Chapter 8

8

“ C rap, now I’ve offended him or something,” Jenny muttered.

The more she saw Karuk around the space station, the more she wanted to know about him. His skin glistened. She noticed the closer she got to him, and she could see it looked like he had gold flaking in his skin.

What was that all about?

She wanted to know more.

So much more about him. Like more than just the biology, though that certainly activated her bioengineering side.

It wasn’t like he was the only alien around—they were everywhere. They worked with alien doctors and engineers every day to make sure their scanning equipment properly worked with human genomes.

As she watched Karuk stomp off, she felt horrible. It was obvious he wasn’t happy, and she didn’t want him to think she was some mean person.

“Well, better fix this,” she muttered to herself as she darted after him.

He left the cafeteria and went down a hallway she guessed was to his quarters or something. She hadn’t been in this area before, so she wasn’t sure where she was going.

“Wait,” she said, increasing her pace to catch Karuk as he walked out of the cafeteria.

“The last thing I need is to get lost in here,” she muttered to herself.

Karuk must have heard her, because he paused and turned. “Is there something you require?”

“I’m sorry,” she said, as she took a few more strides to catch him.

“For?”

“Offending you.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Because,” she said, moving from one foot to another. “Because of back there. I didn’t mean to be rude or anything.”

He blinked. “You were not.”

“Are you sure? You stormed out of there pretty fast. I was afraid I had offended your great ancestors or something.”

“Why would you offend them? They’re dead.”

She smiled and waved her hand. “Sorry. I was raised believing that your ancestors and family from before are always around and either approving or disapproving of your choices.”

“If they disapprove, then why listen?”

“They are supposed to bring great wisdom.”

“Again, they’re dead.”

She chuckled. “You know, I used to ask my mom the same question. She always said honoring and respecting those who came before us was an important part of our lives.”

“As you like, I suppose.”

“Anyway, I was afraid I’d culturally offended you somehow back in the cafeteria.”

“If anything, I was the fool, being in the way of the station. I should have moved.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“Because I wished to speak to you.”

“Well, I’m here now. Speak.”

“Is that not what we’re doing?”

“Yes, it is.” So, he’s pretty literal. Okay, she can work with that. Many of the aliens are. Or maybe they just didn’t get Earth humor or sarcasm. Either or she could work with it. “Did you have something specific you wanted to speak to me about?”

“Telepathy,” he said.

She blinked. “What about it?”

“Do you have it on your world?”

She blinked. “No. Why would you think we did? Is that like an alien thing?”

He raised his eyebrow. “Humanoid.”

She snapped her fingers. “Right. Humanoid. Sorry. I forgot.” That was one of the interesting things she’d learned. ‘Human’ wasn’t exactly an Earth word. ‘Humanoid’ was like ‘human’ on Earth. So they weren’t ‘aliens,’ but humanoids, as long as they fit the consensus of the humanoid definition.

“All bipedals are humanoid,” he said. “Defined by their species of origin. Surely, they explained that to you. Your people are Earthlings, as you’ve informed us. My people are Dalgurian.”

“They explained that to us,” she said. “It is just a change from what we know. Those from other worlds, we label ‘alien’.”

“For now, your ignorance is forgivable. But if Earthlings wish to remain a part of the galaxy, they will have to learn fast those cultural differences.”

Jenny raised her eyebrow. “We’re trying. This has literally been dropped on us. We didn’t have a lot of prep time. Polly just showed up six years ago, a green husband in tow, and everything kind of went bananas.”

“Bananas?”

She waved her hand. “It means crazy or messed up. Regardless, we’re trying to adapt. That’s part of the reason I’m here. Beyond the bioengineering, we’re here to make sure that this is something that can work with our people and the rest of the galaxy.”

One of those small little addendums to their mission parameters; to see if humans—Earthlings—could handle being around aliens.

One person might adapt well.

A small group too, would adapt. Everyone in the group she’d come with was adapting. As larger groups are integrated, it could prove all kinds of things, so the Earth commission that was working with the aliens wanted to integrate slowly.

