A Wider Sky Ch 06

A Wider Sky: Beyond Eclipse Series

by Talyis Bagley Ellison

Chapter 6

I filed into the auditorium with the other chattery students for my first class. Professor U. Winsdor, PhD had not arrived yet so the student's took advantage of having a window of time to mingle. A mixed group of students where sitting on the edge of the lecture stage while others where climbing over the seats. A group of fashionista girls gossiped in the center of the room but quieted as a set of fit, astute men circled them and sat on the top of the seat backs. The room filled with energy and college flirtations.

I took a seat towards the back of the classroom to not draw too much attention to myself. With OCD style, I lined up my tablet, pen and a sheet of papers. I know pen and paper were seemingly inutile instruments today but I was so used to studying without electronics back home in the colony. I just hope I didn't stand out using caveman tools in my first alien class.

I flicked through the chapters of the text on my tablet. Last night I devoured the chapter so many times, I had it memorized. Part of me did it to be ready for class but in fact I was just trying pass the queasy feeling I had from skipping dinner. I knew it was pointless to continue to avoid the inevitable, I would have to eat alien food soon or later. But ,I had enough of the learning curve for one day by just arriving at school and I didn't want to test my limits any further.

"You always have your head buried in that thing, Bookmouse? Hello, Earth to Kiowa?" A familiar deep voice drew my attention away from my shield that was my tablet.

My heart started to sprint and I could only give him a droll expression. Why did I keep losing my words around this boy...alien. He was going to soon think I was a dumb mute.

"Going Retro like me," he said tapping his pencil to a stack of torn pieces of paper. I didn't understand what he meant, I just watch mesmerized by his smile that spilled from his lips across his handsome face. "No tablet yet. School store is out-of-stock."

"You can read on with me if you'd like," I blustered.

"Alas, she speaks, speak again sweet Juliet." He perched his knee up on the chair next to me.

I blushed and tipped my head down hiding my burning cheeks in my braids. He shrugged and slugged into the seat next to me. His long legs seamed squished in the small area the back of the auditorium allowed.

He leaned in as I place my tablet between us like early civilization sharing a fire. Memorized I studied his fingers turning the pages of the textbook and then glanced catching my eyes with his. He simply smiled.

I was falling in love. Absolutely smitten with this charming alien.

"Attention class. I am your Professor Ubeforg Windsor and for many of you in this room who are majors, I am your advisor. Today we begin studying human archaeology. We will study the human world and the humans before Eclipse and post-Eclipse. Many of you in this room will fail this class. By failing, will result in your immediate college dismissal.

Enough introductions.

Before we begin, I want to bring something of interest to your attention as we delve into the study human archaeology. We are graced with a human enrolled in this university. He or she will be attending classes with you. Maybe not in this class because why would a human care to study human archaeology. I don't know who the human is nor do any of my colleagues.

If you are able to find the human, point it out by citing the methodology of study from this class you will automatically pass this class.

If this is your career of study then you, my friend will become an excellent archaeologist. And if you do identify the human, you will be my teaching assistant and automatically pass all of my courses this year. And just to sweeten the bounty, you will accompany me to one of the colonies for Spring Break."

My heart thumped, so much thrown at me at one moment. I was now going to be hunted by my classmates for easy A. My classmates were going to go to the colony during Spring Break. Which meant aliens often traveled to the colonies. We had thought we were safe and then my heart sunk into my stomach again when my cute alien tablet mate leaned over. He smelled amazing like my favorite Bengal spice tea: cinnamon, cardamom mixed with a masculine forest.

He whispered sweetly into my ear, "I am going to find the human."

He smiled like a sexy Cheshire cat, his eyes glinting with promise. I knew he was trying to impress me, the alien girl he might possibly like.

But I was not that girl.

***

"Hey," Gaelen hollered after me, trying to catch up. I pilled out of the lecture hall tying to get as far away from my hunter classmates as possible - least the find out who I am. "Hey wait up."

I flinched, feeling Gaelen pinch my arm causing me to stop. God I hope my skin feels the same as alien flesh does.

"Little Bookmouse, you ran out of there quick, was it that bad?"

"No," I said.

"Yeah," he tittered back and forth on his sneakers thinking of something to say."Hey can I come over to your dorm and read the text with you. You know since I don't have a tablet and being it was your fault that it was destroyed"

"Sure," I tipped my head to the left.

"Thanks. Man what a great class this is going to be. I am so fascinated already. How about you?"

He was lying. I could tell he could careless about the topic the way he fidgeted throughout the whole lecture. Oh my, he was a nervous as I was.

"Yes,"

Why was I speaking monosyllabic. I had more to myself than that. Come on Kiowa, say something interesting. Say something alien to throw him off this possible human path.

"Can you believe that a human being allowed to come here?"

There it was, I imagined it sounded a lot like it did in the 1950's pre-Eclipse world.

He continued, "Apparently, the human scored a perfect score on the test. No one scores a perfect score on the test. I only got a 89 and that's considered high."

