The Rescued

A few years ago, I was published as part of an anthology project surrounding the concept that there was life on Venus. We collaborated on world-building, and it was a lot of fun! Unfortunately, the publisher had to close, and so the anthology can no longer be found on Amazon. This was the story I published.

Jacob turned off his headlights as he pulled into the long, winding driveway. Just like most nights. He knew he shouldn't, but he knew she needed him. She needed someone, in general. Brynn wasn't like most teenage girls. She didn't wear skirts or lipstick to her rural Vermont highschool. She didn't play basketball or softball like many of the other girls. She was simply, Brynn. All 5 feet and 4 inches and 170 pounds of her. And that wasn't enough for her parents, either.

Brynn's father was a 7th generation dairy farmer, but of course with the land trust small farms were struggling. He had worked hard his whole life and now his farm was going belly-up. The stress of that on top of his daughter being, as he said, "Lazy, disrespectful, and just plain dumb", was too much for him. So he took it out on Brynn and her mother. Brynn's mother was a strong woman. But she couldn't understand why Brynn just wouldn't put on some eyeliner once in a while. Carol was her name. She always tried to get Brynn to befriend the girls who were "normal". Brynn hated those girls.

On this particular night, Brynn and her father had been fighting over a grade she had gotten in math earlier that week. Apparently getting a C meant she never tried to apply herself because she was too lazy to try. She was just over it. She screamed at him, he screamed back, she said things she shouldn't have and slammed her bedroom door. At 17, she thought she should have a little more freedom. She stared at a bright phone screen and waited for the time to move. 11:47 was when she snuck out her window and climbed into the passenger seat of Jacob's old truck.

As Jacob turned around and started back down the driveway, Brynn cranked the window open.

"Jake, I still can't get over the fact that you have to literally roll down these windows."

"Shut up, Brynn, ya goon."

So she did shut up. She smiled out the window and sighed with contentment at the feeling of the cool summer wind on her face. She turned to look at her friend, and he gave her a mischievous smile. Brynn laughed. She knew an adventure was about to happen, and she would be able to forget her troubles at home. Jacob had planned something neither of them had done before. They were going to jump off Devil's Rock, one of the most popular diving cliffs over Lake Willoughby.

He needed this just as much as she did, but for a different reason. Jacob loved Brynn, but as a sister. His own sister had passed away the previous year. She was an addict, and as addicts sometimes do, she lost the battle. Brynn had the same shiny reddish-brown hair his sister, Natalie, had. Yes, they were best friends before, but being with Brynn gave Jacob a certain feeling of comfort. And being that Jacob and his mother were never close and she had gone practically catatonic after Natalie's death, he needed to feel needed. And it was no question that Brynn needed him. He was the only constant in her life. She loved him, too, as a brother.

Jacob flew down the mountain, past Fox Hall, and nearly straightened the corner by the beach. There were a few people on the beach, mainly at the corner where on nights like this night where the sky was bright from the moon and the air was light and sweet. They could hear the people laughing as they zipped around the corner by the cemetery on the hill. Brynn realized where they were going when he slowed down about half way down the lake, near the Mount Pisgah parking area. She was always forbidden to go there because her parents thought it was too dangerous. Jacob had always been too afraid.

The two of them got out of the truck and walked to the edge of Devil's Rock. It's called Devil's Rock because of the devil painted on its face. Apparently, if you look closely when the water is extra still, the rock leaves a reflection of a skull turned on its side. Jacob sat down and took off his dirty boots. He worked on a small dairy farm so he was always dirty. Brynn just slipped out of her flip-flops and ran to the edge, looking down cautiously. Suddenly, she looked up at the sky.

"Did you see that?"

Jacob didn't even look up from his boots.

"See what?"

"There was a shooting star! But it looked really close, like a meteor."

Jacob laughed.

"Whatever you say, Brynn."

She threw a sandal at him. He stood and walked over to her, finally barefoot with his jeans rolled up above his ankles. They both watched the water below for a long moment. Brynn was thinking of how her dad was going to kill her, Jacob was wondering if he was going to die. She took his hand and offered to jump together on the count of three. He agreed, however apprehensive.

"Okay. One, two…"

Brynn jumped, pulling Jacob with her. They both screamed, out of excitement and out of fear. The water was cool, but not too cold like it sometimes is in late July. It was refreshing, exhilarating, and neither of them wanted that feeling to end. They surfaced at the same time, both laughing.

"I can't believe we just did that!" Jacob exclaimed. He was looking out at the water, surveying how still the lake was. Brynn was watching his face. How happy he looked. How full of wonder his eyes were. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen him like that. Suddenly, something caught the corner of their eyes that had them both looking up at the sky--an unusually bright light.

"Is it a helicopter?" Brynn asked, a nervous sound in her voice. They swam to hide in a space beneath the rock, between that and another rock. Was it the police? Whatever was going on, they definitely wanted nothing to do with it. The last thing they needed was extra drama, so if it was a search helicopter, they wanted to stay away. The light shone into their hiding spot, seemingly blinding them. Brynn held her hand our to try and block the light from her eyes. Jacob moved forward and put an arm in front of her waist in an attempt to protect his friend.

For some strange reason, though, Jacob felt drawn to swim toward it. Brynn reached for his belt loop in an attempt to stop him, but he was moving slowly toward it and wouldn't turn around. She found herself screaming at him, crying even, in fear. When she realized he wasn't turning around, she took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and caught up with him. Then, everything went black.

