The Circadia Chronicles: Omnibus: The Complete Colonization Sci-Fi Series by Heather Heckadon (portable ebook reader .txt) 📕

"He's hungry! Obviously." I spoke a little too loud.

The man tightened his grip on the boy and took a step toward me as he cocked his head. "We all are." He turned from me, boy still in tow, and walked away.

I stood in the street almost in tears. There was nothing I could do. What had the world come to? There was no compassion, no care. The bodyguard quickly caught up with me and shook his head. I looked around to see at least twenty tablets held up in the air by the surrounding people. Had they been videotaping me? For how long?

"We need to go." The bodyguard took off through the street.

"Wait!" I yelled after him. He got closer to hear me. I lowered my voice and said, "We can't meet up with Axel now."

"Why not? That's what we're here for!" he shouted.

I motioned for him to quiet down. "There's a good chance someone from the government knows we're here now, or they will soon, and we don't need Axel caught or corrupted. He was very careful to make sure his whereabouts stayed unknown."

He pursed his lips and frowned. "Very well. Let's head back."

"Thank you," I said.

I took in all the people and the culture as we walked down the street. The hurt, hunger, and hatred. Then my eyesight went black. There was a bag over my head.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Warm and sweaty arms wrapped around mine. The black cloth bag over my head was suffocating as the muscular arms picked me up and began to walk with me. Where were we going? Who was taking me? Why? A million questions circled in my head. I started to hyperventilate, which in turn sucked the bag to my mouth and nostrils and made it even more difficult to breathe. I screamed and flailed to no avail.

The memory of Garrett calming me before our takeoff to Circadia entered my mind. I remembered his big brown eyes searching mine and managed to self-soothe. God, I missed him. My eyes closed and silent tears fell on my cheeks. He was my reason. One of them at least. I had to keep focusing on that. I was scared to death. Where was the bodyguard?

Whoever carried me shoved me into a vehicle. I wanted to ask questions but thought better of it. The engine started, and men's voices spoke in hushed tones. I couldn't make out what they said. Desperate, I tried to get a sense of direction. We're turning left. Now right. It was useless though. After the fifth turn and no idea where I'd begun, it was a moot point. I sighed. I guess I'll find out soon enough.

Hours passed, then the vehicle slowed to a stop. More hushed voices spoke, and a door opened and closed. Another door opened closer to me, and someone grabbed my arm and yanked me out of the car. It started kind of violently until they realized I was cooperating. There was no use fighting it now. They had me.

I drew a deep breath in my dark haze and realized the air was cleaner there. Where were we? The man holding my arm led me over the curb and up a flight of stairs by telling me when to step up and when to walk. It sounded more graceful than it was because I tripped a lot and fell once. Trying to find my footing proved extremely difficult and added to my frustration. I heard a door open and felt air conditioning immediately cool my skin. The door latched behind us with a “click,” and hands guided me to sit in a comfortable chair. Someone removed the black bag from my head, and I squinted against the bright light.

Once my eyes adjusted to the intense light, I surveyed the room. The walls were a light beige with a faux texture to add the appeal of the Midwest. Large chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and vibrant plants sat atop every surface. Two men in frumpy suits stood behind me. A woman dressed to perfection faced me. She wore a black pantsuit with a feminine style. Her side-swept dark brown hair was pinned with a shimmering clip and tousled past her shoulders in large rolled curls. She caught my eye, and I didn't feel the need to keep looking around. I found what I was looking for. She was the one in charge.

"Aella, thank you so much for making the journey out here to my home on such short notice," she said sweetly. Her broad smile reached her eyes. It was believable, except for the fact that she’d kidnapped me.

I sat silent and curled my lip. What was I supposed to say?

The woman's smile retracted into a knowing grin. She let a moment of silence pass before she looked back at me. "My apologies. I should have introduced myself." She reached out to shake my hand, but I stared back at her motionless. "Okay, well anyway, I'm The Divinity’s appointed leader. Christina Gibbins. I've been anxious to meet you."

I sat back and emoted my wow factor. "Wow." I thought for a moment. "I'd be anxious to meet me too if I were you." Then I smiled back at her for the first time.

Her head jerked back, and her eyes went wide. She looked stunned. She huffed a little, then resumed her rehearsed smile. "Why's that?"

"You never know, you know? I mean, you've obviously kept a close eye on me because you knew I was back on Earth. But you must be wondering why, right?" I glared at her.

She didn't cave under my scrutiny. She kept a stone-solid facade. "No need to wonder. We know you're here to negotiate unless you have other plans."

"No, that's it." I kept the rest about possibly helping to fuel the revolution to myself for the moment.

"So let's talk," she said.

Her calm made me nervous. She must be confident she's going to get her way.

She sat lightly in the chair across from me and crossed