She was my home.

We were leaving her.

My hand went to slide against the bottom of the seat belt.

When everything turned black outside the window, I knew we'd left her.

Without anymore thought, I pressed my hand against the button that I hoped would release the belt. In an almost silent whoosh, the seatbelt released me.

Heads turned my way, but before anything could be done, I was out of my seat and looking out of the window.

"Amour!" I heard Ren and my dad exclaim after me, but I ignored them.

There she was.

Earth.

Even while dying she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

A voice to my right said, "Ma'am please go back to your seat."

I didn't look to my right.

"Ma'am." Another voice said to my left. I didn't look there either.

Funnily neither of them touched me or had me forced back into my seat.

I heard something in a language I didn't know, and I didn't pay it any mind. They would not stop me from looking at my planet one last time.

I watched Earth become smaller until I couldn't see her anymore. Funnily this took merely seven seconds.

Letting out a breath in defeat, I turned, heading back to my seat. When I looked up, the alien-my alien-was looking at me. I didn't know when he came back out of the room he'd gone into. But there he was.

I met his eyes unflinchingly.

"He stopped them from ordering you back." Ren murmured in my ear. "I think. God knows what he said."

I broke my gaze with the alien to look at Ren. Ren bumped his shoulder with mine. And funnily my eyes flitted back to him.

He was looking away, listening to another alien, who's eyes were on me, intently, while he spoke quickly and quietly to my alien.

I took a deep breath, resigning myself to whatever was to come.

No one spoke. We stayed quiet. Thinking. Even the babies were quiet. My dad was sitting near Kylee and staring off into space.

A wry grin lifted my lips as I realised he literally was staring off into space.

Kylee however was shifting about a little, her shoulders lifting and dropping slightly.

I realised that her arms must be hurting from holding Jasmine, who was wide awake and sucking her thumb, looking left and right.

I took Jasmine from her immediately. She threw me a grateful smile and rested her head against my shoulder.

In four seconds she was out like a light.

It was a good thing Jasmine wasn't fussy, or I don't know what I would have done.

Jasmine seemed content with playing with my hair. She would run her fingers through it, put it on her face, hide in it. I didn't let her pull it or put it in her mouth though. God knows nothing good ever came out of that.

Soon a feeling in the pit of my stomach told me that we had changed course. I think we were dropping.

I looked out at the window and saw...a darkish blue. The sky?

The alien, my alien (I didn't even want to contemplate when or why I had named him that), stepped forward.

"We will be landing shortly. Please remain seated until you receive any further instructions."

His eyes pinned me in place, as if that last part was added for my benefit. My eyes narrowed.

I wasn't so interested in seeing his planet. I'd just wanted to see mine one last time.

Jasmine made a small delighted shriek and I looked down. I rubbed a finger over her cheek and she settled a little, trying to look around for what had touched her. She caught my finger in her hand, and tried to bring it to her mouth. I gently released my finger from her hold. Her hands still remained outstretched.

Then her attention went back to her own fingers. She brought them up and down, slapping them lightly against my chest. I pulled her up and closer, hoping to reduce her path of destruction.

Ren muttered in my ear, "We're here."

I looked at him and nodded, then stretched out my free hand, and curled it in a fist.

He bumped his fist with mine and both of us wiggled our fingers away, chuckling at the childish habit.

When the ship landed, I felt a few seconds of lightheadedness. We were soon assured that feeling that way was okay, because of the shift in air pressure when the ship's doors were opened. We were also told that the gravity on their planet, Xe'Krein was a little lesser than on Earth, so we would be able to move faster than usual and that we needn't worry about it. We were also informed that they followed a twenty six hour day and night schedule and that our bodies would eventually adjust to it.

When we all stood up, adjusting the bags we carried, quietening our children and looking forth in anxiety and hope, the C'Riel assembled in front of us, blocking our path to the exit. They had all removed their masks. Their beauty hit me harder as I realised we were so different.

We stood, waiting.

My alien stepped forward. I really had to stop thinking of him like that.

"You will not be immediately taken to your cabins. You will meet our leader. You will listen to his words carefully. And you will not hurt Xe'Krein, because if you do, you will not live here anymore."

I understood their sentiment. We came from a planet we'd destroyed. They were cautious. Maybe scared even that we would do the same to theirs. We understood. Said nothing back.

But they were making a mistake of judging a few based on a few generations of mistakes.

When he met all our eyes to make sure we understood what he'd said, he turned around with a simple, "Follow me,"

We followed him, huddled close to one another, wondering how this new planet of ours would look.

Not ours, I reminded myself, theirs.

On instinct all of us cringed a little when we stepped outside the ship, scared of not being able to breathe and the sun that may assault us.

But we were surprised by the cool fresh air that stirred out hair and filled our lungs. The sun was bright, but beautiful. Not punishing like we were used to. I sucked my lower lip into my mouth, taking in our surroundings.

Things in Xe'Krein was much darker. But also much lighter.

The ground was a rich dark brown, the trees too, the leaves were a dark green that provided a cool shade as we walked underneath them. We'd landed in a small meadow that was surrounded by thick trees that we were asked to wade through.

All of our eyes were diverted, taking all that we could, in. I looked up and in the gaps between the trees I could see the lightest of blues, almost white. The flowers I could see around us were either really dark or really pale, almost translucent. Beautiful none the less.

I split a little from the group, placing a hand on the tree.

A deep breath stuttered out of me.

It had been...so long.

The bark was rough against my skin as I rubbed my hand back and forth. I picked up a leaf from the ground, rubbing it in between my fingers.

I was looking down at the leaf, rubbing my fingers over the dark green veins when I felt a shadow fall on me.

I looked up and met eyes of fire. Amber. Surrounding an island of black.

My alien.

He was so much larger than me. He wasn't so built that he was bully, but he was the right amount of muscled. His shoulders broad and they encompassed my whole world. I couldn't see anything past him. He took a breath and I felt as if the air around me had been sucked out.

Encompassing. That's what he was.

Somehow, though I should be afraid, I just looked back down at the small leaf in my hand, my fingers rubbing against the soft surface.

"Even the smallest things are beautiful, don't you think?" I said, softly.

I looked up to meet his eyes and he blinked slowly-almost lazily-at me, before tilting his head at the group that was walking away from us.

"You should join them," he said.

I looked at the group again and saw the Ren was slowing down and looking for me. I smiled at that and started towards the group.

I walked to Ren who finally figured out where I was and had raised his eyebrows at me. I grinned at him and nudged shoulders with him and continued on with the group.

We came to stop in front of a large white building.

We were ushered inside and we joined a large group of humans. My breath caught as I saw that there were more of us who had survived. A smile lit up my face and I shared it with Ren when he nudged shoulders with mine and smirked at me.

There were people murmuring, which stopped immediately when a...C'Riel stepped up on the stage-like raised floor in front of us

This was it, I thought, the beginning of our new lives.

-------------------------------------------------------------------- Yay. Another update. Hope you likey ❤️ Lemme know! :) Comment, like and fan.

Until next time, my Unicorns!