Poseidia Read online

  That’s not possible.

  Maybe aliens have abducted me. That made more sense and explained the strange skin color, the bumps, and the weird clothing.

  The woman also had long hair, hers was more of a shimmering silver-white, and every time she turned her head, it twinkled in the lights. I stared—her beauty was hypnotic. She wore a long, flowing satin pearl-white dress. I wanted to run my fingers over it and soak in the texture. It moved with her—different from any clothing I’d ever seen. She is definitely an angel.

  Lines of jewels adorned her face, swirling in patterns across her temples, the sides of her neck, and then down her arms. If not an angel, then what?

  My eyes focusing clearly now, darted from her to around the room, trying to make sense of my surroundings. I had the eerie sense of being in a tomb. Except for the bed, and a small bedside table, the room was bare. There were no windows to indicate where I might be, and no IV’s or beeping machines hooked up to me.

  Similar to their skin, the walls shimmered, resembling the inside of a seashell. One closed door stood catty-corner to an open one and my eyes found their way to the open doorway. It led out into a hallway and a few of the same strange iridescent people walked by.

  Where am I?

  The man and woman finished their silent conversation apparently, as the man turned to me and said, “I’m done here. I need to go and analyze this data. It’s nice to see you with your eyes open. I know you will smile soon. In the meantime, I am leaving you in Lily’s care.” He patted my leg on the bed reassuringly, then turned, and walked out of the room.

  I stared at his back as he left, bewildered.

  The woman approached my bed. She smelled of wildflowers basking in the sun, with a faint whiff of salty ocean breeze. How is her scent so strong? Weird.

  I stared up into her large lavender eyes, curiosity warring with fear.

  “Hello Anna, I am Lily, and I’ll be your guide throughout your healing, and transition process. You’ve been unconscious in one of our healing tanks. It’ll take some time for you to recover and adapt. I’ll explain everything, as I’m sure you’ll have many questions.”

  I lowered the blanket, but only enough so I could speak. “What? What do you mean? What’s a healing tank and… and… what transition? What about my baby?” I grabbed again at my pelvic region, but it felt flat and empty. A stabbing pain pierced my heart, quickening my breath.

  “A healing tank is a place for restoration of the body. You’ve been healing here. You… drowned. We came upon you while we were out on patrol. To save your life, we had to make some changes to you,” she explained.

  Stunned and speechless, I could do nothing more than stare at her. Comprehension of what she’d said escaped me. I must be dreaming. My eyes drifted to her hair, and explored her skin as a distraction for the preservation of my sanity.

  “Hello, do you hear me?”

  “Yes, I hear you,” I affirmed, trying to concentrate on what she said. “I… I… drowned? You made changes to me? What kind of changes? What are you talking about? I don’t remember much… of anything.”

  “Well, it’s a long story and a lot to process right now. To begin with, our lead scientists saved your life by infusing you with our DNA.”

  “Say what? I don’t understand,” I paused, trying to comprehend what she said. “You infused what?” I stared straight into her eyes, and burst out in nervous giggles. The story she was trying to feed to me reeked of lies. “Okay, good joke. Bring out the hidden cameras, the gig is up.”

  “It’s no joke, I assure you.” Her face was void of any hint of amusement, which made it even funnier.

  “Let’s pretend what you’re saying is true, then what am I now?” I managed to choke out before a new round of chortles over took me. A rush of endorphins made me feel giddy.

  “Well, if you stop laughing for a few moments, maybe I’ll explain it to you,” she reprimanded.

  I abhorred even the hint of being scolded. My amusement quickly turned to irritation. I’m not stupid. Naïve, maybe, but not stupid. “This is absurd. Please tell me the truth,” I demanded, patience exhausted.

  “What I’ve told you is the truth.” Her voice softened as if she wanted to control my frustration level.

  It worked because my anger subsided, logic taking over. I knew from my psychology classes, I wouldn’t get answers if I became hostile. “Okay, you saved me when David pushed me off the balcony. I remember… drowning. What I don’t get is where we are, and why your skin is so odd. Are we in a strange country? Are you part of some aboriginal tribe? Is it the lighting making you look iridescent?”

