by Gayle Riley
Chapter 1
I could’ve sworn I saw something outside that night. My body grew tense as I walked out into the field. My parents told me to stay in after a certain hour, but I am an adult, and they weren’t around. I started to shiver though, especially since I had a feeling this was going to be a bad idea. I began to see the strange glowing sight, wondering just what it was. I began to feel apprehensive, wonder what I might see.
I knew I shouldn’t be out here. I mean, my neighbors, the closest thing I really had to a caring family, warned me, and now with all of the weird sights, I began to wonder if this was a good idea. Sure, I’ve always been a curious person, being the biology major that I am, but at the same time, I knew that curiosity killed the cat, and this might be the way I die. I started to move closer, seeing the glowing sight before me become more and more apparent. I held my breath, hoping it was maybe just my imagination.
“Hello?” I asked, looking about. I got closer to it, creeping near the edge of the wreckage. This was bizarre, so very bizarre, and I didn’t like the way this felt. That’s when I noticed it, the sudden shock of the moment as I realized what it was.
This ship didn’t look human. I began to see just what it might be. I started to grow worried, wondering if the mysterious sight in front of me was what I believed it was.
Were aliens real? I always believed they were, but I didn’t want to think this was the case. I started to look around, seeing some of the strange lights and hearing some eerie sounds.
“What is this?” I asked, touching the frame of the ship.
“I would rather you not go through our belongings miss,” a voice said.
I shrieked, looking around and trying to decipher just what the source of the sound was. I then turned around, seeing something that made me wonder if I was dreaming. There was no way this could be real, could it? But I had a feeling it was, a strange feeling that this was the case.
Two strange lifeforms stood before me, looking at me directly with cocked eyes. They didn’t look completely foreign. Rather, they looked almost humanoid, as if they were some sort of species of humans, but their skin was a strange bluish color, and it had almost scale like properties to this. I mean, they didn’t seem all that bad-looking. One of them wore a strange robe that seemed to cover his body, and the other one wore a pair of dark pants and a shirt.
“Who are you?” I asked them with a curious glance.
They stared at me, and I felt my heart stop for a moment. Were they going to… hurt me? I doubted it, but who knew.
“You don’t look harmful. Maybe this is the one,” one of them said. It was the guy with the robe.
“Indeed. Perhaps we should consider befriending her,” the other replied.
Befriending? Looking harmful What the hell did they mean.
“Listen, my name is Maya, and I’m not here to hurt—”
“Silence. We’re thinking,” the one in the robe said with a snap. The one with the pants and shirt looked at me with an apologetic glance.
I scowled. Who the hell did they think they were? Acting like they were better than me, or that’s what it seemed like to me. I was frustrated, and it felt like they were just pushing me to the side. I wanted to know more about who they were, and what they were getting at. I mean, I guess they would tell me eventually, but this was getting annoying.
I paused, wondering if I should say something once again. But there was something strange on the face of the robed man. He was studying me up and down. I began to feel a flush on my face as I looked at him.
“Don’t look at me like that, pervert,” I pointed out.
“I’m sorry. I’m studying you. You’re nothing like the humans we’ve heard about. I’m curious,” the man said.
Curious about what? I didn’t get it.
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
“What I’m asking for is a proposal. I want to learn more about you. I want to study you. What I’m saying, is will you be our mate?” the man said.
I looked at him like he had three heads.
“Are you for real?” I asked.
I realized they were serious. Okay, what the hell? I took a deep breath, unsure of where to begin, but I knew that there was no way, no way in hell, I was going to become their mate.
Right?
Boy, was I damn wrong.
Chapter 2
I took a good minute or two to process everything I just heard. I stared at them, seeing their expression hadn’t changed.
“You’re serious?” I asked.
“Yes. We are,” the one in the robe said.
“We wouldn’t have mentioned a proposal for you to be our mate if not otherwise,” the other said.
I looked at them, shaking my head as I took a good minute or two to process all of this.
“No. That’s not how this works. That’s not how any of this works. Do you two realize what you’ve asked me. You’ve asked a human, who’s never had anything like this happen to her before, to mate with her. To make… babies and shit. I mean, I don’t even know if that’s even possible between a human and an alien. I’m sorry, but I don’t know a damn thing about you, or even your names, so that’s not happening,” I said to them.
“But miss, you seem so—”
“I don’t seem like anything! I don’t get why you’re asking me this. For one, I don’t even know who the hell you two are, and the fact that you just up and asked me something like this is… strange,” I said.
I was about to turn around, to get off this crazy train, when a part of me wanted to learn about this for scientific reasons. Of course, they couldn’t stay around forever, and I don’t know if they’d be cool with being in a lab. However, I then heard the one in the robe speak.
“I’m Xandra. The man there is Nanel. We’re aliens from a planet called Genbu,” he said to me.
So Xandra and Nanel. Definitely not the kind of names I was expecting from two humanoid aliens.
