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Authors: CM Doporto

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BOOK: The Arrival
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“Missy, you better tone it down. Right
now,” he warned me, sitting upright.

“Yes, sir,” I replied. Dad could really
tick me off. I hated that he knew what buttons to push.

“But Dad, this is wrong on every
account.” I had to think about what information to share. I had promised not to
mention Dr. Ridus and to keep everything a secret. Revealing that he had helped
us could get him killed. Escaping from Nidus depended on him, so protecting him
was crucial.

“The process they are using to modify our
genes comes with high risk. Two girls have died from complications, and several
were admitted to the Med Center the day I left.”

He eased from his chair and rested a
palm on my arm. “Miranda, that’s only a handful of girls out of thousands. Do
the math. Not everyone can handle those types of procedures. That’s why they
have to go through extensive testing.”

“But, Dad—”

“It’s kind of like going to the marines.
Not everyone makes it. Only the strong survive.” He started to walk away, but I
grabbed him.

“Dad, please, listen to me. These
modifications will not only give them an offspring more Eslite than human, but
also affect our ability to have future offspring. I may never have a child on
my own. That’s if I survive. I may die.”

He brushed me off. “Oh, Miranda, quit
exaggerating like your mom.”

Mom stood. “I don’t—”

“Victoria, not now.” He pointed a finger
at her. Mom pressed her lips into a thin line.

“I’m not exaggerating. I’m telling you
the truth. I could die. Do you want me to die from complications? Or do you
want your grandkids to be little alien babies?”

He threw his shaved head back and laughed.
“Are you kidding me?”

“No, Dad, I’m serious. I’m serious as
hell. They’re trying to take over the human race. Don’t you get it?”

“And how do you know all of this? Hmm?”
He posed in his typical military stance, with his feet spread and his arms
crossed behind his back.

“I have my connections—and I know how to
access their systems.” I thrust my chin.

“Well, that’s smart. That will surely
get you in the grave quicker than those injections.”

I forced my shoulders back and sucked in
a breath. “Dad, I need for you to rally some supporters and petition Congress
to overturn their ruling.”

“Are you crazy?  I will do no such
thing.”  He stared at me and crinkled his nose. “What’s wrong with you? They
have given us a complete cure and one-dose prevention for Alzheimer’s. As soon
as they produce an offspring, we will have a cure for cancer, AIDS, and a slew
of other diseases. Not to mention the advancements our military will gain from
their intelligence.”

“And you’re okay with the casualties?”  How
could my father be so callous?

“Look, I’m sorry that some females will
die in the process. But that means less burden on the taxpayers.”

My eyes watered. I tried to stop the tears,
but they gushed like a faucet turned on high. I quickly wiped them away, hoping
he didn’t notice me crying. He hated criers.

Mays are strong leaders. We don’t show
weakness.

No matter how many times I repeated his
phrase, it didn’t work.

“What happened to my daughter? What
happened to my leader?” he asked, shaking his head and turning away.

I followed him from the family room and
into the kitchen. He stood at the sink, filling a cup with water. Ignoring my
cries and pleas. He didn’t care.

“What happened to me? I’ll tell you what
happened to me. They’ve poked me, cut me, shot me up, drugged me, and…they
might as well screw me.”

He raised a brow. “If that’s what it
takes.” 

“Seriously? You’re okay with an Eslite raping
me? Because it’s
rape
!”

“Miranda, that’s why God created women,
to breed. Besides, you’ll be turning seventeen tomorrow. You’re almost an
adult.  How is that rape?”

“What?” I followed him to the shed. “That’s
not the only reason God created us.” I had to bite my tongue; otherwise I’d
call him a chauvinistic pig. “So, if Dimas raped me, and knocked me up with his
alien baby, you’d be okay with that?”

He rolled the lawnmower to the yard and
went back into the shed. He came out wearing his safety glasses and work
gloves. “At least I’d have a grandson from the top leader of the Eslite race.”

“What? I can’t believe you—”

He pulled on the string from the side of
the lawnmower, drowning my words in the roar of the motor.

“Sorry, Missy, I have to cut the grass.
Your mom wants everything to look nice for your bar-b-que tomorrow night.”

