CHAPTER 6
ZAREK
When approaching a human, ensure your BLEND is activated. If it is not, whoops.
The camouflage effect fades and my body materializes in front of me. I balk a little at the tan-ish, human shade of my skin, still not used to utilizing this aspect of the BLEND. My brows furrow as I look up, waiting on my next set of instructions from Ellie.
“That’s a neat party trick,” she says, her eyes fixated on mine.
“It’s not a trick, it’s a base evolutionary tool key to sapphiro survival,” I contest.
“Right. Well, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but thank you for collapsing that wall,” she sighs, pinching the bridge of her cute, upturned nose. “You bought us some time for our trip.”
“I told you I’d be efficient,” I reply, my voice a little breathier than usual. Exhaustion seeps into my muscles and bones, melatonin taking over my body, my shoulders sagging and limbs growing heavy.
I don’t know how much longer I can do this without proper sustenance.
“Are you okay?” she asks. Genuine concern softens her features as she reaches out to touch my arm before reeling her hand back.
Part of me wishes she would have followed through.
“Dynamic camouflage like that takes a lot of energy,” I admit, forcing myself to smile. “I need to refuel if I’m going to keep up my human visage.”
“Okay, let’s get some fuel.”
There’s a restaurant on the bottom floor of Ellie’s hotel, and we wait for the server to take us to our seats.
It’s pristine and quiet, and I allow Ellie to do most of the talking and ordering.
I want to talk, but I’m exhausted, and there is a small part of me that knows if I do start speaking in here, I am bound to get loud and draw unwanted attention.
So instead, I ask Ellie what her dissertation is on, and politely nod as she explains the pitting and other evidence that infectious diseases can leave on human bone, and stare into her strangely captivating eyes.
When our meal is complete, I feel a surge of energy spread throughout my body, and I’m grateful for every carbohydrate I just consumed.
Following Ellie, we head toward the elevator and she presses the button for the third floor.
I grab onto the metal railing, but let go as electrical pulses rush into me.
“Uh. Are you alright?” she asks, and I dislike how this is becoming a pattern.
I do not want her to feel like she has to care for me, or that I am an inconvenience. I just need a little time to get used to…well, everything. The BLEND, the contact lenses, Earth. I went into this deal wanting her to view me as a research partner of sorts, not a petulant alien.
I might be projecting. I am used to being perceived as bothersome by the sapphiro around me, but Ellie seems to be different. Just like with my best friend Zul, I can be a nuisance, but I am equally helpful and endearing, and I hope to show her that side of me.
We come up to hotel room #3523, and we let out matching audible sighs when the door clicks open.
As I put my DIRC down on a countertop in the small room, I am both relieved and a little disappointed at the sight of two matching beds.
I’m not sure why my dopamine seems to decrease at the thought of sleeping apart.
Surely it’ll be more comfortable having our own space.
And Ellie is hardly interested in a friendship with me, much less anything more.
But there’s something between us I can’t quite place.
Whatever it is, it’s intangible, like an invisible force pulling me closer.
Am I…attracted to her?
No, that can’t be. She is pale, human, and very bossy—it has to be something else.
I’m a little chilly right now. Earth is much cooler than Terilia. Logically, the feelings I’m experiencing are probably a result of the temperature difference, which is causing me to crave her body heat.
That must be it.
“I think I’m going to take a shower, if that’s okay,” I say, hoping the warmth of the water will help with this sudden frigidity.
“Go for it,” Ellie replies, not looking up from her phone. My heart rate increases in response to her uninterested demeanor. As I pass Ellie, I catch a glimpse of a map, and understanding dawns on me.
She’s not mad at me, she’s simply focused. This I can work with, as that’s exactly how my best friend Zul is. I just need to think of Ellie like I think of him. Grumpy with good intentions.
Closing the door, I find the bathroom is a compact space, but I manage to get the water running and remove my BLEND chip, placing it on the counter. I take out the contacts as well, placing them into their case, comfortable to look and feel like myself again.
I open the glass door and step into the shower, letting the warm water wash over me, heating my entire body. I was so wrapped up in surviving this landing, I hadn’t realized how nippy Earth felt until now.
Squinting at the bottles on the shelf, I’m not sure which I should use. One says soin démêlant, the second reads shampooing hydratant, and the third gel douche. I have no idea what these French words mean, but shampooing has to be shampoo, right?
I would just like to confirm this stuff isn’t going to make my skin peel off before I slather it all over my body.
