fellow Junites were ... and obviously these men were not the ones he had been reminiscing about. 

The question of torture hung in the air, Klaru seemingly mulling it over. My heart began to race as she suddenly turned to look at me. When the sides of her mouth tugged up in a malicious grin I felt myself pale, dreading for the word 'yes' to fall past her lips. However, I was shocked when she denied the offer.

"You'd like that, would you not Norkar?" she mused. "If it comes down to it, I'll let you have the honour."

Well, she partly denied the offer, I guess.

Norkar smiled victoriously before nodding slowly, the other men grinning evilly along with him. I just gulped, fear suddenly chilling me to the bone. For the first time in ages, I was truly frightened. More terrified than when I had met Louis, more terrified than when I'd first seen the Councillors and even more frightened than when I had bumped into David. 

With torture being the last thing I wanted, I knew I had to distract them somehow. However, with panic surging through me, my head still spinning ever so slightly and my vision still a tad blurry, nothing strategic came to mind. At least not straight away. With no miraculous ideas hitting me, I decided to make the bold move of speaking up.

"You," I said more steadily than I thought I'd manage. "I want to speak with you."

"You will address me as Your Highness, you pitiful mortal," she sneered, her eyes narrowing with rage. "And in case it was not clear enough, we are speaking, or are your kind too dumb to realise the obvious?"

Normally, if I heard someone insulting the human race I'd be more than likely to agree, because let's face it, we're pretty stupid at times. However, because it was Klaru - an alien with no true idea about what humans were like - I allowed my cocky side to let loose.

"No, Your Highness," I sarcastically spoke. "We are not as dumb as you think. I want to speak with you alone."

For a moment, she was silent. Her yellows scanned me up and down as if trying to figure out what I was up to - what was I up to? When she turned to dismiss the other aliens, her tone was clipped.  "Leave us," she demanded. The three men bowed in unison and left the room without another word. I watched them go, glaring at the blond - Malor - as he glanced back at me before the door slid shut behind the three of them.

It was just the two of us left. 

Klaru cleared her throat and I turned my attention back to her. She stood confidently before me, her bright eyes on my face. I probably looked awful in comparison; make-up smeared under my eyes, my red hair a frizzy mess and my clothes rumpled. However, I didn't care. What I did care about was warning Louis. But what would I tell him? His crazy girlfriend is actually a traitor? I couldn't tell him anything of the sort, especially since I was still rather confused as to what was happening and who was on whose side.

Yet I had a hunch that Klaru was a git. You know, after deciding to drug me and all.

After the silence grew to be a little awkward between us, I spoke first. "So," I casually began. "Hello there."

Klaru chuckled. "I think we can skip pleasantries, human."

I scoffed. "Really? You say human as if it's a dirty word. Not just you, but all Junites from what I've seen." I thought back to how Louis had called me Earthling for long enough.

For a moment, Klaru looked dumbfounded, as if what I'd said shocked her. But the look of astonishment slid from her face as quickly as it had appeared. "So, you've interacted with other Junites before?"

My stomach suddenly lurched into my throat, realising that I had practically let it slip that Louis and I knew each other. Klaru should have known that though. Wasn't that the reason why I was aboard the mother ship?

It was my turn to give her a look of confusion. "Yes, and you know it. Why else did you kidnap me and bring me here? Can't be out of boredom. It was obviously because you know exactly who I am and who I happen to know."

She smiled smugly. "So you do know the prince," she said. "I did wonder for long enough, but as soon as you foolishly mentioned aliens and the prince's name at that party did I realise that you were the key to returning him to us."

"You're wasting your time," I blurted. "He doesn't even know I'm here."

"He will." The threat in her voice made me shiver and I just looked to her and waited for more. What did she mean by that? "As soon as he realises you're missing, he will panic and soon everything shall click together. He'll come here to investigate and then we shall safely return him home."

I scoffed. "Safely return him home? By the looks of things, you're pretty intent on killing him."

