“I got invited to dinner tonight. By Khur’s sister. She invited you as well.”
He doesn’t seem to notice my tone, just starts shaking his head, looking at the floor, like he always does.
“I’m so tired, Destiny. I think I have jetlag.”
I almost roll my eyes but contain myself. I am kind of surprised by the vitriol inside of me, but at the same time, it feels like a long time coming. We’re on a freaking space station with everything you could think of at your fingertips. There wereso manyforms to fill out and interviews to do when I applied here, I even had to send in a video of us talking about why we’d be a good fit here. I covered his ass on all of that, determined not to let him be the reason we were skipped over.
I thought for sure once we got to Sanctuary, things would improve. It’s only been two days. Not even 48 hours, really. He needs timeto settle. I need to be more patient with him. I take a deep breath, exhaling through my nose.
“Ok. I understand. I’ll see if I can bring you some leftovers home.”
“Would you show me how to use the food machine one more time? I’m a bit peckish now.”
“If you're hungry, just come with me to Khur’s. I'll help you get some clean clothes to change into. Maybe you could take a shower?”
I don’t know why I choose now to push, except I really want to make a good impression, and maybe also because it would be great if I didn’t have to do everything alone. I should know better, though.
“I said I’m tired!” He snaps, suddenly more awake than he's been thus far.
I almost flinch at the rise in his voice, but school my features quickly. This is myfather. He issick. He doesn’t mean to be hurtful.
“Dad, please. I am asking you to do this for me. It would mean a lot to me.”
“Destiny, you got me here, didn’t you? We moved to this station out in the middle of god knows where, surrounded by aliens. You got what you wanted, now would you leave me the hell alone?”
The tail of his bathrobe whips around him as he spins around, the fastest I’d seen him move in years, and storms back down the hall. I imagine I would have heard a door slam if they weren’t motion-detecting pocket doors that slide open with a muted swish. I stand there in shock, mouth open and tears threatening to spill, for several seconds.
Did I drag my dad here unwillingly? I thought this was a good opportunity for us. It’s not like we have a lot of prospects. Earth is off the table for at least 120 years. Farming moons and factory planetspromised life a little closer to what we might have been used to, but I was never enamored with the 9-5 capitalist culture that ensconced our life back then. I thought anyone would be thrilled to have an opportunity like the one I’ve secured for us at Sanctuary. Had I been wrong? Did my dad resent me for dragging him across the universe?
I want to go to my room and have a good cry about it, honestly, but I’m scared to. If I let the sadness takeover, for even just a few minutes, will it stay forever? Will I end up like my dad, across the hall in my own bed, musty bathrobe and matted hair and the sour smell of sweat, and nothing but the sadness just weighing me down until I couldn’t even leave the house? I can’t risk it. So I dash the tears teetering on my lashes with the back of my fist and stomp into my bedroom to freshen up.
I don’t have much, but the few things I do have are precious. I unzip and slip out of the top half of my jumpsuit to tug on one of my only pieces of clothing: a dusky mauve V-necked sweater. I tuck it into the jumpsuit then artfully tie the loose sleeves around my waist, tucking and pulling fabric until the “pants” don’t look too bulky and the outfit accents my generous hips and ass. Then I dig around the bottom of my bag that contains everything I own and find a thin silver chain with a crescent moon on it and clasp it around my neck. It’s a trinket, probably originally bought at one of those fast fashion shops in the mall. I traded someone for it before I left the satellite for two tampons. Now I admire the trinket between my cleavage happily. It is the perfect little touch, and while I would have been thrilled for a bit of lipstick, I recognize that beggars can’t be choosers and looking on the bright side means you’re grateful for what you get.
As I’m leaving I consider saying something to Dad. I never did show him how to use the food maker thing again. Instead I duck out quickly,guilt nipping at my heels. Maybe if he’d watched the orientation videos we’d both been sent he would know how to make himself something to eat.
I don’t remember the walk home from Khur’s taking as long this morning as it does walking back this evening, but being that time is relative and there isn’t even a visible star for us to base our hours on here, I’ll admit my perception is way off. It is definitelynotthe lack of a certain big, horned alien that is making this walk take forever. My belly is filled with a light, airy feeling I can’t describe. I think I might puke or possibly float up into the traffic of flyers above me. I could easily lie to myself and blame the butterflies on nerves regarding dinner in general, spending time with new people so different from myself.
A little voice in the back of my head, though, calls me out on that lie.You’re excited to see Khur. A big, overbearing alien you don’t even know. Shame on you, alien hussy.That inner voice can be so judgemental.
I do know him though, I reason with myself. He saved my life and while he was a bitmuch,he has been kind and protective. And his dark gaze seems to be drawn to me as much as I am drawn to him. I was never into hairy dudes at home, but all I keep thinking about now is sinking my hands into the soft fur around his shoulders and neck. I wonder just how much hair he has under that jumpsuit. Is he completely hairy…down there? How wouldthatwork? And why am I so intrigued to find out?
Now that I have let my wild train of thought completely off the rails, I find myself in front of their apartment door. I raise my hand to knock but before I make contact, the door slides open, revealing just the guy I’ve been thinking about.
“Destiny, I’m glad you are here.” Khur says, stepping into the hallway with me.
I take an awkward step back, expecting to walk forward into the apartment, not backwards. The door snicks closed behind him and all the sudden it is the two of us alone in the hallway. The space is cavernous, but somehow it feels incredibly small as Khur steps forward again, crowding me. Words escape my quickly melting brain as he reaches up ever so gently and plucks the crescent charm from between my breasts with a delicate claw.
“The crescent moon. A symbol of attraction and desire in my culture.”
He lets the charm fall back onto my breast and it feels warm against my skin. For the first time I notice his fingers are not covered in white hair, or his palms. His skin is smooth and pitch black, his knuckles streaked with a few stray white hairs. Long, dangerous looking claws tip each finger. Should I be scared? Probably, but am I? Well, let's just say I don’t think my heart is pounding out of fear, and words still somehow escape me.
“Should I–I mean, I don’t want to…” I reach up to remove the necklace, not wanting to give the wrong impression, but his hands – warm and rough with calluses – still my wrists.
“Leave it. It suits you.”
Then he turns and lets himself back into the apartment with the wave of his wrist, and I have no choice but to follow. Urzu and Furga are already inside, along with the kids and, to my surprise, Gunnvall. The low table in the middle of the couches has been raised and the couches somehow converted into hard-backed benches. The table is set with black and white patterned pottery bowls that lookhomemade, nothing like the square utilitarian ones that came with our apartment. It all looks very suburban dinner party in a way that has me smiling wide. Who else can say they have attended an alien dinner party?
“Destiny! I’m so glad you made it.” Urzu approaches me with her hands in the air and I meet them with mine, so that briefly we look like two bros celebrating a touchdown or something. I’m glad I remembered to ask Furga about the Dhugaren version of a handshake before I left the supply station today.
