by Zara Zenia
Egrix paced around the scattered containers, muttering impatiently to himself. She felt a reservation against approaching him, his noticeable agitation pushing her back toward the mouth of the cave. He had done a number on her mood yesterday and she couldn't convince herself to interact with him. Cara told herself instead that she didn't have to, she had only come here for the photos.
She simply didn't have the energy, so she retreated to the flat rock outcropping where she'd left her gear the day before. She traipsed around the beach setting up and capturing a new variety of photographs. After a few panoramic images and some shots that highlighted the play of the day light on the distinctive beach setting, she set up another long exposure shot to trace the sun moving down in the horizon, fiddling with the framing until she had something that was, at least, satisfactory. A few stray whisps of cloud floated lazily through the sky alongside the burning ball of light and she hoped that their ghostly impression would make for a unique finished product.
She sat on the flat rocks next to her bag and pulled a handful of Polaroids from the pocket of the hoodie she wore that day. On the top was the photo of Egrix she'd taken yesterday. His eyes were penetrating, even captured on the grainy Polaroid. She traced the edges of his frame in her mind, a bit embarrassed to be looking at his naked body again.
"What are you doing?"
Cara, who had been seated next to her equipment, nearly threw the pictures in her hands in surprise at his question. She spun around wearing an exasperated expression on her bright red face. Egrix grimaced at her reaction, looking away from her. She was distractingly attractive to him, despite his best efforts, and he had struggled with work all morning, perplexed with thoughts of her. He groaned internally at his unending ability to upset this woman who had been very kind to him even with his standoffish personality.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sneak up on you." He turned his strong gaze back to her, measuring his control. When their eyes met, Cara's gaze dropped quickly to the sand and she crossed her arms in front of her chest. He continued, "I'll also apologize for what happened yesterday. I honestly wasn't sure if you'd come back."
"I considered not coming," she admitted to the sand that shifted under her feet.
Even though it was to be expected, Egrix still didn't like hearing it. He had been harassing himself about the way he'd treated her since the night before.
"I have pictures I want to take though, and…" She paused looking up at Egrix, frowning shyly, "and I said I'd help you, so I'm here."
As she said this, her gaze grew more confident. Egrix faltered a bit as she tugged at his heart. "Then let's go," he said, clearing his throat, before leading the way back to his base.
Egrix went into his seashell pod and then returned, carrying a stack of papers in his arms and made his way to the table that he and Cara had shared yesterday. He had seen her fiddling with something on the table through the one-sided, translucent walls of his pod and now he could see pictures spread out in front of her as he approached.
"What are these?" he asked, a bit cautiously in case she was still upset with him. He set the papers down out of the way and leaned nearer to Cara to look at one of the images.
Cara smiled, lifting up one of the photos closer to Egrix's face. "I did some investigating for you. I had to go shopping this morning, so I took some pictures of storefronts, merchandise, and ads I saw while I was out." She tilted her head to the side, watching him.
He studied the picture with his hand on his chin. He felt her eyes on him and couldn't help turning his eyes from the photos to her face.
Both of them seemed surprised by how close they were to each other, and Cara pulled back a little in her chair, he supposed it was to give him some more space, diverting her eyes for a moment. "Um, I'm sorry for yesterday too," she said quietly, turning her gaze back to focus on him. "You weren't nice about it, but you weren't wrong either. It wasn't fair for me to trivialize your work with Earth traditions. I was hoping that helping out with this would make up for me being… silly."
Egrix grinned, a sudden laugh escaping his lips in response to her satirical use of his expression from the day before. Cara's cheeks flushed pink. As he looked back, he felt his face heat as well, and he swiftly retreated to sit at the other side of the table in a few long strides, hoping Cara wouldn't notice him blushing. The two awkwardly observed each other and smiled until Egrix cleared his throat quietly, sparking Cara to speak up again.
"Do you want to see what I have? I can promise to keep things informative if you promise to be nice." She slid a photo across the table, touching it to Egrix's fingertips.
He smiled, happy to have the harsh weight of yesterday's argument lifted. "Yes, I would like that very much. Thank you."
On her way back home, Cara was absorbed with thoughts of her beachside friend. They had spent hours discussing the photos she had taken around town and the consumer reports Egrix had been sent by the union. The topic of Christmas had been unavoidable, but she had been pleasantly surprised to see the grumpy alien remain level headed even with his cynicism. He noticed many displays in her images set up for the season, whether the stores sold food, clothing, decorations, or what have you. He grumbled under his breath about the inaccuracies the data would produce for the long term with the disproportionate holiday merchandise.
"It just seems like a time of year where everyone makes themselves miserable while smiling as if they're having fun. I can't understand how your species can push so adamantly to continue a tradition that results in so much waste and sadness just for the sake of consumerism." Egrix had worn a pained expression, different from the angry one she had witnessed yesterday. It seemed as if the idea really took a toll on him, and Cara understood.
