Rift Pt. 01

Hey all. Here's another story and it's Directly connected to a few other stories including Neighbors and some that haven't been posted yet. All characters involved in sex are 18 or older. Because someone has tried to copy my work and post it online, I must state my all my work is protected by copyright laws. That being said, I hope you enjoy.

*****

This place... it's not the same. It's not my home. I may look like the people here, at least in their eyes, but we are not the same. I don't even know why I'm humoring the old man and his wife. I know I should be grateful. They took me in when I crash landed on this planet. They gave me a place to stay and food to eat. They're good people. But they're not my parents. Nor are we even the same species.

I can't believe he talked me into going to this so-called human school. I should be out there looking for the stolen parts of my ship. Not here, wasting time trying to blend in. No matter how hard they try, this place will never be my home.

How could it be? It's filled with weaklings. And yet, here I am. Living among them, pathetic.

I've been in this disgrace of an excuse for higher learning for the last two weeks and I hate it. None of the students here actually care about learning. They walk around without a care in the world. They have no idea what's actually out there. If they only knew, they wouldn't be so ignorant. How could they know? They're too self-absorbed with themselves to see beyond their own meager interests.

"Hey, you must be the new kid. Jordan Taylor, right? I'm Mackenzie Manchester" a girl asks. That's not my real name, but the old man said I should take it. I hate having to use another person's name as my own. Her dark black hair falls down just below her shoulders. She's got soft sand-colored skin that looks like it has been kissed by the sun. Her bright blue eyes gleam brightly, so full of life. She's got a warrior's body. Lean and fit. Thick muscular legs with a slim waist and a tight stomach.

"What do you want?" I ask.

"I just wanted to introduce myself. I didn't realize the Taylors had another kid. They're such nice people. I absolutely love their little cafe. They have the best-baked goods in this entire city," she says.

"I'm not their son," I mutter as I turn to walk away.

She hurries to keep up. "Then you must be a nephew, right? You share the same last name."

"And how do you know?" I ask.

"You were on the class roster. We're in the same math class. We actually sit next to each other" she says.

"I didn't notice," I shrug. Her face contorts in such a way that suggests I insulted her. Like I care.

We enter the class and take a seat. Sitting in this awful excuse for a math class, I bury my head in my arms. This is no place for a Novalan Warrior. At least that was what I was training to be before the destruction of my home planet.

"Jordan, would you care to answer this question?" the teacher asks. I couldn't bother to remember her name. All humans are the same to me. Even though they come in different colors and sizes, they talk alike and act alike. And they're all weak. I could wipe them all out with just swipe of my hand. And yet, they're the only things I have left.

"No, I wouldn't care to" I say.

"If you're having trouble with the problem, we can go over it after class," she says.

I take one glance at the problem. A simple derivative question. These humans are so primitive. "The problem is far too easy. It's 7x... This class is such a waste of time." I put my head back into my arms. I should've fought with the rest of my people. At least then I would have had a noble death. Now life is just so... meaningless.

I feel like such a machine as I go through the rest of the day, I try my best not to put in much effort. Not that these classes require it. Even if they were hard, I would normally be able to pluck the knowledge from my teacher's mind just as easily as I could read it off the projector, however, I made a promise to the old man not to enter these primitive human's minds. As if I'd want to. God knows what these mongrels are thinking about. They're so simple, it bores me.

--

After School

After I arrive back at the home of the old man and his wife. As I walk down the hall to the room they've given me, I stop and stare at the photo of the old man, his lady, and two others I've never seen before. A middle-aged woman and a boy who must be their son. The old man and his wife look a lot younger in this photo. And they look happy. The old man's hair is not as grey, just peppered. Still wearing the same glasses, so his poor sight isn't because of his old age. His woman has bright blonde hair in this photo. Not the same as the white hair she has now. Here human hair greys and whites as one gets older as well. She doesn't have as many wrinkles either.

