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Chapter One
Alaina
This morning, we’d been lucky. A few of us had captured a wandering goat in the woods and then, our group of hunters had pursued and killed a boar. We were going to eat like kings tonight, but it still felt hollow. Even with fresh milk and hearty meat, it wasn’t as it should be. My sister, Kira, wasn’t here. I missed her more than anything.
It had been more than a week since I last saw Kira. She was our leader, the head of our motley crew of rebel, refugee humans. She’d always been the one I looked to every day since that fateful hour when the aliens had arrived.
The last time we had talked, she’d thought the Vakarrans were coming toward our camp. She’d gone off to monitor the intruders and now, she hadn’t returned.
She’d gone off on her own several times, but for some reason, this time was different. It felt unusual.
With each passing day, I was becoming more and more worried for her. My other sisters, Danika and Kaela, didn’t say anything, but they knew. We all knew. She’d been taken by the Vakarrans. None of us wanted to admit it, but we all were afraid for her.
The vibe around camp was sad, depressed, unsure. Her capture had rattled every single one of us. She’d been our leader. The one who got us all through the dark times. We all knew it was a terrible blow. If Kira could get captured, anyone could.
I tried to be strong though. I had to be. Now the responsibility had fallen to me. I had to lead us now. It was all up to me.
The prospect was daunting. It was so much easier when I had a confidant. I sighed. Fucking aliens. I wish they’d never discovered Earth in the first place, gone somewhere else in space instead.
Our group of humans was small. It was about fifty people, mostly women, but a few men as well. Since moving into the cave system deep in the forest, we felt safer, more content in our new home, but we were still wary of the aliens and were ever on the defensive just the same.
The caverns ran deep, snaked beneath the forest for miles. It was dark, but plenty of natural slats and holes in the rock ceiling acted as natural skylights. Most important, they felt safe. I felt safe. I wished Kira would come back, so she could see how we were thriving here. She’d have been proud of us.
I knew better though. I doubted she was even on Earth anymore, and if she was, she was probably in the female training camps, where they forced women to submit to their Vakarran masters. I shivered at the thought.
Stupid fucking Vakarrans. Waste of space alien bastards.
“Alaina, you’re too quiet this afternoon,” Kaela said softly, the look on her face one of concern. She was younger than me, but she always felt like an old soul trapped in a younger body. Extremely perceptive and intelligent, she always tried to make the best of every situation.
“I know. I’m sorry. I’m just thinking about Kira and wondering if she’s alright. If they’re hurting her,” I whispered, blinking away tears from my eyes. Out of the four of us, Kira and I had been the closest. She trusted me with information that she wouldn’t tell Kaela and Danika. I was her second in command, her confidant.
And now she was gone.
I wanted to crumple into a thousand little pieces and cry my heart out, but I pushed those emotions as far away as I could.
Kaela stared back at me, holding a long narrow branch in her hands. Together, we were building a large outdoor enclosure for the new goat. It was slow, sweaty work, but we’d put together a third of it so far. It was starting to look promising, albeit very primitive. But considering what resources we had, it was very good.
“She knew the risks, Alaina. We all do. Even just living on our own here, we risk discovery every minute. One day, they might come to take us all,” she whispered.
“You’re too wise for your years,” I sighed, smiling gently, sniffing away my tears.
“I hope she’s okay too,” Kaela said. “I hope whoever took her will take care of her, that they don’t hurt her, beat her, or use her like they say the Vakarrans do. I love her, and I hope I get to see her again one day, alive.”
“I do too,” I said, dropping my head. She sighed heavily, almost like she didn’t want to say the words she needed to say.
“We have to look forward though, instead of looking to the past. I know that seems harsh, but the world we live in demands this. There’s nothing we can do. We aren’t as strong as the Vakarrans. We have no means to fight back, so we just have to survive,” Kaela said, looking off into the distance. She turned back toward me and a single tear rolled down her cheek before she angrily wiped it away.
“One day, we’ll be able to fight back,” I muttered gruffly, and she nodded in agreement.
“We will. We’ll rescue her someday. Kira is strong. She knows how to survive. She’ll be ready when we are. I know it,” Kaela replied.
I looked away, processing her words.
For some time, we were quiet, diligently working on the enclosure together. I saw Danika in the entrance of the cave, working toward building a fire, together with Kaze, a man who lived in the camp with us. She smiled crookedly at him and stuck out her tongue. I giggled softly.
