Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45188 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45188 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
She lowers Pokey. “I’m just hugging my stuffie,” she whispers.
I grip her chin, wait for her to meet my gaze, and lift a brow.
“Sorry, Papi.”
“That’s better. How about you not get in the habit of fibbing to Papi.”
“Okay, Papi.”
“Now, tell me who the rest of these friends are before we head to the pod to take us up to the starship.”
She beams as she turns toward the gaggle. “That’s Betsy, Maggie, and Lola,” she informs me, pointing to each one in turn.
“Did I have John get all the most special ones?” I’m confident I did because these were the only dolls or stuffies John found in her room, and I told him to bring them all.
“Yes, Papi.” She throws her arms around me and hugs me tight, practically climbing up onto her knees to get closer.
I hold her close, and moments later, the elevator door pings and opens.
Mia gasps and covers her breasts with both hands as Riand steps into my apartment.
I rub her back. “It’s only Riand, Baby girl. He’s going to take us up to the starship.”
She stares at me with wide eyes. “I need clothes, Papi,” she whispers.
I tap her nose. “No, you don’t, Little one. I promise. Riand has seen naked Little girls before. It’s our custom, remember?”
I know this is the hardest thing for Little girls to grasp. Even though I’m so fortunate that Mia was already Little and knew it before I found her, she isn’t accustomed to being naked in front of people.
“How about you make an exception,” she suggests.
I chuckle as I rise and adjust her so she’s propped on my hip.
She wraps her arms around me and plasters her chest to me, hiding. I’ll allow that for now. With my free hand, I tuck her three dolls into a pack and settle it on my shoulder. She can hold Pokey.
“Nice to meet you, Mia. I’m Riand. I handle transportation to and from the starship.” He grabs the duffle I left sitting on the coffee table and swings it up over his shoulder.
“Hi,” Mia whispers against my neck. She’s being very shy. Maybe she’s always shy. She certainly was when I first met her. But more likely this is a result of her exposed chest.
I follow Riand to the elevator and enter, hugging Mia close.
“Is the pod like a space ship?” she asks timidly.
“Yep. It’s kind of cool. It will quickly take us to the mothership where we will get you entered into their system and get all the bureaucratic part sorted out. Then we’ll visit the doctor and work on getting cleared for the trip home.”
Her eyes are wide as we get off the elevator on the top floor and head for the stairs that take us the rest of the way to the roof. The pod sits on a pad sort of like a helicopter, and I hold Mia close as I duck to enter the enclosed space.
“How is this thing going to take us to outer space? It doesn’t even have rockets under it,” Mia asks as I lower her into a seat specifically designed for Little girls.
“Our technology is far more advanced, Little one. We don’t need rockets. It will take off a bit like a helicopter and then move at a very rapid speed toward the starship. We’ll be there in about twenty minutes.” I reach for one of the shoulder straps and tuck her arm into it before doing the same on the other side. After fastening the two shoulder straps between her breasts, I lift another strap up between her legs and secure it firmly to the other section, giving it a tug to make sure it’s tight.
Mia hugs Pokey to her front with a death grip.
“No reason to be afraid, Baby girl,” I assure her as I sit in the seat next to her and fasten my seatbelt.
Riand settles in the seat in front of us at the controls, makes several checks and adjustments, and then we lift off.
Mia gasps as she turns to look out the window. “I can’t believe it. We’re leaving Earth. Will I ever be back?” She glances at me.
I set a hand on her thigh and give it a squeeze. “No, Baby girl. You’ll see Earth from outer space right now as we leave, but you won’t see it again in person. Only pictures.”
She doesn’t say another thing as she watches us grow farther and farther from her home planet.
I feel her grief. This is huge. No matter what kind of life each Little girl led on Earth before she was claimed by one of us, they each grieve in their own way. It’s the only home she’s ever known, and until tonight, she never dreamed she would ever leave the surface except perhaps to fly to another location.
We are already much higher than an airplane ascends, and her eyes are wide as saucers as she watches. They are glistening with unshed tears too. She’s trying to be brave.