The trip was long. Aley spent most of it with her head tucked into her arms. Some of the aliens kept up conversation in their grumbling tongue, others silently staring down at their laps. There was nothing to do but think.

And plan.

When they land, I'm getting out of here. I'm running as fast as I can and I'm going to get away from them. Sure, my stamina sucks, and I won't know where I'm at, but it's better than just going along with everything. Who knows what they plan on doing with me once we get wherever they're taking me. Did they say we're going back to their planet? That's kind of exciting, I might be the first human to see it. But! I shouldn't have to get kidnapped to do it!

Rokh tried to make conversation with her a few times, but she stubbornly kept her silence, so he eventually stopped. She could tell he was uncomfortable being beside her, which was strange considering that he and his group had kidnapped her. What did they have to feel uncomfortable about? They didn't seem like they regretted it at all. In fact, based on the few times she had met their eyes, they were always smiling at her.

She thought a lot about Rocki as they travelled. What happened to her exactly? Where was she? Would anyone notice that the two of them were missing? Of course their parents would, but who knew how many days it would be before they realized no one was answering their calls.

Her friends.

Her head raised a little. Carter and Mimi would for sure realize that something was wrong when she didn't show up for drinks. She may have often been late to things, but she never missed an event. That would at least speed the search along. They would come over, realize she wasn't there or answering her phone, then contact her parents, who would call the police, and then maybe someone would be able to figure out what happened.

But how were they supposed to get to her, even if they did figure it out? Their technologies and knowledge about space didn't nearly expand to being able to rescue a girl going who-knows-where.

She let her head drop, trying to take deep breaths to keep from hyperventilating. No one is going to find me. No one is coming to get me. I'm trapped.

She let those thoughts circle around and around her mind until the ship began to slow. Her head snapped up again, accidentally meeting the eyes of Caif.

He smiled at her. "We're home."

She made a mental note that he could also speak in English but didn't say anything to him. She strained to see out the front cockpit, leaning forward to look around Rokh. He obligingly kept his back against his seat, also looking towards the planet before them. She could see a lot of white sand on the left, with mountains in the far distance, but it looked like they were headed towards the huge gray forest that was dead ahead.

"Oh my gosh," she whispered, mouth parting as her wide eyes were filled with the sights of the new world. Wonder and terror trickled through her body as her mind grappled with the reality of it all. Aliens were real. Other planets were out there. And she was looking right at them. But what did they want from her?

The ship was steered to skim over the top of the trees until a large crater came into view. They made a circle around it, giving Aley a moment to assess the village below. The crater was surrounded by the forest and filled with hundreds of ships. At first, she didn't notice any buildings, but as they descended, she could see they were all hidden within the shade of the trees. People were running about as if they all had places to be and no time to get there but kept large spaces that were outlined with logs clear.

Lore landed in one of those spaces, the ship drawing a small, curious crowd. As soon as the vehicle stopped moving, the sariun were out of their seats and grabbing things from the cabinets.

"Kers, Jirn, disperse the crowd," said Xinn, taking up a commanding stance in the middle of the ship. "Tell them nothing. We don't want the savioress's first impression of our people to be getting trampled like they were a herd of daekee."

Teeth flashed as the group chuckled. Aley's eyes caught on the sharp fangs they had, an imagine of being brutally torn apart coming to mind. She gritted her own teeth, struggling to undo the strap that locked her to the seat.

"Caif, tell Head TerrCileBreg that we've returned with one savioress. He can meet us at the protection site if he wishes." Xinn glanced at Aley as she fidgeted with what should have been the simple task of unbuckling. He stepped towards her, still speaking over his shoulder to his men. "Lore, Rokh, the three of us will escort the savioress. I don't want to take any chances, even if we are within our own home." His hands easily unstrapped her, stepping back when she jumped up. "It would be best for you to wait at the front, savioress, while Kers and Jirn get rid of the crowd. Our people will be excited to see you and might lose their heads in their enthusiasm." He took Aley's arm, pulling her towards the pilot's chair.

She resisted a little, detesting his hand on her as well as being led away from the door, but decided that compliance served her for now. The general stood her in between the front seats, then he and his two companions make a barricade in front of her while the others opened the door. She strained to see around the males blocking her view, catching glimpses of mostly blue and gray. An excited cheer rose from the crowd when the returned group stepped out, but it died as Kers and Jirn shouted for their removal.

