by Zara Zenia
“It’s getting dark.” Victorinth grabs hold of Jarick’s hand. “Are we unsafe now?”
Certainly, the more we hang around, the darker it gets, and just like Draygus said, darkness means we are not safe.
“I think we better hurry out of here. I just saw another light being turned off.” I start to speed-walk.
In the near distance, I can see the main door. It’s not too far before we’re out of here. As we reach the exit, I feel relieved but then, almost instantly, I’m scared once again. It’s so dark outside, darker than when we landed. There are lights every few feet illuminating small patches of ground, but the general area is dark. I look up at the sky and see it is black.
“I’m not going out there,” I say as I stand rooted to the spot.
“Why?” Voland seems annoyed. “You said you wanted to leave.”
“I did. I’m sorry but…it’s even darker out there.”
We all turn around as we hear the sounds of the building closing down. Tired-looking people trundle past with their coats on and their bags tucked under their arms. Most of the lights are off now. There are some numbers on the wall beside us lit up in red LEDs.
23:55
“I think we are approaching the twenty-fourth hour,” Draygus says as he points up to the numbers. “This is usual human sleeping time.”
“Is that why everyone is leaving now?” I glance around and now see we are almost the only people left in the building.
“I think so,” he says.
We stand awkwardly for a few seconds, watching the last of the people depart. We stay until we notice it’s 23:59, and then a man in a black and blue uniform approaches us.
“Right, kids. Move along,” he waves his hand at the door. “You must have homes to go to.”
Part of me wants to tell him that we don’t, and I have to stop myself from telling him that we desperately need help, that we’re lost and very scared.
“I said come on!” He's clearly getting angry.
We all jump as we hear his voice bellow. Everyone but me hurries out of the building, but I still linger, still scared of going outside. The man in the uniform places his hand on some sort of device that’s attached to his hip.
“I’m not going to ask you again,” he comes close to me. “If you don’t leave I’m going to have to call the police.”
I don’t know what he’s saying, but I’m scared by the look in his eyes. He looks unfit, soft, and blubbery in places I’m used to seeing muscle, but this does not make him look less strong. There’s something about him that’s sinister, and for a second I see a flash in his eyes. It’s as though he’s enjoying the act of intimidating me. I don't like it, and I shrink away from him. I don’t know what the police is, but it doesn’t sound like they would be kind to me. In fear of being found out to be an alien here, I hurry outside to catch up with my crew.
“What happened back there?” Voland grabs my arm and speaks through gritted teeth.
“He just asked me to leave.” I try to sound casual.
“So how come you looked so scared?”
“He was just…scary. I don’t think he’s nice like the other humans we’ve met.”
“So it seems,” Draygus looks over at the man through the closing glass doors, “that we have some hostile humans here. I’m not sure what to make of this.”
“There’s something strange about him,” I say. “He was wearing a kind of uniform, had a device attached to him that the other humans don’t, and he was angry with me for no reason. He said he’d call the police, whatever that is,” I explain.
“The police?” Draygus gasps.
“You know what that is?” Voland asks with wide eyes.
“They are an authority, something akin to the Behavioral Force we have back home. I have read about them in the great texts.”
“They are hostile?” Voland’s eyebrows are knitted together as he speaks.
“It has been said they can be, in some situations.”
“I think we should get away from him.” Jarick pushes me in the back to make me walk away. “We can study him more tomorrow.”
For a long while, we huddle beneath the overhead lights that are atop large poles. They lighten the spaces that are in place for the small human crafts and make us feel safer.
“We can’t stay here all night,” Jarick says annoyed. “Plus, if you look over there, you can see loads of people are walking around in the dark. I think as long as we see a light source nearby, we’ll be ok.”
“Promise?” Victorinth looks up to her big brother.
“Sure,” he takes a box of food from her. “I can’t wait to eat.”
With great unsteadiness and a sense of unease, we walk through the dark and around the building. Through the glass doors, we can see more men in uniforms, and we try to stay out of their eyesight. We aren’t far from our ship, and after a short walk, we decide we’ll be safer there until the morning.
As we make our way back, I look up to the sky and can’t help but be perplexed.
“There are no stars.” I squint to focus better. “Or rather, I know there are stars, but I cannot see them.”
“I can’t see them either,” Voland agrees. “It troubles me. I can see the orange glow of all these lights that line the streets, but it would appear they have eclipsed the natural shine of the stars.”
“I think that’s rather sad.” Victorinth frowns and yawns. “Imagine living in a world where you can’t see the stars.”
At last, we’re back to the ship, and I can’t help but feel relieved. I love exploring more than anything, but I am also exhausted. It's somewhat relaxing to be back in our private space with our own smells and textures.
My stomach rumbles as I sit down on a broken sideways chair and clear myself a little space in front of me. I set down my selected food items and begin to smell them before chewing on the contents of the bag.
“This,” I say with a stuffed mouth. “This is great.”
In the moment, it is truly the best thing I have ever eaten. White and hard, it melts in my mouth and somehow makes me hungrier the more of it I eat.
“What is it?” Jarick asks as he points to the packaging.