The woman shares her mother's hair, but it's darker. She's not fat, but not skinny either. Attractive though, that's evident. A bright smile. Reminds me of Xarla back home. For the love of the gods, I miss her. She'd always nag me during our training, but she always had my back no matter what. She had such a strong mind. And the time we connected, it was unlike anything I have ever felt before.

Now she's gone and she left a blackhole in my soul. I just don't have the motivation to do anything now that I'm stuck on this godforsaken backwater planet as I collapse in my bed. A knock on the door. The old lady stands outside. "Jordan, honey? I would love it if you accompanied us to the football game, it's the second game of the year," she says as she opens the door.

"What is football?" I ask.

"It's a sport. A competition where teams play off against each other," she says.

What kind of competition could a primitive race such as these humans come up with? It's probably nothing as challenging as the ones back home, at the very least, it could provide a distraction. Something to laugh at. "Fine. I'll go."

I get into the Taylor's van and we arrive back at the school before long. I follow them into a field with stands on both sides of it. The field has lines painted across it. This already looks boring.

The old folks hand a man in a box some paper and then he stamps their hands. The old man turns to me. "They'll need to stamp your hand so you can get in."

"I don't need a stamp to get in. If I want to get in, no one will stop me," I say.

The old man smiles. "It's just good manners. You see, we pay them so they can continue to play the sport. Our support allows them to become better people. The stamp is just to show that we paid. It washes off," he says.

I let out a long sigh and hold out my hand and the man stamps it.

I follow the man and his wife inside.

"Jordan. I'm surprised to see you here." I turn to see the girl from earlier. What was her name? Does it even matter?

"Aww, hello there Ms. Manchester. It's good to see you," the old man says as he turns to me. "I didn't realize you made a friend."

"We are not friends," I clarify.

"Not yet, anyway," he says. "Well, we'll let you two talk a bit. We'll be in the stands."

The old man and his wife take their leave.

"So, I'm honestly surprised you didn't join the team. You seem like you'd be great at football," the girl says with a hopeful spark in her eyes.

"It'd only be a waste of my time," I say.

"I'm sorry you feel that way,' she says.

I only shrug.

"Well, I'm glad you came," she says. Why is this human even talking to me?

"What do you want from me?" I ask.

"I... Nothing. I was just being friendly," she says as her gaze falls away.

I can't help but laugh. No one's just friendly. They either want something from you, or they're just sizing you up to see if you're a threat.

"What's so funny?" she asks.

"Nothing." I'm not going to give her any kind of satisfaction of getting under my skin. I have to play it cool until I figure out what her angle is.

"Okay... Well, I'm glad you came." The way she grabs her arm indicates she's feeling some kind of remorse or guilt. Maybe it's shame. It's hard to tell with such a primitive species. If only that old man didn't challenge me, I could just read her mind like a book and know all her secrets. She couldn't have that much of a complex thought pattern. She's just another savage.

I guess I should go sit with the old man and his woman. I'll see for myself what this "football" is all about.

"Do you mind if I come sit with you?" she says as I go to walk away.

I shrug. "I don't care."

She follows me into the stands.

"Aww there you are," Sharon says. She and John are sitting next to another pair of humans similar in age.

"Jordan, I would like you to meet my good friend Barbara and her husband Ralph."

Ralph reaches out his hand for some odd reason.

I stare at it and then back up at him.

"Ah. You're supposed to shake his hand," John says as he claps me on the shoulder before turning to the other human. "Sorry, John. He's not from around here. Grew up overseas in a village that doesn't use handshakes."

I don't understand why we have to lie to these humans. I hate that I have to hide who I am on this backwater planet filled with softies. I'm the superior being, they should be the ones who have to hide.

"Aww looks like the game is going to start." The old man says. "Have a seat, Jordan. You too, Mackenzie"

"Thanks!" the girl says.

I'm taking a seat, not because the old man says so, but because I want to. And of course the annoying girl sits down right beside me.

This game already bores me. Why is one team lined up in a straight line and the other all spread out? And what in the seven hells kind of ball is that? Aren't ball supposed to be round?

This is so ridiculous. A whistle blows and a kid kicks the oddly shaped "Ball," if you can even call it that. Now I'm really confused. Why are both teams running towards the ball?

