A house is nestled within the trees. I lean against the viewport and try to get a look without making it noticeable that I’m interested. I’m still considering staying in the ship.
Lalia, at least, has decided to get up and wake Zane instead of continuing to stare.
It’s not a large house, but perhaps a bigger than Lex’s. Certainly enough room for three kids and two parents. It’s mostly wood and stone, so it blends nicely with the terrain. The sun is setting on this side of the planet so I can’t see all the details, but there’s a small front porch and either a barn or shed just off into the trees with a wooden fence surrounding it.
Nothing looks familiar. I ignore the pit in my stomach.
Zane’s going to ask. Lalia probably as well. And maybe their parents considering the likelihood they’re a lot like their kids.
Twin boys would seem likely to share a room. Did Zane share a room with me? Or his bother? I need to stop defaulting to their weird story being true. We don’t have any proof. Get a grip, Aaron.
“I like your house!” Anya calls to the siblings as she takes it upon herself to open the airlock and lean out the edge. There’s not much threatening out here, but I’m glad she doesn’t jump down and start wandering.
“You okay?” Yvonne whispers, breath on my ear. I start. I’ve been feeling her eyes on me but not meeting them.
“Fine,” I say again, but take Bat out of his cot and tuck him under my arm, aware I’m using him as someone to hold onto. He yawns with a large spread of teeth and doesn’t squirm.
Zane steps into the bunk room doorway and stretches gingerly. He looks like he just woke from a coma, eyes puffy and fair plastered against the side of his face—man needs to shower—but I’m less concerned he’ll face-plant if I’m not hovering over his shoulder.
“I’m gonna let them know we’re here,” Lalia says, jumping down the airlock. “I can’t believe they didn’t hear your ship, it’s noisy as hell.”
She’s trying to lighten the mood. Not sure it’s working, but Bat snickers at least.
“Did you call and tell them we’re coming?” I ask. The idea of showing up with my unexpectedly makes this so much worse.
Lalia has the decency to look ashamed. “No, they would’ve demanded an update on what’s going on and it seemed like too much. But like Zane said, they know all about you, they understand the situation we’re in, and they’ve asked like twelve times if we’re coming by with you.”
I just stare at her. Do I look as panicked as I feel?
“Aaron,” she says, resting her arm against the airlock, making intense eye-contact. “Look at me. They’re our parents. They’re good people. They want to meet you. They might be shocked by everything that happened on Lee’s ship, but really this isn’t the first time we’ve drug ourselves home looking like we flirted with death. It’s fine. You looked less nervous about Captain, will you please just relax.”
At least Captain could just murder me. Well, that’s not so true. Captain could make me forget my entire existence.
All their parents can do is judge me. Which I’m accustomed to.
I still almost prefer Captain.
Almost.
When I don’t respond, Lalia rolls her eyes and waves a hand at Zane. “Make sure he doesn’t fly off, I’ll be right back.”
I scowl while Zane chuckles. He pats me on the back and I have to remember he’s too injured for me to send an elbow right into his midsection.
“You’re so lucky you’re injured right now,” I mutter, but he only chuckles harder.
“What are you worried about?” Anya asks.
Oh, to be a confident ten-year-old. “Nothing.”
“They’re Zane and Lalia’s parents, they’re probably awesome.”
“I’m glad you acknowledge that,” Zane says, trying to give a dramatic bow and only ending up grimacing and rubbing his chest.
I say, “I’m assuming your parents aren’t going to be thrilled with the state of you.”
Zane looks at the ceiling. “Probably not. You ever watched a thirty-four year old man get chewed out by his mother? Because you’re about to.”
Anya snickers.
“Actually,” Zane says, “Let out the gangplank, I’ll go down first.
I have no arguments about that. I let out the gangplank and keep an eye on him as he walks down at the pace of an old man. Maybe I should walk with him, but I’ve been having him walk around the ship to keep him healing properly and he’s never keeled over. He’ll be fine.
With both siblings out of the ship, I vaguely consider the fact I could just fly away.
I’m too deep into this already and I know it.
Sighing, I lean against the viewport to watch Lalia jog onto the porch, try the front door, then knock. There are lights on in the house, and a moment later, the door cracks. There isn’t much to see in the falling dark with the few dozen yards from the ship to the house, but I see the warm heat blobs of two people pulling Lalia into a hug. They probably haven’t seen their children since before they broke into Amerov, and quite a while before then.
All because they were looking for their brother. Which they so happen to believe is me. I know they’re both grown adults who wanted to see me, and I never even wanted to get involved in this, but my stomach still pinches.
I watch one of them—difficult to tell which parent in the dark—run to greet Zane halfway across the field. I swallow thickly.
Yvonne’s hand unclamps my fingers. I hadn’t realized I was clenching them. Her hand is so oddly soft and gentle in mine I almost switch over to obsessing over her. Almost.
Anya giggles again.
I eyeball her. “And what’s funny now?”
“Aaron and Yvonne sittin’ in a tree—”
Yvonne swats her along the bottom and Anya goes running down the gangplank, cackling at the top of her lungs. My face burns. We’ve all been stuck in this small ship the past few days, and Yvonne hasn’t exactly stopped with the weird affection.
