3

ZURI POV

I look down at the papers in my hand and flip to the last page. I scribble my name and Ms. Cummings walks to my side. When I am done writing I hand it to her. She gives me a small smile and places her hand on my shoulder. 

  "You will not be disappointed," she says to me before looking up at the other two girls. 

A few long seconds pass before both of them copy my actions. They flip to the last page and sign their names where I did. 

Ms. Cummings collects their contracts as well and walks back to the desk. She seems happy now. There is a light in her eyes that wasn't there before. The tired look she had 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 I stay stoic. 

This all seems too good to be true. Maybe I am already dead. Maybe this is how souls get sent off. It doesn't matter. 

Ms. Cummings draws my attention back to her as she begins fiddling with her case again. 

"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 I shake my head. 

  "You said your agency handles everything and our families grieve... Does that mean they are told we died," the feisty girl 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. 

  The feisty girl nods and 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 me first and smiles. 

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

I place mine in hers hesitantly, before reminding myself whatever happens is going to happen. No reason to second guess my decision now. 

She presses the middle white button, and a small needle pops out of the end of the square device. She pricks my 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. 

  I glance at her face quickly before looking back down at the screen. After a few seconds, a loud beep sounds again, and the word "logged" pops up on the small screen. 

  "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 a strong wave of energy flows through my body. 

I grow even drowsier and the room around me vanishes, and my eyes close on their own. 

****** 

  Light rustling sounds jar me awake and my eyes snap open to find a room so colorful it hurts. 

"What is...," I whisper before a tall blue figure moves in my peripheral vision. 

I turn my head to the left so I can look properly and a small scream escapes my mouth as I stare at a very blue, clearly female, person. She gives me a closed-lip smile and holds up a long blue finger as if to say "One minute" and I just stare into her red cat-like eyes. 

My head is spinning and everything Ms. Cummings said is spiraling through my mind.

Aliens are real. She really sent us to some kind of alien medical facility. This blue woman is an alien from another planet. I left Earth. Oh my... I left Earth. 

My eyes refocus on the blue alien and I look her over intently. She looks almost human if you take away her blue skin and red cat-ish eyes. She is pretty. She has beautiful red hair and a great face structure. Her expression looks friendly too. But the colors of her features are so disturbing. I can't truly believe what I am seeing. 

As I lay there staring at her trying to let my brain process, she presses a green button. A bright light flashes over me once, and a transparent screen seems to appear in front of her. 

   "What are you doing" I whisper fearfully, but she ignores me. 

  She keeps looking at the alien words on the weird screen. After about five seconds, the screen disappears. She again presses a button on the wall, but this time a red one. Four beeps sound out, and multiple lights begin to flash over me. As they flash, they change color and grow in brightness until I have to shut my eyes. As soon as my eyes close I realize my chest doesn't hurt anymore and my body doesn't feel as sore as it did while I was in the wheelchair. 

After a couple more minutes of flashing lights, the machine beeps again, and the flashing stops. I open my eyes, and the colors in the room seem even brighter than before. 

Above me, the blue woman presses the green button again. One more flash goes off, and the high-tech screen pops up in front of her again. This time the blue woman smiles when she reads the strange letters and I see sharp little fangs where her regular canines should be. I instantly grow more scared. Why does she have teeth like a predator? 

  She moves away from where I am lying and comes back with some kind of remote. She smiles at me again and I flinch away. Her smile fades instantly and her lips press together. She motions for me to sit up, but I shake my head. I am too scared to move.

Zuri the protector of her family is scared. My brothers would laugh if they saw me now. 

The blue woman seems to freeze for a second before she points toward herself and speaks. 

"Friend," she says awkwardly, and my eyes bulge a little as I hear her voice for the first time. 

She can speak English. That is one of the most spoken languages on Earth. Maybe it is spoken here too. 

  "Who are you," I ask eagerly trying to learn more about my current situation. 

She shakes her head and points to the device in her hand. 

"Friend," she repeats and I swallow hard as I try to weigh my options. 

So far I feel better. I think she healed me like Ms. Cummings said the aliens would. Maybe this is the next step in my body being healed... I can do this. Trust, Zuri. You can do this.

   I slowly begin to sit up and she backs up a little so I can position my legs over the side of the metal bed. She grins and nods at me in an approving way before showing me the remote-like object in her hand again. I look it over cautiously and give her a small nod after determining it doesn't look threatening. 

She presses the remote to the side of my head, and a prick of pain makes me yelp out. She steps back quickly with her hands in the air as if to say sorry and sets the remote down without taking her eyes off of me. 

I touch the sore spot on the side of my head hesitantly, but as soon as my fingers graze the spot she pricked with the remote, my vision is blocked by a black wall, and waves of electricity pulse through my brain. I gasp loudly, but surprisingly, the jolts aren't painful. After a few moments, the jolts cease, and my vision returns.

"I am sorry. I know this must be very frightening. My name is Baalee. Can you understand me," she asks and I nod my head. 

Her words don't sound weird anymore. She is speaking perfect Swahili now, not English.  

"Yes. I can... Where am I," I ask and she smiles at me with her pointy teeth. 

"You are on the planet Kea. I am your correspondent for this decade's Harvest. It is a pleasure to meet you," Baalee says softly and my eyes go round again. 

"It's real," I say and she nods. 

"Earth's females are always so surprised when they arrive. What you are feeling is perfectly natural," she says and I shake my head in disbelief as the door to the room suddenly slides open. 

I gasp as a green female just as tall as Baalee comes into the room. 

"Sorry," she quickly says to me before turning her attention to Baalee. 

"Baalee, Earth sent three at once. The other two correspondents are on their way. Would you mind taking all three of them to the meal hall? I don't want them to have to wait," the green female says and Baalee nods. 

"Of course. How strange. Earth never sends more than one in a day. Zuri, please follow me. It is important that you and your companions eat something. Your bodies just went through a hyper-fast cell repair and they need to replenish," Baalee says toward me before heading for the door. 

I scrabble to my feet awkwardly trying to not upset the aliens and the two females smile at me. 

"Relax, Zuri. You are safe here. We are all friends," Baalee says as she exits the room expecting me to follow behind her.