Believer

“Where...where am I?” Victoria groaned when she finally came back to her senses. Though somewhat glad to be alive her head throbbed with a dull pain that kept her from slipping back into the dreamworld again. Like a small child on a school morning she was reluctant to come to her senses. The blankets on her bed were nice and warm; far too difficult of a thing for her to part with.

“You are in your room.” A masculine voice replied to her. Her shoulders tensed when a cold hand suddenly reached out and touched her forehead. She squirmed uncomfortably, discovering that something was pinning her arms down. Reality quickly sunk in, and so did the memory of what had happened to her. Though her senses were dulled Victoria could recall standing in the shower when a creature attacked. She also remembered running away from Revaz before that, and seeing him standing over her bed sent a jolt of terror through her body.

She remembered everything now. The shower. The strange creatures that had attacked her. Tripping and falling while she was in the tub only to awake after god only knew how long. As her skin crawled at the image of the leech-like creatures that she recalled attacking her, Victoria could not help but assume they were in some way connected to Revaz.

“Let me go!” She said, desperately wanting to scream but unable to muster up the nerve to do it. Instead she trembled, unable to decide what should be scaring her the most; the fact that she had probably angered this creature when she ran away from him earlier, or the fact that it felt like he was holding her down even though she could clearly see that his hands were free.

The bed shifted beneath her as extra weight was placed upon it. She watched in horror as Revaz crawled on his knees towards her, digging into the blankets with fingertips that seemed so long and bony that they resembled claws. Frightened, the young woman did the first thing that came to instinct and kicked her attacker squarely in the face.

Revaz made a low growling noise. Not out of any form of anger she realized, but from pain. He twitched slightly when she struck him again, latching out to grab hold of both of her ankles so that it would not happen again. She could feel him squeezing down on them, blocking off the circulation his grip was so tight.

“You are quite vicious for a female of your species.” She heard him comment as he began dragging her across the bed. The creature that had been holding her arms now loosened it's grip, revealing itself to be one of the leech creatures that had attacked her in the bathroom. Victoria shrieked as she watched it slither down her chest, disappearing behind Revaz's back.

“Let me go! Let me go!” Victoria screamed, terrified by what she had witnessed. He was much stronger than she was however, and able to overpower her, as much as she disliked it. With a growing desire to place a knife underneath her pillow at night from then on, she stared up into her attackers eyes, searching them as though she thought he might have a reasonable explanation for why long appendages had disappeared into his back. An explanation that perhaps did not include them being a tool to torture and kill opponents? Victoria could only hope for such a miracle.

“I will not hurt you.”

“...What?” Having allowed her mind to wander, Victoria had failed to pay attention to her current situation. It was not until he spoke again that she snapped back into reality, still dazed and confused from her recent 'slumber'.

He released her, swinging himself over so that he was sitting on the edge of her mattress. “You are frightened of me still. I thought it might put you at ease if I told you that I have no interest in harming you.”

“Forgive me for not trusting you after you scarred me for life earlier by attacking me in my own bathroom!” She exclaimed, shaking uncontrollably from the mixture of emotions now swirling through her head. “What are those things?!”

“My species has developed several extra appendages when we are able to retract. They're very versatile. We use them for many purposes.” He replied, speaking so calmly that you might have thought they were discussing the weather. “I did not 'attack' you earlier. I was merely trying to reach you. When you ran away from me all of a sudden I assumed it was out of distress. “

“I didn't run away because I was hurt, I ran away because I'm scared of you!” Victoria felt a bit of tension in her stomach. Glancing down she realized that her body was clothed. Draped across her shivering figure was the long floral nightgown that had once resided in the very back of her closest. Her mother had sent it to her as a gift a year ago, but Victoria had found it offensive to say the very least. Though very delicate and attractive the entire assemble was almost completely transparent and was unsuited for a girl whom had never even had a boyfriend.

“You face is turning red, is there something wrong?” Revaz asked her while she yanked the bedsheets up to cover her body.

“No, I'm fine!” She squeaked, embarrassed by her own childish behavior. Revaz seemed completely indifferent to whether or not she was visibly naked and yet she still could not stand it. The thought of anyone seeing her even partially naked made her feel utterly humiliated. “When did you dress me?”

“A little while after I brought you in here I suppose. I checked you for any injury first.”

“Why did you out this on me though?!” She trembled, gesturing to the delicate cap sleeve of the nightgown.

“Are you genuinely bothered by the garment itself or does the fact that I saw you with no clothes on bother you?”

His response shocked Victoria. She found herself knocked completely off guard and once again upset by the way he'd bypassed answering her question. “Yes, as a matter of fact I AM bothered by it. I passed out in the shower, god knows what you might have done to me while I was out cold. Planted some egg in my chest cavity I'll bet!”

“My species does not use a parasitic form of reproduction. Our offspring are carried through gestation much like your species does.” Though she had yelled at him, and was fully aware of the way she had openly insulted the unearthly creature, Revaz remained perfectly calm. He sat there with his hands clasped in his lap, poised and visually unchanged.

She wanted to yell at him again but had a nagging feeling that she was beginning to push her luck. Still clutching the sheet to her body, she shifted into a more comfortable position. “I'm sorry, I'm just not used to people seeing me like that. I wouldn't even let my parents see me naked after I was old enough to take a bath by myself.”

“You seem quite possessed by concealing yourself. Is that why you do not interact with others of your species?” Revaz shrugged, unknowingly stabbing at a tender spot in Victoria's life. Ever since her graduation she had refused to talk to any of her old classmates. It was not until the middle of the summer that she'd realized she had never really bothered to make any strong friendships during her last few years of school. Nobody ever came by her house to say 'Hello'. They probably never would.

