Hope

Rain pours down through the streets, the asphalt slick with oil and water. The streets are dark, the few streetlights struggling to produce a source of light.

Ducking behind a dumpster, I try to steady my breathing, my arm swiping the water away from my face.

I can’t see which direction they’re coming from. The roaring of the storm too loud to hear the creature’s footsteps.

Stumbling, I move deeper into the alleyway, squinting. There should be a door somewhere. A back entrance to a restaurant.

Fingers running along the bricks, I hit a doorframe, thanking the heavens for my luck.

“Where are you?” A grumbling voice sings through the rain.

I panic, ripping the door open and throwing myself inside. Slamming the door behind me, I fumble to bolt it shut, my muscles beginning to shake as the cold sets in.

How could I have been so stupid? Wandering around in the middle of the night!

“Who are you?” A voice shouts, startling me. “What are you doing in my store?”

~~~

“Who on earth are you?” I yell.

I left the kitchen for a moment to grab a spoon for Lavere, only to come back to find another alien standing in the kitchen!

I take a step back. “Where’s Caster?”

The alien looks so similar to the blue-eyed alien its almost creepy. She’s obviously a woman, hair pulled back away from her face, all soft curves and a rounded face.

The woman frowns at me, a small bowl of what Caster was going to put Lavere’s meal in gripped in her hands. “I’m Caster?”

I’m not buying that for a second. “Are you his sister or something?”

She sighs, sounding frustrated as she puts the bowl back on the steel kitchen counter. “No,” she whines. “I am Caster. Today is just, um, change.”

What?

The kitchen door swings open as Avørek steps through, reading something from the glass panel he has in his hands. He looks up, spots this apparent ‘Caster’ and smirks. “Is today one of those days, Caster?” he laughs.

The woman looks offended by him, her cheeks flushing that familiar orange I’d seen this morning on Caster’s cheeks.

“So that-that’s really Caster?” I can’t believe it.

“I forgot you humans aren’t gender neutral.” Avørek sighs, a hand combing through his hair as he leans on the bench. “Our species adapt our bodies when a compatible partner is found. It’s how we have such a healthy population.”

Caster ignores the little conversation I have with Avørek. Happily busying himself in the kitchen instead.

“But- so, you can just decide to be a girl? Or a boy?”

Avørek nods, seeming amused with my somewhat confused expression. It just seems impossible. Then again, I do remember learning about some animals that can do that. So I suppose it isn’t impossible.

“Does this mean you guys get referred to by whatever, uh, gender you are? Am I supposed to say ‘she’ instead of ‘he’ now?” It’s only polite to ask.

Avørek laughs at my question. “No. Only Alenorians with a higher status change their pronouns. Caster isn’t one of those.”

He sneers as he says this, rattling off something in his language to him- I mean, her, before walking away. Caster frowns, her shoulders slumping forward.

“What did he say?” I ask Caster.

Caster purses her lips, shaking her head.

“Well, whatever it was, ignore it. Avørek’s nothing but a bully.”

Caster nods but doesn’t really look like she understands what I’m saying. Maybe they have a different word for bully?

I move closer, placing a hand on her shoulder to still her, “Your hair looks pretty today. You look very nice, so don’t listen to Avørek.”

She beams, mood immediately brightening. “I thanks you Emery!”

Compliments will always brighten someone’s day. Especially someone like Caster. His, I mean, her simple mindedness hopefully means she’ll forget all about Avørek’s harsh words in a few hours.

“Come on, let’s feed the baby.” I steer her out of the kitchen, and back into the ‘entertaining kitchen’.

She seems happy again, bouncing on her toes as she animatedly speaks to Lavere, who seems to have no idea what the little blue-eyed alien is saying.

“So,” I say, starting up conversation. “What’s on the agenda for this week? Aliston said you had some chores to do.”

Caster hums, spooning goop into Lavere’s lips.

“Caster has go to shops. Emery will come with,” she says in her broken English.

“Today?”

She shakes her head. “No. tomorrow. Today Caster garden and, and, Lavere will help?” She ends her sentence with a question.

If she wants to spend time with Lavere outside in the garden, who am I to stop her? Besides, some fresh air will be good for all of us.

“Yeah, of course. I’m sure he’d love to help you with the flowers.”

Again, Caster smiles brightly, her sharp teeth on display as she grins up at me and chirps.

It doesn’t take long for Lavere to finish his meal, and soon the three of us are walking through the house to the back door. Glass windows span the back of the house, leaving a perfect view of the garden.

Large ferns and towering green plants border a path leading out into the yard. Garden beds sit against the windows with various colourful flowers bouncing gently in the breeze. Most of them I’ve never seen before, and I can’t help but think maybe Caster brought some of these plants from his home planet.

Caster begins to hum softly under her breath as soon as her feet hit the soft dirt path winding through the garden. Lavere coos when Caster jiggles a small pink flower in the baby’s view.

The garden is beautiful. The house is beautiful. I can’t believe I live here now. Obviously, I won’t be here forever, I’m only here because I have nowhere else to go, but it could be worse. I could still be living on the streets.

Taking a deep breath of the crisp, clean air, I follow Caster and Lavere out into the garden where a small fountain sits. Clipped grass surrounds it in a cute little circle. It’s a perfect place to have a picnic.

Caster plops herself down on the grass with Lavere in his lap, chatting away in her alien language. Lavere tries to say something back, his big eyes looking all around him at the flowers, and the grass, and the little bees buzzing from plant to plant.

Yeah, I think I can get used to living like this.