Alienated (6 page)

“Sorry, I guess beauty’s subjective, huh?” She grinned sheepishly.

“Well, I guess we both…” He trailed off, trying to remember the human expression he’d heard on the television yesterday. “Eat our feet sometimes.”

Judging by the puzzled expression on Cara’s face, he didn’t get it quite right. After a few seconds of reflection, she burst out laughing. “Oh! You mean ‘put your foot in your mouth.’”

“That’s it.” What an odd description for verbally embarrassing oneself. “Where did that expression originate, anyway?”

“No idea, but come on.” Still laughing, she gestured toward the house. “We’ll Google it.”

They both rolled to their feet. “It’s too hot out here any…”

Aelyx trailed off as Cara accidentally brushed the inside crook of his arm, a touch that was barely a touch at all, and stunned him into silence. If the sunlight in her hair overloaded his senses, it was nothing compared to her casual contact. This time the feeling wasn’t altogether unpleasant, but he chafed one hand over the spot as he strode behind her to the back door.

Four hours and one Google search later, the doorbell rang and he introduced himself to Cara’s prospective mate, Eric. When they shook hands, Eric’s grip was tighter than necessary, his thin lips pressing together in a scowl.

Aelyx studied the human Cara found so enchanting. Eric stood tall for a male of his age, with the sturdy build of an athlete. He seemed intelligent but not on her level. And like Cara, his eyes were blue, but less vivid and much less friendly. Aside from his physical attractiveness, what could have drawn her to a boy like this?

“So.” Eric slid an arm around Cara’s waist and pulled her tightly against him. “How do you like Earth so far?”

Aelyx smirked and wished he could answer truthfully.
I
loathe your pathetic planet, and I don’t like you any more than you
like me.
“This is my first experience with interplanetary travel, so it’s a shock, but so far I’m enjoying myself.”

“That’s great,” Eric said, clearly lying. “I’ll see you around school this week. We have a lot of classes together.” In other words,
I’ll be watching you.

Suddenly, the front door swung open and a dark, petite female entered, dropping her handbag onto the wood floor. Without offering a greeting or even closing the door behind her, she strode to Cara’s side and locked eyes with Aelyx. Her narrowed gaze swept over him for several awkward seconds before she finally said, “So you’re him.”

“This is Tori.” Cara cleared her throat. “My really rude best friend.”

Now Aelyx understood Cara’s reluctance to celebrate her birthday—all her companions despised him. An unexpected swell of compassion stretched his rib cage as he watched her face blanch. His peers would undoubtedly object in a similar way if he’d brought her to one of their social gatherings, and like Cara, he’d feel torn between his duty to her and loyalty to his friends.

Maybe he could help. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Tori. Cara’s told me—”

“Save it.” She rolled her dark eyes. “We’re cool, but I’ve got a lot of questions for you.”

“Who wants cake?” Cara asked in an unnaturally high-pitched voice. “Red velvet!”

“Which reminds me.” Aelyx played along, reaching into his back pocket. “I have a present for you.” He handed her the silvery pouch with the neck-lace inside. “Happy birthday.”

She tilted her head while her mouth formed a perfect oval. “You didn’t have to do this.” Her smile sent an unexpected ripple of pleasure through his belly, definitely worth the thirteen credits he’d spent.

When she opened the drawstring and lifted the black cord from inside, her eyes widened. “Is this from L’eihr?”

“Yes, it’s called an
ahib
. A common gem in the same ‘dreary and lifeless’ colors of my home.” He flashed a teasing grin, darting a glance at Eric, whose jaw clenched so tightly he’d probably just cracked several molars.

“There’s nothing dreary about this.” She held the cord to the light, watching the dangling stone cast gray and beige sparkles across the back of her hand. “It’s amazing. I love it.” She unfastened the clasp and started to put it on.

“Yowza.” Tori bounced back and punched Eric in the shoulder. “What’d
you
get her?”