……

Jacob blinked once, then twice. The artificial light was overwhelming. That's all he saw, at first. A bright light hanging directly above him. He was laying on some sort of hospital-like stretcher. His arms were restrained, which alarmed him. He tried to break free by flailing around a little. Then he remembered.

"Brynn! Brynn! Where is Brynn? Where am I? What have you done to her!?" He was almost frantic, thinking he had let something awful happen. No, he had caused this. He was the one who led her toward the light that brought them here--wherever here was. He finally slammed himself back and screamed out of frustration. He slowly turned his head to the left. Brynn was lying there just smiling at him. She was sipping something slowly from a metal cup. From the corner of his eye he watched some sort of alien-like creature walk through the room. It was humanoid, and seemed non-threatening.

"Jake," Brynn whispered, "we've been abducted by aliens!" She laughed softly. "How cool is this!"

"Way not cool, Brynn!" Jacob said loudly.

The alien smiled widely, his smile spreading across his entire face, quite literally. His pale-blue skin was smooth, and his oval eyes were as if they were made of diamonds. He had no nose to speak of, nor any ears, as far as Jacob and Brynn could tell. Then, he opened his wide mouth to speak, revealing short, jagged teeth.

"I am Rotnith of Fonsali," he removed slowly a white glove from his right hand. He extended his long, pointed fingers to shake Jacob's now-loosely restrained hand. "I am the head of Venus' Global Intelligence Corporation, and I want to be the first to greet you, our very special guests. Of course, the young lady here has already been catered to. Poor dear, she screamed so loudly she went hoarse. How is the drom treating you, my girl? Are you feeling much better?"

"Oh, it's delicious! It tastes just like iced tea, but with honey. I feel much better, thank you. You are so kind." She smiled politely.

"Yes, that is exactly what drom is, we used your clover honey from Earth to soothe your throat. We keep some on hand because these things happen often to humans when they awaken. We restrain you for your safety, but you seem to be calmed, now." Rotnith clicked with his long tongue against the roof of his mouth, and two other creatures entered the room. They looked just like him, but he was dressed in a suit with a black tie, and they were in what was probably street clothes. The one on the right approached Jacob, the one on the left went to Brynn. "These two will be your aids while you are with us. They will cater to your every need and teach you everything you need to know. They know to report to me if you are in need of anything they cannot provide. I will return later."

He turned with a slight spin and exited quietly. Both aids were dressed in long white robes with metallic silver belts sinching the waists. They gently removed the restraints from Brynn and Jacob's arms and stepped back silently. They began speaking slowly and in unison.

"We are Venusian. We will serve you Earthers and teach you our ways. You will be comfortable and happy while on Venus. We servers have no names, you may call us by clicking with your mouths. Is there anything you are needing?" Neither Brynn or Jacob said a word, so the aids just turned and left. The metal door lowered and made a latching sound, so they knew they were locked in that room. They looked at each other for what seemed like an eternity, until Brynn started to cry. Jacob stood up and rushed to sit beside her. He brushed her long hair aside and held the side of her face. He touched his forehead to hers.

"What's up, Brynn? This is terrifying, but you're not alone. Why the tears?" She leaned back and held his hand. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, wiped her tears, and then stared up at the ceiling.

"I just don't know how this happened. Why us?" Brynn screamed out of frustration. Jacob was feeling completely helpless, but did nothing. He had no idea where to begin, so he sat silently. The door opened and the two aids entered quickly. The one on the left spoke in an urgent tone.

"Is the young miss alright? Why the signs of distress?" The one on the right rushed to Brynn's side and handed her a carton of what looked like ice-cream. He fluffed her pillow and started to brush her hair. "We are almost to our destination, dear girl. You are safe. You are loved."

"Where did you learn all this about women? You're smoother than I am!" Jacob almost chuckled.

"Smoother, sir? It appears that your skin is much more smooth than ours."

"No, you're better with women. It's earth slang."

"Oh, I see. Thank you for the data, young man. We have learned through our studies with the Global Intelligence Corporation how to soothe the distress of human females, particularly of the adolescent age group." The aid's voice was almost robotic. Brynn began to smile and eat her icy treat. It wasn't quite ice-cream, it was lighter and sort of like a cross between frozen yogurt and Italian ice. She looked at the carton. "BLEDATU", it read.

"Bledatu?" she questioned.

"It is just a variant of your ice-cream, made from natural ingredients from Venus. Now sit tight, friends, we are about to land." The room began to shake, like airplane turbulence, but rougher. It got very warm, and then very cool, from the breaking of the atmosphere and then the change of atmospheric pressure and how the ship responds. Jacob clung to the back of the seat. Brynn held his arm, saying things like "Oh, poor baby, I've got you." He didn't think that was very funny. Finally, the ship landed, and Rotnith returned to their room. He motioned, and the aids pulled what looked like the draw for a shade. A window opened up, and what they saw they couldn't believe.

"Welcome to Venus, my friends. Take a moment to gather yourselves, and then I will personally show you to your living quarters." He guided them toward the window. Jacob's jaw practically hit the floor. There was an entire city out there! It looked almost exactly like an earth city, except of course the flying saucers instead of cars and the fact that all the buildings looked so metallic. All of the Venusians walking around looked the same. Some were wearing different clothes, but they noticed groups of creatures wearing matching outfits.

