#SFF #AtoZChallenge Zinulya

A speculative fiction short story from a dreamer

A continuous #sff story during April. May Rose Chavín is the main character (🧑🏽 they/them pronouns).

Yevtsye and May held hands once the ship took off. They watched Earth shrink from view, from planet to blue marble to tiny light in the sky. As the ship passed Mars, the light grew brighter for a moment. Then dimmed. Once they passed the asteroid belt, the ship went from light speed into a wormhole. 

"It took hours to get this far. How long do you think it will take to reach the new world?" Yevtsye asked.

Piers leaned closer. "A few minutes. Here, let me show you. Trace the shortest path between the tip of my thumb and the tip of my pinky finger."

Yevtsye traced it, going along his palm. 

"That was like the route we just took from Earth to Mars and then the asteroid belt. It seems the shortest, because a straight line is what you've been told is the shortest distance. But watch this." Piers pressed his thumb and pinky together.

"Wait, but that's cheating."

Piers smiled. "No, that's wormhole travel. Skip the line. The shortest distance is a fold. Press the starting point and destination together."

"It curved your hand though. Why do we not see the universe move when there's a wormhole?"

Piers shrugged. "Maybe people aren't that perceptive. Only one planet away, Earth was nothing more than a dot, no bigger than most other stars in the sky. And wormholes that move through time? Humans already lack the eyes to see time. Oh sure, the effect of time is perceived in the process of aging. But time itself isn't seen. Humans barely understand it. And are terrible at measuring it."

Yevtsye tilted her head. "Hi, O'tien."

"Hello. Yes, sorry, I forget that it's unclear that I am me when I speak through Piers."

"Is time measured differently in your mind-space dimension?" May asked.

"Absolutely. As you will need to measure it differently on your new world. Basing anything on how long it took the Earth to move is useless. You'll need something constant. Of course, that's if you measure it at all. The overlord of this world has little use for it. That is part of why my species had to be involved. As wild and free as this world is, knowing the countdown deadline for Earth was not easy to translate."

Docking directions were given. Upon boarding, the language implant chips had all downloaded the language of the guinea pig overlord and that species. Of course, that wasn't what they called themselves, but the chip used it, so words all came out sounding right. Otherwise, Yevtsye would have danced in her seat, as she had with every word she heard from their language before. Now, it just sounded like normal words. Still, the greeter who came to the shore to welcome them was sitting in her lap for the journey. She hadn't stopped petting the new friend. 

The ship opened. Cheers of welcome came from the outside. Fuzzy little creatures reunited with each other. Some humans found other humans they knew. 

Yevtsye looked around for her twin. May pointed in the distance and took off.

"Nope. Walk away." May stated while making shooing waves.

"What?" Doña Marina batted her lashes. 

"Might I ask what is going on? Why is this one forbidden from speaking with me?"

Yevtsye caught up. "Because she was going to kill me and my love. Hi, Zinulya."

"How did you make it here? I was told our family had perished." Zinulya wrapped her arms around her twin sister. 

"It's a long story. This is May, the love of my life. And this is Piers, who can turn into a humpback whale." Zinulya squealed and clapped when Yevtsye said that.

"Never thought about there being two of them, aye Piers? Greetings, I am O'tien, speaking through my darling Piers."

Zinulya touched the reddish stone earring she wore. "Pleased to meet you. And might I introduce Az'es, my closest friend and a young one of your kind."

"Lame. Who wants to hang out with you losers anyway. Bunch of chumps with aliens in your heads. I don't need this." Doña Marina stepped backward as she spoke. As she turned, she slammed into a fuzzy foot. 

"Everyone, this is Overlord Biggles. Welcome to Yeovil," Zinulya said, motioning to the gigantic fluffy overlord. Biggles picked up Doña Marina and dropped her on the other side of the nearest mountain range. 

"I'm going to like this world," May said with a smile. 

Question: Would you want to move to another planet if it was the only way to survive?

Thanks for reading this month!
J Lenni Dorner (he/him 👨🏽 or 🧑🏽 they/them) ~ Co-host of the #AtoZchallenge, OperationAwesome6 Debut Author Interviewer, Reference& Speculative Fiction Author, Uncle J to Biggles 💗🐹

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#SFF #AtoZChallenge Yesterdays

A speculative fiction short story from a dreamer

A continuous #sff story during April. May Rose is the main character (🧑🏽 they/them pronouns).

