The Scar (Chapter 1)

An Unexpected Tragedy


“Waaaaaaa, aaaaaaa” Leena had just awakened at the sounds of war.
“Shush now,” her mother soothed,” there’s no need for tears.” It was all she could muster as her own tears streamed down her face.
Imaginess had been at war for seven years and now Kayla had to smuggle her two-year-old baby to earth where she would be safe.
“Keep her quiet, Kayla,” said her husband Gaylin. He sounded harsh
But Kayla heard the fear in his voice. “Waaa,” Gaylin turned around and gave his daughter a small dose of something inside of a syringe, almost immediately she stopped crying and fell asleep on her Mothers shoulder.
“Gaylin” Kayla gasped in surprise and horror.
“We can’t afford to get caught.” He pocketed the syringe and continued on toward the hanger where all the Martians kept the ships they had stolen from the people of Imaginess. They soon arrived at the hanger Gaylin peered through the slightly opened door there wasn’t a Martian in sight. What luck! “Alright let’s go but quietly.” They slipped inside the door, the hanger was filled with ships of all sizes from big motherships to tiny little two-seat-spacepods they snuck over to the smallest of the spacepods on the side was the symbol of a Wiper flower this was their family symbol and this was their spacepod
“Hey what do you think you’re doing?” A Martian warrior came around the corner. “Stop don’t you dare get in that ship.” Gaylin jumped into the ship followed close behind by his wife. He pulled out his spare key that the Martians hadn’t known he had and started the engine.
The Martian had climbed into his own warship. He began to go after Gaylin who had now lifted off the ground and was leaving the hanger. “I need backup we have another escapee headed to earth. And someone grab the Zapper we’re going to need heavy power. Remember the last time someone went to earth.”
“Copy that sending in reinforcements”.



1 year earlier
Gaylin Elopee slipped through the empty streets painlessly his pack that he carried to work everyday slung over his back. He walked as fast as he could in the cold winter air which happened to not be very fast. He passed a group of Martian aliens talking on the corner never for a minute taking their eyes off of him. He kept his eyes on the ground as he passed by them hoping more than anything that for just one day they wouldn’t stop him. But it was too much to hope for he had barely walked five steps past them when he heard a voice shout out from behind him.
“Hey you!” Gaylin froze where he was and turned ever so slowly as the Martian came up behind him. It had been nearly six years since the Martians had taken over Imaginess and Gaylin didn’t think he would ever get used to the strange alien creatures walking around his town.
The Martian caught up with him and stopped beside him “What’s in the pack?” He asked in a demanding voice.
“This is my work pack I keep the stuff that I need for work in it.”
“Anything else?”
“Just food for my family.”
“Open it up.”
Gaylin reluctantly took the pack off his shoulder and opened it up to show the alien. The alien pushed aside his uniform and fruits and vegetables as well as a loaf of bread made with polka leaves. The Martian wrinkled his nose at the foreign foods. “Don’t you people have any decent food around here to eat?”
“I’m sorry sir,” Gaylin apologized as sincerely as he could manage. “It’s not our fault if you don’t like our food.” The Martian dropped the bag then and grabbed Gaylin hard by the collar. “Let’s get one thing straight you piece of garbage: Everything is your fault.” Gaylin nodded terrified and tried to swallow but the aliens hold on his neck was so tight he could barely breathe. The Martian let him go his friends were standing back on the sidewalk chuckling quietly delighting in the victim’s misery.
The alien stared him hard in the face. “Maybe tomorrow you’ll bring me something a little more interesting.” Gaylin nodded again praying that it won’t be too much longer before he let him go. Finally the Martian let him go and kicked his bag toward Gaylin, sending fruits and vegetables in every direction as he walked back toward his friends.
Gaylin hurriedly gathered up the scattered food cramming it back into the bag not even bothering to check whether it was clean or bruised. He silently thanked Kohath that the alien hadn’t gone past the bread to where he had buried a small cake that he had gotten from his mother-in-law in exchange for gathering some firewood for her. He had been looking forward to that cake all day. He had got it as a surprise for his wife and daughter, who was turning a year that day. Gaylin hurried the rest of the way home without getting stopped again and slipped into the small one-room-house that he shared with his wife and daughter.
As he entered the room he was met by the same smell he had met everyday for the past 3 years: Vegetable soup. His daughter, Leena, hobbled over to greet him as he removed his coat and shoes and placed his bag down by the door. Then he scooped and spun her around. “Hello Beautiful! I brought something special home for you today.” Just then his wife, Kayla, came around the corner from where she had been cooking and came to greet him. “You spoil the child Lin,”
“It’s her birthday Kay, I had to do something.”
“Well what did you get her?”
“Well two things actually. One I made and one I earned.” He placed Leena down then and grabbed his pack he pulled the cake out and smiled proudly like he’d just pulled out a block of pure gold.
“Gaylin where on earth did you get that?”
“Your mother made it for me in exchange for cutting her enough firewood for the winter.”
“What else did you get?” Gaylin put down his bag then and picked up his right shoe, turned it upside down and caught the necklace that fell out.
“I hid it in my shoe so they wouldn’t confiscate it.”
“It’s beautiful darling.” She said as she placed the necklace around her daughter’s neck and kissed her on the forehead. The baby giggled and put it in her mouth like a teething toy. Gaylin smiled as his wife went back to finish the soup.

