Chapter 1 (revised)

Warning: This may be a bit long. WC-5590

Mesmerized by its beauty, I found myself staring at the sky with its only sun. It was setting down low on the horizon, making everything look orange and red with a hint of blue and purple. The shiny surface of the lake reflected the firmament like a giant mirror with the yellow star caught in the middle. No matter how many times I had seen this in the past, I still could not pull my eyes away from it. Earth is a beautiful planet, small but also attractive.

Intrigued by her primary life form, my people have sent navigators like me to study her. The numerous wars observed over those centuries have shown us a hot-tempered civilization. Yet, blending with the natives was the least of my worries. Physically, our two races are incredibly similar, and while classified as undersized by Xhartan standard, my shorter stature always served me better here considering there are very few seven-foot tall humans. Aside from our heights, we are similar in many ways. Both species have hearts although mine is on the right side. In fact, a faster way to describe our anatomy might be this way: If you look at yourself in the mirror, we are the reflection.

Ok well, enough with the rambling, sitting here watching the sun will get me nowhere. I need to find out where exactly on Earth I am.

I exited the ship and concealed it. It would necessitate repairs. My people would not come and get me. I was on my own. At least, I was still alive—for now. I figured I had about a month or so to fix my ship and leave. Any further delay and I would starve to death. As much as our two races look alike, we are still different. For some reasons, my body cannot tolerate any of the food consumed by earthlings. It is poisonous to me, and can even be deadly. Water, I can drink, and it is a good thing since I can survive for a while on that substance alone.

A few observations sufficed to reassure me that I would not have to deal with extreme temperatures. Call me fussy if you wish, but I do not have any love for the frozen water you call snow. Although its magnificence is undeniable, I prefer rain; it does not accumulate as easily on the ground.

Still, I wished this constant drizzle, which started soon after dusk, would stop. The darkness brought cold, and it made my teeth chatter. On my planet, night never occurs. For us, it does not exist. Our three suns keep it in constant daylight. Even if my body would soon become accustomed to this new climate, I needed something to cover me up. On my last visit here, most men wore pants called jeans. We also wear those garments on Xhartan, although in different material.

With my eyes closed, I invoked Earth and softly spoke a few words. Stagnant fog formed atop the ground. It thickened and boiled at the point of becoming almost viscous, then as quickly as it had appeared, it faded away leaving a pile of fresh clothes in its stead. Dressed in black jeans and dark blue tee shirt, with a light jacket and some sneakers, I was set.

Now, I needed to find out on what side of the planet I had crashed. A clear view of the stars could give me a good idea, but the few clouds that hung at sunset had somehow multiplied and thickened. Regardless, the area was not safe; I would have to abandon my ship for a few days and come back later for the repairs. I hoped to be able to fix it for the sake of my children. Both are so young—seven and two Earth years respectively—and my son is not even born yet. I owed them the chance to know their father. Mine disappeared in space during a mission—kind of like me, I guess—so my mother raised me by herself. She never got another union, because she knew he lived. The ring we exchange for our vows also serves as a link between the united couple. As long as we are alive and we wear it, we always feel each other's heart in the background of our own. She waited over two hundred years for his return. One day she told me she could not live in this world anymore. That is how I knew he had died. She passed away shortly after.

I ought to put those thoughts aside and concentrate on what I must do, but I am tired and—even if I do not fancy the idea of admitting it—a bit shaken. My training taught me that fear is my enemy so I must keep it in check. Giving in to it could mean my demise. I will find a way out of this mess. I always do.

The scent of a vast salted water reservoir coming from the west drifted my way. The awareness of an ocean lying within two hundred miles did not help. Since water covered 70% of the planet, I still could be anywhere. With that in mind, I focused on closer ground and inhaled deeply. A concentrated mix of fire, gasoline, blood, human perspiration, and other things associated with earthlings emanated from a closer location, maybe ten miles or so.

Good. No one was near when I crashed.

Even with a cloaked vessel, I could not have done anything about the noise made by broken trees and the collision itself.

So let me see what else I have here.