"I can't argue with you there," she had agreed, which clearly surprised Egrix for the umpteenth time. "There's a lot of hypocrisy to being human."
"I can see that is true," he had said, looking at her as if she were something he wanted to study and understand. "You are nothing like what I expected."
Cara had giggled, knowing he meant that to sound like a compliment.
"Thanks." She had glanced at her phone right then and had been reminded of her promise to her mom with the topic of Christmas coming up. "Hey, I have to go for today."
A flash of sadness had flown across Egrix's face. "Did I upset you again?"
"No, not at all. But I promised my mom I'd help her decorate the house tonight. Even with the hypocrisy, for my family and a lot of others, this holiday is simply an opportunity to spend time with each other and enjoy life. That's why we have traditions like decking the house out in Christmas gear. You reminded me that I need to get home to be a part of this tradition."
He'd asked if she would return the next day and she had joked that she would consider it before packing up and returning to her car. Remembering how cute his look of concern was made Cara snicker to herself as she drove. She felt a genuine impatience knowing how long she'd have to wait to see her alien again.
6
After a long night of pacing the house, decorating it in Christmas paraphernalia from top to bottom, Cara woke up late feeling warm and well rested. They hadn't finished all of the Christmas setup since her dad had promised to help with the tree the next day. She had a simple breakfast with her parents again, chatting about her beach trip the day before with her excluding certain details. Before heading to her room again she promised to be home to work on the Christmas tree with them later on.
After getting ready for another day on the shore, she packed herself an extra bag for the day with a wetsuit, flippers, mask, and a couple of towels. She'd decided to wear a long, flowing dress and a cardigan sweater, which would still be warm because of its length. She wanted to get into the water today and try for some underwater shots before it got any colder. She'd decided the dress would make changing easier without getting too cold, since the length of the skirt covered her legs. She almost put on some makeup to compliment it, but when she made e
ye contact with herself in the mirror she couldn't figure out why she'd want to dress up just to go take some pictures. She braided her hair as usual and put on her glasses, giving herself a little nod before leaving for the day.
The sun shone down from overhead as Cara stepped into the cave, making a path to Egrix's campsite. When she entered his chamber he was nowhere in sight. She noticed the table they had shared open in the middle of the cavern, so she set down her bags on one of the chairs before heading to the alien structure that Egrix was staying in. She rapped her knuckles on the outside of the pod, hearing faint movement inside. When the door of the sealed home lifted it revealed Egrix's grey, smiling face on the other side.
"Hello, Cara." His low voice fell into her ears and she grinned shyly back at him. He tucked a lock of his white hair behind his pointed ear and Cara watched every movement.
Realizing she was staring, she self-consciously looked down at her feet. "Hello." Her eyes floated to take in the space behind him, taking in the tones of blue and grey past his shoulder. "Wow," she muttered quietly, noticing what looked like a bed directly behind him, but not like a typical bed she could recognize.
He noticed her attention passing over the room and stepped out of the way, inviting her in. She proceeded in and was immediately bombarded by a wealth of technology she couldn't comprehend in the surprisingly large space. The bed she had noticed at first was directly across from the door and glowed an oddly shade. There was no pillow or blanket, just a gelatinous looking surface that reminded her of the lights in the cave. A shelf lined the perimeter of the space, stopping on either side of the bed and the door. Almost every inch of its surface was littered with an assortment of things related to Egrix's job. She found the photos she had taken while shopping in one area, surrounded by pages of writing, some in English, and some in an unrecognizable language.
To one side of the bed there was a gaming set up that consisted of every gaming console she'd ever seen, all connected to a large, curved television screen. There was also a gaming computer set up next to it. Another computer was hooked into the other wall with several pieces of alien equipment around it that Cara couldn't even begin to understand. She noticed what looked like a closet toward the back of the room next to a shower booth. It took a moment for her to comprehend all of the amazing things she was witnessing.
After taking it all in, stepping over various Earth items Egrix seemed to be studying, Cara looked back at the man who resided here. She noticed, to her shock that she could see right through the walls into the cave behind him. This just now occurred to her as she was preoccupied with the contents of the room, and she looked astonishedly at the walls that seemed to not be there at all. Her confusion turned to embarrassment when she remembered all of the moments Egrix had gone into this building and left her alone in the cave, realizing he could see her the whole time. The alien man had watched her explore the space, interested in the wave of reactions that continually passed over her face. When she looked back to him, her face grew pink and he gave her a concerned look.
"Is everything okay?" He didn't understand her expression and looked around the room to make sure nothing had offended her again.
"Yeah," she replied shyly, feeling embarrassed. "I just didn't realize you could see through the walls. I didn't know before so I'm sure I made a fool of myself at some point when I assumed you couldn't see me."
Egrix chuckled at her embarrassment. "You didn't do anything odd, don't worry so much about it."
"Okay," she said with a halfhearted smile, trying to chase the thoughts out of her mind.
