uninvited

chapter fourteen

unclean

       Her classes were pretty much what you would guess.  She found out that their planet was smaller than earth.  Their sun was farther away, so they had short days and colder weather. 

       There were very little oceans and no mountains.

       They had to be careful with their water.  There wasn't enough to waste, so they didn't even bathe with it.

       We may think we are clean but apparently, we aren't.  At least not by their standards.

       Government was so boring she almost fell asleep.  She managed not to, but she also managed to not hear most of what was taught.  Dezrick did most of the talking.  Talk about long-winded.  Total snooze fest.

       Once again, she found herself the center of attention at committee.  They didn't understand her problems with the uniforms.  She didn't understand how that could be all they wore.  How could a person express themselves if they looked like everyone else?

       In the end, she decided to save the fight for another day so that the mayor could fight for her cause.  She didn't like how they were being classified.

       Now that she mentioned it, yeah that was important.

       The teacher, she couldn't remember his name, was still trying for better food and it was no secret that she was in complete agreement with him on that.

       They also had two new guys.  One a boy about thirteen.  He had nodded off a few times and had yet to talk.  The other, a man in his thirties.  Sal.  He hadn't said as much but anyone who didn't know he was a fed had to be blind.  He watched everyone across the room carefully.

       At this point, she decided to study them as well.  Up till now most of her attention had stayed on grandfather time and the woman who did most of the talking.  Occasionally, she checked out gorgeous, but he could only hold her attention for so long.  He listened and seemed to follow along, but he never participated.

       If it wasn't for his hotness, she'd have no reason to look his way.

       When they had first arrived, Macie had waved across the room, so Jess had looked to see if her attention would embarrass the boy.

       Most teen boys around Jess's age would be embarrassed by the whole damn thing.  Hayley was right, the whole thing was weird and could so easily border on wrong.

       His smile had almost been kind as he gave her a small wave back.  He didn't look like a leacher.  He didn't stare at her but from time to time he did check on her.

       He was kind of cute.  Mostly because he wore his platinum locks a little longer than the rest and it had the smallest bit of curl to it.

       She'd always been partial to a guy with a little bit of curl to his hair.  Maybe because of Julian.  She could play with his hair for hours.

       Jess felt eyes on her.  And oh, what eyes.  Wow eyes.  The effect wasn't near as earth-shattering as it had been when he'd been standing closer.

       Mostly he was a silent observer as well.  When he spoke, it was in a low voice and only meant for the ones around him.  Then notes would be made, or the older guy would repeat what he said.

       Anytime she looked his way he always had his eyes down.  Not sleeping but listening because now and again he'd nod at something.

       Each time, he raised his head and looked at her.

       Each time she'd been the one to look away.

       Curious, she held his glance this time.

       This one wasn't bad looking either.  There was a command about him.  He was too serious by far.

       He was big.  Strong but not too strong like Godrick, big but not too big like Pensley.  Though still a good bit bigger than Julian.

       His hair was short but not shaved.  Just long enough someone could run their fingers through it.  He had a nice healthy tan compared to some, and she liked how his eyebrows were darker.  It made his face not seem so.... alien.  And that was a good thing since his eyes didn't need any help in that area.

       Realizing that they'd been staring at each other for a while.  Jess lift and eyebrow, a question in her eyes.

       A human boy would know it for what it was.  Like what you're looking at?

       He only continued to look at her until the old man next to him wanted his attention.  Even then he seemed reluctant to look away.

       Before he did, he lifted his eyebrow in question.

       Laughing, she gave a little shrug.

       While she'd been woolgathering and checking out the eye candy in the room, nothing had gotten settled and both sides seemed aggravated.

       Well, little green men didn't get aggravated, or bored, or excited, but they weren't as calm as they usually were.

       "That will be it for today if that is acceptable to everyone?"

       The boy she had been staring at, stood to address the room.  "All your wishes will not be ignored.  We do wish to co-exist.  As a show of our good faith, we will add some of your healthier foods to our menu.  We hope you realize that your well-being is upmost in our minds.  Heart disease, obesity, and diabetes are things we do not have.  Our clothes do not just cover us, they regulate our temperatures, send out health reports if anything is ever wrong.  As I said, your wants will be given consideration."

       "Shouldn't it be the other way around?  This is our planet.  Shouldn't we be considering what you want?"  The newcomer's voice was hostile. 

       Before anyone else could say anything, the boy held up a hand.  When he spoke, his voice was full of authority.  He didn't raise his voice; he didn't have to.

       "Outside of these three cites, the few places that had electricity, have lost it.  There is no way to communicate with them.  The ones who are not sick will succumb to it soon.  Very few will be completely immune.  We are speaking a few hundred out of billions.  Do you know how long it would have taken for your kind to recover?  To get back to where you were?  Lifetimes.  The changes we want to make are for your benefits.  Your planet is centuries behind ours.  We have already made your mistakes and have learned from them.  Do you know how many homicide detectives we require?  None.  We could have waited another two weeks and your kind would have begged us to help but we did not want one person we could help to be lost.  Only one of you in this room would still be here if we would have waited those two weeks."

       His eyes swung back to hers.  "We do not pretend to have all the answers.  We realize there is a lot we can learn from you.  We know this will take time and willingness on both sides."  He looked back at the newcomer.  "We choose to work with you.  We do not have to."

       Something else she'd learned today.  That dude wasn't the one to mess with.