~Jives~
When I saw her at the embassy, I almost considered jumping out the window. With the form that I have, and with how late at night it was, I could make it. But, there was that part of me that looked into her eyes, and I saw something I never saw in anyone else.
Trust. Acceptance. I felt those things when I looked at her, and that made me feel almost relieved to let her in. Of course, I was still scared for my life, hoping that she didn’t leave. I mean, I didn’t show emotions most of the time, and this was the first time I felt that maybe, just maybe, vulnerability could be shown. I sat there, and she was right there, looking at me. She told me that I could speak, and she said she’d help me shoulder the burdens.
“Well, what you saw back that… that night, that’s my true form,” I told her.
“How so?”
I then stood up, blushing slightly. I never did this. It’s such a human emotion. I always had my shit together, and yet here I was, feeling almost ashamed of what was going on.
“Well, I’ll show you again,” I said.
And then I did it. I morphed into the creepy, rock alien that I was. The one that was huge, and in my hands was the purple energy. It also surged through my body, illuminating it.
“So it’s true,” she said, awe present on her face.
“You’re not mad… right?”
“Not at all, Jives. I mean, I’m happy you’re telling me this. I honestly wanted to know the truth when I saw you that day, what you… really were. I was scared, yes, but you did save my life, and that means a lot to me, way more than the shame I would feel by seeing you like that,” she told me.
“Thanks. So you know now that I’m not like the rest of the men from Klanden. Well, there’s a story behind that,” I told her.
“What kind of story?” she asked.
“A terrible one. One that I’ve never told anyone,” I simply muttered.
The room got insanely quiet once more. She looked at me, and I hung my head.
“I’m sorry. This is just… it’s the first time I’ve ever told a human this, or anyone for that matter. I mean, ever since Remi took me in as one of his assistants, and then later on as his main advisor and right-hand man, I’ve shoved these memories away. I’ve never even told Remi about this, so it’s pretty important,” I said.
“Well, he doesn’t need to know everything. But I promise, you don’t scare me, and I’m not going to walk away from you,” she told me.
I listened to her, and for a human, she sounded pretty damn honest. I looked deep into her eyes, taking a deep breath before continuing with my story.
“I guess I should start this whole thing by describing what I am,” I told her.
“Yeah, you can tell me.”
“I’m not like the rest of the men from Klanden. Most men from Klanden are humanoid, with nothing more to them than their strength. But me, I’m a bastard child. My mom, she was a harlot, slept with anything and everything. It’s a wonder how she didn’t get pregnant sooner. I guess it was one of those strokes of good luck. You know how most women on Klanden are few and far between, and are generally ugly?” I asked her.
“Yeah, that’s why they go for human girls. For their beauty, and for the fact that they have brains, since most Klanden women lack all of that.”
“Well, my mother wasn’t a person from Klanden. She was a refugee, escaping another planet, and she hid on a cargo ship. Up until she met my father, she was a prostitute, sleeping with every single man that she could. Most of the men saw her as weak. She wasn’t smart, and she wasn’t bulky like the women of our land. She really wasn’t good for anything but sex,” I told her.
“Sheesh.”
“Yeah. Well, fast forward to before I was born. My father… was a mad scientist. He was one of the most intelligent men on Klanden, but he kept to himself as well. He was also partially Klanden too, which was why most of the men and women avoided him. Well, he found my mother, took her in, and they fell in love. It was the last man she ever slept with,” I explained.
“And then what?” she inquired.
“Well, my father wanted to pass on his genes to me, making sure I could turn into the… creature that he could. He has the same powers as me. I don’t really know what type of alien I am, but he passed this onto me, creating some sort of half-breed of a son. Of course, my mother, being the woman that she was, tried to sneak out, and then my father killed her,” I explained.
Immediately, her eyes widened. “Holy shit,” she said.
“It’s not a huge deal,” I simply replied.
“Yeah it is. Don’t be like that,” she muttered.
“My mother was a whore who slept with the first thing she could get her hands on. I know that she didn’t want to be with my father. Of course, she pretended she was in love, but when he caught her trying to leave, taking me with her, he pulled me away and threw her in a dungeon. I never saw her again,” I told her.
