Page 47

Jennette

I’m tempted to make a joke to lighten the tension, but that’s the wrong move.

This isn’t my moment. Jaz started this, but Ravik and Seeker should weigh in too. I glance at him, but he’s quiet for now. Poppy studies Ravik closely, eyes glittering in the firelight. If I know her a fraction as well as I think I do, it’s sheer giddy excitement.

“We’re not abducting you,” Ravik says to Tad. “If that’s what you’re worried about. None of us even have ships.”

Poppy’s eyes widen. “Wait, really?”

I know that Seeker is stranded. I had no clue about Jaz and Ravik’s situations, however. It occurs to me that if there are three aliens quietly living on Earth, there are probably more, ones who weren’t tempted by the irony of joining a site called Aliens Among Us.

Jaz stares at the fire, voice quiet and resigned.

“I can’t speak for anyone else, but it’s exhausting.

Hiding all the time. I’m tired of keeping secrets, always looking over my shoulder.

I want to trust the three of you—out of the billions of humans on this planet—and share who I am with people who matter to me. ”

That open admission seems to shake Tad out of his suspicion. His posture softens and he appears to fight the urge to give her a reassuring pat. “Well, now I feel like an asshole. I’m sorry. I just…I don’t know how I’m supposed to react. I still kinda feel like you’re pranking us.”

Poppy sighs. “They wouldn’t do that. And I’ll be honest, I’ve been thinking that your cosplay is too advanced, but I told myself you’re probably all rich so you can afford sophisticated stuff that isn’t in my budget.”

“This is simply how we look,” Seeker replies.

Tad is frowning. “But you looked human before.”

Ravik explains about tech camo, though each of them has a different iteration. I’m a little confused as to how the devices work, however. “It seems like you looked human to each other, too. Because otherwise you would have known from the beginning, right?”

Jaz glances at Ravik, then says, “We did know about Seeker. Our devices are more adaptive.”

“I thought I had improved on the older versions, but instead I made something worse.” He seems quite unhappy with himself over this.

I recall what he said about disappointing his family and change the subject, not wanting to linger on what he likely perceives as a personal failing. “Now that everything is out in the open, I need to share something too.”

“Please tell me you’re not an alien,” Tad begs.

I laugh. “Nope. Fully human. But something happened today at the con. This guy started pestering Seeker. Someone who thought his ‘costume’ was incredible. He was obsessed, asking all these questions, and he even tried to follow us.”

“Because it was too realistic?” Poppy guesses.

“Exactly.” I squeeze Seeker’s hand, wondering how many close calls we’ve skirted without even knowing it. “He couldn’t believe something so…authentic wasn’t created by some huge Hollywood studio.”

“That could be a problem,” Jaz says.

“Yeah. That’s why I mentioned it. You might want to use tech camo for the rest of the con. I hope if the guy sees Seeker with me again, but he looks human, it’ll make the dude rethink his perceptions.” Thank goodness I can stop pretending that I don’t know.

“Thank you for the warning,” Ravik says. “I’ll be wary.”

Tad rubs his temples. “I’m still trying to wrap my head around this. You’re serious? All three of you.”

Jaz shifts toward him, but he moves back. That must sting because I had the impression Tad was nursing a bit of a crush on Jaz. She stills, returning to her original pose, but that absolute dearth of body language speaks somehow of deep hurt.

“Yes,” she answers. “I didn’t come to this decision lightly. I believed we could trust you. All of you.”

“You can,” I assure her.

At least, I hope that’s true. Poppy seems like a genuinely warm and kind person, and I thought of Tad as a goofy brother type. Hopefully, I haven’t misread their innate goodness.

“You can’t stop now,” Poppy says. “How did all of you end up here?”

Seeker spreads long fingers, highlighting how unusual his hands are, how strange the joints.

“I’m a stranded tourist. Most of what I’ve said in chat is true, just not the entire truth.

I visited this world despite knowing it was an interdicted destination.

I used a gray agency who ignores certain travel warnings, but they never came to retrieve me. That was over a year ago, local time.”

“Holy shit,” Poppy breathes.

“Damn. That sucks, dude.” Tad finally sounds like himself again. “You didn’t plan to move, you just wanted to see the sights and go home.”

