Page 18 of Uprooted

Elowen

Even though the lab is at full capacity this morning it’s quiet enough to hear a pin drop. We are a sea of identical steri-suits hunched over microscopes, all focused on our work. Andi’s making her way through the aisles, checking in with staff and dropping off samples as she goes along.

I grab a new slide to analyze. I secure it on the stage and adjust the focus of the eyepiece.

There are more technologically advanced methods of magnifying things, but nothing beats the sensation of using these old microscopes.

Looking through them is so aesthetically pleasing.

The cool metal pieces. The simplicity of the knobs.

Using a physical object to maneuver the mechanisms that click into place.

Metal sliding against glass. It’s nostalgic, and I love it.

I switch the slide from the microscope over to the ion-selective electrodes to measure the concentration of potassium.

I jot down the measurement and move the sample over to the “finished” pile.

The plant I’ve been studying has a lower potassium concentration than that of its closest equivalent specimen on Earth.

I mark my notes with a question mark as a reminder to follow up.

“Elowen, I need you to take these samples down to the genetics lab,” Andi says and leaves a box on the table next to me.

“Have you noticed anything odd about the potassium concentration in your data?”

“Yes. We’ve already marked it as a non-significant finding.” She glances over my notes briefly before going on her way .

I should have known it was already noted. I berate myself all the way to the genetics lab.

Intellectually I know it’s not normal to know the status of every single finding—but those are the kinds of unrealistic expectations I have for myself.

* * *

Bri is waiting for me. She takes the slides and loads them into the reactor. She puts her hands into the machine’s attached polygloves and manipulates the components.

“I feel like I’m seeing a whole new side of you lately,” she says without looking away from her work.

“What do you mean?”

“Anytime you’re around Aro this sassy trash-talking side comes out. I haven’t even heard you explain some oddly specific fact to him yet. I’m not complaining—I like that Elowen.”

“He brings out that side of me. I feel like he needs someone to keep him humble.”

“It’s your subconscious telling you that you’re going to bang,” she says.

“It’s just a little harmless flirting.”

“For now. Who knows where it could lead? I could use a little something-something to go somewhere, if you know what I mean.” Bri’s a master at multitasking. She can effortlessly do her job and pry into my personal life at the same time.

“There’s always Tai,” I say. My comment makes her stop moving and she looks over at me.

“Absolutely not. He is the worst. He threw an absolute fit when I beat him at Cubes. We ended up fighting about the rules for an hour.”

“There is a fine line between fighting and fucking,” I tell her.

Her loud cackle echoes through the quiet lab. She tries to stifle her laughter when everyone looks up from their work to glare at her.

“There’s that Elowen. I was just talking about her and there she is,” Bri says .

“You need to focus on your work. We can talk about your obsession with my personal life later.”

“Wait! Don’t go. I can do both at once,” she pleads. “I want to hear more about the gorgeous Tilak who is obviously in love with you.”

“We’ll talk later, and he’s not in love with me. That would be absurd.”

* * *

1130 Incoming message from Aro pt’Burosa

Aro: I’m going to need to smooth things over with Tai. He’s still not over it.

Elowen: It couldn’t have been that bad.

Aro: Bri beat him three times in a row. There have been accusations of cheating. It got a little out of hand.

Elowen: She’s ruthless when it comes to Cubes.

Aro: Tell her to take it easy on him next time. He may not recover from the beating she handed out.

Elowen: He’ll just have to get better at the game. You have to know by now that there’s no reasoning with Bri.

Aro: I’m going to need a new wingman.

Elowen: Finally admitting that you need a wingman. This is progress.

Aro: Hungry? I’m starving.

Elowen: Nice change of subject. I can’t eat right now. I’m stuck in the lab for a bit longer.

Aro: I need to eat.

Elowen: Then go!

Aro: I don’t like eating alone.

Elowen: There are about fifty other Tilaks you can drag to lunch.

Aro: I want to eat with you.

Elowen: Okay, give me an hour, but it will have to be quick.

Aro: See, that wasn’t so hard.

* * *

Aro is waiting with two bowls of noodles when I get to the mess hall. He motions to the noodles across from him. I’m nervous about seeing him again after our walk through the dome. Butterflies don’t even begin to describe it.

This is the closest thing to a date I’ve had in a while. What if he doesn’t think this is a date? Do his people even date?

