Out Of This World (6 page)
I wanted to understand love too, but I needed to understand Celeste. I blurted out the question I should have asked when I first met Celeste, “Celeste, where are you from?”
“It is called Sisterna. My home planet is nearly one hundred light years from Earth.”
She offered this explanation so nonchalantly, that at first I thought I’d misunderstood or that she was joking again. Yet, at this particular moment, I knew deep down inside, that every word she said was the truth. I didn’t question my gut, that all came later.
I took a few seconds to process what she’d just told me. “You’re not joking are you? I’m guessing that you’re not of this world, are you?”
“No, Bella, I am what you would call an explorer. They sent me to explore the planet Earth and to learn everything I can about your world. I am sorry I could not bring you to my ship, but the rules are very limiting. We are allowed to reveal many things, but cannot share our technology. Our leaders fear that some of your species would abuse this knowledge. We are a peaceful race. I could mimic the expression I was told you understand, but I suspect this is another earthling joke.”
“Wait, let me guess. Was it,
I come in peace
?”
She chuckled. “Yes that is the one.”
I don’t know why I just accepted her confession, but I did because it all made sense. It’s like the puzzle pieces suddenly all clicked into place. I didn’t have to make up stories in my head anymore about why Celeste always made these off-the-wall comments, although a small part of me still questioned my own sanity.
What didn’t make sense to me was why, out of all the people on Earth, Celeste would come to me. “Why did you pick me? I’m nothing special.”
“Your energy signal is compatible with mine.”
“I don’t understand.”
Celeste took both of my hands in hers and I saw the purple light glow between us. “What do you feel right now?”
“I feel an incredible sense of peace and this warm tingly feeling. It’s not sexual or anything, it’s just nice,” I responded.
“I feel the same. When I touched Sydney, I did not feel the peace like when I touched you. On my world, we seek out our other half, the one who shares the same energy signature. When we find our compatible signature, the feelings and experiences are the same, a sense of peace and warmth. In your world, you may call this love, but I do not believe it is the same. I believe this feeling of love is much more…how shall I describe it so you understand…more intense. I volunteered to travel to Earth to bring back the knowledge of love. The energy force brought me to your town and I was compelled to seek you out. We do not make distinctions between genders on my planet. Sometimes energy compatibility is between two male life forms, sometimes it is between two female life forms, and on occasion, it is between a male and a female life form. This is the rarest, but there is no shame or concern when this occurs. I am perplexed by your desire to hide that you are drawn to the female life form.”
“Welcome to my world and the concept of discrimination. It’s getting better, but there are still some people who assume I’m attracted to men and would be less than pleased to know I’m not. I believe this applies to almost everyone in my family. Don’t you have someone on your world that you share a compatible signature with?” I asked.
“I did. She was a primary healer and the territorial dispute with another planet diminished her energy too quickly for her to re-charge.”
I saw a tear leak from her eye. She wiped it away and looked at her finger where the moisture clung like a sock removed from a dryer without one of those handy dandy dryer sheets.
“What is this water that escaped from my eye?”
“Haven’t you ever cried before?”
“I have read about crying, and how this human response is connected to sadness. Love and sadness are foreign concepts to us. We feel loss, but I do not believe it is the same emotion. I must be able to replicate human feelings when I am on your planet.” She quirked her head. “That is an interesting revelation. My superiors will be anxious to receive a report on this. We lack passion and as a result, the invaders from the other planet were able to take over most of our world. Since I have been on your planet, I feel things I am not accustomed to feeling. Perhaps I will learn about passion and bring this back to help with our revolution.”
“When you lose your energy mate—sorry I’m not sure what else to call it—do you look for a new one?” I was particularly curious about this.
“Most of the time, yes, but there are times when we are not able to find another energy mate. I like that name—energy mate—it fits. I am surprised you understand these concepts so quickly. You must have above average intelligence.”
I blushed. “It’s not that hard to understand. Good luck with understanding love though, I think that’s a concept causing many people to scratch their heads in confusion. I don’t think I can teach you much there. I know there have been gobs of books written on the subject, so I suppose you could start with that.”
She pointed to the television. “I like watching the picture images. Will I be able to learn more about love from those?”
I shrugged. “I suppose so. There are a lot of movies devoted to the topic. Sometimes they depress me because it seems like I’m always on the outside looking in, but I never get to actually experience it for myself.” I chuckled. “You’d never be able to tell from my collection of books and movies. I guess if I can’t find the real thing, the next best alternative is to get lost in the fantasy.”
