by Ruby Dixon
I want a freaking heating blanket.
I touch Maddie’s arm to break her out of her hysterical laughter. I don’t like the way they watch us, I sign to her. The men. I feel like a bird in a cage, or like a bird being hunted by a cat.
Just stay at my side, she tells me. I won’t let anything happen to you. Big Sis is on alert. Get some sleep for now.
I give her as much of a smile as I can muster. All right. Like that’s gonna be easy knowing we’re now in Parasite Planet? With a bunch of horny blue dudes that look like they want to eat me? Oh sure, I’ll just tuck into my frozen blankets and take a nice power nap.
Instead, I sip more of the water from the strange waterskin that the one guy gave us. I avoid the stew - it’s so spicy it makes my nose burn. I’m hungry, but I can’t bring myself to eat much of it, and Maddie says she doesn’t have much of an appetite. She jokes that she can live off her fat for a while, but I need to eat. Funny how I don’t feel like eating.
She and Kira start talking again and I gaze over to the other fire. The men there are still watching us. Good lord, they need a hobby. Since we’re hidden in the shadows and I’m snug next to my protective sister, I find the courage to look back at them. The men fall into two camps, I think. There are those like Kira’s husband and the two guards that look at us as if we’re slightly annoying. And then there are the ones that sit around the fire and look at us as if they want to eat us. Gee, and I wonder why I feel uneasy.
The one that left me the water glances over here, and I decide that I need a third category, just for him. Uninterested, Creepers, and him. I’m not sure what he is yet, but he’s not giving off the same vibes that the others are. Weirdly enough, I feel like he could be a friend if I was less scared.
Maddie and I shiver all night despite the fire and the fur blankets. I’ve never felt so cold in my life, and it feels like no matter what I do, I can’t get warm.
“It’s colder this time of year than usual,” Kira says, and I read her lips in the firelight. She’s warming her hands at our fire. “And when you get your coo-ee it won’t be so bad.”
The coo-ee must be the parasite. At least, I think that’s the word. It’s hard to tell with lip-reading, and half the time I’m guessing what someone is saying. It’s not comforting, though. The thought of a parasite keeping me warm? I’d almost prefer to stay cold.
No, actually, scratch that. I’m so tired of being cold. I slept terribly last night, and everything I touched felt like ice. My toes are tingling with numbness and the thought of leaving the cocoon of furs that keeps me warm is a deal breaker. I don’t know how Kira can stand it. More than that, I don’t know how the big guys wander around in summery clothing. Two of them have bare chests and several others wear vests that look as if they wouldn’t keep a flea warm. Lots of muscles on display around here.
Today? I take everything they offer. When they offer me hot tea? I take it and drink it, not caring that it has a weird leafy taste to it. When they give me more stew? I eat it all and ignore the fact that my nose runs like a faucet. Last night, in the dreadful, freezing-cold hours that I was supposed to be sleeping, I came to a realization.
Maddie and I are alone here. We’re completely at the mercy of these strangers who decided to retrieve us and are now feeding and clothing us. We can try to escape, but how far are we going to get? Just the thought of stepping outside the safety of the wrecked ship and into the fiercely blowing winter winds is enough to make me want to vomit.
And me? I’m completely dependent on Maddie to communicate. I can talk, of course, but I can’t hear myself; I can’t tell if I’m loud enough or misunderstood. If they’re not facing me, I can’t see their response. And the aliens? Maddie says that Kira told her that they know our language, but I can’t read their lips. They have fangs and they enunciate different than I’m used to, so that’s a bust.
So we’re completely dependent on the aliens, and I’m completely dependent on Maddie.
This doesn’t make me happy. I’m not the most outgoing person, so I’m happy to let my exuberant sister take the lead. At the same time, I’m terrified. What if we get separated? What if something happens to Maddie? What am I going to do?
Everything just feels dangerous. Last night, as I shivered and clung to Maddie, trying to sleep, I came up with a plan: the Yes plan.
Do I want to eat this stew? Yes.
Do I want to wear all these nice furs they’re handing me? Yes.
Do I want to be friendly with all the new aliens? Yes, yes I do.
