Shifting Eyes

CHAPTER FOUR

After Tivan had sealed whatever deal he made with the Kerekias, I was told to feed all the dangerous animals in the back rooms.

As always, Tivan likes to keep them hungry when he shows guests around to make them feel more wild.

I walk out of the dark room with all the animals to see Tivan waiting for me. Namlin was already off in her small room, it was only me Tivan was waiting on.

"Come on, pet. We haven't got all night." He places his hands on his hips and swings a set of keys on his finger impatiently.

"Yes, master." I speed-walk over to my cage and place myself inside.

Before Tivan can lock the clear door, there is an incoming hologram video coming from his desk.

He sighs dramatically and stomps over to it, muttering things to himself.

"The work never ends, does it..." He faces away from me to answer the call, agitated until he sees who was calling him.

"What a terrific surprise, my dear! I was just thinking about you." He gasps with fake enthusiasm.

"Would you like to exchange pleasantries all day, Tivan, or would you like to know why I called?" A woman's monotonous voice cuts through the image. I can't see her picture, but she sounds a few years older than myself.

"Right, always to the point, you." Tivan seems like he wants to impress her, like all other guests, but he seems awfully nervous about this one. I wonder who she is?

It's at this moment that I realized that Tivan is distracted, my cage is open, and I have a clear shot to the door without him noticing.

I glance between his back and the door, my heart beat getting increasingly faster. My hands begin to sweat. I open the clear door as quietly as I can, careful to not make any sudden movements to alert him.

I step down from the platform the cages are set up on and fearfully creep across the floor.

I make it halfway when my heart stops. I hear Tivan say something that makes me freeze on the spot.

"Would you like to meet my assistant? I think you might like what she can do." I don't turn around, I don't move. I'm not even sure I'm breathing.

"I have things to do, Tivan. I'm not calling to have a session of show-and-tell."

"If you insist, but when you arrive here, I'll be sure to amaze you with all my wonderful things."

I suck in a big breath as quietly as I can and make my way across the room even faster now. I reach the large door and panic once more. If I open the large door, he will definitely hear it and I will be done for.

I look around desperately for another exit I can use.

My eyes land on a slightly propped open window and I almost jump for joy. I quickly shift into a small creature native to Terran, and fly out of the building. Before I make it out, though, a large gem catches my eye, and I know in order to get off of Knowhere, I will have to bargain a ride. This random gem might be my only way out.

I grab the large gem in my convenient talons and fly out of the window.

Continuing to fly higher and higher until I land on the roof of a building, I shift back into my Alphaite form, clutching the red gem in my hand. I crouch down, afraid someone might have seen me, but finally take a breath of relief when I realize I have finally escaped. I have escaped Tivan without a plan, but I have escaped.

This gem is hopefully going to be able to pay for a trip out of here. I don't really care where I go, I just want to leave as quickly as possible. As soon as Tivan gets off that call, he will notice I'm gone, and will send everyone he has out to get me.

I climb down the building using a ladder on the side and end up in an ally next to the loading dock for most of the ships. The ships that lands here transfer all the natural resources found in Knowhere. They take it out to the rest of the galaxy.

That's exactly where I'm going.

I look both ways before I cross the busy road. Despite Knowhere being full of thieves, shady business owners, and black market dealers, It is always busy. The streets, clubs, and curbs are always full of creatures of the universe. This was one of the few places I've been that there are people more strange than I am.

I keep my head down and two hands clutched around the gem, careful not to give a single person a glance of my possession. I speed-walk towards the ships, cautious.

My eyes continuously shift around, weary of Tivan's friends—if you could even call them that. They were technically people he had either made deals with, or people who were indebted to him. Those were the ones I had to look out for the most. They were desperate enough to do anything to get on Tivan's good side.

Ducking behind a pile of boxes, I peer around them to find two Terrian men loading up a small ship full of metal containers, no doubt holding precious minerals.

I glance around before walking up to them when they finish and begin walking back to the ship to leave.

"Hey, you give rides?" At the sound of my voice, they stop and look over at me suspiciously.

"Who's asking?" The one with facial hair asks, eyeing my wardrobe.

"Me. Who else?" Apparently attitude came along with my newfound freedom.

They both frown at me, almost sealing the deal that I will not be joining them on their ride. "Not enough space. Unless you have a form of payment?" The greasy one asks, eyeing me up and down. His lustful gaze sets my skin ablaze with an uncomfortable itch.

"Yes, I might have something you would want." I say with a polite smile despite the disgust I feel. I reveal what I was holding in my hands, and it was almost like I said the magic words, because before I knew it, I was on the small ship, headed somewhere.

"Where you headed to?" One asks from behind me, helping up onto the ship.

"Anywhere. Wherever you're going, I guess." I shrug and sit down on a crate that was in the back. They both look at me confused, but shrug it off. The hairy one continues to stare, though, making me wonder if he somehow recognized me. It was doubtful, not many Terrians enter Tivan's shop. Mostly because they don't get off their own planet very much, and they are not very rich. It would be very rare they would have something of immense value in their possession.

"Hey, uh, Jer," The hairy one says to the other as they take off.

"Yeah, what's up Bry?" Bry shows Jer a hologram, keeping it away from my eyes. Jer (strange name for someone) briefly looks back at me then back to Bry. I don't quite notice them, too busy looking out the windows.

Every time I've traveled with my owners, it was my favorite part. Seeing the galaxy and traveling through the universe would be what I want to do now that I'm free.

"So, uh..." The greasy one looks at me though a mirror next to him.

"Waylon. My name's Waylon." I smile at him, filling in his blank.

"Waylon. Where did you say you were from?" His gaze shifts down to my collar and I subconsciously touch it.

"Just... around. Where are you guys from?" I look between them, wanting to shift the attention away from myself and onto them.

"Everywhere. He haven't got a real home. We've been all over and we're still going to new places." Bry looks between me and his friend, smiling.

"Everywhere?" I ask.

He nods and I widen my eyes.

"In fact, we're on our way to somewhere very special now." Jer, the one driving says.

"Where?" I ask, anxious to know where I'm going and excited at the same time.

"You'll see." Bry says from next to me. I whip my head towards him, not hearing him even move.

Before I have time to process it, he tases me. I fall to the ground, convulsing and shaking. My eyes water at the pain, but I keep my mouth shut. I manage to get a glimpse of what he had shown his friend before, and it was my picture.

On a Nova Corps wanted poster.

I then black out.