“Bar-b-que? What cookout?”  I asked,
unaware of any plans for my birthday.

“Sorry.”  He pretended to cover his
mouth for a brief second and then shrugged. “Your mom wanted to surprise you. Oh,
well.”

He left me standing in the middle of the
yard, completely unsupportive of and oblivious to anything I said. I wanted to
tell him what an asshole he was but couldn’t. Despite how much I hated the way
he acted toward me, he was my father. Even though he didn’t respect me, I kept
my opinions to myself. I’d thought something would break that man, but nothing
seemed to touch his heart, and he had only grown colder since I had been gone.
Not even hearing the words that his only daughter might die or may never have
children on her own fazed him.

To put it simply, my father didn’t care
about me, and my mother couldn’t stand up for me. So I had no other choice but
to inject myself with the serum.

I was on my own against the Eslites.

θ

Chapter 9

 

I decided before my party started to see
Bryce. He owed me a better explanation for our breakup. For the past seven days
I had managed to ignore the voices inside my head telling me to talk to him, maybe
because I was still mad at him. Since he lived three houses down and behind us,
I couldn’t hide any longer. Why I had to see him then, I didn’t know; I just
did. Maybe the guilt over what happened between Dimas and me prompted me to do
it.

Mom told me she’d spoken to Bryce’s mom.
So he knew I was home. She also admitted to inviting him to my party, despite
the fact that he dumped me. In Mom’s eyes, everyone was a friend in our quaint
little neighborhood. As a child, I didn’t mind the close-knit relationships
because that meant I had lots of playmates. But when I entered high school, I
hated that everyone knew each other’s business.

“I’ll be back in a while,” I informed
Mom as I headed out.

“Okay. Make sure you’re home before the
party starts,” she said, with an understanding glance.

Even though she didn’t ask where I was
going, she’d figure it out. She had a habit of staring out the kitchen window.
I took the alley to get to Bryce’s house, because it was much quicker than
going around the whole block. I had no idea if he would be home, but if he had
the same schedule as last summer, he probably had just finished a soccer game.

Instead of knocking on the kitchen door
at the rear of the house, I went around to the front. For some reason, the old
habit didn’t feel right. As I passed the open garage, I noticed his bag, along
with his cleats and socks, piled in the corner. I followed the walkway and rang
the bell.

The door opened slightly, and Bryce’s
mom peeked at me. “Oh, Miranda. What are you doing here?”

“Hello, Mrs. Jackson.” She caught me off
guard when she didn’t automatically invite me in, because she was always nice
and overly cheerful. “Is Bryce home?”

“Sorry. He’s not here,” she said,
closing the door.

I stuck my hand out. “Can you tell me
when he’ll be back?”

“I thought you two broke up.” She
snipped the words curtly as her eyes narrowed into a razor sharp line. What the
heck happened to my sweet sixth grade teacher?

I wondered why her demeanor had changed.
“I just want to talk to him for a minute, that’s all.” 

“Right now is not a good time.” She
pushed on the door, but I propped my foot against it.

“Okay, I’ll try later.”

“Please don’t.”

I retreated, and before I could say
anything she shut the door in my face. What the heck had I done to deserve that
kind of treatment? She couldn’t know anything about Dimas. Right? What had
Bryce told her? I walked down the path toward the sidewalk, trying to sort out
my confused mind.

“Psst, hey.”

A shadowy figure in a white T-shirt
emerged from behind a shrub. It surprised me because I almost didn’t recognize
Bryce. In the nine months that had passed, he had grown a few inches. Not only
in height but also in size, too. He’d told me he was working out, and based on
how he looked, it definitely showed. He motioned for me to be quiet and waved
me toward him.

Hurriedly, I dashed across the lawn to
the side of the house. “What are you doing? Why are you hiding?”

“Shh. Meet me at the gazebo in five
minutes,” he said, as he pushed me away. “Don’t let my mom see you.”

“Oh, okay.”

I walked past a few houses before
crossing the street to the neighborhood park. Perfectly manicured grass
bordered the sidewalks that made a trail around a large fountain. Bearded
irises and crape myrtle trees swayed in the afternoon sun, and I realized how
much I missed being home.

