Alien Scrooge: Holiday Starrs

by Zara Zenia

  "I've only really been able to get one long exposure shot a day, but they came out so wonderfully that it was worth it." She took out the three collections of the sunlight and laid them down, feeling anxious. "I got one with the sunset and the moon coming up, then a midday one of the sun, and this treeline shot from the other morning." She sat and watched her parents look at her shots, but the nervous energy wouldn't dissipate.

  "Honestly, I'm probably gonna make something with these because they turned out just how I imagined them, especially the sunset with the frosty ocean under it."

  Her mother stared at her as she sat, bouncing in her chair. "They are absolutely gorgeous, honey," she reached out and touched Cara's hand, "but what's going on with you?"

  Cara's face flushed instantly. "What do you mean?"

  Her mother's eyes grew big all of a sudden, and she moved both of her hands to grip tightly to her daughter's. "Did you meet someone?"

  Cara sighed, the look on her face transforming instantly to exhaustion. "How did you know?" she whined.

  "Cara, I don't know how you are with anyone else, but you can never lie to me. I always know, and you're never convincing even when you think you are." She giggled at Cara's exasperated expression before wrapping her arms around her and giving her a squeeze. "So, who is he?"

  They had both forgotten her father, who stared at them with his mouth agape, completely confused about what was happening.

  Cara took a deep breath now that she'd been found out and looked at her mom, smiling slightly. "I have some pictures."

  Her mom laughed again, over the moon for her daughter. "Of course you do. Can I see them?"

  Cara nodded and hurried back to her room again and grabbed the ones she knew she could show them

  As she started back down the stairs, she could hear her parents speaking, so she paused.

  "Dennis, close your mouth, dear."

  "What's going on, I'm completely lost." Her dad's voice held a note of confusion.

  "Cara's met a guy, that's why she's been going out so much since she came home. She's going to show us some pictures of him."

  Cara noticed her mom patting his shoulder gingerly as he took in the information that had apparently been sailing over his head. His face grew stern at the suggestion of another boyfriend in her life. He had never been fond of her previous boyfriends. So she assumed he was recalling Oscar, her last failure as a boyfriend and she cringed. But Egrix was nothing like Oscar or any of her previous boyfriends.

  She almost missed her mom cocking a brow at him and saying, "You had better be nice about it, Cara deserves this."

  "I'll be nice to her, Bonbon, but the boy will have to make a good impression first. I don't want her going through what she did the last time again."

  Cara decided it was time to make an appearance, so she came back down the hall, looking sheepishly at the photos in her hands. They were all of the shots she'd taken of Egrix on their beach date, in his human form. She set them gingerly on the table and sat down, sliding them toward her mom.

  Her mother shuffled through the photos with her dad peering over her shoulder and frowning deeply.

  "Cara," her mother's voice was laced with excitement, "he's cute!"

  "Yeah." Cara smiled at her mom. "We met at the beach a couple of days ago. I really like him. He asked me out today, that's why I was late."

  Her mom set the photos down and threw her arms around her again, hugging her as she let out a small squeal. "I'm so happy for you, darling. Can we meet him before you go home?" She leaned back lovingly holding her daughter's shoulders as she looked at her face. "You should invite him to dinner for Christmas Eve."

  "I'll see if he's available." Cara was a little wary of asking seeing as Egrix was an alien, but she smiled.

  Her dad seemed to be listening to them with disbelief, his frown hanging on his face and his arms crossed over his chest, pouting at the two women gushing over a boy right in front of him, but he didn't say anything, thankfully.

  Cara slept deeply that night, her mind taking her back to Egrix. She dreamed of sitting in the ocean water with him, letting the waves pass over them as the tide drew in and out. The world sparkled and she couldn't help but smile until her cheeks hurt.

  10

  In the morning she shared breakfast with her parents as usual. Her mother talked animatedly about Egrix, asking countless questions throughout the morning. Cara did her best not to reveal anything that might give away that he was an alien, enjoying listening to her mom gush about someone she'd grown to care about deeply. Her father seemed dejected as he slunk from room to room after being the first to finish his meal. Still Cara noticed him eavesdropping curiously on her conversation. He always did this when Cara met someone, acting as if he thought she would abandon him. Her father and mother were very affectionate and they both genuinely wanted the best, happiest life for her.

  After eating, talking, and cleaning up, Cara looked through the house for her dad and found him, not surprisingly, poking his head around the living room door frame to try to spy on her mother in the dining room.

  "Dad," she commented, announcing her presence quietly, but still causing him to leap in surprise.

  He turned around, looking like a kid who'd been caught stealing candy. Cara giggled, smiling widely at him before walking over and giving him a hug. The look of melancholy he'd been wearing all morning disappeared, breaking almost instantly into a smile as he hugged her back.

  "I love you, Dad," she said, looking up at him, "and I promise I'll be careful. Maybe we can go out to the telescope tonight, just you and me."

  His eyes sparkled in response to her reassuring words, but he stayed silent, simply pulling her back into the hug and giving her a big squeeze.

