Disclaimer: Treasure Planet belongs to Disney.

Alette sat straight up in her bed. There was an extreme pain in her shoulder blades. It took all of her willpower not to scream out, for she did not want to wake her grandmother. She tried to lay back down but when she moved the searing pain would shoot down her back. So, she waited, for what seemed like forever, until the pain cooled down enough for her to move. Instead of lying on her back like normal she laid on her stomach and found that the pain was tolerable in this position. It didn't take her long to fall into a blissful and dreamless sleep.

Her grandmother Ada came into her room and found her moaning. "Alette, dear, it's time for you to get up. You have chores to do."

Alette slowly turned over but gasped when she felt the lingering pain from last night. Her grandmother rushed to her side with a concerned look on her face. "Are you feeling okay? Are you ill?"

Alette sat up slowly and looked down at her grandmother, "No, I feel fine just a little sore. What chores need to be done grandmother?"

"All I need you to do today dear, is to go into town and to shop for me. I am getting too old to walk around the markets so I need my strong granddaughter to do it for me… Unless she is ill."

She smiled and shook her head at her grandmother's persistent concern, "I swear I'm fine. Although last night I was woken up by a large pain in my shoulder blades."

Ada gave her a sad smile and said, "Okay but if it gets worse I need you to come home straight away, is that understood?" She then walked to the door and looked back at Alette for her answer.

All she could do was meekly nod. Her grandmother took this as a yes and closed the door. Alette listened for the next few minutes to make sure that her grandmother was gone. When she was certain that she was alone she removed her shirt quickly. Then she stood up and walked over to her full length mirror. She looked normal from the front but when she turned to the side she felt her heart stop.

What she saw were two nodules on her shoulder blades. Each one was about as wide as a small coin and were as long as her thumb. She knew that if she were to wear something tight fitting that her grandmother would notice. Instead, she searched her room until she found a sweatshirt that was baggy. She also let her long hair fall down her back. She looked into the mirror and studied herself for a while.

Alette would consider herself pretty. She was 18 and had a well-built figure. She had soft features that would light up a room. Her lips were full and a nice shade of red. Her hair was a deep brown that had red highlights. Her most interesting feature, however, was her eyes. They were a bright purple with an equally bright yellow ring in the middle.

Eyes of unique color were not uncommon on Montresor but they were uncommon with humans. Being human was something you also didn't see around anymore. Here in the space port you could find almost every space creature but rarely would you find a human. Sometimes she believed that she and Ada were the last on Montresor. She hadn't seen another one for years. The last time she saw a human was when she was very little and she didn't even remember the person's face.

She sighed and walked out of her room to the kitchen downstairs. When she reached the entry way to the kitchen she was welcomed by a warm scent of bread and honey. Ada was making her favorite breakfast for her. Alette walked over to the table and sat down slowly. She knew that if Ada caught her favoring her back she would be forced to go home. She was feeling cabin fever and needed to get out into town.

After she had finished eating her breakfast she stood up and kissed her grandmother on the cheek. "I'll be back in a while. Don't worry about me."

"Okay I won't," Ada handed her the grocery list, "These are all of the things I need you to buy for me."

Alette then walked out of the door and flagged down a hover cab. It pulled up to her and a blue skinned alien opened the door. Her home was a small ways away from the marketplace but her mind still wandered.

…

She remembered being a small girl. She was helping her grandmother work on the small garden in the backyard. The sky was dark and the wind was blowing hard. They had just finished weeding the garden when it started to downpour. The rain was so hard that the two had to go back into the house. Little Alette ran under a pile of blankets when she heard a loud clap of thunder.

Ada slowly approached the poor little girl and put her hand on her shoulder. "Would you like to hear a story about a girl who was scared just like you?"

She chuckled a little when she saw two purple eyes peer at her from under the blanket. "Okay" She timidly sat up and wrapped the blanket around herself. She looked at her beloved grandmother with big, bright eyes.

Ada sat down in front of the little girl and wrapped herself in a blanket as well. "It all started with a princess who wanted to be free. She wanted to live her own life and do as she pleased. Although with the status that she had as a princess she could never truly have her wish. Now-"

She watched as Alette shifted to where she was on her stomach and her head was in her hands.

"Now she was in her room, sleeping one day when suddenly she was awakened with a start. There was a sharp pain in her shoulder blades. She didn't know what was happening and she was very scared. She stood up from her bed and noticed that wings were growing out of her back. They were a startling white and stood taller than her. She spread them out and saw that they nearly touched the walls of her small bedchamber. This young princess did not know it at the time but the gods heard her plea. She was granted the best kind of freedom. So the princess walked to the window and jumped."

Alette gasped, "Did she hit the ground?"

"No, little one, she flew. It was the best feeling for the young princess and from that day on she wasn't scared. She knew that as long as she had those wings she could do anything."

Alette looked mad when she heard the ending, Ada stopped when she saw her expression. "What's wrong?"

"Is that it? Is that all there is to the story?"

"Yes, my dear, that is all. The princess lived happily ever after. Isn't that what you want?"

She shook her head, "No I want to know what happened after she flew. Did the king and queen find out? Was the town scared of her? Did she find love?"

Ada smiled and said softly, "Maybe later, how bout' we have some coco while we wait out the storm? "

Alette was more than happy with this idea so, she jumped up and ran into the kitchen. Her questions were forgotten.

