Addison winds up being the last to be beamed back aboard Mothership, alongside A-Spen, A-Lan, and A-Li. She smiles to herself as her body rematerializes on the transport pad, right beside A-Lan. Seabrook was even better than she expected. After months spent observing and gathering data about the town her family once called home, finally being able to step foot there was even better than she imagined. And, despite the briefest interactions, she could tell it was filled with a lot of nice people, even with the insane amount of terrified and defensive earthlings. She had high hopes for her people's transition to Seabrook.
A-Lan steps off the pad first, turning and holding a hand out for Addison. She graciously takes it, stepping off the pad. She smiles at A-Lan and says, "That went quite well! Better than predicted."
A-Lan retracts his head, walking alongside Addison. "Yes, overall it was a success," he agrees. "I will need to investigate the malfunction that triggered the dangerous electrical surge. We must ensure that that was a fluke rather than a server failure."
Before they can exit the transport area, A-Spen turns around and stand in their path. "Addison, I believe we agreed that you would stay in the back, where it was safest."
A-Lan steps forward, standing at A-Spen's side, quickly joined by A-Li on her opposite side. Addison tenses, taking a half step back from the intimidating trio before her.
"Oh, I-I wanted to help. I feared the earthlings weren't — were not, um, going to accept us." A-Spen looks at her with a raised eyebrow. Addison's head falls, her eyes glued to the ground. Heat courses up her neck, spreading all over her skin. She knew she wasn't supposed to say anything or even move, but she just couldn't help herself. Stupid!
"I understand your embarrassment, halfling, however that is not your place to decide," A-Spen says. "We did not know if the earthlings would welcome outsiders, people who look and act differently. They could have acted very dangerously to you."
"But they do, and they did not!" Addison exclaims. "Zombies and werewolves — they were the first people to greet us! Things have changed since my grandmother and I left, for the better."
"We could not be sure," A-Spen stresses. "Hence why you should have stayed aboard the ship. We let you deboard with us as a courtesy, but your safety — the safety of each and everyone of us — is a top priority. So next time you are given instruction, we expect you to listen and comply. Understood?"
"Y-yes. Um, sorry."
"You are forgiven, halfling," A-Spen says. They give her a shallow smile then turn, heading toward the hallway that leads to the center of the ship. "Come along, we are gathering for a meeting."
The three of them walk ahead of her. Addison takes a moment to recompose herself. Although she went against A-Spen's wishes, it did work out in the end. She just has to remind herself that she and her people are welcomed in Seabrook, which puts her closer to finding the last remaining members of her family and, hopefully, no longer feeling as alone.
And, the memory of a tall, kind-eyed zombie smiling down at her fills her with so much joy she can't even begin to regret stepping forward. Zed was very sweet to listen to her and publicly support her and her people. She knew it was a big leap of faith. As soon as the meeting ended, she would beam down and thank him yet again.
Addison follows behind the trio, navigating the white corridors of the mothership. Each hall and room is nearly identical, their purposes and differences distinguished by markings along the halls. They enter the Grand Room, where the last of their people already sit, waiting.
Addison rushes around their three leaders, finding a spot in the corner to blend in. The room settles into silence, everyone sitting up straight at attention. As the only half-human and thus the only person aboard the ship who couldn't communicate telepathically, Addison watches the people around her and mimics them to the best of her ability.
"Greetings, everyone," A-Spen says.
Like a perfectly tuned and timed chorus, the room replies, "Greetings, A-Spen." Addison knows by now to stay quiet. The first few times she messed up their ritualistic start to council meetings, she got such dirty looks and stern, disappointed lectures from her grandmother. She knew better, by now. Just stand quietly, think of white walls, and blend in.
"Our proposal to the earthlings was accepted…although rather reluctantly," they say. "Over the course of the next three weeks, we will operate under a trial run here on earth. Scout Commander A-Ngie warned us before her passing —"
They pause, and the room says, "May her soul rest with the stars."
A-Spen nods solemnly. "We were warned of the earthlings' unwillingness to accept those who look and act differently."
"If I may," A-Lan says, stepping forward. "While we were on earth I managed to probe a few minds and discovered that, despite our time spent researching Seabrook, it seems to appear there is a remaining stigma around being different."