Oh, I see, they're trying to make a wall...

Well, that plan failed. Pathetic. All it took was one bigger human barrelling through to put an end to their wall. The guy carrying the oddly shaped ball doesn't even put up a fight before he's brought down. Another whistle blows. Now, what are they doing? This game doesn't make any sense.

No one has even died yet. At least in buzkol ball, someone usually dies within the first few minutes. How are you supposed to reach your true physical limits and grow stronger when you haven't felt the fear of death? None of these humans would last a second on Novala. They're all weak.

As I sit here and watch this borefest, even though I don't know the rules of this stupid game, I can tell our team is definitely losing. A lot of them seem to end up on the ground. They've got no balance or strength.

Another play and their leader, the one who throws the ball ends up getting hit hard by the opposing player. He doesn't get up. He just lays there all pitiful. Eventually they have to carry him off in a stretcher. How feeble. Humans are so fragile.How have they survived this long?

Just when I thought they couldn't be any more pathetic, their leader gets hurt.

I can't watch anymore of this. Without a word, I get up and leave. The girl follows me out.

"Where are you going?" she asks.

"Why do you want to know?" I ask as she follows me out to the parking lot.

"I... I don't know. I just... I thought you could use a friend. I know I sure can," she says.

"What do you think I am? Some kind of pathetic miscreant? I am in no need of friends. Just leave me alone!"

She looks as if she's about to cry. She turns tail and practically runs away. I walk around the school with my hood on. When no one is watching, I focus. I can feel the flow around me. With a mere thought, I pierce through the air like a bullet getting shot out of a gun. It feels so good to be above them all. To see them for the ants they are. For all the gods, I have been hiding who I am for so long, I forgot what it felt like to use my powers. And it makes me feel alive.With the surge of energy all around me, I harness it to propel myself through the air. Faster and faster I surge forward, all the tiny little humans below me blur into a smear of darkness.

I reach a point where none of those pesky earthlings are. Landing on the ground in between trees. I believe they call them palm trees. This world is so green and plush. A lot different than my own world. I reach out with my mind and see all that is around me. Small and large reptiles roam around, some mammals and birds. Lots of different plants and plenty of rocks. My breath is heavy. How weak have I grown? I've only been on this planet for a mere few weeks and I'm starting to become as weak as they are. Xarla would have much to say about my current state. She'd be very disappointed. And so would my father. I remember as if it was yesterday the training he would put me through. Being the son of a general, high expectations were thrust upon my shoulders. And my father did not accept anything short of perfection.

To see me now... I'd be a disgrace in his eyes. The bastard never showed me any affection. Not like the old man seems to share with the young woman in that photo. No... I was just a tool for him to further the family's reputation. I was his replacement. Now he's gone, just like everyone else I knew. I'm so angry. Why wasn't I there? I should've been there to fight. Maybe... Just maybe they could've of survived if I was there to fight. Rage boils over inside me. Like a fire erupting from being fed oxygen, I explode. Tearing every plant and tree out from the ground. Rocks fly up along with chunks of the ground. I scream out, unleashing my rage upon this land as a tornado of debris swirls around me.

I will get my revenge. I will avenge my family. My people! I will find the one that destroyed my homeworld and I will bring death upon them! I let out a breath and everything that swirls around me fall to the ground. I look around to see so much destruction. Everything within sight has been demolished by my anger. This will be the fate of my enemy. Sweat pours from my body as I catch my breath. After the rage has burnt out of me, I become exhausted. I'm so pathetic.

I will not continue to grow weaker while my enemy is out there. I will grow stronger than ever and vengeance will be mine.A drop of sweat drips from my brow as I surge up off the ground and fly out of here. I go as fast as I possibly can. Soaring through the air like a missile. I stop just above the old man and his wife's house. I land just in front of the door and walk-in.

"You're back, where did you go?" the old woman asks. "I was worried about you."

"Where I went is none of your concern," I say.

"Young man, we have shown you some hospitality and we care about you. The least you can do is show us enough respect to inform us where you go. All we want is to help," he says.

