Ever Bright by T. J. Fier

Author:T. J. Fier
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: T. J. Fier
Published: 2024-09-17T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 26

ALEXA LAID BACK ON the smooth rock, staring into the blistering bright sky. She plunged her feet into the lake and flinched, realizing she wasn’t alone. Una gleamed beside her. The light from the sun refracting off Una’s coat turned the small beast into a miniature supernova. She had forgotten how small Una was. The Bright One had grown in her memory.

They will never let you go. The unicorn, who wasn’t a unicorn, heaved a long sigh. Goodbye, Sid. Goodbye, Mateo. Goodbye, Riverview.

Alexa frowned. “Who won’t they let me go?”

You wondered why I would prefer to die. Now you will find out.

“But I don’t wanna find out.” A knot of pain pulsed behind Alexa’s eyes. Beside her, the Bright One shifted in and out of focus. “Una, how are you here? With me?”

I am not. The unicorn leaned in, brushing its mole-soft muzzle against Alexa’s cheek. Una’s breath smelled unexpectedly stale. But, I will never leave you.

“Una, I—”

A throbbing bong sounded across the lake. The sun withdrew into the sky, taking all light with it.

Wake up, Alexa Baxter. Una dissolved into the encroaching darkness.

Alexa’s head was so heavy. She closed her eyes, the twinge in her forehead ripening into a nasty headache. She clutched her skull, pulling her knees to her chest. Even opening her eyes took effort. How many shots of vodka had she downed before passing out at the party? Sid must have carried her to bed, but she didn’t remember the guest bed mattress being so firm. She reached across the bed, searching for her boyfriend’s warmth. Her fingertips hit a cold, hard wall.

“Sid, where did you go?” Alexa croaked, throat parched, mouth tasting of unfamiliar chemicals.

The sterile world came into focus. She wasn’t in Ashley’s basement sleeping beside the boy she loved. She lay on the stiff mattress in her “Resident’s” cell. Was this her new life? Trapped in an alien prison subsisting on mush and a lovely drug called Serenity? Did that make her an addict? Her parents would be so disappointed when they found out. If they ever found out. Picturing her parents’ faces as they received the terrible news via text made her giggle. Thank goodness for the drug-induced fuzzy halo surrounding even unpleasant thoughts.

Her bladder ached, forcing her to rise out of bed and move her stiff body to the round hole barely hidden behind a steel partition. Unlike using the toilets back at home, she had to crouch over the hole and shove her hands against the enclosure for balance. If she wasn’t high, this would have irritated her. Under the influence, she giggled the whole time, even when it took too long to sort out how to clean herself and flush away the waste.

Finished, Alexa staggered back to her bed, slumped onto the foot of the mattress, and took in her surroundings. Two Guardians stood outside her cell. She was relieved to see they looked human again. Someone must have fixed her Blinders while she was out. Even Serenity couldn’t stop giant aliens from being terrifying.

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