Sequoya stood by the window on a Sunday morning, peering out into the empty street and the shadows of the alleyways. Before, it seemed odd for this street to appear so vacant when all the other streets were crowded with people, but after Sequoya asked around, she found out that locals feared the Nigerians and the Poleepkwan gang members who loiter near the area. They warned her not to venture off by herself on the street. She didn't think it was a problem for her since she's been walking off on her own to meet up with Aaron, and she has not encountered any gang members.
She began thinking about her family if they missed her at all. It was no different for her to be gone during the summer. Her cousins have dubbed her "the nomad" for her wandering off into the hills for her leisure time and also for her occasional departures from the reservation to go to summer camps.
She sat down on the bed and picked up the phone, deciding to call her family. She dialed the appropriate numbers to make a long-distance call to her family's house and waited. On the other line, she heard a familiar voice answer, "Hello?"
It was Dria. Just the person she wanted to talk to.
"Hey, cuz! It's me, Sequoya." She said joyfully.
"Hey, bitch. Why did you wait so long to call?" Dria teasingly replied.
"You should be glad that I called at all."
"Yeah! Well, you should have called sooner. I was getting lonely for you. Very lonely."
Sequoya chuckled, "Yeah! Me too."
"What've you been up to?"
"I made a new friend." She said and heard Dria gasp on the other end.
"Are you snagging him?" she teased.
"What? No! He's a child." Sequoya replied. "His name is Aaron."
"Aaron? He's not like our dumb ass cousin Aaron, is he?"
"Not at all. He's an angel. A sweet little thing."
"There you go making friends without me. I wished you should've never left."
"You should've come with me."
"Oh, and get eaten by the aliens. No way!"
Sequoya laughed and chuckled, "Why would they want to eat you?"
"Yeah! Good question. They probably prefer the taste of dark meat or some of that white meat. We would be considered junk food to them."
Sequoya couldn't help but laugh at her ridiculous remark. She heard Dria chuckling along with her.
"So, how old is Aaron?"
"I don't know. He's very small, like a five-year-old, but he seems more mature than that. It's kind of hard to tell."
"I think it's funny that you would befriend a little kid. I mean, what's wrong with hanging out with the people your own age?"
"Hey, I didn't expect to meet Aaron. I just happened to be at District 9, watching the alien activity when Aaron showed up. I didn't see him at first because he blended in so well with the ground. I hadn't expected him to come so close to me because I was told that aliens were …."
"Wait a minute …" Dria interrupted, "Aaron's an alien?"
"Yeah! He is, actually. I was just about to tell you that."
"That's so cool! I didn't think you'd make any alien friends there. Well, I'm sure you'd make better friends with aliens since you're so interested in them. I'm probably sure that the people there would be too, I don't know, snotty. Especially when you're not white."
Sequoya sighed, "I didn't expect to see as much tayvoh here than we do back home." (Shoshone word for "white man")
"Yeah! But we Shoshones still live in the white man's world."
"We're not the only ones that do."
"Yeah, well, we get the least respect out of all the other races. White or not!"
"Is that what you believe? Because I don't believe that. I refuse to believe it. Just because the harsh reality reveals to us that we are degenerate doesn't mean we have to be. So don't be Indian mad about it!" she said jokingly, dragging out the last words. The term 'Indian mad' is often used among some Native Americans, referring to when natives get mad and hold a grudge for a long time. It's usually the resentment that the younger generations of Native Americans feel toward the white man when they learn the history of their slaughtered ancestors.
"Did anyone ask if you were Asian?"
"No. Why?"
"I bet you someone will."
"Hey, you never know. Somebody here might know something about us natives."
"A slanted-eyed, brown-skinned girl like you can only pass for an Asian girl, or maybe even a Mexican girl. Not to mention the long hair. Anybody can have long hair, even Asians and Mexicans."
"Do you base your point just by using those two races? Remember that time we went to New York to visit uncle Tom, and we went to Allegheny Park, and those people there thought we were Filipinos. Or that time we went to Niagara Falls, those people there thought we were from the Middle East."
"Yeah, I remember. They also thought we were Indians from India."
"Our race is so small in America that some people have no idea we even exist. They always assume we belong to those other nations."
