The Alien Way of Life - English Version

2. Up and Down

Earth, New York, 04.11.2059

"There's our bathroom criminal," her father grinned as she and Ségouin walked in and hugged him. She was grateful to have parents who were more concerned about narrow-minded teachers than their children's biological needs.

Apparently, her dad didn't have many appointments this afternoon and had not only made sandwiches but also prepared a fresh salad with plenty of olive oil.

She was so relieved to be back in the warmth. And not just metaphorically. Over the decades, her father had become accustomed to living with a being from a world with an average temperature of 37 degrees Celsius. Therefore, their home was well-heated.

They gathered in the dining area, the smell of sandwiches trying to stimulate her nose. But once again, she had no appetite, this daily torture was upsetting her stomach. Unlike her sibling Ségouin, who enthusiastically indulged. In contrast to her, you could hardly tell that he was half-alien; he even had a bushy head of hair - whereas Lyra's had only resulted in thin strands.

Nevertheless, she made an effort to eat, so as not to arouse suspicion that something was wrong with her. Instead, she listened to Dad telling them about the preparations for the next UN General Assembly. Then he wanted to know how their day was. However, Ségouin could hardly produce any sounds while intensely devouring his fourth helping. Lyra, on the other hand, recited the prepared lines about what was due in each subject and that there was a new donut in the school cafeteria. Not a word about the harassment. Especially not about gym class. She focused on appearing relaxed, but they still noticed that Dad looked somewhat concerned. Quickly, she put on a smile. "Yeah, it was a fun day. By the way, what spices did you use?" to smoothly change the subject. He then explained the seasoning. Either he fell for the distraction or respected her wish to deal with the problems on her own for the time being.

While he was talking, her phone rang in her pocket. "Wait, let me turn it off," Dad said.

"You can also answer it, maybe it's important," he replied.

The display showed 'Darian'.

"What does he want?" she thought, puzzled.

"Is he the one where you're not sure if he likes you or just wants your homework?" Ségouin asked curiously.

She answered, "Yeah... I'll take it."

At the other end, Darian greeted, "Hi Lyra, can you come over again? I'm stuck on the assignments."

Lyra replied, "Ah, having trouble with Ethics, huh?" If she had been alone, she would have said it coldly, so she just let a frosty undertone slip into her friendly question.

Darian corrected her, "History."

Lyra knew that if she didn't go, it might raise suspicion with Dad. And she wanted to avoid anything that could arouse suspicion. "I'll be around, but we're still eating." She hung up without waiting for a goodbye. She wondered why this 6-foot tall worm was crawling back for her number again today.

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She sat in the subway, looking out the window at the skyline of New York. - And at the reflection of the faces, some more discreetly than others, staring at her. By now, it should have been common knowledge that aliens were now living not only in Leipzig and other AWAL areas but also in New York. Nevertheless, wherever people saw their green skin and unique eyes, it was the highlight of the day. While she could understand the friendly interested glance - which quickly turned away, optionally with a nod, then returning to their own affairs so as not to intrude on her privacy - she couldn't make sense of the blatant staring and, even worse, the intermittent glancing and whispering with neighbors in this subway.

But at least there was no "Mom, that lady is green, can I touch her?"-child today.

The ride was over, and she walked through the street where Darian lived.

Normally, she was a stair climber, but today, for dramatic effect, she decided to take the elevator and used the ride time to check that her face matched her mood.

Arriving upstairs, she was greeted by a joyfully smiling Darian. However, the smile vanished when he saw Lyra standing with her arms crossed in front of the coat in the elevator. Not even the funny elevator music could break the icy atmosphere. In fact, the ridiculous tinkling seemed to bounce off her like raindrops on an umbrella. Fake good mood met real anger.

"So, tell me, traitor, what do you want?" Lyra's fingers approached the button row. "Sure?" she asked. Her voice took on a certain hiss, knowing that humans hated it.

"Please wait... I was just about to start criticizing the others, but then..."

Apparently, Lyra had reactivated his short-term memory.

Lyra's fingers stopped just before the button. "Oh, so that's why you were laughing?"

Darian shook his head, "No, you've got it wrong, I liked your quick comebacks, I do like you..."

In Lyra's mind, a rethink was underway. Maybe she had developed a certain paranoia in recent months and taken it the wrong way.

"Ah, okay - well, let's get started then!" She stepped out of the elevator and gestured for him to lead the way into his apartment.

She wasn't ready for a hug yet.