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Page 4 of The Royal’s Bumblebee (Operation Colonise #2)

Shelter

Billie

I don’t like this.

The solar-powered jeeps took us along a long bridge that was so high up it looked like a sea of mist surrounded us.

We were rushed from the jeeps and into a yellow stone building that was covered in green vines and a catacomb of holes in the walls.

I don’t like being rushed.

I wanted to look around.

I wanted to stare at the beautiful murals carved into the walls and lose myself for hours in the glittering stained glass mosaics hanging around lit braziers.

They scattered a rainbow of light on the walls and floor, and all of us.

It was beautiful.

I wanted to stare at it all, but they rushed me.

It was too much to take in too fast, so I shut my eyes shortly afterward.

I held onto Hannah’s hand in both of mine and she hummed you are my sunshine to me.

I hold on and nod to let her know I’m okay.

I want to be okay.

Hannah snaps quietly at one of the operators who chided us for falling behind.

“Ask me again, and I’ll put my foot up your ass.”

I flinch at my sister’s sharp tone.

Normally she knows to keep her voice down when I’m struggling like this, but she’s getting angry with the Allico guards.

After the shuttle, Hannah and Charlie helped me to transition into a Jeep, and that was very uncomfortable.

The leather seats were too hot.

The noise coming from the vehicles in front and behind were too loud.

The Jeep itself kept bouncing me.

I needed to be steady and I couldn't find stability anywhere.

I wanted to get out of the Jeep, but an alien jungle isn’t a safe place for me to be.

I held onto Hannah’s hand, my heart racing, and my eyes clenched shut the whole way.

When we finally stop, I want to curl up and have some time to myself, but I can’t. They won’t let me.

The Allico escorts are making demands I’m not equipped for.

They are rushing me and making it harder for me to do what they’re asking.

Why have they brought me to the palace with the others? Why haven’t we gone directly to the Delta 4 colony?

If there is some sort of welcoming ceremony, why do I have to be there? My mind is whirring as I think about what it will be like inside as I finally manage to get out of the Keep.

Both my hands fly to take hold of Hannah’s and I flinch every time the guards bark at us to hurry up.

“Mam, it’s important that you don’t—”

“Are you hard of hearing?”

Charlie’s voice booms and I flinch, holding Hannah’s hand in both of mine to my chest. She can probably feel my heart racing. “Or just stupid? Use your fucking eyes, will you? Now piss off, before I make you.”

He’s trying to defend me. I know that, but his voice is booming beside me.

“Charlie you’re being too loud.”

My rock comes to my rescue again. “He’s being protective of you bumblebee, that’s all.”

“I-I know.”

I struggle to get the words out. “I’m fine.”

I lie. I’m in hell. This is my worst nightmare. It’s hot, it’s loud, and people are rushing me towards the unknown without any thought as to how hard this is for me.

The escorts are treating me like I’m being difficult but I’m not. I want to follow the same rules as everyone else. I just…struggle sometimes. I chose to be here.

I don’t want to upset anyone or let anyone down. I’m trying so hard to take control of my environment so I can wade through it. I shut my eyes and hold tightly to my sister.

I let her escort me I want to dig my heels in and curl up small. I want quiet and I want time. I can do nearly anything if I’m given the time to do it at my pace.

But the sound of heavy footsteps and more operators insisting that we get moving made me want to stop even more. The more they rushed me, the more I wanted to shut down.

“I swear to God if you don’t take your hands off her, I’ll remove them.”

Charlie is quieter as he threatens the Allico escort this time, but even I feel a chill down my spine.

“Sir, calm down. We are guests here and the last thing we can afford is to cause a scene. We are nearly at the pairing room. Can you tell your friend to get over it and move along please?”

“Get over it?”

I purse my lips and my heart sinks. I wish I could. I wish I was able to just jump out of the Jeep, look around wide-eyed, and march towards adventure with a spring in my step.

If I wasn’t here, Hannah would be able to do just that. I wish I could ‘get over it’, but I can’t. I’m really trying, I am, but only Hannah understands how much I’m pushing myself out of my comfort zone.

I am tapping dangerously close to my limit and I’m starting to feel like the escorts want me to fail.

“You have no clue what you’re talking about. Get over it? You have no idea how hard this is for her, and you’re making it worse. If you’d have left us alone we would have been in the damn room already.”

“Designations?”

Oh no. I gulp. I think we might be in trouble. At high school the teachers used to say ‘names?’ in the same tone of voice.

Right before giving me a detention and calling my sister. I don’t want to be in trouble. I don’t want Hannah to be in trouble. If we are detained then they might take Hannah from me. She’s my rock. I need her.

“Ha—”

“I-I’m fine.”

I whimper, forcing the lie out that no one believes. We’re already so far up the stairs, there can’t be more now, right? I can’t open my eyes to check, but I estimate that we can’t be far. “N-nearly there, right?”

“Yes Billie. It’s just in front of us.”

Hannah squeezes my hand and I nod, showing I’m ready to keep moving. “For the record, I’m going to lose my shit with Alaric later over this.”

“Oh yeah. We know your boss, and Billie here is a super-asset. Bitch.”

Charlie hissed darkly and I could hear his heavy footsteps beside me. It was scary, having so many people around me.

I think if I had my eyes open I would have shut down. If any of them had touched me I would have screamed and dropped to the floor.

I nearly did all of the above anyway.

I force a smile. I want to be here. I don’t want to be in trouble. I don’t want Hannah and Charlie to be in trouble either.

One of the operators told us as we arrived at the foot of the palace that Alaric would be waiting for us in the pairing room.

He promised me a state-of-the-art computer lab and the freedom to work ungoverned. He promised me a 6 figure salary.