Each droplet of rain brought me new, distinct scents. Used in conjunction with my hearing and sight, it told me the exact location of a bird nest sheltering two babies, twenty feet up the tree to my right. A rabbit stood behind me. I could feel it without even seeing it. It smelled of fear. To calm it down, I sent it mental waves of reassurance that I would not cause it any harm. It came hopping and lifted itself on its hind legs. After I squatted down and scratched its belly, I told it to go with its friends standing a few yards away. It bounced off in the forest with the others. While interesting, none of this provided me any help. However, a light sulfurous odor hung in the air, and that gave me an idea. A small electric storm would serve my purpose.

With all the rain that had fallen on the land, to see a thunderstorm pop up would seem natural. The elements were already in place; all it needed was some guidance. I focused on a dead tree that stood taller than the others and seconds later, a massive bolt of lightning split it in half. My ability to shut down my senses protected me from the deafening sound, but I felt the ground shake with the instant thundering.

Now earthlings will have something to explain the latest occurrences in this part of the woods.

It was time for me to leave.

My first objective was to find out if communication would cause a problem all the while avoiding direct contact with the inhabitants so close to the crash site. The odds that the natives spoke a dialect I understood were in my favor since I studied eight of their languages. To know for sure, I had to find civilization, so I walked in the general direction of the stench.

Only thin undergrowth covered the forest floor and few dead branches encumbered the paths. This led me to speculate that humans were taking care of the area, which meant I might have landed in some national park or a reserve. Since many earthlings loved to hunt, which I never understood, any human encountered could carry guns.

"Great!" I muttered.

My pace was fast and steady. Sure, I could go faster, but if anyone was watching, it could mean trouble. It had been many years since my last visit and Earth was changing quickly. The first time I had come, back in your mid-18th century, people had no commodities at all. The slow interaction between cities had made my research easy. No one questioned my vocabulary deficiency, or any differences in my behavior, as long as I did not stick out of the ordinary. Already on my second visit, things had changed. More people used horses and carts, and they had invented a new transportation on rails. An old fashion machine using Morse code enabled a form of communications over long distances. However, that is also when I discovered that earthlings often resorted to violence. More than once, I had seen them kill each other over gold metal, and even rape women left unprotected. I had watched without interfering; our Navigator policy forbids us to take action.

A hundred years later, people still fought over women, land, and some thin paper used in trades, but they had improved transportation in the form of motorized vehicles such as cars and planes along with an upgraded communication system, electricity, and so forth. Up until then I had remained unimpressed with their slow evolution, but the last century had revolutionized their world. I had been proud of them after learning they had made small progress in space and stepped on their moon. Now, this had occurred some forty years ago, and many things could have changed, even in such a short time period.

Here I am, driveling again. I need to concentrate before I do something stupid.

My targets sat two hundred feet away. The darkness and the noise they made provided good cover even in this close proximity. A quick look showed me five men dressed in clothing reminiscent of leaves sitting around a campfire. Behind them, a dead animal hung from a tree. It explained the overwhelming coppery smell I had been breathing as I was closing in.
Ignoring this specific odor, I inhaled deeply and discovered two more humans in the portable dwellings: younglings. The savage love for killing disgusted me, but now to learn that they had no minimum age requirement was beyond my understanding.

Something triggered my sixth sense. My ears perked up, and my nostrils flared while my eyes scanned the area. The combination of aromas caused by the recent rain made me feel dizzy. It was time to try to classify each odor and maybe decipher the cause of my discomfort.

Wet earth, the first one and the strongest, was easy. Water precipitation forces spores from bacteria to spread in the air causing what you call the Earth smell. The rain had soaked everything in water: Check.

Minerals: you can find them in many things, but most likely, they came from the weapons the hunters were using. Check.

Rot: decomposing leaves covered the area. Check.

Cooked flesh, wheat and the sweet smell of sugar: the men had fed and drunk. Check. (Actually, they were still drinking that alcoholic beverage they call beer.)

Human perspiration, urine, and excrement: they must have been camping here for weeks. Check.

The smell of scared animals was understandable with all these hunters around, but the last one made me shiver. What could smell like that? Decay, but not your regular one you would get from a dead animal, something older, much older.

