7 Years Later


[Somewhere on the Edge of the Milky Way Galaxy]

Alarms blazed in his ears.

A vicious growl escaped his maw as his harsh eyes ran over the ship's report. The hull had taken heavy damage and there was no scenario in which he could land safely. A faulty engine was to blame. It ripped him out of hyperspace too early, flaunting him into an incoming asteroid field.

Tomak growled in frustration as he quickly scanned the sector's nearby planets. The closest one that would offer him suitable conditions and possible repair materials was close by. The backwater planet, also known as Earth.

His black claws clicked along the surface of the panel, manually maneuvering his ship closer. As he approached the blue marble, big red warning signs flashed in his face, obscuring his view of the planet.

DANGER / Hostile Planet / Site of Numerous Yautja DEATHS

Despite the warnings he didn't hesitate as he plunged the ship into the planet's atmosphere. Based on the damage and trajectory, he had no choice but to crash land in the Northern Hemisphere. It was not exactly the honorable end he wanted, but there was no controlling his fate.


One Week Later


[United States, Vermont]

A noisy and unwelcome alarm stirred her from a pleasant dream. Her muffled groan came from beneath the bed comforter.

The harsh sound continued relentlessly. Rae shot her hand out and smacked the alarm clock, effectively turning it off. She sighed in relief, burying herself deeper under the plush covers. She didn't know why she bothered setting it anyway.

Surrounded by darkness and now a peaceful silence, she began to doze off again. But just as her body was surrendering, she heard the door to her bedroom creak followed by soft footsteps. Hyper awareness came over her. A cold stillness filling her limbs as she listened for anything else.

She didn't have to wait long. A familiar and far too awake voice announced itself, "How are you still sleeping?! Come on! Get up! Let's hit the slopes while it's still morning!"

Rae yawned and rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she peeked her head out, wincing at the brightness of the room. "Did you open the shades? What time is it?"

Naomi shrugged, "Seven-thirty."

Groaning, Rae rolled over, covering her head once again. "No way lazy butt! Let's get a move on!" her friend berated, stepping out the door.

She waited until Naomi's footsteps were further down the hallway before stretching and stripping the covers off. As soon as she did, the cold winter air had access to her skin. She sucked in a sharp breath of air as her bare feet touched the wooden floor. "My word! Why does it have to be darn cold?!"

"It's winter genius!" Naomi called from the staircase.

Ignoring her witty remark, Rae quickly darted into the bathroom before her feet could go numb. She started the shower, turning the dial to hot. She really wanted to go back to sleep.

The two of them had decided to go on a ski trip and it just so happened that Naomi's uncle owned a house on the trail of a popular mountain. Him and his family were going to be gone for a couple of weeks in Jamaica visiting relatives, so he kindly let them stay while he was away. They were certainly thankful.

The house was beautiful.

From an outdoor perspective, it fit in perfectly with the wintery landscape. On the outside, the siding was an enchanting gray marble hue accented with bold lily-white casts around the dark wooden door. Of course, the twinkling lights hanging from the front porch were a most welcoming sight to visitors before setting foot inside the abode.

Upon entering, guests were immediately greeted with a sparkling white chandelier inside a spacious living area that was occupied with a rather large, dark, U-shaped couch and an elegant glass oval coffee table. The feature wall was a stunning salmon color with a built-in electric fireplace and above that was a mounted 60-inch flat screen tv. All of it made the room warm and inviting.

In the corresponding space was an open concept kitchen featuring light gray cabinets with white marble countertops lining the walls, and in the center was a sizable island big enough to have three people sitting comfortably on one side.

The whole house was three floors consisting of a basement and an upstairs. In total, there were four bedrooms: three upstairs and the master bedroom on the main floor. Naomi, of course, called dibs on the california king bed and the master bathroom downstairs, giving Rae no choice but to sleep upstairs. She didn't complain however, as she chose the room with the balcony that gave her a charming view of the mountain side.

Either way, she thought it was very generous of Naomi's uncle to allow two young adults to reside in his lavish home.

Rapid knocking at the door rudely yanked Rae into the present. "At the rate you're going we'll be sharing the mountain with a mob of people!" an annoyed voice pouted.

Rae smiled as she combed her fingers through her long, wet hair, entangling some of the knots. "Calm down! I won't be long!"

She kept her word. Not fifteen minutes later, she was fully dressed in her black boots, snow pants, and red jacket. She was just finishing her braid when she caught sight of her friend lying in an awkward position on the couch.

Walking into the living area, Rae enjoyed watching Naomi struggle to put her clunky ski boots on. She crossed her arms and leaned against the front door, "What a sad sight. I'm glad I don't have to wear those," she teased.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," her friend huffed. "At least I don't have to wear the butt ugly boots you strap on!" she shot back with a triumphant laugh.

Rae pulled a face, pretending to be offended. She turned and snagged her dark helmet off the coat hanger and placed it over her head, clipping the straps beneath her chin.

Naomi did the same and proceeded to open the door, allowing the bone chilling wind inside. "You ready?" she grinned.

"Lead the way," Rae gestured with a sweep of her arm.

The girls stepped out into the winter wonderland, and slowly made their way over to the edge of one of the trails with their gear.

Naomi had already snapped her feet onto the skis, so when Rae was close enough to an angled slope, she plopped her board onto the padded snow and proceeded to strap her feet into the bindings. She grinned up at her eager friend, "See you at the bottom!"

"Get ready to eat my snow!" Naomi taunted, pushing forward with her poles to get a head start.

Rae smiled, smoothly pulled her face mask up, tucking it under her goggles. She jumped to her feet and hopped a few times to get some momentum before she was off.

Naomi was right about one thing; the mornings were always the best. Not a soul would be seen until they got to the bottom and that's just how they liked it.

Rae leaned back, feeling the power of the board as she took a left down one of the smaller trails. She loved to carve the snow, weaving in and out as she picked up speed. The adrenaline is what made her do it. It was the feeling of excitement that forced her to stay in the present and savor each moment.

As she rounded the corner, returning to the main path, she spotted Naomi in her sky-blue coat, not far ahead. She smiled smugly and leaned forward, holding her hands behind her back as she willed the board to go faster. She counted the seconds until they were neck in neck.

Naomi had to take a double-look. "What?! No way! You're cheating! You must be!" she accused.

Rae laughed beneath the mask as she passed. That's when she pivoted her hips back and forth, causing the board to swivel in a sort of dancing display as they hurtled toward the bottom of the trail.

Feeling the wind whip in her face was probably the best feeling ever. It made people feel powerful, invincible even, provoking them to either chicken out and slow down or push harder to achieve faster speeds. As soon as the girls passed the tree line, Rae, twisted her hips and dug into the snow using her heels. The board slowed to a harsh stop, spraying a wave of snow. "Woooo!" she raised her fist into the air, claiming her victory.

Coming to a stop beside her, Naomi shook her head with a laugh, "You are unbelievable!"

Rae lifted her goggles and lowered her mask, revealing her twinkling dark brown eyes, and broad smile. "You want a rematch?"

Her friend punched her playfully. "Obviously! That was some stunt you pulled!"

"I'll go easy on you this time," she laughed as she dodged another one of Naomi's swipes. "I'm just not afraid of speed, that's all," Rae continued, receiving an annoyed huff in response.

"I'm not afraid," she countered, "I just don't cross the line! There is a difference between going fast and being reckless."

"Is that what you tell yourself after you lose?" Rae teased sardonically.

As the two bantered back and forth, little did they know that a predator was on the prowl.


Author's Note

I hope you enjoyed this! Thanks for reading. ;)