See where the breaking point was.

They were here to put this together and see what they could accomplish. Jenny hoped it was a lot. There was so much potential here. She wanted to learn so much from all of them.

He pursed his lips together, studying her.

She sighed. “Sorry if I was rude with the thoughts. I’ve never been around someone who legitimately could hear my thoughts.”

“Would you want to be, if you knew?”

“I don’t know that I would. There are people on my planet who claim to, but really, they’re just good at reading body language and tiny details. Still, we marvel at their ability. A true telepath? That would be a phenomenon on our world.”

“Until others started crying for the telepath’s blood, for poisoning their thoughts, and making them do things.”

The idea gave her a shiver. Though she could see it. All it would take was a few viral posts on social media platforms, and the mob would form itself. She already saw it, with those against the alien connection and The Bridge now.

To know that some could be telepathic? That would bring a whole new kind of terror to the fear mongers.

The idea rather terrified her, honestly. Not the telepathy, but what people would think of it.

Would his people even be able to be on Earth? “Are you all telepathic?”

“We can be.”

“So not all of your people are?”

“Not all, no.”

“Wow, what’s that like?” she asked, completely intrigued by the idea of being able to hear thoughts rather than just the words people were saying.

He stared at her. “What do you mean?”

“What’s it like to hear other people’s thoughts all the time?”

“Tiring.”

She grinned. “That makes sense. Is it like an echo in your head, or is it as clear as a voice on a phone?”

“What is a phone?”

“Oh, right. Sorry. A communicator. A comm.” She had to remember that they wouldn’t know human—er, um, Earthling technology, since it’s stuck on Earth and not out in the universe, mixing with all the races.

“No, it’s not like a comm’s communication. It is a voice, just like how you are speaking to me now.”

“Are a lot of species telepathic?”

“No. And if they were, they wouldn’t be allowed,” came a male voice.

Jenny spun and saw a male and a female coming toward them. The male had purplish-gray skin, and the female had ridges on her nose and brow.

Karuk glanced over his shoulder at them. “Bardon, you and Cher can move along.”

“The little Earthling is asking questions, we’re just answering,” Cher said. She leaned toward Jenny. “You can’t always believe him. He’s a Dalgurian. They are telepathic and can manipulate your mind.”

“Cher,” Karuk said, warning in his tone.

She stared at him, and even though she was alien, Jenny knew that look. She was challenging him to argue with her, especially in front of the purple guy.

Who didn’t like Karuk?

“Thanks for the tip,” Jenny said.

She debated if she should stay right there with him, and let the others move on, or if she should get out of there. Either option seemed viable.

Still, she felt in her gut that Karuk wouldn’t let anything happen to her.

Why she thought that she didn’t know, but she did.

“You should heed her words,” the other male, Bardon, said. “Telepaths are dangerous, on any world. You don’t want him anywhere near yours.”

Karuk crossed his arms. “You see to think you know my motivations.”

“You’re a telepath. All of you are the same.”

Now that just pissed her off.

Jenny wasn’t a big fan of anyone being judged by their entire race, and it pissed her off they would talk about him like that.

She would have thought that space-traveling species would have moved past such petty prejudices.

She took a step forward and pointed her finger at Bardon and Cher, not really caring how much taller they were than she was.

“Listen, I may be from a planet that doesn’t know much about the big old universe, but just because you had an unpleasant experience with one of his people doesn’t mean that all of them are bad. There’s a rotten apple in every bunch. Stop assuming that they’re all bad. If that was the way of the world, er, um, the universe, then we’d all be evil cannibals or something, and no one would leave their planets. So, get over whatever your dumb assumptions are, and treat him with respect.”

All three of them stared at her.

No one said a thing for a few moments.

Bardon opened his mouth to argue.

Jenny put her hands on her hips. “Go on. You all can move along. And think about what I said.”

Cher glanced at Karuk; the corner of her mouth tipped up in almost a smile. She put her hand on Bardon’s arm. “Come on. Let’s get out of here. They’re not worth it.”