I jumped up from the couch and put in my next favorite movie,
Fire
. It’s a beautiful story about two Indian women who definitely sacrificed everything for love.
“Well, okay then, let’s start researching love,” I blurted out.
I wondered if it would be so wrong to let myself explore something with Celeste. I’d be helping her with her research. Maybe she would fall in love with me and I could fall for someone who wasn’t taken like Sydney was. It was far from perfect. Maybe Celeste didn’t have an energy mate, but she wasn’t even from the same planet. I was setting myself up for heartbreak. I knew that, but I didn’t care because I genuinely liked Celeste and I wanted to feel something more. I wanted what other people had, someone who would love me that I would love right back, even if it was short-lived.
After I popped in the DVD, I liberated the pint of ice cream from the freezer and set it down on the coffee table in front of Celeste. I grabbed two spoons and removed the top of the container. Celeste was about to experience another delicious treat. I was looking forward to hearing her hum again. It was cute and one of the things that seemed to set me at ease.
I wasn’t disappointed. After watching me dig into the container of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, she followed my lead and the humming started almost immediately. When the video got beyond the opening credits, she focused back on the television and became one hundred percent invested in the story up until the explosive ending. She wiped another tear away and turned my face to hers so she could kiss me again.
Wow, was she a quick learner. I think she sensed my hesitancy to take things further, even though I was pretty sure she could replicate what she’d seen and read. However, that did not stop her from boldly asking, “Bella, can I rest tonight in the same location where you will be resting?”
“Um…yeah…I guess that would be all right, but I…uh…don’t think I can…uh…you know…do those things in the book that you read about…”
“Sweet Bella, I will wait to learn more about that. I only wish to exchange energy with you and feel the closeness of someone who is compatible with me. I miss that most of all.” Another tear slowly trickled down her cheek. For someone who’d never cried before, she was sure giving her tear ducts a workout. How could I possibly deny her request? I wanted to take her in my arms and make this newfound sadness go away. It nearly broke my heart to see her tears. Maybe she didn’t exactly know about love, but I was willing to bet my house that energy compatibility was a concept that rivaled love, even if it had a different name.
I imagined that a curious onlooker might wonder why I wasn’t asking Celeste question after question, keeping her up all night learning about her life on Sisterna, but I wasn’t wired that way. When I was a kid, I would painstakingly unwrap my Christmas gifts while my older sister tore into hers at a record pace. I liked the anticipation as much as the actual prize inside.
I was never one to reveal too much about myself so I didn’t mind a slow tantalizing pace. I thought about how much I enjoyed it when that tiny little corner of the blanket uncovered just a hint of the naked woman beneath, or when a shirt was unbuttoned just enough to let you peek at the cleavage below. That’s how I thought of what Celeste had shared with me that evening. Although I wanted to learn so much more about this fascinating person, the reward would be much more if I delayed my gratification and let things trickle out. At this point, I absolutely believed her story.
In my mind, anything worth exploring took time. Brick by glorious brick we would build a foundation of trust and friendship as we learned all about each other. I suppose I was deluding myself that something might come of this and she could choose to stay on Earth. It was a fantasy worth keeping. Beautiful women had never before just dropped in my lap wanting to exchange anything.
I gently grasped her hand and led her to my bedroom. Shyness overtook me as I realized we needed to change into some type of sleeping attire. I dug in my drawer and plucked out two pairs of gym shorts and two tank tops. I was no fool, I gave the smaller of the two tank tops to her knowing full well how hot she would look in what I picked out for her. I didn’t have to say anything to her when I retreated to my master bathroom to change. After I changed, I pulled out another new toothbrush for Celeste, rather than retrieve hers from the guest bathroom.
Celeste was sitting on my bed waiting patiently for me. She’d already changed into what I left on the bed for her.
I motioned for her to follow me into the bathroom. Even though I’d laid out a toothbrush for her the night before, I wasn’t sure how much she knew about basic human grooming. I handed her the toothbrush and she started to brush her eyebrows.
I giggled. “I suppose that might appear to be a tiny brush engineered for small patches of hair, but…” I nearly doubled over with laughter as a sudden thought popped into my head. ”Uh…you didn’t brush any other hair with your toothbrush, did you?”
She cocked her head to the side. “I do not understand. Why do you brush your teeth, they do not contain hair?”
