The Archaeological Chronicles - The New World

Mari

In my entire 24 years of living, this has been the worst week so far. And that’s an understatement.

I’ve been kidnapped, forced onboard a ship and brought to another planet. A planet I didn’t know existed.

I’ve been hurt. Several times. Physically and mentally. Forced naked and cleaned – like he puts it – by an alien, every morning, for an entire week.

This morning is no different. I’m ushered out of bed, even though I literally tried to claw myself away from him. Stripped naked, before I even can react, and pushed into the tub.

I can’t even begin to describe how uncomfortable and degraded I feel every time he does this.

Yesterday, after he nearly broke my jaw with only two of his fingertips.

Not fingers, no, fingertips.

I had what you can call a break down. I fell trap into my own head and refused to go out. To face it.

It’s not the pain that bothers me, it’s how simple – how easy – it is for him to hurt me.

He doesn’t even have to try, to fight for it. If his fingertips can do that much harm to my body, how much pain is he able to cause with the rest of his body? If he uses his real strength?

He killed a man by just staring at him, the other day. The one that tried to choke me to death.

Ironic really, since he just did the same yesterday.

I had the greatest time of my life during this stay, so far, when he was gone. I wrote down everything I could remember from what Zuuri told me, took photos of the entire house and the scenery outside. I even managed to get a picture of Kaohl. I transferred them from my phone and on to my laptop.

For obvious security reasons, I also uploaded it to the cloud.

If my phone of laptop breaks, it will stay safe there. Now I just need to get a good photo of one of them, preferably more.

When I roamed the cupboards, I actually found some chocolate and I consumed the entire thing within seconds.

I lose my appetite when around them, but when I’m alone, oh boy, do I get hungry.

I’m pulled out of my thoughts as he descends into the water and pulls my body against his naked chest.

I should have gotten used to seeing and feeling his naked body up against mine, but I just can’t. I don’t want to think about it.

From what I’ve gathered this far, his anatomy does not differ greatly from a human male.

That scares the shit out of me.

I just wished that he had his reproductive organs on his forehead or something. And that they looked completely different from ours.

But it doesn’t.

I’m scared that it’s only a matter of time before this evolves from just cleaning to something else. A shiver runs through my body as the thought crosses my mind.

The feeling of nausea taking over all of my rational thinking. I close my eyes briefly, trying to make the nausea pass. I want to vomit.

What if he rapes me?

Another ripple goes through my body as I heave forward.

Why do I have to be so weak? Why can't I mask these feelings?

Kai’ine leaps into action. Warm hands touch my back, a tingle runs through my body.

I don’t like it when he does that. Not normal.

He turns me around quickly, taking hold of my bruised jaw. My eyes are hooded, as I struggle to stay in the present and not fall into hysterics, once again.

It’s funny how the body reacts when it feels like it’s in true danger. Another ripple runs through my body. He catches me before my head falls under water.

Emotionless eyes search my face.

‘’Are you alright?’’ he asks.

As if he really cares.

‘’Your lips are blue, Mai’yri,’’ he states as he lifts my body on top of his.

Straddling him.

That only made it worse, I think. Feeling his reproductive organs against mine.

Hell no.

My mind is lost as another heave goes through my body. Falling on his chest, I gasp for air.

His thumbs find their way on either side of my forehead. My head is so tiny compared to the size of his arms, his thumbs nearly touching.

A feeling I would describe as a tingle running through your brain – your entire brain – washes over me.

His entire eyes suddenly turn white, completely white, for only a second before they turn back to their original blue and yellow. So far, that was the scariest color he has had on his eyes.

White eyes compared to his naturally pale blue complexion was simply terrifying.

My breathing evens out, once again. The nausea leaving my body instantly, as the shivering.

I’m exhausted.

My limp body rests on his. He has lowered us deeper into the warm water, so that I’m not straddling him anymore.

Clawed fingers stroke my back. Trying to comfort. I’m so confused by his actions. I can never read him, and when I think I can, I’m wrong.

