Volume 1 p 11 Protect My New Family

Jet found seeing the deer this close unnerving. They could see them from the trees, but it felt so real now that they could reach out and touch them. Akia’s voice jolted Jet back to reality: “Be ready; they are moving this way.” “They are, Jet responded nervously. What do we do?” “Nothing, Akia said. Stand and look out into the field, pretending not to notice them but simultaneously so you can watch them using your peripheral vision. “Wait…what…Not notice them, peripheral vision; you and I have lived different lives.” Jet said. “We certainly have. Watch them; we can learn their intentions by how they approach us.” Akia said.  “Wait…what…we can? How is that?” Jet asked. “They are staying close together; if they were going to attack, they would spread out. The two in the back are looking around. They are looking for danger. This tells us that they are not causing this, nor do they know what is.” Akia responded.

“They are not looking at us. Do they not see us coming toward them?” Zoe asked. I am not sure, but be ready for anything. We do not know anything about them.” Alex responded as they walked along the tree line. When they were close enough, Alex yelled to the two, “Are you two following a hum? Is that what brought you here?” Akia turned her head to face an approaching Alex, and she said, pointing across the field, “No, they did.”

Each heart skipped a beat; all eyes were locked in, and no one moved.

Across the field, along the ridge, six shimmering star-like lights hovered above the grass.

Facing mixed emotions, the group kept one eye on the lights while the six ladies stood mesmerized by the light. The scene's beauty took in one part of them, while another part feared what it all meant. As the ladies stood frozen in thought, they forgot about the deer. The deer was the central mystery to solve a few minutes ago, but now the stakes had been raised, and now the deer were an afterthought.  Suddenly, that changed. With the six ladies together and the lights hovering in the distance, it seemed like an orchestrated plan was unfolding, and the deer’s part in the process had ended. They began to stir. The force controlling them appeared to let them go, and they walked away toward the west, away from the group. During all of this, the lights just hung there, as if waiting for just the right moment or a signal from something. The girls turned toward each other; fear and disbelief covered their faces. Stunned silence filled the air around them like a thick fog. Someone finally spoke when Alex said, “Not gonna lie, I have been fearful of this whole experience, but that scene was big. Whatever is out there is more powerful than we could have imagined.”

“Wait…What…So the deer don’t matter anymore?” Maya asked. Zoe responded, “It looks that way. It looks like the lights had taken center stage.”

The lights hung there, frozen in place as Zoe's hands began to tremble; she thought the lights were so simple looking, but I felt drawn to them. “They are so ominous and scary but simultaneously beautiful,” Maya mumbled; her breath became shallow and complex. So much power and fury, Alex thought as she clenched her fist; she felt the lights calling to her; she could see herself running across the field; she could see herself embracing the connection. The lights continued to pulse steadily; this created the illusion of a twinkle. The lights had a soft, warm feeling to Jet but were extremely strong simultaneously. Excited by the lights, Kailyn was about to burst; she was mesmerized by the sharp lines of the stars; their form was purposeful by design.  The energy she could sense from them pulled at her; she knew in her heart that she wanted to go over there.

Akia closed her eyes; she let the boldness, the unrelenting wave she could feel from the stars, roll through her. She could see herself in battle, moving swiftly from one opponent to the next. Quick skirmishes and breathtaking fighting skills were the scenes unfolding in her mind. Her eyes opened, and she stared across the field. Were those her thoughts or was…she paused…or were those thoughts being placed in her mind by the stars…she paused once again; the next thought was almost too much to consider. Were the thoughts put there by something even more powerful than the stars in front of her?

The lights were producing a steady rhythm with each pulse. The glow reflected in their wide eyes. Maya felt her breath hitch, Alex’s fists unclenched at her sides, Zoe’s shoulders softened, and Kailyn’s fingers twitched by her side. For a brief moment, they were all still—united in silence by the impossible beauty before them.

“Okay, this might just be me overanalyzing, but does anyone else see a connection between the lights and the hum? It is like the twinkle of the lights is synced with the notes of the hum.

Everyone is silent; everyone is checking out Zoe’s latest theory.

Everyone reached the same conclusion: there was a connection. The lights and the hum were one…or controlled by something else.

“Ok, this just got real,” Kailyn said.

“That might be the understatement of the evening,” Zoe said.

“Now we know there is more to this story. It’s not just the waves we have been feeling; now, the lights have been added to the mystery. The lights being here cannot be a coincidence. It’s… like they are here to guide us somewhere,” Kailyn says.

“Or to someone, Zoe says. We do not know what is causing this to happen, but each of us has seen personal examples of how powerful it is. There is not anything here on Earth that can pull off what we have seen. We must consider that this force may not be from Earth.”

“Wait…what…are you talking aliens?” Alex asked.

“Yes, I am,” Zoe responded.

“Ok, let’s slow our roll just a bit.” Maya’s voice trembles. First, the hum, now the lights, and the main event might still be out there. Clutching her hands near her heart, Maya continues, “I need a minute to get myself under control. This is too much. That is getting too real for this girl.”

“I completely understand your feelings, Maya, Kailyn says, putting an arm around Maya. I have the same fears, but for me, it means we need to find out. My whole life, I have had my future shoved in my face.  If whatever is out there has a plan for us, I want to know what it is.”

“What if aliens take us away, Jet wipes away a tear as she asks. If we are talking aliens and some plan, what if that plan is not for here on Earth? I cannot leave my brother and family; I would miss them very much. We can’t be interested in something that takes them away from our lives here?”

"Leaving is fine by me," Alex said with a shrug. "No real family, no real friends. I’m in it for the challenge and whatever’s waiting."

“Jet mentions several good points, Akia chimes in; we do not know what is at stake. We are acting like we have choices here. We may have already gone too far. The truth is we don’t know anything about what is going on. We know it has chosen the six of us, but for what we do not know. No one enjoys a fight more than me, but I also want to know what I face.”

“Just think of the tech and science we would encounter. For me, being on an alien spaceship out there would bring amazing opportunity, Zoe said, pointing to the sky. I would figure out the rest along the way. If they were looking for slaves or workers, they would not create this elaborate plan. They would have taken a whole bunch of us. I don’t want to all heavy with a free will vs. destiny kinda thing, but I think it is all good from here.”

“It would be nice to know if we are already on a path with a known ending, or maybe it wouldn’t. I am not sure. I might pee my pants either way,” Maya says.

Akia stepped forward, her voice cutting through the stillness. “We can’t just stand here. Whatever happens next, we face it together.”

No one spoke, but something passed between them, a flicker of shared understanding, of fragile but undeniable trust.

Zoe exhaled sharply, “Okay. Let’s do it.”

Alex cracked her knuckles, her voice steady but low. “No turning back now.”

One by one, they stepped closer, their shadows stretching long across the grassy field. The hum rose, resonating in their bones, vibrating in their chests, signaling the connection between them that was bringing them together as a group.

For a brief moment, the lights pulsed in perfect unison, and then, without warning, they began to move across the field toward the ladies. The hum shifted pitch as the lights glided forward, soundless but impossible to ignore.

Maya whispered, trembling but steady: “They’re… coming for us.”

Jet reached for Zoe’s hand without thinking. Alex exhaled. Akia didn’t hesitate. And together, they stepped forward.

“Whatever this was… we were part of it now,” Alex thought to herself. I have to be ready for anything. I have to protect my…new family.”

Thank you for reading this part of Volume 1. For fan reaction, follow us on the X and Instagram at @TeamMAD. If you'd like to share your thoughts on this or send some fan mail to one of the ladies, you can email us at TeamMADzakmaj@gmail.com.