"So, what'd you think the people in South Africa will think you are? Has anyone asked you?"
"I don't think they care since they worry so much about the aliens in District 9. So it's kind of nice that they don't treat me any different. I guess as long as I'm human, they don't seem to care what color my skin is."
"That's cool. I wish white people here could be more like that."
"There are, stupid! You just gotta get out more often and meet some."
Sequoya heard someone knocking on the door."Hold on, Dria, someone's at the door."
She set the phone down by the bed and went to answer the door. She opened it to find a dark-skinned man standing there. She recognized him as the hotel clerk at the front desk.
"You have a visitor!" he said with an African accent.
"Who?" she asked while looking both ways, wondering why her visitor was not with him and wondering if it might be Aaron. But then, she remembered showing him where she stayed.
"Some prawn!" he replied with a scowl.
Sequoya furrowed her eyebrows in a questioning look and asked, "Well, why didn't you bring him in here?"
"He's not allowed in this hotel." He said and added in a lower voice, "Not anymore!"
"Can you make an exception?" she asked, hoping that he would consider it.
He shook his head no. "He's waiting for you outside." He said while walking back to his front desk.
Sequoya snapped her eyes at him and closed the door, thinking about how unkind the people were with the Poleepkwa, especially the younglings who were the more innocent ones. Then, she picked up the phone.
"Dria, are you still there?" she asked.
"Yeah! You just kinda left me hangin' there."
"Sorry, but I think Aaron's here. The damn hotel clerk won't let him in the hotel."
"Why don't you just let him in through the window without them knowing? That way, you won't have to deal with them, and they won't know."
"Uh, how about no! I'm on the second floor, and I'm not going to make Aaron climb up to my window without him falling and getting hurt."
"Well, that sucks!"
"I gotta go. He's waiting for me outside."
"Are you gonna call back?"
"Yes, of course. I'll talk to you later."
"Please, call back!"
"I will."
"Okay, …bye!"
"Bye!" Sequoya hung up the phone and walked out of the room. She walked down at the end of the hallway and down the stairwell to the first floor. She made her way past the front desk and peered out the glass doorways, hoping to see Aaron standing there waiting for her. She didn't see anybody outside. She turned to the hotel clerk sitting behind the desk, reading a newspaper.
"I thought you said I had a visitor." She said.
"You do! He's out there somewhere, waiting!" he replied abruptly without taking his eyes off the newspaper.
She turned and walked out the glass doors while glaring back at the hotel clerk. She stepped outside, expecting to be greeted by Aaron, but instead, she saw a large Poleepkwa standing near the hotel's front entrance. She glanced around the street before gazing back at him, wondering if he was the visitor.
The Poleepkwa's blue eyes scanned up and down her body. He was taking in every detail of her. She wore a turquoise tank top with blue jeans and wore brown sandals on her feet. He peered at the long pieces of her black hair that hung over her shoulders and her bangs that covered her forehead, making her look like a young girl.
She saw the markings all over his pale, gray surface. The black and red markings of what appeared to be the Poleepkwan language. He was no Poleepkwa she had ever seen before.
"Um, ….hi there." She said nervously. She was always nervous and shy when it came to meeting new people, and her reaction was no different with meeting this alien.
He tilted his head, his antennas slightly twitching, and approached closer to her. She took a step back, intimidated by his size. She had never been up close to a full-grown Poleepkwa before. She only stood about 5'5," and he was nearly two feet taller than her.
"I've been watching you," he said as he circled around her, absorbing her human scent with his sensors. "And I find you to be interesting."
"Interesting?" she said in a puzzled state. "What interests you about me?"
The gray Poleepkwa reached out his hand, making her flinch slightly, and he took a few strands of her hair.
"You are different." He said, running his fingers down the long lengths of her hair. "I have never seen a human like you before."
Sequoya couldn't help but stare at the markings on his body. The markings intrigued her, and at the same time, she felt a little uncomfortable with his sudden physical contact. She was used to having people come up to her, wanting to touch her hair. She never had a problem with it, and this was the first time a Poleepkwa felt her hair.
"You are not from here. Where do you come from?" he asked, drawing his hand away.
"I come from North America," she replied shyly, pulling back the strands of hair that he grabbed out of her way.
"North America? Which land is that?" he asked.