‘’There is no sexual intent in this, Mai’yri,’’ he murmurs.

I frown. How did he know what I was thinking?

‘’Our species rarely show emotion through our facial expressions or body language,’’ he explains, idly twinning a strand of my hair between his clawed forefinger.

‘’We show it through touch. When I touch my forehead against yours, I can read your feelings and you can read mine. Well, I am not sure if humans can, but either way I can feel yours. So whenever you get lost in your primal instincts I am able to pull you out by showing your brain that there is no immediate danger close by,’’

So that’s what he’s doing every time I panic. He literally pulls me out of it. How can he tell my brain that there is no danger if he’s the one causing the panic? He still makes no sense to me.

Maybe I’ll never understand their species.

‘’You keep repeating exposure therapy,’’ I murmur quietly. ‘’I don’t want it,’’ I press out as tears blur my vision.

His thumbs wipe them away.

‘’What I mean by it is simply that you need to get used to touch. It’s the way we show feelings. If you flinch away from it, people won’t understand you and you won’t understand them,’’ he explains. Almost in a gentle tone.

Almost.

‘’I don’t like it,’’

He blinks once as he looks down on me. Emotionless face. He rarely blinks too, but when he first does, they are long and slow. Like a reptile blinking in slow-motion.

‘’I know,’’ he answers after a few seconds of silence.

‘’I don’t like people either,’’ I mutter.

His chest moves slightly after that comment. When I look up, I can see a silent chuckle leave his mouth. Still, without an expression.

Who the hell laughs without smiling?

‘’Does that include both humans and daque?’’ he replies as he shifts our bodies back to our original position.

He starts with the regular morning routine and rubs shampoo into my hair.

‘’Yes,’’ I reply curtly.

‘’An introvert, I see, not many humans are,’’ he says. Sounding amused.

No words were exchanged between us after that. He did the regular morning routine, cleaned me, dried and clothed me. He braided my hair in swift movements, and I ate cheerios silently as he tapped away on his pad.

I noticed that I had a new set of golden chains intertwined with my hair.

That can’t be good.

He also dressed me in all white, as well. That couldn’t be good either. I usually get more colorful clothes when it’s just us, but whenever there is something happening, it’s white from top to toe.

It’s boring.

A golden diadem is intertwined with his braid. A thin golden chain with gemstones follows the braid all the way down to the middle of his back. Regal clothing.

Another golden chain hangs around his neck, with the same colored gemstones as the one in the braid. Blue. Deep blue. Like the ocean.

Without raising his gaze, he pushes a small box towards me.

I catch it.

‘’Wear it. Don’t take it off,’’ he states, still without meeting my gaze.

I open the box and see a thin golden ring with a deep blue gemstone in the middle. The same color as his jewelry. Smaller clear crystals adorn it in a circular pattern. Enclosing the gemstone.

I look up at him in distaste.

‘’No thanks,’’ I close the box and finish my cereal.

‘’It wasn’t a question, little Viking. It shows that you belong to me. Wear it,’’.

My eyes narrow. Anger bubbles inside me.

’’So I am a pet,’’ I snarl.

He looks up from the pad, finally meeting my gaze. Annoyed.

Even I can see that.

‘’That ring will be on your middle finger before we leave this house. It matters not to me how it gets there,’’ he warns.

Defeated, still giving him a death glare, I slip it on my right hand middle finger angrily. Imagining that I am flipping him off in the process.

***

I have my face pressed as close it can get to the glass without pressing against it. We’re on a smaller ship. Flying towards the capitol, he said. I look at the scenery. So pure, so clean.

‘’Step away from the window, Mai’yri,’’ he sighs.

I pay him no mind.

I’m pulled back by the tip of my robe. I glare at him angrily.

We land after about thirty minutes. I had my face nearly pressed against the glass once again. The building in the center – everything else was not of interest compared to that building – it was flint.

Flint glistening in the sun, with carvings and colorful patterns all over it.