“Well, depending on what you were doing the night before, it sometimes feels like you have hair on your teeth in the morning.” I put some Crest on my toothbrush and pointed to the paste. “This is called toothpaste and it helps clean our teeth. Here let me show you. It’s refreshing to brush your teeth. Good dental hygiene is important to keep our teeth from rotting and falling out.”
I demonstrated brushing my teeth while she watched me. After she got the general idea, she stuck the brush in her mouth and tentatively moved it around giggling like a young child trying something for the first time. I think she particularly enjoyed spitting out the extra paste before she grinned broadly at me, showing off her pristine white smile.
“I like the taste of toothpaste.”
“How do you keep your teeth clean?” I asked.
“We have machines that brush our hair and teeth and cleanse our bodies through the use of special energy blasts. It does not quite feel the same as your rain machine or toothpaste.”
It was oddly domestic as we stood side by side brushing our teeth like an old married couple. At that moment, no one would have ever guessed Celeste was from another planet. She looked so normal, so human.
After we finished this nighttime ritual, I began to get nervous. I’d never shared my bed with anyone before except my cat, Gizmo. I think Celeste sensed my trepidation and touched my arm. The soft purple light infiltrated my body and once again created that wonderful feeling of peace and warmth.
I pulled the covers back and waited for Celeste to climb beneath the sheets before walking around to the other side and gently moving Gizmo from her normal spot. She let me know how unhappy she was with a stilted meow as she meandered to the end of the bed to stake out a new spot.
Celeste stroked my shoulder before wrapping her arms around me. I snuggled up against her body and let my hand rest on the small of her back. I was amazed at how comfortable I felt in her embrace. If this was what exchanging energy was about, I was all for it.
Celeste seemed content as she kissed my forehead and said, “Thank you for sharing your energy with me. I do not feel so homesick anymore. Sleep well, Bella.”
“Sweet dreams, Celeste.”
I closed my eyes and before I knew it, I was fast asleep, basking in the glow of Celeste’s energy. My dreams were definitely on the sexy side.
“Mmmm. That feels so good,” I mumbled, half-asleep and half-awake. I was at the glorious place where you’re not quite conscious and the dream is still fresh in your mind. I didn’t really want to wake up, but I was basking in the feather light touch caressing the entire left side of my body. I wanted to return to my nighttime adventure where I met a beautiful alien and we were sharing energy. As the touch brought about more awareness, I yawned, turned over, and looked into Celeste’s luminous eyes. Gizmo, that little hussy, had curled up between the two of us and snuggled tightly against Celeste with one paw wrapped around her neck.
The sudden realization that this was not a dream, and I did indeed have an exquisite alien in my bed, instantly shocked me into becoming wide awake. I started to panic as I looked at the clock on my nightstand. It was almost nine o’clock.
Crapola, my parents are going to be banging on my door any minute.
I bolted from the bed at the same time I heard my mom knock twice and then open the front door. “Hello…Mabel…it’s Mom. Where are you? We’re going to be late for church. Your father is being such a cranky pants this morning.”
I popped my head out of my bedroom. “Sorry, Mom, I overslept. You and Dad go on without me and I’ll catch up with you at the café after church.”
My mom scrunched up her face in what I call her disapproving mug. “Mabel, that’s the third time this year you’ve missed church. What in the world can you be doing so late at night that you can’t get up for church in the morning?” She started to crane her neck around my living room.
My mom never really snooped in my house, and so as long as my books were safely placed in my bookshelf, she wasn’t aware of my reading preferences. Today, unfortunately, several erotica books were littered on the coffee table from the time Celeste had perused them. Both the
Fire
and
Desert Hearts
DVDs were also prominently displayed for anyone to see. I panicked and ran out to head off my mom from scrutinizing the items in my living room.
I decided I needed to distract her before she either found those incriminating items or Celeste decided to make her presence known. “Mom, you need to hurry if you’re going to make it on time. You know how Dad hates to be late. I promise to meet you for breakfast.”
She grunted, but left without saying anything more.
Thank God for small miracles.
I rushed back into my bedroom. “Celeste, we need to hurry and get ready to join my parents for breakfast. I’m so sorry, but it’s a Sunday ritual that I can’t wiggle out of. My mom is the nosiest person on the planet, and I’ve never introduced her to anyone but Sydney, so I’m not really sure how I’ll explain your presence today. I’ll have to think of something.”
I was opening my dresser drawers and pulling out clothes like a madwoman. I stopped suddenly and blanched at a thought of my family meeting Celeste.
