The Chosen

Prologue

Perhaps you’ve heard about Lottie Theriot and her remarkable resurrection, how the company that brought her to Earth attempted to murder her, and the resulting insurrection she led against those men who tried to rip her apart from a love that not even death could erase. It’s an incredible story, one thousands of us who also traveled here to begin new lives listened to with rapt attention because it seemed so impossible , so filled with unbelievable circumstances. Even those people who were born here filled Lottie’s life with such wonder and beauty: Dietrich’s faithfulness to her memory, his best friend’s faithfulness

to

him

.

It’s a story many of us have repeated to one another because those who participated in her insurrection want to relive their roles, and those of us who didn’t wish

we

had

.

Well, this story isn’t

about

her

.

I didn’t even know Lottie or her friends. Not at first. I came from her world, one ruled by sexism and classism and was born into the wrong roles for both. Not only a woman, but a poor one at that, I had no prospects on my planet except servitude or an arranged marriage if my parents were lucky enough to find someone willing to

marry

me

.

I chose servitude.

I was young when I began to work in his father’s house. And he was beautiful. He noticed me on the third day and came into the room where I was sweeping up the brown-red dust that inevitably collected everywhere on that planet because it covered everything. Our bodies were mostly energy so we didn’t need wide doorways, but when the winds would pick up, as they frequently did, red tornadoes spiraled inside homes and businesses as soon as the doors opened slightly to allow one of us to enter.

On that third day, the young man who would eventually take the English name Mason found me attempting to sweep the dirt back outside, but the winds were working against me and every time I slid the door open, my pile scattered across the floor again. There were no garbage cans since we didn’t need to eat and created very little waste. I had nowhere else to put the dirt and couldn’t leave the room until my assignment was finished. I cracked the door open again to try to sweep the dirt outside and a gust of wind snuck in and scattered it across the clean floor.

I heard laughter behind me and spun around.

Let’s hide it, Mason suggested. "These winds aren’t dying down

anytime

soon

."

If I’d had this human body, I would have blushed. I would have felt my heart accelerate with the nervousness and excitement of the handsome young man speaking to me, a poor servant who meant nothing to anyone. It wouldn’t take long before I finally meant something to someone.

As the months passed and our love grew, it became apparent that the fantasy world in which we’d originally allowed ourselves to live – that we could somehow run away and be together openly – was just that: a fantasy. The only thing stronger than the misogyny on my first planet was the classism, and a poor servant girl never ended up with the prince: those are your fairy tales,

not

ours

.

One day, Mason came home and excitedly grabbed me and hid us in a room where he told me about a man he’d met who worked for a company that transported people to different planets. After listening to the options, he thought Earth sounded like a paradise where I’d never have to be anyone’s servant again and we could marry and have our happily ever after.

Honestly? I was terrified. Mason assured me they’d been doing this for hundreds of years and healing dead bodies always worked – we wouldn’t die because we could live on as humans. They would have employees waiting for us on the other end of the portal who would help us find appropriate bodies – a young man for him and a young woman for me. Once we used our energy to heal the bodies, we would become as human as anyone else born on that planet but our memories and personalities would remain ours. Only our bodies would change. He promised me because they

promised

him

.

I asked him, of course, where these bodies were coming from and he assured me they kept employees working in morgues and hospitals so they would always have access to the bodies of people who had

just

died

.

We didn’t have hospitals or morgues on our planet so I had no idea what either of those

things

were

.

But only two days later, I

found

out

.

Chapter

1

An excruciating pain in my head made me moan and roll onto my side so I could vomit onto the floor. I heard someone speak and saw shoes stepping back out of the fallout from my first moments awake on a new planet. None of the words made sense to me, and they seemed so terribly loud . I groaned again as the bitter taste in the back of my throat made my stomach heave but nothing else

came

up

.

If this was being human and this was Earth, I already regretted our decision.

Dr. Garrett, a woman’s voice said. "She may still have a concussion. Do you want to

check

her

?"

I heard the man sigh and step over the puddle of vomit on the floor then he pulled a light from a pocket on his shirt. He pulled one of my eyelids higher and shined the light in my eye and I tried to turn my head away, but his fingers gripped my skull and he wouldn’t let me. Across the room, I could see Mason, in his new body, staring

at

me

.

Dr. Garrett shined the light in my other eye then stood up straighter. "No concussion. She’s likely just in pain. Get her some Dilaudid and call me if either of them have any problems. I’ll have someone over to help him in the morning when he can

get

up

."

A door closed and the nurse approached me again and pulled the gown away from my hip. This is going to sting, she warned even though I couldn’t understand English yet. None of this story would make sense to me until later.

