Chapter 3. Family

“Alena! Please speak to me.” Niko’s voice was desperate. He reached us in no time before I even had the chance to think of something. “There you are,” he said, wiping the sweat on his forehead. “Where did you go last night? After you ran away, I haven’t seen you. Mrs. H. told me not to worry, but I still woke up early this morning to search.”

Poor Niko. His curly hair was stuck on his forehead. He had dirt all over his shirt. Plus, he looked worn out. But what was I thinking? Poor me instead. An alien nearly abducted me last night. Speaking of aliens, Tahti came out from the shadows of the tree, staring straight at Niko. My boyfriend noticed her for the first time.

“Who is this?” he asked, turning to her, then back to me.

“She’s. . .” An alien from outer space. Yeah right. As if he would believe me. “A friend,” I mumbled. Great. Now I was stuck with her.

“Oh. Nice to meet you then.” He walked towards Tahti, a friendly smile on his face. Please don’t eat him, please don’t eat him, I prayed. “I’m Niko, Alena’s boyfriend.”

Tahti stared him from head to toe. “The books were correct,” she said. “There are truly more than one species in this planet.”

Niko turned to me. “What does she mean Alena?” I shrugged, wondering myself what she was referring to.

Tahti began to circle Niko, checking him out. “You are the friend of my Alena.”

“No, I’m the boyfriend.” He laughed, thinking she was joking.

Tahti stopped in front of him. “You are a boy are you not?”

“Well yeah.” Niko looked puzzled. Who wouldn’t?

“Then you are the boy friend,” she said tonelessly.

Niko shook his head vigorously. “No I’m.” He pointed to himself. “The boyfriend. Boyfriend means I love her and I’ll marry her someday.”

Tahti looked taken aback, one of the first expressions she showed since I saw her. “But that’s impossible.”

“Why?” Niko was sounding frustrated by the minute, and I couldn’t blame him. But I didn’t want to interfere either. Something about the whole scenario kind of appealed to my senses, though I couldn’t put a finger on it.

“You can’t possibly marry her.” Tahti signaled to me. “She’s my bride. I’m her other half.”

“I don’t get you.” By the look on Niko’s face, he wanted to flail his arms wildly. “Alena, I don’t get your friend.”

“Makes the two of us,” I muttered under my breath. I put on a fake smile, hoping it looked convincing enough for both of them. “She’s just pulling your leg Niko. You know how people are.”

“Why would I want to pull his legs?” she asked quizzically.

I walked over to them, slapping her softly on the shoulder. “Hahahaha. You’re such a joker Tahti. Come on, let’s head back. I’m hungry.” I pulled her hand before she could resist, Niko following close behind. Tahti stayed silent the whole time. Hallelujah! I didn’t really want to bring the alien with me. But somehow, it felt like she was my responsibility. There was that nagging feeling that if I leave her, I would be the one who felt lost.

We reached the inn after a few minutes walk. Guests bustled in and out of the place, going to their respective destinations and activities. It was a usual sight for me, seeing that I grew up here. I would miss it once Niko and I returned to the city for our senior year of high school. Back to the cliché, I thought as I ushered Tahti to the dining area. Mom was already there, a ladle in her hand, probably cooking stew.

She smiled brightly as we entered the room. Noticing Tahti she said, “Who’s your new friend?”

“A guest,” I shrugged. Mom believed me instantly. After all, different people come in and out of this inn. It wasn’t strange to see a new face. “Her name is Tahti.”

“Tahti? What an unusual name,” mom said with kind eyes. “I’m Alena’s mother and the innkeeper.”

Upon hearing the word mother, Tahti marched to mom, her hand outstretched. “Hello mother,” she said pleasantly. Mom took her hand, but instead of shaking it, Tahti pulled her into an embrace. I didn’t know who was more shocked, me, mom, or Niko who just entered the room. “The most expensive rock in the world is not enough to thank you for taking care of my Alena.”

“Oh,” mom mumbled.

Tahti leaned back. “And just so you know, you are a very beautiful woman. Your other species must flock around you.” She reached down and pinched my mom’s butt. I was in complete shock that my jaw fell. “You are well-endowed in the proper department too,” Tahti spoke unabashedly.

Before Tahti could do anymore damage, I was already pulling her away from my mom, who was now blushing. “I like your friend,” mom winked. “She’s telling the truth. And she’s very gorgeous too. Like a model.”

I ignored my mom, ushering Tahti to the dining table. Once we were seated beside each other, Niko closed his mouth, taking his position across from us. I leaned close to Tahti, whispering, “What did you just do? You’re crazy!”