A-Spen nods their head. "The three of us will work to uncover if this is truly a place our people can call home. Today, we will return to earth to clean up the damages from our arrival. Then you will all return to Mothership and remain here for further instruction. Any questions?"
No one responds, so A-Spen nods their head once more. "Carry on. We have work to do."
Addison first tries to help A-Lan in his efforts to fix the wiring in some electrical poles. Then she tried to help A-Lexa resoil the grassy fields. She even tries to help A-Iden put out a fire. But, well, none of them want her help.
Which is fine, of course. They know she has a clumsy streak, and the majority of the time, her emotions get the best of her and she manages to mess things up one way or another. She understands, and instead of sulking in her pod, she decides to focus on brighter, better things.
Seabrook is a fresh start! She hasn't been on earth since her mother passed and her grandmother took her aboard the alien spaceship to find a home where their kind would be welcomed. Which meant that, now that she was back, she had a whole list of things to do! Like finding her father, and any other family members she has on earth. Rediscover the human part of her. And of course, Addison can't forget to find and thank the tall and very kind zombie who stood up for her and her people.
Zed… Just thinking about him and his smile ignited a ferocious swarm of space moths in her stomach. It's strange, but she doesn't hate this unusual feeling.
She sets out across the smoldering field in search of him. He's very tall, with fluffy, green hair that swoops over his head. It would be very hard for her to miss him.
Instead of Zed, she spots into a short human with dark skin, long black hair and bright pink glasses, sitting on the steps toward the building, 'Seabrook High.' She was standing nearby Zed, if Addison remembers correctly. They might know each other, and she may be able to help Addison find him! Addison walks toward her, putting in her most pleasant, friendly smile. Every other earthling has either rushed off at the sight of her, or glared and growled, so she tries her best to appear as non-threatening as possible.
The human girl quickly notices Addison approaching, and although she becomes fearful, she doesn't run off. (Progress!) Addison stops in front of her, leaning forward to address her. "Hello! My name is Addison," she greets.
The girl glances around for a moment, then looks back at Addison, her brows turned down in confusion. She points to herself questioningly. Addison giggles and nods. "Yes, I am talking to you."
"O-oh! I'm, uh, Bree. How can I…help you?"
"Hi Bree! I am looking for Zed, the zombie. Do you know where I may be able to find him?"
"Oh, Zed? He left early, the Z-Patrol wanted to talk to him since he was the only one to interact with the aliens — er, well, you."
Addison nods. She's not quite sure what a 'Z-Patrol' is, but it sounds important.
"Do you know where I may find him after his meeting? I want to thank him for his help in easing the tensions between my people and the earthlings."
"Hm, he won't be back today. They had to cancel football practice for, you know, obvious reasons." Bree gestures to the mostly destroyed field. "But, hey! I can take you to his house tomorrow, you can see him there."
Addison slowly nods. Tomorrow could work. "You know where he lives?"
"Oh, yeah!" Bree stands up, shoulder the backpack sitting beside her on the steps. "Zombietown isn't super huge, plus it's right across the street from my boyfriend's house! Not to mention I've known Zed since forever basically. I mean, everyone around here knows him, but we're, like, actually friends. He's cool! Anyway I'm about to head to cheer, walk and talk?"
Addison blinks, stunned for a moment. There was so much Bree said that she didn't understand. Bree smiles at her, completely unaware of Addison's massive confusion. Her smile helps, though, in a strange, friendly way.
Addison takes a step forward and up. She and Bree begin walking toward the large, glass building. "I have many questions," Addison says.
"Shoot!"
"What is a 'Zombietown?' And a 'boyfriend?' And, um, 'cheer?'"
Bree stops outside the glass door, looking at her with wide eyes. Addison stiffens. She must have said something wrong, asked the wrong question. Stupid!
But then Bree grins a gigantic, wide grin. "I have so much to teach you!" She grabs the door and pulls it open, ushering Addison inside.