Another strange sound burst from this new mouth as the needle jammed into my thigh. Mason’s eyes changed but I understood nothing of the way human emotions were displayed yet either.

I remembered my own language, and as the nurse stuck a bandage on me then covered me with a blanket, I lay there blinking back at the man who had convinced me to escape to a different planet with him for the chance to marry him. The pain medication made me dizzy and sleepy but I tried to keep my eyes open so I could continue to stare back at him. I was either high or that’s just how real love works because before I fell asleep, I thought, Even now, he’s so beautiful.

In the morning, Dr. Jackson Garrett returned to the house where we were staying. He’d brought with him another man who would help Mason learn to use his new body. The nurse helped me walk to the bathroom and I watched my new legs with wonder. They felt heavy and awkward, but these bodies were far more tangible than our old ones, far more physical and everything seemed to cause a different sensation. The cold tiles on the bathroom floor, the water running over my hands, the cotton fabric of the robe against my skin. I loved the way everything felt now that the pain

had

gone

.

As I was washing my hands just as Nurse Claire had shown me, I glanced up at the mirror above the sink and startled myself. Of course, I had seen the young woman at the morgue. I had stayed with her body until I was directed to reclaim it. But now, she was me. And it was like staring at the reflection of a stranger.

Nurse Claire picked up a brush from the counter and began to run it through my long blonde hair. Lucky you, she said, knowing I couldn’t understand her yet. I didn’t know Mason was listening outside. Not only did you arrive in time to claim a body like this, but her boyfriend was quite handsome as well. She set the brush back on the counter and smiled at me and I instinctively smiled back

at

her

.

There, she said. You’re stunning, my dear. She was twenty-one. Such a shame. But at least you’re here now. We don’t get many women.

Nurse Claire turned out to be extremely chatty so it didn’t take me long to begin picking up words. Everyone from my planet learned quickly and we knew it wouldn’t take long to master this new language or to use this new body as if we’d been born with it. By that evening, I was able to ask for water and Gatorade. I liked the fruit punch flavor. They kept me with Mason and he watched me carefully the entire time. At first, I thought he was worried about me, or perhaps being protective of me. There were so many things I couldn’t possibly understand yet. There were so many things I wish had gone differently.

I had no way of knowing then that he was watching me so carefully because he was mimicking me, attempting to convince Dr. Garrett and Nurse Claire and David, the man who had come to help him, that he was normal and everything had worked the way it was

supposed

to

.

How could I have suspected

anything

else

?

One day, after about a week in that small house in Waco, Texas, Dr. Garrett came to our room and knocked softly on the door. He smiled at Mason and me and held up a stack of papers. It’s time to choose your new names, he announced.

Mason and I looked at each other because if Dr. Garrett were here with papers and asking us to choose identities, then we were getting close to being sent out into this strange new world to start our new lives.

I was still terrified.

Mason didn’t hesitate. "Mason. And I think she should go by Bella, if she

likes

it

."

I blinked at my boyfriend. Where had he heard these names?

Dr. Garrett’s pen was already poised above the forms he needed to fill out. Well? he asked. "What do you think? I’ve got a list here I can read to you if you don’t like

that

one

."

I shook my head quickly. "I

like

it

."

Hm, Dr. Garrett said, smiling at me again. "Bella. It’s fitting. It means beautiful,

you

know

."

He scribbled the first name into a blank space then his pen hovered over the surname line. There are two lines on your form, Bella. On Earth, in this country at least, women can choose to take their husband’s name when they marry. I know you came here because you wanted to marry, so should I fill out those forms for you and save you the hassle?

Wait, Mason interrupted. "You’ll file these, and that’s it? She’ll be

my

wife

?"

Yes, Dr. Garrett answered. "If that’s what

you

want

."

Mason grabbed my hand, his green eyes dancing as he waited for my response. I had learned in my week on Earth how to read so many of his emotions now. I recognized some of these. Excitement, fear that I would change my mind, and yet, there was always something lurking beneath the emotions I could read, something I couldn’t translate because I’d been promised it was impossible.

Of course, I laughed. "That’s why we’re here,

my

love

."

So that was it. That was how Mason and I ended up married only a week after arriving on Earth. Dr. Jackson Garrett gave me a fake maiden name and gave us both a fake surname in that small bedroom in a Texas town I would never set foot in again once leaving it only six days later. And I am almost positive it was Dr. Jackson Garrett who began the investigation that led to my husband’s murder.

