Raife: An Aquadomina Novel (2 page)

As she lay there floating in the frigid water of the Atlantic Ocean,
Sophie knew she was going to die. She was surprised at the peaceful feeling she
had. Her life didn’t flash before her eyes, as was rumored to happen. She
almost wished it would have. There were some things she wouldn’t mind seeing
again. The children she had been nanny to over the years. Her childhood spent
running around the fields and streets of her hometown. She had been on the move
all the time, her younger brother Patrick her constant companion. She felt the
tears course down her cheeks at the thought of her brother. It had been during
her junior year of college when he was killed. The authorities played down the
bar fight, but she heard from some friends that it had been a set up. Her
brother had been targeted because he was in love with the sheriff’s son, and
some things were still taboo in small town USA.

Trying to clear her mind of those memories, she landed on the next worse
time of her life. Her ten-year marriage to Paul, her college sweetheart. She
had been young and reeling from her brother’s death. Paul had promised to love,
honor and cherish her and at the time, she had needed the crutch. He had wanted
her to work to put him through medical school, then she could work part time
and they could have children. She thought that was a fair compromise, so she
finished her degree and became a teacher. It all went as planned. Paul had
gotten his degree and then his dream job. Then the cracks started in their happy
façade. She had not been able to get pregnant right away and asked Paul to seek
fertility treatments with her. Her husband didn’t want medical intervention and
when she requested therapy to fix their marriage, he had declined that as well.
He didn’t want to put any more effort into their relationship. They had just
grown too far apart he argued. It didn’t have anything to do with the fact that
he had found someone else. He had stayed with her as long as he could, trying
to make it work he insisted. His second wife, who he married before the ink was
dry on their divorce, would make him look good at the club. Sophie, being on
the rounder side of healthy wouldn’t have she supposed.

If she had been in love with her husband, it might have mattered to her a
bit more. As it was, she had taken the opportunity to change careers from
teaching to being a nanny. Because of her experience and ability to act as a
qualified teacher as well, she was able to earn more as a nanny. Not only was
the money good but she got the chance to travel a lot more, which was something
she had always wanted to do.

None of that mattered now. She just floated there thinking about how
pretty the night sky looked and how calm the water seemed. She figured it was
shock setting in. She must not have long now before it would be over. Just as
she had that thought, there was a sudden warming feeling in the water around
her. Her heart rate picked up and she worried she might have a heart attack,
which in turn made her burst out laughing. Was she really going to worry about
dying of a heart attack when she was seconds away from dying of shock?

Before she could process that the water was definitely warmer, there was
an accompanying glow around her. It was so bright she had to close her eyes.
With her eyes squeezed shut, her other senses picked up. She could feel the
previously calm water start to swirl and she was moving around with it. She had
played in her uncle’s swimming pool one summer and the neighborhood children
had run in circles, around and around until there was a swirling vortex. This
is what that felt like. She swirled around in the water, with the light still
burning against her closed lids. Just as suddenly as it started, everything
stopped.

She felt searing pain shoot through her whole body and it spasmed until
she thought her limbs would break from the tension. When the pain reached a
pinnacle, her overtaxed mind did the nice thing and shut down. It was lights
out and blackness took her.

*~*~*~*

“Can you hear me?”

Sophie woke with a start. She was alive? Forcing her eyes to open she had
to wait for a second for them to focus. Then she blinked several times trying
to make her mind understand what she was seeing. When she tried to turn her
head to look around further, she found that she couldn’t move.

“Good. You are awake.” A female voice sounded to her right. “I was
beginning to worry. Please remain calm and let your mind adjust.”

Sophie took in deep breaths and tried to remain calm like the female
voice had asked, but it was hard when she was being kept immobile. “Where am I?
Am I paralyzed?” Her voice was close to breaking.

“You are in a medical unit on Aquadomina. The clean-up to your cerebrum
should be complete in a few minutes. The paralysis you are feeling is only
temporary while the computer works on you.”