  Cara took her morning shower before investigating the contents of her suitcase, yet again. In one corner of her suitcase she found her favorite blue dress. Even though it was chilly in mid-December, she was excited at the idea of dressing up to see Egrix. She picked the dress up, holding it up to herself as she looked in the mirror. Before pulling the sea blue outfit over her head. The long sleeves and heart shaped neck hugged tightly to her curves, while the pleated skirt added a little poof around her hips. She couldn't help but to do a little spin for her reflection before digging and finding a pair of knee high white socks to help her stay warm in the beach breeze. She also pulled out her small collection of makeup. With a few touches of mascara and a light blushed placed on her cheeks, she smiled at herself in the mirror glass.

  "I hope he likes it."

  She slid her glasses on, leaving her hair in loose waves that fell down her back. With her knee-high boots on her feet and her camera bag at the ready, she left her room feeling excited to spend her first full day with her boyfriend.

  The car ride seemed to take forever, and she nearly sprinted down the water's edge to the cave. Egrix was already waiting for her just inside of the cave, a huge smile spreading across his golden cheeks as she dove into his arms.

  "Hello, alien boyfriend," she announced, making him laugh at her cute greeting before he led her back to his pod and away from any prying eyes.

  Egrix could hardly take his gaze off Cara as they walked through the cave. Her hair, which was usually tightly wound in a braid, brushed loosely against the arm he had around her waist. Her deep blue dress made the blue in her eyes as intense as the clear daytime sky, and repeatedly drew his eyes to her curvy figure. He would have been pleased to just sit and look at her all day.

  She cleared her throat, looking shyly at him before nodding in the direction of his home where they had stopped.

  "Oh yeah," he said, realizing how entranced he'd been. He waved his hand and let the door slide up. To his surprise, Cara pulled away from him and hurried inside, before beckoning for him to follow her. She moved away from the table that they had shared yesterday, and instead sat on the couch in front of Egrix's large television.

  "What are we doing today?" Her sweet voice floated through
the air.

  "I don't know," he said honestly, "I don't really feel like working."

  Cara nodded, looking down at her hands when she replied, "I'm not really ready to have sex yet, but I know it's important in your culture—"

  Egrix stopped her with a hand placed over her fiddling fingers "No, of course not. I didn't expect to. Don't push yourself." He moved closer to her, wrapping one arm around her and pulling her head to his shoulder. "This is enough for me."

  A small charming giggle escaped from her sweet lips and she wrapped both of her arms around him and nuzzling his arm.

  "Do you want to watch a movie or play some games so we can just sit like this all day?"

  "That sounds perfect." Cara's eyes traced over him, lighting up just like her smile. "Can I ask you something first though?"

  Egrix nodded, curious to know what she was going to ask, because she seemed hesitant.

  "It's about Christmas, so I understand if you say no," she warned. "My parents found out about our relationship last night and invited you to our Christmas Eve dinner." She winced and bit her lip, peeking out at him from squinted eyes to, he supposed, gauge his reaction.

  He hesitated, unsure of what she may have told them. "Your parents found out about us?"

  She sighed. "Yeah, I suck at lying to my mom. She sees right through me every time. She flat out asked me if I'd met someone and instantly knew the answer the moment I tried to deny it. I showed her the pictures of your human form though, so she doesn't suspect that you're an alien." She looked up at him. "I'm sorry. I know it's not fair for me to out you like that."

  "No, that's okay. As long as they don't know where I am or my real identity there isn't too much risk of harm. However," he paused, knowing she would be disappointed, but he couldn't bring himself to accept her invitation, "I don't want to go to your party. I would rather just stay here and ignore Christmas altogether."

  "I kind of figured." Her lips turned down a fraction and her eyes looked sad. "Then, just to let you know, I won't be able to visit next week." Cara insisted earnestly, "I did come here to spend time with my family after all, and I love Christmas."

  Egrix was suddenly disappointed at that realization.

  "Yeah, I understand." He rested the side of his head on Cara's. "I'll miss you though."

  Cara smiled sadly at him. "The offer still stands, if you decide to change your mind." Her voice was soft and held a hint of disappointment. Then she shook her head and put a brighter smile on her face, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Hey, what video games do you have?" she asked, changing the subject.

  The two of them set to investigate Egrix's collection to find something they could do together for the day.

  11

  After hours of watching movies and playing games, Cara finally concluded she needed to leave. They had sat tangled up in each other all day, and it was taking a lot for them to convince themselves to separate now. Egrix held Cara in his lap with his arms wrapped around her. She held his face in her hands, looking into his eyes and the two shared a soft, sweet kiss. The feeling of each other's lips lingered as they pulled away, but Egrix respected Cara's desire to get home and lifted up until they were both standing. He walked her to the door, but she insisted that he not walk her all the way out of the cave just to avoid him potentially deciding to go all the way home with her. This made both of them laugh and he kissed her once more, just before the door closed, dividing the two on either side of the pod's wall.

  Egrix watched Cara walk away in the cute bright blue dress she had worn that day. As soon as he had let himself realize them, his feelings for her had completely taken over. She had been all he could think about the night before and he was sure the same would be true for that night. Egrix turned away from the door long after Cara had disappeared from view.