They had just barley finished dinner and were preparing to start on the cake when there was a knock on the door. Startled Kayla jumped for the door as Gaylin snatched a syringe off the counter and thrust it into Leena’s arm then took her half asleep and thrust her in the small box that had served as her bed for the last year. He shot a quick prayer to Kohath that his daughter would be protected and went to the door with his wife.
By this time the five soldiers had made their way inside and three of them were going through their cabinets and taking anything that looked halfway edible or of any value. One of the guards kicked the syringe that Gaylin had dropped and picked it up. “What’s this?” He asked skeptically.
“My medication.” Kayla stepped in quickly. “It’s the last one I have and I probably won’t last more then a couple months.”
“What’s wrong with you?” Kayla hesitated a second too long and the man grabbed her and pressed her against the wall. “I asked you a question.”
“She’s got Quaple.” Gaylin announced from behind them. “The only reason she’s hesitating is because she doesn’t want you to think she’s blaming you.” The alien looked back at her with narrow eyes. She stared at him fearfully and dropped to the floor as her let her go.
The alien walked silently over to the bed and watched as two other aliens pulled books and boxes off of the small shelf against the wall.
The alien sat down roughly on the bed it was old and gave slightly under the sudden weight. He reached down next to the bed and lifted Leena out of the box and held the sleeping baby close to his chest. “Listen you two scumbags.” He said looking up at the two suddenly horrified parents. “It’s about time you people realized that we are in control of this planet and that everything you own is ours, including your lives.” He stood up and grabbed his sword still holding the baby to him. “The sooner you realize that you owe us your very lives the easier your life will be.” He clutched the sword in his hand and gently brushed the edge of it against the child’s cheek. Blood seeped from the wound and he looked back up and the parents terrified faces. “You’re lucky we let you live let alone have a house to live in, beds to sleep in and clothes on your backs.” He dropped the child on the bed and motioned for the others to follow him as they went to find another family to terrorize.
No sooner was the door closed then Kayla ran to the side of the bed and pulled her sleeping daughter to her tears streaming down her face. Thankful that she hadn’t woken up.
Her husband brought a cloth to her and she gently wiped the blood from her face. The cut was ugly and deep and it ran the entire length of her face from her right eye to her chin. Gaylin was kneeling beside her now and pulled her to him as she wept into his shoulder. “Gaylin we have to get off this planet.”

Back to the Present
“Do you have to go today Jeff?” Tannia Cuthbert had been begging her husband to stay home all day. But apparently going into the store today was important. “You could just let Miles run the store today. I know he’s young but he’s trustworthy and he’s been working in that store almost as long as you have.”
“I know baby but I got some business things to take care of. The marketer’s coming in today and I’m going to talk to him about getting our little store some real advertising.”
Tannia sighed and grabbed the empty basket and pail off the table. “Well while you’re doing that me and Mary will milk the cows and gather the eggs. The things that really keep our store running.”
She turned to leave but Jeff stopped her. “Don’t be mad Tannia. I told you that this was coming and I promised Mary I’d spend all day with you guys on Thursday whether the transaction’s finished or not.” Then he pulled her into a quick kiss before he headed for the door.