Chapter

2

We came through the portal in Houston, so Mason and I decided to move out of Texas and away from the city where these people whose bodies we’d taken had once lived. In the beginning, I liked Dr. Garrett and I didn’t want to move too far away from him in case we needed him, but Mason urged me, begged me to move to the East coast, so I relented and we ended up in a suburb of Atlanta .

It wasn’t until we were alone in our own apartment and the others from the company who had helped us settle in to our new home that I began to realize there was something different about Mason. Something was just a little off, no matter how hard he tried to hide it. At first, he blamed it on speaking a new language or having a different body or the stress of traveling to a new planet to begin a new life, but I knew better: this wasn’t quite the same man I’d known and fallen in love with at home, and yet,

he

was

.

Two days after moving into our new apartment, Mason stood in our kitchen, staring blankly into the refrigerator, frowning at something, but I couldn’t imagine what. There was little in there other than leftover pizza and bottles of fruit punch flavored Gatorade. I put a hand on my hip in the same way I’d so often seen Nurse Claire stand and smiled at him. "If you’re wondering if that light goes off when you close the door, the answer

is

yes

."

Mason glanced at me and blinked then turned his attention back to the refrigerator. We should go shopping.

We hadn’t been out on our own yet. My hand fell and my stomach turned. Memories of throwing up in that room in Waco flooded my mind and I gripped the counter with both hands. That was one experience I did not want to relive.

"But… we don’t drive. And there are so many… people out there," I protested weakly.

Mason closed the refrigerator door and sighed. "Bella, we can’t stay in this apartment forever. There’s a grocery store within walking distance from us. And we’re people. You think someone’s going to look at you and be able to tell you’re sort of an alien?"

I don’t know! I exclaimed. What if I say or do the wrong thing?

Mason waved me off and grabbed the keys from the counter. They’ll just think you’re weird. There are plenty of weird people in this world.

I crossed my arms indignantly and scowled at him because I hated that he was pretending to be such an Earth expert or that this whole expedition to a store filled with ordinary humans wasn’t horrifying. "How would you know? Those weird people are probably from another planet."

He snickered and pulled on my arm until I unfolded them. I scowled a little less, but truthfully, he was still sort of pissing me off. Doubt it, he countered. "Let’s go before it

gets

dark

."

Let’s wait until tomorrow then, I begged. "We’ll come up with a strategy

tonight

,

and

…"

Mason exhaled a heavy breath and muttered, "For God’s sake, Bella, we’re going to the store

not

Iraq

."

I didn’t know what any of that meant.

What does ‘for God’s sake’ mean? I asked. And where did you hear that? I thought about what he’d just said and added, "And where the hell

is

Iraq

?"

Mason swallowed and that strange look returned. My stomach heaved again. Most of the time, having such a physical body was a truly thrilling experience for someone who had never had one before. But sometimes, I hated

this

body

.

I hated throwing up. And I hated headaches.

I hadn’t even begun to understand the extent of human

pain

yet

.

I don’t know what it means, Mason finally answered. I must’ve heard someone say it and just picked it up. And Iraq is a different country that this one is at war with and they’re sending soldiers over there. It’s really dangerous.

"And where did you learn that?" I persisted. We hadn’t spent much time apart and I hadn’t learned about Iraq or war or soldiers. Standing in my own kitchen with my husband, I felt more like an alien at that moment than I would have at the damn grocery store I’d stubbornly insisted I wouldn’t go to out of fear I’d be discovered as an alien.

I just hear things, Bella! he shot back. You can’t expect me to remember where I’ve learned every single goddamned thing on this planet!

I inhaled a quick breath and stepped back from him because he’d never spoken to me like that before. And there was that word again,

that

god

.

His green eyes softened and he reached out for me but I shook my head at him. "What is wrong with you?" I asked.

I don’t know, he whispered.

No, I groaned. "You promised me we’d be ok! You promised this was safe and it’s not! You’re… sick or something, aren’t you? We need to tell Dr.

Garrett

,

and

…"

No! Mason shouted, grabbing my hands, that odd, unrecognizable emotion in his beautiful green eyes transforming to utter fear. "Don’t say a thing to anyone. Promise me, Bella."

Why? I breathed. He’s dying. Something went tragically wrong with this body and he’s dying. Why did we

come

here

?

Mason stared at our hands for a few seconds then took a deep breath. "This body was in the morgue. It had been prepped for burial. It had to be dead, right?"

An airy laugh escaped my throat and his bright green eyes lifted to meet mine. He wasn’t joking.

I’m not an expert on how human bodies work, but yeah, I’m pretty sure being embalmed means the guy was dead, I assured him then I felt a little guilty for talking about the