"Why do they all dress the same?" Brynn asked, taking in everything she saw. She thought it was beautiful.

"Well," Rotnith stopped to think for a moment. "People on Venus dress according to their job. So my colleagues and I all wear suits, all the aids wear these robes, etcetera."

He smiled nervously, as if he was hoping she would be happy with his answer.

"So, these Ven…Venusians? They're people? Like us?" Jacob was just trying to wrap his head around all of this. It seemed so illogical, which is exactly why Brynn loved it. And exactly why Jacob hated it. He pulled at his short brown hair and held in a frustrated scream. Everything he thought he knew was being torn apart. He never really believed in a higher power, but this solidified for him that there was no hope. Life was apparently meaningless. So did that mean his sister died in vain? Did she just cease to exist? Did it matter that she ever lived at all? A single tear rolled down his cheek, but he wiped it away before anyone saw.

"We Venusians are perhaps even more people than you are," Rotnith appeared to ignore Jacob's outburst, "we were created first, and then we created you." He pressed a button beside the window and it rose up, creating an opening. A ramp unfolded from the floor in front of them. "Enough about that for now, there will be plenty of time for us to discuss later. We will show you to your quarters, and then what you will call tomorrow, we will meet again. I'm sure all of this has been so very tiring for you children."

Brynn raised one eyebrow at the way he phrased "tomorrow," but thought not much of it. It was still bright as could be outside. Then she remembered--on Venus, it stays bright for a long amount of time, and then it's dark for a long amount of time. That was something she learned when she was younger, back when she loved to read. She assumed, now, that the Venusians must have a period of sleep and a period of waking. A cycle, if you will.

They followed Rotnith to a small dome-shaped structure with a door that was painted red. It looked just like a house door, although the building itself was made from a chrome-like material. Exchanging small talk with Rotnith was becoming too boring for Brynn to handle. She rushed ahead and opened the door, then turned back around and motioned with her hand for Jacob to hurry and come see. He rolled his eyes, sighed, and intentionally drug his feet. She shook her fist at him. He whistled innocently. When he got to the door, he instantly forgot how frustrated he was to be there.

The walls were a soothing soft pink with an elaborate swirling trim on the bottom. There were two hotel-style king beds with weighted blankets, one pink and one blue. The pink bed was covered in expensive looking throw pillows, the blue had four sensible looking pillows. On the far wall there was a full kitchen complete with a gas-stove, a fridge with a water and ice dispenser, and 10 feet of counter space. The cupboards were open to reveal that they were fully stocked with both nourishing food and candy. In the center of the room there was a deep pool, lined with decorative bricks in the floor. Brynn immediately walked toward the pool.

"It's either hot or cool, whichever you want. You just have to think of what you need." Brynn looked at Rotnith in disbelief, but closed her eyes, then dipped the toes of her left foot into the pool.

"It's warm!" She exclaimed. She dipped her toes again. "Now cold…" She sat on the edge and slid in. "All this needs is jets! It's the perfect temperature for a hot tub. Jacob, don't be a scaredy cat!" She grinned from ear to ear. Jacob just looked at Rotnith.

"Do we have a bathroom?" He seemed unamused, but really he was just exhausted from the recent events and had suddenly remembered after seeing the water flowing off Brynn's hair that he hasn't used the bathroom in about seven hours. Rotnith clicked with his mouth and the aids rushed in to show Jacob to the bathroom. "Oh, Brynn, you are gonna LOVE this!"

He didn't even come back around the door, so she was hesitant to follow him. His taste in decor made her nervous, all those antlers and camoflauge and the hi-viz. She found it disgusting. She dragged herself out of the pool and dripped water across the floor into the bathroom. She turned to notice the floor seemed to absorb the mess, no need for mopping, which made her smile. Her smile widened when she saw the bathroom.

His and hers sinks, each with their respective names on them. Brynn's sink had vanity lights around the mirror and was fully equipped with high-end cosmetics from Earth, and some from Venus. She could tell because they looked very exotic. Her drawerss were full of soft towels and a long, fluffy robe hung beside her sink. Jacob's sink was stocked with shaving and beard care goods, as well as a flashlight, a pocket knife, duct tape, and some batteries. He also had towels and a robe, although his were nowhere near as luxurious as Brynn's. Directly across from the sinks was an extremely large walk-in shower with jets on all sides. The glass door was frosted for modesty. Even the toilet was fancier than anything two farm kids from Northeastern Vermont had ever seen.

"Mr. Rotnith, I don't know how we could ever thank you for such a beautiful place to stay. But I have to ask, why are you doing all this?" Brynn was truly grateful, but couldn't shake the feeling that there was some sort of a catch. Something the GIC wanted from them, or something they needed to do. Perhaps maybe even something they had done on Earth to upset the Venusians enough to bring them here. She brought her still dripping brown hair over her right shoulder and began to comb it with her fingers, twisting it into a fish-tail braid, waiting for Rotnith to respond. He seemed to be preoccupied with observing the aids, who were silently cooking some sort of meal in the kitchen. He blinked and turned quickly to Brynn.

"Oh, my girl, you must forgive my manners. I, too, am very tired and must retire for the night. Your aids will see to it that you are well fed, and my assistant will return in the morning. Remember, Brynn, you are safe and you are loved. Good night, dear child." With that, he turned and walked a short distance, and then disappeared. His inclusiveness worried Brynn, but she chalked it up to a long day, trying not to be too anxious. After all, everyone she had met so far was very kind, and they certainly were very generous. She walked over to the bed and pulled out one of the drawers that were situated underneath. She found a pair of soft, dry pajamas and put them on. After this kind of a day, changing out in the open was the last thing on her mind, and no one seemed to notice.

