A Long Day

Sky escorts Lilli and the boys to a hallway behind the HQ. The hallway is filled with dozens of doors on each side. They continue following Sky down the hall, and are led to a room with the number nine on it. Sky places her hand on the scanner to the right of the door and it opens up.

Inside is a very small room with two beds, one on each side of the room. In the middle, a window small enough to allow a hand through. Beneath it was a single drawer nightstand that held a lamp. On the wall right of the entrance, was a five drawer wardrobe cabinet with a TV hanging on the wall above it, and a little further down was a door that led to the bathroom.

Sky: Here we are. This is where you'll be staying for a while. I know it's a little small but it has everything you'll need. Any questions?

Lilli: No, we'll be fine. Thank you.

The kids walk into the room, but before they could get any further, they're called by Sky. The boys continue walking, but Lilli turns around to hear what she has to say.

Sky: Wait! I just want to apologize for my brother's behavior earlier. He can be a real asshole sometimes, but he's not a bad person. I hope you don't hate us because of it.

Lilli: I don't know about your brother, but I don't hate you.

Sky: That's good to hear. If all things go well, I hope we can be friends.

Lilli: Maybe.

Sky: Cool… Uhh, before I go, are you sure you don't have any questions or anything I can help you with?

Lilli: Actually, I do have one question. It's a little stupid but, why didn't you guys throw us in jail or something? I mean don't get me wrong, I appreciate all of this. But, It just feels a little too good to be true.

Sky: Technically this is your "jail". These rooms are where we put people who haven't necessarily done anything wrong, but we can't allow them to roam free. I mean, you did commit one of the worst crimes there is, but our computers recognized your ship as an escape ship. So we kinda let you off the hook there.

But, not only that, our planet cannot be easily located unless you have the exact coordinates. So when all of our attempts to contact you were ignored, we decided that if that person on that ship was a bad person, Cece would take them out. If not, They were to be brought here for questioning.

Lilli: That was a much better answer than what I was expecting. Thank you.

Sky: You're welcome. Also, as long as you're completely honest, and your intentions aren't world domination or whatever. You'll be fine. I have to start heading back now but we'll talk later.

Sky waves goodbye and closes the door on the way. Lilli then leans back against the door and exhales deeply. She makes her way over to the boys on the right bed and flops herself on it.

Jake: I think that Sky girl is pretty hot.

Lilli: I bet you were dying to say that.

Jake: Can you blame me? Her dirty blonde hair is beautiful, and her light blue eyes, gorgeous!

Kay: Yea, she is pretty cute.

Lilli: Funny hearing that come from you, since her boobs weren't popping out of her shirt.

Kay: What?!

Lilli and Jake laugh at the joke, but Kayleb, not so much.

Lilli: Anyway...don't get too attached. We're not staying here for long.

Jake: Then I'll take her with me!

Lilli: Yea, that's not happening.

…

The room falls silent once their fatigue kicks in. Their smiles slowly vanish and they begin to stare at nothing. Moments later and Lilli decides to sit up, she takes a deep breath and releases it to clear her mind.

Lilli: Hey guys, listen up. Back on Gala before we left, my mom told me to take care of you two. So far I've been doing a shit. I fell asleep on the ship causing us to enter the planet and putting our lives in danger. I also completely lost my composure and ended up taking my anger and frustrations out on you two. I mean, we were pretty much on the verge of dying, and at that moment I decided to get angry about a cake. I've been a terrible big sister and I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.

Lilli's eyes overflow with tears as she's been holding back the urge to cry since they landed. The boys move up to her and squeeze her tightly causing her to cry even harder. Kayleb places his head on hers and Jake rubs her back.

Jake: You were given a bunch of responsibility out of nowhere. So we can understand your mental breakdown. But don't cry, everything will be okay because we trust you. Always have and always will. Also… it wasn't all that bad. If you ask me, some of it was pretty funny.

Lilli: Like what?

Jake: Like when you said "Uh...we come in peace". That was pretty funny.

Lilli: That was more embarrassing than anything.

Jake: Embarrassing or not, that's when you got a hold of yourself and did what you could to keep us safe. That's why we trust you, because you always know what to do when the situation calls for it.

Lilli wipes her eyes and a little smile appears.

Lilli: Thanks boys, I needed that. I feel a little better.

Jake: Does that mean you forgive me for the cake?

Lilli giggles and gently pushes him away.

Lilli: Yes, you are forgiven. Now that that's over, there's one more thing I need to tell you guys.

Kay: What?

Lilli: You both stink and you need to go take a shower.

Kay: We didn't pack any clothes though.

Lilli: Go check that drawer over there.

Kayleb gets up and makes his way over to the cabinet. He pulls out the first drawer and finds that it's filled with gray towels. The second was filled with gray shirts, the third with sweaters and hoodies, the fourth with sweatpants and shorts, and lastly the fifth with underwear.

Kay: There's some shirts and sweatpants. And everything is gray.

Lilli: Is there underwear?

Kay: Yea.

Lilli: ...Female underwear?

Kay: …No.

Lilli: Of course not. I should've asked about that. Well, go ahead, we'll head in after you.

Kayleb was the first to jump in the shower, next was Jake, and Lilli was last. After they were done, they all got into one bed and turned on the TV.

