A Past with an Alien

CHAPTER 18

IRIS

I woke up and sat up after experiencing head-related dizziness and body pain.

"Where am I?" My eyes looked around, and it took me a while to realize I was sitting in a stranger's bed.

I rubbed my face with my palm and noticed the room was different. I scratched my head and wondered, Iris, you are only dreaming.

"Good morning!"

"Good morning, sh*t," I blurted out.

I turned my head toward the doorway, and from there, I saw a one-meter-tall robot. My eyes widened, and I swallowed a lump in my throat.

The robot moved and approached me. I backed away while sitting on top of the bed. My body was springing from the soft mattress.

"Who are you?" I raised my voice. What's crazier is that I was asking a robot. "Where am I?"

And the robot answered, which made things even creepier. "Droid Butler is at your service, ma'am. Do you have any requests?"

"You are here, at my home," another voice said from the doorway.

When my eyes shifted toward it, I couldn't believe it. I rubbed my eyes to make sure that I wasn't wrong. But when I checked the person in the doorway again, it was Hector. He was standing there, both hands in his pocket. He wore a long-sleeve shirt and khakis.

The robot moved back and left us while he approached me.

"That is a robot, right?" I asked him.

"Yup, my assistant. How are you feeling right now?" My brows furrowed when he asked me about it. I knew that my head and body throbbed in pain. It was the first thing I felt when I woke up. If I'm in pain, it means there's something wrong.

I moved my eyes around the room once again. The color white was dominant. It smelled clean and modern, but it looked expensive. I saw a white leather armchair not far away from me. The closets and cabinets were all clad in dark-stained wood and well-polished. I only realized right now that I was leaning on the soft pillows surrounding the headboard.

Hector walked away from me and went to the curtain. He touched something on the side where the wall was. My jaw dropped when the curtains parted, and morning light flooded every corner of the room. I couldn't help but stare at the place with awe written all over my face. In front of me was a floor-to-ceiling window where I could see the horizon from the outside.

"It's good to know you're okay," he said. He went back and sat beside me.

My mind was confused once again. "Can you please tell me what happened?"

"Last night, the Alpha-Draconian almost got you."

"Wait!" I wrinkled my forehead. I still can't digest what happened last night. "What are you talking about?"

"They were a group of evil alien races. I don't know any reason why they abducted you."

I burst out a loud laugh that made him stop talking, followed by a sob.

"I'm only dreaming," I said, touching my temple. "I'm not crazy."

All this madness was the effect of my misery when I learned that Albert was still alive. I'm getting paranoid.

"You are not dreaming, Iris, and you are not even crazy," Hector explained. I stopped and rubbed my face once again with my palms. "Last night's events were indeed true—you were on the verge of being kidnapped, and I am an authentic alien, a Xyle-ver."