the other woman didn’t seem to mind. Ashley gritted her
teeth as Natalie pressed against her bruised arm, wedging it between her back
and the wall.
“Oh, I think my sight is returning,” Sid piped up after several
long minutes of silence. He blinked and widened his eyes. “I see shapes and
light.”
“One hurdle down,” Ashley commented. After Dr. Glasses vomited
gloom and doom all over her ideas, she’d prove him wrong or die trying. Natalie
had reached the sniffling stage, so Ashley sat her up and cradled her own aching
arm. “I was worried they’d come while the three of you still couldn’t see. That
would make escape harder.”
“One hurdle out of how many?” Freddy frowned. “You’re just an
actress and you lied to everyone. Just be quiet.”
Ashley leaped to her feet, suddenly furious. The motion jarred
her headache into a fierce pounding. “What is wrong with all of you? You’re
scaring Natalie. You may be the top people in your field but oh my gosh, what a
bunch of whiners. The good guys always win at the end. Not the aliens.”
“At the end of what? The movie? This is not Hollywood, Miss
Movie Star,” Freddy said, with a sniff. “Natalie should be scared. We all should
be. Bad guys win all the time in real life.”
“Not in my real life. I’m going to figure out a way to be
rescued. You can stay here.” With that, she flounced to the corner and threw
herself into it for a good long sulk. She was scared too but she’d eat paint
before allowing it to influence her performance.
Sam watched her from his own corner across the hall. She’d
developed a strange, barbed awareness of him and couldn’t shake it. Hopefully,
he’d ignored their arguing. It hadn’t been her finest act by any stretch.
A cacophony echoed outside the cell. Alien guards stomped down
the hall, dragging a small boy between them.
“It’s a child,” Natalie murmured. “Why are they putting him in
here? What could he have possibly done?”
Ashley scuttled over to the side wall and pressed her ear
against it. Faint pings and muted shushing ricocheted inside the wall. Either
the guards had thrown the boy into an adjacent cell or they’d joined cocktail
hour next door.
Sam said something to one of the guards as they passed and they
conversed in their freaky alien language. The guards marched back the way they’d
come without glancing in the humans’ cell.
She tapped on the wall. “Hello?”
No response. Maybe he was still unconscious. She fretted,
totally at a loss. How much worse could this get? That little boy would wake up,
scared out of his mind. There had to be a way to let him know he wasn’t
alone.
“Hello? Are you there?” she repeated and shifted her ear to a
higher spot on the wall.
Dr. Glasses laughed. “You look like a spider monkey with your
arms stretched out like that. What are you going to say if he answers you? We’re
here to rescue you?”
“No,” she snapped and switched to her other ear. “I’ll tell him
not to worry because we have the leading expert in tree frogs over here.”
The doctor sputtered and mumbled something she didn’t
catch.
Still nothing. The alien boy probably didn’t speak English, and
Dr. Glasses talked too much to hear anything anyway. She gave up and plunked to
the ground by Natalie.
Natalie wrapped both arms around her bare torso. “I’m really
uncomfortable being naked. I don’t know how the rest of you are taking it in
stride.”
“No one’s taking it in stride, Miss Donaldson. If it makes you
feel better, I’m not looking at you. You don’t have a lot to look at, as it
happens,” Dr. Glasses sneered and Ashley balled her fist when Natalie’s face
crumpled.
“That’s only because you need your glasses,” Ashley told him.
“Natalie’s better-looking than all three of you put together.”
If he so much as glanced at Natalie wrong, she’d deck him.
“I’m farsighted, for your information—” Dr. Glasses shut up as
a noise came from
teeth as Natalie pressed against her bruised arm, wedging it between her back
and the wall.
“Oh, I think my sight is returning,” Sid piped up after several
long minutes of silence. He blinked and widened his eyes. “I see shapes and
light.”
“One hurdle down,” Ashley commented. After Dr. Glasses vomited
gloom and doom all over her ideas, she’d prove him wrong or die trying. Natalie
had reached the sniffling stage, so Ashley sat her up and cradled her own aching
arm. “I was worried they’d come while the three of you still couldn’t see. That
would make escape harder.”
“One hurdle out of how many?” Freddy frowned. “You’re just an
actress and you lied to everyone. Just be quiet.”
Ashley leaped to her feet, suddenly furious. The motion jarred
her headache into a fierce pounding. “What is wrong with all of you? You’re
scaring Natalie. You may be the top people in your field but oh my gosh, what a
bunch of whiners. The good guys always win at the end. Not the aliens.”
“At the end of what? The movie? This is not Hollywood, Miss
Movie Star,” Freddy said, with a sniff. “Natalie should be scared. We all should
be. Bad guys win all the time in real life.”
“Not in my real life. I’m going to figure out a way to be
rescued. You can stay here.” With that, she flounced to the corner and threw
herself into it for a good long sulk. She was scared too but she’d eat paint
before allowing it to influence her performance.
Sam watched her from his own corner across the hall. She’d
developed a strange, barbed awareness of him and couldn’t shake it. Hopefully,
he’d ignored their arguing. It hadn’t been her finest act by any stretch.
A cacophony echoed outside the cell. Alien guards stomped down
the hall, dragging a small boy between them.
“It’s a child,” Natalie murmured. “Why are they putting him in
here? What could he have possibly done?”
Ashley scuttled over to the side wall and pressed her ear
against it. Faint pings and muted shushing ricocheted inside the wall. Either
the guards had thrown the boy into an adjacent cell or they’d joined cocktail
hour next door.
Sam said something to one of the guards as they passed and they
conversed in their freaky alien language. The guards marched back the way they’d
come without glancing in the humans’ cell.
She tapped on the wall. “Hello?”
No response. Maybe he was still unconscious. She fretted,
totally at a loss. How much worse could this get? That little boy would wake up,
scared out of his mind. There had to be a way to let him know he wasn’t
alone.
“Hello? Are you there?” she repeated and shifted her ear to a
higher spot on the wall.
Dr. Glasses laughed. “You look like a spider monkey with your
arms stretched out like that. What are you going to say if he answers you? We’re
here to rescue you?”
“No,” she snapped and switched to her other ear. “I’ll tell him
not to worry because we have the leading expert in tree frogs over here.”
The doctor sputtered and mumbled something she didn’t
catch.
Still nothing. The alien boy probably didn’t speak English, and
Dr. Glasses talked too much to hear anything anyway. She gave up and plunked to
the ground by Natalie.
Natalie wrapped both arms around her bare torso. “I’m really
uncomfortable being naked. I don’t know how the rest of you are taking it in
stride.”
“No one’s taking it in stride, Miss Donaldson. If it makes you
feel better, I’m not looking at you. You don’t have a lot to look at, as it
happens,” Dr. Glasses sneered and Ashley balled her fist when Natalie’s face
crumpled.
“That’s only because you need your glasses,” Ashley told him.
“Natalie’s better-looking than all three of you put together.”
If he so much as glanced at Natalie wrong, she’d deck him.
“I’m farsighted, for your information—” Dr. Glasses shut up as
a noise came from
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