It seemed like it was going to take a hot second to get rid of all those people, so Aley crossed her arms and tried to plan her escape. If I run fast enough, I could get to the wood and possibly lose them in there. She glanced out the window behind her, smirking a little. I don't think the general really thought this through. If someone tried, I'm sure they could see me through this windshield. Her gaze skimmed over the gray forest, heart sinking as she realized that she had no idea what was out there. She would be alone in a strange planet. No, it will be fine. I'll get away from them and then maybe steal a ship and have it take me home. I'll find out where that other monster took Rocki and I'll get her back too.

After a few minutes, the alien crowd had scattered. Xinn took Aley by the arm to lead her, but she wrestled away from him. "Don't touch me," she muttered, holding the arm he had grabbed.

"As you wish, Savioress." He lead the way towards the ramp with Lore and Rokh falling in behind her. Their movement was swift, practically running her down the ramp.

As soon as her feet hit the actual ground, Aley took off. She made a mad dash for the trees to the right, which seemed to be the closest by a small margin. The aliens three shouted behind her, clearly not expecting her to run since they hadn't immediately grabbed her back. She was sure it wouldn't take long for them to catch up though.

The wood isn't that far. I can make it. Her heart pumped with energy as she pounded towards the trees, praying for enough speed to get there before she was grabbed again.

Fire branded her back, searing into her shoulders by some unknown source. She screamed, driven to her knees by the unexpected pain. The dirt under her was soft, but a lone rock carved a scratch into her leg when she fell, the harsh smell overwhelming her so she could hardly breath. She opened her mouth to gasp for air, multiplying the pain in her back. She rolled onto her uninjured leg, sitting up slightly as she grabbed at the wound. It wasn't bleeding as badly as it felt.

Her shoulders pulsed painfully, hunching her over. Being so close to the smell blood made her gag, so she turned her face away. Then she shrieked as something bit into her back. Her arms curled up, scraping at her neck to try to divert the pain as tears rushed to her eyes.

"Make it stop!" she sobbed into the dirt, rocking her body slightly. "Make it stop!"

She heard pounding. Footfalls. They thundered in her head, driving her further towards insanity. Her hands grabbed her hair, clenching it without mercy in her sweating palms as the pain in her back multiplied. There was a pressure pushing on her shoulder blades, something threatening to break her in half.

Several voices were calling for her, but she couldn't distinguish one from another. They were all repeating the same things, "savioress!" "what's wrong?" "are you all right?" She couldn't find the strength to reply, only cry heavier tears.

"Savioress, please!" Someone managed to grab her face, forcing it up. "What's wrong?" The only thing she could see through her tears was blurs of gray and black, bolts of electric blue cutting through bits of it.

She screamed as pain burst through her back, something heavy flying out behind her. She felt herself come in contact with whomever was at her back, knocking him away. But something didn't feel right. She ripped her face away from the hands that held her, planting it back into the dirt as the pain started to ebb.

After inhaling a bit of earth, she coughed violently, sitting up. Her lungs gasped in deep breaths as the tears began to fade. She whimpered slightly, finally raising her head to look at the person in front of her.

It was Xinn, his terrifying eyes meeting hers with concern. "Are you all right, Savioress?"

She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth, wincing when her teeth poked into the soft skin. My teeth aren't that sharp. She ran her tongue over her upper teeth, eyes widening at the difference. Her canines were longer and sharper than before. Just like ... Her eyes fell to Xinn's mouth.

"Aban avar!" someone hissed. "What are those about?"

Xinn's eyes flickered over Aley's shoulder, hesitating.

"What?" Aley asked, twisting around. She gasped. Huge wings were curled up beside her, slowly unfolding as her lungs expanded. They were brown, huge, and terrifying. "What the heck?!" She screeched, trying to scramble from them. Of course the wings followed her, she could feel their movements where they attached to her shoulder blades. She almost knocked heads with Xinn in her haste to try to run, but he grabbed her and forced her back. "What the heck?!" She shrieked again, another man falling prey to her unmanageable appendages as they flew open.

"Savioress, calm yourself!" shouted Xinn, holding tightly to her arms.

"What's going on?" someone called from a distance. More voices rose up behind the first.

"Is that a valicaran?"

"Valicaran!"

"How did it get in?"

"Get rid of it!"

Aley's wild eyes fell on the crowd that was forming and heading towards them. Her heart thrashed against her chest. They looked furious. Crap, they're going to kill me.