Even I could see that this monument was old.

He pulls me back from the window, as we land and guides me off the ship. A hand to the small of my back.

‘’Behave,’’ he hisses in my ear as we walk closer to the building.

He kneels and mutters something in his mother tongue. A prayer, I would assume.

So they do have deities and some sort of religion.

I gently touch the carvings. It looks so much like rock art from back home. Every population has a beginning, I wonder if this was theirs?

They remind me of a merge between Hieroglyphics and rock art in Scandinavia. I have so many questions.

‘’Flint?’’ I ask as I look up at him.

He nods once.

‘’Flint doesn’t occur naturally in Norway,’’ I state as I touch it once more.

‘’I know, we planted it after the last ice age,’’ he states as he walks past me.

Expecting me to follow.

‘’What!’’ I say, in a raised voice.

He gives me a glare from the corner of his eye.

I run to catch up with him, as we enter a crystal hall. Everything was entirely made up of crystal.

It was stunning, but I was too occupied about the flint to pay it any attention. And the people who stared at us.

I take a hold of the cuff of his robe and shakes it lightly.

‘’What!’’ I repeat in a whisper.

‘’Flint never occurred naturally on earth. We planted it. Some places had more than others,’’ he explains, without sparing me a glance.

‘’That was my first trip to earth, with my father,’’ he explains further.

Realizing his mistake, he snaps his head down to meet my shocked face.

‘’That makes you-‘’ I start to yell. He hushes me as he places a hand over my mouth briefly.

‘’Yes,’’ is his only answer.

We continue walking through the crystal hall, and I can see many different rooms and directions.

‘’You should be dead!’’ I whisper-yell at him.

He looks down at me, a glint in his eyes.

‘’We age differently,’’.

No shit dude.

‘’You-‘’

I start, but are shushed once again.

We stop in front two, big, double doors made out of wood. Two males bow their heads in respect for Kai’ine. Their eyes not daring to meet mine.

‘’I have a meeting,’’ he starts. ‘’It will be boring for you. There is a garden right outside of the room. You can stay there, if you like,’’ he offers.

Hell yes.

I nod quickly.

‘’My siblings are in here and two other generals. They will want to touch you,’’ he warns.

Before I even can reply, the doors are opened, and I am pulled inside. I immediately meet Zuuri’s beaming smile, Zuki’s glare and two shocked aliens, that I assume are the generals.

They exchange words in their mother tongue. Both of them are tall, but not as tall as either of the three siblings.

The room is filled to the brim with gemstones. Dark, dirt walls with gemstones imbedded in it.

Cool.

An alien over ten thousand years. Great. This makes things a lot easier for me.

They step towards me. Curious. They place each of their hands on my shoulders and stares at me with those pitch black eyes. I stare right back at them.

This is not the time to show weakness. Especially not in front of Kai’ine and Zuki. Kai’ine has seen enough of my weaknesses.

It’s due time that he sees some of my strengths.

They utter something and Kai’ine replies before they retreat their touch.

Well, I did as I was told.

I shake the feeling of their touch on me once, and head for the double glassed doors that leads to the garden. Without sparing them another glance, I slam the doors behind me and take in the beautiful scene in front of me.

I love flowers. Not even an alien planet can take that from me. Colorful trees, flowers and berries are scattered across the entire garden. It is enclosed with glass, of course. Glass seem to be their thing.

After an hour I’m pretty bored. I refuse to go back inside. I won’t even look inside the glass. Always having my back to them.

Hostile.

I squish one of the vibrant pink berries between my thumb and forefinger. Rub the substance from it. An idea comes into mind. An idea I know Kai’ine won’t appreciate. Satisfied with it, I laugh loudly.

I squish more vibrant pink berries in my hands and drip the juice over the white trousers. The juice immediately is sucked into the material, spreading.

I paint patterns and swirls all over the trousers, until I’m satisfied with my result. I do the same with both my robe and shirt. I use more of the vibrant pink berries on the robe, to match the trousers and splatter blue berries on the shirt. It almost looks like a tie-dye when I’m finished with it.

