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XIU POV

  As Sarah pushes me down yet another hallway, I spot a second wheelchair with another sickly Asian woman in it, and my curiosity grows. 

Are they testing some kind of new drug? Is it specific to Asian genetics? Father's second-largest holding is in pharmaceuticals. He should have known if such a drug existed... unless America was hiding it. 

"Evening Sarah. I see your trip out of the country was successful," the other white woman says and Sarah sighs before replying. 

I stare into the stranger's face, trying to decipher if there is any ill intent, but her blue eyes are as hard to read as Sarah's are. The entire flight over I hadn't slept. I had forced my body to stay awake. I had stared at Sarah and prodded her with endless questions, but she had stayed firm in the fact she couldn't disclose anything else to me. She seemed kind and looked at me with those sparkling eyes while insisting I sleep, but I wouldn't allow myself to be fooled into resting. Even if I was doomed to death I still had my honor. I wouldn't lose it in my last hour. 

"It went perfectly. Have we heard about Ireland," Sarah asks and the other woman shakes her head while frowning. 

  When I look away from the new American I am shocked to see that the woman in the other wheelchair looks more haggard than I do. Her dark eyes are looking at me, but the light in them is dim. Her small mouth and oval-shaped face indicate she was once a beauty like I was, but her sickness has taken its toll as well. It is clear she is also Chinese, but it sounds as if Sarah is the only one who went to China. She must be a Chinese immigrant or a Chinese American. 

"Well, let's see how Kim did," Sarah says before pushing open the thick wooden doors next to my chair. 

I immediately look inside, expecting to see some kind of medical room, but all I see is a brown-skinned woman sitting in a wheelchair, also accompanied by a white woman. The room looks like an average office with a desk and bookshelves. Nothing strange or informative. 

  "Excellent. Zuri, I will leave you here now. Our superior will be with the three of you soon. Good luck," the other white woman says as Sarah pushes me into the room. 

I look up at the only person familiar to me and all she does is smile. She doesn't say another word before following her companions back out the door. 

  "Wow. Just abandoned us like that," the girl says from beside me and I tear my eyes off the door to look at her. 

  She sounds weak and very American. She must have been born here. I glance at the brown-skinned woman named Zuri to find a small smile on her lips. She seems to like what the other woman said which means she understands English. Maybe she is also American. I don't understand what she has to smile about though. This isn't a good situation for us. It is clear that we are all sick and vulnerable. While Sarah promised me life and happiness, those were words offered to me by someone I do not truly know. 

  Suddenly the door on the other side of the room opens. A businesswoman walks in, and I can instantly tell that this is the superior. She has the walk, the aura of one who is in charge. She moves like my Father does. She is a no-nonsense kind of woman who will provide us with the facts. 

  "Hello ladies, my name is Laura Cummings. I work for the United States government. The three of you have been brought here to discuss an exciting opportunity," she says, and I calmly wait. 

She looks over our expressions with an emotionless face for a few seconds before carrying on. 

"All of you have already been asked the important question so I shall continue then. Have you ever considered that Earth wasn't the only planet that could support life," she asks and my eyebrows furrow. 

This isn't even remotely close to my predictions about experimental drugs. She is talking about life on other planets. 

"What," the girl beside me asks, and Ms. Cummings looks at her.

  "Aliens. Do you believe in the possibility of aliens," she asks, and I begin to grow irritated. 

  Aliens and whether they exist or not aren't important to me. Being cured and experiencing a happy life is what I want. 

 Ms. Cummings sets her briefcase on the dark desk near the door she came in through and opens it. She pulls out a stack of papers and begins to separate them on the desk. 