“Is it too early to joke about leaving her on Amerov?” I mumble.
Bat gives his growl of a laugh and finally gets sick of my grip, wriggling to the ground and perching on the edge the airlock to get a better look outside.
“I would be offended by that,” Yvonne muses. “But I’ll let it go considering how nice you’ve been to her.”
I ignore her.
“Actually, I feel like you have a niceness setting I didn’t know you had when it comes to her.”
I scowl. Because she’s a nice kid. Never met one of those before.
She laughs softly. “Aaron, I’m going to let you in on a secret.”
I glare at her from the corner of my eye, not liking the tone. “Oh, really.”
“Yes. And I know this may shock you, but you actually have a nice smile. So if you want their parents to like you, perhaps try using it.”
“I don’t think your view of me quite matches with the rest of the galaxy’s.”
She shrugs. “Maybe not, but I’m not stupid.”
Debatable. But she isn’t correct, either. I’ve smiled at people. There’s a reason I stopped. It just makes my already grotesque features more distorted. It doesn’t make me friendly looking, or less frightening. I suppose it won’t hurt to try to make my expression as pleasant as possible, but I’m not holding out hope the magic of niceness is going to win over anyone.
When I still don’t answer, she adds her other hand to the back of mine. It’s oddly grounding. “Come on, I’ll walk out with you.”
“Actually, I’d rather just stay in here—”
“Are you scared of the humans?”
I consider the ramifications of each answer before settling on, “Yes.”
She laughs silently. “Don’t worry, Bat and I will protect you.”
“Yes,” Bat says from the airlock.
Something occurs to me. “Bat, please don’t bite Zane and Lalia’s parents.”
He joins in with Yvonne’s laughter. Well, at least they like each other.
“Look, just don’t glare at them, don’t say anything about how stupid humans are—and yes, I know we’re often stupid, but you don’t have to say it—”
I can’t quite hold back a snort.
“And maybe be like….three percent less self-deprecating. They’ll like you.”
I hate that she sees so easily how nervous I am. “So, basically, shut up and smile.”
“Well, at least be nice and smile for the first few minutes.”
I stare at her.
“Too much to ask for?”
“You’ve been stuck with me for weeks, you tell me.”
With a grin, she says, “Enough stalling, come on.”
“I’m not stalling—”
She stands on her toes but still has to drag my head down to get within kissing range. My shoulders tense more than I wish they would, but I can’t bring myself to actually force myself away. Then she drags me toward the airlock and out into the night air.
A house is nestled within the trees. I lean against the viewport and try to get a look without making it noticeable that I’m interested. I’m still considering staying in the ship.
Lalia, at least, has decided to get up and wake Zane instead of continuing to stare.
It’s not a large house, but perhaps a bigger than Lex’s. Certainly enough room for three kids and two parents. It’s mostly wood and stone, so it blends nicely with the terrain. The sun is setting on this side of the planet so I can’t see all the details, but there’s a small front porch and either a barn or shed just off into the trees with a wooden fence surrounding it.
Nothing looks familiar. I ignore the pit in my stomach.
Zane’s going to ask. Lalia probably as well. And maybe their parents considering the likelihood they’re a lot like their kids.
Twin boys would seem likely to share a room. Did Zane share a room with me? Or his bother? I need to stop defaulting to their weird story being true. We don’t have any proof. Get a grip, Aaron.
“I like your house!” Anya calls to the siblings as she takes it upon herself to open the airlock and lean out the edge. There’s not much threatening out here, but I’m glad she doesn’t jump down and start wandering.
“You okay?” Yvonne whispers, breath on my ear. I start. I’ve been feeling her eyes on me but not meeting them.
“Fine,” I say again, but take Bat out of his cot and tuck him under my arm, aware I’m using him as someone to hold onto. He yawns with a large spread of teeth and doesn’t squirm.
Zane steps into the bunk room doorway and stretches gingerly. He looks like he just woke from a coma, eyes puffy and fair plastered against the side of his face—man needs to shower—but I’m less concerned he’ll face-plant if I’m not hovering over his shoulder.
“I’m gonna let them know we’re here,” Lalia says, jumping down the airlock. “I can’t believe they didn’t hear your ship, it’s noisy as hell.”
She’s trying to lighten the mood. Not sure it’s working, but Bat snickers at least.
“Did you call and tell them we’re coming?” I ask. The idea of showing up with my unexpectedly makes this so much worse.
Lalia has the decency to look ashamed. “No, they would’ve demanded an update on what’s going on and it seemed like too much. But like Zane said, they know all about you, they understand the situation we’re in, and they’ve asked like twelve times if we’re coming by with you.”
I just stare at her. Do I look as panicked as I feel?
“Aaron,” she says, resting her arm against the airlock, making intense eye-contact. “Look at me. They’re our parents. They’re good people. They want to meet you. They might be shocked by everything that happened on Lee’s ship, but really this isn’t the first time we’ve drug ourselves home looking like we flirted with death. It’s fine. You looked less nervous about Captain, will you please just relax.”