The aids were still in the kitchen, busy but somehow completely silent. Jacob came out of the bathroom in his robe, his hair and beard were trimmed and he looked more refreshed than Brynn had ever seen him. Jacob was worried about his mother back home, but knew he wasn't missed and a part of him was already starting to like this new life. He supposed they would never have to leave, and that was more than alright with him. He flopped onto his bed and sighed contentedly, smiling up at the ceiling. "Ya know, Brynn, this is alright with me."

She sat on the edge of her bed, holding a yellow throw pillow in her lap. She studied him for a moment, turned to study the aids, then looked around the room taking all of this in. "Yeah, Jake, I guess it is." She let herself lay back, but couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right.

A few minutes later, the aids announced in unison that dinner was ready. They left two full bowls of vegerarian stir-fry on the counter and left, locking the door behind them. Brynn's back tensed at the sound of the lock, but she tried to calm her nerves. She wasn't hungry, but got up and ate anyway. It was the best stir-fry she had ever had, made with ingredients both from Venus and Earth. The ingredients from Venus were similar to those of Earth. Vegetation is vegetation, she supposed.

Jacob was already snoring, so Brynn decided to follow suit and try to sleep. It took quite some time, but she was eventually able to drift off. Although it was light outside, it was completely dark in their quarters. Neither had noticed, but it was a progressive darkness like if the sun were to set, which is what the human body needs to produce healthy amounts of the sleep hormone.

After what seemed like just a few minutes, they were jolted awake by a banging on the door. Jacob got up to answer it, while Brynn held a pillow over her face trying to block out the light. She moaned grogily when the door creaked loudly.

"I'm, sorry, miss. We will have that repaired right away. I am Flosdar, Mr. Rotnith's first assistant. I have come to assist you this morning with any questions you may have about the Global Intelligence Corporation, Venus, and why you're here. Then, I will show you around our city." Flosdar shook Jacob's hand cordially and let himself in, taking a seat on a chair at the table in the kitchen. "Why don't you children clothe yourselves and I will wait. You can clothe yourselves, correct? I admit I know not much of Earth children."

Brynn laughed politely as she opened her drawer and found a metallic-looking jegging, like something her dolls had worn. She found a black bedazzled halter top to match. It made her laugh on the inside and held it up to show Jacob.

"Is this what the cool kids on Venus are wearing these days?", he joked.

"We had the top designer in the city combine Earth and Venusian fashion to produce an entire wardrobe suitable for such special guests as yourselves. I hope it is to your liking." Flosdar stood to help Brynn tie the back of her haltar. Jacob pulled a pair of black jeans and a metallic t-shirt from his drawer and put them on. Brynn rolled her eyes.

"A whole other planet and you find a way to wear hi-viz. Annoying.", she teased. He threw a pillow at her. She threw it back twice as hard, knocking him backward a step. He stuck his tongue out and changed quickly. It seemed as though Flosdar was growing impatient, from the way he was tapping his foot and looking around the ceiling. Brynn hurried with her makeup and the three of them sat around the table, each with a cup of what Flosdar called "Trupe". Supposedly it was a Venusian version of coffee, but it already had the sweetened creamer infused and tasted more like pomegranate and dust. Still, they all sipped politely.

"So, Mr. Flosdar, you said you could tell us why we're here?" Brynn discretely choked down a too-large sip of the Trupe while waiting for an answer.

"Yes, my dear. As you know, Rotnith and myself are at the head of an agency called the Global Intelligence Corporation, or the GIC. We oversee all things on Venus, and on Earth. You see, Earth was started by Venus as a seed planet. We developed the first humans and placed them in a perfect environment. Of course, they fell short and had to be shown the error of their ways. As a result, the GIC watches Earth very closely, because we know what wickedness you humans are capable of. But you, my darling children, are here because we are rescuing you from your awful lives." He brushed Brynn's hair behind her left ear. "We wanted to give you a second chance--a chance at a better life. We knew you loved each other so deeply, your friendship bond is stronger than any other two we've seen, so we brought you here together."

Brynn blushed and looked at Jacob. Jacob pursed his lips and furrowed his brow.

"You do know we're not in love, right? I love Brynn more than anything on this planet. Well, I guess on any planet. But not in the traditional love way. In a family way." Jacob looked nervously at Brynn, who was obviously holding in a laugh.

"Jake, you're an idiot. No one could possibly think we were in love." She rolled her eyes and returned her gaze to Flosdar. "Okay, then. So I only have one more question. Is God real?"

Jacob closed his eyes, bowed his head, and took a deep breath. He looked back up at Flosdar, holding his breath, waiting for an answer. Flosdar smiled at Jacob with understanding, touched his shoulder gently, then nodded to Brynn.

"Your God is the most real thing there is. After all, who could have created all that there is? We did not create ourselves. We did not create the universe. We did develop the idea of humankind, but we are not the makers of life. Do you have any more questions?"

Jacob was relieved. There was meaning to life, and now he and Brynn could live their lives in a meaningful way, actually enjoying themselves. Feeling safe. Feeling loved. Since there were no more questions, Jacob and Brynn were ready for the grand tour of the city.