“You can’t tell her about yourself. I don’t think it would go over too well with her. I know it’s a lot to ask, but can you please limit your questions today in front of my parents.”
She nodded at me and took a second to touch my arm. I think she knew I needed her calming touch. I was getting addicted to that energy transfer that left me feeling warm and cozy.
“Shall I put on any specific type of clothing?” she asked.
“Any of the outfits you bought yesterday will be fine.” I grabbed a new towel and shoved it into her hands along with her toothbrush.
“Do you wish me to use the rain machine again and brush my teeth?” she asked.
“Yeah, most people take showers daily and brush their teeth both at night and in the morning. I’ll take my shower after you’re done.”
†
The Cottage Café was
the
place to be on Sunday mornings. Roslyn didn’t have any good places for breakfast, so everyone tended to drive to Cle Elum on Sundays. I think nearly the whole town eventually made their way there after church. We arrived a little before ten thirty, which was a blessing because then we could grab a table before the rush. On most Sundays we would patiently wait a minimum of an hour for an open spot. I knew that when I missed church my dad was secretly grateful because he wouldn’t have to linger in the front of the restaurant. My dad wasn’t the most patient man in the world. He was always Mister Cranky Pants on church day.
I still hadn’t come up with a plausible explanation for why Celeste was joining us for breakfast. I didn’t want to lie to my parents so I thought the less I said the better. Sometimes my introversion worked in my favor. I never really offered up that much about my life or myself, which is why my mom was constantly giving me the third degree. I knew it was rude but sometimes I just wouldn’t answer her when she asked a question. Eventually she gave up and stopped asking me things. She liked to talk, or rather gossip, about everyone in town and that was just fine with me.
When I glanced over at the table next to the pie display, I noticed that a strange man was sitting with Sydney and Hollie. I didn’t see his face at first, but from the back he looked stiff like some kind of government representative. I could tell that his hair had a military type of buzz cut. I saw Hollie whisper in his ear and she seemed to be flirting with him. She was sitting next to him and Sydney appeared oblivious to her disgusting display of seduction. I scowled in response to the exhibition. I’d heard that Hollie was bisexual, and she and Sydney had an on-again off-again relationship with her need to routinely explore her attraction to men. I hated every time Sydney took her back after one of her diversions to the dark side.
I felt a shiver and focused back on Celeste who seemed to stiffen as her gaze fell on the man. Before I could stop her, she abruptly left the restaurant. I wanted to go after her, but Sydney saw me and waved me over. I didn’t know what to do so I thought I could say hello to Sydney and then make a quick exit to find out where Celeste disappeared.
“Hey, Sydney.”
“Hi Mabs. Wasn’t that Celeste with you? Why’d she leave?” Sydney had an uncharacteristically sheepish look when she asked me about Celeste.
The man turned around and burrowed his eyes at me.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I was just about to find out when you waved me over.”
Hollie turned completely around and smirked. “Your
friend
, Celeste, is a total nut case. I knew something had to be wrong with her to hang out with you. Her family hired Greg here to find her. The wacko left after the mandatory three-day hold.”
Sydney glared at Hollie. “Shut up, Hollie. Mabs, I’m sorry. It sounds like Celeste may need some help. Her family is really worried about her. She’s delusional and thinks she’s from another planet and that people are out to get her. You should probably try to convince her to go with Greg and get back on her meds.”
At this point I was torn. Of course it all made sense now since beautiful women never gave me the time of day, but something niggled at my subconscious. On the one hand, it would explain a lot about her quirkiness and it was a credible explanation of her strange behavior, but on the other hand, something told me that Greg was not who he claimed to be. I really wanted to believe Celeste, even if that meant that I was not firing on all four cylinders.
Regardless of this new information and even if Celeste did have a mental health condition, I wasn’t about to hand her over to this guy who may or may not have her best interest at heart. I already cared about Celeste and she sure didn’t appear to be a threat to herself or others. So if she wanted to check herself out of the hospital, I thought we ought to honor her wishes. Besides, how could I explain the purple light and how she made me feel every time she touched my arm? In the back of my mind, I still had some doubts about this new version of the truth. I didn’t know what to believe.
“She’s a grown woman and, if she isn’t harming anyone, I don’t think Greg here has any right to take her anywhere she doesn’t want to go.” I felt my chin jut out as I made this bold proclamation that was so out of character for me. I never got involved in anyone else’s drama.