I’m not stupid. I know that the happier they are with me, the easier things will be. So right now? I’m going to be easygoing as heck and keep an eye on everything. I haven’t told Maddie my plan - mostly because the words ‘Maddie’ and ‘easygoing’ do not belong in the same sentence. But if she thinks I’m safe and protected with these strangers, she’ll come around.
Kira holds a boot out to me. “Shoe? Do you want this shoe?” She taps it. “We can adjust it to fit your foot.”
I nod at her, Yes Plan in effect.
Hours later, I’m dressed in warm cast-offs from one of the supply packs. Since the other human women knew Maddie and I were here in the pods, clothing was sent along for us and now Maddie and I are fitted into leather tunics, leather leggings, and warm, fleece-lined boots. I have big furry mittens that I wear even inside the cave, and I’ve had my fill of spicy stew. My nose is stuffed up and I suspect I’m coming down with a cold, but I manage to nap for most of the day. For some reason, most of the big blue dudes left the cave, leaving just Kira, her mate, and one of the others that remained guarding the entrance. It’s relaxing. I’m still anxious and my stomach is in knots, but without the hot, glowing eyes of the others, some of the tension eases.
I wake up when a hand touches my arm and shakes me awake. I sit up in the furs, rubbing my eyes. There, by the fire, the big blue guys have returned and are gesturing excitedly about something to the one that’s the leader. They point at us and pick up their packs, but the leader shakes his head and says something that makes one of the hot-eyed ones fling his bag down and go storming off. The others settle in but they don’t look pleased.
Maddie takes it all in and then comes and sits next to me in the furs. She pulls her knees up and leans closer to me, her hands moving in small motions. It’s almost like we’re whispering, not that it matters. They don’t understand sign language. But maybe Maddie doesn’t want them to know we’re talking.
The angry one is Hassen, she tells me. We need to keep an eye on him. He watches you a lot.
I know, I sign back. It worries me. What happened to make him angry?
They are looking for something. A sock? It sounds like sock, though I know that is not the right word. They want it for us. I think it carries the parasites. Hassen is angry that Haeden - that is the leader - won’t let them hunt tonight. Haeden says to wait for dawn, because we are too vulnerable. So Hassen is throwing a pissy-fit.
Hassen and Haeden? Gosh, their names sound the same. I don’t know how I’m going to keep it all straight in my head. So they want to go hunt the sock? I peek out to the front of the crashed ship, where the sky and the snow can be seen - it’s dark and the snow is falling heavily. My breath is fogging even in the warmth of the ship’s hold. If I leave the fire, it frosts. I don’t want to go out, I tell Maddie. I agree with Haeden.
Me too. My ass is frozen.
I smother a laugh behind my hand and look over at the fire. The one with the nice eyes - the friendly one - is watching me. His mouth curls a bit. Did he hear my laughter? I feel a blush scorching my cheeks and shrink down next to Maddie. Do you know the names of the others? I sign back.
I’m trying to memorize them all, Maddie signs to me. I think Kira’s husband is named Yayhago, though I might have that wrong. There is one called Raw-hosh but he doesn’t seem nice. The one standing by the fire is Beck. That one is Toshen. I think that one is Rowdan but he doesn’t say much, even to the others.
My
mind whirls, trying to absorb all these names. They’re not easy ones to remember, except maybe Beck, but I don’t want to get to know him better. He’s one of the ones with the possessive eyes. I look over at the one that interests me. Rowdan.
His name, I will try to remember.
As if he can sense my stare, he looks over and tips his chin at me, a bit of a playful smile on his mouth. His lips stretch into a grin, and then I see nothing but white fangs.
I shudder and look away again.
After another horrible, cold night, I’m more than willing to get this coo-ee thing if it means I’ll be warm. This place is awful - it’s freezing cold and barren, and by the time even the warmest of food gets to me, it’s cooling off. If what they say is true, there’s no Burlington Coat Factory around the corner, no McDonalds, no nothing. There’s no warm beach to look forward to, or a break in the weather, even. This is an ice planet.