"Hey!"

I startled and looked around me. "Khara iz," I said before I realized I understood the language: English. Ok, my cover is blown, but at least I will be able to communicate. Squatting beside me was a woman in her lower twenties, crimson red hair, dark eyes, and light complexion. Why have I not heard or smelled her coming?

"Hungry?" she asked.

"Huh? No, not really. Why?"

"You're checking the camp," she explained and motioned with her head toward the men.

"Hmm yes, I guess I was," I answered, feeling ashamed that she had caught me off guard. "Is that your camp?"

She laughed in a cute way, muffling the sound with the palm of her hand. "Nah, it's not, but since you say you're not hungry, I might just make it mine." She let out a throaty laugh. "You're not from around here are you?"

"No," I said, already wondering what had given me away so fast. Maybe she heard the two words that escaped my mouth when I saw her.

"I thought so. I know everyone who hunts in this area. I'd have remembered such a handsome face." She tilted her head, staring at me, waiting for something, a reply maybe? After an awkward moment of silence, she asked, "Where are you from?"

"Where?" I repeated stupidly. Even with my brain working overtime, ignoring my location made answering that question tricky.

"Well, you don't talk much, but you've got a slight accent and you don't belong in these woods."

I examined her. She was dressed exactly like me, with a pair of black jeans and a dark blue tee shirt under a jacket. I frowned and shrugged.

She sighed. "Ok, my name's Mellie and you are?"

"Alex," I replied. "It is nice to meet you."

Of course, this was not my real name, but Zhendar stuck out too much, so I had chosen another alias. If you are wondering how I had ended up with Alex, it is simple. My full name is Lutnalind Zhendar Xavelk, Lutnalind being my rank. If you allow me to explain, you will understand: L(utnalind) X(avelk), LX. With a little twist, it quickly became Alex.

"Well Alex, you don't wanna tell me where you're from and that's fine with me, but if you don't mind, I'm hungry and I get grumpy when I'm hungry, so…" she trailed off, leaving her sentence unfinished. Her attention shifted to the men around the camp. "I'll be back in five, wait here for me ok?"

She did not wait for my answer. Instead, she wandered away faster than any other humans I had ever encountered.

How can Earth change that much in so little time? Maybe sticking around to find out more will be a good idea after all. My Leaders will find the discovery of a mutation or perhaps a completely different strain of human beings interesting.

One of the younger humans lifted his head as if someone had called him out. He stood up, said he would be right back, and trudged away in the woods behind the tents. I could hear the others making jokes about a lizard, and the need to drain it. Apparently, it was funny because they all laughed in unison. Intrigued, I took a mental note of it so I could find out what they meant by that later.

As the man returned to his seat around the campfire with a beer he took out of a rectangular blue box, Mellie popped back next to me. Although it surprised me, I hid my stupefaction. Until I learned if people like her were common, I could not let her know I knew nothing about it.

"That was fast," I said looking around to see if anyone had followed her back to our hiding place.

"Oh, you know, people like us, we like to do things fast," she replied with a smile.

I smiled back, trying to look as if I knew what she meant.

"Are you sure you're not hungry? There's plenty more for you out there," she told me while pointing at the camp.

"Sure, thank you."

"But your tummy's grumbling," she said giving me a nudge in the ribs. "If you don't do som'thing 'bout that, it's gonna give us away." She chuckled.

"Huh? Tummy?" I frowned. I had not heard Tummy talk—whoever he might be.

"Your belly, stomach, err, that," she said and she poked a finger in my abdomen. "It's making weird sounds."

"Oh," was all I managed to say. Decidedly, I had to admit to myself, I was not talkative. Eventually, she would start wondering about me. Still, I could not help it. I did not know what to answer. As it was, it appeared to be fine because it did not slow her down.

"Ok. Since you seem to answer questions with either one word or with another question, I'll try a different approach," she told me and then she bombarded me with questions one after the other.

"Are you from this state?" she asked, pointing at the ground with her finger.

My eyes followed her gesture and I looked down, frowning.

"You are from another state then."

State? Hmm, can she mean the United States?