Sophie struggled against the force holding her, “What are you talking
about? What are you doing to my brain?” She couldn’t help the panic that
sounded in her voice.

With a sigh, the female moved into her line of sight. She was so small,
maybe about five feet tall at most. Her face seemed a bit odd at first glance,
as if it was stretched out longer than normal. Other than that, the woman was
very pretty. Her eyes were the most striking blue color Sophie had ever seen.

“The clean-up of your cerebrum makes it so that you can adapt to life
here on Aquadomina. It won’t harm you in any way. It just makes it so that you
are more susceptible to suggestion.” The female moved her hands in front of a
floating screen and said, “It frees you for the next few suns from the doubts
you would normally suffer from. If you feel strongly about an issue, the
clean-up will not block that feeling, so don’t worry that your free will is
being taken away.”

Sophie tried harder to move, “How is that possible? What kind of dream is
this? The last thing I remember is getting shot by that stupid jerk of a guard
and thrown in the water.” She laughed a little hysterically, “If I am losing my
mind, why can’t I forget that memory?”

An angry growling noise sounded to her left and the hairs on her neck
stood on end. “Someone dared to do this thing to The Chosen. How is that—”

“Commander Raife that is enough.” The woman interrupted his tirade. “I
have released the restraining field holding you down.” The woman moved her bed
so that she was sitting up, “I think you misunderstand the clean-up. It isn’t
going to block your memories.” Holding her face to flash a light into her eyes
the female said, “It might take a few hours, but you should start to feel the
effects of the procedure. Again, let me assure you that your mind will remain
intact.”

“Why are you doing this to me?” Sophie was feeling a bit dizzy.

“You are The Chosen, which is why you need to adapt to life here on
Aquadomina. If I remember my basic science class, it works like this. The
wormhole that brought you here somehow adapts your body to live on Aquadomina.
You are immune to our disease, you are able to eat our food, breath our air,
speak and understand our language. It is your
mind
that has to be able to accept the new reality. So we “open”
you to suggestion so you are able to understand faster.”

“I don’t want to ‘understand faster’ I just want to wake up from this
crazy dream.” Sophie was really starting to feel the effects of what they had
done.

“You are awake Chosen, not dreaming as you think.” Giving her a huge
smile the female emphasized, “It is better this way. Why would you want to
dwell on an obviously violent world?” When she saw that Sophie was attempting
to move she said, “Please remain still until The Three are ready for you. I
will give you some medication to help with the effects of the memory block.”

Sophie was relieved to feel the pressure ease off her mind. She was able
to look around and was astonished at what she saw. The room was obviously a medical
exam room, but the displays she was able to see were something out of science
fiction.

“I am Medical Director Helis.” Sophie wasn’t sure why but the woman
placed her fisted hand against her chest and then bowed low. “It is with great
honor that I greet The Chosen.” Sophie wasn’t sure what was going on and didn’t
know what to say. When the doctor just stayed bowed over she started looking
around for someone to help. That is when she noticed they were not alone. There
were five strangely attired males all in the same bent over state as the
doctor.

“Look—” she started to ask but got interrupted.

“Chosen!” Three voices spoke at the same time and Sophie jumped on the
bed.

“We are The Three.” Again, the voices spoke as one. The three figures
hurried over to stand before her bed. They were all so small. Sophie was
starting to see a trend here. They all had the slightly elongated face and
long, skinny fingers as they did that same fist to chest, bowing thing. Only
one of the three moved from the bow to stand upright.

“I am One.” This female had blond hair, and stood about five feet tall
with long limbs and was wearing some type of iridescent black robe. She had a
friendly vibe to her and just like the doctor her shocking blue eyes radiated
warmth. “We are so very happy that you are finally here Chosen.” Looking
patiently at the prostrate figures of those around her, One said, “They will
stay bowed to you as long as you wish it.”

Sophie looked around shocked at the people around the room. “They don’t
have to stay bent over.” Her hands waved helplessly around the room. “Can you
tell me what is going on?” At her words, the others all stood upright again.