Hannah will never have to work three jobs, or even one. She’s worked a lifetime already, and I can finally take care of her.

I want a shower.

I want to go to my new home and start unpacking. I want to put on my snoogie and curl up in front of my new computers.

I find focusing on what I want in combination with other coping mechanisms helps me.

Hannah and Charlie are helping me by making sure no one touches me.

I’m controlling the contact I accept by holding Hannah’s hand to my chest.

I have my eyes shut so I’m controlling what light I see, or don’t. I’m controlling the pace of my walk. The only thing I’m not controlling are the sounds around me.

I hear a lot of voices once we enter the palace.

I know we’ve crossed the threshold as the air is cooler and the ground underfoot is smoother.

I can smell something sweet and spicy in the air.

Again, I want to stand still and get used to this, but we are made to keep going. I just need to get through this party and then Hannah and I will go to the Delta 4 compound. Then I can have a shower and some quiet space.

We walk for a while, Hannah softly singing to me and trying to block out the tutting and nagging of the Allico escorts.

I feel the texture beneath my foot become softer, perhaps carpet? Under normal circumstances, I would have tentatively looked around my new surroundings and taken my time to marvel at it all.

I’m so close to reaching my limit though, that I dare not.

Hissing chatter all around us echoes like we’ve entered a large room. I can hear the excited colonists in front of me in awe of wherever we’ve walked into. I wish I could look…

“Awww look at the little youngling. She smells nice enough. I’m very good with young. I have two clutches of my own.”

I turn my head toward Hannah. Someone is talking to her, and I think she thinks I’m a youngling? I’m not a child…do I look like a child to them? “Oh, but your scent…I could take her, but not you.”

“We come together, sorry.”

I exhale deeply, knowing my sister would not accept that offer. We’re not going to be parted. We’re going to get through this party and go back to the Delta 4 base. As promised. Even if we have to have an Ucfeni sponsor, Hannah and I are a pair…

“She’s so cute!”

I finch. That was loud. A woman’s voice? It was very high pitch in any regard. It’s coming from my other side. “Is she your daughter?”

“No, she’s my friend.”

Charlie answers, and I feel reassured about how close he is. Not touching, but present, and keeping others from touching me.

“What’s your friend’s name? Is she a juvenile? She’s so tinyyyyyy.”

I hunch my shoulders and try to cower down around Hannah’s hand and tug her with my step. I don’t want to be near that voice. It hurts my ears. I also wish these Ucfeni would stop thinking I’m a child.

I’m a woman. I’m just struggling right now and clinging to my sister as I walk through my own personal hell. Stimulus overload.

“No, she’s fully grown. Her name is Billie. My name is Charlie. What’s your name?”

“Thank you.”

Hannah whispers and I realise it isn’t aimed at me. I want to look to my right and see if he’s still there, but I’m more afraid of what else I’ll see, so I keep my eyes shut and keep walking forward.

“And I’m back.”

I exhale deeply when I hear Charlie chuckle by my side. “She said she didn’t like my smell and turned me down like I’d asked her out or something. Weird huh?”

“Maybe you stink?”

Hannah chuckled back at him. I sniffed to my right and he laughed at me. I was only trying to see if he smelt of anything. I sniff my shoulder, and can’t smell anything. I still want a shower though.

“Maybe I do? I mean, they were pretty adamant we weren’t allowed to freshen up much more than using a toilet before we left the discharge center. I would imagine we all smell pretty stale from being still for so long.”

“And then you went for that mad run down the amphitheatre to talk to Alaric. You must smell of sweaty human.”

Hannah snorted and I smiled. Not because I thought their teasing was funny, but my sister was happy. I like when she’s happy.

“Then my lady, allow my musk to be a repellent if and when required. I’d offer to rub up against you—”

“Don’t.”

I insisted quickly. I was serious. I didn’t want him to rub his sweat on me, but Hannah and Charlie laughed like I’d said something funny.

“I won’t I promise. Oh, hello?”

Charlie chuckled and Hannah gently resisted my hold to get me to stop walking. “Erm, hi? That’s a little close, don’t you think?”

“I am Dalahan.”

I turned my head towards the voice. It was smooth but distinctly masculine. Light and intrigued. “My cousin Ambassador Rerasha says you might like to get to know me?”

“D-did he now?”

Charlie cleared his throat nervously. “I can’t imagine why?”

“I think you know. He was right. I would find you interesting.”

The new voice chuckled. “You smell alright too. Come here and let’s talk.”

“W-wow there now hang on?!!”

Pressure.

I felt Charlie stumble back into me and I snapped my eyes open in alarm.

Colours.

Everywhere.

Moving and talking and bright all around me.

I snapped my head left and right, forward and back, and realised that I was surrounded on all sides by huge Ucfeni like the Ambassador from earlier. Eyes gleaned down at me with curiosity and confusion.

“Billie, honey, it’s okay. You’re okay. You are my sunshine—”

Hannah is trying to soothe me but I’m not listening anymore. I’m looking for a way out. There are too many people here.

Humans like me in white suits, and Aliens with gleaming eyes. Big big snakes with humanoid faces, torsos, arms, and big hands.

Spots.

Stripes.

Colours.

So many patterns and so many colours.

Moving. Confusing. Loud. “—you make me happy, when I am sad—”

I start to hyperventilate. I want to hide. I can’t hide here. It’s not safe here. I look around again for somewhere, anywhere, I can escape to. A curtain. A table. A door. Somewhere-

There.

On the other side of four more colonists chatting idly with Ucfeni on either side of us is an empty part of the room.

A massive tree seemed to be growing out of the side of the yellow stone wall. No one was using it for shelter. That’s where I would go. “Billie wait!”