I titled my head slightly as I pondered about her question but she caught my movement.

"Ok, so you're not from the US. Are you visiting here?"

Finally, something I could answer. "I guess I could say that."

"Wow! You can talk," she said seriously, but then she giggled and I realized it was a joke. "Are you from the old country?"

I nodded, hoping she meant Europe. The continent had so many countries it should be safe.

"Ah! I always wanted to visit Europe. Maybe I could go and visit you there someday when you'll go back."

Nodding again, I mumbled, "If I ever go back." Of course, I had Xhartan in mind, but even though I had said that low, she still caught it.

"Oh? Not planning on going back?"

"Not that I would not want to, but I am afraid it may be impossible for me now," I replied. It was the truth after all.

She patted my shoulder. A gesture probably meant to comfort me. "You shouldn't feel that way Alex, now'days everything's possible. It's harder to travel only at night but we can still do it."

"I guess," I replied, not fully grasping her reasoning.

What does she mean by traveling only at night? Did earthlings discover a better energy only operational in the dark? If so, that could be interesting.

After one last look at the camp she said, "Ok, if you're not going to feed, we might as well leave them alone. It's no use to risk their discovering our presence." After a slight hesitation, she grabbed my hand and we both got up. "Ready to go?" she asked. "Follow me," she added and we started running. Although it felt strange, I had no problem following her. She did not move as fast as when she had come back to me after stealing her food but she still used a speed I did not know any earthling could achieve.

"Where are we going?"

"My place," she answered. "Want to go faster?"

"You can?"

"Sure! Let's go!"

We went so fast that no critters or people could possibly see us. Soon we arrived in a large clearing with an old dwelling from the 1800s. The door was missing. The windows had no glass, and the only shutter left was awkwardly hanging by a single hinge. Years of neglect had left holes in the roof here and there giving free access to the rain. Despite its horrible state, it had charms. It must have been a cozy place before people stopped taking care of it. Wild flowers grew all around it. Mellie must love daisies. They grew in an assortment of colors and sizes. Their sweet sharp aroma filled the air. An old cemetery occupied some space between the house and the forest. Four gravestones stood side by side. Some partial names and dates were still visible. The most preserved one said: In memory of our beloved daughter Melissa Johnson 1825-1847. Time had eroded the others rendering them illegible.

"Hey, Alex, come inside. There's not a lot of furniture left but we can sit on the floor. At least, it's dry."

I accepted her invitation. Although the room was pitch-dark, she did not have any difficulty going around.

"Watch your step here," she said thumping her foot heavily in front of a hole in the floor. "I'm sorry for the lack of light; I'm out of oil. I should have a few candles in the kitchen cabinets though."

"No thank you, I am comfortable in the dark if you are too," I said and that was the truth. Day or night never made any difference, and it always left me wondering. After all, there was no such thing as darkness on Xhartan. "You live here?" I asked trying to start a conversation.

"Yep, I know it's not much but it's the only home I've ever known."

Her tone showed worries, so I worded my answer carefully. "Well, home is where your heart is."

She seemingly liked it because she jumped up and surprised me with a big hug. Then, just as quickly, she sat down. After making a motion with her hand, she tapped on the floor beside her. Guessing more than fully grasping what she meant, I sat down where she had touched. She smiled at me and I took the opportunity to look at her more carefully. She was an attractive young woman with hair barely reaching her shoulders. Her smile was warm and inviting. Her skin looked soft but it was almost as white as her teeth, so white it glowed. I found that a bit eerie. Not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable by inspecting her too closely, I changed my focal point and looked around the room. A fireplace stood in the middle of it.

"Is it in working condition? Would you like me to get some wood and start a fire?"

"I don’t know," she said. "I've never used it. You know, our kind don't do well with fire."

"Of course," I said not understanding what she meant by our kind. Maybe she means those who suffered from pyrophobia. "I can take a look at it and if there is no damage, I could start one, with your permission. I promise not to set your house on fire. Ok?"

"Sure, go ahead," she sighed.

