by Robin Roseau
"Okay."
"So, we're going to get you an apartment near campus," Jasmine said. "It will have very high security."
"Why?"
"So you can keep your visor there," Bluebell said. "Actually, we're giving you a second one so you can keep one there, and one at home. Violet can help you get more out of it for studying."
"That doesn't seem fair to the other students."
"It's not a competition," Jasmine said. "It's about an education."
"We compete for grades."
"Do you worry how you do compared to the other students, or do you worry about learning the material and demonstrating your competence?"
"Both, but I see your point." I smiled. "Take the games off it before you give it to me."
Bluebell laughed. "I will."
Surprise
I heard the giggling about the same moment I felt the tentacles. Before I could even react, most of my body was wrapped in tentacles, and they held me tightly.
"Hey!" I complained.
They rolled me over, and I got a glimpse of Posey and Violet. My traitorous little sister was standing at the end of the bed, her hand over her mouth, the giggles escaping. Then Posey slipped a visor over my eyes, holding it in place while it activated. I got a view of slowly dancing colors, but that was all.
"What are you doing?"
"Kidnapping you," said Posey.
"Surprise!" said my sister.
"We wanted to kidnap both of you," said Violet. "But Audra has school."
"You could have kidnapped me," Audra said. "It looks like fun so far."
I struggled briefly, but of course, it did me no good. Audra giggled.
"Where are you taking me?"
"We actually had something else in mind," Violet said.
"But we couldn't get an emu."
I laughed. "So full of shit."
"Actually, we really did consider making a challenge. We know you're missing on that by going out with Violet," Posey explained.
"We considered locking you and Audra together and then hunting you together, or something."
"But we don't know the first thing about hunting, and we thought you might actually win," Posey said. "We can't have that."
"Of course not."
"We thought about taking you to the moon," Violet continued. "But frankly, it's boring. And the space station is too far for the time we have."
"We don't go to the space station unless we're willing to be gone at least a month," Posey said.
"Of course. Out to Saturn and back in anything less than a month is just a waste."
"Exactly," Posey agreed.
"So we're kidnapping you," said Violet. "And we're not giving you back until we get our ransom."
"What's the ransom?" I asked.
"Carmen has to agree to let Audra come visit for a while this summer."
"Yes!" said Audra, and I could hear her jumping up and down.
"You're not supposed to give in to their demands, Audra!" I said. "They're kidnappers." I squirmed.
"Oh. Sorry. Can't you just kidnap me, too?"
"We wanted to, Audra," said Violet. "But school is important."
"I'm glad you decided not to hunt Skye and me," Audra said.
"You wouldn't have liked that?"
"I think it would be more fun if Violet and Skye were locked together, and Posey and I were, and we could hunt each other. Or something like that."
"Oh, that would be fun," Posey said. "We'll do that sometime."
"You're not just saying that?"
"Nope. And you and I will kick their asses, too."
Audra giggled.
"Now, victim," said Violet. "We have to gag you. If you promise not to bite, we'll gag you one way." I felt a tentacle tip brush my lips. "Otherwise we'll find another way to gag you."
"You're not going to tell me where we're going?"
"And have Audra tell everyone? We'd have the cops after us immediately. Promise not to bite?"
"Um. I have to go to the bathroom."
"You do not."
"I'm human. The first thing any of us do in the morning is go to the bathroom."
"Is that true, Audra?" Posey asked. "Tell the truth or we won't kidnap you sometime."
"It's mostly true. I don't think she's lying."
"Mostly true?"
"Well, sometimes I check my email first. Then I go to the bathroom."
"Promise to let us kidnap you after we go to the bathroom, and we'll let you go."
"Promise," I said.
* * * *
They didn't let me see what I was doing. Instead, they carried me in and set me down. I had to do everything by feel. At least they didn't stay and watch. I opened the door and said, "I want to brush my teeth, too, but I need the right toothbrush."
Audra slipped past me and helped me with that, and then I stepped back out of the room, right into waiting tentacles.
"I promise not to bite."
They wrapped me tightly in tentacles, and then a tip slipped into my mouth.
"Hey!" complained Violet, and Posey laughed.
They carried me through the house. Audra hurried ahead. I got a kiss on the forehead. "Have fun. I wish they were taking me, too."
I waved my hand at her, and we squeezed hands.
They held me tightly for the next twenty minutes. We traveled by car, then they carried me somewhere else. I recognized the feel of one of the alien chairs, and they let the chair swallow me. That was when Posey withdrew her tentacles.
"This is in fun, Skye," Violet said.
"I know," I said.
She brushed my face for a minute then said, "It's about a five hour flight. I have something special for us to do while we're traveling."
"You're really not letting me out of the chair or telling me where we're going?"
"No and no," she said. "Posey is almost ready, and I still have to get into my chair. So I have to finish sealing you in."
"I love you, Violet," I said.
"I love you, too, Skye."