"How can you help me? I am all alone on this planet of yours. You couldn't possibly understand me. You don't know anything about me? And you are not in command of me. I am one of the last of my people." I walk off to the room they have given me. I feel the anger flow through me. These insignificant humans sicken me. They could never understand what I am going through. They couldn't possibly comprehend my loss.

The door slams with a mere thought as I collapse on the bed. I would give anything to see my friends and family once more. If I had the chance I would trade my life for theirs. But they are gone. Their lives have been taken. The only thing I have left is vengeance.

A knock on the door stirs me from my thoughts. "What do you want!"

The old man pokes his head in. He's holding a picture frame. "Listen here, young man. I may not be able to comprehend what you're going through. To lose your home and all your people is a pain that would destroy most. But you're still alive. You're still standing. Even though I know nothing of your lost, I do understand what it is like to lose someone you love."

I sit up and scoot to the edge of the bed as the man sits down. He shows me the picture of him, the old woman and a middle-aged woman and a young boy. The one from the mantle hanging over the fireplace.

"This is our daughter and our grandson. We love them dearly. But sadly they are no longer with us. They've been taken from this world and now all we are left with is the memories we shared with them." A tear falls from the man's eye. So it was his daughter, huh? Maybe he does know the pain of loss. But that doesn't mean he can tell me what to do. "She has been gone for 10 years now, but feels like we lost her yesterday."

He looks down at the photo. A tear rolls down the old man's cheek. "She was such an ambitious woman and her son, he was a gift from god. Always smiling. Such a curious lad. I miss them dearly."

He looks up at me, the light from the lamp causes the water in his eyes to sparkle. "I may not know what it is like to lose your entire world, but I know what loss feels like. I was so angry when they died. Angry at the world, angry at them and most of all, angry at myself. I tried to find reason in their deaths, but there was none. A man with a gun took them from me. From us. From this world. At one point, I felt so low I even started drinking. I did a lot of things I'm not proud of. I even went out to look for the man who took my children from me. And I almost lost my wife because of my actions."

"What are you getting at old man?" I ask.

"What I'm trying to say is that grief can drown you. You can lose yourself in it. As bad as it hurts, you can't drown in the pain. I'm sure it's not what your family and friends would've wanted for you. They would want you to live on and spend every day living a life that would make them all proud," he says.

"How could you possibly know what they would've wanted?" I ask.

"I don't, but I know that's what my daughter and grandson would've wanted," he says, hugging the photo. "You get some rest now, you look tired."

--

The Next Day

As I eat breakfast at the cafe, the next morning. I watch the strange box known as a tv, the human's form of communication and entertainment. It's primitive. Back in my world, some still use glyph technology well most communication is telepathic. "Scientists cannot explain what had happened. It's as if a tornado touched down and destroyed everything within miles. Every tree and plant were torn out of the ground. Luckily enough, it happened out in the middle of nowhere. No one was hurt. But from the data we've gathered, scientists can't explain exactly what happened."

The old man gives me a sharp look. I shrug it off. So what if I destroyed a couple of plants and animals. It's not like I hurt any of the weak earthlings. I quickly finish my breakfast and head to school.

Of course, I can't have a moment to myself without being disturbed as I grab my crap from my locker. "So where did you head off to yesterday? Mr. and Mrs. Taylor were worried about you," the bothersome human girl asks.

"The game bored me so I left," I grumble as I head to class.

"You know, I'll gladly tell you the rules of the game if you don't know," she says.

"I don't care to know," I say.

We walk into the class and take our seats. She's still talking to me...

"I saw the craziest thing on the news. A tornado must have touched down in the woods the other day. Although scientists aren't convinced it was a tornado. There was just so much destruction. What do you think it was?" she asks.

"Don't you have other things to do besides bother me?" I ask.

"I just thought you'd like a friend," she says.

"You thought wrong, I don't need any friends," I huff as I bury my head in my arms.

"Well, I could use a friend," she says.

"Go find one somewhere else," I mutter.