…

Alette was startled out of her daydream when the driver brought the car to a stop. "Miss, we're here. I need twenty five chronocredits."

She shifted through her pockets and pulled out the required money. As the cab drove away she looked at wide selection of stores. She took a small step forward into the chaos around her. There were people everywhere. She walked until she reached a kiosk with small fruits for sale. The man behind the products was an elegant Cronog. He had very masculine features for a feline species. Alette hadn't seen one around this part of the galaxy in a while. She bought her fruits and watched as he slowly put them in a plastic bag. When she reached for the bag he grabbed her wrist.

"I feel something strange about you. There are forces at work in your life. Finally be careful in the near future, you may stumble into something you shouldn't."

Slowly Alette pulled her hand away and noticed a small symbol on her wrist. She reached forward and grabbed the bag before she forgot it. She wanted to stay in the busy market but the warning from the Cronog was getting under her skin. She hurried and hailed a hover cab as fast as she could.

During the cab ride home her shoulder blades were throbbing with pain. Normally she would converse with the driver but she could barely think with all of the things that have been happening. When she finally arrived at her home she opened the door and nearly forgot to pay the driver. She muttered a quick apology, paid the driver and dragged herself out of the car.

By the time everything was said and done Alette was in excruciating pain. She opened the door to the house and walked in. Her grandmother was sitting on a couch knitting a small piece of fabric. She briefly looked up at her granddaughter.

"Did you get everything that I asked for?"

Alette briefly muttered a yes and set the supplies down on a nearby counter. She looked over at Ada.

"Grandmother, I'm going to go out and get a drink. Don't worry about me I will get a cab afterwards."

Ada knew full well that when Alette was in a mood it is best to not question her motives. She smiled sadly and nodded her head.

…

It didn't take long for her to arrive at the bar. It was a walking distance away and with the market going on there weren't a lot of people around. She plopped down on a stool and looked at the bartender. He nodded once and pulled out a beer for his most regular customer. Alette tipped the bottle to her mouth and sipped it slowly. She didn't want to get drunk tonight, she just wanted to dull the pain. Ada didn't keep liquor so she had to come here often.

When she was about halfway through, she heard the door of the bar open and shut, loud and quick. The footsteps echoed throughout the bar. Alette didn't notice that everyone had gone quiet until all she could hear was the velvet baritone of the man who just walked in.

"One glass of wine please. And keep them coming."

He sat down next to her and looked over. Alette looked over at the same time and was met with the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen. They stared at her with stunning clarity for someone who just walked into a bar. The man looked to be the same age as her, maybe a year or two older. He had brown hair that was cut in the style of the spacers that she had seen near the ports. The most striking feature about him, however, was the fact that he was human. She didn't realize she was starring as well, until the man slowly smiled.

"Get a good look, madam?"

Alette felt her face grow red with embarrassment. She looked away from his face but felt her eyes travel to his hands. She watched as the hand that gripped his cup lifted away and came towards her. It wasn't long before it found its way to her chin. She allowed her face to be turned by the stranger. Yet again she was staring into shocking blue eyes.

He looked over her face and she thought she heard him whisper, "Beautiful"

The man then returned his focus to the wine and left her to wonder what just happened. He drank two glasses before he left. By that time Alette was very confused and noticed that she hadn't touched what was left of her beer. She also noticed that the pain in her shoulder blades had dulled immensely. She shook her head and quickly tipped the bartender.

She walked out of the bar and immediately hit something that felt like a brick wall. Looking up slowly and saw that she had run into a Valdorn who was, unfortunately, drunk. Without hesitation he grabbed her wrist. Alette pulled but to no avail the man probably weighed 700 pounds and could kill her with a flick of his hand. She looked around frantically, searching for some source of hope. She didn't have to look long because she saw that the man from the bar was in a fighting stance, glancing between her and her captor.

When he saw that she was now added to his fight the façade that the man had cracked slightly. It showed an expression that Alette wouldn't have imagined on his face, fear. She felt her heart squeeze slightly. The hope that the sight of him brought was slowly diminishing because of his fear. As soon as it appeared, however it disappeared just as quickly. Just at the same time that she saw this she felt her captor lunge while still holding her. The force of the jump was so powerful that she was lifted off of her feet immediately.

Taking advantage of the Valdorn's drunkenness the man jumped out of the way of the attack. And in the same motion he pulled Alette out of the brute's grasp. She fell to the side of the fight, safely out of reach. She backed up for fear she would be caught in the middle again. She watched he gracefully fought the Valdorn, who bumbled around the fight. She was so enthralled that she did not notice that another Valdorn had snuck up behind her.

He slipped a hand around her waist and held a knife up to her throat in one fluid motion. She gasped loudly but stopped herself from screaming for fear of the actions of the two Valdorns. The gasp had the desired affect when the man and the drunk stopped fighting and assessed the new situation. Alette noticed that the drunk had a dopey smile on his face when he saw who was holding her.

"Worclur! How nice of you to… stop by. I was just about to finish off this…. Human."

The Valdorn behind her slightly loosened his grip on her. The human noticed this and mouthed something to her. She understood that he was telling her how to get out of the grip. She nodded in agreement with the plan and waited for the right time to take action.