Prologue
Miles
A shudder goes through me as I lean back in my seat, my arms going around my middle, like maybe if I hold myself tighter I won’t be so freaked out. My eyes go to the window, staring out as the place I once called home grows smaller and smaller. I’m in a fucking spaceship. How is this my life?
It turns out every sci-fi movie I’ve ever seen growing up proved catastrophically wrong when it comes to the whole ‘alien takeover’ thing.
Last year, when the Layperry’s leader, Ghenie, began speaking with the leaders of Earth, I was filled with disbelief. I couldn’t believe aliens were actually real. Unsurprising, our leaders panicked at first, but the aliens proved to be kind. They took their time explaining everything and broadcasting their intentions. They were offering us an opportunity I’d never even dreamed of hoping for.
The HLE, or the Human Layperry Exchange is an exchange program not unlike a college student studying abroad. A group of Layperry would come to Earth for three years and experience everything our world has to offer. At the same time, a group of humans would be doing the same. At the end of three years, each person would be allowed a choice; to stay and make a life, or go back to their home planet.
One night, after all of this was announced to the public, my best friend and I got drunk. We joked about the aliens and what it would be like to get an alien husband to take care of us. We’d seen them on the television and Christian had kept sighing like a school boy with a crush at the pretty one with long white hair. We’d come up with crazy ideas about how awesome it would be to live on their planet and eat their food. And through all the joking, we promised we’d do it together.
In our drunken stupor, we logged onto the website and filled out an application. We did it in stupid fun. It was supposed to be a joke, but somehow, Christian and I were both selected for the program. I’m eternally grateful to have my best friend by my side through all of this because I’m not sure I would have been able to do this without him.
Movement in the window catches my eyes and I turn in my seat to look out the window. I see a dozen other space crafts flying, filled with more humans. My eyes begin to prickle without my permission as I’m overwhelmed with everything that’s happening. It’s not that I’m not happy, because I am. I feel incredibly blessed to be picked for this program, to literally visit another planet and experience a culture like none I’ve ever seen before. But there’s also worry and uncertainty swirling around in my belly. So many what ifs.
Panic wells up in my chest and my throat becomes impossibly tight. I suddenly can’t breathe as I watch Earth become just a tiny speck in the sky surrounded by other dots of lights. Fuck. Fuck, I can’t do this, can I? Just leave my planet and live in a new one surrounded by a species I know nothing about? Fuck, how is this my life?
A warm hand touches my wrist and my eyes snap forward. I freeze, finding an alien squatting in front of me. He was one of the aliens helping everyone onto the ship. He’s tall, at least a foot taller than me which is remarkable as I’m 6 foot. He stares at me with his icy blue eyes. The hand on my wrist tightens and I watch as his antennae bounce slightly.
Then I hear a soothing voice in my own head. You’re okay. My eyes widen and he gives me a soft smile, his vampire-looking teeth poking out on either side. I know this is a lot to take in, but everything will be okay.
I nod my head slowly. He breathes in deeply and I copy the motion, sucking in a deep breath. He lets it out slowly and I do the same. Over and over we do that until my heart is steady and my nerves are calmed. I look down where his hand is on my own. The contrast between our skin tones, mine a pale peachy color and his a light blue, makes me smile and I don’t entirely know why.
He gives me one more squeeze before standing back up, going to the front of the spacecraft and talking with the other aliens like himself. I can’t help but watch, my eyes drawn to his broad shoulders and the way his leathery tail swings behind him. He speaks but I don’t understand the language, something guttural and deep with lots of T’s and L’s. The alien with him is deep, deep green color and in my delirious state, I wonder if we’ve been abducted by a rainbow species.
“You’re smiling like an idiot, Miles,” Christian whispers and my eyes snap away from the alien who’d helped me through my panic and back to my friend.
“Rainbow Aliens,” I tell him with a snort.
Christian rolls his eyes but that gets the tiniest smile out of him. I’ve picked up some facts about the Layperry people; like how they’re able to communicate mentally, or how they all share a connection with each other. Even so, I feel out of my depth around them. There’s so many things I don’t understand, so many things I still have to learn. But for now I sit back and close my eyes, the pull of sleep taking me under as we travel to our new home.
Chapter One
Miles - One Year Later
The sun is just rising over the tree line as I sip my coffee. Well, as close to coffee as I’ve been able to find on this planet. It’s more like a tea, made by steeping brown leaves in hot water. It has that dark, rich taste similar to coffee while also giving me the same caffeine my standard cup of coffee used to give me.
I sit back in my wooden chair, putting my feet up on my porch railing. I live on the outside of town, surrounded by tall trees, tall grass, and tall men. And Christian, of course. Like I could go anywhere without that asshole being close behind. Speaking of the devil, he just so happens to be leaving his house and walking across the field to mine. He’s holding his own cup of hot brown tea, the loving name we’ve called this particular drink, warming his hands as he walks.
Standing, I lean over the railing, leaning down to run my fingers over the tall grass. To this day it’s still a novelty to have such tall, beautiful green grass all around my home. My home back on Earth was filled with sidewalks and pavement and tiny houses all pressed together. Everything was manmade and grey. This place, this planet, it’s so filled with life. So much greener than I’m used to.
“Morning,” Christian grunts at me, stepping onto my deck and sitting in my chair. I turn around, leaning my back against the railing and giving him a warm smile. Christian’s not really what you would call a morning person. Well, he’s not really the chipper type no matter what time of day it is.
“And a good morning to you too, Christian,” I say with a wide smile just because I know it annoys him. What sort of best friend would I be if I didn’t annoy the piss out of him?
“No being sparkly until after the caffeine kicks in,” he mumbles, sipping at his drink, closing his eyes like maybe the brown tea is dripping right into his veins and making him come alive. Dramatic asshole.
I give him a moment of peace to apparently make love with his brown tea and turn back to the grass. I twirl it around my finger absentmindedly as I look out past the little slice of land I was given. I don’t think the thrill of owning a piece of land will ever grow old. At least I hope it never does. I’ve come to love this place and the thought of leaving when my three years is up is looking less and less appealing. I can’t imagine living anywhere else. Earth might be my home planet, but this place? This place is now my home.