UnEarthing Toroid

Part 12

Natalie brushed past the conversation of rescue and waiting and what other aliens had been delivered to Earth the previous night. She said only as much as she needed to for them to understand, then got irritable when they asked questions.

"You'll stay here of course!" She reassured them when it came up, then tried to usher them to the mall as fast as she could. It wasn't all because of boredom. She didn't want to think about things like interstellar peril, or the existential conundrums of alien civilizations existing. All of that was so...so dull! It made her itchy. She didn't want to think about it all. Did it really matter? They were all here, together, with nothing to do but wait. It didn't make a difference how they got there.

So she shunted them off towards the mall and towards distraction as quickly as she could.

They were hesitant. Too concerned with when exactly rescue might come, and how much longer it would take to get home after that. Too caught up in the question of why they and a bunch of others from their planet had been transported here, all at the same time. But after a while, Natalie managed to persuade them that there was nothing they needed to do—nothing they could do—by sticking around and being confused.

So, eventually, it was off to the mall.

Natalie needed about an hour to get ready. She had to brush and style her hair, pull it back with clips, smooth it down with product, and curl it until it reached its' characteristic gentle wave. Then she had to make sure her makeup was on point. Pink lip gloss, mascara, a smidge of eyeliner, and just the faintest hint of blush. Not enough to make it look like she had makeup on. No, that would be trying too hard. But just enough to make it look like she was absolutely perfect without any makeup at all. And then, the outfit.

The most important piece of any good look, of course. A person's wardrobe defined them. It was the first thing others would see when they looked at you. Natalie was incredibly particular with her clothes. Her look today: jean short-shorts, a black tank top, beige ankle socks, red tennis shoes, and a sheer red blouse that draped over her shoulders and down in the back. There. Simple, effortless, not trying too hard. But in-fashion and unique and stylish. She topped it off with a golden star bracelet and necklace—her signature pieces of jewelry.

Twirling around, she looked herself over in the mirror with pride. You. Look. Fabulous! She thought, a proud smile coming over her lips. Not a single other person in the world is going to look as cute and stylish as you. She wanted people to think she was pretty. Her aliens were pretty. And she wanted people to look at them all together, and her among them, like a coalition of pretty and beautiful and perfect people. She wanted people to think she belonged with them.

And what she had on now would surely do the trick.

When she got downstairs, the others were waiting impatiently. Baron was mindlessly flipping through channels on the television. Ettine was braiding ribbons into her hair. Xingshen was nowhere to be found. They had nothing to do to get ready, since the only clothes they owned at the moment were the ones they arrived in last night.

Natalie wrinkled her nose in confusion. "Where's...the prince?" She still didn't quite know how to pronounce his name.

"Bathroom." Baron barked out flatly, not taking his eyes from the TV screen.

Natalie moved over to the hallway bathroom. Xingshen was standing in front of the mirror, a comb in one hand and a brush in the other, looking vexed. His silky hair was mussed and askew, even worse than when he woke up. Still, he pulled it off with a celebrity-esque beauty.

"Um...Problem?" Natalie laughed teasingly, leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed.

Xingshen looked at her and wrinkled his brow. Baron shouted a translation from the living room.