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where the long jagged laceration had been. The worst of it was covered up now.
    The next day as the routine continued, when the ship seemed abandoned again and the man was nowhere to be found, she felt her courage return to enter the vessel. The hatch was always open and the last few days she had surveyed for several hours watching for him but he had never appeared.
    She would have time to look around and the thought of soap gave her enough courage and excitement to urge her on. He wouldn’t miss soap.
    Allie gingerly stepped out of her hidden spot within the rocks and dunes and advanced toward the sleek ship. A wave of adrenaline washed over her as a strange terrible hold squeezed her heart. She placed her fisted hand where it hurt and willed it away; refusing to acknowledge it. Today she would make her own choices.
    She entered the hatch and cautiously walked down the long glistening corridor toward the spacious circular room with the floating planet. Maneuvering toward the opposite direction from the strange white space, she found an open panel that hadn’t been there before. Listening intently, she couldn’t hear any sound but her beating heart. When she felt it was safe enough to investigate, Allie entered the new room and found a supply closet.
    The splash of colors, strange shapes, and exotic products overwhelmed her. On one shelf she saw tinted crystal tubes filled with colored liquids, large clear packages filled with brittle, grainy substances, and another shelf held disks, plates, and a myriad of strange devices.
    One entire wall was a powerful door outlined in glowing red and blue that had an intricate lock system. She wondered what could be behind such a large barrier as nothing else she had seen on the ship looked as menacing and secure as it; not even the hatch. Allie reached out to touch one of the framed glowing colors when she heard the sounds of approaching footsteps.
    "What do you think you're doing?" A deep voice sounded directly behind her, stopping her hand in midair. Terrified that she was trapped, Allie couldn't bring herself to look back.
    A loud bang went off as something was dropped nearby and she jumped in surprise at the same time a large hand encased her forearm jerking her to face the man who now held her.
    Grey violent eyes filled her vision. The hand on her arm felt like heated steel.
    "I asked you a question. Can you even speak?" He demanded, looking angrier by the second. He was gripping both of her arms now and lifting her up just enough that she had to point her toes down to keep her balance.
    They stayed that way for what seemed like forever, staring at each other. Her heart had stopped. She was frightened by his eyes because it felt like he was stealing her soul. His face had darkened into a hard, determined expression as her gaze wavered to his mouth. Shivering, she wetted her lips. "Y-yes. I can speak," she whispered. He released her suddenly, and she nearly fell.
    The male moved away from her to pull out a chair from the central table. Turning it to face her, he sat down, not once looking away. "You're either very brave or incredibly stupid. Trespassing on a highly weaponized battle flyer, completely alone and from what I can tell, unarmed." He perused her body, "and barely dressed."
    "Are you going to hurt me?" She asked quietly. Had she made a mistake in coming here?
    "Yes. Unless you give me reason not to."
    Shaking to herself, she did feel incredibly stupid. There was no way this man wasn't aware of everything that was happening at any given moment. I bet he even saw me enter his ship. "Please..." she lied, "I was just trying to help. You had left your ship open and there– there are monsters here. I– I wanted to help," she broke eye contact with him, staring at the scar on his lip instead. “You never came back to your ship.”
    He laughed at her, "you were trying to help me?" The man retorted sarcastically. "Look at me girl, I need no help, from anybody. Especially from