They walk through the brightly colored pink and green halls, decorated with simple posters about 'Cheer!' and 'Football!' There are dozens of people around: humans in pink and blue, werewolves covered in purples and gold and fur, zombies in red and grey, all of it overwhelming to her. A small part of her misses the simplicity of the mothership and the simple, uniformed blues and silvers of her people. But everyone here is smiling and laughing, expressing themselves. It's so different, yet wonderful!
"So Zombietown is where all the zombies live and hang out, it's super cool and funky, super different from this side of town where everything is always so perfect. Not that being perfect is bad, it just gets boring, but nothing's ever boring when the zombies are around!" The two girls round a corner and head up a set of pink, glass stairs. "A boyfriend is someone you like-like, who like-likes you back. You guys go on fun dates and hang out and fall in love…"
Bree smiles wistfully, most likely thinking of her boyfriend. Addison doesn't want to interrupt her thoughts, although she does want to ask what 'love' is.
"Boyfriends are great!" Bree says. "And girlfriends, and romantic partners in general. Love is just…it's so cool, if you're into all that. I don't know if aliens are all about romance and feelings and stuff."
"I do not believe we have 'ro-mance' on the mothership. My people are generally telepaths, and emotions are very messy concerning telepathy. So they are required to suppress them."
"Not you?"
Addison shakes her head. Her human genetics don't allow her to communicate telepathically, which means she has no need to suppress her emotions. Something their leaders like to remind her of, frequently. Another difference to be ashamed of.
"Um, what is 'cheer?' I see many signs promoting it…"
"Oh!" They walk down another set of stairs and head toward a wide set of double doors. "Cheerleading is the heart of Seabrook," Bree says. "It's hard to explain, but we're practicing in here if you wanna watch?"
"Sure!"
Addison follows Bree through the doors with a label 'Gym' next to them. Inside is a large, hardwood floor with stacked benches along one wall. The room is full of humans, zombies, and werewolves alike, although there are significantly more humans than monsters. Each of them wears a variety of the same saturated pink and white uniform, with sparkles and green accents. Despite them all looking uniformed, they also donned their own articles of clothing that made each of them unique.
Fascinating!
"Hey!"
Addison jumps at the loud, agitated voice greeting her. A small human man stalks towards her, his dark, bushy browns turned down in displeasure. His uniform top is more decorated than the rest, accompanied by a black hate with a sparkly brim. Despite the sparkly and bright decorations, he seems very angry. All these earthlings were so expressive! Even without the anatomy her people possess that once displayed their emotions (before they decided to suppress them), each earthling is so unique and feels so deeply. Very fascinating.
"This is a closed practice, Little Miss Galaxy," he says. He looks her up and down, glaring the entire time.
"Relax, Bucky. Addison here wanted to learn about cheer, and I figured who better to show her how awesome we are than our amazingly fantastic captain?"
Bucky, as Bree had called him, raises his eyebrows in intrigue. "Is this true, E.T.?"
Addison is slow to nod, not sure why he's referring to her by so many different names.
"Just because aliens aren't a protected class yet doesn't mean you can call her mean names," Bree says.
Bucky gives a halfhearted shrug. "Well, 'Addison,' you came to the right place. As captain, I am the best representative of cheer. Here and in every galaxy."
"Oh, that is wonderful! I cannot wait to learn more."
Bucky smiles, small and only for half a second, but he still smiles. He turns around and walks toward the large group, calling back to her, "You can watch from the benches, Addison!" she excitedly hurries over, taking a seat to watch the practice.
Zed spent the rest of the school day at Z-Patrol Headquarters, fighting with Chief Wells and Mayor Mills on behalf of the aliens. Then, when he finally convinced them to give them a chance and was finally allowed to go home, Mayor Mills announced a return to the monster curfew at sundown. Which was just peachy keen. All monsters had to be in doors for the night, and although she promised it would be temporary, there was still no word when the curfew would be lifted.
After the politics, Zed rushed back to the school. He managed to run into the alien leader, A-Spen, and update them on the city council's conditions. While they spoke, he kept his eyes out for a certain peppy, enthusiastic alien, but she was nowhere to be found. And A-Spen was less than grateful for Zed's interference, although they did try to not show it.