3hrs Later.

Kay: Well that was kinda dumb. Apparently you need glasses to hear.

Jake: Yea, I hope these Earth people aren't really this dumb.

Lilli: Hey, different planet, different taste. Besides, I actually thought it was kinda fun-

A knock on the door interrupts Lilli from finishing her sentence. A loud buzz sounds and the door slides open. It's the General and Cece and they make their way over to the kids.

General G: We have things to discuss. Cece and I are running on a tight schedule so we're going to have to do this here. I'll need whoever is answering these questions to answer them as straightforward and honestly as possible. Is that clear?

Lilli: Yes.

General G: Then I assume it'll be you answering these questions.

Lilli: That is correct.

General G: Then let us begin. What is your purpose being here?

Lilli: We were sent here to avoid whatever was happening back home.

General G: What is the name of the planet you come from?

Lilli: Galatalia.

Cece: Galatalia?!

General G: What do you know of it?

Cece: A powerful conqueror lives there.

Lilli: You are correct. That conqueror is our… grandfather. The King of Galatalia.

General G: Interesting. He sent you here of all places? Is there a secret objective your people want?

Lilli: He didn't send us here, and no we don't have a secret objective. Trust me when I say that we'd rather be home right now.

General G: Unfortunately, I won't be able to just take your word for it. Next question. Are there more of you on this planet that we should be aware of?

Lilli: No, It's just us three. There were supposed to be five of us though, but they got held back. We had to leave without them. So if your next question is "are there anymore coming?". Then the answer is, there's a possibility.

Cece: I have a question. Who exactly are you avoiding?

Lilli: We honestly don't know. All we know is that there was a black ship, but...that's it.

General G: Next question. Do you believe that whatever is happening on your planet is due to what year it is?

Lilli: I wouldn't know. It was just that one ship. I don't know anyone crazy enough… If you guys can help us contact our family, maybe we can gather more information for you.

Cece: …Here, use this. Contact your family.

Cece hands Lilli a navpad and she immediately starts dialing in numbers

3mins later.

Lilli looks at the boys and shakes her head.

Lilli: I called all of our parents and no one answered.

General G: Then I'm afraid we need to start wrapping this up.

Kay: Wait! Try calling Mesa.

Lilli: Seriously?

Kay: Yea! It couldn't hurt to try.

Lilli makes a final attempt to contact her family, as the call rings they're surprised by a voice on the other end.

Mesa: Do you people have any decency?! How do you still find the time to ca-

Lilli: Mesa!

Mesa: Lilli? Is that you?

Lilli: Yes!

Mesa: Are the boys with you?! Is everything alright?!

Kay: Yea, we're here.

Jake: So far everything is fine.

Mesa: That's great! I'm so glad to hear your voices.

Lilli: Sorry Mesa, but we can't talk very long. Can you tell us what's happening over there?

Mesa: It's bad Lil. I don't know all the details, but I was told that these people are a part of Vitaly's crew, and they are trying to take us. That's why you three were sent away.

Kay: What about you and Luna? When will you two be here?

Mesa: Right. About that. I opted to be future Queen in Mela's place but grandfather said no. So Mela and I will be doing a twin switch. So instead me, Mela and Luna will be the ones sent to your location in about five days, a week at most maybe.

Jake: Are you sure about that? What if he finds out?

Mesa: I'll be fine, as long as he has one of us there won't be a problem. Plus, Mela has been miserable her whole life. I want her to be free, even if it means I may never see her or you guys again.

Kay: What do you mean?! We're going back...right?!

Mesa: Like I said, I don't know all the details. So, I don't know… I'm sorry.

General G: We need to wrap this up.

Lilli: Okay Mesa, we need to go now, It was a breath of fresh air hearing your voice. We love you so much!

Mesa: I love you guys too! Please be safe and stay out of trouble… Byee!

Mesa ends the call and Lilli hands the navpad back to Cece.

Lilli: I hope that helped.

Cece: It did. The person you're avoiding is… Vitaly. The other conqueror in this sector… Genny, we got a lot to talk about. We should go now and let them rest up.

The General looks at Cece and notices how serious she is. He nods, and the two leave the room. Lilli looks over at the boys and her eyes swell with tears once again. She then gets up and makes her way over to the other bed.

Lilli: Get some rest boys.

Kay: ...I've never seen you cry before Lil. Now this makes it twice in one day.

Lilli: I know. It's just been...a long day.

Jake: Stay strong Lil.

She wipes her eyes and turns off the lamp illuminating the room.

Lilli: Good night you guys. I love you

Kay: Love you too. Goodnight.

Jake: Love you. Goodnight.

10mins Later.

Kay: Hey Lil, can I sleep with you?

Lilli: Why Kay? What's wrong?

Kay: Your body is softer.

Lilli: Eww, gross! Kayleb no!

Kay: Come on please?! Jake takes up half the bed.

Lilli: Ugh...Fine! Hurry up!

Jake: Aww what?!

Lilli: Why are you complaining? You have the bed to yourself now.

Jake: Because, if I had asked, you would've said no.

Lilli: Shut up! You're bigger than both of us, so stop complaining.

Kayleb gets on the inner side of the bed and tucks himself in.

Kay: Goodnight Lil.

Lilli: Shut up!