“Hey.” Bryce came up from behind,
startling me. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”

I shook my head. “It’s okay.” When I
turned toward him, he caught my gaze. His brown eyes flickered in the warm
sunlight, and I forgot about the anger that lingered in my heart.

Speechless, we stood face to face.
Although my pulse raced, and I was excited to see him, I kept my composure. I
was supposed to be mad at him anyways.

“Happy birthday.” He shoved a hand in
the pocket of his jeans and ran the other through his hair. Speckles of water
sprayed from his short buzz cut, and I wondered why he shaved off his beautiful
waves. He looked like a new recruit for the military. Had Dad convinced him to
join?

“Thanks.” My mind totally blanked, and I
said nothing else. We responded as two people who had barely met.

“So, when did you get home?”  His seemed
so reserved, as though he was trying to keep a safe distance from me.

“Sunday night.” I kept my answers short.
What was wrong with me? That was Bryce. The one that made me feel all tingly
inside. The guy who made the stars come out, even on a cloudy night. But things
were so different now.

“Are you all right?” He reached for my
hand and clasped it firmly in his. The warmth of his touch went straight to my
heart, awakening the suppressed feelings I kept hidden, even from myself. Our past
connection roared to life. 

“Yeah.” I nodded and averted my stare
the moment tears welled. It took every ounce of strength to force them back
inside. I would not cry. Not today.  “I mean--no. No, I’m not okay.” I wrenched
free of his grip. “I’ve been in hell for the past nine months, and the day I
get the news that I’m coming home for a while, you break up with me.”

He sighed deeply.  “I’m sorry, Miranda.”

“You’re sorry? What happened to ‘I’ll
never let them take you’?”

He bowed his head. “I had no choice.”

“What do you mean,
you had no choice?
We all have choices.” I checked my tone before I lost control and drew
unneeded attention in our direction.

He scanned the area, as though he was
afraid of being seen with me. A few nosy neighbors watched us. “Come on, let’s
go sit down.” He motioned to the white gazebo in front of the fountain.

Swallowing persistent tears, I followed
him. Under the shaded structure, flowing with passion vine, which gave the air
a sweet scent, I sat beside him. But nothing was sweet about us.

Everything was gone.

Ripped apart.

Thanks to the Eslites.

Water splashed against the pavestone,
and I wanted to drown myself rather than be torn from him. I hated that I
needed him. 

He leaned forward, resting his forearms on
his thighs. That’s when I noticed his bare feet.

“Where are your shoes?” I asked, trying
to break the tension.

“I didn’t have a chance to get them.” He
raised his toes and then relaxed them. “I ran out the back door while you
talked to my mom.”

“Sorry. You want mine?”  I kicked off my
jewel-studded-flip flops and then slid them in his direction.

“No, thanks.” He chuckled. “I don’t need
any rumors.”

I smiled and slipped into them. “Yeah, I
hear you.”

We sat silent for a moment, avoiding the
much-needed conversation.

Finally, he reclined on the bench,
stretched out his arm, and rested it behind me. I hated that he looked so good
in jeans and a plain white T-shirt.

But Dimas looked hotter.

Damn it. Why did I have to think of him
right now?

Although I knew better, I studied
Bryce’s perfectly tanned skin that begged me to touch it. I breathed him in and
realized I was crushing on him.

He turned to me, with an expression that
begged forgiveness. Not for what he did but for what he was about to do. I
gritted my teeth and wrote the words across my heart.

Mays are strong people. We don’t show
weakness.

“Miranda, I wish we could run away.
Where no one can find us. But we can’t.  And I don’t know if you will ever be
free.”

His words paralyzed me. Couldn’t he see
that I loved him, and I was willing to fight for him? But something told me he
didn’t feel the same way. Nothing made sense, yet everything made perfect
sense. Once again, I was drowning, and I was dragging him down with me.

“I know, Bryce.”  Despite feelings to
the contrary, I had to tell him what he wanted to hear, and accept our new
reality. “I can’t expect you to wait for me.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to wait for
you. It’s just that, well—what people are saying, and my mom, too.”