  “No, our skin is iridescent because of our DNA, because of what we are.”

  “That’s what I’m trying to understand. What are you?” I almost cried with frustration.

  “You are similar now,” she said, as she grabbed hold of my arm from its hiding place under the blanket, and lifted it into my view.

  With a loud gasp, I seized control of my arm, rotating it. My skin had the same multi-color shimmer as theirs, and the same strange looking bumps went up my arms. “What the hell did you do to me? What right did you have to do this?” Furious and unable to stifle it to maintain a cooperative impression, my pulse climbed as my hands shook.

  “I sensed you wanted to survive, and not perish at the bottom of the ocean for crabs to feed on,” she reasoned.

  “How? I don’t understand. What am I?” My throat tightened.

  “In time, you’ll learn,” she whispered, again lowering her voice, and slowing her words.

  Resistant to the manipulation, I yelled, “What have I turned into? Please undo it.” Nearly hyperventilating, my anxiety level skyrocketed—a full-blown panic attack taking over. I needed to calm myself. Breathe. Do your yoga breathing. Count to ten, it’s okay. It’ll be all right. You can handle anything.

  “We cannot undo it. The only options were to do this, or let you die. Given the choices, we didn’t foresee an objection,” she justified, trying to pet my arm.

  “You should have let me die,” I snapped, knocking her hand away from me.

  “You don’t mean that.” Hurt evident on her face, as if I’d burned her.

  Taking a few deep breaths, I closed my eyes and counted to ten. No, I don’t mean it. “I’m just confused.” Let the emotion pass, then you can think more clearly. My throat constricted again, causing me to cough, and my voice grew hoarse. “I’m thirsty—may I have something to drink? You do have water, right?” My overwhelmed mind needed a minute to think.

  “Of course, I’ll get you some water. Are you hungry at all? It has been some time since you’ve eaten, although we did feed you during your time in the healing tank. You must be starving.”

  “I don’t think I can eat anything right now.” Another coughing spell shook me.

  “I’ll be right back, then.” She stepped out of the open doorway.

  After examining my arms again, I threw back the blankets, and lifted the white gown I wore—the same strange bumps decorated me from hip to toe. Sitting up, I slipped my legs over the side of the bed. The moment I moved, dizziness overcame me and vertigo forced me back down.

  The color of my skin and lines of bumps were the only noticeable differences; although monumental, still something of a relief. A mirror would give me a better overall picture of the physical changes.

  She returned with a glass of water and I drank, gulping it all down. It tasted pure and clean, but heavy with minerals—definitely different. But it did its job and refreshed my mouth, the coughing spells cooperatively subsided for the moment.

  As my throat cleared, I glanced up at her, her eyes entrancing me. I admit—she had the kindest eyes I’d ever seen. Larger-than-normal irises transmitted the intelligence of an old soul. A tickle at the back of my mind said I knew her, a strange yet fleeting sense of déjà vu.

  I shook my head to clear it and pelted her with the same questions repeatedly, grilling her to the point of irritation. My
mind simply did not comprehend the entirety of what happened. She gave me the same tight-lipped answers with no indication she was lying. Each time I asked about my baby, she changed the subject. Frustrating, but to her credit my pregnancy was the only question she directly avoided. Does she think I won’t notice?

  Thanks to Lily’s answers, I had two clear bits of information: I was somewhere in the sea and I wasn’t human anymore.

  Chapter 3

  “When can I go home?” I repeated for the third time, staring up at the lustrous seashell-covered ceiling, now anticipating the same reply. I guess I thought if I asked it enough, she would change her answer.

  “Your home is with us now,” she replied for the third time, patiently.

  Soft blue lighting shown through the walls, creating an eerie, yet peaceful, glow. I begrudgingly resisted this reality. “No, you don’t mean that. I have to go home. I have a job—two, in fact. I don’t want to lose them. I need them now more than ever. And I need to report what David did to the police. He won’t get away with this and… I want to go home.”

  I wouldn’t. I couldn’t.