"It's on the northern hemisphere of the planet," she explained, not too sure if he was educated on anything about the planet. "If I had a map of the world, I'd show you."
"Do you come from the free country?" he asked.
Sequoya widened her eyes, astonished that he would know about the US. "Yes," she replied.
"What brings you here to this dreadful country?"
"Well, every summer I go to different places, so I'd thought I'd come here. Your people interest me as well."
"We Poleepkwa interest you?"
Sequoya glanced at his markings and nodded her head.
"Do I interest you?" he asked.
"Yes," she admitted shyly.
He took a step closer to her. She shrank back timidly.
"Do I frighten you?" he asked, moving even closer to her. She backed into the building behind her. She felt a little awkward, not knowing what to do or what to say. She froze as he closed in at a foot range. He was way too close for her comfort. She didn't know what he was trying to do.
"Don't be frightened," he reassured her. "I only want to be your friend."
She gazed up at him curiously, her fear faintly diminishing.
"Is that what you came here for?" she replied.
"Yes," he said, giving her a Poleepkwa version of a friendly smile.
Sequoya blinked her eyes, glancing around. Uncertain whether she should trust him or not.
"Why do you wanna be my friend?" she asked.
"You look like you can use some protection."
"Protection from who?"
"Other Poleepkwa, the Nigerians, the MNU. I can provide you safety when you walk to District 9 alone."
"I've been doing well on my own for a week now."
"Yes, you have, only because I've been making sure you are safe."
Sequoya lifted her eyebrow at him, a little unconvinced and confused. "Are you really concerned about my safety?"
"Yes, of course!"
"But, why? You don't even know me."
The gray Poleepkwa narrowed his eyes at her and began to step back as if she had offended him somehow.
"Forget it!" he rasped, "I understand if you don't want me as a friend."
He turned and began walking away, leaving her baffled by his sudden reaction. She began to wonder if her questioning had set him off somehow. Maybe he had wanted her to accept him.
"Wait!" she called out while walking briskly to catch up to him. She wasn't sure if this was a good idea, but she felt terrible for pissing him off. Whatever the reason, she wanted to correct it.
When she got close enough, she reached out and placed her hand on his arm. Instantly, he stopped and whipped around, startling Sequoya. She quickly moved her hand back and stepped away.
"I'm sorry." she apologized, "I didn't mean to make you angry. It's not that I don't want you as a friend. I wasn't too sure if I wanted to trust you because well." She ran her hand through her hair, trying to find the right words to explain. Then she gave up and asked, "Can we start over?"
The gray Poleepkwa slowly tilted his head and studied her without responding.
"Okay!" she murmured and said, "My name is Sequoya."
"I know," he replied abruptly.
Her eyes widened in shock, but then she thought that maybe he might have picked it up from Aaron while he was stalking her. She wondered if the Poleepkwa had a heightened sense of hearing.
"So, what's your name?" she asked nervously.
He seemed hesitant to answer but replied anyway, "Arus."
"Arius," she said.
"No! Arus." he corrected.
"Oh! Arus." She pronounced his name slowly to embed it in her memory. "Is that your Poleepkwan name?"
"It is only part of my full name," he replied.
"That's cool. What is your full name?"
"You won't be able to pronounce it."
Sequoya only nodded her head in acknowledgment and gazed down at her feet, suddenly feeling shy again without any reason. She didn't know what else to say to him.
"Sequoya!" he said to get her attention. She looked up at him. "Does this mean that you want to be my friend?" he asked, looking at her expectantly.
She glanced down at the ground and blinked her eyes while a smile gradually appeared on her brown face. "Sure!" she replied. "I think I could use another alien friend."
She saw the look of satisfaction form on his face as if she had offered him something he desired. He stepped closer to her. This time she didn't back away from him. He placed his hand on her shoulder, and she lowered her head shyly, still not used to his physical contact.
"I'm glad you accepted me," he said, moving his hand down her arm, caressing it. She was starting to feel a little odd with this Poleepkwa's affectionate touch. She wondered if he had developed some kind of crush on her, but then she still didn't quite understand the emotional differences of a Poleepkwa or whether they were so different at all.
She carefully placed her hand over his, making him cease his movements, and gently pulled his hand away from her arm.
