Abducted by Aliens (Tales From Angondra Book 1) Read Online Free Page B

our thoughts, too. They’ve probably been listening to every word we’ve said.”
    Marissa chopped the air with her hand. “Enough! I’m ordering all of you to rest before they come back. We can talk about this again when we know more about our situation.”
    Penelope Ann stiffened. “ You’re ordering us?”
    “That’s right,” Marissa replied. “Somebody’s got to take control around here, and it just happens to be me. Now go sit down in that corner over there, Penelope Ann. You go over there, Aria, and Carmen, you sit down over there.”
    “We’re not children you can order around,” Aria grumbled.
    “If you act like children,” Marissa replied, “you can expect to be treated like children. I spent the last five years running the reading sessions for children at the library, and I learned a thing or two. Now go sit down and don’t make me have to tell you again.”
    Aria glared at her. Then she wilted and slunk off to her corner, where she slid down the wall onto the floor. She bent her knees up to her chest, crossed her arms on her knees, and cradled her head on her arms.
    Penelope Ann stared at Marissa for a moment. Then she nodded and went to her own corner. She sat cross-legged on the floor and folded her hands in her lap.
    Carmen retreated to her corner, but she didn’t sit down. Nervous energy kept her pacing in circles for a few minutes. Then she leaned against the wall. What would happen when one of them needed to go to the bathroom? Their prison cell was a padded room without the padding. Bare white walls surrounded them on all sides. She couldn’t even tell where air got in. Maybe air didn’t get in and they would suffocate in here.
    In the end, she sat down with her back against the wall. She tilted her head back and closed her eyes. No more than a couple of hours could have passed since she walked into Penelope Ann’s bakery, but overpowering exhaustion threatened to swallow her and drag her down into sleep. Maybe this was the space equivalent of jet lag.

Chapter 5
     
    She might have dozed off, but she couldn’t tell. When she opened her eyes, Aria lay curled up in the fetal position on the floor. Penelope Ann hadn’t moved a muscle. A woman with as much martial arts training as she had could probably sit there for days without moving. Carmen shook herself when she noticed Marissa sitting near her.
    Carmen inclined her head toward Marissa and murmured into her ear. “I really appreciate you supporting me the way you did. I won’t forget it.”
    Marissa smiled and nodded. “You were right, Carmen. Fighting back right now won’t get us anywhere. We’ll keep an eye open for a better opportunity.”
    Carmen glanced across the room. “I didn’t know Penelope Ann was a trained fighter. I’m glad I’m not the only one here with combat training.”
    Marissa peered into her face. “We’re lucky to have you with us, Carmen. We should all follow your lead on this. Penelope Ann might know a lot about jujitsu, but you’re the only one of us with specific training in these types of situations. I’m sure when Aria and Penelope Ann get over their shock and anxiety, they’ll realize the same thing.”
    Carmen shook her head. “I might be a police officer, but I’m no better than any of you. You’ve proved yourself to be very levelheaded, Marissa, and I don’t think I could have attacked Rotnim the way Penelope Ann did. My expertise is in firearms and target shooting. I’m not much good without a weapon in my hands.”
    Marissa smiled again. “Each of us has skills and strengths the others don’t have. That’s all the more reason we should work together. We’re all frightened and confused over what’s happened to us, but that will pass, and when it does, we need to be allied with each other so we can stand against these creatures. We need to trust each other and depend on each other for our very lives. That’s the only way we’re going to get out of here.”
    Carmen passed her