"Oh, no! You've figured everything out," she laughed, flipping her red hair over her shoulder. "Whatever shall I do?"

"Perhaps try to be a little more subtle next time?" I said, smiling sweetly at her. It was bold, being snarky in the situation I was in, and she didn't seem to like it.

Anger flashed in her eyes. "You know, it never occurred to me that humans could be quite so infuriating. The prince was irritating, the most irritating person I knew back on Junito, and I never thought that I would meet another with such annoying aspects."

"You want to talk about annoying?" I tested. "How about when you're at a party having a good time and then you get drugged and kidnapped? Somehow, I think I beat you with annoying things here."

"Enough!" she spat. I was unprepared for the slap across the face, so when her hand collided with my cheek I let out a surprised shriek. Bitch. My cheek stung momentarily before a red hotness spread across my skin. If there was a hand print, it wouldn't have been a shock. 

"Ow," I grumbled. "What was that for?"

She raised a brow as if to say, 'are you serious?' "For being so ignorant and seemingly unfazed by the whole situation. Why are you not frightened? Being abducted by  a foreign race ought not be most terrifying."

"Abducted, huh?" I said. "There's one to tell the grand-children."

A beeping sounded from the heart monitor beside me. Panic shot through my system as several different thoughts came to mind: Klaru was infecting me with poison. She was lowering the oxygen levels on the ship to suffocate me. Or worst of all, a small creature with sharp teeth was about to burst from my stomach.

"What's that beeping?" I asked.

"The termination of your transfer."

I frowned. "Transfer?"

She nodded as she made her way round to the side of the bed. A button was pushed at the side of the machine and the screen went blank, the beeping coming to a stop. I flinched when she continued towards me, her slender fingers outstretched at my arm.

"What are you doing?"

She let out a sigh, probably in annoyance. "Removing all of the needles and necessary equipment from you."

"For the transfer process?" I asked. "What is the transfer process?"

"The exchange of alien blood into your system. Without our DNA in you, as soon as we enter Junito's atmosphere, you'll die."

I could hear Louis' voice in my mind. He had once told me that the only way a human would survive on his planet was with a blood transplant to mess with the DNA signals of a human, so that a human could become accustomed to the Junite atmosphere. 

But then my eyes widened. Had I heard correctly - she was taking me to Jupiter? I should have been excited like before, when the idea of travelling to another planet had been at the top of my list of musts. Now, knowing that Klaru was intending to take me - no doubt as a hostage - it didn't seem so intriguing. 

"You're taking me to Junito? Why?" I asked.

"As bait, of course," she responded, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You are the key for our prince to return to us. He'll stop at nothing to find you because he becomes very attached to his experiments and if he comes to learn that the dear Councillors have it in their possession, he'll be overly determined to fight for its return."

"Experiment?" I repeated. "I'm not an experiment."

"Is that what you really believe?" she laughed. "Consider it from his point of view; landing on a foreign planet that just so happens to be populated with the race of beings he set out to look for in the first place. My dear girl, he has most likely been keeping tabs on you and your actions without you even knowing it."

I scowled at her, wanting so badly to not trust her. But unfortunately, her words seemed to hit me; what if she were right and Louis had been looking at me the whole time as nothing more but a piece of evidence for his research? Not that it mattered so much, because I technically was - hell, I had even asked him to use me as his proof of human life. Yet, if it turned out that from the beginning that had been all he saw in me, it would hurt just a bit. Were we not friends?

But then I reminded myself that I refused to let any man hurt me again and I just scoffed at Klaru and asked, "So, what's it like on Junito?" 

She scowled at me. "I don't think you understand the seriousness of this situation," Klaru stated. She crossed her arms over her chest and started to circle me slowly, almost like a vulture. "You are my prisoner from here on out until I receive valuable information about our missing prince."

"Why? So you can kill him?" I challenged. "I don't think so. I'm telling you nothing."