Jade's eyes widened as tears spilled out. "What?"

"You are not my student. Nor are you a pet with the designation of X. And, though I was born in Rose, that place is no longer my identity. Those names belong in our yesterdays. The overlord who is saving us was a friend to the Chavín people. I wish to be known as May Chavín as we go to the new world together. What about you, my love?"

"My true name is Yevtsye. If we find my twin sister, that is what she will call me."

May kissed her neck. "What about Yevtsye Chavín?"

"Share a name?"

"Is that not how people of your time show an unbreakable bond?"

Yevtsye kissed May. "It is part of how we form and grow families, yes. So we will both go to the new world?"

"Together. And we shall remain as such."

They hugged. Piers clapped.

"And what will become of me?" 

May looked at Doña Marina. "You will stay away from us. The Chavín family is ours, not yours. Is that clear?"

"I understand."

Piers looked at May. "You trust her not to make trouble?"

May wrapped an arm around Yevtsye and moved toward the path. "I trust that if she fails to keep her word, her body will die just as certainly there as here. I trust in my own skill."

Natica's stone was thrown at the blood-stained sand. Doña Marina struggled to retrieve it. Piers, Yevtsye, and May hurried up the path.

Question: The name Yevtsye is the Ukrainian form of Eve, and also means life.
Name meaning (click)
Do you think this name suits Jade's character?

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#SFF #AtoZChallenge Jade X Cannot Go to the New World #romance #shortstory

A speculative fiction short story from a dreamer

A continuous #sff story during April. May Rose is the main character (🧑🏽 they/them pronouns).

Overlord "Shell" Tardigrade's shadow grew larger as he landed on the shore. Natica climbed out of his harness and marched over to Doña Marina. 

"You have something that belongs to my overlord and me."

Doña Marina and May cast confused looks his way.

"You asked for the Miyoko Murex seashell I had worn at the Palio di Siena. You still have it. In fact, you brought it here."

Nightingale's beak clicked, unable to form speech while being choked by Jade. 

Doña Marina looked at May, who still had a weapon pointed at her chest.

"What? Natica wants his shell. Give it to him."

Nightingale clicked again. Doña Marina nodded, and threw her weapon instead of getting the shell.

The weapon landed at Nightingale's feet. A scream came from Jade. May turned to see what was going on. Doña Marina wrapped her leg around May, who fell on their injury. Blood sprayed the sand and Natica. Jade crawled to May, reaching out. Nightingale wielded the weapon with her large feet, aiming it at Jade.

Overlord Tardigrade rose up and, with one blow from his bearlike claws, split overlord Nightingale in two. 

Doña Marina looked wide-eyed at May. "Mercy."

"Hand over the shell," May replied, aiming again at Doña Marina's chest. 

Jade moved behind May, resting her head against their shoulder, and cried. Overlord Tardigrade scooped up Nightingale's remains. 

"What will happen to the people Nightingale had as pets? Class X has suffered losses, but my former students?"

Natica conversed with his overlord. "They become the pets of Shell. He is giving them to another overlord though. I believe it is the one you have come to meet."

Doña Marina moved to her knees, pleading to Natica. "Please, I will be Opal again. Allow me to be your mate."

Jade growled, poking her head out from behind May. "Just because O'tien moved and spoke through me, do not think I was deaf. You're pining for my May!"

Doña Marina pulled the shell out, pushed it to Natica's feet, then hung her head and cried. "I want to live!"

Natica took the Miyoko Murex seashell. He shook and spun it several times. A reddish stone fell out. He presented it to May.

"You know what this is now."

"I do," May confirmed, looking from the stone, to Doña Marina, then back to Natica.

"I have had it for most of my life. Because of the alterations my overlord gave me, I have not needed it to converse with our friends in a long time."

"Yes, but do you need it to get to the other world? I killed Quintilis Cave to get a stone for Jade."

Natica chuckled. "I could have saved you that trouble. A shame Piers didn't realize that. Well, here we are. You could kill this human. No one here would stop you. Or you could give her this stone, which is the only way to save her life."

