Anabella

The air around me grew cold and I rubbed my arms rummaging for heat. Mist came out of my mouth as I penetrated furthermore into this strange place. The walls surrounding me were made of a strange concrete, rock quality and yet purple lights surrounded it like when Christmas arrives and people place lights on their trees and exteriors. The lights however morphed into shapes of creatures and strange purple foliage. I hardly understood what I was seeing, but it seemed that there was a whole new world surrounding me. However, as I walked on through the strange corridor I stopped after seeing a familiar image on the wall. It was the image of a single rose.

Swish.

I tilted and saw a strong purple light coming out of an aperture a few feet away from me on my left. I walked towards it.

"Father?" I called out. I was unsure. I was afraid. I had to rationalize my fear and imagine that it was really just my father and not a strange entity or extraterrestrial as the reality of this seemed to hint. There were no such things as aliens. This had to be something else, something familiar, but unimagined. As I approached I felt the air around me growing colder. I shivered and rubbed my arms again. This time my arms had to remain crossed. I passed through the thickness of light and cold until I reached a dim shadow and what I saw terrified me. I screamed and ran out of that place. My heart pounded out of its core and I heaved, cried and shrieked.

"Oh my God," I said to myself and repeated trembling like a mantra. I covered my mouth as I tried to pass the shock. My eyes watered and I cried. What on Earth was that? I wondered still trying to take in what I had seen. My mind almost drowned in fear until I heard a small banging on a wall.

"Dad?" I asked and trotted towards the banging. I saw someone, a stranger hooded with a white robe and I wondered if it was my father.

"Dad?" I repeated touching his shoulder and the stranger turned around and looked at me. Its face was metallic and unknown to me. Blue lights peered at me and I opened my mouth in shock.

"Greetings," the robot said and it extended a metallic hand towards me half covered with a long white sleeve. I looked at it and then reached out for it. Strangely I greeted the robot feeling its cold, metallic and hard hand. Its fingers felt like grasping many thin tubes or pens at the same time.

"Greetings?" I mumbled questionably.

"My name is Rox," The robot said indifferent with my question. It either did not understand or care.

"Where is my father?" I asked it. The robot didn't answer and I wondered if it had broken down or something. I stretched my hand to touch it and it frightened me when he spoke and I jerked back.

"I prefer if you did not touch me on my face. It is disturbing to me," it said. Was this thing serious? I didn't know.

"Where is my father?" I asked again.

"I was analyzing your question and trying to search for your father, but unfortunately I do not know who your father is or where to locate him. The ship still has its technical difficulties. Our computers are working on hacking your computer mainframes, but it is a complicated procedure."

"Hacking our computer mainframes? What are you talking about?" I wondered confused and with a chill.

"The Sha is in preparation to conquer your world," the robot said as a matter of fact.

"What?" I mumbled out loud with shock.

"I have noticed that when humans are overwhelmed with disbelief they tend to ask "what"? May I ask why?" It said to me, but I ignored its question in the hope of answers.

"You have encountered humans before? Like me?" I asked it, but the robot shook his head.

"No. Not like you. You are the first human female of your species that I have encountered and I must say that human females have fair traits."

"So, you were the one who hurt my brother," I said.

"I do not know who your brother is," Rox responded.

"The man who tried to defend himself with a gun. Brown hair, brown eyes, six feet. He shot you and you hurt him back. He's on the ground, unconscious," I answered.

"Oh, so that was a weapon? No wonder it scratched some of my outer structure, but I have managed to repair it. As for your brother I did not hurt him. I simply induced him into unconsciousness. I can assure you that he is completely functional," Rox said.

"My father's name is Joseph Antonio Torres Salvador. Have you seen him?" I asked.

"Yes, but he only wishes to be called Joe," Rox answered. I was overjoyed.

"Please take me to him. I beg you please. He has a heart condition and can die if he's excited," I urged. The robot nodded.

"I will take you to your father," Rox said. I was glad to know that I would be taken to him. He walked forward into the corridor and I followed him. Sometimes I looked back nervous as we paced along those purple lit corridors. I felt that I was walking inside of cavernous tunnels instead.

"I suspected that he must have a serious heart condition. I constantly received readings of an accelerated heart beat that strained his inner organs and blood streams," Rox said.

"Oh my God. If that's true we need to hurry. He can seriously die," I said.

"No. I can assure you that his heart is functional and that the beats have been monitored and controlled. I have induced him with Shmla several times. Especially after he met the master," Rox said as he walked. I could hear his heavy, metallic steps throughout the corridor and wondered who he spoke about when he mentioned the word master.

