Total pages in book: 159
Estimated words: 149470 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 747(@200wpm)___ 598(@250wpm)___ 498(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 149470 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 747(@200wpm)___ 598(@250wpm)___ 498(@300wpm)
But now that I was free, where did I go?
When I had been plotting my escape, back on Sir’s spaceship, it had all seemed so easy. I would just find a kind-hearted alien and explain my situation and then ask him or her to give me a lift back to Earth.
But now that I was actually free of my Master, who did I dare to ask? There were lots of aliens here, but none I felt comfortable asking for a ride. The Vorns with their red skin and pointed horns intimidated me. And the Braxians were all built like bulls and had weird eyes. The Majorans seemed nice, but they were all couples that seemed completely wound up in each other—I doubted they would want to be saddled with an Earth girl as their third wheel.
I wished I could find the guy with wings—he’d had a nice face—but I didn’t see him or any other aliens like him in the crowd. In fact, I didn’t see any friendly faces in the crowd. And if I didn’t move quickly, Sir was going to realize I was gone and come looking for me.
Well, for starters, I needed to get away from the main area of the spaceport, I decided. After I lost myself in one of the side halls that sprouted off the main space, I could find a kindly alien to help me. Maybe I should look for a nice old alien man, or—even better—an alien woman who could sympathize with my plight.
It didn’t help that I was naked under the clear “rain sleeve” thing Sir had given me to wear. And I’d had to beg for that! He’d said that in his culture, a Master liked to show his pet off and besides, clothes on a pet looked ridiculous. It was only after begging him to realize I would be cold that he had agreed to give me the see-through sleeve to wear.
Still, it was better than nothing, I consoled myself. And at least it wasn’t made of stiff, crinkly plastic. Instead, it was a soft, silky material that was apparently completely water repellent. So it wasn’t uncomfortable to wear—except for the part where it showed my entire naked body. I crossed my arms over my breasts and moved quietly and quickly through the crowd of alien shoppers, heading for the nearest side hall I could see.
I slipped down the hallway, which was more dimly lit than the main hall, and found myself in another kind of crowd—most of them women. I saw all kinds of alien girls—some with three breasts and some with four, some with long hair and some with hair that went in a single Mohawk-like stripe from the top of their heads all the way down their backs. There were all kinds of skin colors too—red and green and purple and blue. I actually felt pretty nondescript, being the only tan girl I saw.
It was then that I felt a hand on my arm. Startled, I looked up and saw a woman about my own age staring at me with a curious expression on her face. She had striped skin—red and white like an old-fashioned barber pole—and pale pink eyes. The striping went all the way up to her hair, which was also red and white. She had on a bright orange dress that seemed like it was meant to clash with her skin and hair, which I thought was odd, but she also had a kind look in her eyes.
“You look lost, my dear,” she said or rather sang, because her words made a little tune as they left her lips.
“Uh…um, yes, I guess I am,” I said cautiously. “Lost, I mean.”
“I thought so. My name is Lolli,” the girl sang to me. “I was lost once, too. But then I found someone to take care of me.”
“Um, I don’t need anyone to take care of me,” I said, stepping away from her. “I just need a ride home—back to my planet. It’s called Earth—have you heard of it?” I asked her hopefully.
“Earth?” she sang, a puzzled expression on her barber pole face.
“The planet that was locked by the Ancient Ones?” I said, repeating what I’d heard from Sir and the Commercians. “The one with the, uh, Alien Mate Index?”
“Ah, you must be a Pure One!” she sang, her pink eyes opening wide in excitement. “How rare and valuable!”
“I don’t know about that, I just know I need to get back to my own planet,” I said hopefully. “Um, do you know if we’re far from there? From Earth, I mean?”
“No, we are not far. Why, we’re barely three purns away,” she sang.
I had no idea what a ‘purn’ was but I was hoping it was a really short distance.
“That’s great!” I said eagerly. “Um, I don’t suppose you know anyone headed in that direction? I really need a ride. I left the guy who brought me here and I could use some help.”