“The Three will explain.” Sophie jumped when they all talked together. It
was creepy and frankly getting on her nerves.

One of the females waved her hand in front of her robes, “I am Two.” Just
like One, Two radiated warmth and friendliness. She had the same long limbs,
covered in an iridescent blue robe and similar blue eyes as One.
 
Two had black hair and a creamy dark mocha
complexion. “You are The Chosen. The foretelling told of your arrival. You will
bring about peace to the Three Kingdoms.”

“Okay.” Sophie laughed, “I’m dead.”

“The Chosen is not dead.” Two reached out and roughly pinched her arm.

“Oww.” Sophie glanced at the red spot, “There has to be a mistake, I
can’t be this ‘Chosen’.” The shock of being shot was nothing compared to what
Two had said.

“That is what The Chosen would say.” The third female smiled. Just like
the others, this female was long limbed, with strange features. She had the
same blue eyes with a fair skin tone, but her hair and robes were red. “I am
Three. The foretelling was correct and you are The Chosen.”

“I am having a dream or hallucination.” Sophie closed her eyes tight.
“This will all go away when I wake up.”

“The Chosen is not dreaming or having incorrect vision.”
 
Helis spoke up and Sophie looked to see her
standing by The Three. “I have done a check on her, she is fully healthy. See
the scans.” The medical director ushered The Three to the displays that Sophie
had seen earlier.

Noticing her hands shaking Sophie tried to smooth down the blanket that
covered her then froze. She had turned forty-five this year and there were a
few things that came with age. The dark spots on her hands had increased over
the years. Sometimes it felt like there would be a new one daily. Like her
mother and grandmother before her, Sophie had accepted the spots as a fact of
the aging process. Now as she lay here she realized her hands were smooth. She
didn’t have one dark spot or wrinkle to mar the skin. Taking note of her body
there were a few other changes as well. Despite the stress of the situation,
she wasn’t feeling any pain in her joints. Nothing in her back or knees, and
both had been aching of late. What she could tell of her body the muscles were
more toned and the skin taunt. Not that she was a size two or anything, adding
an extra digit to that number would be closer to the truth. She wasn’t totally
fit, but she wasn’t overly heavy either.

Before her panicked mind could take flight, she started to look around
the room. Her eyes landed on the five males. They had stayed in the exact same
spot the entire time. Two by a doorway type arch in the wall, two by an opening
she assumed was a window but was now closed, and one closer to her bed but not
in the way. They were all looking blankly ahead. She was wondering if they were
breathing, they were standing so still. All five were tall with large builds
that she couldn’t tell was armor or just male body since they were wearing some
type of black clothing. They all had the same slightly elongated face, not a
disfiguring amount, but enough to notice.

Her eyes strayed to the man closest to her bed and her breath caught in
her throat. She felt like this one was different. He was tall, about six foot.
His hair was dark, either brown or black. There were faint highlights to make
her wonder at some red in there too. He was staring impassively ahead like the
others, but his eyes would twitch every so often. She wondered what he was
thinking. His eyes were the same blue as the females, only his had a hint of
something she couldn’t place. Trying not to stare and appear rude, she was
covertly trying to see what about his eyes was catching her interest, and then
it hit her. They had sparkly looking flecks. His eyes were catching the light
and reflecting like a prism. Before she could look at the guard further One
spoke again.

“You are perfectly healthy Chosen. The scans all show it.”

Sophie sighed, “Can I get up and walk around? It helps me to process
things better if I’m moving.”

“The Chosen can do whatever The Chosen wants to do.” The Three spoke in
unison.

“Okay then.” Sophie sighed loudly, “The Chosen is going to stand up.” She
moved the blanket aside and was happy to see she was wearing some kind of
pajama pants for bottoms and wrapping t-shirt style top. Sliding off the
medical bed she slowly stood up, making sure her legs could take her weight
before standing taller. She felt extremely fit. Walking around the side of her
bed she asked The Three, not really caring which one answered.