The cherry on top to his Friday afternoon, though, was that Willa and the entire wolf pack were beyond mad at him just because he showed his support to their new alien friends. Willa hadn't spoken to him since their encounter on the field, and the only reason Wynter even acknowledged him was because he was canceling football practice for the day (for obvious reasons).
So, like a kicked puppy, Zed trudges home. And is immediately greeted by his little sister, Zoey, running downstairs and nearly tackling him in a hug.
"Oh brains, Zoe," he grumbles with a small smile. He squats, then lifts her up, hugging her. "You're almost too big for this."
She giggles. It didn't matter if she was eleven or twenty-one, she knows Zed would always find a way. He's kind of an awesome big brother.
When he sets her back on the ground, she says, "Are you okay! I heard there was an alien spaceship at your school! We had a full lockdown —"
"Yeah, it's all good. Had to cancel football practice today 'cause they messed up the field —"
"Which means, we can start decorating! Right, right, right?"
Zed laughs and easily agrees. He doesn't even really remember why he was so mopey before. Zoey grabs his hand, shouting to their dad that they're going to start decorating as she drags Zed upstairs and to the attic for all their holiday supplies.
If anything can lift his spirits, it's the fully spirited, highly-energetic, Zoey Necrodopolis. They convert their newspaper and lightbulb 'flower' garden into a magical Christmas forest, and turn their entire home into a Christmas wonderland. It takes all afternoon and even most of the evening (which they spend avoiding the Z-Patrol between decorating), but they get it done.
Usually, after a long day of decorating, Zed sleeps like a baby. But not tonight.
He settles down after decorating, and everything from the day finally hits him like a freight train. He's kept up by the memory of a dangerous, terrifying spaceship descending over his school. And for a brief few minutes, everyone in Seabrook thinking they would die. Over and over again, those first few minutes with the aliens play in his head until he wants to vomit. They almost lost everything in just a matter of seconds. Seconds!
It really makes a guy appreciate what he has. Good friends, an awesome (and sometimes annoying) little sister, a great dad. A home full of love, and a team that finally works well together. He has it pretty good, way better than a few years ago.
Despite getting very little sleep, Zed wakes up the next morning with renewed energy. Something about spending all night reliving one of the most terrifying moments of his young life really makes him want to revel in the holiday season, as cheesy as it sounds. Who knows how many more he'll get, or if the next group of extraterrestrials will be as friendly as the Alkeri! He needs to spend as much time as possible with his family and friends, really show them how much he cares.
Zed quickly gets dressed for the day, rushing down the stairs for breakfast. He has big plans today…that he hasn't quite figured out yet. But still, he knows it'll be epic! He greets his Pops at the stove with a, "Morning!" leaning around him to grab an already made plate of scrambled brains in a can.
"You're in a good mood," his dad, Zevon Necrodopolis, comments. "Sleep well?"
Zed shrugs. He leans back against the counter, stabbing at his scrambled brains with a fork. "Here and there. Yesterday really got me thinking, you know?"
"Not a clue."
He shoves a few forkfuls of food in his mouth, devouring a good portion of his breakfast, before he continues. "The aliens. How quickly everything can change. I mean, I'm going to college next year — "
"Fingers crossed!"
Zed waves his dad off. "It's Christmastime, Dad! We gotta appreciate each other, who knows when everything will suddenly —"
From upstairs, his sister, Zoey, screams. The two of them jump and turn toward the noise, which is quickly followed by her pounding footsteps as she runs down to them. "Change," Zed finishes quietly.
"Daddy! Zed!" she shrieks as she runs. Finally, she lands in the kitchen, a wide grin on her flushed, out of breath face. "There's an alien outside!"
Zed's eyes go wide. "What?!" He rushes to the front of their house without waiting for any response.
In the kitchen, his sister begs their dad, "Can I go play with them? Please please please!"
"Absolutely not, you stay right here," their father, Zevon tells her. Then, he shouts to his son, "Zed! Don't go out there!"
Zed, not one to really follow rules, looks out the window, relaxing a fraction of an inch when he sees it's just Addison. But still, he wonders how she even got there and what she was even doing at his house. More importantly, how did she know where he lived?