Jenny turned and started to say something else.

Instead, she felt a hand on her shoulder that stopped her cold.

She glanced back and saw Karuk shaking his head. “She’s just trying to start things.”

“I think they succeeded.”

“I do not know their motivations, but they seem to excel in causing general high tensions.”

“Do you know them well?”

“They are my work team.”

“Maybe you should get a new work team.”

“I have considered it.”

“This is breathtaking,” Jenny said, her hand gripping the rail that let her get close to the station’s external window.

Or forcefield, rather. She could feel a sort of energy radiating off it, so it wasn’t actually glass, but something that kept the pressure in and the vacuum of space out.

The soft hum that she seemed to hear everywhere in the station was louder here. Not annoyingly so, but just more intense.

Invigorating, in a way.

The window showed a good portion of Earth on the left, but it also showed the stars beyond to the right. It was breathtaking to see the universe, just there. Like right there. She felt like she could touch them.

She glanced at Karuk, who stood next to her, looking out as well at the stars. “It makes me feel very small.”

“We are. The universe is much larger than many can comprehend.”

“Just the vastness of seeing my home planet is surreal to me. I mean, that’s my world. I know that those are satellites that we have for communication and stuff, but they look like toys.” She pointed to the satellites that were also in orbit around the world.

“It is hard to grasp the size of a planet until you truly see it from orbit.”

She sighed, and the holidays came to mind. “And they used to tell kids that Santa traveled all over the world in one night.” She shook her head.

“Santa?”

Jenny waved her hand. “It’s an old holiday tradition on Earth. Children are told that on Christmas, Santa Claus will come and bring the good boys and girls toys.”

“What is that? An army of some kind?”

She chuckled. “No. It’s one man. One man who is supposed to be magical enough to bring toys to all the boys and girls all over the world in one night. He’s also considered immortal and loves cookies and milk.”

Karuk looked like he was trying to figure it all out.

“He’s not real. It’s a story. It’s really the parents of the children who get the toys out for them and give them to the children for opening on Christmas morning.”

“So, it is a fable?”

“Yes. We have a lot of those. Stories of history that have been twisted and turned into legends and myths that we have built our world around.”

"Many worlds do that. Build their societies around fable and legends. And it works until the people learn the truth." He sounded bitter about it.

"Maybe it'll be detrimental, sure. But it may also show people that life isn't the perfect little thing we imagine it is. On our world right now, we're going through a transformation like that. The history is slowly being re-examined and re-learned about, and we're finding out a lot about ourselves and our cultures that we didn't know before. That’s why I love science. It’s the same way. Always evolving. I think that knowledge should be too."

Karuk nodded. "We should always be willing to learn new things and understand more new things."

"Absolutely," Jenny said. She glanced at her watch. "Oh, man, I need to get back to my apartment."

"Why, is something wrong?"

"No, I just. It's Mister Fluffikins. He's probably losing his mind right now."

"Your creature? The one in the box from before?"

"Yes, he's probably starving. Hopefully, he's not making a mess of things." She started to walk away, but stopped. "Wait. How do I get back there?"

"I shall lead you; it is not far from your residence."

"Why do you know where I'm staying?"

"I don't," he said. "I just know where the Earthlings section is. They put you on a different level than most of us, for your privacy."

"And probably to help us get used to all of this. We're not used to all the different ali--humanoids."

He smiled, and she was just blown away by the way he looked with that bit of a smile on his face. He seemed so very handsome at that moment. That jaw. Those lips. That sparkle in his eyes.

They walked in silence for a few minutes.

She was thinking about saying something. Anything. However, she probably should have been paying attention to where she was walking, because she stepped wrong and hit something that was on the floor. A piece of something slick, and her foot flew out from underneath her.

She started to go down, but then she stopped.

Karuk had her in his arms, pulled flush against him.

She could feel every bump and line of him.

And yes.

He had all the body parts.

"Wow, uh, um," she said. Though she wasn't sure if it was from almost falling or from being yanked against him. Could have been both. She was going to go with both. He felt so very real.

