The Invasion

Chapter Three - Sister-in-law

Leah was sure her brother had been charmed. Maybe spell bounded by beauty and lust. She understood that the death of their parents left him hurting.

She understood that he needed love but it doesn’t mean he should find any girl to get married to. Leah stares at her brother again “Michael, come over here”. Michael walks over holding a glass of champagne.

“That girl, who is she? Where are her parents? You know better than to get married to just any girl!” Leah spoke to him in a hushed voice. Michael shakes his head to the music playing in the backgrounds.

He ignores Leah and slowly he reaches for her hands and begins dancing with her to the music. Frustrated, Leah pulls out and stomps out of the wedding hall.

On the way, their brother, Max intercepts her. “We should do something about this?” Max pleaded. Leah turns and stares hard at Korma. Korma was really radiating like an angel. But still, a marriage can’t be done without the parents' consent. “How could he marry someone he doesn’t even know?”.

Max follows her eyesight and walks up to Korma. “Hello, sister-in-law” he places a mocking stress on the “sister-in-law”. Korma ignores him, her eyes fixed on Michael. She smiles as Michael blows her a kiss.

“Sister-in-law?” Max repeated. Korma turns to him angrily, her black pupils turns slightly blue. Max seemed transfixed.

Leah, who has been watching the conversation, notices it and runs to Max. “What are you doing?” Leah shouts. It was already done. Korma had spelled Max. He was now her puppet.

It was the same thing she had done to Michael to persuade him to believe her.

The ability was one thing Zeuga’s have over humans. The ability to charm the males. The moment a human develops any feeling of lust towards a female Zeuga, the spell can be easily made through eye contact.

This had been done by many female Zeugas to make species of other planets. That way the make species returns to Zeug with his lover and never returns.

Unknown to Leah, Michael wasn’t the only who went crazy for an unknown woman, Max also highly interested in her but kept it to himself. “Max, Max, are you okay?” Leah called out. Max nods and Leah drags Max away. Korma smirks.

She arises from her chair holding her long gown in her left hand. She walks to the middle of the dance floor, with the glamour of a queen to Michael, and planted a kiss on his cheeks. Michael in turn holds her by the waist and cheers “Love and happiness to our married life”.

**************************************

Year 2012.

Michael is holding onto Korma. It was the third time their child had died. Korma had convinced Michael not to ever take her to the hospital in pregnancy. She didn’t have any identity, even as Michael’s wife. She wasn’t human anyway.

But from the books and theories, she had read at Zeug, it was possible for a human and a Zeuga to have a child. Or could Doctor Zubin's theory be wrong? Korma gazes at the heap of sand, there were two other heaps of sand besides it. There, her three offspring were buried.

Maybe they should stop trying, the moment the child inhales Earth’s air, it dies. So there was no use of trying it. She should just focus on her mission. She hasn’t yet been able to bring Michael to Zeug with her. She must accomplish it before returning, no matter how long it might take.

Standing far away from them, Leah held her eight year old daughter, Mara. Mara makes an attempt to go to Michael and Korma but her mother stops her. “No, don’t go, don’t entangle yourself with that woman”.

Mara still looks at Korma with pity. “It’s painful mom” she cries. Leah moves away with Mara. Painful? If it were, then she’s really happy Korma is facing it. It’s really good if she feels the pain of losing a loved ones. Painful? Then she should feel all of it.

The memory of Max's death was still fresh in her mind. She was pregnant then and couldn’t go to him. She had heard he was dealing with suicidal thoughts. How, Max? Max was the most cheerful of all of them.

He was her baby brother who acted like a big brother. His note said that he couldn’t handle the pain of unrequited love so he murdered himself in cold blood. He wanted to try finding happiness somewhere else.

Tears streamed down Leah’s face as she remembers this. She was sure the pain he was feeling was somehow related to Korma. After the incident were she witnessed Korma's pupils change before Max, after that incident, Max had been acting strangely.

Always staring at Korma like he was in love with her. He tried restraining himself because she was his brother’s wife but deep down Leah knew, it wasn’t normal. Max had also distanced from her too.

Korma had been non-chalant about it, she treated Max’s death like the death of an animal. Pain? If she really is facing pain, then she should embrace it also. She was a bad omen. She was obviously not human. Leah gazed down at her daughter, she had to protect her daughter too. She had lost Max, Michael also seems spell-bound. She won’t lose anyone else – well, except if it’s her “sister-in-law”.

“Lets go now” she beckoned on Mara “your entrance exams awaits”.

As Leah and Mara leaves, Korma walks up to where they had stood. Mara, she was the daughter of her “omi”.

(P.S: “Omi” meaning “destined enemy”. Zeuga’s believe that everyone has a destined enemy that must be conquered.)

When Korma had landed on Earth, with the charm amulet on her neck, she could determine who was destined to bring trouble to her mission. The amulet had showed her Leah and that was why Korma targeted on her brothers. Now, Leah had a daughter, it would be easier to get to her. “Mara” Korma smirks.