In a world where everyone seems the same, it feels good to be
different.

The sun here has baked my skin a dark brown, and my hair is streaked
with gold. I've been told it makes my eyes really startling.
Something about blue against the tan, I guess.

Zeke is the same, only he has freckles dusted across his face, and
the streaks in his hair are auburn.

The third in our group, when not in her natural form, has white-
blonde hair, and her skin has only gotten a little darker, turning a
light golden color.

Yes, Marybeth won. Not that everyone doesn't know it. After all, the
Americas belong to her. So does everywhere else, except a few
isolated pockets.

With a smile, I watch as Zeke and Marybeth play in the shallow sea
water. Marybeth likes it down here. She complains about it being to
warm, but then says the rain more than makes up for it. I think she
stays partly because Zeke and I love it here.

It's been a month since I first realized we were being invaded.
Since I told the others, and Marybeth discovered someone had figured
out her plans.

Zeke and I were the last she had taken in Herrington, due to luck
and our own stubborn creativity. I remember Delilah being the first,
most likely taken the night we found the body. Next was Stan, then
Stokely. They're still together. I can feel them when I concentrate,
all happy and cozy.

Then it was just Zeke and me. Zeke had been tossed over the lockers,
and Marybeth was telling me about her home. She offered me almost
everything I could ever want. I told her no.

Then she offered me Zeke.

I told her to go fuck herself.

She told me later that impressed her.

A soft scuff of a shoe caught my attention, and I had a pen up and
ready as Zeke stumbled around the corner. He literally fell into my
arms.

"So, Case, I'm your apple?" I had no clue what he meant. He must
have seen it, because he clarified. "Your temptation?"

Then he pulled my head down, and my first kiss tasted of blood,
smoke, and Zeke.

A few lip-bruising, mind-blowing, world-changing moments later, and
Zeke pulled away. His smile was sad.

"Apple and Judas, Case. Temptation and betrayal. They usually come
together."

As my mind wrapped around those words, a hand grasped my hair and
yanked my head back, bringing tears of pain to my eyes. New lips
pressed against mine, and my mouth was forced open.

This kiss tasted of salt and cool water. Something slithered from
her to me, and then her lips muffled my screams as they alien broke
there tissue and bone, wrapping around my mind.

Everything went dark, then, in the blackness, I saw lights. They
were all connected, and all led back to one bright light. Then I saw
that wasn't true. The bright light was actually three lights.
Instinctively, I know what they were.

Marybeth, Zeke, and myself.

We were a drone, whispered the thing in my head. We were equal to
Queen, but we produce no young. Zeke was the same.

We were special, both of us.

Queen liked us, wanted us. Zeke was a strong mate, and so was I, in
a different way than Zeke. I had discovered Queen's plan, and Zeke
had come up with a plan to stop it. One that had almost worked.

Slowly, I woke up. And the first thing I did was punch Zeke in the
face. He fell back with a yelp, then gave me a hurt look. "Don't
ever use my feeling like that again," I told him.

Then I sat down, and looked at the changes I had never expected to
see. I hadn't planned on being taken, so now I wanted to see what
was different.

I felt light. Like everything I had ever feared or hated had been
taken away. My inhibitions were gone, as the punch I had dealt Zeke
made clear.

The alien was quiet, and, somehow, I knew it was because I carried a
drone. It must have come from the alien, as did other information.
Like the fact that Zeke and I were the freest willed humans
taken. That's why our aliens were infertile. If we were able to
reproduce, we would carry queens, which would have eventually killed
us. We were drones, mates of Queen.

After all of this, I stood up. It was nice to belong, to be accepted
totally. When I realized that, my heart jumped. I would never have
to fear anyone again.

I smiled at the other two, and helped Marybeth to her feet.

And the rest, they say, is history.

America soon fell, quickly followed by Canada, Middle and South
America. It was amazing, nobody else figured it out. I had been the
only one to realize it. That was an ego booster.

Europe, Asia, and Africa were acquired in short order. A few tribes
that lived in the deserts escaped. Australia was the hardest place.
Too much dry heat. We finally did it, though.

It was odd. We took over the world from Herrington, Ohio. Things
there went oddly at the beginning. We lured the press in, using them
to spread the children farther. Delilah and I played perfect couple
for them. Stokely and Zeke also pretended. Stokes wore pastel
dressed for a while, which really cracked me up, and Zeke played
football. That, I decided, was even weirder than Stokes in a dress.

After it was over, Marybeth, Zeke, and I were lying in bed, trying
to decide what to do. Eventually, we went traveling. Ended up on a
small island along the Equator, in the middle of nowhere.

Now I watch my lovers, my mates, and smile. I'm part of the group,
but I'm still me.

Life is good.

The End