don’t like each other?”
She glanced in my direction again. “The bond compels you to mate. Pairs are not required to live together if they choose not to.”
I balked. The idea of closeness and touch seemed foreign to David. Did they not know love, either?
Nematali stopped suddenly, her gaze trailed over the wall to her left. “I’ve been looking forward to this.” She ran her fingertips through the wall. “Do you like children?”
“Me? Oh, yeah. I love kids. Why?”
A doorway formed, and she motioned me through. I froze, staring at the inclined, naked, violet heads of miniature Erescopians.
No. Way.
A few dozen children sat cross-legged on the floor, heads bowed. I snapped my gaping jaw shut. “May I?” I held up my camera.
“Of course.”
I clicked a few photos and then switched to the video setting.
A tall alien, mostly violet except for a few splotches of purple-blue on his midriff and legs, spoke a few words in Erescopian.
The children stood, keeping their faces down. One stepped forward. “Wheel-cum too ower skoool.”
Welcome to our school. Whoa.
“Thank you.” The child kept his or her eyes down. “On Earth, we like people to make eye contact when we talk.” Keeping the camera steady in my right hand, I reached out with my left, raising the child’s chin.
The kid cried out, taking a step back. The teacher sprang forward, spinning the student away.
“What did I do?”
Nematali stepped between us. “I am sure that was an accident.” She turned to me. “It would be best if you refrained from touching while you are here. Our median temperature is much higher than yours, and the skin of our young is quite sensitive.”
“Are you saying I hurt the kid?”
“You probably only startled him. To a child, your touch would be akin to being stung by ice.” She turned over my hand. My fingertips flashed crimson. “I would be more worried about the heat of our skin hurting you.” She glanced up. “Erescopians, in general, don’t touch each other. I am sorry I neglected to mention it.”
“ Ay, caramba .” I leaned around her. The child trembled beside the teacher. My heart split. “I’m so sorry.”
“¿ Ay, caramba ?” another child said. “¿ Hablas español e Inglés ?” Do you speak Spanish and English?
Whoa. “Yes. Sí. ” I leaned toward the child, but not too close. “ Hablas español muy bien. ” You speak Spanish very well.
A bright grin lit up the kid’s face. “Thank you. Parlez-vous français ?”
I stood. “No, sorry, I only speak Spanish.”
Nematali sent the child back to their place. “Our young are learning the languages of Earth. Our hope is that once they are old enough, they can become trade ambassadors.”
“Trade ambassadors?”
“Yes. It would be foolish of us not to reach out to a neighboring world for trade, don’t you think?”
I double-checked to make sure my camera was still shooting video. The general totally needed to hear this. How cool was it that the Erescopians were taking steps to be friendly already, and they hadn’t even moved in?
“Come,” Nematali said. “We are expected at our next appointment.”
The children waved their hands goodbye.
Wow. So cool.
I gave a special wave to the kid I’d scared. He smiled and waved back. No permanent damage done, thank goodness.
Nematali and I moved out into the hallway. Part of me yearned to go back and hang with the kids some more.
“How many classes are learning Earth’s languages?” I asked.
“A few hundred classes scattered among all the ships. Earth’s culture has become a core curriculum.”
Take that, General No-trusty-pants.
I turned off my camera as we came to the end of the corridor. The wall liquefied, and we passed through. Heat from the new hall stung my cheeks before the temperature cooled. I tripped and adjusted my footing as the floor declined like walking down a hill.
“This is what we consider the first level of the ship,” Nematali said as we
She glanced in my direction again. “The bond compels you to mate. Pairs are not required to live together if they choose not to.”
I balked. The idea of closeness and touch seemed foreign to David. Did they not know love, either?
Nematali stopped suddenly, her gaze trailed over the wall to her left. “I’ve been looking forward to this.” She ran her fingertips through the wall. “Do you like children?”
“Me? Oh, yeah. I love kids. Why?”
A doorway formed, and she motioned me through. I froze, staring at the inclined, naked, violet heads of miniature Erescopians.
No. Way.
A few dozen children sat cross-legged on the floor, heads bowed. I snapped my gaping jaw shut. “May I?” I held up my camera.
“Of course.”
I clicked a few photos and then switched to the video setting.
A tall alien, mostly violet except for a few splotches of purple-blue on his midriff and legs, spoke a few words in Erescopian.
The children stood, keeping their faces down. One stepped forward. “Wheel-cum too ower skoool.”
Welcome to our school. Whoa.
“Thank you.” The child kept his or her eyes down. “On Earth, we like people to make eye contact when we talk.” Keeping the camera steady in my right hand, I reached out with my left, raising the child’s chin.
The kid cried out, taking a step back. The teacher sprang forward, spinning the student away.
“What did I do?”
Nematali stepped between us. “I am sure that was an accident.” She turned to me. “It would be best if you refrained from touching while you are here. Our median temperature is much higher than yours, and the skin of our young is quite sensitive.”
“Are you saying I hurt the kid?”
“You probably only startled him. To a child, your touch would be akin to being stung by ice.” She turned over my hand. My fingertips flashed crimson. “I would be more worried about the heat of our skin hurting you.” She glanced up. “Erescopians, in general, don’t touch each other. I am sorry I neglected to mention it.”
“ Ay, caramba .” I leaned around her. The child trembled beside the teacher. My heart split. “I’m so sorry.”
“¿ Ay, caramba ?” another child said. “¿ Hablas español e Inglés ?” Do you speak Spanish and English?
Whoa. “Yes. Sí. ” I leaned toward the child, but not too close. “ Hablas español muy bien. ” You speak Spanish very well.
A bright grin lit up the kid’s face. “Thank you. Parlez-vous français ?”
I stood. “No, sorry, I only speak Spanish.”
Nematali sent the child back to their place. “Our young are learning the languages of Earth. Our hope is that once they are old enough, they can become trade ambassadors.”
“Trade ambassadors?”
“Yes. It would be foolish of us not to reach out to a neighboring world for trade, don’t you think?”
I double-checked to make sure my camera was still shooting video. The general totally needed to hear this. How cool was it that the Erescopians were taking steps to be friendly already, and they hadn’t even moved in?
“Come,” Nematali said. “We are expected at our next appointment.”
The children waved their hands goodbye.
Wow. So cool.
I gave a special wave to the kid I’d scared. He smiled and waved back. No permanent damage done, thank goodness.
Nematali and I moved out into the hallway. Part of me yearned to go back and hang with the kids some more.
“How many classes are learning Earth’s languages?” I asked.
“A few hundred classes scattered among all the ships. Earth’s culture has become a core curriculum.”
Take that, General No-trusty-pants.
I turned off my camera as we came to the end of the corridor. The wall liquefied, and we passed through. Heat from the new hall stung my cheeks before the temperature cooled. I tripped and adjusted my footing as the floor declined like walking down a hill.
“This is what we consider the first level of the ship,” Nematali said as we
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