  In my dream world, I was still pregnant and trying to justify David’s actions. But deep down, I knew I wasn’t completely whole anymore.

  “I’m sorry, it’s forbidden for you to return. It’s too dangerous, for you, and for us. Your presence here must remain a secret from the outside world. No human knows of our existence, and we intend to keep it that way. We took a monumental risk when we saved you.”

  She’s serious, isn’t she?

  “You’re kidding right?” I took a deep breath. The idea of staying here hit me like a punch in the gut, as if someone reached out of the pit of hell, gripped my heart, and squeezed.

  “We’ve given you a new life,” she pleaded, as if she’d expected instant acceptance and couldn’t understand my resistance.

  My brain refused to comprehend the depth of the situation. I told myself it must be a dream, I would wake up, and everything would be back to normal. Yes… denial. Close your eyes and count to ten.

  One, two, three…

  Don’t open your eyes and it will go away.

  Four, five, six. Keep breathing. I am home. Seven, eight, nine. I am calm and serene. I am not crazy. I am not dead. At least, I don’t think I’m dead.

  The last thought brought me out of my countdown, and I yelped, “Ten.” No, I didn’t want to be dead. That I knew for sure. Remember, you’re alive—this is your second chance.

  “Ten what?” she asked.

  “I’m trying to convince myself I’m not crazy,” I qualified, smoothing the blankets down over me.

  “By saying ten?”

  “By counting to ten in my head. It helps me relax and regain control of anxiety,” I revealed.

  “I assure you, you’re not crazy. Nothing showed up in your scans, however perhaps we missed it. I can call Lucas and get him back in here and have him check your brain again,” she considered.

  I’m crazy. I have to be. There is no other logical explanation.

  “Maybe I’m having some kind of schizophrenic break. These kinds of mental breakdowns happen. I took a class about it three years ago, my first semester in college,” I deduced, feeling more calm in having arrived at a viable explanation.

  “We know it will be hard for you, but in time you will adjust and grow to love it here.”

  “I don’t think so!” I laughed. Love it here?

  “You’ll learn our way of life. It’ll take time for you to become acquainted with our world, of course. That’s my job as your guide. I’ll do my best to help you transition.”

  I laughed louder, my nervous tic taking over.

  Lily tilted her head, obviously confused by my outburst.

  My laughter turned to tears, back to laughs, and then hiccups. My stomach grumbled loudly—I guess I was hungry. And I needed to use the bathroom. I glanced around the room and decided the closed door off to the left had to be one. Whoever these people were, they had to have the basics, right? Go along with the hallucination and it will wear off.

  “Bathroom? Can I have some privacy?” I pointed to the closed door.

  “Of course, I’ll be back soon,” she said. Lily walked toward the open door, but stopped in front of the bathroom. She waved her hand over a small area and the pocket door silently slid into the wall. Then she walked through the main doorway, repeated the motion, and another door slid out of the wall, closing the open doorway.

  Throwing back the covers, I sat up, and once again slid my legs over the side of the bed. The floors were reddish in color, and seemed to be made of a clay material. I slowly stood, thankful I didn’t have the same vertigo as before. When my feet touched the floor, it felt cool and had a bumpy texture, resembling sand mixed into paint—yet soft, cushioned so my feet slightly sunk in.

  I tiptoed across the floor—I don’t know why—it was pure instinct being in a strange place. As I walked toward the bathroom, I looked down, and saw I left slight footprints behind me, which quickly vanished. Strange.

  When I looked through the open door, I let out a sigh of relief. It was a bathroom, but different than any I’d ever seen. A huge bathtub, filled with steaming jetted water lined the far wall, built into the floor. Ten people could have fit in it—tub being entirely the wrong word for something so enormous and deep.

  Jewels, similar to the ones worn by the woman, only bigger, bordered the jacuzzi, covering the entirety of the far wall. I wanted to feel them but I would have to walk, or swim for all I knew, through the steaming water to reach the ornate trim.

  I stepped into the room and as I did the door slid shut behind me. It startled me and I jumped, propelling me toward the tub, the only thing visible in the room. But when I moved, the wall to the right opened up, and a sink spanning the length of the wall slid out. Water streamed from of the sides of the sink, as a fountain would.

