Living On Earth

CH1

Today is my first day on Earth.

I wake up alone, in a hospital bed, plugged into machines that keep track of my vitals and fluids, injecting all sorts of pain meds. After all, this process is a painful one.

I follow procedure just as they directed me to. I find my legs, yank off the cords attached to my body, and make my way across the room to the blue locker that holds my belongings. Inside hangs a blue jumper, black capri pants, and a pair of jogging sneakers.

I take the first look at myself in the mirror. My skin is unusually pale – with olive undertones - and my hair color is a reddish pink, wavy down to the middle of my back. It's hard to believe it's me staring back from the reflection. I'd feel giddy if it weren't for the drugs altering my attention span.

I wonder that I may be what this planet considers pretty.

As soon as everything's settled, I grab the bag on the locker floor and leave the room. Only silence greets me as I make my way down the clinic halls and into the elevator that takes me to the lobby.

The oval room is just as quiet, save for the typing the receptionist is doing behind her desk. Walking up to the counter, she greets me with a knowing smile.

“Welcome, Edith Ryan.” she says, placing a small box in front of me. “These are the items you'll be needing for your adjusting. Inside you will find the allotted dose of pain medication, a communications device with directions to your lodgings, proper elemental protection, and a key to your room. You will have one week of recovery until you are expected to report to your given destination.”

She looks me in the eyes for confirmation and I nod, well familiar with the process. A chart is placed in front of me so that I may log my departure and once that is through, she smiles widely with a tilt of her head.

“Good luck, Miss Ryan and congratulations.” she says happily. I smile back as much as I can through my faded state and leave the clinic to find my transportation.

My first test of survival begins immediately after I walk past the sliding glass doors. I am expected to get myself to the designated recovery area on my own. If I cannot pass this simple task, I am left to fend for myself.

It's dark outside and for that I am thankful. Despite being medicated, any kind of radiation would be harsh at this time. The phone I carry tells me my transportation is two blocks east.

I don't wait long for the bus to arrive and I make my way to the middle where I can get a good look and finally take in my surroundings with leisure. My senses are slowly coming to and I can't help but stare in awe at anything my wide eyes meet.

People. Human people all around me. There's one - looking rather bored, reading a newspaper, with large spectacles resting atop his nose and white facial hair that curls at the ends. And over in the far corner I can see a very odd looking young male who wears only black attire. His hair somehow defies gravity as it stands tall in a spiky array. Another catches my eye, astonishing me by the largeness of her body as she eats from the kind of bags I've been warned to steer clear from.

Humans... certainly come in much more variety than I had imagined. It's shocking how different each one looks. My eyes linger towards the boy's crazy hair again and, to my embarrassment, he catches me looking.

A set of three beeps alert me that I've reached my destination. The bus has stopped just on the corner, across from where I'll be staying. It's a typical human hotel. The receptionist points me down the hallway I need to take and wishes me a nice stay. I smile as much as I can manage, but the first headache is breaking through my initial pain killers.

I take in the room bit by bit. As I stand in the foyer, I can make out a tiny kitchen that bleeds into a tiny living area that bleeds into a bedroom. The walls are a maroon color and the mini apartment is speckled with cheap, modern furniture. The windows are covered by thick curtains that shun sunlight, no doubt put there purposely for my recovery.

The hotel, it's operated by a Kosachei official. This whole wing of the hotel is actually designated for transitionals. It is the only place in the planet where we port.

There is a glass of green, slushy liquid upon the coffee table. It's my first meal. -My first meal! I take this moment to hop with excitement only to stagger a bit out of balance.

I'm actually here. On Earth. The place I've always dreamt of visiting. My human heart soars to the heavens. I cannot comprehend the surreality of it. So, so far away from home - finally achieving my deepest desire.

Of course, it's not a play date. I am here because I have worked hard for it – and I have to continue to work hard. A week from now, my initiative begins. I'll be on my way to a university to integrate with human culture and beyond that, I will become an official liaison.

The transition is on the horizon. Soon, the population of Earth will be able to call themselves a galactic society – joining the ambitious of the universe in interstellar travel and communications. We are here to nudge the progression.

However, just as serious and delicate as it is, that doesn't mean I can't enjoy the excitement my new life has to bring. I grin, endorphins flooding my veins, as I romp into the bedroom, dropping my belongings on the floor to properly examine myself.

I stand in front of the bathroom mirror, getting the second chance to look over my reflection. My frame is slim, not unlike the one I was naturally born with. My eyes are strikingly blue and I wonder if it seems a bit too unnatural for normal human pigments. 

My hair is also a bit unnatural, but thanks to the human fad of discoloring one's own protein deposits, I shouldn't have to worry about it seeming strange.

Here I am. This is me. A breathy laugh escapes my moth. Oh, the beauty of existence is glorious!

I turn with a silly smile on my face and prepare for a nights sleep. Tomorrow will be intense. I'll need the rest, considering it will be difficult to sleep once I really begin to feel the effects of this body. Neurological pathways will be firing off this body's senses, trying to adapt to the bombardment of newness. I will be sensitive. I will be cold. I will experience pain.

It will be worth every second. 

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