Eric grabbed Cara’s wrist, halting her movement. “She can’t keep that.”

“What?” As Cara froze in place, the dangling pendant swung to and fro, throwing tan prisms against the wall. She jerked from his grip. “I sure as hell can!”

“Dude, what’s your problem?” he asked Aelyx. “You don’t buy jewelry for someone else’s girlfriend!”

Aelyx shrugged and glanced from person to person for guidance. Finding none, he asked Cara, “Do you like it?”

“Yes,” she declared, almost defiantly.

“Then I don’t see the problem,” he told Eric. “The fact that you purchased an inferior gift hardly seems like any failing on my part. It’s common knowledge that shiny rocks are preferred among human females.”

That rendered everyone speechless. While Aelyx stood there wondering if he’d put his foot in his mouth again, Eric cupped his palm over Cara’s lower back and guided her to the opposite side of the small living room.

Eric glared at him in silence as if waiting for something.

“Would you like some privacy?” Aelyx asked.

“Nah,” Eric drawled. “Why don’t you come closer so you can watch?”

“I’d prefer not to.” He glanced at Cara.

“It’s fine. Just give us a minute, okay?”

“Of course.” Aelyx joined Tori in studying the black-framed photos peppering the wall, but faces and landscapes blurred into obscurity as his attention remained focused on the argument brewing six feet away.

“I said I’d give it a try,” Eric whispered harshly, “and I did. I’m not putting up with him for the rest of the year. He’s gotta go.”

“Well, you didn’t try very hard.”

“He’s. Gotta. Go.”

“Maybe you should go.” Was it his imagination, or did Cara’s voice tremble on the last word?

A soft rustling of fabric sounded from behind, and when Aelyx turned, it was just in time to watch Cara disappear down the hallway with Eric towing her by the shirtsleeve in a rough manner. Before he thought better of it, he started after them, but Tori brought him to his senses with a quick tug of his own T-shirt.

“Don’t.” She chewed the end of her braid and stood on tiptoe, darting a glance around his shoulder toward Cara’s bedroom. “Maybe she’ll really do it this time.”

“Do what?”

“Dump the
pendejo
.”

Aelyx hadn’t studied Spanish as thoroughly as English, so he didn’t understand her last word. However, the sentiment behind it was clear. The narrowed glares Tori had fired at Eric showed she loathed the insufferable dolt even more than he did.

Several minutes of silence passed between them before Eric tore into the hallway and continued straight out the front door, slamming it behind him without a backward glance.

When Cara padded silently into the living room blotting her eyes with a tissue, Tori bolted across the room to embrace her. Arms encircled waists in a tangle of contrasting dark and ivory limbs as the girls clung to each other. Aelyx felt he should contribute in some way, but he knew nothing about the emotional distress of human females.

“I can bring him back,” he said. “I’m not sure why you partnered with a male like that, but I can find a way to tolerate him if it’s what you want.”

“No,” she said while scrubbing away a tear. “Let him go.” Cara seemed to recover quickly. She made her way into the kitchen, where she devoured two slices of cake. There were no more tears. If anything, her laughter seemed a bit too loud. But when she returned to the living room to fasten her neck-lace, her fingers shook, and she couldn’t manage the task.

“Can I help?” he offered.

She gave him the neck-lace and turned to gather her thick red waves. Aelyx approached her bare neck with caution, though he couldn’t discern why. Something about the warmth from her body and the citrusy scent of her shampoo unnerved him, and he accidentally snagged a lock of her hair three times before fastening the clasp. Careful to avoid further contact, he moved back into his own safe space and told her, “All done.”

She spun around and touched her chest to straighten the neck-lace, then pulled the crumpled tissue across her nose, giving him a small smile. “Thanks. It really is beautiful.”

Aelyx averted his eyes. A knot lodged deep in his belly when he considered what his plans would do to Cara. Judging by the set of Tori’s stiff, folded arms and her avoidance of his gaze, Cara would lose her closest friend next. But what could he do? The fate of one human paled in comparison to the fate of an entire planet, especially one as extraordinary as L’eihr.