He turns back to his dad and sister, walking toward the door. "It's okay, Dad, I know her," he says. He grabs his jacket from the rack, quickly pulling it on while he shoves his feet into his sneakers. "I'll be right back."
Zed yanks the door open, rushing outside. Behind him, Zoey whines to their dad, "How come Zed gets to have an alien friend!" Luckily, the door closes before he has to listen to any more whining. He loves Zoey, but she has always been so obsessed with all monsters, sometimes to an annoying point.
Zed rushes down the front steps. Addison stands on the sidewalk, her hands clasped behind her back while she looks around the Necrodopolis yard with a look of wonder he can only relate to an amazed child. Her big, blue eyes are wide with curiosity, a soft smile on her face as she takes it all in. It's really cute, especially how fascinated she is with, well, everything.
Now that everything has settled down, and he has a moment to take her, for real this time, he notices that she's really cute, not just her fascination with the world. In an objective way, of course. Having a crush on an alien he just met? That'd be nuts!
Zed shoves his hands in his pockets, stopping next to her. "Hey, Addison!" he greets with a smile.
She turns to him, the soft smile on her face morphing into a bright grin, her eyes lighting up at the sight of him. His smile widens too, just looking at her and her gorgeous smile.
"Hello! It is nice to see you again, Zed!" she says.
"Yeah, you too! Speaking of, um, how did you know where I lived?"
"Oh! I tried looking for you yesterday, but you were gone. But do not worry, your friend, Bree, helped me and even showed me where I could find you. She is very nice! I like her."
Zed chuckles. "Yeah, Bree is great."
"She is!" Addison steps closer to him and adds, "You are too. As they say in old zombie tongue: gazar nady gar zane garsick."
Zed barely holds in a snicker. "Um, you just thanked me for rubbing peanut butter on your umbrella."
Her eyes go wide, the markings on her face turning bright red. "Oh! I-I mean…thank you for standing up for my people and me. It, um, meant a lot."
"It's nothing, Addison." He knows what it's like to be outsiders, he just wished he had someone that fought for zombies way back then. But, it's all about looking to the future while living in the present. "And hey, your zombie tongue was pretty good. Just gotta brush up on your vocab a bit."
Addison smiles sweetly. The markings, as well as her antennae, fade to a soft pink, before returning to their usual white. "Thank you," she says quietly. "I like your home." She shifts, gesturing to the endless decorations decorating his lawn. "It is beautiful."
"Oh? This? It's just this decorated because Christmas is coming soon."
Addison frowns a little, tilting her head. "Christmas?"
"Yeah! It's a big holiday in Seabrook." He pauses for a moment, then says, "You said you were from here, right?"
Addison nods. "My maternal grandmother was an alien scout who crash landed on earth and created a family unit here with a human male. My mother also created a family unit with a human male, which included me. I was born here in Seabrook, and taken aboard my people's mothership as a small child."
Aliens in Seabrook before yesterday? Now that was shocking.
"Oh? Well…I can take you around town. Fill you in on all things Seabrook and Christmas. If you want."
She smiles again, her entire body perking up with excitement. Even her tail, a mix of blue and white, sways behind her with a burst of energy. "That would be wonderful, Zed!"
His front door opens. He turns around, watching his dad peek out the doorway. Oh no. "Son, do you plan on introducing us to your friend?" his dad asks.
Zed blushes softly. He really hopes his dad and Zoey hadn't been watching them. That'd be so weird. He turns back to Addison and says, "My dad wants to meet you. And my sister. If that's cool."
"Of course! I would love to meet your family, Zed."
Zed leads her up the walkway and up the steps, into his home. His dad holds the door open for them, which she graciously thanks him for. Once they're both inside, Zevon closes the door behind them. Zoey sits on her knees on the side chair, bouncing slightly, which means their dad told her to calm down and she's barely containing her excitement.
Zed gestures to Addison and says, "Everyone, this is Addison."
She smiles, her tail swishing excitedly behind her while she waves a hand. "Hello!"
Zoey scrambles from her perch on the chair, nearly falling at one point before she reaches Addison, staring up at the alien with wide eyes. "Woah! Hi! A real life alien!" She turns to Zed and says, "This is way cooler than when I met the werewolves!"
