Alien Starlight ch. 2

Chapter 2: Inevitable Departure

“And that was the first time you ever put on the ring?  Wow.  That must have been so…so…”

“Incredible?”

“Yeah!  Incredible!”

“Hmm.  My family would have disagreed with your awe.”

+++

The light dimmed down to a soft blue glow, emanating from the crystalline ring and surrounding Nuriyah’s entire body.  Everything felt strange, as though she were caught in the middle of an unusual dream.  She flexed her hand slowly, testing the strange material of the clothes that had appeared on her.  Her blue gloves tapered seamlessly into the black sleeves on her arms, and the matching boots appeared to do just the same.  As she examined the outfit, she realized just how form-fitting it was, and let out a small squeak of worry.  If her mother thought muddy skirts were inappropriate, what in the world was she going to say about this?!

With a jolt, she remembered her mother and sisters, and spun to face them.  Hanin and Baheera were clinging to their mother, eyes wide.  Not only that, but their commotion had drawn the attention of their youngest sister, Príya, who scampered into the cramped hallway, confused.

“Mother…” Nuriyah said, trying to keep her voice from wavering.

“Stay back!” Her mother said sharply, and she flinched in shock.  Was her mother so frightened that that fear extended to her as well?

“What in the name of Allah have you gotten yourself into now, little sister?” Hanin was on the verge of hysterics, half-shrieking at her.  Baheera was unable to say anything, and buried her face into their mother’s shoulder.

“I…I don’t know…” she answered.  It was the truth!  She didn’t know what the ring was, or where the voice had come from, or what in the world a Blue Lantern Corps was supposed to be, or what any of this had to do with any hope she had!  She hadn’t hoped or wished for anything like this!  It was all too strange to be real.  This had to be a dream!

“Sister, you look so pretty!”

Everyone turned to Príya in shock.  The eight-year-old had bounded in, clutching a threadbare doll, her twin braids bouncing behind her, and now she was looking up at Nuriyah, eyes shining.  Fearlessly, she pushed past her mother and other sisters, stopping just inches away.

“Pretty?” Nuriyah echoed.

“Yes!  You’re glowing and your clothes are so cool, and you look sooo pretty in them!  I want to be that pretty!”

Her spirit lifted.  She still wasn’t sure what was happening, and though it hurt to know that her mother and sisters were afraid, something about Príya’s sweet innocence meant a lot in that moment.  She smiled, sweeping up her youngest sister in a hug.

“Thank you, Príya!”

“And you float!” was the response she got.

“What?!” she squeaked, glancing down.  Her feet were no longer touching the floor, but hovered just inches above it as she hugged her sister.  The two of them flailed their feet in the air a bit, and Nuriyah desperately wished to be back on the ground again.  Almost as soon as the thought came to mind, the glow receded from her body, and they fell with a small crash.

“Príya!” Their mother shrieked, darting forward to cling to her baby.  Nuriyah hardly took notice; she raised her hand to stare at the mysterious ring.  Had this strange little piece of jewelry really made her fly and responded to her thoughts?

Instantly the ring tightened on her finger for a brief moment, giving her a small squeeze.  Her puzzled wondering turned to amazed shock.  The ring did respond to her thoughts!

Can you hear me? She thought, bringing the ring up to eye level.  It gave another squeeze, and a strange warmth began to spread through her.

“Nuriyah!” Her mother said sharply, and she glanced over, confused.  Fatima Basir no longer seemed quite afraid, but more so like she was undecided on the whole matter.  “Daughter, listen.  You must take that off.”

“Take it off?” She echoed, and her heart gave a small leap in her chest.  She had only just put the ring on moments ago—or rather, she let the ring put itself on her—but now that mention had been made that she should remove it… “But why?  It doesn’t feel harmful.”

Her mother did not believe her for a moment; Nuriyah could see that in her eyes.  No matter how much parents tried to hide their reactions to certain things, their eyes always gave away their thoughts.  And her mother’s eyes said she could hardly believe any mysterious, glowing ring that could make a person float in mid-air would not be dangerous.

“That light.” Her mother said in a carefully measured tone, surprising her with what she said next.  “Had anyone been passing by and seen it or heard us, they could alert someone.  Take it off.  Hide it.  Should someone working for the government find out…”

Nuriyah’s heart sank as she realized what her mother was getting at.  Her father, Hilel, worked with some of the American soldiers as part of his job, which several government officials looked down on.  If her father ever put a toe out of line, it would mean disaster for the entire family.  And if the government found out about this ring on top of that all, Nuriyah did not want to even think about what those consequences would entail.

