Page 2 of Royal Alien Mate

I won’t let the same thing happen to my family.

She exhaled a sharp breath and ran a hand through her long locks. As a child, she used to stand at this very window and pretend she was looking over green rolling hills bordered by tall trees that swayed in the wind. She used to dream she saw animals grazing—usually a herd of deer, an image she must’ve picked up from a book long ago—and birds flitting amongst those make-believe trees.

In such visions, she could open her window and inhale the pleasing fragrance of flowers that flourished around the perimeter of the building, rather than the stomach-turning stench of overflowing garbage bins.

Mars.

She clutched the flyer to her chest and said a prayer. She’d never been particularly religious, but she still prayed sometimes, usually in her most desperate hours.

Like the time her father got hit by a truck and barely survived, or the time Carmen caught a bad strain of the flu and ended up hospitalized for a month.

She set the brochure aside, then closed her eyes and bowed her head.

Please let this work. Please let my family understand why I’m leaving.

Please keep them safe and healthy. Please keep them together.

Please, God, please.

She opened her eyes and peered at her sleeping sisters. Careful not to disturb them, she sat down and brushed their blonde locks from their faces, memorizing their features and trying to preserve this quiet moment in time.

What if she never saw them again?

Her heart clenched with sorrow. The heavy feeling from earlier persisted, until each breath became a painful, shallow gasp.

Her gaze fell upon the flyer again.

BECOME A MAIL ORDER BRIDE TO THE MARTIANS!

She shuddered and turned back to her sisters.

“I love you both.” She leaned down to press a kiss upon Carmen’s forehead, followed by Lilly’s. “Please take care of Mom and Dad.”

Quickly and quietly, she donned her warmest pants, a thick long-sleeved shirt, and an oversized sweater. After slipping into wool socks and a pair of boots, she packed one of her old school backpacks with as many of her belongings as she could shove inside.

She had heard terraformed Mars was warm, almost tropical, though some of the aliens preferred to live in caverns beneath the surface of the planet that were not as warm, so she packed a variety of clothing—pants and heavy sweaters, comfy socks her mother had knitted for her, a few sundresses, and her nicest undergarments. She also threw in a beautiful wooden hairbrush her late grandmother had gifted her, her prized collection of gemstones, a small family photo album, and a tiny stuffed bunny given to her by her late grandfather on her sixth birthday.

She found writing supplies and began drafting a letter to her family, clutching the pen tightly in her trembling hand to keep her penmanship legible.

Dear Mom, Dad, Carmen and Lilly,

I’ve decided to become a mail order bride to the Martians. Forgive me for not saying goodbye, but I know you would try to stop me. Don’t worry about me, I promise everything will be fine. This is for the best. I will try to contact you once I reach Mars.

With all my love,

Esmay

There. Short and to the point. She didn’t want to admit she knew about her parents’ debt, though of course they would realize she must be aware.

Otherwise, why would she take the drastic measure of becoming a mail order bride to the very aliens who had conquered Earth twenty years ago?

She’d been an infant during the quick but deadly war, but she’d heard stories about it from her parents and grandparents, as well as older coworkers at the factory. No woman would sign up to marry a Martian unless she was desperate, unless she wished to help her family.

Those poor girls, she remembered her father uttering once as they passed a line of young women waiting to enter the Martian Affairs building a few blocks away. Her stomach flipped when she recalled his pitying expression as he glanced at the women.God help them, he’d said once they reached the next city block.God help those poor girls.

Giving herself a mental shake, she listened to the sounds of the apartment, waiting until she heard her parents finally go to bed. Once all was quiet, she slipped on her backpack and escaped into the cold, unforgiving night.

Chapter 2

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