“It’s only a common pebble,” he said, more harshly than he’d intended. “But I’m glad you like it.”

Then he left her with a flicker of confusion behind her eyes as he returned to his room for the evening.

What a crock—this was going to be a craptacular day.

But nobody would ever know it, because Cara lived by the first rule of debate: never let ’em see you sweat. She also lived by the first rule of getting over your asshole ex-boyfriend: never let ’em know it hurts.

She cranked up the stereo until her teeth vibrated in time with each screaming guitar riff, then tipped her head back and squeezed a few eyedrops beneath her lids to hide the evidence of her heartbreak. A little dab of skin cream smoothed the puffiness around her eyes, and after a heavy layer of makeup, she looked human again. No, not just human. Polished. Unaffected. She added a third coat of mascara—but not the waterproof kind. If she cried today, her face would look like a mudslide, and that was a pretty frickin’ good incentive to fight back tears.

Finally, she checked her reflection in the mirror—glossy auburn hair curling gently past her shoulders, nearly flawless skin, snug black top, gray plaid miniskirt, and the pièce de résistance: black leather riding boots. Eric’s eyes had nearly bugged out of his head the last time she’d worn this outfit. She wanted that jerkwad to know exactly what he was missing. After fastening the necklace Aelyx had given her—another silent
screw
you
to Eric—she grabbed her backpack and ran outside.

Aelyx faced the woods and stretched his lithe body, raising his arms so high they lifted his T-shirt and gave her a peek at the strong planes of his lower back. Cara nibbled her thumbnail, remembering how she’d caught him shirtless on his way to the shower yesterday. He’d tried covering his magnificent chest with a pair of folded pants, but that’d drawn her attention to his flat, bronzed belly, somehow even hotter without its “button.”

Too bad his attitude didn’t match his looks, but then again, if it did, he wouldn’t be a L’eihr.

Deciding she would give him a fresh start today, she skipped down the steps, joining him at the head of the wooded path. “Ready to roll?”

When he whirled around, a spark flashed behind those silvery eyes, like flint striking steel, but it died in an instant, snuffed out by his inner zombie. He lowered his head and peered at her. “Are you all right?”

“It’s your first day of school on an alien planet, and you’re asking if
I’m
all right?”

“Losing a mate can be traumatic for hu—”

“Whoa.” She raised one brow and an index finger to match. “He was my boyfriend, not my mate. We never…mated.”

“All the same, it’s understandable—”

“Look, it’s sweet of you to ask.” Hitching her book bag over one shoulder, she nodded toward the path, and they began walking at an easy stroll. “Yeah, I’m bummed, but it had to happen sooner or later. I’ll miss the old Eric, but that’s not the guy I broke up with last night. Does that make sense?”

Aelyx shrugged. “To be honest, I don’t know what qualities you ever saw in him. I can tell why he chose you, but—”

“Oh, yeah?” Cara’s spirits lifted as she sensed a compliment coming on. “Why do you think he chose me?”

“It’s obvious.” He swept a hand to indicate her loose curls. “Your long, shiny hair, healthy skin, and bright eyes show that you’re well-nourished.”

“Uh, thank you?”

“I’m not finished.”

“Go on, then.”

“You’re clearly intelligent.” Then he felt the need to add, “For a human.”

“Gee. That’s so sweet.”

“But Eric was probably most attracted to your waist-to-hip ratio.” For a split second, Aelyx resembled a human boy as he leaned back and peered at her caboose. “Hips of that width are likely to pass live offspring without complications.”

Cara nearly swallowed her own tongue. She didn’t have big hips, did she? More importantly, had she really expected a genuine compliment from a L’eihr?

“Let’s not talk about me anymore,” she said, resolving to lay off the carbs, starting tomorrow. Wait, tomorrow was pasta night. She’d lay off the carbs Wednesday. “Let’s talk about you.”