They walked out the door and noticed what they hadn't before--the sidewalks were made of gold. The buildings were glistening with what they were told was diamond dust. The people were dressed in extreme clothing, of course this city must have been wealthy. It looked like the designer fashion back in their dome. Their were creatures with multiple heads on four legs, birds with four wings, strange fish swimming in the air, all being walked on leashes by people. And the people looked different. Different colors, different features, much like the differing races of humans.

The tour ended at the GIC headquarters: the tallest, shiniest, most beautiful building in the entire city. The arch in the doorway seemed to be made of a million little diamonds. The windows appeared to be reflecting a bright sunset with reds, pinks, even greens and golds. Brynn turned around just to check, but the sun was still shining as if it were the middle of the afternoon. Jacob was feeling out of place. He was definitely more at home in a barn than a towering office building, especially one this elaborate. Still, he was amazed by the beauty of it. Really, by the beauty of the entire city. The people, the animals, every single building.

A small pinkish white furry animal ran up to them from beyond the doors. His eyes were the deepest a light grey can be, and his dog-like nose was soft and white. He looked like a stuffed bear, but ran on four paws. Brynn knelt down to play with him. She read his glittering gold collar-”Snuggs”. Jacob had never seen her so excited. She picked Snuggs up and hugged him as tight as she could without hurting him. He lapped her face with a long animated-like tongue. She buried her face in his coat. While she wasn’t looking, Rotnith and both aids had come to greet them. She looked up with tears in her eyes.

“How did you know? How is he alive?” She wiped her tears away and pet Snuggs lovingly.

“We know everything about you. I had him created just for you. He will never age, and he will always do exactly as told. He will not leave your side if you do not want him to.” Rotnith smiled softly, expressing compassion for Brynn, who was beyond overwhelmed. One aid, however, had a concerned look across its face. Brynn didn’t seem to notice. Jacob did, and was deeply troubled. He was also very confused as to what this animal was Brynn was holding and why she was crying. She brought Snuggs over to Jacob and let them get acquainted.

“Jake, this is exactly my stuffed puppy I loved. We were inseparable from birth until I started school. Even then, I slept with him every night until I was 13, when my dad decided I was getting too old and threw him away. I’ve missed him ever since. He was my only friend until you and I met.” She looked up at Jacob, smiling, tears still welling up in her eyes. “And now I have the perfect life. No one who hates me, only my two best friends.”

Jacob wrapped her in his arms so that she wouldn’t see that he was very bothered by the fact that she thought this life was perfect. He still couldn’t shake the feeling that something was up, and the continuing look on the aid’s face just confirmed his suspicion. But, Brynn was happy, and there was no reason for him to take that away right now. When Rotnith realized that Jacob and the aid had locked eyes, he decided it was time to move along with the tour.

“I am so glad you enjoy him so much. Let’s go inside. We have much to discuss, and many who would like to meet our very special guests.”

…..

Not much of anything happened inside the GIC headquarters. A bunch of Venusians were in line to shake Brynn and Jacob’s hands. Apparently, they had become big-time celebrities on Venus. Rotnith had showed them a video of people in all areas of the planet with posters of them, talking about them, even wearing Earth merchandise like t-shirts, hats, and pins with their names and faces. Neither of them cared that much. Neither of them liked very much attention. Jacob was growing more and more uneasy, and Brynn was becoming more and more excited about how much they were loved and cared for.

They were ushered back to their dome, where the aids offered to stay for the remainder of the cycle, what would be Brynn and Jacob’s “afternoon.” Brynn thought that would be nice, and that they could get to know each other. Brynn and Jacob found some swim-suits and settled into the pool, which they decided should be a hot tub today. She begged the aids to join them, which they refused at first. She was a very persistent girl. Eventually, they agreed to join them.

“Do you have names?” Jacob was developing a scheme to get to the bottom of whatever was going on here. The aids, in unison, gave contradicting answers. He raised an eyebrow. Brynn giggled. “So which is it?” One aid began to speak on his own, something that didn’t happen often.

“I am Raykeean. We are not supposed to tell our names. We have no identity. We are simply here to serve.” He turned to look at his partner, who had no expression on his face to speak of. Brynn and Jacob exchanged a look of realization.

“You’re slaves.” Brynn blurted out. She couldn’t believe it. These kind people were keeping slaves. Taking their identities, stealing their names - every bit of individuality they had - and forcing them to work their entire lives as part of a unit. Maybe the GIC wasn’t as wonderful as they seemed. But still, they had created the perfect environment for Brynn and Jacob to enjoy, and brought her childhood best friend to life. She looked over at Snuggs, who was sleeping soundly on her neatly made bed. Jacob just nodded slowly. Finally, something was starting to make sense. The aids both looked down. The more stern one finally spoke up.

“This dome is the only un-monitored location in the city, apart from the Rotnith mansion. I know, I built it to be that way. I am confident we may speak freely, and neither of you will report back to the GIC.” He paused, reading the looks on Brynn and Jacob’s faces. “I can tell that you are troubled. I will tell you the truth. You must remain calm. I will help you, but it will not be immediate. We cannot do anything about it for three more cycles, so for this cycle, we will plan.”

“What are you talking about?” Jacob cut in. He was realizing that they, too, were prisoners of the GIC. “I’m sorry. I’m calm. Please, go on.” He took a deep breath and nodded for the aid to continue.

