Alienated (7 page)

Five freshmen danced around one another, hopping up and down as if their heels were made of springs. Each L’eihr wannabe, or L’annabe, as people called them, wore her poorly dyed brown hair in a low ponytail and dressed in a beige top over gray pants. Cara shook her head at their orange-streaked faces. Friends didn’t let friends abuse self-tanning spray.

The L’annabes giggled and pushed the group spokesperson forward. “What’s your name?”

“Aelyx.” He took a step back, and Cara pressed her lips together to stifle another laugh.

“Aaaaaa-licksssss,” the girl repeated above a chorus of screams. “Omigosh, a real L’eihr right here in Midtown, I can’t believe it, welcome to Earth, we think you’re so amazing. Can you tell us about your planet, and space travel, and are there other aliens with special powers, and maybe you can hang out with us after school today at my house, and can you really read minds?”

He blinked a few times and shook his head. “No, I can’t read minds.”

As perversely entertaining as it was to watch him squirm, it was time to be a good little hostess and intervene.

“Stop.” Cara stepped in front of Aelyx, holding her palm toward the group. “Don’t get too close.”

The girls glanced at one another, stupefied.

“This is really important. Did you guys color your hair in the last three months?”

“Maybe,” the group’s leader conceded. “Why?”

“Oh, no!” Cara pushed Aelyx farther back and shielded him with her body. “Don’t you know the chemicals in hair dye are toxic to L’eihrs?”

“What? I never heard that.” The fan girl bit her bottom lip and wrinkled her forehead.

“Hmm, maybe it’s not common knowledge yet. They can handle most of our chemicals, but not dye. If you get too close, he’ll have some kind of freaky respiratory reaction.” She leaned forward, trying to look stern. “You don’t want to be responsible for killing our exchange student, do you?”

Shaking her head, the girl backed away and rejoined her friends. “Of course not. I’m so sorry!”

Thank God for gullible freshmen.

Aelyx glanced at her with a flicker of amusement in his eyes and then turned to the girls with a generous smile. “It’s all right. You didn’t mean any harm.”

The L’annabes nodded vigorously and said good-bye, giving him a wide berth to navigate the hallway as Aelyx and Cara walked to class.

“Spanish military leader El Cid’s real name was…” Mr. Manuel’s voice trailed off into a question. “Anyone?”

Cara knew the answer, but she didn’t feel like participating. Instead, she rested her chin in her palm and gazed out the window at the parking lot. The last remaining protesters had left hours ago, and things were calm. Well, calm
er
, anyway. Things inside were pretty dull, too. Apparently, Eric had changed his entire schedule to avoid her, which was both good and bad. While she didn’t have to look at his smug jerkface, that meant he couldn’t see how much she pretended not to care about his smug jerkface.

“Yes, Aelyx?”

The sound of his name brought her to attention.

“Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar,” Aelyx said. “He’s known as the national hero of Spain—a warlord, like so many of Earth’s idols.”

“Impressive.” Mr. Manuel crossed his arms. “You don’t even have a textbook yet.”

“I studied your history while I was still on L’eihr.” And with a smirk that had become his own personal signature, he added, “It didn’t take long.” He returned his attention to the copy of
Advanced Binuclear Theories
the science teacher had lent him. Maybe he should read
How to Avoid Acting Like a
Pretentious Ass
instead.

“Why is it,” Mr. Manual began loudly, “that an alien knows more about your planet’s history than you do?” He pointed an accusing finger at the class and raised his voice. “The average grade on the last test was forty-six. Forty-six! Does anyone even care?” While he ranted, several students turned in their seats and narrowed their eyes at Aelyx. Someone whispered, “Nice going, L’asswipe.”

When the bell rang, Cara decided to let the classroom clear out before heading to lunch. Why risk getting jumped if she didn’t have to? She nudged Aelyx’s desk, and he glanced up from his book.

“You’re not doing any favors for yourself,” she said. “You’ll never make any friends with those little digs.”

“Digs?”

“Oh, you didn’t study
that
before you left L’eihr?” she asked. “A dig’s an insult. You know, like announcing your gift is superior to Eric’s, or telling me my hips are huge, or saying it didn’t take long to study our planet’s pathetic history.”

“Well, in all honesty, it only took three—”

“Look. You’re some kind of genius. We get it. Whoop-de-do.” She twirled one finger in the air. “But honesty is overrated. We’ve got a long year ahead of us, and the whole student body will hate you if you don’t lay off.”

