Page 12 of The Alien Who Saved Christmas
“No, I want no part of whatever it is you’re plotting.” Xane turned and started back towards town. “If you’re releasing me, then I’m leaving. I will waste no time drawing maps for a female who will soon be dead.”
He walked away, wanting to force her hand and prove to himself that he’d been right. To make her explain this deception. To admit that she’d lied about freeing him.
“Xane?” She called suddenly.
He hesitated, the sound of his name in her strange accent flaring across his senses. He looked back, not sure whether to be pleased or disappointed that his plan to force a confession from her had worked.
“Are you okay?” Rather than looking defeated and contrite, she seemed worried. “You’re weaving all over the place.”
No. He wasn’t okay. His head was going to explode. “I’m fine. The slavers gave mecastrextract.” The drug’s effects often came in waves, and he’d been injected with a lot of it. Too much. Everything was foggy.
“I know they did.” She started after him, pretending to be concerned for his welfare. Why would she pretend to be concerned? What was the profit in it? “Stay here and rest for a while. I’ll take care of you.”
Xane shook his head and it made him dizzy. “Caring” was meaningless to his people. He wasn’t staying here. He would never allow someone to catch him unaware. He needed to go… Wait, where was he going? It was hard to keep his thoughts straight.
“The ship is pretty hidden.” Sadie-Mal-Own persisted, disregarding his refusal. Her voice was smooth and cool against his overheating mind. “It’s how I stayed off the radar for the last few weeks. You’ll be safe, while you sleep it off.”
Xane squeezed his eyes shut, trying to think. He was typically a decisive man. He made decisions quickly, based on facts, and he stuck with them. Whether it was the drugs or Sadie-Mal-Own herself, though, he suddenly found himself unsure of his path. He was torn between what his malfunctioning brain told him was smart and what his deepest instincts desired.
He should go. No. He should stay.
The woman was lying and attempting a ruse. No. She was helpless and needed his protection.
She was a Weakness. No. She was his…
Xane’s internal debate ended abruptly, when he toppled face-first into the sand.
The last thing he saw before he passed out was Sadie-Mal-Own racing for him. The hood of her robe fell back from herface, revealing a mass of thick brown curls that glinted in the sun like magic.
His eyes widened in amazement.
Ohphlarge.
He really was delusional.
Chapter Four
Over the orbit and through the rocks,
To the asteroid belt we go!
We’re not sure why and maybe we’ll die,
But there’s sure to be a show!
From “Over the Orbit and Through the Rocks”
A Christmas Carol for Non-Earthlings by Sadie Malone
Today had not gone perfectly.
Sadie could admit that. She’d spent all her money… She didn’t have a map… At least one of the ducklings was trapped in a Lego cantina… The alien she’d bought hated her… All of that stuff could’ve gone way better.
But she wasn’t discouraged. Nope. Embracing the “Never Give Up, Never Surrender” mentality ofGalaxy Quest, she was pressing forward. She had a plan. -Mostof a plan, anyway- and everything was going to be amazing.
Spaceships were like computers. (Probably.) Once she’d rescued her fuzzy, yellow pilots, she’d have them check the saved data or the recycle bin or whatever on the ship’s mainframe. Then, they could retrace the See-Through Alien Kidnappers’ route. One of their stops hadbeen Earth, right? Otherwise, she couldn’t have been snatched. So, it should be easy to find the planet again. All they had to do was rewind some tape, and it would all work out fine. Until someone told her otherwise, she was going to believe that.
It was lucky Xane wasn’t there, because he would surely be telling her otherwise. The guy was very pessimistic.Honestly, though, she wished hewasthere, even if he did hate her.
