I settled under a tree and several Earth girls wandered over. They wanted to know what I'd done to make my owner so easy going.

“I had his child," I said as the tears ran down my face.

That comment cut the questions off and the crowd wandered off quickly. Rose and Fuji stayed and I looked tearfully at them.

"Go," I said, “unless you want to watch me breakdown again. I'm a mess and it won't get any better."

They didn't leave. Rose and Fuji were loyal friends. In addition, they were curious. Something had obviously happened at lunch.

I told them everything. They sat in stunned questioning silence.

“How many children do they want from you?" Rose clarified with disbelief.

“I knew women with many children, but twenty-four? It seems..."

“Surreal?” I Laughed in a high falsetto.

“Surreal Like being kidnapped and sold to aliens? What else will seem surreal before I die? How long will I last if they breed me Like that?"

I paused and really considered giving birth twenty-four times. My eyes stared blankly ahead as I remembered the pain of Hannah's birth. What if the babies were too big or positioned wrong? Would I get a C-section if I needed one or would I die in delivery on Nu-reeh's warm stone?

"I should just kill myself now and get it over with,” I mused loudly looking out over the ocean.

I was lifted suddenly. The Keeper was carrying me away from the beach and my friends. I struggled and he just restrained me. He took me to the punishment room. My arms were bound to the wall and so were my feet. The blank divider Lifted in front of my face.

"Slaves are not allow to harm themselves," he informed me before the door closed.

Just great, I thought. How much of my rant had he heard? Hopefully, he didn't understand if he did hear it.

Damien was going to be angry. He would never understand I didn't mean that literally. Christof might believe me, but if they'd had a bad enough day, he wouldn't listen. I lay my head against the wall and relaxed.

High screaming voices surprised me. When I heard Fuji and Rose yelling at each other, I felt shocked. The Keeper's voice told them slaves couldn't fight and I heard two dividers rise. The door closed and all was silent for a moment.

Rose? Fuji?" I called hesitantly.

"Shh," I heard Rose say.

A sharp tip swung around my divider and then flipped back out. It had looked like Fuji's strange tail, which I'd only seen the once.

“We're alone, just the three of us," Fuji said happily a moment Later.

Evidently, Fuji's tail could extend three times the Length of her body. Besides being a sharp weapon, it had great sensing abilities and she had used it to check the room.