Distant Lands
Treasure Trove

We stand there embracing.

Damon stays quiet and just holds me. I close my eyes and imagine being hugged by my family and Nate. The thought gives me comfort and calms my crying.

After a while, Damon pats my back. “There, there, little human. We’re going to try to get you home as soon as we can,” he says. I sniffle and look up at him.

“You promise?” I ask with a shaky voice.

He smiles, “Yes, I promise, I will help you go home,” he says, picking up the glass of water and handing it back to me. I grab it and sit down on the couch.

“I’ll be right back,” he says, walking off to another room. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to hug a vampire, but I couldn’t take it anymore; the loneliness and sadness were just piling up, I had to release it.

Damon comes back to the living room. “Let me show you your room,” he says. I get up and follow him to a large room.

“This is the guest bedroom,” he says. The ocean is also visible from this room. The wall to my left is all glass, and it has a glass sliding door that leads out onto a small balcony.

“It’s a very nice room. Thank you, Damon,” I say.

“Well, I’ll let you settle in. Let me know if you need anything,” Damon says. I nod. He walks out and closes the door.

The large bed looks so comfortable. It has a tall black headboard, with two bedside tables, one on each side, a dresser with a large mirror on the wall above it next to the entrance. I place my bag on top of the dresser. The first thing I want to do is take these tight clothes off. I lock the door and strip off the motorcycle gear.

I walk in front of the dresser and stare at myself in the mirror. I look terrible. My nose is pink; my eyes look sad, puffy, and red from crying. The blond wig is barely hanging on my head. My reflection makes me want to cry. I take the wig off and store it in one of the drawers.

I unpack my clothes and change into a comfy tee shirt and black sweatpants. I go into the bathroom and splash my face with cool water. It helps refresh and cool down my face. I go back to the living room and sit down on the couch. The room is so silent. I have nothing to do; I just look around the room, waiting for Damon. The whole wall in front of me has a silver 3D diamond design. In front of that wall, there’s a long wooden dresser.

By the entrance, there’s a small bar area with barstools. Behind the bar, there is a glass cabinet with different types of bottles of liquor on the wall. I get up and walk towards Damon’s room. I knock at the door, but he doesn’t answer.

“Damon?” I call out, but he doesn’t answer. I slowly open his door and peek inside. The room is empty. I walk back to the living room and sit down on the couch.

“Where did Damon go?”

“Hello guest,” I hear a voice say; it startles me. I quickly stood up and looked around, trying to replace the voice source; it sounded human. I realize that it’s some type of Alexa.

“Damon is out at the moment. Is there something I can do for you?” I hear the woman’s voice say.

“What is your name?” I ask.

“Damon named me, ‘hey’ would you like to change my name?”

Seriously, Damon? He didn’t even bother giving it a proper name.

“Yes,” I say.

“What would you like to call me?”

“Alexa,” I say.

“Okay, my name is now Alexa,” it says.

“Alexa, what planet am I on?” I ask.

“You are on planet Azure, which means the blue planet,” Alexa says.

“Why is it called Azure?”

“It is called Azure because deep in the ground, the soil is blue. This blue soil is a metal; it is ground into powder and combined with other metal oxides that create energy,” Alexa says.

“Hmn, interesting, and they probably use this energy to power the city,” I say.

“Correct,” Alexa says.

I sit back down on the couch and think about turning off Alexa, but I realize that Alexa is a treasure trove of information. It can help me learn more about this world and use it to my advantage.

“Alexa, did the Divus race inhabit planet Azure before the Lamia Race?” I ask.

“Yes. The Divus race inhabited planet Azure before the Lamia arrived in Azure.”

“Arrived? Where did the Lamia arrive from? I ask.

“The Lamia were a technologically advanced race, from Planet Oceana. The planet was habitable for billions of years, then became unstable, forcing the race to abandon the planet. The Lamia ventured into space and traveled, searching for a livable world. Lamia came across Azure, but the Divus race already inhabited it. The Divus race benefited from Lamia’s knowledge and signed an agreement. and Lamia settled in Azure.”

“Who governs this society?” I ask.

“Both the Divus and the Lamia govern the society in Azure. Another governing body in Azure is known as the Council; members include chosen members of from Divus and Lamia races as well as chosen members from other allied worlds,” Alexa says.

“How do I power up a portal to other worlds?” I ask.

“I’m sorry, but that information is classified,” Alexa says.

I’m afraid to ask this question, “Has there ever been an alien intruder? And what did the Council do to the intruder?” I ask.

“Yes, there has been a known case of an alien intruder. The intruder stood trial and later executed,” she says.

Oh my god. Well, at least the Azure military didn’t shoot the alien intruder on sight. He stood trial; maybe it won’t be so bad for me?

“How was this alien intruder executed?” I ask.

“The intruder was put to death by molecular disintegration,” she says.

That doesn’t sound very good. I have a feeling I know what that means. My heart starts to beat faster in my chest.

“How does molecular disintegration execute a person?” I ask.

“The intruder enters in a room where the pressure is so strong it collapses the lungs and blood vessels, resulting in heavy internal and external bleeding from every orifice of the body, resulting in death,” Alexa says.

I gasp, feeling horrified, and imagine what it feels to go through that...Is that going to happen to me? Am I going to be bled to death? I imagine bleeding internally, blood coming out from my eyes, ears, nose, and I begin to freak out.

“Your vitals are at a dangerous level. Should I call for help?” Alexa asks. I start breathing super fast, and my heart is racing. It’s a panic attack. I try to concentrate, to slow my breathing.

“Would you like...”

“Alexa, shut up! Turn off!” I yell.

I feel like I’m dying, but I know I’m not; it’s only in my mind. I close my eyes and control my breathing.

Finally, I calmed down.

I sigh, “I need a drink,” I say, feeling drained.

A small robot that looks like a trash can with a head comes out from behind the bar, holding a tray with a bottle of whiskey and a shot glass. It glides toward me, stopping in front of me. The elevator doors open, and Damon comes in carrying some boxes.

“Oh, I see you found my favorite bottle of whiskey?” Damon asks smiling.