Chapter 1 #2
Eveline's chestnut hair was tangled and dirty.
The metal collar dug into her neck, causing the skin to break and bleed.
Though her neck was slim, the collar was still too tight.
She had been wearing the same one for many years.
Dirt and sweat burned the open wounds, but there was no one to care.
Eveline could no longer remember what it felt like to have someone who loved her.
She had been a slave since she was ten. From the markings on her cell wall, she knew that to be ten years ago.
She dug a new line into the wall each night when she was finally allowed to rest, using the chain attached to her collar.
Eveline went unnoticed, as usual, sitting in the dank corner of the dining hall.
She sat among the growling creatures the Savra thought of as pets, much like the dogs of Earth.
She fought for scraps that were tossed from the crude wooden tables as the Savra ripped into their food.
There were scars on her hands and wrists from the vicious bites of the creatures she competed with for food.
She had learned to growl and lash out with the worst of them, obtaining bits and pieces to stay alive.
She would rather remain in the corner, unnoticed, than be called to serve the reptilian Savra.
Too many times their attention had meant beatings or horrifying experiments.
After a decade of enslavement, Eveline was proficient in understanding the Savra's guttural language, though her skill was not always necessary.
The Savra could speak several of Earth's languages, including English.
Their young went unnoticed all over Earth.
They appeared as lizards and escaped detection while listening and gathering information.
That was how Eveline had been captured. She was simply in the wrong place at the wrong moment.
A group of the Savra spies had begun to grow too large and humanoid to remain undetected.
They were being secretly extracted and replaced by a new set of young.
Eveline had wandered into the desert to play with the tiny lizards, and she was witness to the Savra warrior's landing.
When the Savra left Earth, they took the human child with them.
They couldn't risk her repeating what she had seen and someone believing her wild tales.
At first, Eveline had sobbed day and night, pleading for them to return her to her family.
She soon discovered that the Savra despised such weakness and punished her for it.
She toughened up and fought them, causing them to put her in shackles.
She remained in chains all these years, suffering the disgusting treatment they dealt out.
Her saving grace was the dreams they couldn't take away.
Her memories of Earth came alive in her dreams, and she treasured the few hours she was allowed to sleep.
Someday, she would be saved by a knight in shining armor, just like the stories from her childhood.
Heavy footsteps took her from her reverie.
A voice growled, "Get up, human. I have need of your services.
" A heavy, scale-covered hand wrapped around her chain and Eveline was dragged across the room.
The metal collar dug deeper, and blood ran down her neck onto her shoulder.
She kicked, as the Savra's pets came to lap at the blood.
Her captor laughed, making her shudder. He and others had threatened many times to make her a snack for the creatures.
Eveline didn't doubt that it would happen.
Someday, her usefulness would end, and the Savra would delight in watching her die.
The Savra warrior twisted the chain around his arm, pulling her closer.
His hot breath made her gag as he said, "Clean the table and the floor.
Make them shine, but do not try to eat any of the food or I will cut out your tongue.
You have no need to speak, and I have no desire to hear you.
I may do it anyway, as an experiment. We could test your ability to communicate without a voice. It is a good thought, is it not?"
His compatriots cheered. Evidently, they considered it to be a great idea.
Tears ran unheeded down Eveline's cheeks, but she made no sound.
Begging or showing any kind of fear would only goad them to follow through with the threat instantly.
If she made it through until nightfall, they would forget.
Tomorrow would bring a new set of hideous threats that she would need to survive.
As she cleaned, the Savra began discussing their animosity for another species.
They laughed and joked over their taunting of the enemy planet.
It seemed they had been bombarding the world with bombs and gunfire to harass the inhabitants.
They spoke of using nuclear weapons to destroy the entire planet.
The weapons they spoke of were familiar to Eveline.
They were Earth's weapons of the past. Humans had almost been eliminated as a species because of these weapons.
The planet had barely survived destruction.
The Savra didn't understand that the use of these weapons could damage their own atmosphere along with their enemies.
Everyone on both planets would die, including Eveline.
She prayed for intervention of some kind.