“Ellie,” I call out, embarrassment heating my cheeks.
“Yes?”
I naively believed I knew almost everything about humans, at least from a research standpoint, but apparently I’ve got a lot to learn. “What liquid do I put on my body to wash it?”
“Water?” she says, her tone annoyed. I can hear her footsteps as she pads toward the bathroom.
I sigh. “No, sorry. I don’t know the word. What cream or gel do I use…it’s like…soap? But in French.”
“Oh! Body wash. It probably says gel douche. You want the orange bottle. The other two are shampoo and conditioner,” she explains, and I grab the orange bottle and pour it into my hand. “Did you find it?”
“Yes, thank you.”
Continuing my shower, I make sure to scrub myself extra thoroughly, not wanting to be the smelly sapphiro on the train tomorrow. Once I’m done washing my hair and body, I turn off the water and wrap a clean towel around my hips before opening the door.
Ellie quietly gasps. “Sorry, I forgot you’re….”
“Cyan?”
“Yeah.” Her eyes meet mine, and her brows furrow, her mouth becoming tight-lipped as she carries a handful of neatly folded clothes. “My turn. Would you hand me my hairbrush? It’s behind you.”
I grab the brush off the dresser and hand it to Ellie. Our fingers touch for the briefest of moments, and I can feel the electrical currents flowing through her body, the signal at a higher frequency than before.
Is she nervous? Or afraid?
She smiles. “Thanks. Change into some clothes before I’m done, please.”
“Will do.” I nod, hoping I didn’t scare her with my appearance.
The door closes behind Ellie, and I’m suddenly struck with the urge to rifle through her things, though I know that would be wrong.
Honestly, there doesn’t appear to be much in here, anyway.
On the dresser there’s a picture of Ellie with a curly-haired blonde that I can only assume is Jo, a few lip balms and random coins, and a set of keys with a little resin waterfowl figurine attached on a metal hoop.
I would have packed more for this assignment on earth, if I hadn’t been worried about the performance of my pod. Other than my DIRC, I brought nothing of consequence. Not a photo or a piece of memorabilia, not even my favorite sweater.
And now I’m afraid I might never see anything or anyone again.
The sounds of the water streaming from the showerhead comes to a halt, and my anxiety peaks to a new high.
Fuck. I left my BLEND in the bathroom, and I don’t have any other clothes with me.
Opening the drawers, I grab a pair of drawstring shorts and wiggle them up over my ass and thighs. They’re honestly not a bad fit, minus how short the inseam is. I take a seat on the bed and close my eyes, pretending not to be listening to Ellie as she finishes up her nightly routine.
What is that buzzing sound?
My mind is flinging itself down a hundred different roads, breaking every speed limit, as it tries to conjure all the possibilities of what tool she might be using. It’s not loud enough to be a drill. I hope she isn’t in pain or peril. It could be something meant to stimulate muscle tissue.
The vibrating, buzzing sound stops, and water runs for another few moments before she opens the door. Ellie’s hair is covered in a towel, her glistening skin on full display in her tank top and shorts. Her glasses are foggy, and I’m not sure she can see me, which might be for the best.
“What was that sound?” I ask, curious about what humans do to prepare for sleep, other than tell their children bedtime stories before tucking them in.
“Which sound?” she asks, and removes her towel. She tilts her head to the side, scrunching her long, wavy hair upward in sections.
“The…vibrator,” I say, and her eyes widen to the size of planets.
She shakes her head. “I didn’t. I don’t. I mean, I have in the past, but that was not a vibrator,” she says, her tone aggressive and flustered as she dashes back into the bathroom.
I stand up and chase after her. “Hey, wait, I didn’t mean to upset you.”
Ellie turns, holding up a small brush. “It was my electric toothbrush you creep. See,” she says, and presses the button. It begins vibrating and moving, making a loud buzzing sound.
“Wow. I did not know they made electric toothbrushes here,” I admit. “I did not think Earth was really capable of such advancements, but I guess that was an unfair assumption.”
She places her toothbrush back into its container. “It’s really not that advanced.”
“On Terilia, our electric toothbrushes are silent and they use ultrasonic scalers,” I share as I follow her out of the bathroom. “The ones here appear to be more primitive, but that’s still better than species who haven’t even developed regular toothbrushes yet.”
“I’m sorry, we have to put a pin in this riveting conversation about toothbrushes. Are those my shorts?”