Chapter 1 The Usual School Day


Have you ever experienced that moment when you looked straight into a guy's eyes, and instantly and undoubtedly knew he was going to be that special person in your life for whom you would be prepared to sacrifice everything? Some people might say it only happens once in a lifetime. Well, let me tell you this, it happened to me. It was just little bit different from what you, me and everyone around me expected. But there's no way to expect it. It just happens, suddenly, when you least expect it...

As I stand here, on the grass-covered hills around the town of Tharea on the surface of Sogowa Prime, with the last warming rays of the early summer sun, caressing the exposed skin on my arms as it sets in the distance, inhaling the fresh air scented with sweet blossom, I think back of how it all started. Far away on another world. A world I never really called my own, despite the fact that I was born there. My name is Rachel Sanchez. I was only 17 years old back then. Let me tell you my story.


"Rachel! You're gonna be late again!"

"No, I'm not!" I yelled back from the upstairs bathroom to my mom who was busy shoving the morning dishes into the washer.

How often I heard that. Practically every morning, even though I could easily walk the small distance to my school and never managed to be late. Okay, maybe one or two times but it was honestly not my fault! At this moment, I'm standing in front of the generously sized bathroom mirror, which allows me to see myself down to around my waist, adding the final touch to my slightly curly dark brown, mid-back length hair in the form of a large clasp. It never really took me that much time to get it right the way I want it but on this particular morning maybe my mom was right. I was on the late side and might have to hurry a little. Satisfied with the result I smiled. To tell you a little about me, I'm just your average girl. At least, I don't consider myself special. Of course I've had people call me pretty, bright and that sorta stuff before, to which I merely answered with a smile most of the time. My skin is usually a shade of olive but with Solbrecht's spring coming up and with the sun having being very generous at the beginning of spring it's a little more tinted. My friends tell me it matches nicely with my eyes which are the same color. I'm not really tall, just average, as I've said before. About 5 foot 7. I try to eat healthy (and they have delicious things here on Solbrecht!), brush my teeth, shower daily, nothing out of the ordinary.

"Rachel!"

Whoops, I guess I got carried away a little, looking into that mirror, thoughts drifting off to the upcoming day at school. Without letting myself be distracted any further, I flicked the switch of the bathroom light on my way out and rushed down the stairs, my feet which were already finding themselves comfortable in a pair of brand new sneakers creating more noise on the wooden steps than I intended. Coming downstairs, my mom was waiting for me, as usual, with my shoulder bag of a well-known sports brand, as I knew packed with a healthy lunch. Solbrecht had so much to offer in terms of food. So many wonderful tastes it makes me salivate just thinking what she had prepared for me today. My mom sighed, but a faint smile played on her lips.

"You're really going to be a late again."

"Mom, I'm never late."

She laughed. Everyone kept telling me how much my mom and I look alike when we laugh. It's true. We've got the same hair. The same eyes. The same smile.

"All right. Here's your bag and I've got your lunch prepared. Have a nice day at school."

"Okay mom."

Planting a quick kiss on her cheek as I grabbed the strap of the bag and flung it over my shoulder, I opened the front door, letting in a rush of fresh air as well as the warmth of an early Solbrecht morning.

"Will I see you right after school?" she asked, causing me turn and look half over my shoulder, my hair already catching the slight warm breeze.

"I think. I'll let you know," I replied, patting the pocket of my half length jeans which I could feel was holding my phone. "Bye."