The noodles in front of me look different. What is usually clear broth now has a reddish tint with some texture. “What do we have here?” I ask.

“I got you some noodles.” He watches me intently, waiting for me to take a bite.

I twirl some noodles on my chopsticks and take a small bite to test it out. “That’s good.” It’s spicy and salty, so I slurp in another big bite. “What did you put in it?”

“It’s my secret recipe, and I’m not going to let the cat out of my sack.”

I bite my cheeks to stop a laugh from coming out. “You mean, ‘let the cat out of the bag.’” Maturity means not laughing at his incorrect usage of the word “sack.” I’m proud of myself.

“That doesn’t make any sense,” he says.

“I know.” It’s cute he messed up the saying.

I go back to my delicious lunch. This is a huge upgrade from the food I’ve been eating for months. Noodle fatigue is hitting us all. I’m very tired of eating the same thing three meals a day.

“Thank you. You’ve made my day exponentially better. I thought I had something with my research, but it turned out to be nothing.”

“Glad I can help,” he says. “Exponentially.” He tests the word out and looks over at me.

I look around the mess to see if anyone is watching us, still feeling self-conscious about eating a meal alone with Aro.

“I realized last night that I know all about you, and you don’t know anything about me,” Aro says.

“What do you know about me?” I ask with a nervous laugh.

“For starters, I know you’re funny as hell even though you tell terrible jokes, that you’re a good friend.

Sometimes you ramble when you’re nervous.

You’re an only child who has seen more of the universe than anyone else I know.

You’re brilliant at your work, and that you like a challenge,” he says confidently, ticking each attribute off on his fingers.

“How could you possibly know all that about me?”

“Your comedic timing is impeccable, and you can’t fake that.

I’ve seen you with Bri, you make an effort when you're tired or don’t want to be around people.

You do it for her so she doesn’t feel so alone here.

You talked about moving around with your parents and never mentioned siblings.

You’re here, so you must be brilliant. And the challenge—well, that’s just a guess. ”

I look at him with new eyes. I would never have guessed that he paid that close attention.

“Impressed, right? Ask me anything,” he says with that cocky assurance I usually find irritating on men, but lately it’s having the opposite effect on me.

I bite my cheek to hold back a smile. “Are we going to get in trouble for this?”

“Eating noodles? Well, technically speaking I’m not supp—”

“Not the noodles, this,” I motion back and forth between us.

“I’m more of an ‘ask for forgiveness not permission’ type,” he says.

“Well, I’m more of a ‘follow the rules and not get kicked off the planet’ type.”

“I think there is a way we both get what we want,” Aro says with confidence. “We’ll have to wait and see how that goes. Next question.”

“How old are you?” I ask.

“30 Earth years,” he answers.

“What’s your job here?”

“I’m a captain. I tell these knuckleheads what to do and when to do it.”

“If you weren’t here right now, where would you want to be?”

“Honestly? I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else right now,” he says and nudges my knee with his under the table.

“How many times have you used that line?” I ask. There is something about him that brings out this side in me. Maybe he’s right about me liking a challenge.

“Once—just now,” he answers without hesitation.

“Tell me about your family,” I say.

“That’s not in the form of a question. You’re going to have to rephrase. ”

“You mentioned a sister before. What’s she like?”

“Kiera. She’s a few years younger than me. We are really close.”

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” I ask.

“I don’t have much choice in the matter. My father is Bajimr for the pt’Burosa House.”

“What’s that?”

“He’s the head of one of our ancient noble houses. And at some point, I’ll take over.”

“I didn’t know I was speaking with royalty. I would have been more deferential,” I say with a tiny bit of sarcasm. I’m impressed it’s taken him this long to tell me about his identity. In my experience, people with proximity to power want to make sure everyone around them knows it right away.

“Sometimes people get weird when they realize who I am,” Aro says.

“Well, I’ll probably say something weird. At least it won’t be about that.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

“That explains why you were at the treaty signing.”

“Can I be honest? I noticed you that night and waited for you to come over and introduce yourself,” he says.

“I felt a little out of my element with all the politicians and dignitaries and university presidents.”

“They all seemed pretty impressed with you,” he says.

“Then I guess I have them fooled.”

The way he smiles at me is a problem. Actually, the way my body reacts when he smiles at me is the problem.