The Abduction of Her Dreams
Yazar
Introvertvert
Okur
152K
BölĂŒm
26
When Mindy is awoken by aliens and brought to their world, it sure seems like a dream. But when she meets handsome, glistening Jukar, everything starts to feel real. Are they destined for each other? And if they are, can she handle it?
Chapter 1: Lucid Dream
Mindy
A violent jolt rocks my bed.
I shoot up, heart hammering, lungs too tight to pull a full breath. My room is flooded with gold light pouring through both windows.
I squint against the glow, blinking hard. Everything looks soft and surreal, like itâs been smudged at the edges. Dreamlike.
âThis again?â I whisper.
The dreams have been getting stronger lately. More vivid. Itâs as if someone turned up the volume on my subconscious. Iâve had lucid dreams for as long as I can remember, but this? This is new. This is...almost cinematic.
âMindy Hulton,â a voice calls out, muffled by some kind of static. It echoes unnaturally, like itâs coming from every direction at once. âPlease step to the window.â
My eyebrows lift. They know my name. Usually, dreams donât get that specific unless Iâm deep in REM. Maybe I fell asleep earlier than I thought.
I flinch, staring at the windows. The air feels like itâs humming under my skin.
Ginnie has to hear or see all this from downstairs. My roommate isnât exactly known for subtlety. She once chased a raccoon off our porch with a spatula and curses Iâd never even heard before. Any second now, she should be bursting in, wielding a broom, a frying pan⊠maybe that fake katana she keeps by the laundry.
But nothing. No yelling. No footsteps. No chaotic Ginnie energy.
Just more proof this has to be a dream.
I glance at the phone on my bedside. Itâs dead. That tracks.
âWe would not want to scare you by coming in with our advanced technology. If you could open the window so we may speak with you, Mindy Hulton.â
I stare at the window, the light beyond it pulsing softly, almost like itâs breathing.
âIâm dreaming,â I say aloud. Saying it out loud always helps me anchor myself. âThis is just another dream.â
Still, I donât move. I listen.
The rumble from earlier has faded into a low, constant hum that I feel more than hear. It vibrates under my skin, like the walls are alive. The air tastes warm. Metallic.
âWe will come to you, Mindy. Please do not be afraid. We come in peace.â
That gets a laugh out of me. A quiet one. Just a puff of disbelief. We come in peace. Really?
A strange sound fills the room, like air being sucked inward, and suddenly the space in front of me ripples; an oval blooms from floor to ceiling, stretching open like a doorway made of liquid, golden light.
And someone steps through.
Taking in the large person in front of me, I immediately realize heâs not like any man Iâve ever seen. A strange part of me starts to think, maybe itâs real?
His skin is so bronze it practically glows in the light of my room, and his eyes⊠theyâre a deep, piercing purple that seems to reach into my soul as he studies me with the same intense fascination.
Two small, curved horns rise from either side of his head, white with slightly beige tips. His eyebrows are thick and black, and his hair matches, long and dark, falling just below his broad, bare shoulders. The armor he wears resembles a white tank top of sorts, though thicker in certain parts, and does a phenomenal job of showcasing his rippling muscles. His face is so painfully handsome that I donât even catch what he says the first timeâtoo distracted by the sharp lines and symmetry of his features to register a single word.
How I conjured up such a hottie is beyond me.
âIâm dreaming,â I repeat softly, not looking away.
âHello? Mindy? Can you hear my voice?â
I blink before speaking in a much squeakier voice than intended.
âOh! Yes! Um⊠what the hell are you doing in my room? In the middle of the night at that?â
Strangely, Iâm calm. I should be freaking out, considering this hulking male standing in front of me looks like he could crush a car with one hand. Thereâs something about the way he carries himself, confident, imposing, that should send me running. But instead, I stand there, blinking at him.
âI have been sent here, among other places, to collect all the Yuai Mates we can find using our newly approved technology,â he says, voice deep and oddly soothing. âYou are the very first we have scanned whose DNA matches perfectly. I am instructed to bring you back to the planet Nulamore, where you will be matched with your Yuai Mate. I am Jukar, and it is an honor.â
He crosses one arm over his chest like heâs saluting me, then falls silent, just⊠watching. Waiting.
I laugh and rub my eyes, not even trying to hide it. This is wild. Any minute now, Iâll wake up, get dressed, and head back to my incredibly glamorous life as a Taco Bell manager by day and karaoke queen by night.
âI am glad you are happy at the prospect,â he says. âShall we head out?â
I shrug as I take the outstretched hand of the alien in front of me.
