6

My body aches as I begin to regain consciousness. I have no idea how long I have been asleep, but my joints aren't happy. I try to open my eyes but the bright colors in the room make me close them again almost instantly. I can hear someone else in the room with me, but my mind is groggy. I try to lift my arm to rub my face and wince. Everything is still as sore as it was on Earth. Either they haven't healed me yet or the entire thing was a lie. Suddenly, someone touches my arm, and my eyes fly open. When I am able to focus I see a dark blue alien man with red eyes and hair looking at me, and I instantly scream. 

"Who are you," I demand in Mandarin, and he backs away as if afraid of me with his hands in the air.  

I try to sit up, but my arm gives out on me. The male tries to approach me, but I yell again. I don't want him anywhere near me. He is too tall and too large. I have no way of defending myself in my weakened state. He stops in his tracks and once again puts his hands up as if to show he doesn't have a weapon, but I don't relax. The blue being is practically a mountain compared to me. Plus his red eyes are unnerving. He looks like a villain. 

After a few seconds of staring at each other, he lowers his hands. He steps backward and begins to press some colorful buttons on the wall beside him. When he presses a green button a bright light flashes over me once, and a transparent screen seems to appear in front of him. He looks at the screen intently for about a minute before glancing back at me again, and I flinch. I have no idea what the screen told him about me, but I am still fearful. After about five more seconds, the screen disappears as if it was never there. He presses another button on the wall, and four beeps sound out then multiple lights begin to flash over my body. As they flash, they change color and grow in brightness until I have to shut my eyes. As soon as my eyes close, my mind begins to focus on my body, and I am surprised to find my joints don't hurt anymore. With each flash, I am feeling better. My fear quickly morphs into hope and I allow myself to relax. 

After a couple more minutes of flashing lights, the machine gives out a final beep, and the flashing stops. I reopen my eyes to find the blue male staring at me intently. He presses the green button again without taking his eyes off me, and the single flash goes off once more. The clear screen reappears in front of him, but this time he only glances at it. I quickly realize that this screen must be providing him with my vitals. The other flashes were the cure I was promised on Earth. 

As the truth of my situation finally hits home, I smile. The contract wasn't a lie. Sure I can't ever be what my Father wanted me to be, but at least I am alive. I won't die a sickly disappointing female alone in a hospital room. I will have a chance at life.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see the male pick up some kind of remote, and I refocus on him. I can tell he is moving slowly so I won't scream again, but now that I have calmed down, it's unnecessary. I now understand he must be a doctor of some kind on this planet. 

I give him an encouraging nod to show I trust him, and he drops his timid approach. He moves to my side and quickly presses the weird remote to the side of my head. As soon as he does a shot of pain pierces my scalp. I immediately strike him in the arm. He drops the remote to the floor. He steps back and stares at me with wide eyes, but I don't care. The second I trusted him he hurt me. I raise my hand to inspect the damage to my head, and when I do, a wall of black dots blocks out my vision. Pulses of current flow through my brain, and just as I begin to truly panic, it all disappears. My vision returns and my brain is as calm as before. 

"It is a translator. You will now understand every known language," the blue male says as soon as I look at him again. 

I nod to show I understand, but my walls are back up. He returns my nod and moves to the farthest corner of the room. 

"I am sure your correspondent is on her way. Males are normally not permitted to be alone with female harvestees, but this was a special surrcumstance. Please do not fear me. I would never harm a female. I am sorry the translator made you uncomfortable for a moment but that was necessary," the blue male says as he begins to press buttons on a control panel. 

I don't bother responding. I am too focused on watching his mouth. His words are perfect Mandarin, but the way his mouth is moving doesn't match the sounds coming out of it. Whatever technology he implanted in my head is advanced... much more advanced than anything on Earth. Plus he has fangs!

"I have healed you. Your terminal cancer is gone. Feel free to stand up and move around as you wish," he says without looking at me and I quickly forget about his pointed teeth. 

I look down at my once swollen joints to find them normal-looking. My wrists, my elbows, and even my fingers are all back to being slender and long. A joyous smile instantly stretches across my face. I am back to being me. 

The alien moves again and my head snaps back up. He freezes for a second but continues while I stare at him. I still don't trust the strange creature. He might have healed me, but males aren't supposed to be alone with females. He said so himself, and I have to wonder why that is. 

He moves about the room tidying up and looking uncomfortable, but I never stop watching him. I can examine my freshly healed body when I am alone and safe. For now, I will be alert. Suddenly, the door to the colorful room slides open, and a female alien that looks just like the male appears with Zuri and the loud-mouthed girl. The male alien actually sighs a breath of relief and approaches the female. 

"I will leave the rest to you, sister. I don't think she likes having a male attendant," he says before fleeing the room. 

The female's red eyes fall on me and I sit up. She must be the correspondent he spoke of. 

  "I am sorry for the disorganized way your arrival is being handled. We were not expecting three human females at one time. My name is Baalee, and I am Zuri's correspondent. Your correspondent is on her way and will meet us in the meal hall. Please join us in going there," the alien says and I stand up. 

  I bow my head a tiny degree toward the alien named Baalee before looking at Zuri and the other girl. They look so much better. Their hair and skin are glowing. Not a single trace of illness remains. I must also look as healed as they do. This is real...

"Hello, my name is Xiu. Please lead the way," I say to push past the flutter of nervous butterflies in my stomach. She has fangs too. 

Baalee nods before leading me from the room. I fall in step beside Zuri and quietly begin to look around at the colorful walls. The building looks as if a rainbow exploded on it. There is no sense of calm anywhere. When we near the end of the hallway, the blue alien presses a pad, and the yellow door slides open to reveal a planet just as brightly colored as the building. 

"Wow," the other Chinese girl says as I look around completely flabbergasted by the scenery. 

"Kea is the most colorful plane known. Zalu, a fellow correspondent, said her human female said it looked like a rainforest dipped in pain," Baalee says as she stops walking. 

"That's a great way of describing it," Zuri says quietly, and I look around at the noisy land. 

I can't find any creatures in the brightly colored vegetation, but I can hear them and that frightens me.