StarPyre by Jade Waltz (ebook reader 7 inch .txt) 📕

I was about to voice my concerns before something poked the center of my white mask. A gasp escaped my lips as a sharp object dug into my bindings, scratching my cheeks as it pried open the cover. I winced from the searing pain, causing the person who was freeing me to pause.

The three voices talked amongst each other. A third, lighter voice berated the others in a harsh tone.

I tried to reach for my head to finish removing the restraints from my face, but my wrists were still pinned, preventing me from raising my hands even an inch from the table. Their rescue was kind and all, but I wanted to see, and whatever they were bickering about wasn’t helping me at all. It was starting to scare me.

The bad guys in movies always argued over how they would accomplish evil plans together. Was that how villains acted in real life too? Had these foreign-sounding males been paid to abduct me? What were their plans for me?

“My parents are wealthy,” I sobbed, noticing with every gasp that the air was dry and stale, nothing like the coastal California wind that I was used to. Wherever I was, I was far from home. “They’d be willing to pay for my return . . . Just please don’t hurt me!”

A hand dug under the material that was blindfolding me, its nails too close to my eyes for comfort as it pried the remaining binds from my face. I closed my eyes in a weak attempt to protect them from the fingers digging into my cheeks.

“Ek la sluwma,” the deep voice said soothingly. The sound came from above my head; he must have been the one pulling off the white mask. “Ek la sluwma, sekhi.”

A soft fluttering noise joined the low hum that filled the room. A sense of calm fell upon me like a weighted blanket that held me down and comforted me through this stressful time. I knew deep down, the feeling didn’t make sense, but there was nothing I could do about it—any of it.

In the end, I was at these people’s mercy. However, a sliver of hope told me that by the way they were handling me, I didn’t need to fear them. The more rational part of my brain knew I shouldn’t trust them, at least until I could confirm that they weren’t the ones who had abducted me.

Suddenly, my head was jerked to the side as the binds were ripped away, tugging on my long hair. I gasped. My eyes snapped open as the hands around my wrists released their grip.

Tears continued to fall as I wiped at my face, blinking hard to clear my vision. Throbbing pain emanated from the roots of my hair as my falling tears made my raw cheeks sting.

Sitting up, I looked around, confused. I closed my eyes, then rubbed them with the palms of my hands, refusing to believe what I’d woken up to.

Three males surrounded me, dressed in attire that I wouldn’t have guessed my kidnappers would be wearing. Unless these men had also been kidnapped.

They were cosplayers like me, only with a larger costume budget. Their outfits were so intricate and lifelike that they must have been sponsored by a company or worked in the special visual effects department of a big production studio. Yet I couldn’t recall seeing another space fairy at the rave, and certainly not three.

If I had, they definitely would’ve made an impression.

I was impressed by the paint decorating their skin. Every inch of exposed skin was vividly colored, with no sign of fading or smudging. Their young, triangular faces made them look like KPOP stars—though there were stark differences as well. Their cheekbones were sharper, along with the striking point of their chins, and the tips of their ears were pointed like an elf’s.

Each male was equipped with four stained glass-like wings, which matched their coloring near the base before fading to lighter shades on the fluttering ends. Just like most of the men at the party, each was shirtless, but they wore black loincloths around their waists instead of the colored swim trunks I had seen on the partygoers.

The stunningly lifelike quality of every wing surprised me the most.They fluttered, opening and closing without pause. Only serious cosplayers would spend thousands of dollars on such machinery. The amount of work and dedication poured into these costumes was more than any average person could afford to spare.

I wondered why men like them would come to some summer music festival. It wasn’t like there had been any celebrities in attendance. Perhaps they were hired by the event’s organizers to entertain the guests.

In any other situation, I wouldn’t have minded flirting with them. They were incredibly attractive, and I have always wanted to try roleplaying.

“You guys sure know how to make an impression,” I muttered as I glanced between them, studying each man’s demeanor. Their inability to understand English—or at least make an attempt to reply thus far—concerned me. The two emerald-skinned cosplayers instantly backed away from me, looking at the sapphire-colored male behind them as if seeking his guidance.

Was he their leader? Was that why they were deferring to him?

Rubbing my arms, I tried to suppress a shiver as I took in my surroundings.

I sat on the floor of a dark metal room, with the air conditioning cranked up too cold for comfort. The only lighting came from several dimmed blue lights along the edge of each wall. A pile of neatly folded metallic fabric was tucked away in a corner.

Was this a prison?

I leaped to my feet, ignoring the three males who knelt before me, and ran to the nearest wall. Pressing my hands against the cold surface, I scrambled to find an exit, searching for cracks in the metal.

“Hey! Open up!” I yelled, banging on the wall. “I have rights! I am a US citizen!”

I shot a glance behind me to find the three males