I swallowed hard, I didn't realize that the aliens took the test too. And here I was with a perfect score - twice.

"Yeah, wow. I only got a 70."

Galen looked at me like I had two alien heads and tentacles wrapping around my body.

"There is no way you scored a 70. No one scores that low."

Fuck! There is no winning.

I giggled, "Gotcha! I just didn't want to tell you my score."

"Why?"

"Nevermind."

"Oh come on. Tell me."

Ahh here we go, I sighed with relief and cleverly tilted my head flirtatiously exposing my neck. I hope aliens found that sexy like humans did.

"No, I wont tell you."

"Please?!" he begging was dripping with seduction.

He continued to follow me to my next class. Finally, we had something happening. Maybe one word sentences but at least I was able to hold a volley like a normal human being.

"I've got to go to class."

"Alright, Bookmouse. I'll see you at your dorm, which one is it?"

"Mandela Hall." His smile widened with more enthusiasm.

"I am in the same hall. 2nd Floor."

"I'm on the first, Room 109."

"Great," he gave me a double take and then shock his head amused, "See you later."

***

Word spread like wildfire across campus about the human enrolled. It had all my classmates buzzing with speculation.

I had an hour in between classes, so in the spirit of doing as the Y'vori di, I sat on the grass in the quad to get a little studying.

Leaning over my tablet, it surprised me how responsive my it was. It did not reflect the sun that was high in the sky and no matter much shadow a cloud cast on it, it was perfect and easy to read.

The sun felt amazing, being in school felt freeing, I almost wanted to just lay back in the soft grass and enjoy the sun instead of study. In turn I admonished myself for my insouciance. How could I think this way when so many back in the colony had no time to sit in the grass and enjoy the sun. They only worked creating wares for the colony and for the aliens; and now to my understanding, things for the accepted humans like Ben and Maddie. Reading a book in paper version, let alone a tablet, was a luxury no one had time for.

"I knew 'd find my bookmouse somewhere around here. Quietly tucking her head down in her tablet. You keep such a low profile one would wonder if you were the human." Gaelen teased as he plopped down next to me in the grass.

Oh god, his green eyes matched the vibrancy of the manicured lawn. His black curls teased his forehead falling over his eyes suggestively taunting me to reach out and slick them back for him.

"I have a quiz coming up in my biology class that I want to score above 70," I teased and glinted my eyes at him.

"I have that next semester," he grabbed my tablet and quickly swished his finger across the glass this way and that.

"Let's look at this schedule," he hummed and laid back on his free arm kicking his long legs in front as he read my schedule out. "Human and Y'vroi literature...interesting. Ancient human civilizations... that one you get to learn about the dinosaurs. Imergent Archaeology... My personal favorite."

I winced, that one I knew was Professor Windsors area of his sabbatical studying how humans ruined the earth and that class was also going on a field trip to the colony for spring break.

"Ahh this is interesting, you're taking sculpture. You might run into the human in that class." I gulped. "And of course The realm science." The class that we are in together, which was an intro course.

He peeked up at me and winked, "We have a few classes together."

"What does that mean, your 're going to try to copy my homework or something." I rolled my eyes.

"Well that is yet to be explored; given I am not sure you're bluffing about having not received a 70 score."

I just sat there baffled not knowing what to counter with.

"Give me that," I grabbed my tablet from Gaelen and slides bookmark onto the glass page of my textbook I was reading.

"You really are retro aren't you," he held up my spiral notebook and pen with my notes from the class.

"I retain information better if I write it down with my hand." I prayed that didn't come off as inferior human like. "I know terrible waste of natural resources. "

Gaelen just shrugged his shoulders and fell back into the grass to bask in the sunlight that bathed his dark black hair with color.

"So why are you studying Achaeology?"

Gaelen opened one emerald eye to peak at me and then closed his eyes again. A sly smile crept across his face.

"My father is a general too. He actually led the Eastern Front during Eclipse; so I am expected to be at Yale, but here I am at Harvard. A rebel without a cause."

I propped my head by teepeeing my elbows to my knees as I glanced over to Gaelen and then back to the grass.

"Why study military and war strategy? Right? When everything is done and over?" I shrugged my shoulders.

Gaelen laughed and just stared at me incredulously, "Are you sure you grew up in a military home, it's never over. Besides if I were studying military tactics I wouldn't be in class with a hot girl like you."

I blushed hoping to blame it on the hot as the sun. Gaelen sat up and swept my braids over my shoulder. When his fingers touched my skin, I felt like my stomach become a furry of beautiful butterflies begging to erupt.

I hadn't felt this way before. Maybe because I was so close to Gaalen and I hadn't been this close to another guy ever. In the colony, I had feelings before for other guys, but I was never able to get close. Many of the guys saw me as a friend, the girl that studied hard in class for no reason. Since whatever we'd learned was only so that we could complete our assigned work path. It had always bothered me. I was always the girl with crushes but never pursued.

