A/N: Just a quick reminder - The dialogue between * is spoken in Antarian...



Chapter 3

The halls were towering in front of her - their ceilings painted in the lightest blue, capturing the green glow of the sky outside in perfect harmony. Still, the same halls - with their supporting pillars lining the walls - were menacing to her. They were menacing because of everything they stood for - everything they represented: wealth, power, authority, greed, suppression, parsimony... death. The soft thudding of the soles of her shoes bounced off the walls, intensifying with each instant of impact. There were few Antarians in these halls. Antar was appearing increasingly desolate. Its inhabitants were hiding. Hiding from the very same things that resounded through these halls.

There were doors lining the hall on her left. On her right the upper part of the wall was replaced with a silverish substance that caught the light of the red sun and let it spill over the stone floor. A soldier from the King's command guarded each door, their bodies frozen in position as if they weren't even alive. But if you would try to sneak past them you would instantaneously be penetrated by one of their deathly strikes. The King's men were strong and powerful. They were trained to be their best - but so was she. That's why she had been summoned today. The Livenders had commanded her presence, and she could do nothing but comply. She reached the door at the end of the hall. This door was larger, and its dark appearance menacing. The bulky guard immediately stepped up to her as she approached the door.

*Your business here?* he huffed.
*I am to meet with The Livenders,* she said, her head taking on the correct angle to show her respect for the guard but at the same time not show insecurity or fear.
*Have they requested your presence?* the guard asked, a hint of hostility in his voice.
*Yes,* she answered.
*What is your name?*
*Serena.*
The guard put out his hands and let them hover over her, seeking out her essence - verifying her nature.
The guard announced, *You are free to enter the realm of The Livenders,* as he removed his hands from her body. With a wave of his hand the door disintegrated. She stepped through the slight mist that worked as a protection against intruders and found herself in a large room. The high ceiling was supported by pillars that were covered in the most rare and beautiful colors she had ever seen. The floor was black stone and the rays of the sun spilled over it - making it cascade in beams of soft red. There were no walls. It was as if she were outside. Nevertheless, she knew that it was all just an illusion - a creation of powerful minds and hands. There were walls, but just as in the hall you could see through them. In contrast with the walls in the hall - these walls appeared to be non-existent from the inside - but appeared to be stone walls seen from the outside.

*Emotival Serena,* a deep voice greeted her and she turned around to face the source of the voice.
The man was about her height, with dark eyes - almost pitch black. His features were strongly marked in his face. His lips were long and thin - his mouth quite big. She could read his calmness and subdued authority.
*Livender Laiko, master,* she responded, casting her eyes downwards while bowing her head slightly.
*I'm pleased to have you here.* His deep voice echoed in the nearly empty room. *Let's move into the Lower Chambers.*
*Yes, master.* She followed him across the large floor into a little more restricted space where lumrosas were hovering in the air. She had heard some about these lumrosas. They were used to sit on - like chairs. As you sat on them, you could hardly feel that you were sitting - it was as if you were flying in the air.
*Take a seat, Emotival Serena,* Laiko said, waving his hand in the direction of the lumrosas.
Serena sat down on the hovering green lumrosa, feeling it shift under her weight - as if it were accustoming itself to her and her body. It was an amazing feeling. It was as if the lumrosa became a part of her, a part of her body.

*Time is of great importance, so I will inform you promptly of my reasons for summoning you.* Laiko positioned himself in the lumrosa across from Serena.
*Thank you, master.*
*You have been brought here in light of your reputation. Khivar has requested your assistance on a very delicate matter. Since you are known for your capability to register emotions, the King has found you a suitable match.*
Serena waited patiently for him to continue. She had a feeling this was something big. If the King himself had requested her, it must be a very important matter.
*We want you to take care of a child,* Laiko said.
*Excuse me, master?* she said in an inquisitive tone. Had she understood him correctly? Was the 'delicate matter' her baby-sitting?
*The prominence of this child is of high significance,* Laiko continued. *However, since the child arrived she has shown close to no co-operation. The King believes the child needs a female.*
*A female, master?*