At least Captain could just murder me. Well, that’s not so true. Captain could make me forget my entire existence.
All their parents can do is judge me. Which I’m accustomed to.
I still almost prefer Captain.
Almost.
When I don’t respond, Lalia rolls her eyes and waves a hand at Zane. “Make sure he doesn’t fly off, I’ll be right back.”
I scowl while Zane chuckles. He pats me on the back and I have to remember he’s too injured for me to send an elbow right into his midsection.
“You’re so lucky you’re injured right now,” I mutter, but he only chuckles harder.
“What are you worried about?” Anya asks.
Oh, to be a confident ten-year-old. “Nothing.”
“They’re Zane and Lalia’s parents, they’re probably awesome.”
“I’m glad you acknowledge that,” Zane says, trying to give a dramatic bow and only ending up grimacing and rubbing his chest.
I say, “I’m assuming your parents aren’t going to be thrilled with the state of you.”
Zane looks at the ceiling. “Probably not. You ever watched a thirty-four year old man get chewed out by his mother? Because you’re about to.”
Anya snickers.
“Actually,” Zane says, “Let out the gangplank, I’ll go down first.
I have no arguments about that. I let out the gangplank and keep an eye on him as he walks down at the pace of an old man. Maybe I should walk with him, but I’ve been having him walk around the ship to keep him healing properly and he’s never keeled over. He’ll be fine.
With both siblings out of the ship, I vaguely consider the fact I could just fly away.
I’m too deep into this already and I know it.
Sighing, I lean against the viewport to watch Lalia jog onto the porch, try the front door, then knock. There are lights on in the house, and a moment later, the door cracks. There isn’t much to see in the falling dark with the few dozen yards from the ship to the house, but I see the warm heat blobs of two people pulling Lalia into a hug. They probably haven’t seen their children since before they broke into Amerov, and quite a while before then.
All because they were looking for their brother. Which they so happen to believe is me. I know they’re both grown adults who wanted to see me, and I never even wanted to get involved in this, but my stomach still pinches.
I watch one of them—difficult to tell which parent in the dark—run to greet Zane halfway across the field. I swallow thickly.
Yvonne’s hand unclamps my fingers. I hadn’t realized I was clenching them. Her hand is so oddly soft and gentle in mine I almost switch over to obsessing over her. Almost.
Anya giggles again.
I eyeball her. “And what’s funny now?”
“Aaron and Yvonne sittin’ in a tree—”
Yvonne swats her along the bottom and Anya goes running down the gangplank, cackling at the top of her lungs. My face burns. We’ve all been stuck in this small ship the past few days, and Yvonne hasn’t exactly stopped with the weird affection.
“Is it too early to joke about leaving her on Amerov?” I mumble.
Bat gives his growl of a laugh and finally gets sick of my grip, wriggling to the ground and perching on the edge the airlock to get a better look outside.
“I would be offended by that,” Yvonne muses. “But I’ll let it go considering how nice you’ve been to her.”
I ignore her.
“Actually, I feel like you have a niceness setting I didn’t know you had when it comes to her.”
I scowl. Because she’s a nice kid. Never met one of those before.
She laughs softly. “Aaron, I’m going to let you in on a secret.”
I glare at her from the corner of my eye, not liking the tone. “Oh, really.”
“Yes. And I know this may shock you, but you actually have a nice smile. So if you want their parents to like you, perhaps try using it.”
“I don’t think your view of me quite matches with the rest of the galaxy’s.”
She shrugs. “Maybe not, but I’m not stupid.”
Debatable. But she isn’t correct, either. I’ve smiled at people. There’s a reason I stopped. It just makes my already grotesque features more distorted. It doesn’t make me friendly looking, or less frightening. I suppose it won’t hurt to try to make my expression as pleasant as possible, but I’m not holding out hope the magic of niceness is going to win over anyone.
When I still don’t answer, she adds her other hand to the back of mine. It’s oddly grounding. “Come on, I’ll walk out with you.”
“Actually, I’d rather just stay in here—”
“Are you scared of the humans?”
I consider the ramifications of each answer before settling on, “Yes.”
She laughs silently. “Don’t worry, Bat and I will protect you.”
“Yes,” Bat says from the airlock.
Something occurs to me. “Bat, please don’t bite Zane and Lalia’s parents.”
He joins in with Yvonne’s laughter. Well, at least they like each other.
“Look, just don’t glare at them, don’t say anything about how stupid humans are—and yes, I know we’re often stupid, but you don’t have to say it—”
I can’t quite hold back a snort.
“And maybe be like….three percent less self-deprecating. They’ll like you.”
I hate that she sees so easily how nervous I am. “So, basically, shut up and smile.”
“Well, at least be nice and smile for the first few minutes.”
I stare at her.
“Too much to ask for?”
“You’ve been stuck with me for weeks, you tell me.”
With a grin, she says, “Enough stalling, come on.”
“I’m not stalling—”
She stands on her toes but still has to drag my head down to get within kissing range. My shoulders tense more than I wish they would, but I can’t bring myself to actually force myself away. Then she drags me toward the airlock and out into the night air.