Warmth spread through her, pulsing from her ring, and her uneasiness and growing despair vanished.  Everything was going to be alright in the end.  Reluctantly, she nodded consent to her mother, exhaled silently, and pulled the ring off her finger.  It slid off with ease, and her everyday clothes reappeared on her.  It was odd to suddenly go form skirts to form-fitting pants and back again.  She felt lightweight in the strange uniform, but those clothes didn’t breathe as skirts did.

“Your clothes switched back!” Príya blurted out, darting over to examine her sister again.  Bolstered, Baheera ventured over as well, leaning in to try to catch a glimpse of the ring.

“But why did it come to you?” She asked Nuriyah.

Welcome to the Blue Lantern Corps. The mysterious voice had said.  It had said something about hope as well.  Had her mother and her sisters not heard it?  Before Nuriyah could answer, their mother ushered them to their small, shared room, telling them all to be silent and saying not to come out until their father had returned and she called them.  She gave Nuriyah a significant look before returning to the main room, silently promising the business of this mysterious ring was far from over.  She curled up on her small bed, opening her hands to stare at the ring.

Nuriyah Basir of Earth.  You have great hope in your heart.  Welcome to the Blue Lantern Corps.

She turned the ring over and over, delicately touching it with just her fingers.  What fleeting light filtered in through the edges of their closed, rough-cut window glittered and shone through the ring, casting sparkling diamonds of blue light on the walls.  Baheera and Príya made soft murmurs of amazement, smiles of joy breaking out on their faces.  Hanin watched a moment, but quickly looked away, keeping quiet and watching the entrance to their room.  Nuriyah barely took notice of them, growing more and more confused as she ran over the words of the mysterious voice in her mind.

What is a Blue Lantern Corps? She thought.  Why am I supposed to be part of it?  And why is hope so important?

The ring was seamless, like it had been carved out of pure crystal, and several deeper shades of blue pulsed and shimmered, moving through the ring’s depths.  Her mind moved from questioning the meaning of the voice to something else as she watched.  The ring had transformed her clothes.  It could make her fly.

What else then, could it do?

She sat bolt upright, wondering.

“Nuriyah?” Hanin asked, caught off-guard by her younger sister’s abrupt movement.  “What are you doing?”

“Sister?” Príya asked, her eyes wide.

She heard them both but paid them little heed, and slipped the ring back on her finger.  Instantly the suit re-materialized on her body, and the ring pulsed warmly.  She relaxed, feeling strangely at ease and calm.  All would be well.

“Nuriyah!  Take that off!” Hanin hissed, leaping up from her bed and advancing on Nuriyah like she planned to rip the ring off her finger.  The younger girl flinched back, wanting to keep her sister away…

And a wall of glowing blue light smacked Hanin away by a few feet.

“Sister!” Baheera and Príya both exclaimed in surprise.

“Sister, I’m so sorry!” Nuriyah apologized fervently, trying to keep her voice low.  “I didn’t mean for that to happen!  Are you alright?”

Hanin didn’t respond, though luckily she appeared to be half-conscious.

“You knocked her silly!” Baheera said, using a phrase she had grown rather fond of after hearing some of the American soldiers say it often.  “I think she’ll be alright, though.”

“What else can you do with that?” Príya asked in excitement, pointing to the ring.

“I am not sure; that is why I wanted to find out,” Nuriyah replied, “But if I’m going to hurt someone again…”

“You won’t,” her youngest sister insisted gently, “You just have to be careful and practice, like Mother always tells us.”

A smile made its way onto the fourteen-year-old’s face.  Her sister was right; she was just being too paranoid.  She would apologize to Hanin when she came around, but she could not stop experimenting with and trying to figure out the strange gift she had been given.

Suddenly the ring created several floating beakers and test tubes out of its glow, like the ones the girls had seen in classes at school when they were allowed to attend regularly.

“What are those, Baheera?”

“Chemical beakers!”

Nuriyah ignored them for a moment.  She had thought about experimenting, and the ring had made things she knew could be used in some kind of an experiment.  Curious, she reached out with her left hand, wrapping it in a firm grip around one of the beakers.  To her surprise, it was solid and she could hold it easily.  It weighed almost nothing, probably because it was made from the ring’s light.  And if it was made of light, then what could she do with it?  She turned back to her younger sisters, who were tentatively poking at the other floating objects.

