Jamie fought, but couldn't escape. The Qulpari motioned for us to follow them through the marketplace. Merchants and passerby rubbernecked.

"Mudo mudo!" ET groaned, rubbing his face.

"She's new," Roy called in Wumpaza. It's a xensadru." The onlookers accepted this explanation, muttering to each other, a surprising number losing interest entirely.

We neared a small geodesic dome covered in dark bubble windows. About halfway there, Norenio stepped in our path, arguing with Roy, yelling about it being his fault, pointing at the bubble. "He should have been watching her" and all that. She even scolded ET and Colzest a little, but she directed most her wrath upon Roy.

Something must have gotten resolved between the two, for then, snapping her tail, the female frowned at me and my sister with her hands on her hips. "I am your natvop now. Watch you so you do not xensadru Qulpari." It seemed her English had broken with her relationship. I guess that does tend to happen when you're angry.

"Charlie!" Gertie cried.

I glanced her way and saw the flying creature again perched on her shoulder, nuzzling her face.

"Where did you go? I was worried!"

Charlie made a jaunty `I don't know' noise, like she'd just asked it how many gumdrops were in the world. "Mmm-mm!"

"Well, don't go off again!"

We followed the breastplate wearing Qulpari (Navnadbu) into the dome. Not what I expected.

The interior of the building had been grown from plants, bent into a vaguely courtroom-like form. A small courtroom. The desks of the prosecutor and defendant faced each other across an open floor.

A scowling Qulpari in a gold and purple robe, likely the bracelet vendor, got to look Jamie right in the eyes once her bubble got situated.

Two judges in paisley robes took stands overlooking the two, their expressions reminding me of chess experts sizing each other up. One judge wore a headband with silver moose horns, weirdly crooked like the mounted trophy head from the Addams' Family. The other judge's horns bent the opposite way.

Both the defendant and the prosecutor had benches behind them, for the jury, I supposed. Strangely, our prosecutor only had one present. And Jamie...she also had only one.

Meazquad opened a communicator hanging from his neck, I guess to share the event with someone?

"What's going on?" I whispered to Roy.

"What's it look like?"

"Where's the lawyers?"

"They don't have those here. Prosecutor and defendant have to rely on their own eloquence."

"That doesn't seem right. What about the jury of peers?"

He pointed to Jamie's lone juror. "You can say that I have little faith in the American justice system, but I always thought they put too many people in courtrooms. I mean, you either get a hung jury, or everyone agrees on the same thing...plus where are they going to find a human jury on such short notice?"

"Why two judges?"

"One views the case from the defendant's point of view. The other from the prosecutor."

"That doesn't seem very...objective."

He put a hand on my shoulder. "All Qulpari learn conflict resolution at an early age. It's as basic as math to them. Once in a lifetime, every one of them serves as judge. They only sit at trial once, and then someone else replaces them. There is no legal career."

The Navnadbu led me and my companions to a bench running around the outside, gesturing for us to sit.

The judges let out mooing sounds. The room, which had been a little noisy before, fell dead silent. It seemed they did not have gavels on their planet.

"Okay," Roy whispered. "Just sit tight and be quiet."

"But she doesn't know any of their laws! How-!"

Everyone stared at me, annoyed at the interruption. I sank in my seat.

A lot of terminology involved in the Qulpari court system doesn't exactly translate into English or American concepts. To avoid confusion, I will approximate: The Ziemuber, for example, was the judge that sat at Jamie's right side, Veryowax to the left. For simplicity I will just call them Right Judge and Left Judge for the most part. The prosecutor guy (and generally the offended party): Coocovna. The witness: Raxliya. Sedvamsa is the collective term for our two jurors. I oversimplify to make it easier to understand.

"The prosecutor presents his dispute," said Right Judge.

The creature has stolen my Ridvucha, said the creature in purple. She wears it right now.

The breastplated Navnadbu officer pulled the bracelet out of Jamie's bubble, bringing the object before Right Judge.

Yatgibi, do you have evidence of it being theft?

The prosecutor placed a disk on a post in the middle of the room. I watched with discomfort as a holographic Jamie darted out from behind a tent in the market, snatching up the bracelet.

Prosecutor, is there a witness?

The prosecutor called forth a Qulpari from the back wall. I saw it happen, the creature agreed. The creature stole from Yatgibi.

"I want a lawyer!" Jamie shouted.

Both judges made noises like cats coughing up hairballs. ET and Colzest glared too, seemingly unsympathetic to her plight.

I stood up, but Roy pulled me back down in the chair.

"Do something!" I cried.

"She's fine!"

More stares and hairball sounds. Charlie, previously asleep in my sister's lap, cracked one eyelid open.

"Mudo," ET complained.

Witness, have you finished testimony? Right Judge asked.

The `witness' nodded. My testimony is complete.