"Yeah." Zed turns to Addison and says, "This is my sister, Zoey. And my dad—"
Zed gestures to his dad next to them. Zevon steps forward and extends a hand to the alien girl. "Zevon Necrodopolis, pleasure to meet you."
"Oh! You as well, Mr. Necrodopolis." She smiles and shakes his hand.
Zoey, who had been suspiciously silent for almost a full twenty seconds, suddenly appears behind Addison, watching her tail sway behind her.
"Woah! This is so cool!" Zoey exclaims. She grabs it and Addison jumps and squeaks in surprise. Zoey instantly lets go and shouts, "Sorry!"
"Zoey!" Zed scolds. He drags her back by her shoulders, giving Addison an apologetic smile. He bends down and says to his sister, "You can't just grab her! Remember when Wynter almost bit you for playing with her ears?"
Zoey keeps her eyes on the ground, but nods. "It's just so cool!" she explains softly.
"It is alright, Zoey," Addison says. "You surprised me, that is all. But I understand your fascination with me because I look and act differently than you are used to. For example, I am very fascinated by your town because it is so different and unique!"
"Riiiight," Zed drawls, standing up. "Speaking of, we really gotta go. We're going exploring. I'll be back before curfew."
"Breakfast," Zevon reminds him.
"We'll get something while we're out!"
Zed carefully places a hand on her lower back, ushering her to the front door. "It was nice to meet you!" Addison chimes with a smile.
"You too!" Zoey says.
As they exit, Zevon calls, "Stay safe out there."
Zed lets the door shut behind them, then breathes out a sigh, running a hand through his hair. Despite the tail-grabbing, that went surprisingly well. Not the worst time he's introduced his family to a new friend or a pretty girl. Pretty in an objective, platonic sense, he means.
"Ready?" he asks her.
He holds out a hand toward her. She stares at his hand for a moment, her antennae standing at attention, buzzing a soft shade of pink. He's starting to think they reflect her emotional state. And hopefully, pink is good.
Addison slips her palm in his. A powerful burst of electricity hits his hand and zaps through his entire body. Zed jumps backwards and Addison gasps in surprise, pulling her hand away while Zed twitches from the stinging, burning effects.
"Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry!"
"Wh-What was that?" Zed shudders, still feeling the effects of the shock.
"My-my people possess a special stardust spark. It can be very painful to others, I've never had difficulty controlling it before…" Addison stares at her hands, then looks up at Zed. "I'm sorry for hurting you, Zed."
Zed shudders again, but smiles still, trying his best to play it off. His Z-band buzzes erratically on his wrist, not appreciating the foreign dose of electricity still vibrating through his body. "It's all good."
"A-are you sure? I am truly sorry."
Zed nods his head. "It's okay, promise. We'll just be…extra careful."
Slowly, a smile spreads over her face. She takes a deep, slow breath, then tentatively holds her hand out again, looking up at him shyly through her lashes.
His heart stutters in his chest at her smile, and her pretty blue eyes focused on him (and only him!). If he had a stardust spark, he's sure he wouldn't be able to control it around her either. He slowly slides his hand into hers, and when he doesn't get shocked again, he lets out a sigh and tightens his hold on her hand.
"You ready?" Zed asks
She nods enthusiastically. "Yes! I am quite excited."
Zed grins, leading her down the pathway and onto the sidewalk. Addison walks with a pep in her step.. Zed can't help but share in her excitement. They walk side-by-side through the quiet morning of Zombietown. He leads her to the Unification Gate, opting to start in Seabrook and work his way back to his place. Zombietown is much cooler than Seabrook anyway, although he is a little biased.
As they walk, Zed racks his brain for something to say to her. Something other than how pretty her eyes are, or how much he likes her smile. In a platonic, completely observant way, of course. Yeah, she's pretty, but they only just met. Having a crush after less than twenty-four hours is insane! Although there are literally sparks between them.
Instead of flooding her with compliments, or finding awkward small talk, he decided on some playful teasing. "You know, I think that was the first and only time I've ever heard you use a contraction," he points out.
"Oh! My apologies—"
"No, no, don't worry about it," he assures her. "They're great. They're like, top ten best grammar concepts."
