~
"Wake up, already," Melina heard as she began to float back to the surface of reality. She shook her head to loosen the cobwebs that cluttered her mind and immediately regretted the shake. Pain coursed through her head and down her back and she whimpered.
"I'm sorry about that. I kind of panicked when I saw your ship or boat or whatever that thing is crash into my swamp," the voice mumbled to her. The rugged drawl tickled down Melina's spine. She had to shake that off quickly; she had business to do and she was pretty sure his name was not business.
"Yes, because after a girl crashes, she is well prepared for an even and hardy duel," Melina drolled.
"Fair enough, but in my defense I don't know you and you did kind of fly into the middle of my paradise in something I've never seen before. How's a guy supposed to know whether or not he's safe?" When she huffed, he continued, "I just reacted and I apologize. Please, can I get you something for your head? Tylenol? Cold rag?"
"What, in God's name, is a tie-len-all? You can let me go," Melina suggested when she tried to move and realized she had been immobilized. "Rope? Truly? You've no other means of keeping me under control?"
"Tylenol is for headaches and pains. Not big on medicines, huh? And don't sound so cocky. That rope is holding you just fine," the voice responded.
She blinked her eyes, trying to focus on the voice. She was outside and the light was blinding. Trees were tall and thick with leaves. It smelled fresh and clean. She was definitely a very long way from home.
She blinked a few times when she heard a strange sound. Then, she saw the man pull a tiny device from the pocket of a very strange garment that looked a little too snug for a man of his size. He had long, flowing black hair and eyes so green, they pierced right through her heart the moment his gaze locked on hers.
He placed the device on his face, next to his ear and then spoke, "Yes, I did hear that. I saw it, too. I was in the field when it crashed," he spoke, sounding frustrated. "I went to check it out, but it's lodged in the middle of the marsh. I will take the boat out in a bit, but there was a survivor and I have her here." He paused and appeared as if he was listening to someone on the other end of the device. It was extraordinary. Sleek, black. Fascinating. "Yes, her. I know my pronouns, Dantez. Thanks for your vote of confidence. I am going to find out who she is and then figure out the next step. Can you chill?"
Chill? Why would he want the person to be cold? Her thoughts raced at incredible speeds. She didn't know who this man was, where she had ended up, and worst of all - when.
When he put the device back in his pocket, she found her voice quicker than she thought. "Can you tell me what year it is?" Melina asked timidly.
"Are you serious?" he jested. "I didn't hit you that hard. Geez. Play up the victim card, why don't you?"
"I assure you, sir. I am not creating folly for your amusement. Please answer my question," she pleaded.
When he realized she seemed to be truly asking, " Oh, it's 2014."
"First of all, I am the victim here, sir. I crashed and then was assaulted and tied to a very uncomfortable seat in the middle of a forest. How am I to know what you have planned for me?" Her chin jutted out defiantly as if to show her strength, but the man just put his head down a bit and chuckled.
"Well, you certainly act the part of lost in space or something. I am not sure what to do with you. I think I am going to get a little bit of help on this. Would you feel more comfortable with a lady around?"
"In fact, I would. Thank you," she responded quietly. "And I would like to accompany you, if I may. This place is very unfamiliar to me and I feel ill prepared being tied to a seat and all."
"We don't have to go anywhere," he responded as he removed the device again and took a step away from her, turning his back. Whoa. The garment might have been a bit snug in fit, but it showed off all of his assets beautifully. Perhaps this time period and its clothing trends wasn't so bad after all.
"Hey, are you guys busy with anything interesting? I have a little something going on at the edge of your property; if you'd like to come check it out, I would be thrilled." She could hear the smile and reverence in his voice. Whoever he was speaking to, he felt she was superior to him. A lover?
He put the device away and turned back around. The shirt he wore had no sleeves and when he moved, his chest and arms flexed. He was lean and tight and much different than the men she was used to.
"Help will arrive in -" he looked up and smiled, "about thirty seconds."
"How could you -?" she began when she heard leaves rustle and suddenly three women appeared from the wooded area to her right. They stood silently for a full minute before moving forward. They were dressed stranger than the man. Each was wearing small, colorful garments with no snaps or other adornments. Nearly all of their legs were showing and much of their chests were exposed as well. They also wore no shoes.