She merely smiled, briefly waving as I closed the door with a soft click. Walking the small distance to the low wooden fence, I breathed in a nose full of fresh air, scented by a most interesting combination of smells, most of them sweet. After closing the fence behind me, flinging my bag a little higher over my shoulder I found myself in the calm district just outside the center of town where I grew up and started walking toward it. It was an early morning and the beginning of spring but Solbrecht's spring and especially its summers are hot and I could already feel the sun gaining strength in comparison to the subtle rays that woke me up this morning. I was glad about my decision to wear short jeans and just a T-shirt. It was proving to be another warm day. As I walked down the street, I met various other people who were starting theirs. In our street the houses were still detached from each other, in contrast to the apartments closer to the center of town. I watched our neighbor from the opposite side of the street back his car down the driveway, hitting the gas as the wheels were parallel to the street, driving off to work. He was human. He waved briefly as he drove by. I waved back. In fact, many people in our street were humans. I guess we still stick together, no matter where we choose to live. However, when I reached the end of the street I was reminded, like every day that this is not Earth. The houses of course are build in a typical American style with a few elements reminiscent of modern Solbrecht architecture, which we helped define, or so I learned in history class. But near the end of our street, the buildings suddenly went over into the style of the largest group of inhabitants on Solbrecht. These modern houses, mostly build out of a sand-colored type of stone were the home of Mantrin families. They had everything of course, just like us. Clean running water, electricity, TV and a fast connection to the internet which was reaching global status with the help of the orbital satellites. In fact, I could already feel my phone vibrating in my pocket as it started downloading the latest updates and notifying me about the latest and greatest of everything marketers wanted us citizens to buy, all perfectly coupled to our personal preferences of course. Please. If I'd bought all those 'amazing' products up till now I'd have a loan so high I would be in dept for the rest of my life. But enough about that. Choosing to ignore it this morning, I tapped my pocket twice to silence the device, at least until I hit the school grounds and that was only a ten minute walk. No, the houses were definitely not the only thing. It were the people. As I walked by the second house when I crossed the street at the corner, it was like walking into another world. Or actually, like leaving my own and finding out my world is actually but an island in a sea of mixed cultures. Most of the people I suddenly found around me were Mantrins but our town called Myr'uya as they called it in their local native language had quite a sizable population of humans too. Next to them we have the native Solbrechtians. They actually became somewhat of a minority on their own world. In fact, we barely see them in our town. They like to keep to themselves. And then we have all the minor species. Akrennians, Indarians and many more. It's one big melting pot. Again, I learned about all that in history class. Might tell you more about that some time. Right now, I'm greeting Tyru and Hohra who were preparing their two kids for school in near perfect Saerinian which is one of their more widespread native languages. They were Gouregs, large slate gray colored examples of their species with eyes in bright blue or green or a combination of both. When talking to them their enormous triple-jointed legs that had always intrigued me seemed to close around you. Maybe the fact that I'm human and not exactly tall has something to do with it. My parents knew them personally and they had helped each other out on several occasions with matters such as babysitting the kids or helping with community work. They're nice people. Tyru is doing his best to be a good father and Hohra is so kind. And their kids are cute, I have no other word for it.

"Hello Rachel. Good morning to you," Tyru said in near perfect English, showing me a smile with more than a few teeth.

Hohra smiled kindly too, her right ear playfully twitching.

"Hello dear. Off to school again?"

"Yeah. I'm a little late so I need to hurry."

"Hi Rachel!" Eyza shouted cheerfully as her mother tried to wrap the straps of her backpack around her arms, which was surprisingly difficult as she just couldn't seem to keep them still at all.

Her little brother Oji merely looked at me with big gleaming blue eyes as he chewed on his fingers, his tail slowly whipping left and right.

"Hey guys, when am I going to see you again?"

"Tomorrow! We're gonna have lots of fun!"

"Sure will. Sorry I gotta run! Bye!"

"Have a nice day at school."

"Thank you, Hohra!"


And I had to run indeed. Retrieving my phone from my pocket, it automatically turned on, showing me on its floating holographic display that I had less than seven minutes left before first class and I still had three times more distance to cross than what I'd covered up till now. Running for about three blocks, nimbly evading people on the broad sidewalk, something I usually don't have much trouble with, I was still panting a little when I reached the school grounds but with a minute or two to spare. It could have something to do with the high humidity this morning, something I began to notice on the way. It's nothing uncommon here on Solbrecht though. Just as I stuck it back into my pocket, while covering the distance to the entrance I felt it vibrating again but I had no time to check for messages. I was at school anyway. Couldn't be that important. Before you ask, yes I'm a high school student in my final year, which matches perfectly with my age and I'm well in on my way to my final exam. But there are still a few classes to take and I'm studying hard lately.

Since I was late, I didn't expect to find anyone of my class outside so I made my way to the lockers, found mine, opened it with a quick thumb press on the fingerprint scanner, slipped what I needed inside my bag in a fluid motion and closed it with a metallic bang. The corridor behind me was filled mostly with humans, Mantrins and the occasional member of another species hastily trying to get to their classes. At this point my phone was vibrating again in my pocket. Slightly annoyed, I retrieved it and only then I noticed Clara standing next to me.

