Chapter 4 - Seeking to Bond, Pt. 1
"..." everyone in the house said. The son and the alien stared at each other to which Robert narrowed his eyes a little. Not knowing if his expression meant he was going to be critical of her, he spoke before she could dwell further.
"Alien you say," the young man said then tilted his head. "You look pretty human to me...albeit the paler skin tone, colored contacts, and hair color."
"..." Aerialus reacted with blinking in surprise.
"She's a Baklavaian son," Howard stated and put a hand on his son's left shoulder. "You know those right?"
"A Baklavaian!?" Rob reacted with surprise. "Wow...I've only heard about them at the university...now that I look closer, you do have the characteristics of Baklavaians."
"Y-Yes...I am a Baklavaian...is that...weird?" she asked confused and anxious about the young man's reactions.
"Weird? Not really," he said shaking his head. "At school, I see extraterrestrial students all the time...so I see different things...I lot of different things."
"...really?" the outer spacer asked a bit shocked. "...you humans...already intermix with other aliens within your society...like this?"
"To a point. There are a few governments, including ours, that have established a cohabitation for extraterrestrials to learn about humans and our culture," Rob stated as a matter of fact. "However, we can't do the same vice versa based on the agreement formed in the CCIUS. Until human technology can craft spaceships to reach an alien's planet, we are the restricted species."
"..." Aerialus reacted with blinking a couple of times. "...the...C...C...I...U...S...?"
"Quit it with the jargon dear," Sue stated seeing their guest looking lost. "Her race has been enslaved by another race for a long time. This is her first time to be able to get out of that spaceship."
"...?" the young man responded with a look of confusion. He raised one eyebrow and looked at his mother with question.
"...why would a slave trader race allow their slaves into a host-family program? That doesn't make much sense."
"Agreed," Howard stated with a head nod. "It didn't make sense to me why the Primusians would do so...which is another humanoid looking species."
"I bet they are cooking up a scheme while hiding under this exchange student program," the son mentioned crossing his arms over his chest. He looked at the outer spacer and addressed her.
"Don't you think so too?"
"...I...uh..." she began feeling mixed feelings. Unsure if the offspring could be trusted, he seemed quicker to understand her predicament than his parents.
"...y-yes...I feel this is...too good to be true."
"But we are going to change that," the mother stated going to Aerialus. Standing next to her and smiling, she looked at her son and husband.
"We are going to show her that she isn't a slave here. We'll show her the American dream and what it means to have freedom."
"You should be a politician honey," Howard remarked with a smirk. He held up his hands seeing his wife puff her cheeks a little while staring at him.
"But Sue is right Aerialus. Regardless of what status you are, you are free here. And since you are here as part of the "host-family" program, Rob can take you to the university when you feel ready."
"...!?" the young alien reacted with surprise. Her mind turned from thinking of all the possibilities that would occur from doing the action. Immediately, her skin felt goosebumps from remembering the Captain's threat. Hearing a voice, she blinked and looked at the son.
"That's true. There are plenty of "guest" students that come and go throughout the semesters and classes."
"R-Really?" she asked forcing herself to answer. Looking at him with curiosity and interest, her mind was infested with dread and anxiety. Rob blinked and scratched the back of his head nervously.
"Y-Yeah, sure. I'll show you around and introduce you to a couple of my friends. We kid around a bit, but we make sure to have a good time."
'...maybe...maybe I'll be able to just...let go,' the alien thought feeling her anxiety being replaced with wonder. 'I just...need to take things...one day at a time...'
'No! You can't! You will be punished! They are always watching you!' a terrified voice shouted in her head.
'...but...then why? Why are they putting me through this if it is just a ploy?'
'It is their way of testing us...to see if we break the rules...disobey them...this is just a gotcha trick.'
'...' Aerialus thought. Trying to think quickly and not leave an uncomfortable pause from Robert's statement, she tensed her insides up. Hiding how she really felt, she mustered up willpower to give an appropriate response.
"I...I would like to do that...when I have adjusted to the lifestyle here," Aerialus expressed with a happy smile. "Thank you."
Back on the slave trader's ship, the crew was doing their normal routine duties throughout the day. In the captain's quarters, the leader was sitting at his desk. Staring at a monitor, it appeared to be showing medical readings. With the name of the slave at the top including their serial number, it was one of the selective that were in the host-family program. Seeing the readings change to show a higher emotional state, it made him smirk.
'Yes my slaves,' Olton stated in his mind. Rubbing a fist into his other palm loosely, his mind was turning with plans.