âYeah, sure. Why the hell not? Letâs see where this one goes.â
Iâve had vivid, lucid dreams for as long as I can remember, which my mother when I was yong had ignored and blamed on my overactive imagination, too busy with her own shit to deal with any of mine.
I decided to roll with it tonight. Might as well. Itâs better than dreaming Iâm late for a shift or not wearing clothes to work again.
âWonderful!â he says, voice practically vibrating with excitement. âYou will feel a slight tingling sensation over your entire body as you step into the light. Do not worry, it is just the transporter doing its job. Very safe.â
The way he says very safe sounds... not safe at all. But before I can even come up with a decent sarcastic reply, Iâm pulled into the light.
The tingling starts immediately, like when your foot wakes up from being completely numb. Itâs not pleasant, but not awful either. Just weird. I grip the alienâs hand tighter as we move through whatever this is, his strong, rough palm the only thing grounding me. Somehow, it feels solid. Real.
We step out of the portal, and Iâm hit with a rush of sensory overload. Everything around me is entirely foreign. Alien. The walls, the lighting, the air, none of it feels like Earth.
Before I can process any of it, five massive beings begin to gather around me and my bronze dream guide. They look a lot like him, same golden-bronze skin, towering height, and strange, regal presence. The only differences I catch are in their horns, some are small, others longer, and one guy doesnât seem to have any at all. Their eyes vary too, different shades of violet watching me with an intensity that makes my skin prickle.
âShe has agreed to come back with us,â my guide, Jukar, announces proudly.
A cheer erupts from the group, loud and a little unsettling, like theyâve just won a prize they werenât sure theyâd get. I stand there, gripping his hand a little tighter.
Just a dream.
Right?
I wander around, brazenly touching everything, lights, gadgets, strange panels, taking in all the weird tech surrounding me on the ship. I seriously need to start writing these things down. Maybe Iâll turn this one into a book.
When I glance back at the huddled group of aliens, I jump. One of them sticks out their tongue and licks their upper cheek with the most extended, most disturbing snake-like tongue Iâve ever seen. Split down the middle, it just⊠hangs there, lazily flopping around their face like it has a mind of its own.
Another lovely reminder: definitely not human.
âMindy Hulton.â
I snap my mouth shut and tear my eyes off the wandering tongue. âJust Mindy is fine.â
âMindy,â the alien says, totally unfazed, âwe must all be placed inside the Kip machines before beginning our journey back home. Based on the Earth technology I have studied, your species has not yet reached this level of advancement. You may therefore find the sight of it⊠stressful.â
âIâm sure Iâll be fine.â
If this were real life, Iâd already be halfway to a panic attack. But I let the sense of adventure take over. Bring it on, brain.
âIf you would follow me,â the alien says.
This one has lighter purple eyes and no horns, and when he offers his hand, I take it. His grip is much softer than the other guyâs. He leads me toward a section of the wall, which slides open sideways the moment we step within a few feet of it.
The room beyond is emptier, but lined with lights and wires that snake down from the walls and ceiling into eight strange, bathtub-looking pods arranged in two rows of four. Each one is filled with a thick, light-blue gel. I watch as some of the aliens step inside, sinking down, even their faces disappear beneath the surface, as they hook their arms up to the cords submerged in the gel.
âThese machines shield us from the radiation effects of traveling such long distances in a short time,â he explains calmly.
âLike warp speed?â I ask, raising an eyebrow.
âI do not know this âwarp speed,ââ he replies, tilting his head slightly, âbut it is a speed much faster than any recorded, or even possible, by man.â
âVery Star Trek of you guys.â
He pauses. âHmm⊠I do not know of Star Trek. But if it helps you understand, then yes.â
I giggle and step up to the nearest goo-filled tub, dipping my right hand into it. Itâs warm. Not hot, not cold, just⊠unsettlingly warm. Iâm not sure which would be worse, to be honest. The idea of submerging myself in either temperature sounds awful.
Still, dream logic wins. I climb in.
The gel squishes up between my toes, thick and oddly smooth, like sinking into a warm mud puddle. It clings to me as I settle in, wrapping around my legs, my waist, my arms. Itâs heavier than I expect, and comforting, if I donât think too hard about how weird this all is.
I keep my head above the surface, watching as the alien moves closer with thick, black wires ending in oversized suction cups. He starts attaching them to my skin beneath the surface, my upper arms, calves, and sides, without hesitation. I flinch once but say nothing.
âAll set, Mindy. You should start feeling sleepy veryââ
I donât catch the rest. His voice fades as my mind clouds over, soft static replacing thought. A ripple of pleasure sparks through my body, unexpected and consuming, as the gel cradles me like warm arms pulling me under.
The last thing I feel is the gel curling around my face, then nothing at all.