They moved like a unit and surrounded her; one on each side and one behind her. The one on her left put her hands just above Melina's head and paused, then turned quickly to the man.
"Zotom, you hit this woman? What is wrong with you?" she pounced close to the man and punched him in the chest. Flying backward, he fought to steady himself to remained upright. He didn't strike her or retaliate in any way; he just clung to his chest, coughed a few times, and then walked back to where he was originally standing.
"Seriously? She came out of a freaking metal something in the air and then crawled through the swamp like nothing happened. She's either a superhero or some psycho badass that I am not taking chances on. If I didn't know better, I would assume she was related to one of you," he gestured wildly between the three women. His words were strange, but she caught what he meant. "Besides, she talks funny and I have never seen clothes like that before," he added.
"It is not a metal something. It is an alloy, which is much stronger than just a simple metal," Melina spoke. "If you go into your marsh or whatever you call that thing, you will see my ship should remain unharmed. I built it to last and withstand such things. I wasn't expecting it to be submerged in water, but I'm confident it's just fine. If you can assist me in that, I will gladly be on my way and not bother you again. I'm sure I can fix any malfunction it has quickly, as I am its creator and built it myself." Her eyes were sincere and strong, but also pleading and sad. She was proud of her work, but nervous of its fate.
"She tells the truth," the woman to her right spoke. "Untie her at once." She commanded the man and he leapt to do her bidding as if he were her pet. This world was so different for Melina. In her time, men ruled everything. These women seemed in total control of the situation.
"Sorry, I just had to be sure. I'm not all juju crazy stuff like you guys. That’s why I called." He made quick work of the intricate knots and untied her. As he finished the knot at her feet, his knuckled rubbed the inner part of her ankle, just above her boot. The moment his flesh met hers, she was sure her entire body melted into a puddle. He looked up at her and they locked eyes, his green clashing with her brown as he worked the other knot without looking at it. He seemed to slow his process, but not stop completely.
When he rose and tossed the ropes to the forest floor, she chose to stay seated as she wasn't sure if her legs would work properly after he was in such close proximity to her.
"She's a smarty pants, but she is also being honest about her ship and that she would leave if we help her." The woman then turned to her. She had striking features and reminded Melina of an exotic goddess. She had a cascade of flowing blonde curly locks and her eyes seemed to be two different colors. "My dear, are you well? Is someone trying to hurt you? You can be honest with me. I will know immediately if you lie."
Instinctively knowing the woman was being truthful had nothing to do with the fact that Melina wanted to be honest with them. She took a slow, deep breath and then began, "I am running away from my family. My father is a bishop of the church, so he has very strict rules when it comes to me. My brother went mi
ssing recently and now my family wants me to wed some baron or duke or some such nonsense and I am just not the marrying type. I am an inventor and it's not right for me to be that way. I am supposed to be a lady and do as I'm told and play the part, but I just cannot do that forever. I can't fake happiness. Why would they push me to do something for their own good? What about my good and my happiness?" Melina burst into tears and the first woman came to her left side and hugged her.
"We are here, sweetie. Don't be upset. We'll try to help you. I promise." The woman had amazing blue eyes and pink hair. Pink! She looked up to the blonde goddess who nodded slightly in agreement.
The blonde spoke again, "Yes and I'm sorry. We have forgotten our manners. I am Saber and these are my sisters, Audire and Rozar."
"Hello, I'm Melina Rose Bathhurst," she choked out as she wiped away a stream of tears.
"Oh, and I am Zotom," the man said as he stepped forward. "I apologize again for the whole bashing you over the head thing. I -"
"Most excitement I've had all week, save for my ship crashing," Melina interrupted with a muffled giggle. "You are forgiven, sir." She looked up at him so he could see the joy in her eyes. Even through her tears, she was enjoying the conversation with those around her.
"So, what can we do to help you, Melina?" the other woman asked. She thought the exotic woman called her Audire. Her hair was so black, it nearly seemed blue. These women were beauties, but something about them was very different.
"Pardon me, I'm sorry for not answering you immediately, but you all have such strange names and look so exotic. A bit before your arrival, Zotom," she nodded to the man, "told me the year is 2014. Is that accurate?" She looked to him as if to apologize for not trusting him.
"Uhm, yeah. That's right. I could tell by how you speak that you aren't from around here, but you aren't sure of the year? What year did you think it was?" Rozar, the dark-pink haired woman asked her. She was still so close after releasing Melina from the hug before.