'Indulge as much as you can...lose the fear and the discipline of being under my thumb...it will be all the savorer when it ends.'
'Speaking of which,' he continued in his head. Exiting out of the screen that showed one, the window showed the listing of all the slave participating. Seeing overall that each individual was in a better state of mind, he chuckled to himself and began stroking his beard.
'If all of them crumble when everything gets pulled...hooo...that will be golden.'
'However...to continue with the front...' he pondered. Turning away from the monitor and staring at his desk, there were documents. Picking one up, it had a date for the first check-in with one of the Baklavaians.
'Will have to be coy through these...meaningless interviews.'
"Heh heh heh heh..." Olton chuckled. Letting the document drop through his fingers, it plopped back on the counter. Moving his hands behind his head, he leaned back in his chair. Lifting one foot onto the desk corner, he did the same with the other foot. Grinning to no one, he moved his cap down and closed his eyes.
"Have a good day Aerialus. Remember to water the plants in the backyard," Sue reminded at the front door. Standing a few feet away, the alien gave a small nod and a smile.
"I will remember Sue. Safe travels."
"See you later. Call if you need anything," the wife stated cheerfully after giving her a short hug. Opening the front door and exiting, she closed the door.
Turning around and walking back into the living room, the alien heard other movements in the house. Knowing who routinely moved at the current time, she went into the kitchen. Grabbing and assembling food items, she put them into a thermal bag. Filling a thermos with coffee, she closed the lid. Moving back into the living room, she set the items down on a small table near the front door. Turning around and waiting patiently, Howard came down from upstairs.
"Morning Howard," Aerialus greeted politely.
"Morning Aerialus," he replied not as cheery as his wife. "You know Aerialus...you don't have to show up everyone by being the first one to wake up and being ready."
"Yes...you have told me on multiple occasions that," she responded still having the same expression. "I gathered your things and placed them on the table here like usual."
"..." the man said with a sigh. "...thanks...you know you are not our maid either."
"Did you say I could be what I felt was natural Howard?"
"...mmmm..." the older gentleman grunted with a frown and narrowed eyes. "I can recall who said those words."
"..." the female outerspacer reacted with an amused smile. "As part of our previous conversations...I did not dare prepare you breakfast."
"Hmph. Good that someone listens to me," Howard mentioned then yawned. Rubbing his eyes, he turned toward the kitchen.
"Thank you for setting my things on the table for work."
"Welcome Howard."
Watching him go into the kitchen, she turned to the couch and sat down. Turning on the TV, she turned to one of the news channels that dealt with global and galactic information. A few minutes later, she heard footsteps coming from the previous room. Standing up and going to the front door, the Baklavaian gathered the items on the small table. Turning around, the older man went to a coat hanger and put on his jacket.
"Hope you have a nice day at work Howard," Aerialus stated politely. Watching him grab the items from her and pocketing his accessories, he looked a little more awake.
"Thanks. You need me to pick up anything for you after work?"
"I don't require anything. Thank you for asking," she answered giving a pleasant smile to him.
"Middle life crisis 101," he muttered to himself then smirked.
"...middle life...crisis?" the extraterrestrial repeated confused.
"Inside joke. Don't repeat that to Sue. She'll beat me up," Howard mentioned still smirking. Opening the front door, he exited.
"See you when I see you."
"Safe travels."
Watching the door close and get locked, she went back to the couch. Sitting down and watching, she waited for 30 minutes. Hearing someone stirring upstairs, she got up and proceeded to the kitchen. Knowing the son was less fussy as his father, he didn't state what he would like or dislike. At first, the non-committal answers to her questions gave her anxiety. However over time, she was told by both Sue and Howard that there are many people who are like that.
'...maybe...if I make something as a surprise...it will lead to a favorable outcome,' she wondered. Deciding to make something for Robert to take, her ears perked up from hearing him come down the stairs. Turning around, he was in the living room and sort of hastily dressed. Seeing him walk toward the kitchen area, both their eyes met as they froze in place.
"Oh," Robert spoke a little surprised. "Morning Aerialus."
"M-Morning Robert," she said and gave him a nod. "Is there something wrong?"
"Hmm? I don't think so," he stated moving to the refrigerator.
'He is the only person that does not follow a routine,' she thought watching him getting things.
"...c-can I make you something before heading to the University?"
"Chill Aerialus," the young man said with his head in the cooler. "I can make stuff for myself...but thanks for asking."
"...o-okay," she replied.
