The Chosen Book 6: Changed
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G. M. Marks
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Dreams Amid the Stars
Book 6: Changed
KEIRA
“Do you really think this is going to work?”
Keira looked over at her friend as they lay in their sleeping bags together. “What do you think?”
Dani sighed. “You’re right. In our dreams.”
Keira turned her attention back to the night sky. She had known her best friend long enough to tell when she was lying, to know when she was relieved, rather than resigned.
Keira’s own sigh was very different.
She laid her hands on her chest. It was a warm night and a new moon, letting the stars twinkle brightly. She watched closely but saw nothing unusual.
No bright lights. No profound, wondrous men stalking the shadows.
They were on the edge of the neighborhood campground, rolling hills sweeping into the distance, far enough away from the bright lights of town. Though apparently, the aliens didn’t care whether they abducted from the countryside or the city center—so the rumors said.
Keira’s home was twenty minutes away.
She wished it was farther.
Galaxies farther.
She sighed again.
“You’re smart, Keira. You don’t really believe the rumors are true, do you?” Dani said. “Women aren’t being abducted. Aliens don’t exist. Or, if they do, they aren’t coming here.”
“Likely.” She hesitated. “Maybe not. I like to think it’s possible.”
An unbidden tear rolled down the side of her face. She quickly swiped it away before Dani could see, combing her fingers through her long, dark hair to cover it up.
“It’s not possible.”
“I can dream. I can have fun.”
Keira screwed up her face as she fought against her sadness. She didn’t know why. She hadn’t realized how upset she was with her life—and she really had nothing to be upset about!
She was going to a good college. Her mum was a…well…reasonable mother. She lived in a house.
Not a nice house.
And she was failing one of her subjects.
Would there be enough food in the fridge for breakfast?
The last thing she wanted was to go back home tomorrow. To go back to college Monday. To return to the usual mindless grind.
To be alone. To deal with her poverty.
Keira wrapped her arms around her chest, holding back another sigh.
“What are you thinking?” Dani asked.
“Nothing,” Keira said, trying to stifle the choke in her voice. “Is this all life is?”
“What do you mean? What more do you want?”
Keira shrugged.
“Life’s okay, I suppose,” Dani said. “Nothing special.”
She said it in such a way that Keira gave her a pointed look.
Dani gave a quivering smile. “Life is pointless. Death is certain. Struggle is a probability.”
“Fantasy exists in our imagination,” Keira agreed. “Our silly imaginations.”
“Our extraordinary imaginations,” Dani said. “Imaginations as big as the universe.”
Keira laughed tearfully. “We talk such stupid shit.”
“Yeah. But true shit.”
They both turned their gazes back toward the stars. A cool breeze brushed the hair from Keira’s face.
Crickets chirped. She could hear the distant whoosh of traffic. Laughter drifted from the camp.
“But what if it is true?” Keira said.
“What?”
“The rumors. That aliens really are abducting women to…you know. Would you go?”
“If they’re hot…yeah…sure,” Dani laughed. “But then again, how do you know they’re good aliens? What makes you think they won’t abuse us? What about all those…you know…anal probes and stuff.”
Keira burst into laughter.
“It’s true!” Dani rolled onto her side. “Or rape you. Or hurt you. Or kill you! Who says they want to love you? How often in human history has that even been the case between men and women? Why would they be any different?”
“There are stories…”
“Stories. Made-up stories! By lonely old women, no doubt.”
“For God’s sake, Dani, let me dream, why don’t you?”
Dani turned onto her back. More laughter came from the camp.
There was the sound of distant cheering, as though someone was watching a sports game. A cool breeze made Keira’s skin prickle. She wrapped her arms around herself more tightly.
“What about you?” Dani said. “So, I guess you’d go with them?”
“In a heartbeat.”
They both fell silent.
Keira tried to stay awake, listening, keeping her eyes on the stars, but the camp soon grew quiet, and she eventually drifted into sleep.
***
The next morning dawned bright and sunny.
“Well…no aliens…but it was fun anyway,” Dani said as they took down their tent.
“Yeah. We should do it again someday.”
“Someday,” Dani agreed.
The windows were down, and Keira’s hair whipped in the wind as they drove back home. It was an unusually nice day, and it was sad to leave the campground behind.
It wasn’t long before the rolling hills were replaced by houses, then industrial buildings, then townhomes, then the treeless, polluted warren of derelict social housing that was her home.
“Thanks, Dani. I’ll call you,” Keira said as she climbed out of the car and grabbed her things. She slammed the trunk shut.
“Byyeee!” Dani slung her arm out the window and waved.
Keira waved back as Dani drove away, watching until she disappeared around the corner. Hoisting up her bags, Keira walked up to her front door.
Her mother’s car was parked against the curb. Keira stared. Home from work on a Monday? Her heart sank.
The door was unlocked. Keira lifted her nose at the smell of hash browns in the oven.
Dropping her bags on the couch, she entered the kitchen and saw her mother bustling around the stove. Her bleached-blonde hair was caught up in a messy bun. She was in her dressing gown, stained and so worn Keira could practically see through it.
“Why aren’t you at work?” Keira asked.
“Oh!” Her mother twisted around, grinning guiltily as she held up an oily spatula. “I didn’t hear you come in! Hope you’re hungry!”
She quickly turned away before Keira could catch anything amiss. Before she could see the dark circles under her eyes and the tremble in her lip.
“They fired you,” Keira said, her throat tight.
Her mother didn’t answer, humming under her breath.
Keira’s heart sank further. She should have stayed home. At least then, she could have coaxed her mother up. Helped her get dressed.
Got her into her car. She looked over toward the bin and saw that her mother had already emptied it. How much did she have to drink last night?
“I didn’t know we had bacon,” Keira said, watching her cook. She tried her best to keep the sharpness out of her voice.
“I went shopping.”
“In your pajamas?”
“It’s only down the road.”
“Did you even wear shoes?”
Her mother slammed the spatula down. “For God’s sake, Keira! I’m just trying to do something nice for you.”
“Okay, Mum.” Keira got some plates and cutlery. The plates clattered on the table as she set them out.
“Not so loud!” Her mother threw up her hands, about to grab at her head with her greasy hands before thinking better of it. She slammed down the spatula again, then turned over the bacon.
Eggs popped and sizzled.
Keira sat, hands tucked between her knees. She said nothing, staring at the wall, thinking of her conversation with Dani last night.
“Here you go,” her mother said, smiling as she slid several rashers of bacon, eggs, and hash browns onto Keira’s plate.
Keira frowned. “What about you?”
Her mother sat down like a child in front of her empty plate, knees folded up into her chest. She looked so skinny.
Her collarbones pressed against her top. Keira could see all the little bones in her wrists.
“This is all for you,” her mother said.
“Mum…”
“All for you.” She looked through the window, chewing on a hangnail.
Dropping her head, Keira dutifully ate her food, tasting only the tears in her throat.