Hell yes. This looks good.

I bathed in the sunlight. Enjoying the outdoors, and at the same time let the colorful juices on my clothes dry. I can hear the doors being opened and Kai’ine yells out for me.

‘’Let us go,’’ he announces.

When I get up, with a mischievous smile on my face, I am greeted with a pair of very surprised alien eyes. He is at loss of words as I skip towards him.

Zuuri appears in the doorway, laughing.

‘’I love it!’’ he states. I do a twirl for him.

‘’Me too! White is boring,’’.

Kai’ine has yet to say a word.

I high five Zuuri, a thing I taught him whilst telling him about Scandinavian archaeology. That seems so long ago now, but it was only a week ago.

I stop right before Kai’ine and smiles mischievously up at him. His shocked expression is long gone and is back to being emotionless.

‘’What do you think?’’ I ask.

He blinks once, slowly, as he takes a deep breath. Annoyed. Even Zuki looks impressed at my work.

The two generals looks as if they have seen a ghost. Kai’ine reaches out and brushes his thumb across my cheek, wiping away some of the color from the berries.

I didn’t know I had it smeared across my face as well. Oh, well.

‘’Let us go,’’ he repeats and pulls me with him through the glass doors.

‘’I’ll stop by tomorrow, Mai’yri! I want to hear about the Bronze Age,’’ Zuuri yells after us as he waves.

I give him a small wave back.

Zuki crosses her arms over her chest. Her emotionless face stares me down. She winks at me.

Winks at me!

I am pulled through the crystal hall and all the way onboard the pale white ship. Hurriedly. He releases the hold he has on my arm as the ship takes off and turn towards me.

‘’You ruined your clothes,’’ he states.

‘’No, I didn’t! I made them prettier,’’ I shoot back. Looking down at my masterpiece once again, satisfied.

He shakes his head once. ‘’I cannot even get mad for it,’’ he mutters.

More to himself than me, I think.

‘’Remind me not to dress you in white, ever again,’’ he says as he sits down in the chair in front of the steering panel.

‘’Old men never learn,’’ I laugh as I press my face against the window again. Looking down at the scenery.

‘’Old man?’’ he shoots back, quickly.

I giggle. ‘’If you’re as old as you claim to be, it’s no wonder why you’re so angry all the time. Probably Alzheimer’s,’’ I joke.

I’m not certain as to where this mood came from, but I’m actually having a little bit of fun. Maybe the brain forces me to see the fun part of the situation, so I won’t fall into a never-ending depression?

Who knows.

I am yanked back into Kai’ine’s arms as he tickles my sides. I erupt into laughter.

‘’I’m not sure who you’re calling old here, but it certainly isn’t me,’’ he hisses into my ear as he continues to tickle me.

I’m laughing so hard that tears stream down my face.

‘’I thought I saw a wrinkle in your forehead the other day,’’ I yelp, as he flings me across the room.

I land on a couch, gently. Well, as gently as a chuck across the room can be.

He stalks towards me, surprising me with a smile on his face. Glowing eyes.

‘’A wrinkle you say?’’ he taunts as I leap from the couch and runs to the opposite side of it so he can’t reach me.

‘’Give me another ten thousand years and then we’ll talk about wrinkles,’’ he laughs.

Laughs.

With lightning speed, he has me caged into his arms. I squeal loudly and laugh. He laughs with me. Glowing eyes. As the laughter dies down, we stare at each other for several silent seconds.

No malice, no anger.

I wriggle free and turn my back to him. Rub the spot between my eyebrows.

I can’t let my insane brain get the best of me.

I shouldn’t be joking with the enemy. Shouldn’t be having fun. I clear my throat once. I see Kai’ine return to the control center of the ship.

No words are exchanged between us for the rest of the trip. The atmosphere got awkward pretty quickly. On my part, at least.

I can never tell what he’s feeling.