"I think you'll give in to a little persuasion," Klaru said thorough her teeth. I could tell I was angering her more and more as I spoke and it was brilliant. "If you are not willing to tell me what I need to know, I'll have to look to other means of torture."

"So you were serious about letting them torture me?" I asked, gesturing to the door with my bound hand. All I could do was pathetically flail my fingers in the general direction of where the Councillors had left.

"Yes," Klaru continued. "Until I get what I want."

I looked to her. "And what exactly do you want?"

She smirked. It was probably a rhetorical question because in all stories, in all legends, all anyone ever wanted was power, and if my suspicions were correct, she wanted to rule Junito. And not by Louis' side. 

"I think you all ready know the answer to that." She stopped fiddling with the monitor, all the needles finally no longer protruding from my skin. I squirmed uncomfortably, my arms slightly discoloured where the pins had been stuck. "I wish for things to remain as they are."

"As they are? So why are you so determined to kill Louis?" I asked.

"Louis?" she muttered in confusion. "Ah, clever. Louis being short for Loudrix, I presume? Clever, clever. A strategic way of hiding him from us."

I just ignored her comment and pressed, "Why are you so determined to kill him? You're supposed to be his Queen, aren't you? Why are you and the Councillors so against the idea of human life being known?"

Her eyes bored into mine for a moment too long, almost as if she were challenging me to ask anything more. If looks could kill I'd be dead. "We believe that humans shall be the cause of the apocalypse. Just like you Earthlings believe that us, so called aliens, are the downfall to your planet. The Councillors and I made a deal to stop Loudrix and his madness before things got too out of hand, so throwing him from his own ship was the original plan, and then once he was announced as deceased, his parents would then bestow the crown to the next family in line; mine."

"So you wanted him gone so you could rule? What a cliché," I huffed.

"A cliché? But those are always the best," she said. "However, once we learned of his unfortunate survival, we had no choice but to extend the expedition and rid him for ourselves. And clearly that has not quite worked to our advantage yet either. Thanks to you."

"To me?" I gaped. "How judgemental."

"But it is true, is it not? You have been helping him all along. Stupid human. Whatever gave you the idea that you would be any match for us?"

"I never thought that," I honestly answered. At this stage, what was the point in lying to her? "I saw a frightened man who's far from home. Here, on Earth, it's called a kindness."

"Do not speak of kindness as if I do not understand the term. It is exactly that which I am trying to grant my home! If news of human life breaks out, it will destroy Junito!"

I remembered Louis telling me that his people were peaceful. And I knew that my people would be if they knew that the aliens were of no harm. And so, I asked her, "Why are you so sure?"

It left her clueless. For a moment she could not answer, the silence growing more eerie between us as she tried to think of a reply. A small grin appeared on my face as she seemed to struggle for words. 

"You don't, do you?" I stated. And that's when a thought hit me; something that had been nagging at me since the first time Louis had told me of his landing on Earth. "You just wanted him gone so you could rise to claim the throne. Am I right? I think I am. The whole thing about the Councillors not wanting humans to know about aliens and vice versa was a cover-up, wasn't it? Because with Louis' parents left with no heir to the throne, and you then left with the bestowed responsibilities, the story of human versus alien wouldn't matter. You would still be Queen."

She was ballistic, I could tell by her eyes. The yellow seemed to shine gold under the bright white lights in the room, and she was gritting her teeth. I could practically see the steam shooting from her ears, and that was all the confirmation I needed. I had been right, and I'd out smarted a life form more intelligent than my own. 

"Knew it," I said as I laid my head back down on the bed. The restraints were beginning to rub against my skin and I winced, wondering why exactly I had been strapped down in the first place. It wasn't as if running from the enemy was ever a smart move, so why would they even think of me doing such a thing?

Oh, wait. They believe us to be dumb. Right, got it.

"I always hated your kind," Klaru suddenly spat. "Always so cocky. So greedy. So desperate for attention. I thought you could sink no lower."