“Well, I’m Maya as said before. So why are you here?” I asked.
“We’ve come to retrieve a human to help us with an… issue that’s been besieging our home,” Xandra said.
Oh God. What kind of issue would this be? I was scared to ask. I took a deep breath, steeling myself for whatever was about to happen next before speaking.
“What… kind of issue?” I asked.
They stared at each another, and then at me.
“I’m the head of one of the biggest companies on my planet. I’m a billionaire, and my father, who still presides over the company, wants me to find a suitable mate. Problem is, he doesn’t like any of the alien mates that we’ve found so far. Simply put, none of them have the intellect and mental capacity humans share. We did some research on this, personal research at that, and because of that, we’ve concluded a young human woman would be the best fit for our desires,” Nanel said.
“So that’s where this came in. We managed to get to Earth, but due to control issues, we crash landed here. Because of this, we’re basically trapped here until we can get a signal out to our people,” Xandra said.
“Yes, which might be a few days,” Nanel said.
I listened to them, humoring their tale. On the one hand, there was no way in hell I could believe this. I mean, I didn’t want to be their mate, that’s for sure. I’m kind of a college kid, who’s been hitting the books far too much, and who’s been looking more at my scholarships and future over anything else. Plus, it’s not like I had support from my family to rely on. I was all alone for the most part.
“You do realize I’m a college student, right?” I asked.
“What is college?” Xandra said.
Holy shit. They don’t have colleges on their planet.
“You know like school? Where you go to learn things? That sort of thing,” I explained to them. I needed to learn to be less rude, but that’s way easier said than done. I’m bad with new people, especially ones who basically said they want me as a mate in the future.
&nb
sp; They look at one another, and then at me.
“I see, so like the academy. We have one like that. It trains people to be leaders or whatever job you’re assigned,” Xandra said.
Wait, they’re assigned jobs? Oh boy.
“Yeah. I’m studying to be a biologist,” I said.
“What is that?” Nanel asked.
“Someone who studies life. Such as animals and plants. Even you guys classify as that because you are living. There are some scientists who study nonliving things, and that’s different,” I said. I started to sound almost scholarly when discussing this with them.
“I see. We would like to stay here. To learn a bit more about your people. And perhaps each other,” Xandra said.
I paused, unsure of how this would work out. I mean, I did have the space I used for experiments, but would it house two large aliens? Plus, once break was over I’ll be gone, and they might end up using that place for something else. Not to mention, if someone discovered they were there, I don’t know how they could take it. Plus, if this whole marriage bullshit was real, I don’t really know how to take it. I mean, I’m still young, kind of unsure about my life, but also a bit curious about this too. I mean, they were rich aliens stranded on a planet like this. It probably wasn’t easy, and I guess I should be hospitable. They don’t seem to know much about human culture.
“Well, I think I can make it work. My parents are out of town until Monday. That means they’re not here. I can use the shed they gave me to house you guys, if that’s fine,” I offered. There was that part of me that didn’t want to do this, but I was curious. It might have been a morbid curiosity, but I was also lonely as well.
They nodded, listening to me.
“Thank you for your generosity. In the past, we’ve heard some humans were scared of us, and there are some stories of humans even hurting us. I feared this would happen when we did get stranded. No Genbu lifeform has ever made it back from here due to how humans are. But you’re kind,” Xandra said.
I paused. They really didn’t know anything about this place. I mean, they were scaly, definitely not something to show the average person, but I guess, maybe It’s because I’m a scientist that I want to study them.
“I understand. Well, I hope to make your time here that much more fulfilling and fun,” I told them with a beaming grin.
They smiled, thanking me.
“We can move our ship out of the way,” Xandra said. He nodded to Nanel, who used some sort of telekinesis to move it. I was shocked, but at the same time, curious.
“It’s a technique that all Genbu lifeforms possess,” Xandra explained.
“I see. Very interesting,” I replied. It truly was interesting. After we finished up there, I led them to the shed. Then, I paused. My parents wouldn’t be back until Monday. I’m sure that I could let them into my home without any problems.
“Actually, why don’t you come into the house tonight? Nobody is around,” I mused.
They looked at me with complete surprise, but they did accept the gesture, heading inside. I made them a makeshift bed in the living room, looking at them.
“I hope this is okay,” I said.
“It is. Thank you, Maya,” Xandra said.
I blushed, seeing the man’s eyes as he gazed upon mine. I motioned for them to use the area before heading upstairs.
There was no way I could ever fall for an alien. If anything, I was morbidly curious about who they were, what they stood for, their values and such. I mean, that interested me far more than anything else, and deep down, I began to wonder just what it might be like. What were these aliens like? Were they nice? Or were they hostile? I wanted to learn more, and while I knew that as a scientist learning could sometimes give you the bitter truth, I had a good feeling about both of these men, and about what they stood for, for I knew there wouldn’t be any harm coming to me.