Natica placed the stone in May's hand. Then pointed to the sky, where a red cloud was breaking open. "That is the last transport. It will land and fill with the final passengers. Once it clears Mars, the clock will run out on Earth. Absolutely no life will survive. This planet will start over. Perhaps, in many thousands of years, microorganisms will appear. Even the youngest of the overlords will not be around then. So, if you leave this person here, it is the same as killing her."

Jade hugged May from behind while addressing Natica. "What about you? Don't you need it?"

Natica shook his head. "Shell is taking me. Though I will no longer be his pet on the other world, I will always be his friend. We plan to live out our days there. Tardigrades too small for human eyes to see already play in the waters of that world."

"It's hard to imagine your overlord on a microscopic scale," Jade said. 

They watched as Natica climbed back into his harness. He waved the shell as overlord Tardigrade took off.

Doña Marina threw herself at May, facedown in the bloody sand. "Please let me live."

"And watch as you interfere with our relationship forever?" May asked.

"O'tien and I vote you kill her so we can be on our way. The ship will land soon." Piers said, his eyes on the sky.

"My love?" May leaned against Jade. "You were so displeased to know I had killed for your stone. You said you do not like this side of me."

Jade frowned. "I also don't like the idea of her killing me in hopes of stealing you. Of that, I am deeply ashamed."

"Piers? Hold these." May handed the weapon and stone to him, then looked at Doña Marina. "Don't get any ideas. Not only is Piers exceptionally skilled with that weapon, but he's got an alien in his head who was about to defeat Nightingale using Jade's body."

"Sorry about that, O'tien," Jade said. "My hands weren't sufficient. Then again, I'm grateful my body didn't kill."

May took Jade's hands. "Even now? Even knowing Nightingale and Doña Marina came here intent on killing us. Still, you would not wish to be the one to end their lives?"

Jade looked down. "No. It isn't right. As grateful as I am that you are alive, and as willing as I was to let O'tien use me as a vessel, I am glad there is no death on my hands."

May lifted Jade's chin. "You are as beautiful inside as outside. I love you."

"I love you too."

"But Jade X cannot go to the new world," May said.

Question: Would you save Doña Marina?

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#SFF #AtoZChallenge Wavered

A speculative fiction short story from a dreamer

A continuous #sff story during April. May Rose is the main character (🧑🏽 they/them pronouns).

"This isn't the sparring room at Budding Manor. You aren't Opal anymore." May held the weapon at the ready.

Doña Marina lunged at May. "Good."

May caught Doña Marina, knocking her to the ground. "I held back before. You never beat me when I had to hold back, when I wasn't allowed to harm you."

Jade cried in the distance, begging them not to fight. Piers held on to her, trying to keep her quiet. 

Nightingale flew at May from behind. A chunk of hair went flying as May screamed. Doña Marina took advantage, getting back to her feet and using her weapon against May. The sand turned red.

Doña Marina stood over May, weapon poised for a killing blow. Nightingale held the body, face down in the sand, blood gushing out. 

"What will your loyalty get you?" Piers released Jade as she spoke. "Nightingale will dispose of you as quickly as May, Piers, and countless others. Execution orders for every human who does not net a profit and bring enhanced status are already issued. Even if you do mate, after providing a few healthy pets, you will have no more use."

Doña Marina wavered for a moment as Jade approached. 

"Give me the weapon. I will do what needs to be done." Jade held out her hand.

Jade

"You?" Doña Marina looked at the innocence in Jade's eyes. There was such childlike wonder. "All those private sessions. It's because May saw an opposite in you. An opposite from this world of death, disease, and destruction. You aren't capable of killing."

Yet Jade curled and uncurled her hand, indicating a desire for the weapon. Nightingale piped with impatience. May groaned, coming around.

"I was not supposed to be here. My parents broke the law by allowing me to live. Twins were forbidden. I grew up hidden. My sister was chosen. But my sister wasn't there to take that day. I snuck out, I'm who they found, I'm who they brought here. I am ruining your world, your chance at a future." Jade pulled out her reddish stone. "And I am all that stands in your way. A ticket to freedom. You will have choices and be safe. Give me that weapon, I will give you a way to be free and survive."

Doña Marina looked at Nightingale, then down at May. "Will you also give me May?"