She looked pleased with herself. “It’s called flattery. I read it in the library. It said people will like you more if you start with compliments like beautiful, and focus on their body parts.”

I glared at her, not knowing what to say. In the end I murmured, “Just don’t do it again.”

The stew was ready in a couple of seconds. Mom gave each of us a bowlful, including Tahti, who stared at the food with her brows arched. “Is there something wrong dear?” mom asked.

“It emits a strange smell.”

“Does it smell bad?” Mom sounded disappointed. Everyone loved her meals. Everyone.

Tahti shook her head. “It is a very weird smell that is making the inside of my mouth water. In my planet-“

“In her country,” I corrected, elbowing Tahti. “She’s a foreigner.”

“Well in my place,” Tahti continued unperturbed. “We only need a small capsule to nourish ourselves. It can give us strength for a long time, and we don’t need anything else apart from it.”

“Sounds like a cool country,” Niko said, already eating his share of stew. “Where is it?”

“Planet 21.06. It is the 6th planet in the 21st galaxy. A very very long way from here.” Niko’s eyes almost popped out of its socket.

I laughed heartily, trying to save the conversation before it turned into an even worse disaster than it already was. “What she meant was her country is located in Europe. You know how their technology is so advanced there right?”

“More advanced than the states?” Niko asked, doubt on his face.

“You never know,” I mumbled.

“Then what is all this talk about the galaxy huh?” Dang. Niko didn’t want to drop it.

“Maybe she’s a fan of Star Trekking and Star Fighting,” mom suggested, taking a seat on the head of the table.

“Star Trek and Star Wars mom. And yes she’s a fan of that.” I took a bite from the stew. “By the way, this food is superb.”

She beamed. “I’ll tell you the secret ingredient later.” I breathed a sigh of relief as the conversation slowly steered away from Tahti.

During the meal, she stayed silent, listening to mom’s stories and Niko’s tales about sports. After, we helped around the inn, changing the sheets, washing the dishes, and everything that needed to be done. I had to teach Tahti along the way, but she didn’t complain. She was a fast learner too, not to mention thrilled some of the guests, especially men because of her face.

When evening came, I returned to my room, a medium-sized area that contained a wooden bed for one person, a blue desk, its matching chair, my own collection of books, and stuff that any other teen would have. Tahti was also there, standing in the middle, unsure of what to do with herself.

I closed the door behind me. “What are you doing here? This is my room. Go find yourself another one.”

“If this is your room, then this is mine too,” she said.

“What? No way!” I rolled my eyes at her. “Wait. Do aliens even sleep?”

Her lips quirked into a smile. She looked positively radiant. “We need to rest like humans do. In our planet, we can go without sleep for 3 days, but since I’m here, my body is beginning to adjust to your ways.”

“You should smile often,” I blurted, staring at her openly. “You look. . .” I gulped. “Beautiful.” My stomach fluttered. First time I ever felt that. Must be from all the food I’ve eaten for dinner.

Tahti placed a hand on her face. It was beginning to redden. “What is this?” she asked, blinking. “I feel warm. My heart is beating fast.”

I turned my head away, heading straight to the windows. “Hoooo! It’s so hot here. Must be from the closed window.” I tried opening the latch. It was stuck. Tahti was suddenly behind me, touching my nape. I flinched at her touch. A sort of electric current ran through my body.

“You’re warm too,” she murmured. Her breath tickled my back. Oh man, I needed to step away. Dashing to the bed, I covered my head with the blanket. What was I hiding from?

The mattress moved as Tahti made her way beside me. Even if I was under the blanket, I could feel her warmth seeping in. “Do humans sleep that way?”

“Why?” I mumbled, grasping the blanket. “Do you sleep hanging from a tree in your planet?” Don’t be rude Alena, I scolded myself.

It took a while before she answered. “No. Our species also sleep on a bed. But it’s more comfortable than this.” She patted the mattress. “Everyone sleeps together with their partner. At least they do.”

“What do you mean?” I peeked from behind the covers. She was looking at me with a sincere expression.

“Our species are born with a partner.”

She piqued my curiosity. “Like twins?”

“Something like that. But the partners are from different mothers,” she clarified. “When a child is born in our specie, she would bear a symbol, like this.” Tahti pointed to her forehead where the snowflake tattoo instantly reappeared. “Somewhere in our planet, a girl has a matching symbol. It is unique only to the partners. They have a connection in their soul, and they are raised together, to be married when time comes.”

The blanket fell on my lap. “Wait, wait, wait. You keep talking about girls.”

“Our planet only has females in it,” she shrugged.

