My eyes stung, and I couldn’t see. Too many bright lights. My ears couldn’t distinguish between all the noise. A cacophony of electronic sounds and voices made everything indecipherable. The only thing I could feel and understand was the grasp still tight around my wrist. He tugged on my wrist, and I staggered forward until I remembered my knife. I still held it in my hand.

My vision started to adjust. The world becoming a series of blurs. I slashed out at all of them. The man dropped my arm. A few other blurs approached. I swung my knife at all of them until they backed away. My throat ached from screaming. Strands of hair clung to the sweat on my face.

The room came into view. The sleek metal walls and floor. A crowd of beings, some more humanoid than others, gathered around, eyeing me warily.

A buzzing noise filled the room before my knife flew out of my hand. I followed the path of my knife until I saw the man from the woods. He smiled at me, a wide smile revealing rows of sharp pointed teeth. A smear of red streaked across his forehead, and the sleeve of his shirt was torn near the wrist.

He nodded at someone behind me. Hands were on me before I could turn. I struggled to get out of the grip before another set of hands grabbed me, holding me immobile while another plunged a syringe into my neck. The world faded once more.

This time I woke alone. The cot was comfortable, and the sheets felt cool against my skin. I sat up. They’d bathed me if the fresh scent on my skin was any indication, and I now wore a comfortable pair of pants and a sleeveless top in a fabric that reminded me of cotton. A glass of water sat on a small table. My throat felt dry and achy. I felt my aches and pains fade as I drank the water.

I stood and looked at the rest of the room. Metal panels formed the walls, floor, and ceiling. The floor had a thick rug covering most of the floor that protected my feet from the cold metal. A pair of shoes sat at the end of the cot. I ran my hands along the wall searching for any signs of the door. I found nothing.

There was nothing left to do but wait. Wait until someone came to get me. Or until I died after they forgot to feed me or bring me more water. I shook my head. I was starting to sound like my aunt, but at least it didn’t look like I’d die of melanoma. The thought made me laugh. Once I started, I couldn’t stop. My laughter coming out in bursts. Tears built in my eyes and before I knew it, they were pouring down my cheeks as my laughter turned into sobs.

A noise caught my attention. A sharp hissing sound echoed in the room as the outline of a door formed against one of the walls, sliding open to reveal someone. They were definitely not human. Instead of legs, colorful tentacles like a jellyfish shifted across the floor. Some of those tentacles reached up and pulled back an umbrella-like hood, revealing a small face.

Their coloration deepened as I continued to stare. I blushed when I noticed.

They laughed, a light musical sound, before they spoke. “At least our species have one thing in common.”

I gave them a hesitant smile.

The delicate face tilted, the iridescent colors shifting across their body. “You do not look like an assassin. Why did you try to kill us?”

I looked at them, my mouth agape. They said nothing.

“You kidnapped me.” I said, my voice uncertain.

Their tentacles fluttered. “Kidnapping is illegal. And morally reprehensible.” The colors continued to shift across their body, the tentacles shifting back and force. The movement reminded me of pacing. “You lay on the obla.”

“The what?”

A tentacle waved at me. “You lay on the stone. You offered yourself to be Earth’s first contribution to the Tithe in over a thousand years.”