"You have been invited to Planet Earth Sample 2202 for a 24-hour tour, click 'accept' if you want to join!" the message said.

I had no idea what exactly it meant, but it sounded like a great adventure. Anything to escape the dreary rut that I've gotten myself into. Even the job that once fulfilled me held no charm anymore. In a word, I was stuck.

Earth hasn't been open to visitors for more than two hundred years, so it makes the tour even more appealing. The only option being to 'accept' or close the message helped me make my decision that much faster.

"Prepare for instant teleportation to Earth," the automated voice said the moment I clicked 'accept'.

Although the distance between Earth, or Earth-Prime as we lost Earthlings of the universe call it, and Earth Haven, isn't so big, no one from my planet has visited it in a long time. Many don't even know it was the planet of our origin. They believe the naming is just a coincidence.

No sooner had I closed my eyes to the beautiful view of a setting red sun than I opened them to the bright yellow one. The same one that my ancestors used to look upon with wonder, asking themselves if there was life out there, in the great unknown. Too bad they had to learn the truth the hard way.

"Welcome to Earth," a formal voice greeted me the moment my eyes and body readjusted to the new environment.

At first, I mistook it for a robotic host. However, it soon became clear it was not a robot. It was a stunning young woman with long black hair and the most enchanting blue eyes I had ever seen. It made my whitewashed hair and skin seem even more dull than usual.

Her beautifully tanned hands called me to follow, and I did so unquestioningly. After all, she was my welcoming committee, and I felt very comfortable with her. Even though the sun rays felt sharp on my overly pale skin and my grey eyes could barely stand its strength, I didn't give up.

"This will be your accommodation," she continued in the same formal voice. "You are not allowed to go anywhere unescorted for your own safety."

"Thank you," I said, smiling brightly at her, although I didn't like the fact that I was a prisoner in this place that was supposed to provide me with an exciting adventure.

"Your guide will be with you shortly," she said, unmoved by my soft smile and warm words. "Have a nice day."

Before I could even thank her, she was out of the luxurious house, and I was left even more confused than when I first got the message.

Looking around, I saw many beautifully arranged decorations and an incredible view of the flower-covered meadows. Yet, there was a feeling deep in my gut nagging at me that something was wrong. There was something in the woman's voice that seemed off. It was like an echo of something more.

"Welcome to Earth. I will be your Guide," the man said, knocking on my door a few moments later.

"I am Jhav. How may I call you?" I asked, trying to get at least some bearings in this strange situation.

"I am Guide," the blond well-toned man said with that same tone hiding something else behind it.

Having no idea how to respond, I just bobbed my head up and down and followed the man as he proceeded to give me the tour of all the beautiful places I've only heard of in fairytales. I was too fascinated to worry about how unnatural he sounded or how all the other humans seemed slightly off.

"I am sorry for interrupting," I said when I couldn't stand the curiosity anymore. "But I heard that Earth-Prime, I mean Earth, has become a wasteland that barely any humans survived."

"That is correct," Guide said emotionlessly.

"Then, how are you here, thriving?" I asked incredulously.

"We evolved. We rebuilt," Guide said as his words echoed all around me.

I turned around to see what was causing that effect, only to notice that it wasn't an echo after all. All the people nearby spoke simultaneously with him, saying the same thing.

"What?" I asked, pulling back in shock.

"Do not fear. This is just our evolution," Guide said.

"What...what exactly is your evolution?" I asked, finding it difficult to grasp what he meant.

"We have developed a hive mind," Guide said.

Although I was familiar with that term, I didn't fully understand what it entailed. So, even though fear and confusion battled in my mind, I decided to figure it out.

"What does that exactly mean?" I asked hesitantly.

"We are a unified consciousness. We are one," Guide said as if that was the most normal thing ever.

"So, what one of you hears, all of you hear? What one feels, all feel?" I asked, unsure if I understood well.

"Yes," they all said at once. "It allows us better coordination, and it stopped all conflicts. We all now work together for the Hive."

"And why am I here?" I asked, eager to have the mystery solved.

"We are ready to join the worlds," Guide said with a strange undertone to his voice.

"I am not sure the worlds are ready for you," I said, stammering, wondering how anyone could wrap their minds around what the humans on Earth-Prime had become.

"We'll make them ready," Guide said as his lips stretched into a menacing smile mirrored perfectly by everyone else.

Moments later, they surrounded me, and before I knew what was happening, I was colonized.

I was the Hive.

Everyone will be the Hive.