So very much real and against her.

Looking into his eyes, she felt this pull, like a magnetic need she'd never felt before. "Uh, well. I uh... thank you."

He held her close to him. "Are you well?" His voice was soft and deep and very intimate. She felt it resonate all the way to her toes.

What was this?

Was he really that telepathic?

"I'm something," she said as she balanced herself and stand upright again.

"Are you requiring further assistance?" he asked as he put his hand on her arm.

"I'm fine, thanks. And thank you for catching me. That might have been a nasty twist, if I had gone down on my ankle."

"You are welcome. I am honored to assist you." He did this partial bow thing, his head and shoulders lowering, but not much more, and he crossed one arm over his chest.

She leaned down and bowed as well. She'd rather be back in his arms again, but that didn't seem to be an option at the moment, so she would have to deal with just being near him.

He watched her. "I thought your people did that shaking hands gesture."

"In some cultures, we bow as well." She stepped closer. "In others, we touch arms. Here, I'll show you one. Hold out your arm. Well, really just your elbow, like this." She held out her elbow, and he mimicked the pose. "Now, I will rest my hand here and hold onto your arm. Like this."

She slid her hand into the opening and gripped his upper arm. "It's a sign of companionship. Or of a close relationship."

Her heart started pounding again, that feeling of energy she felt before when he held her close, and it was just from touching his arm.

What was this? Did he have some kind of mental magic mojo to make women fall all over him?

"Are we developing a close relationship, then?" His voice was a little lower, and the way he stared at her, she felt it all the way to her toes.

How did he do that?

"Not sure, actually," Jenny said, smiling and looking away for a second. "I think we're both learning about each other. That means something." She glanced around, pretending the intimate contact wasn’t affecting her at all. When it was. It totally was. "Are we getting closer to my apartment?"

"It is not far," he said. "This way."

They walked along in silence, and she wondered if he could read her mind. Did he hear her rambling thoughts? Like the ones she had about him? About the weird energy she felt just touching his arm.

Part of her thought that he’d done something. Those others that he worked with said he was telepathic. Maybe he really could manipulate her mind?

But then, if he could, wouldn’t he be the center of attention and have all the girls and guys as his friends?

That’s what most people would do, if they could manipulate people like that. They’d be the king of the world, figuratively speaking.

If you can hear my thoughts , she thought, then you should tell me how pretty I am.

They walked with neither of them speaking, but Jenny waited.

Don’t you think I’m pretty? She thought, though she did not know if he could really hear her thoughts.

Regardless, he said nothing.

He didn’t even act like he’d heard them.

Well, that was a bust , she thought to herself. Maybe he’s not really telepathic.

Then why did he want to ask her about telepathy before?

Didn’t make any sense. She wondered if maybe he could turn it off and on like a faucet? Maybe that’s how it worked?

What if it was a Jedi thing? Like only some people had the ability. Had to have the right biology to do it.

Who knows? Maybe we did have the power, we only use like ten percent of our brain’s potential. Maybe we can be, with time and training.

Maybe they have little things that would unlock it, like downloading new ideas.

They reached an elevator, and Jenny reached for the panel to call it next to the door.

Karuk turned and looked at her. “Are you always this talkative?”

She blinked. “What? I didn’t say anything.”

“Yes, you did.”

She blinked. “I didn’t say anything. I thought things. But I didn’t speak.” Oh, my gosh! He can read my mind. Ohmygosh! Ohmygosh! Ohmygosh!

He tapped the earring on his ear and sighed.

What happened? Did I hit him or something? “Are you okay? I didn’t hurt you or anything, did I?”

He shook his head. “My clip needed adjusting.”

“That earring? Did I hit it when I fell into you?”

“Possibly.”

The elevator opened, and he gestured for her to enter. "You're up a couple of levels."

“I’m sorry if I hurt you,” she said, standing almost a person away from him, no longer holding his arm.

“You already said that, and I am fine. Your thoughts are very rampant when they start.”

“I’m sorry. It must be hard to understand.”