“I'm not good at talking to other people.” She shrugged. “Sometimes I feel like I was just designed to be alone or something. I don't fit in. It's one of the reasons I'm not living with my mom right now. I'd sooner deal with my dads craziness than listen to her go on about how strange I am and how she'd already had a steady boyfriend at my age.”

“So...your mother views you as defective for your inability to find a mate?”

He hadn't asked her anything inappropriate. He had not done anything rude. But it was the reality of what he said, and the bitter honesty behind it that sent Victoria down a spiraling pit of anger and despair. “On this planet I'm a loser okay!” She sobbed, pulling her knees up to her chest. “Everyone in this area is obsessed with aliens and I always believed the whole idea was stupid. The boys I grew up with thought I was stuck up and so they were never really interested in me. I've never been on a date. I haven't even been kissed!”

For a moment his blank expression faulted, and he frowned at her. Victoria took this as a sign of ignorance and gave a loud, frustrated sigh. “You don't even know what a kiss is do you?”

“Actually yes I do. I did study the behavior of your species before arriving here. And as shocking as it sounds your species is not unique when it comes to using affection as a form of expression.” He was snapping at her now, having become just as annoyed with her as she was with him. “But my species does not view minor things like kissing to be the key factor in whether or not you are acceptable for society. Is your kind really this petty?!”

“Maybe certain age groups are.” She replied stumbling off her bed and towards her closet in a desperation attempt to find some proper clothes. “When you're my age on this planet, and you haven't started dating, everyone assumes there is something wrong with you. It's normal in this area for a girl to have a boyfriend around the age of 16.”

“And you are upset that you do not fit into the social 'norm'?” He had turned to watch her. Victoria knew because she heard the springs in her mattress creak when he shifted his body.

“Sometimes I guess. It can get pretty depressing being alone all of the time.” She reached into the depths of her closet, seizing a very simple blouse and the baggy black jeans she'd worn continuously throughout the summer. “The only person I ever really talk to is my father, and he and I don't get along very much.”

“Why is that?”

“Years ago he claims that he was abducted by aliens. He became obsessed with chasing UFO's and attending all these strange groups that discussed alien encounters. I always thought the whole thing was complete nonsense and I guess it just tore a rift between us. He still loves me, and treats me like his daughter, but our lives are separate. He goes to work and to visit his alien believing friends, and I stay at home planning for college or being bitter.” She rummaged through her dresser, quickly retrieving a clean pair of undergarments.

“If you were as skeptical of extra terrestrial life as you claim, then what made you believe me so quickly?”

“Well you don't exactly look the way a person on this planet does!” She exclaimed, awkwardly striping the nightgown off and pulling her fresh change of clothes on. Though quite uncomfortable with someone watching her, Victoria didn't have the nerve to tell Revaz to look away. It was too late anyhow. He'd already seen her naked after she passed out in the bathroom. “And you can do things a person from earth cannot. But believe me, I thought you were part of a cruel prank right up until you started reading my thoughts.”

He did not respond to her when she was done. Instead he remained silent, allowing her time to finish dressing. When she was done Victoria scooped up the nightgown and flung it into the back of her closet. In truth she had a deep desire to toss the flimsy garment into the nearest trash bin. But it had been a gift. And as foolish as it was, she could not bring herself to throw out something that had been given to her out of some twisted sense of 'good intention'.

“What is your planet like anyways? You've asked some many questions about this place, but you haven't said anything about your home.” She paused, waiting to see if he might react to this, or if she had stepped out of line by bringing it up.

“Azrac? It's what your planet calls 'tropical'. It is covered with vegetation and bodies of water like this one, but it is seldom ever cold. And we have not damaged it with industrial development as badly as your species have.” He stood up, folding his arms across his chest in a way that distinctly reminded her of a person of authority.

“My home world is fine, but alas my species is not. We are heavily flawed. Though we have advanced our technology beyond yours and have increased our lifespans to be almost twice as long as they used to be, we are much more prone to disease and emotional disorders. Some of my kind...cannot handle the idea of being able to know the thoughts of everyone around them. Females especially over the past century have taken their lives min large quantities.”

“I'm sorry to hear that.” Victoria tensed, sensing some sort of discomfort in his voice. “Is that why you are hear? To study our medicine?”

“No.”

There was a slight pause as they both turned their heads at the sound of the front door closing. Victoria's heart thumped wildly as she quickly closed her bedroom door. “My father is home!” She whispered anxiously. “You have to get out of here before he see's you!”

“Victoria! Are you there?” He fathers voice called, and she cringed as she saw Revaz standing there, stubbornly refusing to budge.

“If you don't go he might see you!” She hissed softly under her breath, dizzy from the way of fear that suddenly washed over her. “Please go!”

“Relax Victoria.” He replied to her in a voice that was far too loud for someone she was trying to hide. He had flicked a switch on the strange mechanical device attached to his arm. A device that Victoria had never truly noticed before, and had mistaken as being simply another part of his clothing.

“What are you doing?” She whispered, frightened by the soft beeping sound that emitted from the device. Revaz did not answer, though he appeared to be smiling at her.

She could hear her fathers footsteps as he strolled down the hallway shouting, “Who are you talking to?” with the suspicious concern that any father would have. Her heart raced wildly inside her chest and for a moment she felt utterly helpless. Like she was about to reveal some ugly secret in front of a huge crowd of people. But there was no way to stop it. Revaz would not leave, or even hide for that matter, and she was far too weak to attempt to force him to do either.

Gnawing at her fingernails, she held her breath and squeezed her eyes shut just as her bedroom door was yanked open.