Princess SOS (5 page)

Today, I originally planned to do some more observation. I wanted to get a better feel for the alien’s routine and when would be the best time to slip off without being detected. But I can’t stay in this disgusting dress another day.

It’s a shame, really, I think as I pick at my hem. This pink gown of mine cost quite a large fortune. It was specifically designed and tailored for me for my birthday party. I endured months of fittings and being stabbed with pins by an overbearing team of ten designers.

Now it’s filthy rags.

I remember how I fell in love with this dress of mine when I first donned it. I felt beautiful. For the first time, I felt like an actual princess and not an object to be hidden and closely guarded.

Vrillum liked this dress. He liked how it felt when he rubbed his hands against it.

The memory makes me shudder.

I’ve already discarded my undergarments in the portable potty. There was no saving them. If I was more comfortable with myself, I could have taken the dress off during my time trapped in here, after all, who would see me besides the creepy purple alien? But the hopeful part of me kept it on, just in case a rescue party showed up. I wouldn’t have wanted to be naked to meet them.

I hit the green button on the dashboard and the wall retracts. It’s morning outside. The day is bright and for the moment, full of promise.

I look first to the strand of trees. There’s no alien there. Then I scan the ground, checking for any more offerings. Thankfully, there’s nothing.

I take a step out, then another. Nothing happens. I hear the familiar clicks and chirps of the local wildlife. My ears strain, ready to pick up the slightest disturbance.

I’ve yet to see him during the morning. Yesterday, it was what, two, three hours before he showed up? If I go now and I’m quick, I can get back before he comes back. I circle around the pod, slowly, anxiously, my eyes scanning my surroundings.

Go.
I should just go.
Which way did I find water last time?
I should probably avoid that area. I think it was to my right so I point myself to the left. I do one last, thorough sweep of the area and the area I’m planning to explore. Nothing moves, nothing twitches.

You’re wasting time. You’re already away from the door.

Realizing how vulnerable I am has all the little hairs on my body standing on end.

If he wants to get you he’s going to get you.

Father help me, I gotta get out of here before I freak myself out so much I don’t chance it. I take off running while trying not to look back.

My slippers skip over the blue-green grass until I make it to the line of trees, but I have to slow and take my time as I enter the forest. I pick my way carefully over the branches, rocks, and uneven ground. If I would have known I would be roughing it, I would have worn better shoes.

If I would have known this was going to happen, I would have never gone up in Vrillum’s ship.

The forest is quiet, eerily quiet, and the deeper I go, the cooler it gets. I actually find myself shivering. I wrap my arms around myself and sniff the air. I don’t think I’ll be able to find water with my nose this time. The forest is misty, the air thick with moisture. I’ll have to keep an ear out for moving water or hope I just stumble across it like last time.

My slippers are taking a serious beating. The ground is soft and mud clings to my soles. The deeper I go, the more my feet sink. The canopy overhead thickens. The tree branches seemingly begin to intertwine with each other. Leaves on top of leaves. It grows darker and darker. Between the lack of light and the mist, it feels entirely too creepy for my liking. I decide to turn around and make my way back the way I came.

Maybe I should have marked the way I came.

I was hoping to get lucky again, to stumble across water quickly. The chance I could get myself lost never even crossed my mind. At first, I have my own tracks to follow, my footprints left in the mud. But as I walk out, and the ground hardens, my footsteps disappear and I’m left just to guess.

If only I could have walked in a straight line, I wouldn’t need to worry, but with so many trees in the way, and so many obstacles that could trip me, I picked my way around, choosing the easiest paths. Now, I try to choose the easiest path back, but I have an uneasy feeling. Things don’t quite look the same. And after walking for some time, I realize I’m lost.

The trees should be thinning out, there should be more light, but it’s remained just as dark. I stop and try to get my bearings. I spin in a slow circle, looking for something that seems familiar. All I see is trees and more trees, mist, and more mist.

Just as I’m about to choose a new direction, the path that seems the least misty, I hear the cracking sound of a branch snapping, breaking the eerie silence.

My heart flutters. I spin around, but I don’t see anything. I don’t feel comfortable. My heart is racing a mile a minute. There're too many dark, misty spots where something could be hiding. Suddenly I feel like I’m being watched.
It’s probably the space demon.

The urge to flee is almost overwhelming. I decide to stick with my first choice and head down the least misty way. I make it about a dozen feet when I hear another branch snapping behind me.
That’s not a coincidence.

I cast a fearful glance over my shoulder, but it’s hard to look back and keep moving forward. There’s too much I have to watch out for. My toe snags on a branch and I go down on one knee. I scramble back upright and rush forward. I’ve learned my lesson.

I focus on the ground and my own feet.

Another branch snaps behind me and then another. Whatever is behind me is rushing to catch up with me.

Please let it be a bunny or something, please.
I wish I could run. I wish I knew just where the heck I was going. As I keep moving forward, the mist continues to thin. I make it another dozen feet and thankfully the thing behind me hasn’t caught up to me yet.

Rushing, I keep rushing. I see the trees thinning out in front of me. It’s hope. I surge onward. The going gets easier and easier. There're less trees around, less stuff on the ground to trip me up. Less stuff to snag my dress on.

The trees spread, yards grow between them. The mist dissipates. Everything is lit up by the morning sun. The next thing I know I actually am running. I’m running and running, my shredded gown fluttering behind me. I’m running as if I actually have a chance.

I make it, somehow I make it. I reach a clearing. There're several rocks and a small river of running water. I run up to the biggest rock and climb up on it. I whip around, expecting to finally see whatever it is that’s chasing me. There’s nothing there.

Was I just imagining it? Freaking myself out?