“On the contrary,” he said. “The trail is easy to follow when it is only one humanoid I’m listening to. And I find you attractive.”

Her cheeks warmed. “Oh, yeah, uh. Well, I was…”

“You were testing me.”

“I’m sorry. I feel like that probably crossed a line.”

“A line?” He glanced around. “I don’t see any lines.”

“I meant it was an impolite or improper thing to do. I should have just…” What, exactly? What, not thought around him? That’s kind of weird, isn’t it? After all, how could she expect to not think? That’s what she does.

Think.

It’s like, her job.

“It is not uncommon for humanoids when they learn of my ability to test it.”

“As I think about it, it’s not that different than what the others that you work with do, judging you for your abilities.”

This made him smile.

Slightly.

“Merely caring if you offended me, having just learned of my abilities, is not improper. Your people, you said, do not have telepaths among you. It is a logical thought process, to wonder how strong the ability is.”

He’s being so nice , she thought. I probably sound like an idiot .

She needed to stop this. Whether he can hear her internal thoughts or not, she wasn’t an idiot. It was just a new sensation.

“I’m sorry, regardless, if I did offend.”

“You seem very concerned about offending others.”

“Habit,” she said.

The way he looked at her, she thought he may have wanted to say more, but the elevator glided to a stop, and the doors opened.

The décor, slightly different but still obviously the apartment-dorms that she and the others were in, resembled what she remembered. "I feel like this is looking familiar," she said as they stepped out.

"This is your level. Do you no longer need my assistance?" Karuk asked as they took a few steps from the lift.

"You can continue to walk me to my door, if you want."

"I can do that." He held out his elbow again, and she accepted the gesture.

She took it as a sign that he truly wasn’t upset with her, which made her feel better.

“Is that an Earth custom?”

“Is it not on your world? To escort someone to their door?”

“It depends on your status. I escorted many people to their residence.”

“Why is that?”

“I was a guard. I was tasked with getting them safely to their places.”

“And what brought you here?”

“Bad choices.”

“By you or for you?”

“Both.”

She nodded, and they followed the curve of the walkway a bit. She remained quiet because she didn’t want to press. If he wanted to share, he would.

"I think my room is down there," she said, gesturing to a hallway she remembered. Though it saddened her to know they were almost to her door, after all, she was enjoying talking to Karuk.

“Mister Fluffikins is likely irritated that I haven’t been back to check on him.”

“Mister Fluffikins? Your creature?”

"Yes. He's called a cat. He's a predator wrapped in a little fuzzy sweet body."

"Sounds intriguing," he said. They walked to her door, and she pulled out her little key chime, and put it on the door to let her in.

Why her heart hammered at the thought of letting him into her apartment, she didn’t know.

But there it was.

She stepped inside and he was right there with her as she came in.

“Mister Fluffikins, where are you? We have guests.”

The cat laid unmoving in a ball on her couch.

“Is that it?” Karuk asked.

“Yes. Mr. F is his own person.”

The cat twitched, raised his head, and let out a series of meows, and then put his head back down.

“That was rude,” Karuk said.

Jenny shrugged. “He’s usually a little livelier. I’m sure he’ll be more aware when I get out his food.”

“His displeasure is obvious,” Karuk said.

She shrugged. “That’s why I love him. Cats are their own person. They’re not needy for attention. They’re quite happy doing their own thing.”

The cat meowed again.

“Not him, evidently,” Karuk said.

Jenny glanced at him. “And what are you? A cat whisperer or something?” She walked over to the kitchenette area and got out some food for Mister Fluffikins.

Karuk stared at the cat and crossed his arms.

Mr. F let out a series of meows and wallows, saying all kinds of things.

“Wow, he’s really loud today,” Jenny said.

Karuk glanced at her. “Wait.” He glanced back at the cat, then back at her. “You cannot understand that?”

“Understand what?”

He shook his head. “I think my puzzle has been answered.”

She blinked.

Can he hear my cat’s thoughts?

She stared at this alien before her and wondered what else he could hear.