   "Aliens are real. The Earth is small compared to other planets that support life, and we are considered behind in every aspect. Technology. Physical ability. Intelligence. The other beings in the universe laugh at what we consider transportation and healthcare. I know this information is sudden and completely unbelievable, but it is true. Currently, the Earth is part of a treaty called The Harvest Peace Act. More than half of the planets that support life have also signed. Due to our standing in the universe, Earth is only required to participate in one of the treaty conditions. Every ten years, five women are to be sent to the Harvest's Mating Tournament. The idea behind the concept is to mix the different races of beings so harmony can exist. More than forty years ago, the universe experienced a major war. Many were dying, and Earth was going to be caught in the crosshairs. Luckily the quarreling planets held a meeting and came up with the Harvest Peace Act. If you all agree, you will be the last three of five women that will be sent to represent the Earth," Ms. Cummings explains, and shock overtakes me for a second before I get angry with myself.

I was brought here by crazy people who believe in aliens. I left my hospital bed and foolishly believed I could be cured. I am an idiot. Father could have already returned by now. Maybe I was foolish to believe he would give up on me. Foolish to discontinue real treatment. 

  "You're crazy," the girl beside me says loudly voicing my exact thoughts. 

  "The governments of the world want to keep the existence of aliens secret, so the selection of candidates is strict. Only terminally ill women of age can be considered. The virginity rule is listed in the treaty. Women going to the mating games are basically prizes for the galaxy's strongest warriors. While the majority of the planets signed the peace treaty and stopped fighting, some planets did not. The allied planets are still at war with this small portion of beings. Earth is under the protection of the treaty because we send women to the tournament. Other planets under the protection of the treaty not only send women but also send soldiers to aid in the war. Humans are considered to be too weak to fight. So Earth is not required to send soldiers," the woman states in a matter-of-fact tone that makes me believe her for a second. 

She pauses to see if we have anything to say, but we stay silent. I need all of the facts. My mind still won't accept what she is telling us is real.  

  "If you sign these contracts, you all relinquish your status as citizens of the Earth. You understand that you all will be saved from your current illnesses, and in return, you agree to marry a male that chooses you at the tournament. From that point on you all are a citizen of your mate's home planet. He is required by tournament law to provide for you. These men are considered to be the heroes of the galaxy. They are all wealthy and excited to be participating in the tournament... This contract is your ticket to life. Only death awaits you here," she says taking her time to look us all in the eyes. 

She walks around the desk and picks up the papers. She hands each of us a contract and a pen without another word. I immediately begin to flip through the legal documents explaining what she just told us. 

  

"What does this all mean," the girl named Zuri asks and the woman looks at her as she closes her briefcase. 

  "It restates all the information I have just told you. It also talks about the legality of leaving the planet," she says and I flip back to the front of the contract. 

It doesn't tell us how we will get better. It doesn't say how I will survive the cancer that is killing me. That is what I care about. If all of this is real and I can go somewhere new to live and to be happy... I can't be sick when I do. I want a peaceful life I can be proud of. I want to be proud of myself and who I am for once. I want to be more than what I was groomed to be. 

  "How will we be healed," I ask and Ms. Cummings turns her head my way. 

  "Their technology far exceeds ours. They cured cancer long ago. So you will be cured once you arrive. Before you ask, humans aren't considered trustworthy enough to be given the information. They consider us barbaric. They dislike almost everything about us... They do consider our women beautiful, though so all of you should do well in the tournament," she answers, and I look back down at the papers.

Signing these won't cost me anything. Even if it is all fake... What do I have to lose? 

  "This is crazy," loud mouth girl repeats and Ms. Cummings sighs. 

  "Signing these papers saves you. Believe it or don't believe it. You should sign and find out if I am lying. You won't lose anything if I am lying," the woman and Zuri sighs. 

"Okay... say I sign. What happens after,"  she asks and I secretly study her. 

She seems to be thinking like I am. We have nothing here. Our families have all probably given us up for dead. My father is probably looking for a new wife right now so he can produce another heir. If we go with this as crazy as it sounds, what do we have to lose? 

  

  "You would be processed immediately. I am the only human on this planet entrusted with a teleportation beacon. Once you sign, I turn it on and it sends your location to the medical center. They are aware of the condition of Earth's candidates and have prepared accordingly. Our harvest participants are sent to a medical facility before they join the other women sent by other planets. They transport you there the second we finish here. My agency then takes care of everything here. The hospital notifies your family, and their grieving process begins. It is not ideal for them, but unfortunately, your deaths are inevitable at this point. They will be grieving soon anyway," she says, and I watch as the brown-skinned girl thinks it over. 