*The child needs a substitute for her mother,* Laiko answered.
*Is the mother dead, master?* Serena asked, already feeling sympathy for this child.
*Yes,* Laiko answered. Serena furrowed her eyebrows slightly at this. She had sensed a flicker of deception in his emotional radiation. Her suspicion and curiosity were peaked to say the least. What was so special about this child?
*The child needs...uhm...love, * Laiko said. *Considering your own loss, you are even more qualified for the matter.*
*Yes, master,* Serena said, her thoughts swirling around in her head.
*Will you accept the offer?* Laiko asked.
Serena didn't even need time to think about it. This whole matter intrigued her. She wanted to know what child they were talking about.
*Yes. Thank you, master,* Serena said.
*Then I thank you for your co-operation. You will be compensated in accordance with your accomplishments with the child.*

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She was surprised to find the door to be of a peasant quality. It did not disintegrate under the touch of the guard, but was instead unlocked and swung open inwards. She was prompted to go into the room, and the door swung close behind her, leaving her alone. But she wasn't alone. The room was fairly small. It had a little bed, and a small wooden table with one little chair by one side of the room. There were no windows, but the room was nevertheless bathed in light. There were spotlights lining the edges of the ceiling where it met the walls. Serena had to blink repeatedly before her eyes grew accustomed to the intensity of the light. She was immediately struck by the emotions that were simmering in the room. Her eyes tried to seek out the source of the feelings - the child she was supposed to meet. She saw her sitting in the corner, behind the little wooden chair. Her knees were pulled up to her chest - her face hidden behind her knees. The little girl was dressed in a white dress, her bare legs looking pale in the white light. Her dark hair cascaded down her back, some of it shielding her face. She didn't even look up as the sound of the door closing echoed through the room.

Serena slowly approached the small figure, and she winced as she saw the little girl flinch and press up even further against the wall as Serena stepped closer. Serena could both see and feel how frightened the girl was. What had made her so frightened? She kneeled beside the girl, although she left some distance between them. She didn't want to frighten the child more than she already had.
"Hey," she said softly. The human word felt unnatural on her tongue. She had been going through an intensive course to learn the Earth language American. She had been surprised to say the least to find out that the little girl was from another planet. However, as her eyes took in the appearance of the little girl she couldn't see anything different about her from ordinary Antarians. She didn't know much about Earth, but she would certainly try to find out as much as possible after this visit. She needed to know what kind of environment and culture this girl had been brought up in.

The girl didn't look up but Serena could feel that her feelings were changing; some of her fear was dissipating.
"How are you feeling today," Serena asked slowly, trying her best to form the words correctly.
The girl lifted her head slightly, and Serena could see the girl looking at her through her dark bangs.
"I see that you have a beautiful dress on today," Serena continued. "Do you like dresses?"
The girl shook her head and Serena was happy that she had been able to trigger a response.
"What do you like to wear?"
The girl didn't answer, but Serena wasn't going to give up.
"I like dresses," Serena continued. "But I want them to have a little more color. I love blue. Which color do you like?"
The girl nodded her head slightly.
"You like blue too?"
The girl nodded again, stealing another peek at Serena. The girl's emotions were easy to access, but they were so multilevel that they were somewhat tricky to interpret.
"What else do you like?" Serena asked. She didn't expect to get an answer, and was surprised to hear her little voice.
"Mommy," she whispered.
"Mommy?" Serena repeated, as she quickly tried to find the word in the vocabulary she had learnt. "Your mother?" She asked the first word she could think about.