“What would you like to know?”

“How can you be so calm? I’m secondhand nervous for you. I couldn’t even eat breakfast.” And that tragically neglected breakfast had been Mom’s throat-choking, triple chocolate chip pancakes—manna from heaven, proof that God loved her and wanted her to be happy.

To hell with cutting carbs. Life was too short for that nonsense.

“It’s predictable for humans to fear the unfamiliar,” he said. “I’m not human.”

“Oh, please. You’re not just a little scared?”

“I’m fine.” He favored her with a glance, empty and cold.

So he wouldn’t admit he was nervous. Typical guy. He had more in common with humans than he realized.

The distant sound of shoes slapping against the dirt path caught Cara’s attention, and she glanced over her shoulder to see Tori slow to a jog, waving one arm as if hailing a cab. This was unusual. Tori never walked to school—it cut ten whole minutes from her sleep schedule.

“Hey.” A light breeze tossed Cara’s hair into her face, and she tucked the locks behind her ears. While she paused, Aelyx continued walking, picking up his pace to either give them some space or to avoid Tori. Maybe a little of both. “Did you get towed again?”

“Nope. I’m your personal jock-blocker, baby.” Tori reached into her jeans pocket and handed over a half-eaten Snickers bar. “Happy Douche Liberation Day.” Then, nodding at the chocolate offering, she added, “I started celebrating without you.”

“Just finish it.” Cara’s stomach was already full. Of butterflies on meth. “Do I want to know what a jock-blocker does?”

Linking arms, they scrambled to catch up with Aelyx, who had already put the distance of half a soccer field between them. “I’m here to make sure you don’t let that
carajo
sweet-talk you into getting back together.”

“Wait, what?”
Would
Eric want her back?

“Don’t even think it,” Tori warned.

“Easy for you to say. You’d take Jared Lee back in a hot second.”

“Assuming we were together—which we’re not—and assuming he was a raging asshole—which he’s not—I’d dump his carcass and move on.” Tori tugged her brows low and leaned to the side, scanning Cara’s outfit before clicking her tongue in disapproval. “Speaking of which, what’s with the date bait?”

“What’s with the third degree?”

“Here’s a question for ya.” Tori pointed her Snickers at the honey-brown ponytail hanging between Aelyx’s shoulders. “Does the Outer Space Creep probe you in your sleep?”

“Shh!” Cara couldn’t help giggling, but she gave Tori’s arm a hard bump, sending her candy bar sailing into the underbrush. “I hope Aelyx doesn’t have friends like you, or my turn on L’eihr is gonna suck.”

Something in her words must’ve upset Tori, because she grabbed her braid and used the end like a paintbrush against her lips, a nervous habit she’d picked up in the seventh grade. With one corner of her mouth puckering into a frown, Tori watched Aelyx silently for a few seconds before announcing, “I wanna talk to the A-Licker.”

“Fine, but play nice or take your ball and go home.” Cara flashed an
I’m not screwing around
look. “This is hard for him, and it’s my responsibility to—”

“Yeah.” Tori rolled her eyes. “I bet he cries himself to sleep every night. Right before he sticks alien trackers up your butt.” After tugging free, she jogged to catch Aelyx, and Cara sprinted along, preparing to tackle her best friend and clap both hands over her mouth if she got too saucy.

“Hey.” Tori panted after catching up with him. “I need to know something.”

Aelyx slowed his pace, heaving a sigh that contradicted his next words. “Good morning, Tori.”

She ignored the greeting and got right to it. “How am I supposed to let my girl here,” she said, nodding at Cara, “jet off to some planet we know nothing about? How do we know it’s safe?”

“Safe?” Aelyx repeated with a smirk. “Last year, your tri-county reported sixty-seven murders, one thousand cases of assault, and over two hundred rapes. There hasn’t been a violent crime on L’eihr in ten generations, and you’re concerned about her safety
there
as opposed to here?”