"Well, 1809 of course," she answered matter-of-factly.
Strange looks were passed around by everyone and thick silence blanketed the area for a full minute. Then the goddess stepped forward slightly.
"Melina, excuse our hesitance and silence. Are you saying that you are from the year 1809? And you crashed here on our land more than two hundred years later without realizing?" Saber asked.
"It's been a mere hour or so for me, miss. I apologize if I seem strange, but from your way of dress and speech and from his interesting device, I knew something wasn't quite right," she nodded her head to Zotom again. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the device again. "And I was merely on a mission to try to find my brother. My family is very concerned about his well-being. When he is home doing his manly part for the family, they usually leave me to my tinkering. If he is gone forever, they'll force me into something I don't want."
"Marriage?" Audire asked.
"Yes. I know I am not a typical woman for my time, but I enjoy what I do. I might dress the part," she looked down at her now-filthy but still beautiful clothing, "but this is as normal as I get. I can be found in my shop or hiding somewhere outside nearly any hour of the day trying to improve my inventions, make new ways of doing things, and building. I love to work with my hands and bring something mechanical to life. It's incredible and my family doesn't understand that."
"Yes, well family can be a bit over-bearing sometimes," Audire agreed with a small chuckle. "But usually they are looking out for your best interest. You were doing a great thing. Do you know how you got knocked off course?"
"I truly don't. I changed things around in my engine only a week ago and hadn't yet had time to test it out. While I'm very interested in ways to bend time and space, I don't think anyone has a firm grip on that just yet. I was only tinkering with ideas and formulas. Then, my brother went missing and I had to rush to do something. I guess something I changed in my machine made me leap through time," Melina was gushing about her work and science and the excitement in her eyes made everyone around her smile.
"You're a super genius!" Rozar announced.
"I'm sure I'm not that, miss. I do enjoy the work though. No one would listen to my theories. They think because I'm a woman that I don't know what I am speaking of, but I obviously do. I'n here," she looked like she would burst from happiness at any moment. "This time is so different. And that device," she pointed at Zotom, "that's just amazing."
"His cell phone?" Saber asked pointing to the device. When she looked confused still, Saber added, "It's a way to speak with people from long distances away. He used that to call our home and ask us to come here."
Her eyes bulged in fascination, "That is possible? How intriguing. How does the device work? You have one as well and can answer him? Without wires or pipes? How is it powered? It is so small. Can I touch it?" She eyed the device intently, but Zotom slid it back into his pocket. She seemed to deflate a bit with the device being out of sight.
"Technology has come a very long way in just a few hundred years," Rozar giggled.
"So it would seem," Melina agreed. Her eyes continued to sparkle.
"I tell you what, Melina. We will fish your hunk of alloy out of the swamp, get you and that thing cleaned up, and while you eat something, I can show you all kinds of nifty devices and things," Zotom offered.
Her eyes lit up and she jumped from the seat. "Very well, let's be off then. You don’t happen to have a device that can pull my ship from that water, do you?" she joked.
"As a matter of fact, we do," answered the inky-haired sister, Audire. "Back in a jiffy." She darted off from the direction that they came. She was so fast, Melina was sure her eyes were playing tricks on her. She'd never seen a woman run so fast in her life.
"What is a jiffy? Is this a new device?" Melina looked confused and fascinated.
"No, she means quickly," Saber soothed.
"Oh. I apologize. I feel this time is very confusing and exciting for me at once," Melina lamented with a giggle.
"Yeah, I'm sure it is. Don't worry. We are pretty simple and are willing to help you in any way we can. This has to be crazy for you," Rozar spoke up, coming close to Melina again and tugging her into a half hug again.
"Okay, enough of this girly time, let's get to work," Zotom spoke as he heard a slight rumbling behind him. "Sounds like Audire has returned with the cherry picker."
"You have something that picks your fruit for you? How convenient. You all must be very busy if you need such a device." Melina's fascination made them all smile.
"No, a cherry picker is a machine used to pull heavy things out of places. In this case, it is a boat of ours that should be strong enough to drag your ship to shore," Saber responded.
"Intriguing. May I see it?" Melina asked, finally standing up to join the others.
"Sure, come with me," Saber answered and started walking toward the swamp.