The girl nodded again.
"You know what?" Serena said, "I liked my mother too."
The girl tilted her head up and Serena found herself looking into the most beautiful eyes she'd ever seen. There was such depth in them, and an innocence that left her dumbfounded. They were of a color that she'd never seen in Antarian eyes. Antarian eyes were either green, light blue or black - never brown. These were brown with flickers of gold in them. The hurt and sadness she saw in those expressive eyes broke her heart and she wanted to take that little girl in her arms and hug her. Assure her that everything was going to be all right.
"I want my mommy," the little girl said.
Serena felt tears stinging her eyes. The little girl's mother was dead, and she obviously didn't know.
"You miss your mommy, huh?"
The little girl nodded, tears forming in her eyes. "I want to go home."
"I miss my mommy too," Serena said.
"Your mommy's gone too?" the little girl asked.
Serena nodded, scooting a little closer to the girl and felt some sense of joy and relief in her heart when the girl didn't flinch as she moved closer.
"Yes," Serena answered. "My mother died when I was little."
Serena was amazed to feel sympathy flare through the little girl's emotions. That this tiny girl could feel such genuine sympathy towards a grown up - a stranger - was beyond her.
"Were you as small as I am?" the girl asked tentatively.

Serena nodded. "Yes," she answered. "You miss your mommy?"
The girl nodded her head.
"What's your name?" Serena asked.
"Emma," the girl answered.
"Emma," Serena repeated, tasting the Earthly name on her tongue. "That's a beautiful name. I'm Serena."
"I've never heard that name before," Emma said.
Serena smiled at her matter-of-fact tone. This girl was strong.
"No, it's an unusual name," Serena said, thinking that it was an alien name to an Earth girl. "It was nice meeting you, Emma."
Emma's head shot up, and fear flashed in her eyes.
"Are you leabing?" she asked.
Serena quickly got her mind around Emma's mispronunciation of the word and answered in her best calming voice. "No, I'm not leaving."

The relief she could feel oozing off the child was extremely intense. What had happened to this child? Her inquisitive mind was already going over all the different things that were wrong with this picture. Why would people on Antar be so interested in a child from Earth? And more importantly, why would a child be taken from Earth to begin with? Had the mother died on Earth or had she died here? If the latter alternative was true, why had they traveled here? Was it common knowledge on Earth that there was life on other planets? Was Earth as developed as Antar? In that case, why weren?t there more Earth habitants coming to Antar? And why was this little girl locked up in the palace with a guard and double locks on the door? Why did her room remind Serena of a laboratory with its strong lights and bare furniture? She had got to find more information on this. She felt the strongest urge to help this child.

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She could feel his warm lips touch her forehead, brushing over her closed eyelids and stopping to linger at her lips that were curling up in a small smile.
"Morning," Max said, as he could feel her wake up through their connection. She opened her eyes and smiled at him.
"I love waking up this way," she murmured.
"Well, you don't hear me complaining," Max answered. "Are you hungry? Michael made breakfast."
Liz curled up closer to his body, letting out a sigh of contentment as she felt his arms tighten around her.
"I guess not," he said, planting a light kiss on her temple.
"I just wanna stay here for a while, and forget about everything," Liz said. Max knew exactly what she meant. Neither one of them wanted to think about the fact that they were really laying on a thin mattress, positioned in a little tent, which was located someplace out in nowhere on a foreign planet in a foreign solar system.
"Hey! Are you awake in there?" Michael?s voice grunted outside the tent. They could see the contours of his body moving outside the tent, towards its opening.
"We'll be right there," Max answered.
"Okay, food's gonna be cold, you know," Michael huffed.
"We'll be right there!" Max repeated.

Liz giggled as they watched Michael?s shadow disappear from the tent. "He's getting a bit sensitive in old days, isn?t he?"
Max smiled, looking deeply into her eyes - once again mesmerized by her beauty - as he removed one of the strands of her dark hair from her forehead.
"Yeah, I'm actually starting to miss the whole I-don't-give-a-shit-about-what-anyone-else-says attitude."
He leaned down to give her a soft kiss. Liz closed her eyes, relishing in the taste of his lips.
"I guess we should get going," Max said. "We have a long day ahead of us, and we should probably start off with a healthy breakfast."
Liz sighed, hating the feeling of reality trying to seep into her dream world.
"You're right," she said. She knew that she had to do this. She was going to practice with her new powers. She had never tried to control them before, but she knew that she had to practice so that she could later use them to save her daughter. It was going to a long day all right. A very long day.

TBC…