Whisper in the Dark

Chapter 8

Adult Content 18+

"I am so tired!" Soraya says while rubbing her feet where she is sitting on the makeshift bed.

Ritro was able to get them accommodation in the next village from one of his friends he met on one of his exploits. The three walked another 25 miles to the next village and it was well past dark once they got there. The past two days have been filled with weird but thrilling adventures for the girls.

Soraya lays back on her bed and starts to think about everything that has happened so far. She does not want to relive what has happened in that cave and she feels trapped like she has to pretend everything is still OK, but she is not. She is breaking apart inside. Her soul feels shattered inside. That thing came and took such a brittle and sensitive part of her that she could never get back. Soraya wanted to scream, break things and just sulk till she had no more tears to cry, but she couldn't. No one can know what has happened to her. She does not want to be branded and she does not want her sister to pity her and treat her differently. She will just have to be strong and swallow the pain down like a big girl. She is stronger than that. She can do this. She turns on her side quickly as all these thoughts rush through her and look at the wall for her sister not to see the tears running down her face.

"Don't cry," she quietly whispers to herself. "Don't cry, it is not worth it."

Alexa has been talking non-stop about all their adventures without noticing that Soraya has not been listening to anything that she has been saying. She has been so consumed by the trip and everything they had been exposed to that she has become oblivious to the fact that Soraya has barely spoken to her on the trip.

"This has been the most horrible, yet the most exhilarating experience of my life." She falls back onto the bed as she says this.

"What do you think about Ritro?" The question immediately intrigues Soraya and she turns to look at her sister lying on her back on the bed.

"What do you mean? What do I think about Ritro?" She knits her eyebrows as she looks at her sister expectantly.

"I just mean, what do you think about him? I think he is a good person, especially since he has helped us so much as he already has and he does not even know us."

"Alexa, you barely know this man. You cannot make such a judgement call based on two days." Soraya immediately sat up to look at her sister in disbelief. "You like him, don't you?" She couldn't believe this. She should have known. Alexa had one boyfriend after the other on Earth. She was popular, to say the least, and people naturally liked her. To Soraya she was a slut. Men came easily and she could have anyone she set her eyes on. She did not know if Alexa saved herself or not, but she surely had a high s****l appetite. One that Soraya did not approve of. She couldn't possibly fall for a man that is 56 years old after only a few days. What is wrong with her sister? Has she eaten some kind of poisoned fruit or did Ritro poison her? The possibility is there. They had powers they did not even fully understand. What is to say that he doesn't have as well or if he isn't using some love concoction on her sister? People have done far worse things before for far less. If this is all Alexa it also wouldn't surprise her, and then her sister wants to call her the naïve one. That is just golden coming from her.

"Not necessarily."

"I am not stupid, Alexa, and I know you."

"So what if I like him? He is good-looking and he has only been kind to us. He saved us." Annoyance is evident in Alexa's voice.

"You do not know if he has ulterior motives. I am just saying be careful." Soraya rolls her eyes at Alexa. She doesn't need a raging hormonal sister at this point with everything that is going on. Who says Ritro doesn't know why they are here and who they are and what the possess and he plans on exposing them for his own gain, or worse use them.

Alexa gets up and walks out of the hut under the night sky. It is very dark outside with no stars visible due to the heavy fog. She can't believe her sister. She has never been reckless and she won't just give in to this man. She isn't stupid. Soraya literally treats her as if she is stupid when it comes to these things. She might be a bit of a loose canon when it came to men, but it did not mean she is wreckless. Not everyone is as prudent as Soraya and God forbid that she ever would be. What would be the fun in that? Their lives have been nothing except hard with no stability. The one thing she enjoyed was being able to sneak around with boys and making out. It never went further. Alexa walks to the luminous tree where she saw Ritro enter into and knocks on the tree. She isn't even sure if she is suppose to knock on this planet. She thinks a moment and realizes that the customs and manners are most likely completely different here.

Ritro calls her from inside to come in. The tree opens an opening for her to enter and she climbs through the opening to where Ritro and his friend is sitting being merry. The two has clearly been drinking.

"What are you two doing?" she is not sure what to expect or how to make small talk with them. Ritro has made it easy for them. That is not to say that everyone else will.