Sometimes I really hope Kira and the others are lying to me. That this is all an elaborate joke, like they do on those TV shows. That we’re going to go outside and see a city in the distance, and everyone’s going to laugh and hand me hot cocoa. I won’t even be mad. I’ll just be relieved.
But that doesn’t explain why my cochlear implant is gone, and non-consenting surgery definitely takes the joke too far. So this has to be real.
And that terrifies me.
Maddie seems to be handling things better than me. She’s wary and combative to the others, and protective of me, but she doesn’t shiver as much, and she sleeps like a log. She doesn’t look as if she’s living every moment in abject fear.
I’m envious of that. I keep my complaints and my fears to myself, because if Maddie knows I’m silently freaking out, she’ll worry about me and go into Mama-Bear Mode. And while I love my sister, I don’t know if I want her to smother me with overprotectiveness. Maddie can be awesome, but Maddie can also be too much. I’m glad that she’s here, and at the same time, I resent that I’m forced to rely on her again. It’s not Maddie’s fault that after years of hearing and independence, I’m forced to rely on her again.
Whoever took my implants is a jerk.
After we eat a quick hot breakfast of leftover stew, the aliens get out their weapons and pack their bags. Kira talks to Maddie for a long moment. I try to follow the conversation but Kira’s talking too fast. Maddie nods at her and then comes over to me.
They want to leave, she signs. They know where the sock-thing is and want to go hunt it to get us parasites. They say if we don’t get them, we will die and they worry you’re not strong enough as it is.
That’s a tough pill to swallow - that I worry them and look ‘weak’. I’m not much smaller than Kira. I resist the urge to flex my arms and show them the small muscles I’ve got. I may not be as hulking as the rest of the aliens, but I’m not a wimp. That’s fun, I sign back to her, because what else can I say? Can you tell them to go fuck themselves?
Maddie’s eyes brighten. There’s that fighting spirit! Where’s it been for the last two days?
Hiding and praying this will all go away?
Just think of it as camping. As long as they’re good to us, this is just like a camping trip, right down to the leeches.
I make a face at her. Yuck, thanks for that. You know I hate camping.
She pats my arm, and then signs, Suck it up, Buttercup.
Guess I need to.
Kira waits for us to be done with our conversation and then hands us more furs to put on. I notice the men are wearing less wraps than before, which means they’re giving them to us. She produces a pair of rough-looking snowshoes and holds them out to Maddie and me.
Oh boy. We’re leaving the wreckage of the ship. I’m not sure if I’m excited or terrified. I guess it’s too much to hope that the sock-thing we’re going after lives in a nice, warm shelter. If so, I just might become its new best friend.
Maddie takes the snowshoes from Kira and hands them to me. Bundle up, she gestures as Kira hands over even more furs. We need to keep you warm, weakling.
I know my sister’s teasing, but it still grates on my nerves. I scowl at her as I take the shoes. She’s in such a good mood, and I’m a bit resentful of that. Maddie loves adventure and challenge. I think she’s thriving on irritating the big blue guys that look at us like we’re treats to be devoured. Me, I just want to be left alone.
Preferably somewhere toasty warm.
I put on the furs that Kira hands over, and it seems like layer after layer, until I probably resemble a stuffed toy more than a human. There are fur chaps that go over my leggings, a fur wrap that goes over my shoulders and then around my torso. Kira produces a belt and ties the wraps against my body, and then comes another layer, and then a heavy cloak. I’m itchy and stiff, and so I don’t protest when she bends down and starts to strap the snowshoes to my new fur boots. By the time she’s done with me, I look ridiculous. Maddie does, too. I want to joke that we look like a pair of teddy bears heading out for a picnic, but my hands are wrapped in warm, double-lined mittens and so I can’t sign.
Kira bundles up once she’s satisfied with our clothing, and then we all waddle to the broken end of the spaceship. I’m a little jealous of how well Kira can walk in her snowshoes; it’s clear she’s had practice. I want to stare at my feet to make sure that every step I take is a solid one, but I need my sight to know what’s going on around me. If I stare at my feet, I’ll truly be isolated.