Right Judge waved to his antlered counterpart.

Left Judge ordered Jamie to be brought before him, took a deep breath and scowled at her. Please explain.

Jamie sighed. "Look. I...know you saw what I did. I...I thought since he just left everything sitting out, I could just take it."

Left Judge looked disgusted. Is this common practice where you come from?

"Only if you're a bad person. I'm sorry. Please don't take me to jail."

The Veryowax looked confused. What is jail?

"Really?" Jamie scoffed. "You seriously don't know?"

This provoked a look of annoyance. Do not waste the court's time.

"Please. I'm just a kid. I'm a baby...An...egg, I guess you'd say. However you punish people here, please go easy on me. I don't know anything about your rules. Anyways, you have your bracelet back. That counts for something, doesn't it?"

The two judges looked at each other, then typed furiously on little computers.

They locked eyes with each other. We believe Quarjabbe would be the best resolution.

Right Judge nodded. I accept the Quarjabbe according to the terms of The Nuqpurhu.

Nuqpurhu, I've been told, is their great law book, part of a giant computerized library of law.

"Quarjabbe?" Jamie whimpered. "What's Quarjabbe?"

You work for pretty Ridvucha, you earn credit for Ridvucha, you buy Ridvucha."

"No! That's a terrible idea!"

You said you are hatchling. You knew little. Yatgibi teach you.

Do the jurors agree with this decision? Asked Left Judge.

Jamie's juror spoke with the juror of the prosecutor for a few minutes, then both raised glowing fingers, nodding to the judges. It is satisfactory.

The two judges mooed, signaling the end of the trial.

The Coocovna, satisfied that their job had been done, passed the prosecutor beads (as a document of the case), marching out of the room. The Navnadbu, likewise, had no complaints, at last releasing Jamie from the bubble.

Roy took Jamie to the side of the room. "What the hell were you thinking? Stealing from a jewelry guy? Are you serious? Didn't your mommy and daddy ever tell you it's wrong to take things without paying for them?"

Jamie looked...less than apologetic. "I spent a week squatting in an abandoned factory and stealing stuff from a neighbor's house, so..."

Roy pinched her sleeve. "Where did you get this thing? Do we need to stay here and wait for that angry merchant to show up?"

Jamie shook her head. "It was a gift. He said I was pretty. His face turned green, but I think he was blushing."

"She has met Oxnizjel," Norenio said to Roy in Murtux. To Jamie, "Be careful around that one. He is...mischievous."

"That's one way to put it," Roy groaned.

"No take Ridvucha without pay," ET told my girlfriend. "Bad."

Jamie gave him a look that said `Are you being serious right now?' Because the message was fairly obvious to everyone at this point. Her brow furrowed, nonverbally telegraphing, `Please tell me you're not that stupid.'

Roy rubbed his face in frustration. "So...Jamie. You're going to discover firsthand what a Quarjabbe consists of."

He led us up to the merchant (his name was Yatgibi), speaking to him for several minutes.

Jamie still had a translator in her ear, so she got the idea pretty quickly. "We're going to be his indentured servants! That's it, isn't it? Keep us in debt for the rest of our lives?"

"Trust me, on earth there are student loans with worse terms and conditions."

The Navnadbu shot Jamie in the neck with a little gun.

"Hey!"

Not much of a wound, really, just a bruise.

Roy shook his head. "That's just insurance so you don't skip out on the deal. He's going to let us take care of room and board, you just have to work for him for a few weeks and your Quarjabbe will be complete."

"So I can eat dinner? And go to bed?"

"It's not slavery, kid. Be thankful these guys don't know how to be that devious."

Meazquad excused himself, saying he had some purchases from the market he'd like to bring back home, and he'd meet with us later.

We returned to Gumvupu's textile shop, Roy ordering a new outfit for Jamie. "I want to speak to this Oxnizjel personally and make sure we don't owe him anything," he explained. "In the meantime... change."

Jamie's replacement outfit looked unflattering with its vertical stripes Aquafresh and rainbow sherbet colors. "Great. Now they'll know about prison uniforms."

"I take it you're not a fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber. Odd, because you almost had a disco thing going with that other costume..."

She looked unimpressed. "I never said I wanted a Dreamcoat. Can we go, please?"

Another transport station stood at the opposite end of the market. Winged spheroids awaited us, just like before, except these wings functioned like propellers. We boarded and rode in silence, taking in the scenery.

Jamie scowled. "How do you pay for things here anyway?"

Still a little angry, Roy maintained a stony silence.

Norenio smiled at my girlfriend. "He donates his body to science."

Embarrassed, Roy groaned, rubbing his face. "I shouldn't be talking to you, but...I occasionally donate blood and other stuff and do tests for them to earn xuthas. Money. Sometimes they pay me for my information. Mostly, though, I do off jobs for them. Cooking, cleaning, whatever they want. There's a lot of demand for tall people."