After examining the fireplace, which looked fine, I climbed on the roof to check the chimney. A few empty nests needed removed but for the most part, it was in surprisingly good condition. Finding wood was not difficult, and I came back with a bundle of it. Less than five minutes later, I had a nice fire going. I hate to admit it felt awesome. The lack of sun, coupled with the dampness of my clothes had left me frozen.

"There, like promised, no one is burning." I smiled at her and motioned for her to come nearer, the same way she had done for me. "Do you want to sit by the fire with me?" I asked her. She looked haggard and ready to run like a wild animal so I added quickly, "It is ok. You do not have to. Do you mind if I stay near it to give my clothes a chance to dry?"

"Not at all," she said. "If you're not afraid of going up in flame, I won't stop you."

"Thank you," I replied.

We relaxed watching the fire without exchanging any more words. It is hard to tell how long we sat like that, not talking. I may have dozed off a little. Logs still burned in the fireplace but there were no more flames, just a red glow. She got up and cuddled herself next to me.

"That's a nice fire you made. I haven't seen one in that fireplace for so long. Thank you!" That said she pressed her cold lips on my cheek. I could barely imagine how she endured such weather without any source of heat.

"My pleasure," I answered. It truly had been. My clothes had finally dried and I did not shiver anymore. I slipped my arm around her shoulders. "Here, let me warm you a bit."

A log broke and fell in the hearth and sparks flew around it. She jumped. To calm her down, I rubbed her arm lightly. She sighed and laid her head on my shoulder.

"How long since you've been to your country?" she asked, breaking the silence.

It would be safe to associate the country with my planet. I had left Xhartan about six weeks ago so I answered, "About six weeks."

"Wow! You must be a youngling! Where's your sire?"

I froze, speechless. Me? Is she calling me a youngling? She has to mean something else. Granted she does not know I am over four hundred years old but still. I have been called many things in the past, but that, and coming from a twenty-year-old girl?

"Why do you say that?" I heard myself reply.

"Well, you say you can't go back home, so you had to be here when it happened. Besides, if six weeks ago you were still there, well? Hey! I may not be the brightest girl around but I can add you know."

Ok, something I said made sense to her, somehow. In all honesty, I cannot figure out why she has come up with that statement. How does she know something happened to me here and what does she think it is? Did she see me crash? There is no doubt in my mind no one was around to witness my arrival, unless… unless I did not hear or smell her. Maybe she is making fun of me, maybe—

"Hey Alex, it's ok! Don’t make faces. I didn't mean to insult you. There's nothing wrong with being a newbie. You'll learn fast trust me. It's easy. Besides, if your sire already left you, he probably thought you were ready, and if you're not, well I'm here now. I'll guide you; don't you worry," she explained while patting my leg.

I took a deep breath and exhaled loudly.
It has nothing to do with my crash; she meant I was a youngling in the country as in a newcomer. Yet she used that sire word again. Is she assuming I should be with my father? It does not make any sense.

As I considered the way she had put it a little longer, I believed I finally understood.

Oh! It must be some sort of guardian. Someone who invites you, introduces you to your new country, and vouches for you. We have people doing that on Xhartan for cities with special restrictions.

I felt somewhat comfortable answering her.

"Yes, my sire is gone. He had other things to do, other people to sire I suppose."

"Ha-ha, you're funny! He won't be doing that so soon after you. We have unwritten guidelines you know. He'd be severely punished. Just remember as a rule of thumb, you can only sire an individual every two to five years, unless there are special circumstances. If you're caught otherwise, they'll cut your head off."

Cut my head off? She has to be kidding, right?

On the course of my numerous travels, I had encountered planets with harsh laws, but the few countries I had visited on Earth had showed me a forgiving species. They usually put lawbreakers in a small cell for a specific amount of days or years but now they were executing someone for welcoming more than one person in their homeland. What about families?

Finally recovering my voice, I replied, "I do not intend to sire anyone. I would not know how to do it anyway."

"You don’t have to worry. I was just telling you. Since you've been turned less than six weeks ago, you might be tempted to bring a relative of yours over. D'you have a wife out there? Some kids?" she asked.

A knot formed in my throat at the thought of my children. Looking at my ring, which I wear on my pointer on my heart hand, I felt Saylia's heartbeat and sighed.

