Rootless

Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say. When there are thousands of voices crying at the top of their lungs, the silence is deafening though.

I watched out the window as everyone left behind slowly shrank from view, their faces forever etched in my mind. Why was I lucky enough to be saved? Why couldn’t we have saved our planet? How could this be reality? How could an entire planet be so focused on themselves that they ignored the warnings? We turned a blind eye to the signs that were right in front of our faces. And now, my people are being sucked into the vacuum of space, never to be heard again. Life on Versae will end before we find a new home. As the only survivors, we must power on and search the galaxy for somewhere new to put down roots and save our race.

JADE

Unless you don't want me to…

Those six words triggered the end. I don't know if it was a sudden thing or a long time coming. All I know is I gave him an out and he took it. I should have made it harder, should have fought for him to stay with me. But I didn't, and now four years of my life are down the drain, four years of growing, discovering, and adapting to each other and the new world around us, together.

For as long as I can remember, we've both been so curious about the humans. We’ve tried to learn all we could about them, their strange culture and way of life. Ever since I watched the approach when I was sixteen and first saw Earth out of the ship’s window, I've wanted to know more about our new planet and our future co-habitants. I thought Zyka did too.

We were going to unite the world together, show the humans and the Versae that we could thrive and make everyone's lives better, together. But now it's just me, and I have a lot of work to do if four years couldn't even convince him.

Zyka’s father, one of our leaders, is insisting we wage war on the humans in retaliation for their not-so-warm welcome. I get that, I do, but if we ever want to live peaceful lives on our new planet, the only way a war is going to make that happen is if we wipe them out entirely. Who could live with that? We already lost our people. How could we sacrifice another race? I couldn’t, and I hadn’t thought Zyka could either. Then his father called him to duty, and he went without a fight. I offered to go with him, to fight back from inside the ranks, but he didn't want me to.

Every year on the anniversary of our landing, we have a huge celebration of life. The only fitting way to end it is, of course, a huge battle. Everyone who has come of age is welcome to enter and the winner gets eternal bragging rights. Knowing we can’t actually die probably helps keep it enjoyable, but the Versae are a strange race. We are practically invincible as long as we have our companions, yet we get enjoyment from trying to kill each other for an audience.

The competition is straightforward: any injury that would typically kill you or injure you to the point of being unable to fight disqualifies you. Of course, our companions step in and heal us, so the damage isn’t permanent, but the scar to our honor is. I have been training since I was young. My parents never wanted me to. They said it wasn’t worth the potential humiliation if I was the first one down. They didn't want me to bring unnecessary attention to myself, but I'm stubborn, and I've never been one to follow their rules, or anyone’s for that matter.

When we turn fifteen, we choose our companions. Humans have companions of their own that they call ‘dogs’. They even look similar to ours, but their abilities don’t seem to be quite as developed. When it comes to choosing a companion, everyone always fights for the biggest and scariest, but I didn't want that. When I saw Natiri huddling in the back corner, barking at everyone who passed, I knew she was the one for me. As I approached her enclosure, she stopped barking and cautiously made her way to the wire fence separating us. She was eyeing me warily the entire time, but her step never faltered. Once our noses were inches apart, so close I could see the purple of my eyes reflected in hers, she let out one final bark directly in my face. When I didn’t flinch, she cocked her head for a moment and then collapsed at my feet in submission, waiting to be taken home. My parents tried to talk me out of that too. They said that if I had my heart set on fighting, I needed the biggest and strongest companion we could find. I refused. Natiri was smaller than the others, but the look in her eyes told me she had the strongest will and the biggest heart. Tonight, we would find out if that was true.

I turned twenty a few weeks ago, which means I'm finally able to enter the fight. After what happened with Zyka last week, I have a whole new drive for victory. He turned twenty a month before me, and I want nothing more than to take him down.

Zyka was always confused by my contradictory drive to fight and ideals for world peace. He didn't understand how I could want both things, but just because I like to fight does not mean I want the world around me fighting. I have been training since I was young. My parents never wanted me to. They said it wasn’t worth the potential humiliation if I was the first one down. They didn't want me to bring unnecessary attention to myself, but I'm stubborn, and I've never been one to follow their rules, or anyone’s for that matter.

I shake my head to clear my thoughts as I hear the loud buzz that signals the fight is about to begin. My mind is clear and focused when the door in front of me slowly opens. I give Natiri a hug and tell her to wait until I need her. No sense putting her in danger before I have to and I’ll be able to move more quickly on my own. I turn and rush out the door into the arena as twenty-nine of my fellow Versae do the same all around me. The only difference is that their companions are by their sides, snarling and barking at each other. For a moment, we all stand and stare at each other. Then, as if choreographed, we all leap into action and chaos ensues. Everyone is charging each other as I stand back and watch. I have seen this play out so many times before. I have a plan. I see a flash of silver out of the corner of my eye, and I duck. I dive to the left, pulling out my dagger as I roll into a crouch. Stunned by my reaction, my opponent fumbles, and I catch his thigh with my blade. His companion lunges at me but I'm already out of reach. Instead of pursuing me, he tends to his master sprawled on the ground. I fend off two more attackers and then glance back at Natiri laying on the ground watching me, waiting patiently, ready to be needed. I survey my surroundings. The fight is finally getting to the good part. Only four of us remain standing. I lock eyes with Zyka, but before I can move toward him one of the other companions catches me by surprise, latching onto my wrist. Before the pain has time to register, he is on the ground, his neck in Natiri’s mouth. I see his master running toward me and I lunge forward, initiating the fight. Once he's on the ground, I whistle to Natiri and she releases the companion so he can fulfill his duty. Zyka is standing over the last defeated opponent. His eyes meet mine and he turns toward me slowly. It’s just us now.