"For someone who was born into Royalty and grew up with everything you ever dreamed off, I believe it's you who could sink no lower, especially after deciding to try and kill your husband-to-be. You hypocritical bitch."

"Bitch?" she questioned. I was unprepared for the sudden look of confusion that crossed her features. "Why are you referring to a dog?"

I cackled out loud which was probably the worst thing to do, but I couldn't help it - I was reminded of Louis, and all the odd things he always said before he'd become accustomed to modern English. Apparently it was the same for all aliens because Klaru was just watching me with a furrowed brow. 

My laughs were silenced when the door burst open. The third Councillor, the one with the black spiky hair entered the room, in what appeared to be a hurry. He was panting, his eyes wide.

"Heras, I did not give you permission to enter," Klaru said, agitated. Probably both with me and him.

"I am sorry, My Lady. But there has been an important update on the prince."

Klaru's irritation seemed to disappear as quickly as it had come, and her eyes lit up. I wanted to slap the sly smile from her beautiful face. "Wonderful. What is happening?"

"They are leaving the building, all of them."

"All of them?" Klaru questioned. She was frowning once again. "What do you mean all of them?"

"Well, we do not yet know which of them is the prince. In our human disguises, it is difficult to tell which one of the humans he is. What I mean to tell you is that the building has been evacuated, and therefore he has undoubtedly left the building and hurried off somewhere else."

Klaru clapped a hand to her forehead. Her head darted back and forth between Heras and myself, as if she were deciding which was the top priority. Pick him, I silently begged. If she left, I'd begin to work on my escape plan, as pitiful as it would no doubt be. Knowing my luck I wouldn't even be able to make it out of the bonds in one piece.

Finally, she said, "I'll accompany you and the men to the land and we'll find him. It shouldn't take us long, especially now since this girl has left clues."

"You won't find him," I said, hoping she'd listen. I couldn't let her get Louis. If she killed him, I'd never be able to forgive myself for not having tried to stop her. I was left helpless, tied against the bed, and all I could do was hope she wouldn't find him. Plus, Jason was helping Louis stay safe, he knew what was going on, and he would keep him safe. "He's more clever than you think. And he doesn't stick out like a sore thumb now."

"My dear girl, we have our ways. Believe me, we shall find him." She pointed a finger at me and added. "Do not try to escape, or it'll be the last thing you ever attempt."

"I believe you," I said, sending her a cheery smile as she turned and hurried out the room with Heras hot on her heels. As the door slid shut behind them, I let out the biggest sigh I could manage. She was a lot scarier than I first thought, her yellow eyes piercing and full of rage. Usually I liked to piss people off, and where it had been fun with her to begin with, I knew I was treading on thin ice the longer I kept it up.

But she was gone. And by the look of it, so were the Councillors. And that meant that I was able to try and escape, just like I'd been told not to do. But of course, when you tell someone not to do something it only makes them more eager to do it anyway. 

Wriggling like crazy against the binds was a bad idea which resulted in my exhausted body flailing this way and that like a fish out of water. I was out of breath by the time I decided that my next move would be to try and knock the bed, as well as myself, over. But of course, my attempt was useless and the bed only rocked back and forth on its jittery wheels. 

"Fúck," I panted, rolling my eyes. I looked toward the lights hanging overhead, pondering what to do next. It wasn't so much my escape I was planning but how I could get to Louis and warn him about everything. He didn't know that Klaru was a traitor, therefore if she presented herself to him, he'd be walking right into a trap. 

I had to escape to tell him everything.

I had to help him, I had to guarantee his safety.

I had to help Louis.

I'm back (for you, back for you, back for you, you-oo-oo-oo)! Sorry, I'll stop now. Thank you all so much for reading and also for sticking around for so long while I was being horrible and not writing for you guys. I really hope the wait was worth it and that you enjoyed this chapter! It was a lot of fun to write and don't forget to drop me a comment below! x

Space joke: What did Earth receive from its naughty neighbour? A full moon.