Addison giggles. "Really?"
Zed nods his head.
"Aboard the mothership, improper communication is heavily frowned upon," she explains. "The Alkeri people value harmony, unity, and oneness, which often translates to very standard speech patterns that must not be broken."
From her tone, she sounds content and nonchalant. But, her antennae hang low over her head, giving off a faint bluish purple. Not exactly a positive color.
"Being like everyone else is so boring," Zed says. "Seabrook is big on perfection, though they've gotten a lot more chill about it. But us zombies? We're huge on being ourselves."
"Oh." Addison stays silent, deep in thought for a moment. Maybe that wasn't the right thing to say. What if he just made her feel bad about the way she grew up!?
Backpedal, backpedal.
"I mean, harmony sounds great, though! From what I saw, you all mesh together so well. Here in Seabrook…there's not a day without something strange or bad happening. We have a lot of issues."
"You do?"
Zed nods. "The humans wanted perfect, and when zombies first showed up, we were new and scary and 'dangerous' — even though no one actually got hurt, even though the stupid textbooks will tell you otherwise. Anyway, zombies weren't something the humans really wanted around. They locked us all away in Zombietown."
Zed stops at the threshold of the Unification Gate. "This used to be the barrier between Zombietown and Seabrook. No zombies were allowed in Seabrook. It was…pretty dark, way back then." And even a little bit now. Even though they technically could, monsters weren't really welcomed to live on the Seabrook side of the Unification Gate. Zombies stayed in Zombietown. Some of the werewolves lived there too, though the majority still lived in the wolf den.
"But…your home is so beautiful and peaceful."
Zed scoffs. He turns and continues walking to Seabrook, leading Addison along. "Beautiful? Maybe. But definitely not peaceful. Half my friends are mad at me, the other half are mad at the ones mad at me. It's a whole mess."
"We do not have conflict on the mothership," Addison says. She pauses for a moment, then corrects, "We try not to have conflict. But when they first came to retrieve my grandmother, and she brought me along, there was a lot of tension. That tension has yet to dissipate…but I try not to cause trouble."
Zed raises an eyebrow at her, but she doesn't elaborate any further.
Zed shrugs then. "I think being just like everybody else is boring and super overrated. Being yourself? That's the coolest thing."
"Being yourself…" She slowly tries out the words, rolling them over her tongue. Then she stops, pulling her hand from his. Zed stops a few feet ahead of her, turning and looking at her. She raises her left arm, revealing a complex bracelet wrapping around her forearm with a weird lens in the middle. She waves her hand over the lens, easing a white projection.
In a flash, her standard, almost boring coat and pants combo changes to a pair of silver leggings covered in shapes and lines like he saw other aliens wearing the day before, a puffy, blue skirt with sparkles and lights, a white long sleeve with a dark blue velvet capelet over her shoulders. Even her hair changed, the pale blue and white locks now pulled back in a high ponytail, decorated with little pearls and star clips. And showing off her pointed ears, covered in even more bright, white markings, and the silver tattoo that curves around her left eye.
She…she looks stunning.
Zed stares at her, unable to formulate words as he looks her up and down in awe. She looks even more pretty than before. And he means it in a romantic, crushing-on-her way.
Addison smiles to herself, waving her hand over the lens and making whatever projection was there disappear. Then she looks up at him, fidgeting nervously.
"What do you think? Sparkly clothing is typically frowned upon but…I really like them…"
"You look…great," he squeaks out, unable to formulate any other words without sounding absolutely nuts. It's not like he can just blurt out she's the most beautiful person he's ever seen!
Her antennae rise, glowing a vibrant shade of red that quickly spreads across the visible markings on her skin: some that curve over her cheek bones, others that line her ears and neck. It must be her way of blushing.
She smiles at Zed, stepping forward and holding out her hand again. He reaches out; their fingers touch first, another shock hitting his body. Addison gasps, but Zed brushes it off, reaching out and taking her hand again. "We'll work on that," he assures her.
"Yes! We will."
She smiles beautifully, following him into Seabrook.