Chapter 3
I woke up the next morning almost forgetting that I had two aliens sleeping in my living room. I about nearly cried out when I saw them, but then, reality hit me as soon as I saw them once more. I looked, and I noticed that they seemed almost lifeless when they slept. Were all people like this to a degree? I began to wonder as I looked at them. I mean, I was curious, but sometimes I grew too curious.
I got a bit excited, heading closer to where they were, lightly touching their arm. It was then I saw Xandra’s eyes flutter open, and for a moment, I began to realize that we weren’t all that different, especially when waking up. Aliens and humans did act similar in many ways, and while I did find the concept of mating with them a bit weird, I still wanted to get to know them.
“Good morning,” I said.
“How do you know the morning is good already?” he asked.
I was about to grow upset, but then I realized that he didn’t mean harm. He’s an alien, he didn’t know any better. I chuckled hearing this, realizing that we were much different from one another.
“It’s an expression humans use when we wake up. That’s all,” I explained.
“I see. Well, good morning to you as well,” he said awkwardly. In a sense, I felt like it was kind of cute watching him act awkwardly. He didn’t understand human traditions, and I guess it’s my job to show him the way. I mean, that’s what a scientist who was studying these aliens would do, right? I mean, I’m still an amateur, but I also wanted to get to know them in this fashion.
There was another rustling next to him, and when I looked over, I saw that Nanel had woken up too. His mouth was hanging open, a sign that he probably was out cold until our discourse.
“Hello,” I said softly.
“Hi. This is your home,” he said.
“Yes. Humans reside here. I mean, if you two want, we can take a look around. I mean, I know that it’s probably weird, but I’ll stay with both of you as we go through this,” I said.
They looked at each another, trying their hardest to figure out what exactly I meant by that. They then understood.
“I see. I’m sorry we intruded on your home then,” Nanel said.
“No, it’s fine. I mean, I invited you two in, so I don’t see the problem. I can’t have you stay in here forever though. My parents come home on Monday. They probably don’t want to see two aliens, that’s for sure. They already find me weird,” I said.
They understood my predicament. “I see. Well, let’s get the day started. We want to see what it’s like here,” Xandra said.
I nodded. “It’s a small town. Not that great. but there is one problem,” I told them.
They looked at me, and then, I motioned to their skin.
“People will look at you weirdly if you’re dressed like that,” I said.
“Oh yes, we need to blend in with the human race,” Xandra said.
“Indeed. Let’s do that before we leave,” Nanel replied.
They stepped forward, pressing a button on their wrist. Suddenly, their skin changed into that of normal human skin, with the scales long gone. I looked at this with complete bewilderment. I didn’t expect this, that’s for sure. They had full heads of hair, with Nanel possessing black hair that went all the way down to his backside, and Xandra having soft, brown hair. I wasn’t going to lie, in this form, they were pretty sexy, that’s for sure.
“Oh wow,” I said.
“Is it too much?” Xandra asked.
“Not at all. Sorry, I’m a bit distracted,” I replied. In truth, I felt my body grow slightly hot. I shouldn’t think aliens were sexy. I’m supposed to be studying, to understand them, and to create a bond between them and humans. However, I couldn’t stop ogling them, that’s for sure.
“Let’s head out,” Xandra finally said, jarring me from my thoughts.
“Oh yes. Give me just a second,” I said. I ran upstairs, changing into something a bit more comfortable, and soon, we headed to my car. I was happy my parents gave me something to drive, even if it was a bit of a jalopy. After the car started, the aliens watched in curiosity as I drove to the first
place I felt we should go to.
“Probably the biggest highlight of this place is the mall,” I said.
“What’s a mall?” Xandra said.
They didn’t know? Wow, they must have a totally different lifestyle than humans do.
“It’s a place where you can get clothing. See this bag? I got it at the mall there,” I told them.
They listened, very interested. I then pulled up to the parking space. The car stopped, and they looked at me funny.
“This is so bizarre,” Nanel said.
“Yeah. It’s not like anything on our planet. You know the ship you saw? It’s actually the kind that people drive,” Xandra told me.
I was slightly jealous that they already had flying cars, but in a sense, it seemed all right.
“I wish we had flying cars. I mean, traveling is fine period with cars, it would be cool though,” I said.
“Indeed. But of course, our land isn’t as vibrant as it is here. It’s certainly different. But I’ve heard you humans have a lot of problems with people in power,” Nanel said.
“Yeah. I try not to pay too much mind to it. But it can be overwhelming. People get more offended over things than anything else. It’s nice though, being able to talk with you two about things like this. It’s interesting to see the difference this all plays,” I said.
The three of us walked into the mall. The two aliens were overwhelmed by the sheer number of items in this place.
“How does a store hold this much?” Xandra said.
“It’s a collection of stores. You want to check a few places out?” I asked them.