“Then what about the babies?” I gasped. “Isn’t it humanly impossible to create a child with two females?”

“We’re not even human to begin with. So yes it is possible.” Her face was so straight that telling the story was like boring her out of her mind, while there I was wheezing and gasping at the small fact she told me.

“No way. . . You’re all lesbians?” Tahti gave me a quizzical look. I needed to backtrack. “Ok, ok. So everyone is born with a partner, like a soulmate.” I was speaking fast. “And you said each partner has a symbol, right?”

“Correct.”

“Then why do we have matching symbols?” I almost screamed the question. “I’m human. There must be a mistake. I’m not your partner Tahti.” I pinched my skin, as if that would prove that I was flesh and blood. “See? One hundred percent human.”

Tahti’s face formed into a frown. “I have never encountered such a behavior before. What emotion are you feeling?”

“I’m pretty sure I’m panicking,” I wheezed. My sweater was drenched in sweat. “And it’s not a good feeling.”

“I can see,” she murmured, touching my cheek with her palm. Her gentle hands allowed me to calm down. “In medical books I’ve read, the doctors advice is to let the person breathe. So breathe Alena. Breathe.” I followed her instruction, taking a lungful of air in my body. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.

Once I was calm enough to speak, I stared her dead in the eyes. “There must be a mistake right Tahti?”

She considered. “A mistake definitely happened. But, you really are my partner. And that is not a mistake.”

“This can’t be happening,” I groaned as I collapsed back to bed, covering myself with the blanket again. “Whatever. I’m going to sleep.”

“Ok,” she whispered, lying beside me. I stayed still as possible, wondering if she has fallen asleep. After a couple more minutes, I poked my head out. Tahti’s eyes were closed. She was clearly in lala-land. Great. The alien fell asleep before I did.

I moved to a side lying position, propping my head up with an arm so I could take a good look at her. Could she get anymore beautiful? I groaned inwardly. Her lashes were so thick that I wished to blow gently on it to see it move. And her lips. . . Were alien lips supposed to look pink and kissable? Woah! Creeper alert!

I turned my back to her. This was a big mistake. How could we have the same symbol? It must be coincidence because there was no way in hell that we could belong to each other. Partners my ass. Hahahaha. Yeah right, I thought as my eyes closed.

The next morning, Tahti was not on the bed when I awoke. Must be doing what aliens do. After doing my morning routine of having a shower and taking a jog outside, I returned to the inn with a growling stomach. Heading straight to the kitchen, I paused on the wall as Tahti and mom’s voice caught my attention.

“Mother can I ask you a question?”

“Sure Tahti. What is it?”

“What is a lesbian?” I swallowed hard. What the? Would mom answer?

“From what I understand, a lesbian is a female who is also attracted to a female in a sexual way. Why dear, are you lesbian?” I held my breath, waiting for her answer.

“Definitely mother,” Tahti said. I nearly collapsed on the floor, but her next words killed me on the spot. “I like your daughter.”

“Oh but she has a boyfriend dear. I don’t think she’s lesbian.”

“Niko is just her friend mother. He doesn’t make her body warm like I do.” Oh hell no, I thought, embarrassment creeping in as I settled my head against the wall. “I read it in a book this morning,” Tahti continued. “It says the temperature rises whenever you feel something for someone. I did not comprehend it fully, but I think I’m on the right track.”

“Well that is true,” mom murmured.

“I also read in a book that some mothers disapprove of their daughter’s being lesbian. Will you disapprove if Alena and I get married?” Tahti was being so earnest with her questions that you just couldn’t hate her. But at the same time, I wanted her to shut her trap already.

Mom sighed. I heard a chair scraping against the floor. “I’m an old lady Tahti. I just want to see my daughter happy. If you can be her happiness, then how can I disapprove?”

“You’re not old at all,” Tahti exclaimed. “In my place, you are young. After all, we live for thousands of years.”

“You and your Star Fighting movies Tahti,” mom laughed.

Someone poked me from behind. It was Niko, looking at me strangely. “Hey, what are you doing there?”

“Nothing,” I mumbled. My heart rate was still up from the conversation I heard.

“Alright then, let’s eat.” I followed him inside the dining area where mom and Tahti were waiting for us.

Ten minutes into our meal, Tahti lowered her utensils on the plate, making the three of us look. She had the most mischievous smile. “I forgot to tell you Alena,” she spoke, still keeping that expression.

“What?”

“Apparently I’m lesbian.” Niko burst out laughing. “Thank you for being happy for me,” she told him, wearing a sincere look on her face. “Alena and I are to be married soon.”