7/4/3028

“I know you!” I said to the girl.

Stanjah scoffed. “You couldn’t possibly remember her.”

“I know her—I swear I do.” I held the girl’s hands and she clasped mine with just as much enthusiasm. “What’ve you done to her forehead?”

“We haven’t done anything to her. She was created that way,” said Stanjah.

“What do you mean?” I asked, shaking my head.

“She. Is. Not. Human.”

The girl dropped her hands to her side and looked down at the floor. Her shoulders slumped forward.

“Do you know me?” I asked the girl.

“Yes, I do,” she said after another sniffle.

“Do you remember this girl, Ellis?” Ilta asked skeptically. “What memories do you have of her?”

“It’s not exactly a memory… It was more like a vision.”

“A vision?”

“I saw her face in the window of Martin’s car. She was younger in the vision though.”

“It’s been six years since your disappearance,” Keiran noted.

The girl clasped her hands tightly, holding it to her chest with hopeful delight.

“What’s your name?” I asked her.

“Elossai.”

“Elossai? My name is Ellis. Isn’t that funny that we both have such similar sounding names?” I was all smiles, but hers faded as soon as I pointed out the similarities. “What’s wrong?”

“The name Ellis may have come to you from a residual memory, or you may have just got it jumbled up with some other names,” Stanjah said. “Even you just pointed out the similarities. We can only verify who you really are after proper testing. For now, you can be Ellis.”

“Great.” I sighed. “Any idea how I came up with the middle and last name, Ann and Moore?”

“I cannot. Then again, neither can you, Ellis.”

I’ve only just met Stanjah and I can tell that we aren’t going to get along.

“Are you hungry?” Elossai tilted her head sideways.

“I am a little,” I said. More than a little.

Elossai picked up the tray by the table and brought it over to me. I reached over to take the tray from her, but it slipped out of her hands and crashed to the floor with a loud clang. The porcelain plate shattered. All the fruit was strewn on the floor, spoiled.

“I am so sorry!” Elossai cried.

“Elos! What have you done?” Stanjah scolded.

I bent down to help Elossai pick up the assorted fruit. “It’s fine, really.”

“No—please, Anmyn. Allow me.” Elossai held my hand firmly, stopping me from helping.

“Permit the Elos to clean it by herself,” Stanjah said. “This is the only way she will learn.”

“It’s not a big deal,” I said.

“I apologize for my error, Sorceress. Forgive me,” Elossai said, bowing her head penitently.

“Next time, try not to be so clumsy. Go fetch Ellis a new plate of fruit,” Stanjah barked.

“Yes, Sorceress.” Elossai placed the last few pieces of porcelain and fruit on the tray then left the room.

Unbelievable. Why was Stanjah so mean to Elossai? I can’t ignore it.

“Stanjah, I think you’re being rather cruel to Elossai,” I said.

“What?” Stanjah raised her neatly manicured eyebrows, as if oblivious to what she did.

“She’s just a girl.”

Stanjah’s thin lips pressed into a straight line. “I’ll repeat myself once more. She is not human.”

“Her emotions seem very human to me, which is more than I can say for how you’re acting right now.”

“Ellis!” Keiran interjected.

I bit my lower lip to prevent anything else from slipping out.

“Oh! I have never met such an unrestrained, ill–mannered…” Stanjah huffed before storming out with Ilta in tow.

I turned to Keiran, hoping he’d take my side, but he had a disapproving look on his face. “I was only telling the truth,” I said.

“That may be so,” Keiran replied. “but it was…”

“Rude?” I asked.

“I wasn’t going to say rude, but I guess that it is just the same.”

“What were you going to say?”

“Uncivil,” he replied. “You’re not in Hemley anymore. Not even on Earth, as a matter of fact.”

I shook my head in disbelief. “What do you mean we’re not on Earth anymore?”