Gallen leaned against me and tapped my head with my pencil, bringing me out of my reverie. I hummed and looked at him.

"I was just wondering what was going on inside in there," he chortled.

"I'm not dense you know?"

He arched an eyebrow and mouthed 70 silently followed by the most generous smile. "I never said you were."

I huffed, I have to be myself or else I was never going to get anywhere. And if I kept behaving strangely; he was going to figure out that I liked him. And I would be mortified or even worse begin to suspect that I was the human.

I pulled grass from the ground in frustration and tossed it playfully in front of me. Passed my hand quick-speed under the falling blades causing them to freeze in mid-air.

"This is my first time away from home. I know pretty human, right? But I miss my mom." I curled my fingers as if I were tapping on a keyboard in the air causing the blades of grass to move.

"It's not human."

Gaelen's hand touched mine, covering over it and it took my breath away. The grass blades began to twist and tie into stick figures that began to dance with each other, gliding magically through the air.

Gaelen whispered with guarded pain, "I've been away from my parents so much, I don't even remember what it was like to miss them."

"That's sad,"

"Nah, I handle it." Gaelen completely changed his sullen mood. "That's why I do what I do. They have no claim on me."

Claim. That stuck to me. That's how I felt about the aliens; that they claimed the humans lives. We lived in fear, our lives mapped out by what they said, did, and told us what we can and cannot do. But maybe they had also the same claims that they placed on each other.

"My parents said I could study whatever I want," I added shyly. "Does everyone have to do what their parents tell them to study."

"No, but you are lucky. Most leader kids become leaders." He sighed and dropped his hand from mine and the grass blade people dropped to their death. "I don't know what I think about the war to be honest."

My heart sped up, "What do you mean?"

"Well, I know it's kinda the survival of the dominant species and we are the dominant species, but I don't know why. I just think that eventually we will also be inutile one day, too."

"Do you think the humans will rise up?"

He snorted incredulously and rolled his eyes, "Have you even seen a human?"

I shrugged my shoulders and then smirked, "Maybe? Are you afraid of humans?"

Gaelen laughed throwing his head back in a roar. His jade color eyes filled with joy. "Bookmouse, I like you. You are so strange." He straightened his back. "No I haven't seen a living human that is, in a long time. And no I am not afraid of them. We are on top of the food chain, my dear."

"I have too, they are not scary, but I couldn't help but feel... I don't know something for them. That's why I am taking this course study."

Gaelen shrugged his shoulders and then laid down in the grass, shaking his dark hair smoothing it out. "Alright, little Mouse, tell me. According to Professor Windsor, the humans were near extinction already. Why should we really care? We could die with them or survive?"

I took a deep breath. I had heard this in my classes growing up as a kid. When I told my mother, she rebutted but told me to answer their answer correctly but know the truth. "Regardless, does that mean we finish off a species that is near extinction. I read in chapter 3 about the humans attempt to actually preserve dying species of animals that were near extinction because they had learned the errors of their ways."

Gaelen tilted his chin in thought and raised an eyebrow in acceptance. It was too easy a win, I knew what he was going to throw at me next was going to be harder. I didn't know if I could hold it together without seeming too passionate about humans to be an alien.

"I think the humans were misguided. They cared about the animals but not their own planet that housed the animals they wanted to attempt to preserve. Professor Windor also states in his book that the human understanding of the cosmos made it impossible for them to fully understand the balance of nature, living and dying."

"That may be. But shouldn't the intelligentsia rise up and help make rules and mandates to insure understanding by all - for equality."

"The intelligentsia did not have power like they do now. That is why the Earth is a better place, don't you think?" He sat up and then leaned into me. He lingered so close to me touching me. "You smell amazing. Like Earthy life is just bubbling."

With that, I shivered out my impassioned argument with a good nervous feeling.

"You are not like other girls. I can tell there is something about you. You are always so deep in thought. I like that. You definitely probably scored more than a 70, little Mouse."

"I am not going to tell you," I teased and smiled.

"Listen, after I come over - and don't think I haven't forgotten about reading day - why don't we go to this party off campus."

Date? Off campus? I wasn't even sure I was even allowed off campus. I didn't know what town or where campus was, what if I got lost off campus.

"Come on, you can't just study all the time. Its college, you've got to mingle, meet people. Have fun."

I took a heavy breath in surrender. He was right. "OK," as long as I didn't stray off of my dossier I should be fine, they said. "OK, ill go. Please just make sure I make it back to my dorm room OK."

"Great," he gleamed, "Its a date. And I will definitely make sure you make it back to your dorm safe." He grinned in a way that made my face flush, I couldn't believe what he was hinting to. And I secretly liked it.

*****

To My Dear Readers,

As always thank you for your feedback!! I am re-working this based on your experience and feedback reading it; so I would love to hear thoughts - you are all my Betas.

Thank you for reading.

Cheers and Happy Reading,

~Talyis.