My thoughts tangled into a knotted mess.
“What do you mean what people are saying?” I shook my head, trying to unravel
his words.

“Some people refer to the girls at Nidus
as heroes, while others view them as, you know,
‘one of them’
.”

“Well, I’m one of them.”  I frowned.
“What do you mean?”

“I know that.”  Slowly, he distanced
himself from me. “But what I’m trying to say is—”

“Never mind. I get it.” Anger surged in
my veins, and I narrowed my stare. “If it’s another girl, just tell me. You
don’t have to lie to me.”

“Geez, is that what you think?  He
slapped his palms to his thighs. I had struck a nerve. “That I have another
girl?”

“What am I supposed to believe?”

“I don’t know, dammit.”  With a quick
jerk, he jumped up and paced in front of me.

The more I thought about it, I knew what
he was trying to tell me. He didn’t want to be with me because I was damaged
goods. I was an alien concubine. A prisoner of a foreign being. A person
infected by an alien. That explained why Carlie hadn’t returned my calls or
stopped by. Why Matt didn’t want to be around me. Why his mom had treated me
differently. I gasped. And it explained why he broke up with me.

 “This is harder for me than it is for
you. You have no idea. All I do is worry about you. Thinking about you, day and
night.”  He raked his fingers through his spikey hair. “Wondering what they’re
doing to you, and if you’re telling me the truth. Then I have my mom filling my
ear with all kinds of crap.”

“This is hard for you? But I’m the one
that’s been going through these grueling procedures.”  I clutched a fist to my
heart. “I’m the one who’s been taken away from everyone and everything that I
love most. I’m the one—”

A tear streamed down his cheek.

I’d only seen Bryce cry once, when his
father died five years ago. The terrible car accident claimed his dad’s life at
the young age of thirty-seven. Leaving his mom to care for him, his older
sister, and two-year-old brother at the time.

“I’m sorry.”  He wiped his face on the
sleeve of his T-shirt. “I guess what I should have said is that we’ve both suffered.
And I can’t even imagine what it’s been like for you. What they make you do and
how you deal with it.” He knelt before me and took my hands in his. Hesitantly,
he asked, “Have they forced you to have sex with them?”

“No.” I shook my head. “However, Dimas
threatened that he would if he can’t produce an offspring with my eggs. But I
won’t cooperate. I told that freak I’d never have sex with him.”  

Sadness swirled in his hazel eyes.
Although we had messed around, we promised we’d wait to have sex after I
graduated high school. Neither of us wanted to make a stupid mistake or regret
responding to our hormones when we weren’t truly ready for a life-long commitment.
But things had changed. My body had been violated, even though I remained a
virgin. And that’s exactly why he didn’t want me.

“You say that, but you might not have a
choice.” Bryce arched a brow. “You have to do as he says.”

Zeroing in on his last sentence, I
considered the situation. Would I really obey Dimas? Would I sleep with him?
Why did I keep thinking about him? I didn’t want to, but the more I looked at
Bryce, the more I realized how much we had grown apart. But through all the
insanity, he somehow brought clarity to my tragic world. I hated that he
possessed a piece of me that I wished I didn’t need.

“You’re wrong. I do have a choice. I’ve
made up my mind. I’m going to make a stand and fight the government.”

“What? Are you crazy?” His eyes widened.
“Miranda, you can’t be serious.”

“I’m dead serious.”

“You’ll get killed.” He shuffled his
feet. “You’re no match for their race.”

“True, but I’ve already been sentenced
to death. I’ll die either way.”

“And what do you plan on doing? Wait,
don’t tell me. I don’t want to be forced to say something when they come
knocking at my door.”

“Fine.” I crossed my arms.

“Dammit.” Fisting and un-fisting his
hands, he grimaced. “Why do you insist on being so rebellious?”

“Didn’t you hear what I said? I’ll die
either way, so I might as well fight back.”

He exhaled audibly. “You’re serious,
aren’t you?”

“Very serious.”

“What do you plan on doing?”

I shrugged. “Since my dad refuses to
help me, I’m going to Colombia to talk to Kate’s uncle.”

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