Watching him retrieve a paper wrapping from inside, he closed the door. From what she remembered, it was something the human's called a sandwich. Not knowing what her race's cuisines were, the convenience and quickness of a meal between two pieces of bread was something she would definitely share with others. Seeing him exit out of the room, she put down what was she was about to do. Walking quickly to keep up with him, he reached the front door.
"The school has a week long festival coming up," Robert mentioned putting the sandwich down on the small table. Flinging on his jacket quickly, he put on his backpack just as quickly. It seemed to be heavy from the number of textbooks inside. Grabbing his accessories and cold breakfast, he turned around.
"If you are interested, I can take you there each day so you can see everything. I can promise you that you'll find something of interest there."
"..." Aerialus reacted with stopping a few feet away.
Pausing and thinking about it, her mind was warping between three aspects. One was the curiosity of what he proposed. Another was the anxiety she had in the kitchen. The last was the continuous reminder of doing something outside of what her captors would approve of. Seeing him stare at her made her blink and focus back at him. Unable to answer quickly enough or to tell him to slow down, she just gave a small nod.
"Nice! Alright, I'll give you up a heads up of when it will occur," he stated with a quick smile. Opening the front door, he exited and gave a small wave.
"Ciao!"
'...Ciao?...' the alien repeated in her head.
Giving a small wave back with a small smile, he closed the door. Waiting by the door and listening, the last car started. Hearing it drive away and its sound fading, the only noise in the house was the TV. Going back to the couch and sitting down, she didn't pay attention to the monitor. It used to rack her mind from the quietness of when everyone was gone. Now after getting use to the routine of them working and her masters not hunting her down or calling her, she grew to feel lonely.
It had been a week since she had become part of the family. Adjusting was slow, but had become better over time. The first couple of days, Sue stayed with her to show and explain everything. When evening came and the boys would return home, she felt the most comfortable. The vibe of having all the family together seemed to resonate strongly with the Baklavaian. Finding that to be a desire of hers, she knew that would only be fulfilled if she was not a slave.
As part of the "host-family" program rules, the alien had a weekly status with the slave traders. A representative called the house and explained to Howard part of what the contract stated. Finding it and confirming, the rep came physically to the house. Sitting down with the Baklavaian and the family, the representative explained the limitations that Aerialus was allowed to do and not do. To her surprise, the limitations were aspects of escaping the planet, going to a human embassy for refuge, and conducting travel with other alien races to go off world.
To her relief, the home check in was brief. However, she wondered if all this was a ruse by the slave trader captain. Hearing the family state that she could now go outside without the worry she had before, she couldn't fully believe it. Telling them that in time she will feel comfortable to do so, paranoia stuck close to the back of her mind. Despite making her feel ill from always having it attack her every decision, her gut kept saying it was the correct decision.
Blinking and shaking her head from recalling those events in previous days, she looked at the time. Since it was still the morning, she began to do the house chores. Much like the chores that she did on the ship, the amount in the home was much smaller in comparison. Finishing the amount that was needed for now, the extraterrestrial moved to the kitchen area. Going to the sliding door, it led to the backyard. Opening both the glass and screen doors, she closed the mesh door.
"..." Aerialus spoke taking a deep inhale. Slowly exhaling out, she stared at the backyard of the home she was staying at. A small smile grew on her face as she looked around.
'...my little oasis...' she thought.
Moving up her jumpsuit sleeves, she began to tend the greenery and plants. Within the first couple of days staying, she found that being in the enclosed exterior of the home to be very refreshing. Seeing vibrant colors from the ground to the sky gave her a true sense of being free. There was no box of steel around her to feel imprisoned. The only walls behind the house were wood fences that acted as tall borderlines.
Seeing the wildlife in the suburbs brought another level of freedom. Sometimes, small animals of the human world would come into the garden. Hours upon hours on the first couple of days were spent just watching them. Observing them coming and going at their leisure was visual representation of liberty that the human world provided. It reinforced the feeling of not being owned by anyone when in the sanctuary of their own parcel of land.
"There we go," she stated.
Watering the last plant, she stood up from kneeling on the grass. Taking a look of the work she done, a small sense of pride came in from seeing how the yard looked. It was something she maintained for her visual enjoyment and small praise from the human family. It was a stark contrast of what was on the slave trader ship. Everything here on this Earth was an exact opposite of what the prison spacecraft and the Primusians were.
Turning left and going to the side fence, there was a small shed. Placing the watering container inside and organizing a little, she stepped out of it. With another task completed, her eyes wondered to the boxes beside the shed and against the wooden barrier. Looking up to see the top of the fence, there was nothing there. Slowly, she looked around herself to see if anyone was watching. Validating that there was no one seen in other house windows, she turned to the boxes again.