“It says ‘white chocolate’,” I show it to him.
“How do you know?” he asks.
“I overheard someone else reading the label to what looked like a mini looking version of themselves,” I say.
“Is there black chocolate too?”
“I didn’t see any.” I chew my tenth piece in as many seconds. “What are you eating?”
“I am unsure,” Jarick shows me an orange, glowing sphere with small pits in the outer skin. “But it’s making my tongue burn. Although I feel somehow more rejuvenated.”
“You all chose the wrong stuff,” Voland chimes in with a mouth full of animal substance. “This stuff will make me strong like a beast. It’s what all the humans eat.”
“Do you think they have my favorite here on Earth?” Victorinth tugs at her big brother’s leg.
“I don’t think so,” Jarick places a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. “I don’t think they have a lot here.”
Meanwhile, Draygus is shifting from side to side as though he can’t get comfortable.
“What’s up?” I toss him a piece of my chocolate.
“These dumb human clothes,” he moans. “They’re a little on the small side.” he pinches at his legs.
“I think they’re just fine,” Victorinth smiles, her cheeks chubby with food.
“You would say that. You’re one of the smallest little Orbans I’ve ever seen.”
“That’s not true!” she protests playfully. “Anyway, what’s wrong with being small?”
Draygus has stopped listening to her and is instead ripping the bottom half of his clothing off.
“Ah! That’s so much better. My tail couldn’t breathe with it being all covered up like that.”
“I just tucked mine up like this,” Jarick bends over and sh
ows him. “It’s not that bad.”
“Yeah, for you,” Draygus won’t stop complaining. “You have a small tail.”
“I do not!”
Jarick throws his orange sphere across the room. It misses Draygus and splatters down the side of the wall, leaving a sticky residue behind.
“At least you made it smell nice in here,” Victorinth breathes in the aroma of the broken vegetation.
“Right. Enough of this,” Voland stands up. “We need to stick together, we need to act like true Orbans if we are to survive, not get into petty arguments about who has a bigger tail.”
We all look at the floor, ashamed of ourselves.
“Isn’t sticking together the reason why we left Orba?”
“Yes,” we all grumble in unison.
“Exactly! And what would Palzu want us to do?”
“He’d want us to split up and hate each other. He’d want us to only think of ourselves as individuals and not a community,” Draygus eagerly explains.
“That’s right,” Voland nods. “Palzu does not believe in community. He wants a world where we are all alone and fighting against one another and—“
His lecture is interrupted by little Victorinth raising her hand.
“What is it, little one?”
“If Palzu is so dedicated to everyone being single, why does he have an army of slaves that all think the same thing and do as he says? I’ve seen them, they all work together in groups. They even all look the same.”
“You are smarter than you appear.” Voland crouches down beside her. “That is why you are here with us. Palzu is a remarkable hypocrite. One that does not practice his own word.”
“I'm happy we escaped.” Jarick fiddles with a loose thread on his clothing. “Even if we crashed here.”
“Me too,” I say as I reach out and pat Jarick on the back. “I won’t live a moment longer in that tyrannical society with a dictator like Palzu.”
“I am so proud of you,” Voland looks down at us as though we are his children. “You are strong and wise Orbans, and that is why we managed to escape when others failed. Now we have to make our lives work here and blend in as much as we can. You see the colors of the human skin?”
“There were lots of different types,” I say.
“There were,” Voland leans in close to me. “But none of them were tinged blue like ours.”
“But no one said anything.”
“I saw them looking!” Voland shouts. “They noticed us. They may not have said anything, but some of them saw that we were different. Tomorrow, when we go back out, I suggest you change skin colors. I will forgive you all for today’s indiscretions, but tomorrow, there will be no excuse to not blend in better. Do not attract attention to yourself, and be aware of everyone around you.”
“Why are you so angry, Voland?” Victorinth looks like she's on the brink of tears.
“Because I care about the survival of all of us, and you are all so dear to me. The crash has shocked us, made us not as sharp as we usually are, but tonight we sleep and we recover. Tomorrow is another day, one in which we must get a better grasp of our surroundings.”
“Very well,” Draygus stands by our leader’s side. “We’ll be on guard tomorrow. I’ll make sure of it.”
We all nod to one another, a silent pact that we will look out for one another. As we settle down for the night, we try to make comfortable beds out of anything we can find in the wreckage. As soon as I lay my head down, a wave of exhaustion takes hold of my body.
Closing my eyes, sleep comes to me easily. There are strange shapes in my dreams, colors and faraway thoughts that are trying to communicate something to me. Abstract patterns swirl before my eyes, and soon enough, I am dreaming of home.
Chapter 5
Allison
Beep. Beep. Beep. I scan groceries and take payment, I scan groceries and take payment, and then I do it all over again. The endless sound of the cash register has become such an integral part of my life for so long I sometimes hear it in my dreams. Then I wake up and realize I have to hear it all through my waking day too.