We’re the last ones in the ship, I realize - the others are outside waiting for us in the pale gray light. I pull my hood down deeper over my face and step forward. The crunch of snow under my shoes can be felt, if not heard, and it comforts me.
Because what I see when I step outside takes my breath away.
I’ve stared at that sliver of light for the last two days. I know to expect a bleak landscape of snow and wintry skies. Even so, I’m not prepared for just how different everything is. I stare around me in a mix of horror and wonder.
Rolling, endless hills of white snow cover the landscape. It’s snow as far as the eye can see, heaps and heaps of it. There isn’t much in the way of landscape - no trees, no bushes, only a few rocks here and there. Behind the ship, purple, glass-looking mountains climb toward the skies like teeth and cast long shadows over the valley. No wonder it’s so bitterly cold - we’re in the shadows and the sun never hits us. I look up, squinting to see the sun. The sky is covered with thick clouds, but I spot the suns. Two of them, clustered together like mating fireflies, so small and watery-looking that I wonder they give off any light. My heart sinks at the sight of them and I realize I’m never going to feel a warm summer day ever again.
I’d cry but my eyes would crust shut with ice.
The aliens are standing a short distance away, as if waiting to grab me if I topple, but wanting to give me space at the same time. I shiver and make no move to get near them. It’s even colder outside of the ship’s protective warmth. A hard gust of wind nearly knocks me off my feet and I wobble in my snowshoes. I stagger, staring down at my feet, and then I notice some of the snow isn’t all that clean. Dark specks cover patches of the area, and I take a few steps forward, moving around the edge of the ship. Something reddish flashes and I approach it, curious. It looks like an emergency light of some kind, blinking over and over again, embedded into the body of the ship. It must be hot, though, because all of the snow around it is melted clear away. I avoid it and look over. There’s a male alien dragging what looks like a corpse of a giant, car-sized creature away. He pulls it by the long, spindly legs and then tosses it onto a snowy heap of what looks like other bodies. I shudder and head back toward the entrance, where my sister will be. I don’t want to be alone.
Maddie is standing at the gaping hole of the side of the ship, her lips parted in surprise. I see her mouth something like oh wow and she twists and turns, trying to take it all in. Kira moves to her side and then slips past, heading for her husband. I sidle closer to Maddie, who has pushed her hood off and is gazin
g around her with unbridled interest. I huddle deeper into mine, hating the cold.
That’s the Taylor sisters in a nutshell - Maddie staring out into the world with excitement, and me hiding behind her wishing I were somewhere else.
Someone grabs my waist and I squeak in surprise, stumbling backward into my sister. I feel Maddie grab me and try to right me, but I tumble into the snow, landing flat on my back like a turtle.
I close my eyes, embarrassed. Good thing I can’t hear them laughing.
A hand taps my shoulder and waits.
I open my eyes a bit and see the nice one - Rowdan - offer me a hand up. His dark blue hand is enormous, and I see three big, thick fingers and a thumb. I stare at it for a moment and then reluctantly place my hand in his. He hefts me back to my feet with ease and tilts his head as if to say Are you all right? I give him a faint smile.
Another one appears - the one with the scary, possessive eyes. Hassen. I watch in surprise as Rowdan steps in front of me and looks as if he’s giving Hassen a dressing-down. Hassen gestures at me, a rope in his hands, and then makes a motion for tying the rope at his waist. Was that what he was trying to do? Tie me to him?
I don’t like this at all. I try to take another step backward, but that’s near impossible in snowshoes (as I’m learning). I lose my footing and flop onto my back again. This time, both alien men rush to my side and offer hands, along with Maddie.
I ignore both of them and let Maddie help me up, even though I nearly knock her down in the process. I cling to my sister as both men continue to argue and a third one - the stern-faced leader - arrives and wades into the argument. They gesture at me and Hassen shows his rope and then points at the sky. Rowdan points at me and then at Hassen. The argument continues and then Hassen looks expectantly at the leader.
The leader throws his hands up in disgust and then nods, pointing at me. He gestures to Rowdan and then Maddie. Rowdan’s mouth thins and he does not look pleased.