His blunt but accurate assessment gives me a major twinge, because I feel uneasy about starting a relationship under these conditions.

“Your turn,” Poppy prompts with a speaking look at Ravik.

“This reminds me of the games you’re always running in chat,” they say with what could be faint amusement.

“Those games are awesome! And we wouldn’t have gotten so comfortable with each other if I hadn’t taken the lead and broken the ice.”

“Why does the ice need to be broken?” Seeker asks.

“Metaphor,” I whisper.

With a thoughtful expression, Tad heads into the camper and comes out with a pitcher of water. “Can everyone drink this?”

“We can,” Jaz replies.

He nods as if she’s confirmed a theory. “I did notice that you never eat with us, but I guessed that finances might be a problem. Or it could have been an eating disorder. I have a friend who can’t eat in front of people.”

Poppy plays hostess and fills cups for everyone. “Okay, stop avoiding the question!” She offers the drink to Ravik, who shifts on the picnic table bench.

It’s interesting to me that they’re all roughly humanoid, not blobs of protoplasm or giant tardigrades. Maybe those types of aliens exist too; I’ll ask once Poppy has satisfied her curiosity.

Ravik meets my gaze, and there’s something ancient and weary in their aspect.

“My family held power in one of the nations on my homeworld. But there was political turmoil. We were deposed. Betrayed. I ran for my life amid chaos and tumult. Many good beings perished in shepherding me to safety. Here, in the last place they’d ever look.

I was lucky to survive the crash landing. My companions weren’t so fortunate.”

“Oh my God,” Poppy breathes. “You’re exiled alien royalty.”

“Inaccurate,” they retort. “Royalty is power accrued then passed down through lineage. That is not the case for us.”

“So, your relative was the prime minister or something?” I’m speculating.

“Closer to that. There are affiliated houses, each with a different political cast. My family had a platform centered on ecological stewardship,” Ravik explains.

Suddenly Tad grins. “That explains the extensive garden and the rooster named Kevin.”

They seem to restrain the urge to be curt. “Any further questions? Or can I drink my beverage in peace now?”

To my surprise, Seeker says, “You said you don’t have a ship. But if you crashed…”

Ravik tips their head back and stares up at the stars. “It was an escape pod, destroyed beyond repair on impact.”

I feel like I should say something, but Ravik has lost so much, including people who gave their lives to see them safe. Under those circumstances, I’d find it tough not to be a bitter curmudgeon too. I don’t even dare to give them a comforting pat.

Thankfully, Poppy is irrepressible. She makes a flourishing gesture. “Jaz, your turn! If you’re willing to share.”

“Music is my refuge and my rebellion,” she says softly. “In the Solirin Collective, music is considered…frivolous. Artists are regarded as disreputable, distracted from performing real and important work.”

“That’s what my mom says about my fanfic,” Poppy mutters. “And she’s not encouraging about my dream of becoming a real writer, either.”

“You thought it would be better on Earth? We don’t treat creative souls as well as we should,” Tad says.

“There are orchestras here,” Jaz replies. “Earth gave me a chance to be something other than what was expected of me.”

Seeker says, “I had the opposite problem. I lack an essential spark, and I don’t dream of crafting some immense work of immortal beauty. I’m happiest when I’m tinkering or inventing something new.”

“That is creativity as well,” Ravik says. “Perhaps not the type that is appreciated on your homeworld, but I think you do yourself a disservice with that assessment.”

I can tell by Seeker’s silence that he’d rather not continue in this vein, so I address Jaz. “What instruments do you play?”

“Anything with strings. Guitar, cello, violin, banjo, viola, sitar… I could go on.”

“What about the harp?” Tad seems fascinated now that he’s over his initial shock.

Jaz appears to consider for a moment. “It’s rather an obscure instrument. I’ve never tried, but I doubt it would take me long to pick it up.”

“Thank you,” Poppy says suddenly.

“For what?” Seeker asks.

“For trusting us. Tad and I had been feeling…left out. I don’t know if Jen did, but we definitely had the sense we were missing out. Now that we know, we can be watchful. We’ll do our best to keep you all safe.”

“Even me?” Wonders never cease—is Ravik cracking a joke?

Poppy grins. “Yeah, fun sponge. Even you.”