Kelly and Mischia were given fruits and vegetables to eat, then sent upstairs to sleep in the two bedrooms of the penthouse apartment.
The bedrooms were luxurious, furnished in white with en suite bathrooms and floor to ceiling windows that let in a tremendous amount of light. At night, the view over Excel and London was breathtaking, best enjoyed from the bed.
Mischia undressed, took off the ring and had a bath. She sat in the hot water, thinking about her life, and what Justine had said about it. They were dead to the world now, unless they decided not to be, but it was not safe because the Renegade was after them.
They had gone underground, and sort of on the run. Two days ago she was a normal, broke twenty-two year old with bills to pay and a job she didn’t like. Now she was a supposedly dead fugitive, being pursued by a powerobsessed alien.
How life could change in a minute.
She got out of the bath and put on the robe hanging on the back of the door, then went to sit on the edge of the bed, watching the incredible night-time view.
Mischia was trying very hard to come to terms with what she had been told about the Wymasirians. Like how they were from another planet and able to do extraordinary things such as disappear into thin air. She had thought things like that only existed in movies, books and fantasies, not in real life, not so close to her.
There was a lot more to learn, Justine had said, and it would take so much time to digest and accept, but for now they should take it in their stride.
She started thinking about her family and how upset they probably were at her ‘death’. Justine had said that she could call them, but if they were going to play dead, it wouldn’t be such a good idea.
She was grateful to Justine, who had been patient and understanding. She had not patronised or made them feel inadequate, even if they were. She had given them choices and said that they were free to do anything they chose. She never pressed them in any way and Mischia was grateful for that.
She prayed that her family and friends would cope well with losing her. She prayed for herself and Kelly, that they would be able to get through all this, and come out at the other end unscathed and alive.
She fell asleep feeling heavy and confused.
In the midst of her unconsciousness, Mischia felt somebody putting a ring on her finger and picking her up as if she weighed nothing. Opening her eyes briefly, she saw that they were headed towards the big window.
In the next moment they were on the outside, gently floating down towards the ground.
Mischia went back to sleep.