The aid smiled understandingly. “Very well, sir. I understand why you are upset. I will start with this - my name is Swadoss. Raykeean and I are brothers. Twins, in fact. The only set of Venusian twins Rothnith ever allowed to live. When we were born, our mother made a deal with him. If he would spare us our lives, we would be raised to be his best aids. We went to live at Rotnith mansion at the age of seven, after our mother had taught us how to cook, clean, and had educated us in how to retain information quickly and accurately. She continued to work as our nanny until we reached the age of twelve. We have not seen her since.” His expression turned grim. “You do not know the evil which the GIC is capable of.”

Brynn realized she hadn’t been breathing this entire time. She gasped for air, making Jacob laugh, but then he quickly remembered that they were probably in some great danger. He took Brynn’s hand gently as the two of them waited for Swadoss to speak. He turned to Raykeean, who nodded, as if telling him it was time to tell Brynn and Jacob the big secret. He seemed very remorseful. Raykeean explained that they were trained to not feel, and especially never show, emotion. Swadoss had not expressed himself in 20 years.

“I am sorry, I feel responsible for your well-being. I agreed to see to it that you never found out, but I am not the person I was so harshly conditioned to be. Raykeean and I are kind-hearted people. I am even beginning to like you both. I have not liked a person for a very long time, especially not myself.” He shook his head, trying to stop being so emotional. He knew he needed to just spit it out. Dragging this out would only make it worse. “The GIC is holding you here to see how long a human can survive on Venus.”

Jacob squeezed Brynn’s hand. She looked at Jacob, then at Raykeean, and then back to Swadoss. Jacob felt a strange sense of relief. He finally knew why he thought something was wrong. He was confident that their new friends would help them either get back to earth, or live out the rest of their lives comfortable and happy. He was at peace with the situation. Brynn, on the other hand, was furious. She really trusted Rotnith and the GIC. She thought she was finally safe, away from abuse. But on the other hand, she never had been “good enough” to have anything good happen. She inhaled deeply through her nose, nodding her head.

“Brynn…” Before Jacob could say anything else, Brynn had run into the bathroom and slammed the door. They heard the shower running, but apart from that the three of them sat in awkward silence, staring at one another, for what seemed like an eternity. Eventually, Jacob hopped out of the pool and knocked on the bathroom door. No answer. “Brynn?” He knocked louder. Still nothing. He cracked the door open and whispered. “Brynn. Can we talk?” The shower turned off and then back on twice--that was one of their codes. If Jacob was waiting outside but Brynn wasn’t able to sneak out, she would turn her bedroom light off and on twice, and Jacob would know to leave. He shook his head and slid into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. He sat on the floor across from the shower, looking down to respect her privacy.

“Go away!” She sounded congested, like she had been crying.

“No, Brynn. No. I’m not leaving you this time. I’m not leaving you ever. We’re a team and we’re going to figure out a way to get through this. If you want to go home, we’ll fight. And we’ll do that. If you want to stay, we’ll do that. We’ll do whatever you want to do. But what I’m not doing is leaving.” He stood up and held out her robe, looking the other way. She took it and got out of the shower, collapsing into his arms. He just held her for what seemed like hours. Finally, she looked up at him, eyes red and puffy.

“Jacob, we need to get out of here. They’re trying to kill us! And we don’t know who to trust anymore.” She looked at him, fear all over her face.

“Then trust me.” He took her hand and led her back out to the main area of their dome. Jacob stood hand in hand with Brynn, and looked dead at Swadoss and Raykeean, who were in the kitchen preparing a meal. He cleared his throat to get their attention. They turned, swiftly and uniformly, and met his eyes directly. “I don’t know who to trust. But I need your word.” Swadoss began to speak, but Jacob cut him off. “And I need your help.”

……

The four of them sat on Brynn’s bed brainstorming ways to free Brynn and Jacob without costing Swadoss and Raykeean their lives. What seemed like days passed, when Jacob finally jumped up off of the bed and threw his hat in the air.

“I got it!” He grabbed Brynn tightly by the shoulders from behind. Raykeean looked at him, wide eyed, almost frightened, while Swadoss leaned forward looking entrigued. “We’re going back onto the ship.”

“Jacob…” Brynn turned her head enough to see his expression. He looked so excited, so she decided to trust him. Swadoss and Raykeean smiled and began to speak in unison.

“Yes, sir, we shall.”

“Darn right we shall!” Jacob jumped up and back onto the bed beside Brynn. “Here’s the deal. We sneak onto the ship. I remember seeing a schedule in the headquarters of when it runs, and it is going right back over Willoughby to study the depth of the lake in two circads. We’ll just jump off into the lake!” Now Brynn was getting excited. Not only because they would be able to go home, but because she might secretly gain insight on one of Vermont’s biggest mysteries-the depth of Willoughby Lake.

Swadoss’ face grew stern. “My friends, it will not be that simple. We will need to reverse time and return you to where you were taken from, lest the GIC remember and come after you again. And once you return, you must always be cautious, because they will always be after you. But, you will be home. We do not know how long you will be safe here on Venus, but if you are careful, you will be safe always on Earth.”

Raykeean looked down, then to his brother, and then to Brynn and Jacob. “It will not be that simple, indeed. However, for our friends, we will do it.” Raykeean and Swadoss exchanged solemn glances, then forced smiles. “You are our only friends, for you, we will do anything.”

