Choosing Theo: The Clecanian Series Book 1

direction as the forest she’d escaped from, but that didn’t mean much.
Glancing down at her blistered shoeless feet, she decided she’d have to risk it. Her fear caused the small amount of water she’d consumed to sour in her stomach.
With the bottle of sleep spray clutched in her hand, she forced herself to jog briskly down the hill to intercept the flying vehicle. As she neared, it started to travel faster. I’m not going to make it, she thought, pleading with her legs to pick up speed. Almost there.
The silver ball was moving too fast for her to reach it in time on foot. Thinking quickly, she threw her tube of sleep spray as hard as she could.
Ping! The tube hit the side of the ball as it passed, but the silver object didn’t slow. She sprinted, waving her arms above her head.
Just when she thought the ball was going to disappear over the crest of a hill, it stopped.
Jade fell to her knees and almost cried with relief when the large ball began to slowly move toward her. Cold sweat beaded her forehead, and spots danced in front of her eyes. She was going to faint again.
Please let these aliens be kind, she thought as she fell onto the ground.

Chapter 5
Jade was getting really tired of passing out and waking up in unfamiliar places. This time when her eyes cracked open, she found herself lying on a long couch.
Mentally scanning her body, she didn’t notice any sore spots. Odd. The last thing she remembered was racing after a moving silver ball. She’d been bruised, and her muscles had been strained to their limit at that time. She shouldn’t be able to move without pain, but she felt none. Why? Was she dead?
Sitting up, she examined the room more thoroughly. There was a large desk in front of a picture window across from her. The desk, combined with the couch, made the room resemble a therapist’s office. She should know. She’d been in and out of enough of them.
Through the window, glimmering silver spires could be seen stretching into the sky. Crossing to the window, she examined the spires more closely. Floating round balls, like the one she’d chased, congregated near the base of the spire, and she could see very tiny figures leaving and entering the pods.
Jade stepped back a few feet and studied the wall she’d just been pressed against. She noticed a shallow curve to the wall. I must be in one of those weird skyscrapers.
Jade felt a momentary surge of happiness and pride that her guesses had been correct. The round ball was a vehicle, and whatever was in it had taken her where she’d wanted to go.
She jumped about three feet in the air when the door to her left opened. A tall, middle-aged woman entered, sending Jade scrambling back behind the arm of the low couch.
A woman? Jade straightened, forgetting her fear. The being in front of her looked just like a human woman.
Jade crouched back down behind the arm of the couch as she studied the woman in more detail. Not exactly human. This alien was taller than most human women and was drop-dead gorgeous. She moved with a supernatural grace Jade had never seen before. A cream-colored flowing jumpsuit that accentuated her waist billowed around her legs and arms elegantly as she moved.
The woman glanced over at her as she entered the small room. “Oh good, you’re awake.” She gave Jade a brief smile, and then went to sit at the small desk.
Jade blinked, trying to force her brain to catch up. Was she having a stroke, or could this woman speak English? How was that possible?
“Can you understand me?” she asked Jade calmly.
Still crouched behind the arm of the couch, Jade nodded.
The woman had a kind face—alien, but kind. Her eyes were just slightly too big to be human, but they made her appear sweet and sympathetic. Long black hair trailed down her back, and when she tucked it behind her ear, Jade noticed the ear was pointed on both the top and bottom. “Good!” she exclaimed, exposing elongated canines. “Would you mind speaking so I can see if I understand you?”
Jade opened her mouth to speak but couldn’t for the life of her think of something to say. This was all so surreal.
“Just say ‘hello’ and tell me your name,” the woman offered helpfully.
In a croaky voice, Jade said, “Hello, my name is Jade.”
“Damn, that didn’t translate.” The woman frowned, clearly disappointed. “We hoped that because you had a translator installed in your ear that your language would be common.”
Jade’s eyes widened and she touched her ear. So that must’ve been what the lizard aliens had done. Implanted a translator. If so, it was incredible. When the woman spoke, Jade heard the words instantly. Her mouth even looked like it was forming the words.
“I can see from your expression—you didn’t know this had happened.” She said this as more of a question than a statement.
If I have a translator, why couldn’t I understand the lizard people?
“I’m going to ask you some questions and try to explain a few things if I can. I’d like you to nod for yes.” The woman nodded to illustrate. “And shake your head for no.” She shook her head.
Jade nodded briefly to show she understood. The woman seemed pleased.
“You’re on another planet.” She paused. “Did you know there was life on any planet but your own?”
Jade shook her head vigorously.
“I thought so.” She let out a sigh. “My name is Meya. We’re on a planet called Clecania in a city called Tremanta. I’m Clecanian.” Looking at her seriously, she said, “I’m very sorry for what has happened to you. Your planet is most likely considered a Class 4 planet, and taking you from there is against the law. Not just the law of this world but the law of most worlds in this section of the universe. Do you understand