I glance at the clock and see I only have half an hour until the shift ends. Despite the fact it lasts eight hours, the last thirty minutes are excruciating as I sit and watch the minutes tick by. The more I watch the clock, the slower time seems to get. I swear, it’s been at 20:32 forever. Maybe the clock’s broken. I flick at it with my fingernail, and it does nothing. The next time I look, it says 20:33.
“Smile, why don’t you?”
There’s an old man in front of me with deep lines across his forehead and a gummy grimace.
“Huh?”
I look up at him, not sure I’ve heard what he’s said. I scan his can of beans and loaf of bread and pack them into a little paper bag.
“I said smile,” he says with a hint of anger in his voice. “Every day I come in here, you look more and more miserable.”
“Oh,” I look to the next customer, eager for the old dude to leave.
“Seriously, never heard of customer service?”
He’s still standing there expecting me to do something, although I’m not quite sure what.
“Have a good day, sir,” I manage with a forced a smile. “Look forward to seeing you again soon.”
And he leaves, shaking his head as he walks. I move to serve the next customer, but before I can pick up their items, something catches my eye. Craning my neck to see over the top of the conveyor belt, I see someone crouching down in the chips and dip aisle. They look confused, examining the label of some cheese dip as though it’s an ancient relic. I find the way he squints and looks on in wonder with amusement. I realize it’s the same guy from yesterday, the one who paid with the peculiar money. Behind him, scattered about the aisle, are the rest of his friends, and I can’t help but notice they’re still wearing the same ill-fitting clothes from yesterday. They look exhausted, too, and their limp, skinny bodies are haggard and slumped over as they pick up groceries. The one holding the cheese dip looks up to talk to his friend, and I see the deep-set purple lines around his eyes. It looks like he had a rough night and didn’t get much sleep, if he got any at all.
“Hey! You awake?” the next customer waves a hand in front of my face and glares at me. “I got to get to work.”
“Sorry, sir.” I scan through his items in a hurry. “That’ll be thirteen dollars ninety-three cents.”
As he’s picking through spare change in his pocket, I keep trying to get a look over his shoulder. There’s something about the group from yesterday that intrigues me. They look so out of place, so vulnerable and lost.
As the customer leaves, mumbling something about my incompetence under his breath, I slam the ‘checkout closed’ sign down and jump down from my chair.
“Hey!” I approach the guy from yesterday. “So you came back with my coupons?” I try to look upbeat and pleased to see them. The last thing I want to do is embarrass him.
“Yes,” he pulls the coupons out his pocket. “Thank you. We’re hungry, and we can get more food now.”
“I’m happy to help,” I beam a smile, pleased that I could have made their day easier. “You want me to pick some stuff out for you?”
The whole group turns to stare at me. They look curious and pleased, but there’s a twinkle of fear in their eyes. Clearly, they’re not used to folk in Virginia yet.
“That would be nice,” the littlest one steps forward.
“Cool, what’s your name? I’m Allison.”
I stretch out a hand but he doesn’t shake it, he just looks down as if he’s not sure what to do. He stares at me for a long while, glancing over at his friends before looking back at me.
“Benzen,” he finally says. “My name is Benzen.”
“Pleased to meet you, buddy.”
“Buddy?” he has some difficulty saying the word and chews it around his mouth. “What is buddy?”
I can’t figure out his accent. It’s strange and foreign, but not n
ecessarily indecipherable. It’s actually quite pleasant, with a lilt to it.
“It means 'friend,'” I explain.
The little guy thinks for a second, then his face erupts into the widest smile I’ve ever seen.
“Friend!” he declares.
It makes my day to see someone so happy. Then I look over at his group of friends, and I see they’ve relaxed into my company, their faces more at ease.
“Well then,” I sigh and rock back on my heels. “It’s not long until I finish and I’ll come help you, ok?”
“Hey!” a voice from behind me interrupts. “You’ve got twenty-three minutes left on your shift.”
I spin around and see the manager, his hair slicked back and his face red.
“Sorry.” I hurry back to the checkout.
“Don’t say sorry, just get back to work,” he orders before stomping back to the office.
“Urgh…” I clutch my forehead as a headache starts to sweep across my skull.
Looking up, I see the group standing a few aisles away with their optimistic faces and friendly smiles. I hold up my hands.
“Sorry,” I mouth. “Wait for me?”
The little one nods eagerly.
As I work through the last few customers of my shift, the group waits patiently while they still peruse all the chips and dip. Finally, when it’s time for someone else to take over my till and I can throw off my name badge, I gather my things. Feeling more like myself huddled inside my favorite jacket, I make my way over.
“Hi!”
“Hello,” the little one says. “That man who shouted… Who is that?”
“That’s my boss,” I say quietly with a roll of my eyes.
“Boss?”
“Yeah, like… He tells me what to do and is basically in control of my life for the eight hours I’m stuck in here.”
“That sounds terrible.” He screws up his face. “Like you are some sort of slave.”
“Yes! I’ve been trying to tell my parents, that but they just tell me that I need a job.”
“We have someone like that where we’re from,” Benzen nods as he thinks.
Meanwhile, one of his friends is suddenly by his side, digging his elbow into his ribs to try and get him to keep quiet. I wonder what he’s trying to hide.