An hour later Tannia and her 10 year old daughter Mary were gathering eggs. It was a beautiful summer day in Dubuque, Iowa and Tannia was enjoying the time with her daughter. Jeff still hadn't returned from the store yet, and she and her daughter were trying to get the rest of the chores done before he came home. Tannia gathered the last of the eggs and straightened picking up the basket she shaded her eyes against the sun and looked out into the nearby woods. “Mom I’m hungry.” Her mother quieted her. Mary was silent as listened for what ever it was that her mother was listening for “I don’t hear anything mom.”
“You’re right not even a bird.” Just then there was a strange sound like a metallic humming. Tannia set down her basket of eggs and started off toward the sound. Mary set down her basket down as well and ran after her mother.

Reporter Chris Baker entered NASA. His company had gotten a call that morning from a man who worked here who said he had discovered something of interest being that none of the other reporters had been available to cover the story he had been given the job. He had been a reporter for five years now and had always wanted to do an interview with someone from NASA. Now he finally got the chance.
He was greeted by Howard Longly, the scientist who he was too interview. He was led to the control room were Chris was shown some screens and numbers that he didn’t understand.
“What is all this?”
“We have found a very important thing.” Longly replied. “We have spotted a ship coming towards earth, and it’s not one of ours.”
Chris stared at the man confused “Then whose is it?”
“It’s an alien ship.”

Kayla and Gaylin had crash landed in a clearing in the middle of a wood. Their ship was smoking and they didn’t have the time to fix it they pushed it behind a large tree out of sight. Gaylin looked at the sky the Martians were closing in fast. They had to get out of there.

Mary entered the clearing her mother not far behind her. “Mary I told you to stay near me.” One look at her daughters face and she stopped talking. For standing in front of her was a young man and a woman holding a baby. They were standing beside a smoking ship and looked afraid. Tannia was just about to call to them to see if they needed help when suddenly a spaceship came roaring out of the sky and landed in the clearing.

Kayla placed the sleeping Leena in a bush hoping the Martians wouldn’t find her she wiped her eyes and kissed her baby on the cheek and turned as the door of the spaceship opened up. Out stepped Jaden the captain of the Martian guard.
“We don’t deal well with runaways,” he growled. He drew out what looked like a remote control. He pointed it at Gaylin in an instant Gaylin vanished. Kayla screamed and ran to the place where her husband once stood suddenly a pain shot through her entire body and she vanished into thin air.
Jaden pocketed the Zapper, laughed and turned back to enter the ship.

Tannia couldn’t believe what she had just seen. Jaden returned to his ship and left. She stared in stunned silence at the empty clearing clutching tightly to her daughters hand. “Mommy what just happened?”
‘I’m not sure honey. I’m really not sure.” The sound of Leena finally waking up interrupted her thoughts as Tannia went over to the bush and picked her up. The baby had bright red skin, white hair and a scar across her right eye and she was wrapped in the strangest cloth she had ever seen it was really soft and thin but yet it looked warm.
“The poor child left all alone. I have to do something I can’t just leave her here to die.” She looked down at her daughter who was looking at something shining from the grass. She picked it up and handed it to her mother who looked closely at it. “How strange! She turned it around and looked carefully at it. “Leena? What a strange name. It will never do on Earth. What about… Linda…Linda Cuthbert. What do you say Mary?”
“I like it. Let’s go home and show Daddy my new little baby sister.”

Kayla felt herself falling, falling. She couldn’t tell where she was. The falling sensation ended and she was stuck blind by a piercing light. Was this what death felt like? Would she finally get to meet Kohath? Where was her husband? A million more questions darted through her head in the space of an instant. She saw her husband a little ways off talking to a man who was amazingly bright, tall and the strongest man she had ever seen. She walked over to them and the man smiled at her. “Welcome daughter! I am Kohath and I have chosen you and your husband for an amazing task.”

Chris climbed back into his blue sports car and placed his head on the steering wheel and let out a sigh. He never ever wanted to have another report on NASA again it just wasn’t his cup of tea.
He had promised his wife when they had moved here and he had taken the job that he would do everything in his power to protect not only her and their three year old son Matthew but also the people that lived on Imaginess. He had a duty to his people and he would do everything he could to make sure that the people of Earth never set a knife or other scientific instruments to a single Imaginese for as long as he was alive.
He had spent the last hour trying to convince the man that aliens weren’t real and there had to be some problem with the equipment; finally he had just left telling the man to get more information before calling them.
He pulled his car out of the parking lot and went back to the office he just had no idea what he’d tell his boss. That he had chickened out? No that wouldn’t work he had to find something better.