My heart rate spiked. I had no idea if I could do what he was asking me. But I was desperate to return home. I didn’t need to find proof of anything. I just needed to take advantage of the right opportunity to escape the first chance I got.
S’lec-Quos cocked his head to one side. It looked so human I was taken by surprise.
“Very well,” he said. “Do this, and you shall win your freedom.”
“What about my friends?” I said.
“What about them?”
“If I do this mission, I want them to go home with me.”
S’lec-Quos’s mandibles made an irritated chitter noise.
“This mission is for you, not your friends,” he said, turning back to his throne. “Enough. I have spoken.”
Not George Clooney shook his head to prevent me from angering the beast. But how could I not try to rescue my friends?
He fumbled in his pocket for the deneuralizer device.
“Then I refuse the mission,” I said hastily.
Not George Clooney shut his eyes in desperation. He was too slow with the deneuralizer.
S’lec-Quos paused and turned back to face me.
My heart was in my throat. Had I gone too far?
The creature did not descend on me, did not pummel me into oblivion. Instead, it just stared at me with those coal-black eyes.
“You will carry out the mission,” he said coldly. “You have twenty-four hours. You will discover the lord’s allegiance. If you succeed… Fine. You and your friends shall return to your backwater planet. But if you fail, both you and all your friends shall die.”
My eyes bulged.
“That’s not what I meant—” I said.
“Remove her from me,” S’lec-Quos said, falling back upon his throne of skulls. “I have grown bored with her.”
“You can’t do this!” I screamed. “You can’t do this!”
A flash of white and Not George Clooney’s device turned my body floppy once more. He wheeled me out of the room and back into the hall.
Outside I might be dead to the world, inside, I screamed bloody murder—
A knock came at the palace suite door. The Changeling—Not George Clooney—stood over me, neutralizer primed to fire.
“Were you expecting somebody?” he said.
I shook my head, terrified of what he might do.
The knock came again.
Not George Clooney tucked the device away.
“Answer it,” he said. “If you try anything, it will not end well for you or your visitor.”
I got up, smoothed down my dress, and rearranged my hair in a mirror. My throat was parched. I moved for the door.
If I threw it open and ran, would the creature catch me? Perhaps not here but he would. One day.
I checked over my shoulder. The Changeling was gone, hiding in one of the many dark recesses.
I eased the door open and was surprised to find Kal standing on the other side.
“Kal,” I said. “Is something wrong?”
If there’s not, I’ve got plenty to share around.
All thought of the kiss we almost shred had flown out the window. Right then, I could only think of one thing.
I had to convince him to share his political allegiance with me. Get him to reveal his deepest, darkest secrets.
But how did you do that with someone you hardly knew? It was hard enough with a close and dear friend.
“I have something I wanted to ask you,” Kal said.
To join the rebel fight? To help you with lying to the Changelings? Give me a hint, something to take back to the aliens! Please!
He was staring at me. Had I been silent for too long?
I opened the door.
“Would you like to come in?” I said.
Please do. I don’t want to be alone in here with that creature.
He hesitated but stepped inside. I shut the door behind him and led him into the room. He paused when he saw the bedsheets lying on the floor. He turned to me questioningly.
“Humans… prefer sleeping on the floor,” I said by way of explanation.
Kal made a soft “Huh” noise.
“That’s how Titans traditionally sleep too,” he said.
“That is interesting,” I said as if I really did think it was the most fascinating thing I’d ever heard.
I peered around the room in an attempt to locate Not George Clooney but he was nowhere to be seen. Could those creatures mimic stationary objects too?
“Are you okay?” Kal said. “You seem a little… tense.”
“Do I?” I said. “No. Of course not. I’m fine. I’m just… tired. That’s all.”
“Okay. Well, good. Listen, I was wondering if you might like to accompany me tomorrow,” he said. “I’m from a small town and we could do with some new music. I would love it if you could teach us some of your traditional Earth songs.”
Anything sounded better than what the Changelings had in store for me.
But an invitation to his home? It was something… but it wasn’t proof of where his loyalties lay. The Changelings weren’t going to be happy about this.
“I would love to join you,” I said.
Take me away. Now!
A grin spread across his handsome face.
“That’s wonderful news,” he said. “I’ll speak to your… handler. I’m sure I can get him to let me have you for a few days.”
“That sounds great,” I said. “But hey. Why don’t I teach you some songs tonight?”
“Tonight? I don’t know. It’s pretty late.”
“It’s not that late,” I said. “I can order some wine and we can exchange cultural information.”
Like, who would you prefer to rule over you? Just picking a question at random here.
“I should go,” he said. “It’s a long journey tomorrow. Don’t worry about me. I can show myself out.”
He headed for the door.
I needed to sing a song. If I started, maybe he would stop and stay. But try as I might, not a single song would come to mind.
He gave me a smile and shut the door behind himself.
My one chance to get him to admit his political bias and I’d blown it.
“Love Me Tender!” I shouted, a lyric finally finding my tongue…
But I was too late. He’d already left and I no longer had an audience.
Except that wasn’t true. There was one creature
