Teach Me To Be Human

Chapter Two: Humans Change Color?

Chapter Two: Humans Change Color?

My hand trembled as I reached it out to shake the king’s hand. He furrowed his brows and stared at me.

“What is… this?” he asked, mimicking my movement and touching his fingertips to mine.

“I-it’s a handshake.” I whispered, fully aware of everyone’s eyes on me. “When humans meet other humans and they don’t know them, they shake hands.”

“Like this?” Siara asked, stepping forward, grabbing my hand, and moving them up and down dramatically.

“Kind of.” I replied, prying my hand from hers.

Braxton crossed his arms over his chest and sighed, leaning back against a wall. I shifted awkwardly from foot to foot and grabbed onto Karter’s arm. He glanced down at me with a puzzled look. They were all looking at me and it was making me uncomfortable. I felt the beginnings of a blush heat up my cheeks.

“Woah, she can change colors!” Siara cried, shoving her hand in my face and letting her fingers poke my cheeks.

“C-can you not, p-please?” I stuttered, trying to shrink away from her.

I’d managed to pull Karter ever closer to me and clutched onto his arm for dear life.

“How do you do that?” Siara asked, staring at me with widened eyes.

“I-I don’t know!”

“Hey, I am going to take Scarlett to the lab.” Karter interrupted, pulling me gently towards a door.

“When you come back, I want to know how you get yourself to change colors!” Siara shouted after us.

The door slid open automatically and Karter and I stepped through. It shut behind us and I allowed myself to release Karter’s arm.

“What was that?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I-I don’t like being the center of attention. It made me uncomfortable.”

“How did you get yourself to turn red?”

“I guess when humans get embarrassed or angry, blood rises to their cheeks and heats up their face?”

“Can you turn other colors?”

I laughed. “I can turn a greenish color if I’m sick and I turn blue if I get too cold. Or if I hold my breath. See?” I stopped Karter and sucked in an enormous amount of breath and held it.

It took a lot of effort to keep myself from breathing long enough for my face to turn blue. Karter was watching in awe as I struggled. Finally, I let my breath out and sucked in another good amount of air. Which then got me to wondering.

“Karter, is there oxygen here?”

“Oxygen? Is that what humans breathe?”

“Yeah, we breathe in oxygen from plants, then expel carbon dioxide.”

“Humans are interesting.” He murmured and continued walking onwards.

“Wait! You didn’t answer my question!” I ran to catch up with him.

“About oxygen? No, there is very little here. We breathe nitrogen.”

I gasped and clutched at my throat. “How am I not dead?!” I cried out, starting to panic.

Karter poked my neck. “There is a chip implanted into your skin right here. It is highly advanced technology and allows your body to breathe in any form of gas needed to keep your being alive. It basically draws the little oxygen there is in the air to you.”

“Oh, that makes sense, I guess.” I replied, rubbing over my neck where he’d pointed out the place of the chip. “When did this get implanted into me?”

“When you first got here. You were asleep.”

“Well, I guess that’s what woke me from my dream… But… if you breathe nitrogen, wouldn’t a planet that had an atmosphere constructed of that gas be extremely cold?”

“Yes, but the chip in your neck keeps your body at the regulated temperature it needs to be at for you to survive. But while we are talking of it, I would like to mention, please do not run. Since there is very little oxygen, you would run short on it and it would be difficult for you to breathe.”

Karter continued to walk on, until I stopped him again.

“But nitrogen isn’t good with energy conversions, so how do you all have energy to move and what not?”

Karter grinned. “You are doing your absolute best to try and understand us. Like I said, we are a highly advanced species with advanced technology. Do not worry about it too much, Scarlett.”

He started walking again, dragging me along with him.

“I mean, you want to know about humans. I’m just trying to understand you also.”

“And I appreciate that.” he replied as he passed by a window.

I gasped and ran to the window, pressing my hands to the glass.

“It’s so dark outside.”

“It always is. We are relatively far away from the sun.”

“What is that?” I asked, pointing to something dark green.

“It’s bear-berry. One of our plants that produce oxygen.”

“Oh. You know it’s snowing, right?”

“It always snows, Scarlett.” Karter replied, with an amused smile.

“Right. I knew that.” I jumped down from the low window sill and turned to him.

“Is there anything else you would like to know, before we continue? I want to get it out of the way, so that you will quit stopping me in the middle of walking.”

I blushed. “Um, no. Not really.”

 He smirked and let his fingers run over my reddened cheek, before pulling me with him down the hallway.

~~~

AN: Whoo. The picture is of Scarlett. I don't think you guys understand how difficult it was for me to come up with their planet and atmosphere and what they breathe. I had to ask multiple questions of multiple people. If you try to nerd me, just don't, unless you plan on helping me make this planet.(: Kay.

Thanks to ResidentOfWonderland the most for helping me the most, though.(:

Anyway, *claps hands together and bows* Enjoy!

~Skittlez