"..." Aerialus commented and walked forward.
Stopping in front of the containers, she arranged a couple to look like steps. Slowly and quietly climbing them, the alien peered over the fence. On the other side was the residence known as the "neighbor". Not seeing anyone in the yard or the back porch, she stared at the house. Within a couple of minutes, the hairs on the back of her neck began to stand on end. Despite not seeing anything that would have caused her anxiety, the sensation of something close by staring back at her came.
"..." she responded with climbing back down.
Getting back to the ground, she turned around and sat on one of the containers. Looking at her hands, they were a bit dirty from tending the backyard. At the same time, she could see small white bumps that littered her light skin tone. Brushing them on her legs to get her palms cleaned, she crossed her arms over her stomach. Looking sad at the ground from feeling a bit lonely, her mind started to brew over the unknown person next door.
Aerialus would only try to see the mysterious person when she was all alone in the house. She had never encountered the individual personally. However, the female has caught glimpses of him on a couple of occasions. The first time was late at night from her bedroom window. About to climb into bed, she noticed that the neighbor's lights were on. Staring and watching, she saw a silhouette of a human male; however, the way he moved was peculiar and unorthodox amongst human standards.
Another time was waking up at an odd hour in the morning. On the slave trader ship, there were constant rotating shifts so awakening at different times was considered normal. But Sue told her that a majority of humans living in this country would consider times after midnight a period of being asleep. Still adjusting to the different home placement and routines, waking up at the very early morning was something that became constant each day of the week. About to turn over to try to fall back asleep, her ears perked up from hearing odd sounds.
Glancing at the window and seeing faint illumination of lights, she got out of bed. Going to her bedroom window, she saw that it was the neighbor's house. Instead of the color light used in all households, odd varying colors of light seemed to emit from different areas of each window. Distracted from the illumination, the alien wondered why the array of lights seemed to shine in an eerie way. Catching something in her right peripheral vision, her eyes shifted to the front door.
It had opened but no light shined outside. Feeling her eyes focusing closely when the door closed, she could see a shadow figure. Watching it, the Baklavaian couldn't tell if the person was walking or gliding on the ground. About halfway through the yard, his black silhouette seemed to fade away into nothing. Blinking and scanning around again, the individual was nowhere to be seen.
Another similar incident occurred when Aerialus had a sleepless night. She had been in her bed for hours and was trying to fall asleep. Unsuccessful, she looked at the time. Seeing it was very late, she tried closing her eyes. Focusing on the quietness of the house, she hoped the void would calm her mind and allow her to sleep. In her effort to force relax, her ears picked up something quiet.
"...!?" the alien reacted with her eyes opening wide. Listening carefully, there was silence except for the couple of creeks from the house. About to stop focusing on it, the sound came again. It was airy and faint; however, it seemed to evoke that it was something quite big.
'What...what is that?' she wondered feeling both curious and tense. Sitting up from her bed, she stared at nothing in particular. Waiting and listening, the peculiar noise emitted again. This time, it echoed as if bouncing in different directions. Her eyes moved towards the window and stared.
'...if anything...the neighbor would be the first to check,' she thought. Getting out of bed quietly, she tipped toed toward the framed glass. Getting next to the wall, she slowly peered through the rectangle hard lens fixture at the next house.
Looking down at the one store living space, no lights were on nor was movement seen. Despite having the illumination from the streetlamps, the neighbor's house seemed to swallow the light. As if it were a void to which light could not escape from. For a couple of minutes, Aerialus stared hard through the window. Hoping to see if anything was moving to cause that sound. She got used to the outdoor sounds quickly since sleeping on a large ship produced mechanical noises throughout the night or sleep cycle period.
'...nothing...' the alien told herself. 'Maybe I am just...tired and am hearing things.'
'I should go to bed and...' she continued then stopped. The same sound came again but was more defined being next to the window. Her eyes darted around the neighboring household.
'Where...where is it coming from?' Aerialus said in her mind. Concentrating and feeling more awake, she dared not moved from her peering position. Something caught her eye when she looked at one of the windows. Faint movement was seen as if a lighter tone of darkness was passing by slowly.
'There!' she spoke in her head. Feeling on full alert, she her eyes were glued on the mysterious individual.
'Is that the neighbor? Or is it something else? What is he doing at this hour?"