"Do not look so worried, Gusta here does not bite. He is just as relax as I am. Please, come sit and let me pour you a drink." Ritro quickly gets up to find one of the wooden cups to pour her a drink. He hands her a cup full of an orange coloured drink.

"What is this?" Alexa asks. Every meal and every drink on this planet has not been to her tastebuds. Weird would not describe it and Earth's food is clearly a lot better. These people lack tastebuds if they could stand the taste of some of the things they have been forced to consume over the past couple of days.

"This is a secret concoction of Gusta. What did we call it back then?"

"Gusbustion!" Both of them starts laughing hysterically at their horrible name. Alexa just looks at the two with a smile on her face.

Alexa brings the cup up to her lips and take a small sip. Surprisingly it tastes really sweet with a tangy flavour. She quickly puts it to her mouth to down the cup.

"WHOAH!" Both scream at her and Ritro grabs the cup from her. "Slowly, you want to walk out of here don't you? This drink can make you hallucinate if you are not careful. It has a potent effect. We still have some distance to go tomorrow and if you continue like that you won't be going anywhere." Alexa looks at him with wide eyes. She could not taste any alcohol in the drink and all the alcoholic drinks she has tasted before had a distinct taste to them. Not this one. It was sweet and pleasant. Better than some of the best cooldrinks she has tasted before.

"It is OK, I will take care of her," Gusta says. A blush forms on Alexa's cheeks.

"Knock it off! It is not OK." Ritro quickly interrupts.

Alexa immediately starts to feel uncomfortable in the conversation until Ritro pulls her stump close to him and away from Gusta.

"You will never learn how to behave towards the opposite sex." Both men start to laugh. It is evident they are good friends but Alexa still feels a bit uncomfortable with Gusta after his comment. Ritro tries to ease her into the conversation again and ease the tension by telling Gusta how they met and what has happened over the past couple of days. He is careful to leave out the part that Alexa and Soraya is from Earth. Alexa wonders why but does not ask him, uncertain if he is protecting them from something. She keeps quiet and let them do most of the talking with the occassional question being thrown her way every now and then. The tension eases quickly as all of them starts to loosen up as the drink starts to take its effect.

~~

Alexa has been away for quite a while making it feel safe for Soraya to let it all out and eventually cry herself to sleep. She feels so drained and exhausted after everything that has happened and she has not had any time to comprehend what has happened to her. Sleep overtakes her involuntarily. Her body has been struggling to cope and she had to keep a brave persona in front of Alexa and Ritro this whole time while travelling, even though walking these distances has taken a great toll on her.

Alexa stumbles out of the tree and falls face first into the soil. Ritro laughs so hard at her he starts crying.

"Ha ha ha ha, laugh it wasn't funny . . ." Alexa can barely put a sentence together. She feels like she is drunk like it felt like on Earth but her judgement skills are completely intact. She just do not care and feels very relaxed. Her movements are faltered and her speech is sloppy, but she does not feel like she is out of control. She can't place or understand this weird feeling. She thought it would leave her doing stupid things like when she got drunk on Earth, but no. This was completely different.

"Come let me help you and get you into bed." Ritro lifts her from the ground and carries her bridal style to the hut. Alexa stares up at his square face. She looks down to his neck and realizes he has gills and a blue tattoo mark barely showing under his shirt.

Ritro carefully lays her down on her bed and says his good nights. Before he can get up properly Alexa grabs him by the hand.

"Stay with me." He hesitates above her not making any eye contact.

"Alexa no, there is something you do not understand." Ritro looks her in the eyes and he looks conflicted.

"Then explain to me and make me understand." She places her hands around his neck to ensure he does not leave.

"That drink has more than hallucinating properties and making you feel relaxed and happy. It also intensifies the feelings that were there and makes a person more susceptible to those feelings. Basically, if you had a crush on me before it will be worst now and you will be bold enough to do something and to weak to stop it."

"I don't care. Stay with me." Alexa lifts her head and plants a soft sensual kiss on Ritro's lips.

Ritro does not pull away and rather moves himself to lay with half his body on her and begins to kiss her deeply. His hands immediately goes underneath her shirt looking for her soft supple breasts, moving her bra over her breast to gentle start kneading her breast. He suddenly stops and pulls away.