"You haven't seen it, right?"

Clara Adams was my best friend in high school but I knew this girl practically since kindergarten. We were inseparable. We disagreed, we even argue sometimes but we've done so many things together.

"What're you talking about? We have class."

At this point I was standing with my phone in hand, its display active but my face is directed at Clara's.

"Class is cancelled."

"Again?"

I let myself fall back against the locker next to mine, heaving a sigh, squeezing my eyes shut. So I ran for nothing and basically I could've stayed at home for about two more hours.

"Only the first hour though. We're getting a replacement for the second. I guess you didn't check your phone."

Looking down at the device in my hand, I noticed the update.

"Why couldn't we be notified earlier about this?"

"I dunno," Clara replied shrugging. "Warfield's been sick a lot lately. Wonder what he came down with this time. Perhaps Solbrechtian flu."

I chuckled.

"There's no such thing. So what's next?"

Clara sighed, squeezing her thin lips together, brushing her long blonde hair out of her face. Behind her, I noticed a couple of my classmates walking down the corridor toward us. Jaera, an Akrennian girl, sand-brown, tall of course and a little muscular, together with Denise Ingram, another one of my friends, Christina McFarlane and Scott Martin, her tall boyfriend. I never really liked her, for various reasons but one in particular. One that climbed to the top of my most annoying list real quick not so long ago. I didn't seem to notice this, but Clara did. The expression on my face must've resembled something like disgust when I noticed that Christina noticed me.

"Actually, we've been wanting to talk to you."

"We?" I asked in disbelief, my eyes rapidly switching between Clara's face and the approaching group.

The tone at which she said that didn't require me to ask. I know what this was about. Christina's group was but a small three meters away from us right now, Christina herself up front, with that look of eternal arrogance on her face. Her fancy clothes and expensive leather bag did nothing more but enhance that effect.

"Nice shoes," she said, her lips curved into a tiny mocking smile and the tone of her voice making me think twice about the true meaning of her words.

"At least I won't fall over when someone so much as blows in my direction," I replied, nodding at her shiny high heels that seemed to try very hard to pass the level of ridiculous. Ignoring the mocking look she tossed me after that I ignored her and directed my attention back to Clara, slipping the phone back into my pocket. "Clara, you wanted to talk to me."

Clara sighed, clearly hesitating. I felt that she could gauge my most likely reaction.

"The girls and I talked about it for a little while. We don't think you should be doing this."

Not this again! I knew it. Why did they have to start about my relationship over and over again?

"You or them?" I asked irritably, pointing with my face in the direction of Christina and her group.

Scott crossed his arms, leaning back against the wall of lockers, staring around as if he had nothing better to do. Denise had a serious look on her face, just like Clara. Jaera merely clenched her teeth together, showing them in the process. Christina however couldn't resist delivering her usual comments.

"It's not natural. Other than that it's just wrong."

"Like what? What's so wrong about it?!" I bit back.

She knew how to get on my nerves. Especially when she used that word, 'wrong' in her own special way.

"Duh, like everything. Look at you. You're kinda good looking I guess. Why don't you just find a guy who looks more like you? There are human guys in this school you know. With a little less of everything he has." I could feel an adrenaline rush coming up. My head was glowing and it was always nice and cool in the building. I hated when she talked like that. "Look at Jaera. She doesn't go hanging around the neck of human guys. She found a guy of her own species. And so does everybody else at this school and in this town but you. Do you wanna feel special or something? Is that why you're doing it?"

"Shut up!" I heard myself yell.

It seemed to echo between the walls. A few people who were within hearing range looked up but I didn't care. She had no right to talk like that.

"He should be knowing better too," Jaera shared her opinion, crossing her muscular arms. "Mantrins are known for being conservative. There are certain communities that don't particularly like our presence here. If they get wind of relationships between humans and Mantrins, they'll-"

"Shhht! There he is!" Denise hissed.

She hadn't said anything up till now. She was my friend but she was Christina's friend too. I was beginning to wonder at this point if they truly cared about my feelings, or Arzu's. Yep, that's his name. And he's walking toward us right now from the other side, saying goodbye in his own language to two of his friends who had class.