  After only a few seconds she sighs again. 

  "I'll sign," she whispers and my body relaxes. 

It's as if her agreeing to go freed me into being able to do the same. 

  

"You will not be disappointed," Ms. Cummings says to her before looking over at me and loud mouth. 

I stare into her eyes for what feels like a long time before flipping to the last page and signing my name. When my hand lifts from the paper I feel ten pounds lighter. 

Ms. Cummings collects our contracts before I can even process another thought and walks back to her desk. She seems happy now. There is a light in her eyes that wasn't there before. The stern atmosphere from before is gone. 

"This is my first Harvest in this position and I am truly excited to send you three on this journey. You will be so happy... I know you don't believe me, but when we speak again I will probably say I told you so," Ms. Cummings says with a small laugh, but we stay silent. 

"Right. Back to it... The center is expecting harvested women from Earth and will be ready for your arrival. Sending three at once is not common, but it isn't against the rules. You all will arrive unconscious. They will immediately place you in one of their machines that gives them a full-body read-out. Depending on what they see will determine your treatment. I hear it is a speedy process, and it heals your body completely. You will look as if you were never sick. Even your hair will be back. Personally, I can't wrap my brain around a machine like that, but it exists. I have to link the teleportation device with each of your DNA, but once you all are logged in, you never have to do this part again. The teleportation system is on every civilized planet, and I understand they use it to travel as we do airplanes. Do you have any more questions before I prick your fingers and get you logged for transport," she asks, and Zuri shakes her head. 

"You said your agency handles everything and our families grieve... Does that mean they are told we died," loud mouth asks and Ms. Cummings nods sadly. 

"Until Earth's governments decide to disclose the existence of aliens no one can know what truly happened to you all," she answers.

My Father would never believe it anyway. It is best I make a clean break. He thinks I died and I get to walk away from everything he ever taught me.  

Ms. Cummings takes a small black box out of her case. She holds it up to her eyes, and it does a scan of her face before popping open. We all watch intently as she pulls out a small orange device. The device doesn't look special in any way. There are three buttons on the top of the device, and they are all white. They aren't labeled just blank white buttons. The device isn't very big, and it's square. It has a small scene underneath the three buttons but nothing else. 

Ms. Cummings walks over to Zuri and smiles. 

"You signed first. You should go first," she says as she holds out her hand. 

Zuri willingly gives the woman her hand, but the tightness around her eyes tells how scared she is. Ms. Cummings presses the middle white button, and a small needle pops out of the end of the square device. She pricks the girl's finger quickly, and the device gives a beep as the needle disappears. 

"My device only has one location I can teleport people to. It is very basic compared to the teleporters they use," Ms. Cummings states as she stares at the small screen. 

She seems to be waiting for the device to process the girl's DNA. Finally, the device beeps, and she looks back up. 

"Okay. I am going to press this button, and your body will be sent to the medical center. It was a pleasure meeting you, Zuri. My contact information will be given to you when you arrive there. They give you paperwork and a copy of the contract you signed. They will also guarantee you speak their language. They have a unique way of sharing information and knowledge. I wish you the best of luck," she says, and the girl named Zuri disappears. 

Loudmouth screams, but I stay calm. Ms. Cummings seems relaxed as if the girl disappearing is what was supposed to happen. 

"Now, who wants to go next," she asks, and I give her a nod. 

She comes my way and I hold out my hand expectantly. She smiles at me. 

"Just like I told Zuri. My contact information will be given to you when you arrive there. They give you paperwork and a copy of the contract you signed. They will also guarantee you speak their language. They have a unique way of sharing information and knowledge. I wish you the best of luck," she says as she pricks my finger. 

The device takes a second before it beeps, then Ms. Cummings presses another button, and I instantly fall asleep.