“That won’t happen. You’re forgetting”—he closed his book and pointed it at her—“that I have a fan club.”

“You made a joke!” Progress! “I’ll make a human out of you yet.”

“That’s an ugly threat,
Cah
-ra.”

“Very funny. The halls should be empty now. Let’s go eat.”

As Cara had feared, the garlicky reek of sloppy joes was the only thing greeting them inside the cafeteria. A slow hush permeated the room, spreading from person to person like a rolling fog of silence. Ignoring the freeze-out, she scanned the crowded space for Tori, who caught her eye and waved from an open table all the way in the back.

While crossing the lunchroom, Cara noticed a few eyes widen when Aelyx passed. Brandi Greene, the dance team captain and one of Cara’s ex-friends, spat orange Gatorade onto her tray and sat there staring with her mouth hanging open like a 7-Eleven. Cara laughed inwardly, but she’d had the same reaction the first time she’d met Aelyx. The boy was chocolate for the eyes. But for every dreamy sigh, there were ten openly hostile glares.

Pseudo tuberculosis broke out at Eric’s table of jocks as they passed.
Cough, cough.
“L’asshole!”
Cough, cough.
Cara kept her eyes trained forward and studied Eric from her peripheral vision. He seemed too focused on his hatred of Aelyx to notice her. She knew that shouldn’t bother her, but it did. Why couldn’t he suffer, just a little bit?

One thing was clear: lines had been drawn. She’d run track, played soccer, debated with and tutored many of the people who now leered at her like she had an STD. Eric had been right. She’d just set the world record for Fastest Freefalling Social Status.

“Sorry about this,” Aelyx whispered from behind her, tickling the back of her neck with his warm breath.

“I should be the one apologizing.” She sat beside Tori, facing the wall, while Aelyx took the seat across the table. “I bet your friends back home will treat me better than this.”

Aelyx’s shoulders slumped a couple inches while he took a sudden interest in the chipped tabletop. Maybe she’d been too hard on him back in the classroom.

“Yeah.” Tori shook her apple at him. “You made quite an impression. I took a lotta crap for you today.”

“Whatever,” Cara said. “You don’t take crap from anyone.” She pulled a Ziploc bag from her mini-cooler and handed it to Aelyx. “Here’s a slice of provolone and some of those wheat crackers you liked.”

Aelyx perked up. Poor thing, he had to be starving. “Thank you,
Cah
-ra.”

“And by the way,” Tori mumbled with one cheek stuffed full. “You’re sayin’ it wrong. It’s
Care
-ah.”

“Don’t listen to her.” Cara slid a bottle of unsweetened iced tea across the table. “I like the way you say my name.”

“Oh, barf.”

Just as Cara geared up to elbow Tori in the ribs, Brandi Greene slipped into the seat beside Aelyx. She tucked a blond curl behind her ear and rested one hand on his shoulder. She didn’t even notice when he flinched away. “You,” she said, “are literally the most gorgeous thing I’ve ever seen.”

Cara fanned a notebook to disperse the scent of cheap floral perfume, a noxious odor she hadn’t endured since Brandi joined the dance team and nixed their friendship freshman year, upgrading to a new set of friends. “Well, that’s one way to introduce yourself.”

“Hmm?” Brandi asked, still gazing at Aelyx.

“Aelyx, this is Brandi, who, like the rest of Midtown High, lacks social skills.”

“Hey, I heard you and Eric are splitsville.” Brandi blinked her clumpy, tarantula-leg lashes, feigning innocence. “You don’t care if I ask him out, right?”

A ten-ton bomb filled with sulfuric acid exploded inside Cara’s stomach. Of course Brandi would want to move in on Eric—he’d become popular practically overnight after joining the lacrosse team, and the little social climber hadn’t made it to the top of the ladder yet.

Cara dug a fingernail into her palm and smiled sweetly. “Go for it. I’m sure he’s looking for an easy rebound.”

The insult slipped off Brandi’s shoulders like she was coated in social lube. “He’s got that worked out. The whole team’s taking Marcus to The Ho Depot for his birthday on Friday.”

Cara’s jaw slackened while her heart sank into her lap. The Ho Depot—a nickname for the skeevy strip joint that just went up outside city limits. Ever since word got out that the girls sold “services” in the back room, the place had become an XXX version of Chuck E. Cheese’s for barely legal birthday boys.