"What?" Jade asked, and Piers echoed in the distance.

Doña Marina pointed the weapon at Jade. "I could kill you and Nightingale, take your freedom stone or whatever that is, and get May to myself. We're alike, we understand each other. May will grow tired of you. I'm a better match."

"You have to be kidding me. That's what this is about? Jealousy?" Jade shook her head." No more mister nice alien." The words came from Jade's mouth as the hand with the stone touched person after person.  O'tien zipped through mind-space dimensions. 

Doña Marina fell to the ground, coughing uncontrollably. May clamored to their feet. Nightingale backed up until she was against a tree, Jade's hand choking her and pressing the stone to her neck.

May aimed the weapon at Doña Marina's chest. Though killing was natural and normal to them, and despite being unable to think of a reason not to do it, May was as still as stone.

A shadow came over them, large enough to block out the sun.

Question: If this were available in ebook format, would you pay 99 cents for it?

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#SFF #AtoZChallenge Vengeance

A speculative fiction short story from a dreamer

A continuous #sff story during April. May Rose is the main character (🧑🏽 they/them pronouns).

"Would you really have fought a squid-like monster for me?" Jade asked May.

"Of course. I don't know if my weapon works underwater. But I would have fought to my last breath to try to save you."

Jade chewed her lip. "What if it meant you had to kill it?"

May shrugged. "Same answer."

"You would actually take another life? You who talks about the devastation, how the whole world suffered. How there has been so much death. You would take a life?"

"Wouldn't be the first time today."

Jade snapped to attention and slid away from May. "What?"

May shrugged again. "Many of the overlords live by the code of survival of the fittest. Killing to save the life of one you're protecting is just how it goes."

"You had to actually kill for me? Today?"

"I suppose you've never taken a life. I didn't grow up in your time, in your world. I survived in mine. Until I met you, I never gave it a second thought. Until you, if Nightingale told me to cut a student from the program, I did. No questions, no protests. I have no idea if the overlord who gave me so much is even alive now. It doesn't matter; you're here, that's all I care about."

Jade rubbed her temples. "I didn't know this side of you. It's horrible."

"What side? This is just how things are."

"It shouldn't be! We're not supposed to kill. Life is precious."

"Tell that to the billions who died when the Devastation happened. People from your timeline did that. It happened moments before you were taken. You might have known the people who did it. Or the people who didn't prevent it."

Jade curled up into a ball and wept. "I wasn't supposed to exist. How would I have stopped whatever the Devastation was?"

"I do exist. I was born into the remains of a broken world. How do you expect me to not fight to survive? You're alive, I'm alive. That's something to celebrate, not cry about."

The two didn't speak again for hours. Then they felt Piers surfacing.

"We're here," O'tien announced. 

May, Jade, and Piers rested on the shore, O'tien chatting in their minds. A small, beige creature approached them from the nearby path. May swore that hearts comically exploded from Jade's eyes.

"Look at the little cutie! Hello, little one. Aren't you adorable? Yes, you are!"

"You don't know what that is. It could be dangerous. Or infected." May tried to pull Jade back to the resting spot. It was useless.

"It's just a cute little guinea pig! Look how soft."

Piers shook his head. "Do animals approach humans without ruling, killing, or infecting them in your time? Keep in mind that I'm much older than I look, and actually was alive back then."

Jade made a face at them. "Maybe an overlord sent this fuzzy-wuzzy little snuggly down to greet us. Ever think of that?" She knelt beside the creature. "Are you a cute little welcoming party?"

The guinea pig seemed to dance in a circle. 

"Oh, we have a little ballerina! Aren't you just the cutest ever!"

Piers whispered to Jade. "Remember the other day when she thought I was the cutest ever?"

May flicked him. "What was she going to do with a whale? I love her, but she's got no sense of danger."

"Well, she did fall for you. That does prove a lack of a sense of danger." 

The two laughed. They kept watch, making sure Jade wouldn't be harmed by the creature.

"Well, well, well. You were right, Nightingale. They did find their way here." 

May stood and spun in one swift move, the weapon pointed at the voice. Piers rushed to Jade's side. The guinea pig made a frightened sound before running away.

"Vengeance belongs to us," Doña Marina said with her weapon raised. 

Question: Do you think you could prevent the Devastation?

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