  Greedily, I dashed to it, cupped the water, and drank, gulping until I coughed and gagged. What she’d given me before wasn’t enough.

  Leaning my head down into the sink, I splashed water on my face. The bite of the icy water felt incredibly real as it touched my skin. No mirrors hung on the walls, but the same shimmering seashell material covered them. As I looked up over the sink, I saw my reflection in the shiny surface of the wall and let out a yelp. I closed my eyes and slapped my face a few times.

  It seemed real, but I pinched myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. Ouch. I took a few deep breaths, steadying myself. No, I want to live in denial.

  Slowly, opening my eyes again, I reached my hand out to touch the wall. As I did, it changed and became a more effective mirror. My reflection became clear and I staggered into the wall behind me. Shocked, I tiptoed back, and leaned in close.

  It was, in fact, me.

  It feels real.

  I stared at my eyes for an eternity. The same sea-green orbs I’d seen in the mirror for the past two and a half decades looked back at me—but my irises were larger in diameter, similar to Lily’s. I leaned in so close to the mirror my breath fogged it up. Taking my hand, I wiped it clear, and examined the rest of my face.

  Would a hallucination be so vivid?

  My skin was shocking and I couldn’t grasp how they did this. It was now a rainbow of colors, iridescent as it changed with my movement.

  How is this possible? A DNA infusion?

  My long, wavy light-brown hair had grown at least six inches in length while I was unconscious. It now reached my waist, and natural highlights danced even in the low light.

  I’m… beautiful, now.

  I dropped the gown I wore to the floor and observed my body in the mirror. My mouth hung open in shock and the blood drained from my head. To keep from falling, I grabbed onto the edge of the sink. Weakness drained me as my muscles quivered and twitched, protesting this much movement.

  Regaining a bit of strength, I brought my arm out in front of me. The bumps on my skin were about the diameter of a pea and rose s
lightly above the surface. Each bump was less than a millimeter apart and formed lines. They ran up and down my arms in three lines, branching out when they met my shoulders, and continuing down my back and the outside of my legs, all the way to the end of my pinky toe and two neighbors.

  I braced myself on the edge of the sink and turned my body from side to side looking at the bumps.

  Wait—what is… that?

  I twisted my torso and lifted my arms. Slits appeared below my armpits. When I lowered my arms they were almost invisible, and I would have missed them had I not been scrutinizing every inch of my body.

  I hyperventilated. What have they done to me? None of this makes any sense.

  Alien. Aliens have kidnapped me and they are going to experiment and—no, it makes more sense this is a hallucination. Mushrooms do this sort of reality distortion, right?

  I stepped back to get a fuller view, and noticed I was much slimmer than I’d ever been, almost gaunt. My hands searched for my pooch belly where my baby had lived and found only a sunken-in abdomen. The baby? My baby? A void, where the baby had lived, now a gaping hole in my soul. I knew by instinct, my unborn child was gone. If I had died, I’m sure he or she had too.

  A new level of grief pierced my heart, knocked the breath out of me, and I dropped to the floor. I knelt and rocked back and forth. My body convulsed, trying to stifle the trauma.

  My throat raw, I eventually stilled from exhaustion and closed my eyes, counting, very slowly, to ten. I got up from the floor and leaned against the sink. My eyes reluctantly wandered back to my reflection and I stared at myself, taking in all the changes.

  I am still me, no matter how many drugs David has pumped into me. No matter where I am, and who I am with, I am me. I’ll deal with this. I’ll get a hold of reality, and come back to the real world. I will wake up from this dream.

  Get a grip, Anna, stay in control. Think logically. Think of the basics. If they won’t let me go home, then I’ll have to escape. What’s the best way to do that?

  Aside from heartbreak, weakness, and exhaustion, at the back of my senses, I felt strangely healthy. The pounding of my heart, a galloping horse in my chest, faster than I remembered, reminded me I was still alive. Be grateful. My mind cleared more each minute I was awake. Only physically weak muscles and stiffness lingered.