Chapter 19: Eliane

The moment I wake up, I’m terrified that it’s all been a dream and I’m back in the laboratory. I’m on a bed with tubes in my arms and a machine beeping near me.

I hear voices nearby and I lay quietly, trying to hear what they are saying.

“I’ll have to talk to her, explain to her what’s happening and what we need to do to keep her and us safe…” a man’s voice, vaguely familiar, says. His voice cuts off suddenly and there’s silence.

“She’s awake,” a much deeper voice says. That voice is like a call to my soul, like it’s drawing me to him. Who is that?

“Hey there,” a pregnant woman says, walking into the room. “I’m Tesha. The others told me you remembered me from when you and Iniko saw us. Kaylani said that you thought I was nice and that you might be okay with me coming in to talk to you.”

“I remember you,” I say quietly.

“Good. I wanted you to know that you’re safe. You’re not back in a laboratory which is what most of us think when we wake up like this,” she says.

“If I’m safe, why am I