“Jake, I’ll do anything for you. If this is what you want, we’re gonna do it.” Brynn was worried about what all of this entailed and what it meant for her new friends, but she was also elated that she would be able to return to Earth. Ultimately, she wanted Jacob to be happy. She was starting to picture her whole life revolving around him, although she wouldn’t admit it. She leaned her head on his shoulder and looked up to meet his face. He pushed her away jokingly and went to climb into his own bed, falling asleep within seconds.

“What...time...is it?” Brynn asked, not knowing the correct term, since Venus time and Earth time are entirely different things. Raykeean chuckled and walked across the room.

“It’s time for sleep for Earth girls.” He made her a cup of tea with honey and turned down the lights, simulating an Earth evening. The two brothers locked the door and left without making a sound. Brynn flopped back onto her bed, but wasn’t able to sleep. She spend the whole “night” tossing and turning, imagining worse case and best case scenarios of their escape. Before she knew it, the lights in the dome were simulating sunrise, and Jacob was still snoring. There was a knock on the door. Brynn got up and opened the door, rubbing her eyes and pushing her knotted hair back behind her ear. It was Rotnith.

“I have come to inform you that for a short time, your aids will be on leave. They came to me last night and requested familial leave. Of course I obliged, family and love are the most important things to us here. For the next three circads, I will leave you two to rest and roam the city at your leisure. If you are in need of anything, please come by the headquarters and ask anyone for help. Thank you, Brynn.” He half-grinned and turned, disappearing as suddenly as he appears. Brynn closed the door. Her heart sank. She went and sat on the bed beside Jacob, shaking him gently.

“Jacob?” He rolled over. “Jacob…” She shook him a little more aggressively. He blinked his eyes slowly, and then smiled sleepily at his friend. “Swadoss and Raykeean are gone. I think Rotnith did something to them!” He sat straight up.

“What happened? How do you know?”

“Rotnith was just here and said they requested familial leave. But Jake, they have no family. What are we going to do?” Jacob sighed and looked around the room for a while, contemplating the situation.

“Well, Brynn, we keep on with the plan.”

…

Brynn and Jacob spent the next two circads planning their escape and making the most of their time on Venus by relaxing in what they dubbed the “pool tub” and eating all the Venusian food in their kitchen. When the time came, they snuck out of their dome, hand in hand. It took a while, but they finally found the ship, and there was a door open. Brynn squeezed Jacob’s hand.

“Ready?” She took a deep breath.

“Ready.” He nodded, and led her forward.

They crept low to the ground, so as not to be seen. They pressed their bodies firmly against the side of the ship beside the open door, with Jacob peeking around to ensure they would not be seen. When he decided it was safe, they boarded the ship. The room they entered was the room they had been brought into when they were abducted, so Brynn knew her way around it. As soon as they had gotten onto the ship and out of sight, footsteps down the hall sounded as if they were approaching.

“Over here! It’s a closet. We can hide!” Brynn ran silently toward the closet, pulling Jacob in behind her. They hid behind a stack of metallic boxes, crouched down in the corner. The footsteps went by, so after waiting a while they decided to explore more. They would need to find some sort of control panel by a portal that they could simultaneously turn back time and jump. Peering down the long hallway, it seemed as though there were nothing but doors and doors and doors.

“Are you kidding me?!” Brynn whispered, rolling her eyes. Jacob elbowed her in the side, meaning shut up. But it was too late.

All at once, every door flew open in the hall, but the one to the room they had just come from. Jacob pulled on the handle as hard as he could, but the door wouldn’t budge. An army of Venusians flooded the hall in formation, headed right toward the two. In the lead, Swadoss and Raykeean. Brynn breathed a sigh of relief, thinking they would be saved by their friends. Jacob knew better. He grabbed her hand and began to run in the opposite direction, but soon enough they were cornered. Brynn squatted down on the floor, covering her head. Jacob tried to shield her with his body, but he was pushed out of the way. Swadoss and Raykeean picked Brynn up and silently started carrying her away by her arms. She was kicking them and screaming at the top of their lungs. The look of horror in her eyes was almost too much for Jacob to handle.

“Stop! She trusted you!” He tried to fight his way back to her, but he was surrounded.

“Let this be a lesson.” The one nearest to him warned, and they all turned and left. By this time, Brynn was nowhere to be found. He was all alone, but for Brynn, he had to keep trying. After pacing the hall exactly one hundred and seventeen times, Jacob noticed an air vent above him. The question was, how would he get up there? The hall seemed to wide to scale the walls that way, and there was no furniture to climb. He gave up, and tried to open a door, but when the door wouldn’t move, he realized what he would do.

Jacob stepped up onto the door handle and reached for the casing. Balancing both feet on the handle and with one hand on the door casing, he was able to reach and open the vent. He held on with one hand and swung his body over until he was hanging by both hands in the ceiling. Pulling himself up, he found a note scribbled in broken English. It was addressed to him.

My dear friend, forgive me.

I will not harm her, but I cannot promise everyone will be safe.

Follow this duct to the end, and on the left you will find what you need.

Thank you for being my only friend.

Unless we meet again, this is good-bye.

Signed,

Swadoss.

Holding back tears, Jacob smiled at the note. There was hope. He wasn’t willing to let himself think about anything happening to Brynn, but if something were to happen, he knew she would want him to get home safe. He was just not sure about what kind of life it would be without her. He folded up the note and put it in his pocket, and crawled down the length of the entire ship to where the duct turned right. About five feet further, there was an opening. Jacob looked around carefully to make sure no one was around before he lowered himself down.