The roar of the crowd goes silent in anticipation as we circle each other, our companions on either side. He opens his mouth to say something as I snap my fingers. Natiri and I lunge at him together, my dagger colliding with his stomach as she sweeps his legs from under him. The roar of the crowd returns. As I sit straddling him, I hear him exhale quietly, “I’m sorry.”

RILEY

It's been four years since they arrived, and I haven't figured out anything about them. One day I woke up and found everyone outside watching the three ships enter our atmosphere. Thirty minutes of staring open-mouthed and it was over. The ships' landing pushed up a huge cloud of smoke and dust. When it cleared, all that was left was the Dome, a shiny new landmark that would soon become a homing beacon for death and destruction.

The government didn't know how to handle it or what to do about it. By the time the dust had settled, lines of tanks and military vehicles were flooding through our town. By the end of the day, they were out of ammo and had tried every weapon in their arsenal, short of an atomic bomb, yet the Dome still stood without a scratch to show for it. That's when things got really crazy. By the end of the week the United Nations had disbanded, and we were on the brink of World War Three. You would think having a common enemy would have united us more than ever, but the fact that we couldn't harm them made everyone senseless. The social structures were crumbling on every level, from the government all the way down to families falling apart. We were all lost and confused.

And now, as I look at the trees around me in the fading light, trying to figure out where I am, I actually think I’m lost. Thinking about Arrival Day distracted me and turned me around. The light is quickly diminishing, so I guess I'll spend the night here. I can figure out where I am tomorrow. I set up camp and start a fire for dinner. As soon as the fresh rabbit I caught earlier hits the pan, I hear a rustling in the woods nearby. I turn just in time to brace myself for the tackle. Sputnik barrels into me, knocking us both to the ground. Sputnik is my best friend. I found him days before I left home. He was curled up, cold, and whining in a gutter near my house. He was just a puppy then, small, and helpless. Pets weren't allowed in my town after the arrival. I had to sneak him home in my backpack and hide him in my closet, where I nursed him back to health. The day my mom found him was the day we left town and started our new life together. He's the hero; I'm just the sidekick who feeds him.

He grew from a ten-pound fluffball into a massive, beautiful, wolf mix. I honestly don't know if I would have survived the last four years without him. He's a good dog and full of nothing but love, yet I know he will protect me to the death. I just hope it never comes to that.

I wake up to Sputnik licking my face incessantly. His breath smells of rabbit and dirt. It's incredibly unpleasant. After cleaning myself up and making us breakfast, I pack up camp and get ready to move. With the light of day to help, it's much easier to figure out where I am. I'm quickly back on the path to wherever I may be heading. I haven't figured that out yet. I'm just following my gut, Sputnik's whim, and having an adventure. I'm running low on supplies though, so I'm hoping our wandering leads us to a town soon. The things I would do for a Reese’s peanut butter cup would embarrass you.

While I walk, I usually think about the past, trying to figure out where we went wrong and what the aliens are really like. I mean, obviously the aliens were the trigger, but they definitely weren't the start, and I doubt they will be the end. I think they would help us if we let them. I mean, they basically landed on earth, set up a home and have just been hanging out for the last four years, not hurting a fly. Except the house they landed on - they squished that thing flat! Luckily it was just an old, abandoned farmhouse. The Dome they set up is insane though. I've gotten quite close before, in my travels. From what I can tell, it is a force field of some kind. Anytime an object encounters it, it basically disappears into thin air. The only thing that gets through it is water when it rains. However, when it rains too much, the water stops going through and just runs down the sides. I've always been into science fiction, but I'd never heard of, or imagined, anything quite like this.

I wonder what they've been doing in there for the last four years. Why are they still in there now? We stopped attacking them after a few months when everyone realized it was just a waste of resources. Instead, we've been monitoring them as closely as we can, waiting for something to happen. Once a year, they seem to have some sort of event. You can hear a low rumble like a large group cheering at a football game, but we don’t know what they’re doing. I wonder if aliens play football. I'm so curious about them. Where did they come from? Why are they here? Why did they leave whatever planet they came from, and what was their life like before? Do they look like humans, or are they something else entirely?

I come out of my daydream just in time to see Sputnik dive into a nearby stream. He pops his head out of the water with a massive fish in his mouth. I guess he's hungry! Time to stop for lunch, I suppose. I call him over and get the fish out of his mouth.

“Good boy buddy. You always have my back, don’t you?”

He agrees with a bark in my face and runs back to play in the stream while I prepare lunch. As I'm cooking, I notice that I can hear the faint noises of civilization in the distance. I guess we’ll be sleeping in a real bed tonight!

We reach the town by mid-afternoon, and I rent a room at the cheapest motel I can find, get cleaned up, and collapse into bed. Sleep comes easy but doesn’t last. I wake in the middle of the night with an urgent, uneasy feeling I can’t shake. I have to save the purple-eyed girl in the river.