For some strange reason, the oddity and mysteriousness of the person next door appealed to the alien. Not sure why or for what reason, a possibility that it was an extraterrestrial popped in her mind. Waiting for more minutes to see if anything else would occur, the shadow never appeared again. Even the airy noises she heard never played again. However as she continued staring, an uncomfortable feeling of something staring back came over her. Backing away from the window and stopping, the tension seemed to fade away. Shaking her head, she climbed back into her bed.
'Maybe the humans know more about the neighbor? They could. If they have information, maybe that will give me a sense of ease from knowing something,' she wondered. Nodding to no one, she tried to get comfortable and wait till morning.
"Our neighbor?" Sue repeated the alien's question. She was helping the woman with preparing dinner.
"Let me think...there have been a couple of different people that changed in that house. But I can't say I have seen him, the current neighbor, that much. I did greet him before...but that was a long while ago."
"Really?" Aerialus asked while trying to hide her interest. "Do you remember what he looked like?"
"Oh my," the wife commented and gave the young outer spacer a sly smile. "Has the neighbor caught your eye?"
"..." the alien reacted with turning a little red. "N-no...no...I just...well."
"Mmm-hmm," Sue continued with keeping her expression.
"Quit teasing me Sue," she said. Looking down at the potatoes, she began to peel another one. The small laughter the human made her frown a little.
"It has been a while since the last time I saw him," the female human mentioned tending back to preparing the meal. "So I can't recall what his features were well."
"...I see..."
"Oh, but I do remember one characteristic about him," Sue indicated.
Stopping what she was doing, she put down the utensils she had. Getting out her phone, she moved next to Aerialus. Her closeness did not effect the alien as much as it did initally. In a way, the female extraterrestrial seemed to like it in the sense of bonding. Seeing Sue do a few taps and finger scrolling on the small monitor, a color appeared on the screen.
"This is the color of his eyes."
"Blue...turquoise?" Aerialus said reading the description. "It looks like the hue of cloudy ice."
"Yes. Or a very pale baby blue. Now that you mention it, his eyes had an icy intensity to them. I think I got the creeps when I stared at them for too long."
"That is a specific feature to remember," the Baklavaian agreed with a head nod.
"Mmm-hmm. Made a lasting first impression. Since then, my interactions with the neighbor have been little to none afterwards," Sue explained. Putting her phone away and tending back to her prepping, she looked at her helper.
"Why are you interested in the neighbor all of the sudden?"
"I...I can't really explain it," Aerialus answered with going back to the potatoes. "In the times I'm awake late at night or after midnight, he is moving about and/or leaving the house. It appears he does a lot of night activities compared to the day time."
"It is possible that he is a nighttime worker."
"A nighttime worker? Is that an actual job title?" the alien asked curious.
"Not really. Just is a way to describe people who work during the night instead of the day."
"Oh...you mean when the star above is not in the sky."
"Star?" Sue asked pausing for a couple of seconds. The reference came to her.
"Oh, you mean the Sun. Yes," she continued then giggled a little. "Almost didn't know what you meant by that."
"How does a human function during the night when it is used for the time of rest and sleep?"
"Well, a night worker does the opposite of a day worker. If one works during the day, the nighter sleeps. And vice versa."
"...humans can do that?...Isn't that going against what is natural for humans?"
"Yes. It is one of humanities greatest traits: Adaptation to any environment," the wife stated with a smarty look. "Well...that is what is said in schoolbooks. I sometimes wonder if that is true in today's time though. We don't have to adapt to the environment that much anymore. Instead, we adapt the environment to our preferences. Thank god for the invention of AC!"
'Humans...seem to be capable of almost anything,' Aerialus thought. She was equally intrigued and afraid of what humankind was capable of achieving.
"You could try asking Howard or Robert," the female human mentioned while putting something in the oven. "I think they have had more interactions with the neighbor than me."
"Okay. Thank you," the alien said with a smile. It dropped a little seeing Sue give the sly smile again.
"Who knows. They may have connections with the neighbor to introduce him to you."
"..." Aerialus responded with a blank stare. Looking back at peeling the remaining spuds, she avoided responding to the wife. Feeling a hand on her arm, she looked up.
"I'm just teasing you dear because I like you. Don't take it personally."
'Teasing because you like me?' the alien repeated into her head. '...that's...strange...'
"...I...will try to adjust. The masters tease a lot...and not in a light way in comparison."
"You still wary about getting into trouble?"
"Yes...I do not believe in what the representative said," she replied with a nod. "Many slaves who did that in past times...were disciplined harshly."
"That's mean and cruel," the human reacted with disapproval face. The expression made Aerialus smile a little from believing that the family she was with supported her.