“She’s a paranoid schizophrenic who does have violent tendencies if provoked, especially if you challenge her delusions.” Greg said. “Why don’t you tell me where you live and I’ll bring her back to the hospital where she’ll get the medical attention she needs.”
At least Hollie hadn’t spilled those beans yet. Thank God for small miracles, but it was only a matter of time before she would provide him with all the information he would need to take her against her will. I needed to buy some time, find Celeste, and figure out what to do.
“Can I see some kind of identification?” I asked.
Greg visibly bristled at my request. “I didn’t bring my business card with me, but I have it back at the hotel.”
“How convenient. How about you give me the phone number for her parents so I can confirm your story.”
Sydney quirked her head. I surmised that she hadn’t thought to check this guy out.
“This is a very private matter for them and they don’t wish to involve others to the point of making this more public than it needs to be, so I’m afraid I cannot divulge their identity. Celeste comes from a prominent family who wish to remain anonymous,” Greg explained.
I didn’t like this one bit. Sure, it seemed to fit with that big wad of cash she carried around, but something stunk more than a dead skunk. Every hair on the back of my neck stood at attention. Something was definitely amiss. I had a negative reaction to Greg and I trusted my gut on this. I tried hard to telegraph this to Sydney. If I had any chance of helping Celeste out, I needed her on my side because Sydney was my only chance at controlling Hollie’s inner bitch. I knew the minute I left the restaurant, Hollie would be eager to reveal everything about me.
“Well I doubt that Celeste is going to hang around now that she saw
you
, Greg. Maybe she’s schizophrenic and maybe she’s not, but I’ll bet she’s smart enough to disappear. I doubt that she’ll find her way back to my house. I’ll look for her, but I can’t promise you anything. Sydney, can you please tell my mom and dad that I had an emergency.”
Greg narrowed his eyes and glared at me. He couldn’t easily follow me without making a scene because he was wedged against the wall. No doubt he would bide his time and wait for the right moment to continue his quest. Cle Elum and Roslyn are tiny towns so it wouldn’t take him long to track her down if he really wanted to.
I couldn’t wait to make my escape. Just being in Greg’s general vicinity made me want to take a shower. “I’ll go see if I can find her and let you know,” I told them before I ran out of the café in search of Celeste.
†
I looked all around, but there was no trace of Celeste anywhere. I saw my dad’s car turn the corner and knew that if I didn’t vamoose quickly I’d be stuck having breakfast with my parents.
Shit, where are you Celeste?
I ducked around the corner hoping that I might find her there, but at the very least, I needed to avoid a confrontation with my parents. I walked quickly around the block and waited until I knew it was safe to go to my car. My dad would be pissed that I hadn’t stayed and gotten a table. My parents weren’t the only ones parking their cars and entering the café. The Cottage Café was starting to get crowded and that was a very good thing because it would aid my rapid escape. I was hoping that Celeste would find her way back to my house and we could figure this mess out together.
I reached for the handle of my car door and felt her presence glide behind me. When I turned around, the frightened look she gave me was all it took for me to shove her in my car and screech off for parts unknown. I just drove because I wanted us to be as far away from Cle Elum as possible. Seattle was a big city—surely we could get lost there.
“Celeste, you got some ‘splainin to do.” I tried to joke using my best Ricky Ricardo imitation. I loved the show,
I Love Lucy
.
She tilted her head. Why did I think she would get that reference?
“Sorry, I just meant that you left in a hurry without explanation, and I just had a very interesting conversation with Sydney, Hollie, and some guy named Greg. Tell me you don’t know that scary dude,” I implored.
Celeste looked down.
My heart dropped to my stomach. I wasn’t going to like whatever explanation she was about to give, but I had to ask. “Celeste, did you check yourself out of the hospital?”
She nodded.
I felt sick. What a naïve fool I was. How could I possibly for one minute believe she was some kind of alien from outer space? For one glorious night I felt worthy, maybe even a little bit beautiful. Now I just felt defeated. I was confused and couldn’t decide what to do. Celeste looked so forlorn sitting next to me and I honestly had no idea what to do about this tragic woman I had come to care for. If I asked her about it, would I get a straight answer or would her delusions get in the way? Celeste was still a human being and even though I was completely out of my element, I decided, illness be damned, to ask her what she wanted.
“What do you want to do now?”
“Please do not take me back to the hospital. They give me chemicals that stifle my energy. I cannot fight back when they inject me,” she responded.
She looked petrified. I certainly didn’t have the heart to take her back and turn her over to Mr. Slime Bag.