The Light That Shines From Above

Chapter 10

My eyes stared blankly at the perfectly smooth ceiling above my head. I kept waiting for the breakdown to come. For my psyche to break like my mother's did. It never came.

In a way I was grateful. I didn't want to break like my mother. I wanted to keep my head so I didn't waste time. So that I was ready for when I could leave. I considered that was the reason I didn't freak out. That I knew I had to keep a level head because that kept me safe. Neglecting to react badly allowed me to make clear decisions, to be more observant of my surroundings. Doing both might help me get back to my mother quicker. And I knew that once I got back I wouldn't have time to process anything. I would have to be calm and confident for her. I was certain she was panicking now.

Even with that explanation, the emotions didn't fully rise. Sure there were times where I was unsure, scared even. But I hadn't been hurt since I arrived to Occolla. In fact things had been okay. I was safe inside the building and no one had made a move against me. It didn't make me less weary though. They were still aliens.

One thing that did continue to surprise me was Ikzo. He was...nice. The others did a good job at ignoring me. I always received some strange looks but no one else had spoken to me. That I was okay with. I was fine with keeping my distance until it was time to go. But Ikzo didn't seem to see things that way.

He appeared to want to speak with me. His conversations were always strange to me because I knew beneath the camouflage was an alien. On top of that the whole situation made having normal conversations seem weird. I was on a different planets, millions of lightyears away from earth, and surrounded by aliens who acted nothing like I had been told. Strange was an understatement. Despite that, Ikzo was there to communicate like none of that was happening.

In a way I found some comfort to it. It kept my mind off what was happening and keeping in contact with him was a good thing. Afterall he was the one who had to bring me back.

There were questions I wanted to ask him but didn't. I wanted to know why he felt the need to come talk to me. Why was he being nice and was he only doing it because he felt obligated? I wasn't sure how these aliens operated; from the reactions of the others I wouldn't think he would act this way. It made me curious. I never expressed those thoughts because I wasn't comfortable doing so. I didn't know him and he didn't owe me any explanation. He was helping me get back home which was already more than anyone else had done.

With a breath I pushed myself up into a sitting position. Enough time had passed since breakfast for me to be hungry again. I wasn't sure if that meant it was lunchtime or dinner. They didn't have clocks here and I had a feeling if they did it still wouldn't help me. They tracked time differently on Occolla. I wondered if the days were the same length as earth. I knew from the basic education I received that some planets had longer or shorter days. This could mean that one day here could equal three days on earth. I hoped that was wrong but I wouldn't really know until I got back home.

Whether it was the proper time or not I stood up from the floor and made my way to the dining room. This time there were more people in the hallway. As my door opened and closed on its own they looked in my direction.

It was unnerving the way most of them just stared. On earth it was considered rude to stare for long periods of time at someone. That didn't seem to be the case here. They openly examined me with no expressions. Per usual, I gave a pressed lip smile and shot my gaze to the floor, quickly moving out of my doorway and down the hall. It was easier just to ignore the action. They never did it with the intention of starting a conversation.

I continued my usual routine of grabbing a few safe looking things to eat and a cup of teal water before sitting in my normal spot. From behind me I could hear the strange sounds of their language. Vekan is what Ikzo called it. The way it bounced off the smooth walls made me feel like I was back in a school cafeteria. The words blending together to become unintelligible. In this case they were to me. Earth school at least spoke a language I knew.

I didn't find it irritating, just another reminder of where I was. Of what they were. I tried not to dwell on it too much. I was worried my break would sneak up on me if I wasn't careful.

This time when the door opened again I glanced up. Ikzo walked in looking human as ever. I almost didn't expect to see him today. He wasn't here this morning so I figured he would skip the other meals too.

My eyes went back to my plate of half-eaten blocks as he paused to speak with someone near the front of the room. They had called his attention followed by a flurry of words. I didn't pay attention at all. What would be the point?

Bored but not ready to face my room again I pushed the blocks around on my plate with a utensil that mimicked a mini pitchfork. It was the same smooth metal from before with three wide prongs. Their version of a fork I guess.

"Good evening Heather."

Was it evening? I suppose if he said it was.

I looked to him. "Good evening Ikzo." I replied with half a smile. It was a motion that tried to make me appear less awkward. I wasn't sure how to really talk to him.

He pulled out a seat. "Is this alright?" he asked gesturing towards the chair.

I nodded. I wasn't all that surprised that he asked considering how pleasant he's been recently. I was slowly thinking that this must be his nature. Either that or he was really scared of pushing my boundaries.

He sat down beside me but kept the chair a few feet from me. The distance was appreciated.

"How are you feeling today?"

I noticed how he examined me. I wondered what he was looking for and if he had a way to know more than what meets the eyes. He could change his outward appearance, there was no telling what else he could do.

"Fine."

"No head pains or trouble breathing?"

My eyebrows pushed together. "Um should I?"

"Every human reacts differently to elemental and atmospheric changes. The conditions on Occolla are similar to those on Earth. However considering the radical shifts you have encountered recently it is possible to develop symptoms."

It was moment like these where I really noticed how differently he spoke. Everything was said with the utmost certainty and professionalism. It's like he was a professor explaining quantum physics.

"I haven't had any symptoms," I said. Then with a bit of worry, "Do you think they'll develop later on?"

"They should not." He shook his head. "If you are not experiencing them now, you should be safe."

I nodded, pulling my brown eyes from his grey ones. That was a good sign. I was so worried about my mental state I hadn't thought about my physical. I suppose I would have realized that if I started vomiting out of nowhere.

"I remember you saying you did not need anything last time, but do you require something now?" He spoke when I didn't.

I shook my head. "No I'm okay."

I was truthful in that. I had everything I needed to survive. I wasn't going to request anything excessive when I could be leaving at any second.

The short silence that followed was enough for me to decide it was time to go back to my room. I dreaded the thought of sitting in the room with nothing else to do but I didn't know what else to do. I'd really have to come up with something to do to pass time better. Surely I wouldn't have to do it for very long.

I took a breath then stood up from the table. Again I felt rude just leaving my things here but did so anyway.

When I caught Ikzo's grey eyes I sent a small, awkward smile. He returned the expression with a nod. I wasn't sure what to say so I just took that as a dismissal action.

As I left the room I had to give it to him again. He was incredibly polite given the situation. I wondered if he would stop showing up. It had to be awkward for him too right? He didn't act like it was. He acted perfectly normal. Well that wasn't entirely true but it was close enough.

Either way I did appreciate it. He could have been cold and rejected my pleas to go home. He could have left me alone to figure everything out on my own. He didn't do any of that. And while it was hard to have a normal conversation with him considering my own reservations, he still attempted on his end. Strange but nice. In fact that's probably the best way to describe Ikzo. He was strange but nice. And it wasn't that he was strange in a bad way. Just in a he's an alien type of way.