"Think about it, Rachel," Christina sneered, as she walked away in the opposite direction. "I'd make up my mind before something bad happens. Mark my words."

"Nothing bad will happen if you stay out of it!" I bit back at her, at which she simply shrugged without even looking back. Taking a few deep breaths, I leaned back against the locker again, feeling the coolness of the metal through my shirt. I dropped the bag from my shoulder and carefully placed it on the floor next to me.

"What was that all about?"

I didn't know what it was. I had heard the thumps of his large clawed feet on the stone floor long before he reached my position. But the sudden sound of his warm deep soothing voice had a calming effect on me, the anger dissipating as quickly as it emerged. I had my eyes closed but knew he was standing next to me. I could hear the soft thumping of his long tail on the floor, his deep calm breathing. When I finally opened my eyes, my head turned into the general direction of these sounds, I looked straight into his eyes. Those eyes with the color of amber in them, less common for his Sogowan race. He was capable of such a kind look, the one he gave me right now. He stood a little to my right, the closest part of his body being the middle segment of his left leg but he turned a little to face me more directly. He was a good head taller than me and he already told me he hadn't reached his full height yet but he probably wouldn't grow much taller than 6 foot 7, which was still considerable compared to my 5 foot 7. Even though he knew I definitely had days when I was in a better mood, he still smiled, revealing his white teeth and two of his fangs. Not many Mantrins had these but Arzu had four longer and sharper canines at the front of his beak-like mouth. His reddish brown skin was common for his race and he had that characteristic pattern of lighter spots, mainly his chest, beak, neck and the inside of his large ears.

"Do you really still have to ask?" I grumbled, a little under my breath.

Taking a breath, he raised his well-built shoulders and let his large muscular arms fall beside him. His right ear twitched playfully. His shoulder bag was hanging on his back over his left shoulder and he was dressed in his usual loose T-shirt and baggy shorts, exposing a great deal of his legs, leaving about three-quarters of his thighs covered. I sighed and turned my look down. Actually his calm responses made my anger fade completely in a matter of seconds.

"I guess we have some time to waste," I said, my mood getting better instantly in his presence.

"Rachel. C'mon smile."

I guess it was just the way he asked it. So kind, so longing. I couldn't resist. And I guess I couldn't resist what I did next either, especially when he spread his arms. Leaving my bag and the cold contact with the lockers for what they were, I stepped up to him and snuggled up to his warm broad chest, feeling his large arms closing entirely around me. His legs surrounded me like two large barriers, keeping out all the nasty things they said about us. I had to do my best but I managed to let the tips of my fingers meet each other at his back. And so I held on to him for a moment as he brushed with his beak through my hair. Taking a deep breath, I noticed the faint leathery bodily smell. All Mantrins had this, either leathery or sweet and Arzu had a hint of the latter too. I could hear him purr softly as he held me. We stood like this for a minute or so until he let go, placing his large soft hand on my cheek, careful not to scratch my skin with his claws. This actually already happened once before. You should've seen the look on his face! I thought he was going to cry, so sorry he was. There was quite a bit of blood and I had to get to the nurse but he was more shocked than I was. Yes, he is sensitive. More sensitive than those human guys Christina always talked about. Maybe that's another reason why I fell in love with him.

"So, what shall we do till class starts?" he asked, biting his lip.

I finally showed him that smile. One that provoked another one of his too. Looking to the right from the corner of my eye, I noticed Christina and her group were still waiting at the end of the corridor, throwing looks of what appeared to be disgust. What made me feel a bit easier about it was that Clara wasn't among them. I had an idea though.

"Arzu?"

"Hmm?"

As I gestured him to come down to my height just a little more, I moved my head toward his and placed a long soft kiss on the side of his beak. When I broke away slowly, keeping my head close, I felt the tip of his warm tongue against my cheek a second or two later. I giggled. Wiping it off with the back of my hand, I shook my head. In the meantime Arzu's cheeks and ears had developed a slight red color.

"We'll work on that. But you're cute."

He merely smiled, a bit shy, looking down at the floor.

"C'mon. Let's go outside."

"Sure."

Cheerful, laughing, watching Christina and her group leave with the same annoyed expressions on their faces us they always had when they saw as together I couldn't care less. Arzu and I love each other. What's wrong with that?