It had been three days since the Orb had engulfed Sloan and spit her out by a river. She'd almost stopped crying each time she woke. Being in another world wasn't what scared her. She knew what this world was. It was the world from her visions. It was the world from her visions before the vision. No one had been murdered yet. Or maybe only some had died because the people here were very much alive.

  What made Sloan cry was the idea that she might never get back to Michael. And she'd chosen that over just waiting out the boycott. Killing Trevor had also been unnecessary. She saw all of that now. And they'd come looking for her to make sure she was punished. It was only a matter of time.

  So she was unsure what to do with her time other than observe. Merrick was, at least, an easy place to live outside. Sloan wondered whether it stayed warm year-round. The river was full of fish, their iridescent bodies chasing each other up and down, back and forth. She'd considered killing one for dinner, but couldn't stomach the idea of eating raw fish. And starting a fire to cook with would draw attention, which she certainly didn't need. Her body was currently full of red berries and river water. And although she'd love more variety in her diet, the water hadn't made her sick, and the berries were absolutely delicious.

  During the day, Sloan spent her time just inside the opening to a small cave. From there, she watched people come and go from a nearby town. They weren't human, but she'd definitely classify them as people. People with wings. They wore muted cloaks that she assumed must be really hot, given the temperature outside. Their choice of shoes was unknown as the cloaks all but covered their feet. Most of them walked, but the younger ones flew as if they couldn't help themselves. As if flying were a right they must exercise. No one went near the Orb, which was about as far away from the town as Sloan's cave, flaming and billowing all day and all night.

  Mentally, Sloan knew she couldn't hide in the cave forever, and her body had adjusted to Merrick quite easily. The Orb had somehow removed her space helmet during the transport here. Breathing wasn't an issue. This was another reason she thought of the creatures as people. She was more like them than different. They breathed the same air. Where were they today, she wondered, willing someone to appear and speed up the passage of daylight.

  And then someone did. A short male creature appeared as if out of nowhere directly in front of the Orb. Sloan stuck her head out for just a second, trying to visualize exactly where the man had come from. She saw nothing but clumps of trees on either side of the Orb flanked by stone benches. He must have come from a second town, she thought, glancing back at the town she had become accustomed to. It reminded her of something from a Star Wars movie. The dwellings were made out of hardened sand.

  Sloan glanced back at the man, only to find he was walking straight toward her, and in a hurry, his eyes focused solely on the cave and, likely, her.

  "Holy fuck," she said, stepping back into the shadows so fast she tripped and fell. "Fuck me to absolute pieces!"

  Sloan stayed low, bear-crawling backwards to the rear of the cave, where she waited. How many minutes until the winged man found her? She looked for a rock to crack against his skull. She couldn't help but feel that she'd done this before, although that was stupid and impossible. There were no rocks in the cave. In mere seconds, he would be here -an alien from another world.

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  "Hello," Solomon said, sticking his head into the cave. Sloan could see him, but she could tell he could not yet see her. "I won't hurt you. My name is Solomon."

  Sloan pushed against the back of the cave so hard she nearly let out a small scream. If he got close enough, she'd kick him in the balls and run. Although without a cloak, she'd stick out like a sore thumb. She needed his cloak. A series of steps began to form in Sloan's mind. First, she'd kick him in the balls and get him on his knees. Then, she'd jump on his back and strangle him until he passed out. She wasn't planning to kill him, but if it happened, she wouldn't lose sleep over it. She'd bury him in the cave, take the cloak, and walk all night until she found a new cave. Any cave would do. She'd figure it out.

  "I will not hurt you," Solomon said again. "You are friends with Edward."

  The guy knows Edward, Sloan thought, her mind grappling with the idea that her dumb teammates had befriended another life form. It didn't prove the dude was safe. Sloan revisited the steps. First, kick him in the balls. Next, ...

  "I know you are from Mars. You believe our planet does not exist in the future. You have seen a vision."

  Someone had shared her vision with this man. Suddenly, Sloan felt even more betrayed by people she'd once considered friends. Had they told him her name? If things went sideways and she was taken prisoner, would these creatures expect more visions from her?

  Still, she said nothing. Solomon was now very close, his eyes undoubtedly adjusting to the darkness. He was heading away from where Sloan sat crouched, but the correction wouldn't take him long.

  "I know your people have treated you poorly," Solomon said. "You are like a prisoner. They are like how do you say it? Dicks."

  "Did you just say dicks?" Sloan said, horrified that her thoughts had taken form in words, giving her position away.

  Solomon spun around as if he were the one being hunted, his wings popping out from behind.

  "Yes, I have learned this word from your friends. Did I not use it correctly?"

  "You used it correctly," Sloan said, standing. "My world is full of dicks. How did you know I was in here?"

  "I pray each night that your people will return to Merrick. Each morning, I journey to the Orb to look for tracks. I saw tracks three days ago, but assumed Hammel had already fetched you and given you housing."

  "Who's Hammel?" Sloan asked, her fear dissipating into curiosity.

  "Hammel is a most undesirable Merrick. I am happy to learn that you do not know of him. He is an elected reader, which means the Orb communicates with him directly, and then we must trust that what he tells us is the will of the Orb."

  "That fireball thing is your leader?" Sloan asked, stepping close enough to Solomon for him to finally see her.

  "The Orb is our creator. We depend on it for guidance and prosperity."

  "The fireball?" Sloan said, flatly.

  Solomon turned sharply to glance back at the Orb as if it might cast its fiery fingers into the cave in retaliation.

  "You have much to learn about Merrick. Would you trust me to come to my home?"

  "Why do you talk like that?" Sloan asked. What year is it here?"

  "It is the year 200," Solomon said. "What year is it on Mars?"

  "2030," Sloan said.

  Solomon gasped, his hand moving up to cover his mouth. Sloan felt it too. They were sharing a sacred moment.

  "The Orb must have great plans to design a way for us to meet, don't you think?"

  "Maybe," said Sloan. "But I'm hiding in this cave because I killed somebody. You think your Orb designs things around people like me?"

  Solomon waited so long to answer that Sloan began to revisit her previous plan. First, kick him in the balls. Next, get him on his knees...

  "I have wanted to kill Hammel for a very long time. I believe the Orb knows my mind. If it does not stop me from thinking about killing Hammel, and one day I do kill him, how can I not believe that my actions are the Orb's will?"

  Sloan wasn't so deranged as to entertain the idea of her killing Trevor to be God's will. But she did believe in a higher power and in divine intervention. Maybe God had sent her Solomon.

  "You think your Orb can design a way to get me back home? The dicks I came with don't want to leave."

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