The Light That Shines From Above

Chapter 14

Heather POV

The next morning, though I wasn't truly ever sure of the time, I was trying not to be eager to get to the dining room. Yesterday was nice, almost too nice.

I was able to walk around in the forest and while it was incredibly strange it was beautiful. Everything was so vibrant and bold. The trees were all dark shades of purple and blue but the flowers and other plants were shades of red, orange, and pink. The biggest thing however was how much normalcy I felt in Ikzo's presence. After my initial fear of the craft and suspicion of his sudden need to go into the dark forest alone I was calm, relaxed. My guard was down. It was more like I was sitting with a friend than an alien.

Don't get me wrong I was still weirded out sometimes. There were moments of uneasiness, but not like it used to be. I blamed the rodent. Kyski he had called it. I named it spooks by the end of the trip. My idea which was questioned with much confusion by Ikzo. He didn't understand naming it or why I couldn't pick a normal name.

I left the little animal on the same branch Ikzo had taken him from, having to return him three times because he kept flying to my shoulder. Ikzo thought it was hilarious.

That incident only reinstated my feelings. I liked him. Not in a romantic way. In a friend type of way. His attractiveness still messed with my thoughts sometimes but I didn't fight so much on this one. He was as close to a friend as I thought we could get. I enjoyed my time with him yesterday, even a little at the market. And now I was happy thinking about speaking with him in the dining room. I suppose it was a good thing to be happy about. I had someone to talk to, someone that didn't scare me half to death.

I dressed in a new suit the woman had dropped off earlier. She had taken my other one to wash. My pajamas hung on the door of the coffin to dry again.

I slipped on the boots and headed out into the hall. Even with looking forward to speaking with him I still went slow. I would only be in the room for a limited time before having to return.

When I entered the room he wasn't inside yet so I did my normal task. I collected a plate full of the white play dough like food. I had tried the other stuff, not the tentacles, and this was the best. I poured a glass of water and went to my normal seat.

I still chose to sit by myself. The others continued to whisper about me. The men always looked curious when I caught their eye, the women looked mad. I wish I could understand half of the conversation so I knew why.

My mind strayed for a moment to my mother again. I hoped, so much it nearly hurt, that she was okay.

Midway through my first ball the seat moved beside me. A closed lip smile came across my face as I turned that way, happy I felt more open about what was happening. I wasn't so nervous anymore, which I counted as a plus.

My smile froze on my face then fell a bit with confusion as someone other than Ikzo sat down. It was another male, one I had seen before in the hall a few days ago. He was my height and slim, his features similar to the others.

The fact that I had seen him before didn't make me any more relaxed at his actions. The others hadn't approached me before. Actually they had done a good job at pretty much ignoring me. I was okay with that. This made me nervous. Why was he here?

I swallowed the food in my mouth, shifting my body to the edge of the seat.

"A Sypien right?" His voice was confident.

I nodded, "Yes." My voice was unsure.

"Are you with Hye Jish Ikzo?"

With as in dating? Or with as in a guest?