"How 'bout we keep our hands to ourselves for now," she said, releasing his hand. "Your starting to make this situation awkward for me."
"Do you not like it?"
"No, it's not that. I'm just not used to it."
"You are human. It's supposed to be awkward for you."
She chuckled a little and shied away when he was tempted to put his hand on her shoulder again.
"You are so elusive. Don't be so shy."
"I can't help being shy. It's the way I am when I meet a new stranger. If we're going to be friends, you have to give me at least some space first."
He backed away a little, hoping that it would ease her awkwardness.
"Thank you," she said softly.
"Your welcome!" he grumbled.
"Maybe next time, I'll let you put your hands on me." She watched his eyes lit up, and then she realized how wrong that sounded. "Wait …..that didn't sound right."
She saw two other Poleepkwa step out from the shadows of an alley. They approached them in an elusive-like manner as if they were on the prowl. They had the same black and red markings on their exoskeleton as Arus.
Sequoya stood behind Arus when they got closer. They began conversing with him in a language she couldn't understand. Perhaps they were speaking in their native tongue, the true Poleepkwan language. The blue Poleepkwa did most of the talking. The other Poleepkwa was smaller than him and the same shade of color as Arus, except he had tawny-colored eyes. He, however, had his attention on her while Arus and the blue Poleepkwa talked.
Sequoya kept her eye on the smaller Poleepkwa as he eased his way closer to her. He appeared to be a young Poleepkwa who was still growing into adulthood.
He peered at her with curious, tawny eyes when he came closer to her. He stood no more than a few inches taller than her. She gave him a friendly smile, hoping that he would return the hospitality. He came a little closer, using his sensors to taste her scent.
"Hi." she nearly whispered.
He jerked back as if her greeting had stung him like a bee. He must not have expected her to say anything to him.
"What's your name?" she asked.
He said it to her, but she couldn't decipher what he had said. She shook her head, and he repeated it. She could only catch the end of it with a "sh" sound.
"What's your human name?" she asked.
"I prefer not to be called by it," he said.
"Do you have a nickname?"
"Zaev."
"What's his name?" she asked, gesturing to the blue Poleepkwa.
Zaev said the blue Poleepkwa's full name and then stopped himself when he realized she couldn't understand their language. "His nickname is Lowep."
"That's cool. Your names are so unique."
"What is your name?"
"Sequoya Blackmoon."
"You have a unique name too." Zaev's antennas twitched wildly and added, "I like it."
Lowep called Zaev by his full name, and he obediently walked over to the blue Poleepkwa. Arus turned to Sequoya and said, "I will see you some other time. I have other duties to tend to at the district."
"Okay, well ….I guess I'll see you around," she replied.
She watched the three trot back into the shadows of the narrow alley across the street from the hotel. Then, finally, she entered through the glass doors and began walking back to her room.
"Hey, wait." the hotel clerk called out before she reached the stairwell.
"What?" she called back.
"Come here."
Sequoya let out a displeased sigh and walked back to the front desk.
"What do you want?" she asked.
"What are you doing mingling with a gang of prawns?" he asked in a concerned tone.
"What's wrong with making new friends?" she said.
"Friends?" he barked, "Did you see the markings on those prawns? They represent a prawn gang. They can't be trusted. They take women like you away from the city and into District 9, where they can do whatever they want with you. Do you know why? Because humans are not allowed in District 9. The prawns will lure you there, and you won't have a chance to escape. They have chosen you as their next prey, and they will take you into the district whether you realize it or not."
Sequoya peered out the glass doors across the street, peering into the dark alleyway to District 9. She didn't know what to think. She hadn't realized that she was talking to the Poleepkwan gang members, the ones that Aaron had always mentioned to be very dangerous. She grew a little fearful, thinking about what could have happened if she had let Arus walk away without confronting him.
"I appreciate the concern." she said to the hotel clerk without taking her eyes off the alleyway, "Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself."
"Are you sure?" he asked.
"Yeah!" she replied, walking back to her room.
The hotel clerk watched her walk down the hallway until she disappeared up into the stairwell to the second floor. He had often watched her walk across the street and into the alleyway to District 9, not that he wanted to, but she reminded him of his daughter, who would have been her age if a Poleepkwan gang member hadn't killed her.