The control panel was clearly labeled, but in Venusian. Jacob slammed his fist down hard. Fortunately, when his fist hit the panel, the screen before him lit up, and there was an option for English. He explored the options quickly, trying not to panic. Hearing voices, he barracaded the door with chairs, desks, and anything else he could find that would move.

“Focus, idiot.” He took a breath and went right back to work. Nothing seemed to make sense enough to be what he was looking for. Clicking around out of frustration, he pressed the date and time icon on the lower left hand corner of the screen. “No way.” He changed the date to the day they were abducted, and pressed ‘Select’. Beside the screen he was working on, a window popped up, prompting him to open a portal to Earth on this date and time. Jacob dropped to his knees and pulled on his short hair. This was it! But there was one piece missing-it made no sense to go back and not know where he would land. There was no option to select location, and there were no windows in the control room.

Looking for some sort of hope, Jacob re-read the letter from Swadoss. He had not thought much of the fact that the duct turned right, maybe Swadoss was just confused because he was in a hurry. Maybe he forgot. But maybe, there was something to the left of him. Jacob grabbed a chair from his baracade and threw it against the wall to the left, smashing a small hole in the wall. Very loudly, the chair fell to the ground, breaking the floor apart. Someone down the hall yelled. People were running toward the door, trying to break in. Jacob ran to the wall, finding nothing, and then brushed aside some pieces of the floor. There was a window hiding beneath the floor. On the window, there was a green button.

With no time to lose, he closed his eyes and pushed the button, bracing himself for whatever was about to happen. When nothing happened, he opened his eyes, the entire floor had disappeared. In front of him, a holographic globe was suspended in air. Not sure what to do, Jacob spun the globe and selected as close to where he thought Westmore, Vermont would be on a globe. To his surprise, it zoomed in on Vermont and he was able to select exact coordinates on a map. The map zoomed in so precicely he was able to find the little cove beneath Devil’s Rock. He selected to coordinates, and in blind faith went back to the screen asking to open the portal. Before doing anything, he felt the overwhelming urge to drop to his knees in prayer.

“God, forgive me for doubting. Forgive me for fighting. Forgive me for hating. But God, don’t make me regret loving. Don’t make me regret trusting. Bring Brynn back to me. I’m counting on you to make this okay.”

He stood up and hit the button. The glass floor below him began to glow and a tube of blue light surrounded him. He turned around to see the same army of Venusians burst in. They were set back by the fact that he had figured out how to use their technology. Turns out, Earthers aren’t so dumb after-all. Jacob winked at them, and was beamed away. It felt like he was floating, but around him there was nothing. He was pulled in every direction, but was not in pain, he assumed he was dead, until all at once he was submersed in water.

……

The next thing Jacob was aware of, he was standing in the cool waters of Willoughby Lake, in the cove beneath Devil’s Rock. There was a blinding light in front of him, and everything in him was pulling him toward it.

“Jacob, no!” Brynn’s scream pulled him back to reality. He turned around quickly, almost not believing that it was really her. He ran and picked her up, spinning her around. Tears rolled down both of their faces, mixing in with the fresh water they were standing in.

“I...I thought I’d never see you again!” He set her on a rock in the back of the cove, knowing they were safe in there. They were finally safe. He let himself relax, sitting beside her on the wet moss.

“I was so afraid. But he saved me.” She looked down at the ripples in the water.

“He...Raykeean? Swadoss? Are they…” He was almost afraid to ask.

“Dead. Both of them.” She explained how once she was alone with the twins, they explained everything. How the GIC somehow was on to their plan all along, and Rotnith forced them to join his army of murderous “researchers.” How they devised a plan using twin telepathy to take Brynn as ordered, but then save her. She explained that Swadoss had planted the note with the clue before anyone else had boarded the ship, and then cut off the heat so Jacob could travel safely to the control room. Swadoss had known that if he locked every door at once, Jacob would figure out how to escape. They knew Jacob was smart enough to save himself, but that he would have to do it alone. There was a more complex way to send someone to a fixed place in a fixed point in time, but it required extensive knowledge on the coding of the control system, which is where Raykeean came in.

He had studied for years the ins and outs of Venusian technology. They sent Brynn back to thirty seconds before Jacob would arrive, and instructed her to stand back, and be still, and to not be afraid. Her only challenge would be to stop Jacob from walking into the light, again. When the portal surrounded Brynn, Rotnith came and destroyed both Raykeean and Swadoss right in front of her. Turns out, they had known they would die all along. They did everything they had to in order to save their friends.

Brynn and Jacob still talk about Venus, and the GIC, but they are very cautious. Their children are 13 and 10 now. None of them are allowed out at night. The blinds to their windows stay closed, but they are happy. As far as the lake goes, Brynn did learn the depth. Before she was sent back to Earth, Swadoss showed her a moment from the past on a holographic screen-turns out, the legend of the ox drowning in Crystal Lake and turning up in Willoughby was true. There is no bottom to Willoughby because the two lakes are connected by an under-ground channel. They really are one lake. Brynn works for NASA from home, so she can keep an eye on little Sadie and Raymee. Jacob works from home, too, tending cattle and their garden. He sells dairy and vegetables, and warns people about the universe around them that is not always so forgiving. The people who believe him about the GIC, he calls The Rescued.