I am SO sorry for the late update! It's been forever since I've posted a new chapter! (Actually it's been just over a week, but that's a long time for me). Anyway, back to the story- 

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After dinner, the three Sloppie boys disappeared into the RV's tiny bedroom. Claire, Kelly, and I spread our sleeping bags out around the rest of the vehicle.

I ended up forcing myself to sleep on my back, consumed by the fear of inhuman things creeping up from behind me while I slept.

It's very illogical, I told myself, but then again, what was logical in this world? Aliens were real, my sister was a lost princess, the apocalypse was a few years ago, and I was living inside a computer. Why couldn't there be werewolves or mutant predatory frog-butterflies on the prowl?

Every time I closed my eyes, my brain filled itself with fantastic images of what Queen Saralee might look like. Even though Claire told me that Lessaenites looked fairly human, I couldn't help but imagine her with horns, scales, or claws. I wanted to think of her as a monster. It was easier that way.

"Can't sleep?"

I turned around to see Claire sitting against the wall, juggling three tiny, glowing balls of Aura.

"Nah."

"Me neither," Claire sighed. "It's funny what fear does to people. It basically destroys our sense of reason. Now, all I can think about is a bunch of Ice Guards with guns popping in, even though I know the Icehearts are still more than a hundred thousand miles away."

"I've been thinking about a certain alien queen, and how she probably looks like a hybrid of Dracula and a fish."

"She doesn't look anything like Dracula. Or a fish," Claire rolled her eyes. "This is what she looks like."

She inflated her Aura and shaped it into a transparent, glowing blue plate in her hands. Then, she grabbed the plate and held it up to the window.

"That's so cool!" I watched intently as an image materialized on the glass. "How do you do that?"

"It's called Aural Reflection," she smiled. "I can basically show you anything in my memory with it."

"Whoa," my eyes widened as the video began to play.

"Mommy, I want a Milky Way!" A five year old version of Claire with two jet black pigtails screeched.

"Okay, okay, Vivi, calm down," the camera shifted to a woman who stood across from Claire, her arms crossed and her face twisted into a scowl.

"Is that her?" I gasped, and Claire nodded.

"Are you mad at me?" Little Claire did a perfect sad puppy face and it took all of my effort not to 'awwwe'.

"No, I'm not," Queen Saralee forced a small smile. "You can have your Milky Way. I need to go meet with the Warrior Chief about the human extermination procedure. We're initiating it tomorrow."

"Mommy, what's exfurmamation?" Five year old Claire cocked her head to the side, and I could barely suppress a smirk.

"You know what, here's your chocolate," Saralee snapped her fingers and a blue light appeared on the table beside her, solidifying into a delicious looking king sized Milky Way. "If you need anything, Tara's across the hall and there's got to be at least fifty Ice Guards and servants walking around."

"Are you sure that's her?" I asked as the memory faded.

"Yeah, she's my mom," Claire rolled her eyes. "I think I know what she looks like."

"But she's so...pretty!"

"All Icehearts are pretty," Claire sighed. "We've talked about this."

In the video, an older girl walked up to Claire.

"Tara, what's exfurmamation?" Claire asked. "Mommy won't tell me."

"It's pronounced 'extermination'," Tara sighed. "And you're too young to know about it, Vivi."

"I'm too young for everything," Claire pouted. "I won't tell Mommy that you told me."

"Fine," Tara rolled her eyes. "The human extermination procedure is basically the Icehearts' plan to wipe out all of Earth's seven billion inhabitants."

"Why would you want to do something like that?" Claire gasped.

"I have absolutely no idea," Tara said bitterly. "The Icehearts have some seriously messed up ideas."

"Don't say that," Little Claire frowned. "We're going to be Icehearts too when we grow up."

"And we're going to change things," Tara smiled.

"Oh my gosh, you were adorable!" I beamed as the picture faded.

"And clueless," Claire gritted her teeth. "Exfurmamation. Seriously, Viviana?"

"You were five, Claire," I sighed.

"Yeah..." She shrugged. "Doesn't it feel weird to know that this is probably going to be our last night in the Program, and in a few months, we'll be on Lessaenes."

"Uh huh," I nodded. "Wait...it's the fourteenth! We're going to miss Thanksgiving! And Christmas! And New Year's!" 

"Is that seriously what you're worried about right now?" Claire groaned. "Because turkey is definitely more important than saving humanity."

"Saving humanity?" I snorted. "I've given up on that quite some time ago." 

"We've been talking for a while," Claire pointed out the window at the rising sun. 

"Oops," I shrugged. "Oh well, we can sleep while we're driving." 

"I have a feeling I won't be sleeping for a while," Claire sighed. 

"Why not?" 

"Queen Saralee's let us off too easily. There's obviously some kind of trap. And, I have reason to suspect that it will involve a certain Code." 

"Hey!" I frowned. 

"It's true," Claire shrugged. "Doesn't it seem weird to you? You're their most powerful weapon right now, their best shot at killing me, but they haven't used you once. I think they're saving you for something. Something big." 

"Or maybe they just forgot about me." 

"Queen Saralee doesn't forget about things." 

Just as she finished speaking, we both turned our heads to see glittery blue writing appear in the air in front of us. 

You're right about the Codes, Vivi. Have fun dying!

<3 Queen Sara