Free 7th Kind 1: Christmas in Dreamland by Cheryl Dragon

fighting.”
    “Like the Spartans. But you couldn’t be sent off to fight so young. Why were you on a ship? Why would you be brought here?” Meg crunched the end of her cane.
    “I don’t think we were supposed to be there. I remember older boys wanting to sneak on and fight with the adults. Our age group was extremely competitive. We must’ve followed them. You obeyed the leader without question.” Charlie rubbed his eyes. “I remember us hiding from the adults.”
    Ike rubbed Charlie’s shoulders. “It’s okay. We survived. The crash was terrifying for a child, but we were in the cargo hold at the time.”
    “At least, you were safe. So what happened to the adults?” Meg hugged herself to Charlie and Henry.
    “The humans were on us fast. The military took over. The adults fought and were killed, except for two who were badly injured and kept alive to answer questions. When the military found us, they didn’t kill us. I’m still amazed.” Ike shook his head.
    “You were children.” Meg held him tight.
    “The adults were brutal. They killed all the human first responders. They took out most of the military men until the humans used a flamethrower. Bullets did nothing.” Henry toyed with Meg’s hair.
    She sighed and let her hands wander. “I’m glad they spared you. Fire would work, but it’s hard to control. So the adults left alive were burned?”
    Charlie nodded. “Hurt enough to be kept under control. We didn’t know anything about humans. Good or bad. That ship must’ve been on a research mission. But we didn’t know how to act or how to fight them. Some of the older boys tried and were locked up, interrogated and kept jailed.”
    “What did they do with you? You were kids all alone on a new world. You must’ve been paralyzed with fear.” Meg had a new appreciation for her family. Dysfunctional, yes, but she always had food and clothes, and no one made her fight. No one took her away from her parents or her school. Being lost on a new world made wandering off at the mall look like an adventure.
    Ike ran his hand along her face. “It wasn’t fun, but we were together. They kept us in a big government facility. Another Dreamland but sort of like an orphanage. We didn’t speak the language or understand the culture but kids learn fast. If anyone on our planet missed us or realized what happened, they never came after us. We eventually adapted.”
    “The military style was actually comforting. It was the routine we needed.” Charlie smiled.
    “So are a lot of military men aliens?” Meg asked.
    Henry shook his head. “No, not many. There were about two-dozen boys our age. The four older boys were basically prisoners. Once we realized we didn’t have to be and that we’d be treated better than at home, we worked with our supervisors to be good humans. I’m sure we’re traitors on our home planet.”
    Meg sat up indignantly. “Not traitors! You were kids. You snuck into a ship like some kids sneak into the movies. You had to survive. There was no way back. So twenty-four aliens were raised by and serve the military? Wow!”
    “More or less. They all went into government work. We had memories of before the crash so we were tested and challenged more. Some had no clue. The crash traumatized them.” Charlie kissed Henry’s shoulder.
    “What did they do to you?” she asked softly.
    Ike shook his head. “Nothing as bad as our own people did. Once we were adults, they challenged us to prove our loyalty. We got the roughest assignments, were watched all the time and endured the harshest conditions, but we could take them.”
    “They even tried to bust us up.” Henry hugged Charlie.
    “No.” Meg loved her country, but there were times when she hated what was done in the name of national security. The government was made of men who could make mistakes like anyone, but she couldn’t change some of the outdated methods from the outside.
    “They didn’t succeed. We weren’t able to