  He picked up the games, dvds, and controllers they had used during the day and meticulously put them away. Despite him saying he didn't feel like working, Egrix remembered that Cara had still tried to talk to him about the video game and movie industries and portrayals of the Earth market in the media. Since he'd met her, he really did feel that she must have been the most considerate person he'd ever met, and every day she proved it more.

  Egrix sat down on the couch, still slightly warm after he and Cara's hours of cuddling. He had to report to base at some point that evening using the notes on his findings so he could request further supplies and answer any questions the board may have on the planet exploration. He sighed heavily before pushing himself off the couch and moving to his Earth desktop computer. He had taken to turning on a podcast, movie, or video to play while he worked, allowing him to gain information through multiple outlets at once. In this search, he'd managed to find a reliable podcast that discussed market trends and how to understand them within North American culture. After getting the show playing, he began digging through the many stacks of paper he had around the room, opening a filing cabinet drawer to sort the notes into the rudimentary category system he had worked out thus far.

  As he worked, his thoughts drifted to the ocean side a few days ago when Cara had introduced him to the salty water. After a short period lost in thought he found himself humming subconsciously, and when he came back to his body he found, to his disdain, that the podcast was playing Christmas carols. He groaned, annoyed to have given in to the catchy, jingle bell oriented, nuisance music. He took long strides across the room to turn off the distracting noise.

  Cara's request returned to his mind and a pang of guilt hit him. He didn't have a good reason not to go with her to dinner. He wouldn't mind meeting her parents, but something about doing it on this holiday made him feel aggravated. Could he get past that? He wasn't sure, but Cara mentioning not being able to see him had nearly been enough incentive. His heart ached at the thought of not being around her and a wave of loneliness spilled into the room around him. He would think about it, he decided, but he just wasn't sure yet.

  After a few hours of organizing and formatting the new information he'd collected he stood around waiting for a phone call. He was proud of how much more he and Cara had been able to find together than he had found alone for the half year he had been here. For some reason he felt anxious this time, as if he would let Cara down if he didn't do well. He wasn't used to caring about the reports, and he paced the pod tirelessly. When he finally heard the familiar tones of a call, he raced across the pod and bounded into his office chair, spinning around just in time for the hologram of the Spacing Guild's conference room to appear.

  His eyes scanned down the long table of empty chairs to the opposite end where a singular figure sat, his hands clasped together in front of his mouth, barely concealing his pleased grin.

  "Hello, Egrix."

  "Hello, Nornax," Egrix spit back, coldly. "I have my report ready, so let's get this over with quickly."

  "Hold on, what's the rush? I want to know how Earth's treating you, hmm? Tell me all about life on that lovely, backwater planet you're assigned to."

  This was the alien responsible for his current assignment; the man who'd used his power to send Egrix far away to a planet he didn't want to be on because of his betrayal. There was such disdain and pleasure laced in his voice, and Egrix felt a bubble of rage growing in him, but as quickly as it came it dissipated completely. Egrix had hurt the man who looked at him from lightyears away. His actions, his affair, had damaged Nornax's relationship with him and his life partner. Even after months of Earth time had passed with him universes away, the pain apparently still lingered for his superior. He didn't have a reason anymore to be angry, and he definitely had no cause to be smug.

  "Nornax, I've actually gotten a lot out of my time here on Earth. I've had a lot of time to think and I've learned to question myself. When I came here, I was only angry. I wasn't thinking about the Guild or anyone else, and I wasn't taking any responsibility in the reason I am here." Egrix stared earnestly at the holographic man across from him, finally realizing something important that he
needed to tell his mentor now. "I was wrong; I did something wrong. I wish I had admitted it before, or, no actually, I wish I could just go back and not do it at all. The best thing I can do now is to accept these consequences and learn from them and apologize to you."

  Nornax sat across from him with his mouth agape and his green eyes wide.

  "The simple fact is that you didn't deserve what I did to you, and I have no excuse. I am as deeply sorry as I can be for the damage I've done. I only wish I could do more than apologize—"

  Nornax's face turned bright yellow as he pushed himself up from his chair with so much force it tipped over, clattering loudly on the ground. "You think I'll accept that? A weak apology from a weak man? I don't care if you've learned from it or if you're sorry. I don't care if you never do it again or if you do it a hundred times over. I just want you to suffer," he shouted across the table.

  Egrix looked back, accepting his anger. The two regarded each other for a moment, Nornax with a deep penetrating hatred, and Egrix with a calm understanding.

  "I won't be accepting your report today. Someone else from the Guild will be in contact with you later. Goodbye, Egrix."

  Egrix nodded in reply. "Goodbye."

  12

  Egrix woke in the morning to Cara's soft knocking, like a gentle, rhythmic alarm clock he had come to rely on. He'd slept way longer than he intended, but he felt entirely refreshed. He glided across the floor, pulling on a pair of boxers as he went, and opened the door for his love. She gave him a big, toothy grin as soon as she saw him until she noticed him not wearing anything but a pair of human boxer shorts and took a step back. She bit her lip, a flush glowing crimson across her cheeks. Egrix laughed at her reaction, reaching a hand out and caressing her cheek.

  "I'm sorry, should I put on some more clothes."