Love Lost in Space

Chapter 1

A/N: If you'd like to read this version, consider it a rough outline for my rewrite 😬☺️🥰 Happy Reading 📖

"M- mom I d-don't want to leave you..." tears edged to the rims of my eyes, slipping down my cheeks.

"Embry you must, the guards will come if you refuse, I'll be fine..." with a small humorless laugh she joked, "When did you put so little trust in me."

Gripping her frail arms withered with age, I fall apart slightly; treating her as if she were a fine porcelain doll. Mom pets my thick blonde hair as I curse myself for having the natural color with a tint of red, my green eyes that I took after Grandma set off the key look.

Beauty was not something I prize, especially when all I need is to blend in during the line-up. "Chin up darling, nothing will happen. There are going to be hundreds of girls in the line-up. I've heard that sometimes they find their candidates early and don't even get to all the lines."

Nodding I suck in a deep breath, sitting up on my mom's bed in the mandatory dress each woman had to wear. I try to calm my ragged breaths.

Jumping as a loud knock, punctuated through the silence, announces the guards escorting me to the plaza, I give my mom one last hug while she wipes away the last of my tears, before I stand and move out the room.

Walking towards the door my heart shudders in fear, before I grab the handle and hastily open the door. The male guard looks shocked at my abrupt exit from my house, waving an arm out in front of me in the silent gesture of lead-the-way.

I cradle my arms around myself not appreciating the once over the man took as I stood there. Nodding he turns before looking back at me, slowing slightly to walk beside me.

His speech starts up, basically stating what we had all been prepared for. "Starting from the time we enter the gates, I will escort you to the line of your particular age grouping and furthermore, your health and athletic status."

Taking out a small slip of paper he reads to me the test I took three months ago, the one I had been unaware would be used for the line-up. "Embry Evheart, age eighteen, proper health with no family disease diagnoses, and the athletic status of ten out of a total score of twelve." Placing the paper back into its placement in the scrolls, he recites from memory the rest of the rules.

No stepping out of line, speak when spoken to, blah blah, as long as I wasn't chosen I would follow most of the rules. Many other women accompanied by a guard filtered in through the large set of gates, erected around the wide plain.

Silently placing each bare foot in front of the other, I'm evenly paced with the guard as we pass through the small opening of the gate. Breath hitching I'm appalled as we begin to move to the right side of the line-up then begin to move upwards towards the front of the lines. The first to be scanned.

All will be okay, all will be okay. Chanting silently to myself my gaze darts nervously from side to side, before I notice the guard's narrowed eyes speculating my slowing pace.

Hurriedly picking up my feet, the guard stops after the short walk past many girls already in the line-up. Eyes wide I take in the two rows ahead of the one I'm chosen to stand in.

The twelve girls look at me with impatient expressions, I'm the last to find a place. As the guard's gloved hand pushes me none to gently forward, I'm forced to take the few steps to my spot in the middle. The blonde on my left, looks down at me before straightening up to seem taller. The Excloris were freakishly tall and I was... well, slightly shorter than most.

Hopefully they were looking for the taller girls who could best fit their kind. Bending my knees and dipping my head low, my hair concealed most of my face.

Breaking a rule before the Excloris even began the choosing; no covering said person's face, body, any physical ailments, and so on. Suddenly the first ring of a bell sounded and realization dawned that the choosing had begun. And the first girl had been chosen.

Discreetly peeking through my thick curtain of eyelashes, my soft gasp fills the space around me reaching the ears of the other girls beside me. There was nearly ten men looking through the lines, meaning twenty women had to go.

A precaution so the Excloris had the best of the best to pick for as Excloris wives. The only difference this time was the amount of men attending the choosing. Nearly six more than usual. The blonde girl next to me seemed to stretch up even farther, my warning that an Excloris had begun to browse through our line.

Shuffling ever so slightly behind the rest, my discretion went to waste at the amount of attention the blonde oozed from her every pore. Fear clenched my heart. The Excloris took notice and a sob launched in my throat as he stopped. Right. In front. Of me. The sight of his hand reaching towards my face, caused me to jerk back. My thick tangles of hair flipping over my head.

Looking up worriedly at the attention I brought to myself, my gaze meets his violet eyes contrasting greatly with his black hair. His dominating presence, was added to greatly as he towered over a foot, maybe even more, above me. Blondie met his height just barely, glancing over to her she snarled at me causing pure sadness to bloom in my chest.

Frowning up at her I wished I could tell her that I didn't want this. The Excloris frowned along with me before reaching out again placing the slip of paper over my clothing. I look up at him in horror. But he had already walked away, moving down the rest of the aisle. The reality of his choice set in and I looked around widely hoping the floor would swallow me up, and I wouldn't have to face this reality. The reality that I have been chosen.