My Betrothed: A Deanoru Story

Chapter 2: "Aliens"

Down in the dining room, Karolina's mom is sitting awkwardly searching for a meal. She looks to her left and sees a pile of rockhard chocolate muffins that could do some serious damage if thrown. Next to the muffins is a large jar of expired peanut butter and next to the peanut butter is a box of saltine crackers. "Crackers it is," she mumbles to herself.

Just then, Xavin enters the room. "Good morning, Angel mother." They say with a bow before taking the seat directly across from her.

"Good morning, Xavin, how are you today?" She says trying to be friendly, although she is slightly thrown off by Xavin's address.

"Not well. I seem to make Karolina..." Xavin pauses. "Unhappy."

"Yes... I heard a little bit of what was going on," she takes a sip of her warm, not-expired tea.

"I am trying my best to please her, but I often times feel hesitation in her voice and tenseness from her body."

Karolina's mom lets out a deep sigh. She raises her hand to her forehead as if she's feeling a headache coming on. In a delicate, but firm voice she says, "Xavin, Karolina is human. There is a multitude of things that come with that, that you just don't understand. You can't make her love you... She doesn't even know you."

Xavin, unphased by Leslie's comment, "The prophecy says we will be, so we will be. I will continue to wait for her as I have for decades." Xavin picks up a rock hard muffin and tries to take a bite to no avail.

"Right..." Leslie continues to sip her tea.

"Now I sense hesitation in your voice and tenseness in your body." Xavin puts down the muffin. It becomes silent for a moment then Xavin leans forward on the table. "I was unsure of the prophecy for a time, I am ashamed to admit. I was trapped on a ship with the family of my supposed beloved who made me a help-- a slave. After what felt like an eternity, I wanted to die." Suddenly, Xavin's face lights up with excitement. "But as I lay there, broken and at my worst, a light appeared above. It began small and came nearer and nearer. As the light grew, so did the life force inside of me. And then I saw her... I saw hope... I saw... my savior."

Just then, there is a loud creak on the stairs. It's Karolina.

Xavin immediately stands up from the dining table. "My... Betro--" They clear their throat. "Karolina." Then bows their head.

Karolina stands at the bottom of the stairs. She looks stunning in her yellow crop top and high waisted jeans. "Can... we talk?" Karolina asks in a low voice as she pushes her long blond braid behind her.

"Yes. Of course."

Leslie gets up from the table. "I'll leave you two here. I'll be in my room if you need me" she touches Karolina's shoulder on her way up the stairs.

Karolina heads to the dining table and takes a seat across from Xavin who is still standing. Awkwardness fills the air.

"Xavin, I know that things are really new for you... but you can't appear as Nico again. Do you understand?"

"I understand I made a mistake. I apologize deeply. It won't happen again."

"But do you understand why you can't?"

Xavin with a puzzled look, "No... but... I know not to do it again."

Karolina sighs. She looks at Xavin, "An alien," she thinks to herself. She stares him up and down. He is extremely tall, about 6'1, with a strong and athletic build. His melanin skin is flawless and he looks like one of those meatheads from a GQ magazine.

After a minute she explains, "It's a violation of trust. I need to know I can trust you." Karolina looks around. It's obvious from her expressions that she is trying really hard to come up with her next few words. Of course Xavin has no clue how difficult this conversation is for her.

"We can't be together, you and I."

Xavin slowly takes a seat. "How can you be so sure?"

Karolina's face saddens, almost as if she's guilty for saying what's next. "For starters, I'm... attracted to women."

Xavin's head tilts, like a dog trying to understand its owner. "Women...," he whispers to himself. His eyes jolt back up, "Oh." In a very casual manner, Xavin stands up. Their body quickly covers itself in scales, lasting only a few seconds. Karolina's eyes widen and she is shocked by what she sees.

Standing in front of her is Xavin... but this time at 5'9, only an inch taller than Karolina herself. They're still strong and athletic, but in a much more feminine manner. They still have the same flawless melanin skin, but this time accompanied with beautiful long black hair and a soft, yet powerful voice. "Great... from GQ meathead to Victoria Secret angel," she thinks to herself."

Xavin standing before Karolina with a confident smile, "Well? What do you think?"

Karolina still shocked, sits there before mustering, "I... I think... you're not you. We just spoke about trust and being ourselves."

"I AM me."

"No... you're..." She pauses. "You were a man... and now you're not."

Xavin thinks for a moment before replying. "I know there are many human perspectives that I don't quite understand, but surely it works both ways. There are many things that you do not know about what you call... 'aliens.' In my world, gender is not a concern. We are not 'him' or 'her.' We are... who we are... we are shapeshifters. We take on many forms throughout our lives, and it is therefore in our nature to be fluid."

Karolina remains at a lost for words. "I—"

Xavin chimes in, "I understand what it's like to learn something about a new world that is... shocking... to say the least. I will remain as this form and I will establish your trust. You have my word, Karolina."

"Um... yes... good talk." Karolina finger guns Xavin awkwardly and quickly gets up from the table. She begins walking toward the stairs. At the bottom, she looks back at Xavin in disbelief and blurts out, "I'm really sorry... this is just a lot to take in... I think I need some... alone time again," and whirls back up the stairs to her bedroom.

Xavin, standing confused, remains in the dining room.

. . .