“You’re joking, right?” Cara scanned his face for any hint of teasing but found none. “That’s impossible.”

“I assure you it’s not.” He raised one haughty brow.

“How’d you do it, then?” Tori circled one finger around her temple in the universal gesture for crazy. “Alien miiiiiind control?”

Aelyx parted his lips to reply but hesitated a moment as if deliberating how much to reveal. “Let’s just say it’s due to evolution and breeding.”

“Uhn-uh.” Cara shook her head. “Not buying it. Violence is part of human nature. You can’t just—”

“But you keep forgetting,
Cah
-ra.” Aelyx stopped, turning to face her and narrowing his cold chrome eyes. “I’m not human.”

A prickling of goose bumps raised the hairs on her forearms and along the back of her neck. Aelyx began walking again as if nothing had happened.

“W-well,” she stammered, “I’ll see for myself.” And strangely enough, she wasn’t afraid. She couldn’t wait to see how his people lived—and whether he’d embellished their greatness.

“I’m not reassured.” Tori kicked aside a twig and openly glared at Aelyx. “You talk, but you don’t really say anything.”

“Tor-
ri
!” Cara chided.

“No, don’t
Tor-ri
me! Why won’t he answer the question?”

“I did. You simply didn’t like the response.” Aelyx started to say something more, but his head snapped up as if on high alert. Soon Cara understood why. A distant clamor filled the tranquil woods, growing louder as they approached the end of the trail.

Cara froze and stared blankly across the street at the Midtown High parking lot, where a swarm of demonstrators chanted and pumped their handmade signs into the air: H
ONK
I
F
Y
OU
S
UPPORT
HALO! It was like watching an anthill under attack—bodies scurrying in every direction without any leadership. Random car horns blared as morning traffic crawled past, and two uniformed police officers shouted at the protesters while shaking their heads and pointing to the clogged street.

She turned to Aelyx, who maintained a calm expression but clutched his notebook in a white-knuckled kung-fu grip.

“Not a very warm welcome,” Tori said.

Cara drew Aelyx’s attention to the vacant lot adjacent to the school. “At least you’ve got groupies.”

A much smaller crowd of around fifty men and women held signs that read A
LL
A
RE
W
ELCOME
! and W
E
L’
OVE
Y
OU
, B
ROTHER
! The supporters swayed from side to side and sang with wild flower-powered abandon, but HALO’s disorganized chants drowned them out.

“Come on, we’ll be late.” She reached out to pat Aelyx’s shoulder, but then pulled back. She kept forgetting he didn’t like to be touched. “Just ignore the freak show.”

Tori led the way, waving to the crowd like Miss America and taking their focus off Aelyx, if only for a few moments.

After a tight nod, Aelyx lifted his chin, and they walked briskly toward the school’s entrance. Cara kept her eyes forward, pulse racing and in total awe of Tori’s brass
cojones
. She heard a few isolated shouts from the protesters, mostly “Don’t trust him!” and “You’re a traitor, Sweeney!” When feedback from the police bullhorn pierced the air, she cupped her hands over her ears. It was still easy to hear the officer tell the crowd to disperse, that they couldn’t legally protest on school property.

When she made it into the building, she heaved a sigh, rolling her shoulders to release the tension. Tori promised to find them at lunch and then rushed off to her first class.

“You okay?” Cara whispered to Aelyx, standing on tiptoe to reach his ear.

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?” But his stiff posture and clenched jaw gave him away.

“It’s normal to feel a little shaken up, you know.”

“For
your
kind, perhaps.”

“Oh, gimme a break; you don’t have to pretend that noth—”

“Sacred Mother,” he said, skidding to a halt in the middle of the crowded hallway.

“What?” She followed his gaze to a group of girls squealing and bouncing toward them. She glanced back at Aelyx’s gaping mouth and laughed. It was about time something cracked his stoic veneer. “Aw, look. You have a fan club.”