She sealed the chair the rest of the way. I lay there, staring at the pretty colors. A few minutes later, the chair adjusted. I felt it closing more tightly around me, holding me securely, then the screen dimmed.
There were more changes, then slowly I could see.
Violet was watching me. I smiled.
"Here are the rules," she said, speaking Catseye. "You may only speak Catseye. Do you understand?"
"Yes," I said in Catseye.
"You'll be able to move around. You don't have full control over what happens, but you have partial control. The computers will automate some of our interactions, and Posey can also become involved. She may join us, or she may decide to help you."
"Help me, what?"
"You should be able to look around. You can't actually move very much, but you can try to move, and the chair recognizes your attempts. Look down."
I did, and I saw tentacles wrapped around me. As I looked, they unwrapped. I began to smile. "You made me a Catseye!"
"I've been working on this," she said. "I know Mom gave you a taste during your medical exam. This isn't perfect, but it can do more."
"Oh, Violet!"
"But I turned down some of the sensations. Your brain isn't wired to accept so many. You'll be doing this longer than you did during your exam, and you'd be too overwhelmed otherwise."
"I'll still be able to feel and to taste?"
"Yes, but it will be muted. Now, your body is going to react a little as if you're a puppet, hanging from strings. Here, I'll show you." She reached for me and pulled me into a sitting position, then to my feet. I didn't have to help. I just went. "Now, if you try to make motions with your real legs and feet, this body will do its best to mimic what you're trying to do. But you won't fall."
So I moved my legs and when I looked down, the simulated legs moved, but I didn't wobble at all.
"If you want to walk, you need to look where you want to go and thrust your chin out. The
computer will move you. Try to follow me."
So I looked at her, and as she backed away, I stuck my chin out. I lurched forward, almost bumping into her.
"Smaller," she said.
It took a few minutes, but I got the hang of it. I felt a little like a ghost, floating around instead of walking. Still, I could do it.
"This is so weird."
"I know. Now, I programmed the tentacles so they mirror your arms, except for some specific things. For instance, if I step forward and hug you-"
She did just that, and without any prompting on my part, I wrapped around her, arms and tentacles alike.
And I could feel her, just like I had the day with Bluebell. One tentacle wrapped across her face, and one wrapped across mine. We both kissed. She slipped a tentacle into my mouth, and I could feel it. And I could feel as my tentacle slipped into hers.
We held each other that way for a long time, and I was long trembling from sensory and emotional overload.
My tentacles were snuffling.
Slowly she released me. "The chair monitors your vital signs," she said, "and turns them into Catseye equivalent here. I take it you're a little excited."
"So many sensations," I said. "So many emotions."
Then the scene changed from a boring room to a forest, an alien forest. "Our home world," she said. "I don't really remember it." She stepped to my side. We wrapped tentacles across each other's backs.
We then just walked, talking quietly. We walked, and it was magical.
At one point, I stopped us, turning her to me. "Violet, is Posey listening?"
She paused a moment, then said, "No."
"I want to talk to you about something. Audra. I think she has... I don't know the word. I have to use English. I think she has a crush on Posey."
"Skye, it's more than a crush."
"I know. I don't want Posey to encourage it."
"Why not?"
"Well, she can't possibly feel the same way, but if Posey encourages it, Audra will be hurt."
"I want to ask questions. I need you to answer without wondering why I am asking."
"All right."
"Do you trust me?" I nodded. "Bluebell and Jasmine?" I nodded again. "Posey." Another nod. "If Posey felt the same way, would we be having this conversation?"
"Yes. Audra is barely sixteen. She's not old enough."
"Humans in some countries marry much earlier than sixteen."
"Are you suggesting that a human of sixteen is mature enough to make such a commitment?"
"Audra is very mature."
"She's very mature for sixteen."
"But she's old enough to date. Are we agreed?"
"Yes, but she should date girls her own age."
"Exactly her age? What if the girl were a year older?"
"Posey is ten years older."
"A year older would be all right?"
"Yes."
"Two years?"
"Still in high school," I said. "Not yet in college."
"Why that distinction?"
"Do you have any idea how much I matured in the last year?"
She smiled. "Yes, I think I do. So it's not age. It's maturity."
"Yes."
"So, once Audra is in college, then what?"
"Then Posey is still ten years older."
"How old? Still in college?"
I thought about it. "Yes."
"What if she was one of those people who attended college early? She might only be twenty-one."
"That's not what we're talking about."
"What if?"
"Fine. There are no hard and fast rules. But when one of the people is significantly more mature than the other, that leaves an imbalance."
"I am significantly more mature than you are, Skye. Are you breaking up with me?"
"No! Don't ask that."
"And so?"
I sighed. "Y'all have already figured out what you're going to do about this."
"Yes. Posey is going to continue to treat Audra the way she has, as a dear friend. That's exactly what she is, after all. We aren't going to encourage the infatuation, but we're not going to discourage it, either. However, we're also going to find opportunities to introduce her to other people."
"Other Catseye?"