"Shim what? Master?" I asked him as we passed the purple lit walls. Rox made a sudden stop. Then he pressed something on the wall and strange symbols with the purple lights in them appeared. He pressed some of these strange symbols like buttons and then the wall slid up and opened.

"Your father is here," he said pointing the way and I ran inside to see my father. He lay in bed shivering. The lines of his eyes and mouth showed some strain, but his sleep seemed peaceful.

"Dad," I said and he opened his eyes.

"Anabella? Anabella," he answered and hugged me. I hugged him back.

"Oh Anabella! I never thought I'd see you again. I had this terrible nightmare," he said.

"It's alright dad. I'm here," I whispered in his ear.

"Thank God," he said, but then I felt him jerk and pull me toward him.

"Dad?" I asked and tilted. I looked at his shocked expression as he glanced at Rox.

"Dad?" I repeated.

"It's true. It's all true," he murmured.

"Hello Joe," Rox said. My dad got up from the bed and walked towards Rox.

"Rox, I'm begging you, please take us out of here," dad said.

"I cannot do so," Rox said and I panicked.

"What do you mean you can't take us out of here? We're leaving," I got up and insisted.

"I can only take your daughter Anabella off this ship. The master has no knowledge of her existence and therefore I have not been ordered to retain her here, but I have been ordered to keep you here indefinitely," Rox said to my father. My dad turned around and pulled my arm.

"Dad?" I shrieked as he pulled me with force and pushed me towards the robot. I could barely force myself out of his hands and almost slipped, but didn't because Rox grabbed me by the elbows.

"Ouch. Dad?" I protested.

"Get her out of here right now," my father said and Rox nodded and pulled me away from my father.

"Dad! Dad," I screamed as tears streamed down my face. I struggled and wiggled to try to loosen myself from the robot's firm and strong metallic grip.

"Your father is intelligent and intelligence always pertains," Rox said.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked.

"I am taking you back into your world," Rox answered.

"What about my father?" I shouted as the robot continued to take me through the corridors of the ship.

"Your father must remain in this ship forever. He is a prisoner of the Prince of Sha."

"No! I demand to speak to your prince," I shouted. Rox stopped in full and peered into my eyes with his bright blue lights.

"That is not wise," Rox said and then he continued to drag me through the ship.

"No! No, no!" I shouted. Rox grabbed me and carried me. I tried to push him away with my hands, but could not fight him. I slapped him on the face, but it hurt me instead of him and I ended up rubbing my own palm.

"Dad!" I wailed and cried as I was carried away. There was nothing I could do to stop this robot. There were no moments I didn't try or insist upon it leaving me. I hit and pushed as hard as I could, but I was powerless.

"Tiatini, Pantu!" I heard a rough and low tone voice. The robot stopped completely like if it had died and finally I was able to release myself from its grip. I fell on the purple mist and hit my buttocks on the ground. I hurt myself a bit, but I didn't have time to complain about that. I had to reach my father and get him out of this dreadful place. I placed my hands on the floor and staggered to get to him. I ran behind the robot and took off knowing that we had left my father somewhere in the rooms behind and hoping that I would escape whoever it was that stopped the robot who carried me. Suddenly memory of the shock of that strange creature I could not mention before invaded my thoughts once again. Whatever it was, it seemed harmed, but its appearance had shocked me to the point that I just wanted to take it out of my mind. It was obvious that this Sha or whoever was a monster who probably enjoyed harming others.

The robot had said it himself; "our computers are working on hacking your computer mainframes, the Sha is in preparation to conquer your world. Your father must remain in this ship forever. He is a prisoner of the Prince of Sha."

I didn't know who the Sha were, but I knew that they didn't come here to be our friends. I ran through the corridors left and right as my heart beat fast. Think, think... where is my father? My thoughts wondered, but I barely knew. I didn't want the desperation to overtake me, but the seconds ticked away and I could not remember or compare the passages. To me they were all the same.

"Dad?" I wondered desperate. Maybe if I called for him out loud he would hear me and try to make some noise. I tried again. It was my only option.

"Dad?" I asked looking left and right, trying to hear a sound. Hoping that I would hear anything, anything at all. Then I headed forward and I bumped myself against a dark wall stumbling to the floor. Surprised to see it move I crawled backwards realizing that I hadn't hit a wall at all. It was some sort of a strange creature. He looked like a man, but he wasn't a man. Facing me was an alien that was not from this world with dark blue skin who had long, black raven hair that fell all the way to his chest. His yellow, fierce eyes pierced into my face and eyes. Surprised and overtaken by fear; I could do nothing at all, but stare back at the unknown.  

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