Zed takes her all over Seabrook, showing her his favorite beach and all the lights and displays set up around town. They get warm drinks and eat snacks at different food stands all over town. He tells her about Seabrook High, how he plays football and helps them win all their games, which is great because Seabrook loves winning. By the time they're heading back to Zombietown, he's moved on to Seabrook's pride and joy: cheerleading.
"Bree showed me some cheerleading yesterday. It was entertaining and spectacular," she says. "I think when my grandmother lived here, she cheered a little too!"
"She did?"
"She rarely talked about her time in Seabrook, so I cannot be certain. But it did strike me as familiar as I watched them practice," Addison explains.
"Hm." He has so so many questions about her past, her grandmother, her family, everything. Everything about her is so unique and completely different than what he's used to. He wants to spend everyday getting to know her, actually. Find out what makes her smile and laugh, what makes her antennae buzz and her heart skip a beat. He just wants to be around her, a lot.
"Zed," she says, "as much as I have enjoyed our time together, you have yet to explain what 'Christmas' is. The lights and displays are quite delightful, but I do not understand the…significance of these traditions. We have been observing Seabrook for quite some time, yet it has never looked so colorful and festive."
Ignoring the bit about being observed, Zed quickly racks his brain. All morning, he's been trying to think of a way to describe it all, one that would make sense to her. After all, she was the only alien who even seemed interested in getting to know their town, judging by the fact that she was the only one here.
"I believe I may have deceived you, but I did download some information for your worldwide informational database about Christmas," she admits.
"Really? When?"
"When you were purchasing us 'hot cocoa.'" She gives him a sheepish smile. "There are many varying religious concepts that I don't quite understand. I do really want to learn more, though."
"In Zombietown, we don't celebrate it religiously," he explains. Zombies don't really do religion. Their whole existence goes against the majority of 'mainstream' religious beliefs. "We celebrate because…before Seabrook started accepting us, they hated how we would decorate our houses with lights and trash — really anything. The only time they didn't fight us on the way our town looked was Christmas. But they didn't really want 'brain eating zombies' ruining their special holiday, so over the years, we've kinda distanced ourselves from the origins. I mean, it's still all about family and friends and the season of giving, just with a bit of zombie flair."
"I think I understand," Addison says. "You and your people use items and traditions that others do not want you to use, and over the years you have made your own traditions with these things."
"Yeah," he says, nodding. "But hey, everyone will describe it differently. For me, Christmas is all about being together and showing each other you care. My dad is big on giving, Zoey just loves the magic of it all — the lights, the snow, magical flying reindeers. Everything."
Addison nods along as he talks. They cross the Unification Gate again, walking into Zombietown. By this point in the day, the streets are filled with people walking about, decorating, even just hanging around one place or the other. Humans, zombies, and werewolves. There's no sign of any other alien, or even the giant spaceship from yesterday.
"How come none of the other aliens are here?" Zed asks.
Addison starts, looking at him with wide eyes. "Oh, um, they are not as enthusiastic about Seabrook as I am," she says. "We…we were told not to leave the Mothership, but…"
"But you snuck out," he finishes for her.
She nods, her antennae tinting pink. He fails to fight off a smile from spreading to his face. He thinks and really, really hopes she snuck out to see him. That would be…beyond amazing.
"Well I'm glad you did, I like hanging out with you, Addison."
"I like hanging out with you too," she says softly. "You are kind and sweet."
He breathes out an overjoyed laugh. "You're pretty sweet too." They stop in front of his house. "Do you wanna come in for lunch? I promise Zoey won't grab you again."
Addison giggles. "That would be wonderful!"
Zed grins. He starts up the pathway to his front door, only to realize after two steps that Addison isn't holding his hand, and isn't following him. He turns back around and Addison is frozen in place, her eyes crossed and focused on the tip of her nose. He raises an eyebrow, but before he can ask any questions, her focus shifts upward. He follows her gaze, watching small white flurries fall from the sky.
"Woah," she breathes quietly. Addison reaches a hand up toward the snow, watching it melt in her palms with a small smile.
Zed watches her, his own smile spreading softly over his face. If he wasn't sure before, he knew it now: he one hundred percent, without a doubt, like-likes Addison.