A lump formed in Cara’s throat, and all the swallowing in the world wouldn’t push it down. Eric was tired of waiting for her to put out, so he was going to get it somewhere else. She shouldn’t care—it was none of her business anymore. So why did she want to vomit and cry at the same time?

Tori’s hand gripped hers beneath the table while Brandi turned back to Aelyx. “Everyone says you’re crazy smart. Are all the L’eihrs like you?”

Aelyx moved a few inches in the opposite direction and said, “We’ve been bred for advanced cognitive skills, among other things.”

“Bred? Literally? Like your babies are planned and stuff?”

“Not anymore, but pairings were carefully planned for the last ten thousand years.”

Brandi licked her top lip. “Are you all this hot?”

Instead of responding, Aelyx shoved four crackers into his mouth. It seemed like a good time to change the subject.

“Hey,” Cara said to Aelyx, “can you make it home by yourself later? I’ve got to go grocery shopping.”

He nodded, mouth still full.

Brandi clapped her hands together while bouncing in her seat. “I know where you live—I’ll walk him home!”

Aelyx shook his head and waved her off, which Brandi took as an enthusiastic
yes!

“It’s no problem,” Brandi insisted, even as Aelyx held one palm forward.

“Better watch out,” Tori said. “No one’s gonna want his sloppy seconds.”

“For you, I’ll risk it.” Brandi gave Aelyx’s ponytail a playful tug. “See you later, gorgeous.”

Cara hid a smile, even as guilt tugged at her stomach. She probably shouldn’t abandon Aelyx, but he’d appreciate it later. She had something special planned that just might salvage this terrible day for both of them.

“They’re every bit as loathsome as I’d anticipated,” Aelyx whispered, unclasping his hair as Syrine’s miniature hologram nodded in agreement from atop his chest of drawers. “Completely worthless as a species.” Especially the sex-obsessed female who’d followed him home after school. When she wasn’t fondling his chest, she’d badgered him with questions about L’eihr weaponry. As if he’d discuss such things with her. It had taken nearly an hour to make her leave.

“Praise the Sacred Mother I’m educated privately in the home.” Syrine’s host attended an all-male school, the only perceivable benefit of living with him. “I only socialize with the youth during—”

A metallic clatter from the other end of the house rang out.

“What was that?” Syrine asked.

“My human. I think she’s preparing a meal.” His vacant stomach rumbled in protest, no longer satisfied with nutritional supplements and the occasional cracker. He’d give anything for a bowlful of
l’ina
. But no matter what Cara was cooking, he knew he couldn’t eat it.

Cara
. One thought of her brought an invisible weight crashing down upon his back. She didn’t know it, but she’d never see a penny of her scholarship. She’d never set foot on his planet and, worse yet, her peers would hold her accountable for his actions.

Suddenly, an earsplitting series of shrill beeps rang out from the circular white device affixed to his ceiling—the smoke detector.

“We’ll talk later,” he mouthed before shutting down his com-sphere and stuffing it inside the top drawer. Pressing his palms over both ears, he ran through the hallway and toward the kitchen, where tentacles of foul-smelling smoke curled from the open doorway.

He darted inside and found Cara—her face streaked with sandy-colored muck—waving a broom to clear the hazy air.

“Are you all right?” he yelled over the alarm.

With a vigorous nod, she threw open the back door while he opened both windows to allow a cross breeze to ventilate the room. Eventually the air cleared, and sweet silence resumed.

The lingering stench burned his nostrils. “What happened?”

Cara pushed a greasy lock of hair away from her face and pointed to a plate of charred flatbread by the stove. “I made
larun
for you.”

Larun
? At first he didn’t understand, but after scanning the countertop and identifying several varieties of grains and oils, it all made sense. Yesterday he’d said his favorite breakfast tasted like a cross between wheat toast and corn bread, and she must have tried replicating it for him. Great gods. She’d done all this for
him
—right after she’d lost her mate and half her peers.

She cleared her throat and glanced down at her pink-polished toes. “I know you’re hungry. I wanted you to have a taste of home.”

Something warm swelled inside his lungs until Aelyx feared he might take flight right there in the cluttered kitchen. If there was a name for this emotion, he didn’t know it, but he wished he could summon the feeling at will.

Nodding at the plate, he extended his palm for a sample.

“But it’s burned,” she objected, “and totally vile.”