"Would you like a tour?"
Egrix showed her around his home. "I have lived here alone for the past six months." He pointed out the items she obviously had recognized and did his best to explain the things the union had sent with him to use on his trip. He showed her a machine that could break down anything put into it to its chemical components which could then be labeled and stored for study. Another example was a teleporter that allowed him to send anything of use directly to his headquarters.
Egrix began to make his bed with sheets and pillows as he tried to explain the mechanics of it to Cara. She listened in awe as he described that his bed was made from a portion of his planet's crust because his species took energy from their home planet itself. They had to travel with some portion of it to be able to survive, so his people learned to make resources using the planet's surface such as his bed.
"The lights on the cave wall are also made from pieces of my planet," he mentioned watching her carefully as she processed the information as if he could see her figuring it out in her head.
"So…" Cara scrunched up her face, trying to put her thoughts into words, "does your planet glow?"
"Yes it does. Braxis doesn't receive much light from other stars so it is its own light source." He seemed impressed with her curiosity as he spoke proudly of his home. "My people, the Daxians, can also see in the dark as a result of it."
"Oh, cool."
Cara and Egrix went back and forth asking questions of each other. Egrix had collected resources from Earth that he was curious about. He spoke with Cara about them, taking down notes based on her answers. When he ran out of questions, Egrix stopped and scratched his head, then set down the pad of paper.
"I guess that's all I have right now." He smiled, clearly pleased with how much they'd been able to figure out with just a short conversation.
"Oh, are we done for today then?" Cara asked, tilting her head to the side.
"Yeah, but…" Egrix seemed hesitant, as if he didn't want her to leave so soon.
Cara could sense that he didn't want to be alone so she decided to invite him out to the beach.
"I was planning on doing some underwater shots with my camera today. I brought a wetsuit so I can get in the ocean. Do you want to come with me?"
Egrix nodded. "I won't be in the way?"
"No, not at all." Cara smiled warmly to reassure him. "Would you mind if I changed here? Alone I mean? Would you trust me inside your pod by myself?"
Egrix nodded, but then said, "I do believe I trust you not to harm anything in my home, though we Daxians never wear clothing, nudity is normal on my planet."
"That may be, but it's not here on Earth. So if you wouldn't mind?" She kicked him out to get herself dressed, as he sat alone at the table, outside the pod where she could see him frowning..
After a few moments of irritated grumbling as her insistence of being alone to change, Egrix sighed heavily to clear his mind. It was fine, she just wanted some privacy. He decided to drop it, reaching up to his ear to activate his cloaking mechanism. He wondered if the water here was going to be colder than it was on his homeworld, as he hadn't thought to enter the water here. His thoughts faded into memories of Braxis.
He felt a tap on his shoulder and jolted out of his imaginations of glowing lagoons. His gaze flitted around until it found Cara standing behind him a few paces back. Her head was cocked to one side while she studied his distracted face.
"Egrix? That is you right?"
He looked down at himself, remembering that he had cloaked his form, then smiled at Cara.
"Yeah, it's me. This is my disguise." He felt a little embarrassed with her eyes on his human body, so he stood up, shoving his hands into the pockets of his shorts which he'd grabbed, along with a shirt from the pod before she'd kicked him out of it. "You ready to go?"
Cara nodded, but then looking at him, as he pulled his t-shirt over his head and tossed it onto the table, she said, "Are you sure you want to wear those in the water? It's only going to be like fifty-nine degrees in there."
"I'll be fine," he said before heading up to the mouth of the cave, his human ears turning red as he walked away.
While following behind him, Cara admired the human-looking Egrix. Most of his features had remained the same, except his once white hair was now black, but it was still long and tucked behind what looked like rounded human ears. Each of his hands and feet now h
ad five digits. His skin was caramel-toned which made his yellow eyes even more vibrant and almost cat like. She could feel a heat rising in her body as she admired his toned back. Egrix stopped just before touching the sunlight, almost causing Cara to crash into him.
"Oh, sorry!"
"That's alright."
Still blushing after admiring his built body, Cara smiled at his concern. He had really changed his tone with her since they had first met a few days before. Cara set to work getting her gear ready. After putting on her mask, so she could see under the water, she left her bags on the smooth rocks. Then, with her waterproof digital camera in hand, the only time she used digital, she walked into the salty waters that lapped at her feet. She had decided not to wear the flippers since she wasn't going to go too deep. The sea rose to greet her, then pulled back, but she continued to descend into the water. She motioned to Egrix to join her with a big smile on her face.
"Come on, Egrix! It's a bit cold, but you'll get used to it."
The alien man followed her out into the waves and seemed to be enjoying the water. The pair explored the ocean near the beach. Cara took shots with her camera underneath the waves and showed Egrix how they worked. She took some pictures of him swimming in the salty water with the ocean life swimming around nearby. Then she took some of the water reflecting in the clear surface. After a while, she paused.