“Give me your hair clips and ties for a moment!” She said excitedly.  They blinked in surprise but did so nevertheless, dropping them in the beaker when she held it out towards them.  To the girls’ delight, the beaker held them, rather than letting the objects fall through, just like an actual container would.  Marveling, Nuriyah held the beaker closer to her, thinking about its shape, wondering if it could change at all.  No sooner had the notion occurred to her than the glowing blue object began to ripple and shake in her hands.  She thought of her mother’s favorite water pitcher, the one made of clay that always sat near the kitchen window, and with little warning, a blue, light replica of that same pitcher popped into place in her hands.  Her sisters murmured in awe, and she gently tilted the pitcher over.  The hair clips fell to the floor, and a grin worked its way onto Nuriyah’s face.

So I can use my ring to fly, and to create solid objects.  Can I use it for other things too?  I was able to make containers that hold things.  Does that mean I can use the ring to also pick things up?

She turned to her elder sister, who was beginning to stir, and aimed the ring level, willing it to be gentle.

Softly, tendrils of light spun out from her ring and wrapped around her sister, carefully lifting her to her feet.  Instantly the eldest girl was wide awake, staring at the ribbons of light in shock, and she fidgeted restlessly.  Relieved that her sister was alright, Nuriyah recalled the light to her ring.  Hanin wobbled unsteadily, but remained on her feet.

“Nuriyah, stop it!” She hissed.  “That thing is dangerous!”

“No, it isn’t.” She replied, turning her fist over to smile down at the ring.  “I can feel it.  It’s a good thing.”

“Hanin, it can do so many amazing things—“

“Príya, you are only eight years old.” Hanin said coolly.  “I don’t expect you to understand what kind of—“

“No, she’s right!” Baheera jumped in.  “You should see what Riyah can do with it!  And as long as she’s using it, she won’t hurt anyone.”

Hanin recoiled as though struck, clamping her mouth tightly shut.  The four sisters bickered as often as any normal set of siblings would, but never had Hanin been ganged up on by all of her younger sisters.  She backed up slightly, her face going pale.  Nuriyah approached her, smiling warmly, and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.  Words came to the younger girl’s mind and though they were not her own, she knew it was the right thing to say to ease Hanin, to comfort her, and Nuriyah spoke them with confidence.

“Don’t worry, sister.  All will be well.”

Her elder sister continued to stare at her suspiciously, but she relaxed a little at that point, and after a moment, Nuriyah felt oddly out of place.  What was that?  Where had those words come from?  She stared down at the ring for what felt like the umpteenth time that evening.  Had it put those words in her mind?

She didn’t have long to ponder on the matter.  Within moments, Fatima Basir burst into her daughters’ room.  Her brows narrowed in a sharp frown when she saw Nuriyah wearing the ring and strange clothes again, but she did not immediately remark on it.

“Girls, your father has returned home,” She said in a low murmur, “So, I want you all to go out there quietly and keep your voices down.  Not you, Nuriyah.  You wait a moment.  You may keep…that on.  Your father needs to see.”

She sat down on one of the beds, her face burning with heat.  Surely she hadn’t done anything wrong…

That’s not true, a nasty little judgmental voice in her head chastised her, the one that had done so every time she had disobeyed since she was little, You put on that ring again after you were told not to.  You can’t control yourself.

She shook off the thought.  She wanted to be irritated, but found she only felt a peaceful calm.  Her mother did not understand, that was all.  The blue ring was strange and mysterious certainly, but it was not bad.  And her family would see that, too.  She just had to give them all time to adjust.

For what seemed an age, she waited.  The room continued to darken as the light outside faded, but the blue glow around her grew brighter, bringing her comfort.  A sigh escaped the fourteen-year-old as she relaxed in the warm security of the glow.  It was peaceful somehow, the same way her mind had been at peace when she had helped Fahd earlier in the day.

“Nuriyah?” Her mother’s voice reached her ears again, and she rose from where she sat, opening the door.  Her parents were both waiting for her on the other side, her mother with the same tense expression she’d had earlier.  Her father’s eyes went huge as he looked at her, like he was staring at a ghost.

“Daughter?” He said in shock.

“I…it-it’s this ring,” she tried to explain, feeling awkward upon realizing her father probably disapproved of the strange outfit she was wearing, “Father, it came out of nowhere.  It came to me.  Father, I can fly with this ring.”

“Fly?” He repeated in surprise.

“Hilel, focus!” Her mother snapped, giving him a firm look, but he waved her off without looking around.

“Show me.” He said with a nod.  Nuriyah’s heart swelled, and a second later her feet left the floor as she rose into the air.  The glow around her body had returned, and she drifted backward as she rose.  To her delight, this was turning out to be even easier than she was expecting.  Her instincts appeared to guide her flight, and she wondered just what she could do if she were allowed to test the limits of this flight in a wide open space.  But as she continued to remain aloft, her father’s frown deepened, his face becoming more of a thunderhead.

“You were right, Fatima,” he said to his wife in a distressed murmur, “This is very bad.”

