Page 38 of Accidentally Abducted
"We need to get out of here before we're locked in with the rest of the cargo," He said.
"How are we going to do that?" I asked.
Zeysor stole a glance through the ripped cover. Our kart was near the airlock exit, with elevators that presumable went up to the rest of the shuttle. That was where we needed to be. He looked back at me. "You're an actress, right?" He asked with a grin.
After a few minutes of rummaging through packages, we found a carefully wrapped gift: clothes from Mars being sent back to someone’s relative back home.
"Sorry, Cynthia, from Albania," I said as I tore open the package to reveal a colorful Martian dress. "This looks expensive," I added under my breath.
"Good, we need you to look like a rich Martian. According to what I've heard on the space station, they're the only ones who can afford to visit Earth regularly."
I sighed and stuffed the address into my pocket, determined to return the dress if I ever got a chance, and then pulled it on. It was a long dress with a wrap style that tied at the waist with a big bow. The bright red fabric shimmered, even in reduced light.
"Beautiful," Zeysor said.
"Now what?" I asked.
"We make a run for the airlock. With my human disguise and your expensive dress, I doubt anyone is going to stop us now."
My heart thumped in my chest. "Sure," I said.
I stepped out of our hiding place with as much grace as one could while running for their lives in a stranger's clothes.
The storage area was almost full.
We squeezed through the tightly packed carts and crates and slipped past the aliens that were hauling supplies up from the elevator.
Just as we reached the door, someone shouted.
"You, there!"
I froze and turned around.
Zeysor grabbed my hand in case we needed to make a run for it.
"No passengers in this area, you're going to get hurt," The alien worker said.
My face went red. "Oh," I laughed nervously. "Of course, sorry, we got lost."
The worker sighed and shook his head, as if this had happened before. "Please follow the signs to the passenger elevator," He said and grumbled something else to himself.
I let out a sigh. "Come on," I said to Zeysor.
I walked with my back straight and my chin high, looking as if I belonged on this shuttle. I ignored glances from the workers and guessed which way to go, pretending I could read the Martian signs, which wasn't quite the international English I was used to; two hundred years had resulted in language changes and fashion.
Zeysor looked over his shoulder while we waited for the elevator.
"It's ok," I said to reassure him. I was probably just as scared as he was, but I did my best to keep it together. I knew with Zeysor by my side, I was safe. The necklace only made him look human, but he still had his Terruxian Hunter strength.
"I'm fine," He said, his expression going hard.
The elevator brought us to the upper decks. It wasn't at all like I was expecting.
The upper deck was divided into rooms, sort of like a cruise ship. I'd only been on a cruise once with my grandparents when I was little, and I barely remembered most of it.
The corridor was wide, with doors on either side. Each door had a number. I could hear voices. People were talking and laughing while waiting for the shuttle to disembark.
"We need to find a room," I said.