"Yes, I do. I have both, wife and kids, but all things considered, I do not wish to bring them over." I stared at her, wondering if I had imagined that cloud passing over her eyes, but I dismissed it. She was smiling.

"It's that bad huh? Are you happy to be rid of them or it's just that you can't cope with what you've become?

Will she ever run out of questions?

I did my best to ignore her until her last comment hit me.

Yeah, what have I become? A stupid Navigator stuck on a strange planet with maybe just a few weeks to live. Oh heck, I am too tired!

In spite of it all, I owed her at least an answer. She was a sweet girl who had welcomed me into her home, and I appreciated her kindness.

"If you must know, I love my wife and kids and I miss them too, but they are far better-off where they are…" My voice trailed off. Speaking of them brought a dull ache in my chest. Anticipating another question, I added quickly, "Hey, it is getting late. I need some rest, if you do not mind."

"Of course not! The sun will rise soon. You can rest in the house if you opt for dryness over safety. However, I prefer to warn you, there aren't many areas in there I'd trust."

"I am not worried about safety," I told her. Being a light sleeper, no one could surprise me; besides, I always cast a protective shield anyway. However, she looked genuinely worried. What could she mean by that? Was she expecting someone to come here? There was no one around but the hunters. Would they hurt her? "Where are you going to sleep Mellie?" I asked her, suddenly feeling uneasy leaving her alone.

Her facial expressions changed radically. The smile she had given me all night disappeared, wiped off completely. "Hey! That's not something you ask others. Ok? You'd better learn that before you piss someone off and regret it. Our resting place is ours, and ours to know only! Oh, and don't you think about killing yourself Alex. I know you're having a hard time and all, but give it time. It'll get better, I promise."

Somehow, something I said had upset her and made her mad. Why is she concluding that I want to commit suicide? Baffled, I decided to keep my mouth shut. Play it safe. To put an end to the conversation, I stood up and checked what was left of the fire. There were only a few ashes left. The house would not burn down, just as promised. It was time to leave before I angered her more. "Ok. I will go and find a safe place in the woods. I do not wish to impose myself any longer than I already have. Thank you for your hospitality. Much appreciated," I said, stretching my mouth in an effort to smile.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Alex. I should've understood you better. I shouldn't have yelled at you the way I did. Your sire should've taught you all that before he left you, the 'effing bastard!" She looked at me with wet eyes. "Tell me you're not mad and that you'll come back tonight to visit again, ok?"

Talk about unpredictable!

Even if her house was close to the crash site, I could avoid her easily. Yet, she fascinated me with her mysterious ways. What can happen if I see her again? I will only need to watch for those potential mood swings and do my best not to provoke her anger. All should be fine, right? Besides, if I want to learn more about her and her kind, I have no choice.

"No, I am not mad at you Mellie. You are right. I have a lot to learn yet, and I am anxious for you to teach me… if you will of course. So ok, tonight, we will see each other again. Where shall we meet?" I answered and I sounded like an old broken robot.

"Cool!" She beamed a smile at me. "So… my house about an hour after sunset?"
"Your house, an hour after sunset? Sure."
"It's a date!" she told me and after a brief pause she added, "Have a great resting time!" She jumped up putting her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist. Taken by surprise, my first reaction was to catch her with my hands on her butt. Heat rose to my cheek. I stuttered some apologies, but she giggled. Putting her lips on mine, she kissed me with a loud popping sound before she jumped back on her feet and ran out of the house. Without a doubt, if I would say that I was astonished, it still would not be strong enough to describe how I felt. It took me a minute to gather my wits and that has to be a record for me. I usually react a lot faster.

Halfway to the door, I stopped. Sure, I had told her that I was going to leave, but the truth was, I had no idea where to go, and my eyelids felt like lead. This had been a long day. Crawling in a corner to crash for a few hours sounded like a good idea. Mellie was gone. She was not near the house; I could not sense her anymore. She had invited me to stay. Surely, she would not mind. After finding a suitable spot with a clear view of all the windows and doors, I sat with my back to the wall and closed my eyes. I fell asleep right away.