“Father, please!  The ring is not bad—“

“Not that, Nuriyah.  I do not know about this strange ring or how you found it or even why you say it came to you.  And even though I trust you would not be tempted to use any sort of power to harm anyone, the fact that you have this…this thing is a problem.  This is bad, very bad indeed.”

“But…” she faltered, lowering herself to the ground and feeling stung by her father’s words, “How is it bad?”

He looked at her for a long moment, his eyes misty and full of an emotion she couldn’t quite read.  He let out a quiet sigh, shutting his eyes and rubbing his temples.

“Listen, and keep my words in your thoughts, daughter,” he began slowly, “Power of any sort is always dangerous.  Right now, in our country, the people in charge… They are suspicious and do not trust anyone or anything.  They especially hate the Americans on the other side of the border.  They already suspect I have been friendly to the American soldiers there, and if they knew more about how I have been helping them, all our lives would be forfeit.  So I have stopped talking to the Americans when I got to work, so they will be less suspicious.  And to such people like those in charge, you are almost less than human, daughter, because you are a woman.  And if they were to find out you had this—“

“I would not tell anyone!” She protested, shaking her head fiercely.  “I promise I wouldn’t.  We will all be safe, I can feel it!”

“Your confidence is admirable, Nuriyah, but think harder.  Even if you kept quiet, people will still find out.  Neighbors might notice, and if they notice, they will gossip.  When the gossip spreads, someone will sell us out—all of us—for a profit, or to save their own skins.” He said wearily.  “The only way most of us could avoid coming to harm in such an instance would be if I were to hand you over to the authorities now, in hopes they will at least be lenient on your mother, your sisters and I.”

“You won’t do that.” She answered confidently.

“We are living in a world of fear, daughter!”

“Hope is greater than fear.” She declared firmly, narrowing her eyes at him for saying something of that nature.  “There has to be a way for me to keep the ring without endangering all of us. We just have to find it.”

Hilel frowned for a moment as he considered her words, but evidently Fatima had had enough of it all.

“Husband!” She cried.  “You were to take that ring away from her!”

“Do not raise your voice to me, woman.” He responded in exasperation.  “Know that I am just as worried about this as you are.  But I am not going to punish our daughter; she has done nothing wrong by this.”

“If you are not going to do what needs to be done, then I shall!” She snapped.  “Nuriyah, give me that now!”

Her eyes went wide, and she began to drift further backward in the air.  The ring gave a sudden squeeze, biting into her flesh, as though it were a tree trying to take root.

“No.” She answered as firmly as she could manage.  “It has to stay with me.  There’s a purpose to all of this, Mother.  I have to find it.  It’s my duty.  The ring told me I-I’m part of some…something called a Lantern Corps.”

Her mother surged forward, reaching out to clearly make a swipe for the ring, but Hilel held her back, a light going off in his mind.

“Did you say Lantern Corps?” He repeated the words with some awkwardness.  His eyes widened when Nuriyah nodded confirmation, and all the fear and suspicion vanished from his face, replaced by a pensive expression.  “Calm down, Fatima.  I think the Americans I’ve been working with have mentioned this before.”

“How will that help us?” His wife snapped.

“I am not certain, but—“ he glanced to Nuriyah, “If what you are saying is the truth—“

“It is!” She insisted.

“Then the people who can help you are in America, my daughter, and you will have to find them.  So it is there that you must go.”

“And where is she going to go in America, husband?” Fatima scoffed.  “Are you suggesting that she go and live there?  Where in Allah’s name would she go?  Do we even know anyone trustworthy who lives among those bloodthirsty monsters?”

“My sister Jinan still lives in America,” he answered calmly, “And I believe you know for a fact that the Americans are no worse than us.  The only difference is that their country is larger.  If all works according to how I hope it will, then Nuriyah should be able to stay with her.  I will find a phone tomorrow when I go in to work, and call Jinan.  Perhaps she could even help with paying for a plane ticket.”

+++

“And just like that, you went to America?”

“I believe my aura of hope probably had some influence on my father even then.  But yes, within a few days, I was leaving my family behind at an airport, with everything I owned in one suitcase, to get on a plane and fly away to live with my aunt I hadn’t seen in years.”

“It sounds kind of heart-wrenching, leaving your family like that.”

“In a way, it was.  After all, I had no idea if or when I would see my parents and sisters again.  But I nonetheless had the feeling that I was doing what was right, what was best, and that in the end, all would be well.  Plus, I was fourteen, and I was excited to be going to America.”

“Must have been one heck of a boring plane ride, though.”

“On the contrary, that plane ride was one of the most exciting experiences I was about to have.”