"So," she asked. "What happened to you?"

They were dragging the lump of alien thing to the nearest interplanetary tolerant hospital. It was 2 miles away- usually not that far, but up hill with a giant lug? Not fun.

"I just felt like, you know, I needed to get away from some thing and to something else… Sorry, it's really hard to explain. I felt really trapped and stifled and…"

"And you needed a break?"

"Yeah. You too?"

"Yeah…"

"So what was your reason? Mine was that my mom kept nagging and nagging and nagging at me and telling me I was gonna be a failure and my grades were awful and I kept getting arrested for using my zoomer in restricted areas and my dad left me when I was nine…"

Wow, he thought. That was the first time I ever confessed that much to anyone about my private life- what is it about her?

"I totally get it. Mine is almost the same- but it's my dad. He keeps getting on to me about my grades and I just feel suffocated in Zyntharak- I've lived there my whole life. And it's so conformist and uppity and… URRRGGHHH!"

"So, you live in Zyntharak? I live in Metrionis. Next suburb over. Same conformism, just a little looser. Hey, um, I have a question."

"Yeah?"

"When we get somewhere safe, do you think… umm…. Maybe you and I could-"

But then the big thing started moaning and showing adequate signs of life. Breakthrough!

"Hey! It's moving again!" Jade jumped.

Strange. What's with this kid? I feel… happy…

They dragged the lump the rest of the way, only a few yards and dumped him on a bench. Luckily, he had been wearing a bunch of leather, but still looked pretty beat up.

"Maybe we shouldn't have dragged him so much," she said.

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it now…"

The lump grunted and said, "Uugh."

Ugh? They looked at each other.

"Arr… Who be ye?"

"Um, I'm Jim, and, um, this is Jade…"

"Not very eloquent under pressure, are you?"

"Hey!"

"Just joking…"

"I be the pirate Billy bones… I just escaped with my life from me mutinous comrades… wouldn't join em, ye see? Oh no! I spoke too much! Please don't tell anyone I'm a pirate!"

"We've got to get him to a safe, private place," she said. "Meaning we have to get him to one of our houses…"

"My inn. I can sneak him in through the window- unless..?"

"No. My house is completely- NO. My dad would kill me- and turn him in. Besides, Zintharak is farther away than Metrionis."

"Then we have to find a way to get him there."

"Well, what do you have with you?"

"Two sandwiches, 1857 cyborkgs on my credit chip, and a spare set of clothing. Oh yeah, and my zoomer."

"Ahh… the zoomer." Just for a moment, he thought he saw a mischievous glint in her eye, then it went back to its normal, emotionless state.

Any state it's in, it's beautiful…What? What am I thinking?

"Help me get him on. Set it to low speed. I have a rope." She pulled a huge, long cord from her tiny backpack.

"Whaaat? Where the hell did that come from?"

She smirked.

"Hee hee hee."

They tied him up and the zoomer rode along with them, as long as they steered it with the rope.

"To Metrionis!"