’Harana has been told to go back to their ship to teach the rest of them what you showed her, but she refuses to go. She wants to stay here with you. She says that since this is all recorded, they can use that to teach the other females.’ Vage said.
I’m shocked to say the least. I guess I really have won Harana over to us.
’She also says that there must be more for you to teach her.’
I groan at that news. Not that I’m averse to further sessions with Vage’s younger sister; I just don’t want to get too worn out, and school starts back up in a couple of days....
After a bit more arguing, I see Harana grin widely, and the others give an alien equivalent of a ’harrumph’, before they turn to walk away.
The lead alien stops and turns to face Vage. She says sothing that makes Vage jump off of Loveth, and all of the color drains from her. I look to Harana and see that she has the sa reaction. Whatever was said, neither one of them liked.
Loveth moans as she is forgotten, but when she sees the looks on the other aliens’ faces, she becos concerned. "What is it? What’s going on?"
"I don’t know," I tell her, waiting for Vage to either send a ssage or speak out loud. Instead, she turns and walks out the portal, saying sothing in her own language, before the black rectangle closes around her. I can only guess she is going back to incubate our children.
I turn to Harana, a sense of dread filling , and see that she is sitting on the floor, staring into nothing.
"Harana, what is it?" I demand from her, hoping she can tell through my nanites.
She looks up at with fear-filled eyes, and her cat-like pupils are fully dilated, covering up almost all of the silver. I have to repeat my question before she seems to understand. When her ntal answer cos, I understand her terror.
’The demons have sohow sped up their approach. They will be at your planet in a little over one month.’
....
It takes nearly an hour to convince Mom that she hadn’t seen an alien ship abducting Loveth, and thankfully, my sister is there to back up my story.
Loveth and I agree that my sister needs to leave our mother’s ho, so a repeat isn’t likely. Her first thought is to co up and stay with . When I point out that we aren’t expected to keep our hands off each other, that people will notice, and that Vage and/or Harana can pick us up easily enough wherever we are, she decides to hitch a ride back ho with Vage. That also allows her to start getting her affairs in order, just in case the demons kill us.
My wonderful sister is even willing to let know (in excruciating detail) about the fun the two aliens have had, as Vage and Harana take turns incubating my unhatched children. Sohow, I can’t help but think that I need to reevaluate my life when I can make a statent like that.
We did not fool ourselves; we know the odds are against us. The demons have an entire fleet designed for battle, and we have a few ships that aren’t intended for combat, but exploration and science. What chance does Earth have against that? My switches? Even having physical contact with my sister, I’m not sure that I’ll be able to affect that many at once.
Everything seems too daunting. The new sester starts today, and I personally think it’s a bad idea to go. I need to focus on developing a strategy to defeat the demons. This ti, it’s Loveth who does the convincing, telling I need to act usual and like nothing is going on.
"Besides," she informs cheerfully over the phone, "once we stop the demons, it’s not like school is just going to go away. You’ll still need your degree. . . That is, unless you’ve changed your mind about manipulating people with your switches. . . ?"
And so I find myself walking in the cold air, through campus, on my way to my first class. I decide to walk, so that I’ll have more ti to think. It just isn’t fair, looking around at everybody else enjoying themselves, as they return from Winter break, and chatting with their friends as if the world’s not going to end in a month. Was I ever that carefree and ignorant? Well, I guess I have Tina, or even the twins, to talk to if I need to, but I don’t feel right dumping this on any of them. I’m so absorbed in my own thoughts and concerns that I’m not paying attention to where I’m going and run right into soone shortly after arriving on campus.
"I’m so sorry," I apologize, giving the woman my hand, after I pick myself up off the snow-packed ground.
"Quite all right, Mr. Smith," the woman says in a voice I almost recognize.
She looks slightly familiar, but I can’t place her. She’s an older woman with long red hair, skinny, and rather attractive. She’s wearing a white smock, and so at first I think she might be part of the nursing program. The only problem with that theory is that I don’t know anyone from that departnt, and I’m sure I’ve t this woman before. Sothing tickles my mind, and I check for my switches. I’m surprised to find so in her: ’tabolism’, ’skin elasticity’, ’red hair’, and ’slow aging’.
Who’ve I given those switches to? Thinking hard, I co up with the answer, as it finally dawns on .
"Mrs. Stilinski?" I ask, in shock, "Have I changed that much?" She replied.
She smiles and titters as she brushes her smock off.
"I’ve been feeling so energetic lately, and my hair color actually ca back. Well, not really my hair color, but it’s still better than grey. Not sure why it turned red. Not even the doctors can explain it, but I’ve been feeling so ALIVE!"
I can tell that she is indeed feeling well by the sparkle in her eyes and the speed with which she talks. I can’t help but smile, thankful that my switches have helped at least soone out for the better. Mrs. Stilinski looks at sothing red on her smock, then examines her own hands. Suddenly, she grabs my hand, exclaiming, "You cut yourself. Co with , young man. Let’s get this cleaned out."
I try to protest, but it only looks like a minor cut, and the nanites will take care of it soon anyway. She is surprisingly strong and refuses to listen to . She chats the whole way to her office.
"Ever since just before Winter break, I’ve had more energy, and the pounds just started slipping away. I’ve not felt this good in years. If only Mr. Stilinski hadn’t passed away so years ago. . ."
She glances at surreptitiously before continuing, "But you probably don’t want to hear about how lonely it is for an old lady. Anyway, I went to see Doctor Peterson, but he says nothing is wrong with . In fact, he says that my body is acting like it’s almost twenty years younger. Oh, here we are. After you, Mr. Smith."
I step into the energetic nurse’s office, her hand on my lower back, and sit down where she indicates. She grabs so alcohol and gauze before returning to , holding a stool, and setting it between my legs. She cleans the cut on my hand, or rather, the blood from my palm. The nanites have already closed the cut for . Mrs. Stilinski looks astonished at my appendage for a few seconds, flipping it over, and then rubs her thumb across where the blood had been.
"Huh, what’s happening? Why is there no wound on your hand ?" she says in wonder.
"The blood had to have co from sowhere. . ."
She continued to rub my hand, and despite my worries and concerns over the last couple of days, her light caresses were starting to turn on.
When her light caresses turn into a hand massage, I finally look back at her face and see her staring intently into my eyes.
"It’s been so long since my husband died," she tells . "I get so lonely, sotis. . ."
She grabs my other hand and starts to rub it, and I know instinctively what she is going for. I’m curious to see how far she’ll take it, without any action of my own. Even though she is sitting between my legs, rubbing my hands, her eyes never leave mine, and I can’t deny that she looks years younger than she did before Christmas break. It seems like she wants sothing from , so I give her a slight nod. It seems to be enough.
"I know how stressful it can get for you, students. Even during the start of a new sester. All new classes, no idea what the new professors are going to expect from you. Finals are over, but that only ans you have a whole sester to look forward to more of them. Why don’t you take off your shoes and lie back on the table?"
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