The alien female gave us a look like Roy had done something respectable with his life. "I am his best-customer."

"Was," Roy corrected.

"What? Gevteh?"

"Was his best customer. Past tense."

She frowned. "That means `no longer!' Do you truly not love me, Roy Neary?"

The man sighed in frustration. "It's only English grammar." He shook his head. "Never mind. Use present tense, I don't care." They argued something about this. "I'll give you lessons later."

The Abreya nodded to Jamie. "He is my best customer. At first he paid me with xuthas, but one day he came by and didn't have any. I asked if he was hungry and he said yes, but he couldn't afford anything, unless I would accept work. So I cooked, and had him clean dishes. Next day, he was broken again—"

"Broke," Roy corrected.

"That is not good grammar. You have said this."

The man just rolled his eyes.

"For some time after, I made him work in the kitchen. Then I said to him, I will give you a free meal if I can see your no-clothing-birthday-suit. I always saw him in clothing, and I was curious. He was shy. He said no. I offered him many free meals. Qulpari has already seen your no-clothing I said. Do not overcharge. He accept."

Jamie stuck out her tongue. "Lovely. We're going to be raised by a stripper."

Norenio gave Roy a questioning look. The man's anger, which had been momentarily deferred, now came back in full force. The Abreya had to prompt him a second time to get an explanation.

The couple commenced a conversation that ended with him embarrassed and her laughing. "He is not a good `stripper.' He stripper only for me and Qulpari scientist. No one else want to see."

"I know I don't!"

Norenio laughed. "Roy Neary makes a better bell-man-luggage-carrier. Big manly muscles."

Jamie snorted, suppressing a laugh.

Gertie assumed her `I've been a good girl, can I have ice cream' pose. "Are we still having a tour?"

ET nodded, saying something to Roy, but the man instead apologized to him, addressing us children in English. "Sorry, but no. You three are grounded."

Jamie scowled at him. "You're not our dad."

Roy's face flushed with anger. "I'm your guardian. I've had kids of my own, and I'm the only human on this planet that knows about your existence and cares about your human problems. It's my job to make sure you don't die, get hurt, or get into legal problems like the one we just had, because, believe it or not, I care about you guys and want what's best for you. Maybe send you back to your parents in a better condition than I found you."

"But I didn't do anything!" Gertie protested. "Why should I get punished?"

"Because I'm only one man, and I can't split myself in half to send girlfriend home while the rest of you get in more trouble."

"We won't get in trouble! Honest!"

Roy just crossed his arms.

"Why can't ET or Colzest take us on a tour? Me and Elliott were good!"

"They watched you last time, and you see how well that worked!"

"You're the one who let her go!"

He was seething now, and my sister could see it. "Oh-okay, what about Norenio? She's a good guardian, right?"

Norenio looked excited about the idea, but Roy argued her into saying, "I agree. It is late. You should have food and rest."

"It's not that late. I'm not tired, just hungry. For lunch."

Norenio asked Roy about this, but he just shook his head, jabbered something back. "Jamie must begin Quarjabbe. We will tour Vorxora's home. Make...yourselves at home. You have not seen it yet, so it will be new...We have not seen it either."

I rolled my eyes, but accepted the explanation.

In a lower tone, she added, "Maybe I give you a tour later."

"I heard that!" Roy scolded.

"She has Quarjabbe! She will be punished enough! Do not be unreasonable najufe!"

Our guardian rubbed his eyes, his eyebrow ridge, like he had a headache. "We'll see."

"When can I stop wearing this candy cane outfit?" Jamie asked.

"When I say you can, Ms. Newton John," came the mirthless reply. "Like I said, we have to find this Oxnizjel and see why you really got a free outfit. I've never heard of an Abreya fencing product, but you never know."

I myself had my own theories, ones that made me jealous the more I thought about them.

The Qulpari constructed vast elaborate bas reliefs along the barks of trees, not with chisel but somehow grown that way. The level of detail continually amazed me. Of course, we never paused long enough for me to get a good look at them.

Large amounts of Abreyas and Qulpari lived in buildings that resembled gourd bird houses. The things hung from the boughs of trees, connected by catwalks, platforms, ladders and terraces. Our vehicle clamped onto a skyway, riding a rail to a stop on a mezzanine.

The hatch came open, and we followed ET down a lengthy balcony ramp alongside rows of gourd buildings decorated with colorful banners and totem statues. The Qulpari smiled and waved glowing fingers at us as we passed.

We stopped before a plain brown gourd building marked with an American flag. As I frowned, puzzling over how he managed to get such a flag, with all fifty stars accurately sown into it, I noticed something even weirder:

ET's totem statue was Elvis Presley.

The alien gestured to the door. "Welcome to my house."