My eyes comb the trees, the ground, and even the sky. I could have sworn I was being chased, that something was trying to catch me. Why would it stop? Maybe it gave up awhile back?

Well, whatever it is, I conclude, it’s not the alien. I have a feeling that if it was him chasing me, he would have caught me. Or, even if he didn’t catch me, he wouldn’t just stop. Hopefully, I was just running from my own twisted imagination.

I hop off the rock and start to pace around. My heart is still racing and I have to give it time to slow. After a couple of minutes, I bend over. I start to retch. As the panic fades away, I feel the sickness. My breathing is loud and uneven. I pushed myself too hard and too fast, now I’m paying for it.

I didn’t eat breakfast before I left so all I end up getting out is a lot of spit. My stomach eventually settles. I wipe my mouth off with the back of my hand.

Okay, I found water, yay!
But now I’m seriously lost. I look up at the sun’s position in the sky and I think at least an hour has passed.  Air in the nose and out the mouth. I think I’m done getting sick.

I’ve been gone longer than I would have liked. This whole plan of mine has really gone to shit. If the alien checks on the pod, he’ll know I’m not there, what with the wall being down and all. He’ll have full access to the pod and everything in it. Or he’ll come looking for me. I don’t know which is worse.

I walk over to the water and gaze into it. It’s crystal clear, so clear I can see the muddy bottom. I bend over and dip my hand in the water. It’s not exactly cold, but it’s not exactly warm. A cool bath is better than no bath at all.

I have yet to hear another branch breaking and so far nothing has come upon me. Yet, I feel full of dread. I feel like I’ve gotten myself into quite a mess, and I’m not sure if this time I can get myself out of it.

I lower myself down to the ground, cross my legs and just sit and listen. It’s peaceful, even relaxing here. The quiet is filled only with the sounds of the water flowing and splashing against the rocks.

If only an hour has passed, there is still hope left, I reassure myself. The alien may not check on the pod for several hours. Perhaps I can still take a bath and get back. The feeling of dread eases a bit. The thought of finally rinsing the layers of yuck off my skin lifts my spirits.

I slide off my slippers. They are beyond ruined, torn and caked with a mud that will never come off. I look down to my dress. I’m not even sure it’s still a dress. It’s ripped and shredded. It’s truly rags now, hanging on only by a few expensive threads.

I set the slippers down to my left, uncross my legs, point my toes and test the water again. It’s still tepid. I would prefer it warm, but I’ll take what I can get. I let my legs go and watch as they drop down beneath the rippling surface. My reflection is there, wavering. I avoid looking at it by sliding the rest of my body in.

The water feels amazing. My feet touch the muddy bottom. I sink down until my shoulders are covered. As the water settles, I catch another glimpse of my reflection so I close my eyes and hold my breath. I sink all the way down until the water is covering my head.

I hold myself under the water until my lungs threaten to burst. Then I surface, gasping for air, only to drop back down when I’ve caught my breath. Under the water, I run my hands along my body, rubbing off the grime the best that I can. Frustratingly, the rags I’m still wearing serve only get in my way. I wish I was brave enough to remove them.

I rub my skin until it’s tender and pink. Then I scrub at my scalp, scratching and scraping, trying to get rid of the itch.
If only I had soap
, I think wistfully as I work on my hair.  Water can only do so much, it’s going to take some actual industrial strength soap, hot water, and a lot more scrubbing before I’ll ever truly feel clean again.

All the scrubbing and scratching saps up the last of my energy so I regretfully pull myself out onto the bank. I’m sopping wet and have nothing to dry off with. My rags are heavy and dripping streams. I grab up handfuls and wring them out, but it doesn’t help much. I need to dry off a bit before I set out to find my way back. The forest is cold and misty. If I don’t warm up I’ll catch my death before I ever make it back.

The big rock seems like the best place to rest and dry myself out so I climb back up on it and spread myself out. I lay back with my hands under my head.

The rock is warm beneath me. Even though it’s hard, its way more comfortable than the cold floor I’ve been sleeping on. The rock also has a direct beam of sunlight. I soak up the warmth of the sun but still I start shivering.

It’s my dress. My dress is keeping me cold. The sun just can’t penetrate it.

So far paranoia has kept me from removing my dress. My teeth start to chatter, however, and the choice is taken right out of my hands. I have to remove my dress before I shiver myself sick.

I sit up and work the rags down. The way it clings, it feels more like I’m peeling off a layer of skin. Once the rags are off, I wring the whole thing out and spread it out on the side of the rock. For now it clings to the rock. When it dries off, it will probably slip off and fall to the ground.

Fully nude now, the sun touches and warms every exposed inch of my flesh. I gather up my hair in my hands and twist it, ringing the water out just as I did with my dress. Once my hair is only damp, I lean back with a sigh of contentment on my lips. I fan my hair out on the rock, so it will dry, and try to relax as the heat sinks in.

Eventually, I start to drift off. Maybe it’s because of the nightmare or maybe it’s because I’m naked, but soon my thoughts start to drift towards the alien.

In my dreams, he wants to kiss me and call me his. In reality, I don’t know what to make of him. I must do my best not to confuse my dreams with reality. I must not let my guard drop and let him in.

Why did he bring me food and water? Why help me? I’m pretty sure none of it was poisoned. He didn’t seem to gain anything by it unless his purpose is to gain my trust so I’m less guarded around him. Shit. Maybe he did it so I’d be brave enough to try something reckless, something like this.

I’m so stupid. Stupid got me into this mess.

It’s not even the whole lost in the woods thing I’ve got going on. My stupidity is what got me marooned on this planet to begin with. I trusted my stepbrother, Vrillum. I let him convince me that I should have one last hurrah before my Father officially announced my engagement. I let him sweet talk me into believing one just hasn’t lived until they’ve been off the planet.