"And maybe some of the other species, but only people we trust would treat her the way she deserves."
I didn't say anything.
"If the wrong people sniff around her, Posey can use that infatuation to draw Audra to safety."
"Shouldn't Posey be looking for her own mate?"
"Posey has a plan for her life, and she's following it. Right now, she is happy. You need to let us worry about this."
"She's my little sister."
"Yes, but if her Testing results were officially registered, she'd belong to Jasmine Brighteyes. And Jasmine doesn't want her yet."
"Yet?"
"Jasmine can't protect her except by keeping her under wraps. We're keeping her under wraps."
"Yet? Jasmine wants her eventually?"
"Years from now, if she doesn't meet someone first. Skye, think about the circles you're operating in. Do you really think we won't take care of your sister?"
That's what she had to say to make me feel better. "You're right. I just had to talk it out. Thank you, Violet."
"Of course. Skye, my entire family loves you. I don't use that word casually. I do mean love, not like a whole lot."
I smiled. "I love them, too."
"We're fond of your mother. She's a good woman, and it is clear she works very hard. It is also clear she's been a good mother."
"The best," I said quietly.
"We're also growing to love -- and again, I don't use that word casually -- Audra. She isn't just like you, but she is a lot like you. The things that make you so easy to love also make her easy to love. We don't get to know humans the way we're getting to know your family, so this is very precious to us."
"It's precious to us, too. I think even for Mom."
"I think so, too. So, you'll let us manage this."
"Yes."
"Good." She grinned. We hugged, which hadn't grown any less intense. And then we continued our walk.
We reached a village. In many ways, it could have been a quiet little village on Earth, although there was no mistaking the alien nature at the same time. The homes were functional and void of artistic touches. The houses had space around them -- quite a bit of space. And they didn't have mowed lawns like human homes would have. Instead, there were taller grasses and other vegetation. But there were no gardens. It was all as if nature had designed the yards. I liked it though.
"This is the village where I was born," Violet said. We turned. "This is where we lived before we came here."
She gave me a tour of the house. It wasn't grand or lavish. "I would have expected something, I don't know. Bigger."
"Bigger is wasteful," she said. "This is big enough for a Catseye family. Nearly all our families are two children, so our houses tend towards uniformity. Some households are extended, and they can be much bigger. And of course, children eventually move out, so the parents may move into another house, or they may not."
"I understand."
She showed me the entire house, coming to her room last. "This was mine." She pulled me in, and I looked around.
"Where was Posey's?"
"Posey wasn't born here. She is a little younger than I am."
"Oh."
Violet pulled me into a hug again, complete with tentacles.
"There's one more thing I want to do," she whispered.
"Oh?"
"Yes." Then she began pushing me backwards. I came to the back of the bed, and she pushed me onto it.
Then, from one moment to the next, neither of us was wearing clothes. She climbed on top of me, and my body went into automatic as directed by the computer. I was along for the ride, but I didn't mind.
We began stroking each other, and I could feel everything.
"I'm turning up your sensitivity, just a little," she said. And I could tell. The touches became more intense.
And soon, my tentacles were snuffling loudly; so were hers. We were touching, touching everywhere. My mouth was filled with tentacles, although hers was not, and I remembered that could be a dominant thing.
She moved over me, and our centers touched. I could feel it. I could feel her. And I could feel myself, my body reacting to what she was doing, even if I was really sitting in this chair, experiencing a simulation.
She teased me that way for a while, and then she pressed deeper, and I felt something enter me, not far, not far at all, and then a wetness.
And my body drew the wetness in, sucking it deeper, and I exploded with pleasure.
* * * *
The rest of the world disappeared long before I came back to my senses. Violet was holding me, crooning lightly. I was back to human; my tentacles were gone, and I had human vision again.
"That was... I don't have words."
"That is what will happen when we create our first child, Skye. Our daughters will be Catseye, although they will carry much of your DNA, the parts that are compatible. To a Catseye, our daughters will appear quite exotic."
"Did I have an orgasm in this chair?"
She laughed. "Yes. Yes, you did."
"Oh god."
She laughed again. "And Posey knows I was going to do this."
"Oh god," I said again. "I think I'm going to die of embarrassment."
"I understand humans feel that way, but I don't understand."
"Neither do I," I admitted. "I'll try not to worry about it."
"Good. We are about to land. It is quite pleasant outside, much nicer than if I'd taken you to Boston. We have clothing for you."
"Where are we?"
"You'll see. I'm going to keep you blinded with the visor until I'm ready to show you."
"Okay."
She caressed my face and then her image morphed into the swirling colors.
She left me in the chair for a while. It was impossible to judge time, but I relaxed, still feeling the glow from what she had done to me. It gave me time to reflect on how much my life had changed over the last year and a half.
I still couldn't believe the changes, such extreme changes. I wasn't sure when I'd catch up, emotionally, to everything that had happened and was continuing to happen, but I was sure it wouldn't be soon.