The Alien You Know... (Original Story)

CHAPTER 1: CAPITAL MYAZ: DEATH SQUAD?

"NO! I WILL NOT GO! YOU CANNOT MAKE ME!", I yell, and Father sighs. "Do you not understand, Bellatryx? It was a challenge to get you into Monarch High, they don't usually accept half-breeds...", Mother says, placing her wingtips on my shoulder.

"I KNOW I'M A HALF-BREED.", I sigh. "Why would you put me in a school that will discriminate against me?!" I stare at the hand-me-down datapads on the table. "It's the best school on Myosa! The Froon System, even! I wouldn't have met your mother otherwise!"

I nod, my wings folding up. "I know, I... I just don't want to deal with people whose only joy comes from picking on someone for something they can't control." Father nods, putting his wings around me, in a hug.

Father has grey feathers growing on his head, his face pale and wrinkled. "I understand, Sweetheart.", Mother says, her trunk hair turning silver. "If it gets too bad, we'll pull you out, and enroll you into Nyo High."

I nod, grab my datapads, stand up and walk over to the door. I open it, and sit on the stone porch, looking out across the Myosan landscape. I set my books next to me.

I would prefer the quieter Nyo High, of the Nyyp, which was built only a few years ago. It's a small, one room schoolhouse, and with Mother being the teacher there, I would be guaranteed to have a place there.

But, I also want to see more than this small village known as Lyo Village. Maybe I could see the Trymenda settlement, the Typho Village, down the Myoan River to the west. Or maybe across the Myoan River from the Lyo Village, where the Lythonops live, called Piop Village.

There is an upside of going to the Monarch High School, I get to go into the capital city, Myaz. Almost all of Myaz is surrounded by the Byan Mountain Range, save the Myoan River that flows northward through it.

But there is one place no Myosan dare travel; to the northeast of Lyo Village, which lies beyond the Plains of Mupiaca, where the Lycixs' (pronounced "Lie-six" in Central), live. Lycixs' are known for their psychic stunning. They stun their prey, and tear the flesh off their victim while they still breathe.

"I don't want you to goooo.", my 11 year old sister, Juli, says, standing in the doorway. I sigh. Neither do I. I walk over to her, pulling her wings into mine. "I'll be back before you know it."

"But Trizzie!", says Juli's twin, Doli, who stands behind her, "I wanna play." Her upper beak brushes her lower beak. I chuckle. "You'll still have Juli, Dee.", I say, my beak turning upwards. "BUT JULI DOESN'T WANT TO PLAY WHAT I WANT TO PLAY!!", Doli says, folding her wings, and tapping her talons against the floor.

Mother walks out. "Alright dears, your big sister has to get to school. Ferry is leaving in 20 Axs, best to hurry!" I pick up my books. "Axs" is the Myosan word for the Central word "minutes". I walk down the steps, wave goodbye to Mother, and walk down to the ferry port. I walk past our next door neighbor's kid, Juztyn Barrhaam.

As he is a Nyyp, he has large ears, four stubby fingers, two horns on his head, a trunk, and a single braid of hair coming down his left shoulder. His feet are circular and have four rounded toes, and a triangle tattoo with 16 lines marking his age on his upper right arm.

"Hey, Juztyn!", I say in Central, waving. "On your way to school?" His eyes widen, and he runs away. I sigh. At this point I'm used to him ignoring me. He has always been wary of me. I try to not assume that it's because I'm a half-breed.

Half-breeds are frowned upon in the Froon System. They are considered "less than." No more important than the Wishu here on Myosa. Trymenda especially hate half-breeds, or "halfies", as they made their planet, Trymendant, overpopulated. Why the other races hate Half-breeds, I could not tell you.