I could tell that Tracey was having a hard time believing this. I mean, I’d probably be in the same boat.
“My father then marked me. Said that I was his son. He forced me to do what he did, working on experiments. I was his guinea pig. I was forced to drink the concoctions that he made, even if I was vomiting for hours afterwards. He saw me as nothing more than an experiment, nothing more than a bastard child that he thought was a pawn to be used for his own good,” I told her.
“Jesus. Your father is terrible,” she said.
“I know. I hate speaking about this, because I don’t want people to feel sympathy. I hid the powers that I had. He knew that I had them and forced me to morph. There was one time when I couldn’t get back, and I cried in my room for three days. I wanted nothing more than to be normal Klanden man and not this… freak. So, I continued to live like this, in this shitty situation, to listen to my father like the good little son that I am, and I kept myself quiet,” I told her.
“Then what?”
I paused. What would she say when she heard this next part?
“My father kicked me out the moment I turned eighteen,” I told her with a sigh.
“What happened then?” she asked. She seemed so riveted in the story. I felt bad for unloading all of this onto her. I know that humans are very emotionally involved creatures, but this woman… she seemed almost like she was sympathizing with me. I didn’t want that.
“You don’t have to feel bad for me. I’ve grown up… I’ve gotten over it,” I told her.
“Jives, quit lying. I know you’re hurting. You feel bad, and you’re trying really hard to play the tough guy. Just let it out,” he said.
Those words hit me like a blow to the head, something that I was familiar with because of my father. I wanted to tell her she was an insolent fool for thinking that, that she didn’t need to feel bad for me, that this was just insane, but when I looked at her, I could tell she wasn’t lying when it came to her feelings.
She did feel bad, and that’s what made me sigh.
“You’re serious about staying. Fair enough. I’ll tell you the rest. When my father kicked me out, he made sure to keep me in that wretched form. I was lost, left to fend for myself for a long time. I needed something, anything, and I knew that I could never live a normal life. I was trapped in these woods, until Remi came along,” I told her.
“What did he do?”
“He saved my goddamn life, that’s what. Remi saw me one day, out with a few of the guys and his father, surveying some area for some new homes, and he saw me there. He thought that I was a monster, but his father, a kind and gentle soul, helped me. He gave me a potion, reverting me back to my original form,” I told her.
“Shit. Well, good for him,” she said.
“Indeed. But, it wasn’t all that easy after. I was indebted to the ruler of Klanden for his generosity. I agreed to work for them as a mere servant, and that’s what I did. I did menial work, mostly little bitch work that many people didn’t like to do. I was ridiculed for a while, but then Remi got to know me. We soon became friends, since I understood him. Albeit, Remi was much younger than me, he saw me as a sort of father figure after his father got embroiled in work. From there, when his father eventually passed and Remi became the ruler, he asked for me to stay by his side. That’s why I see him as almost like a son, because he took a chance on me. And…”
That’s when I felt it. It was this strange feeling. There was… water coming out of my eyes. Immediately, Tracey came over, wiping my eyes and looking at me. I haven’t done this in a long time. Ever since… back then.
“And what?”
“And that’s why I miss him a lot. I feel a bit lost without him. I never told him the full story, just said that I was just a creature that was tossed out. Which was the truth. I never saw my father or my mother again, and while I did try to research more on both, my father left, going to another planet. Some say he’s on the planet where Lavvy is, which could explain the creature that we saw there that night,” I explained.
“It was a creature from her land?” she asked.
“Yes. That was another point I was about to bring up. I knew that creature because I’ve seen it before. My father, he did experiments on those types of creatures. I don’t know how he managed to get them, but he had a lot of strange aliens. However, I feared that the creature we saw last night could spell impending problems for the humans. I fear that there is an invasion coming. I spoke with a few confidants about this, but not the president. I fear that this might spell out lots of problems for you,” I told her.
She nodded, sitting back and sighing.
“Well, I’m not here because of something that the human race is going through, I’m here for you,” she told me.
I laughed. “That’s quite a selfish notion,” I pointed out.
“Selfish or not, at least I’m fucking honest with my intent. I’m not here to ridicule you, Jives, nor am I here to make you feel bad. I just… I want the truth, you know,” she said.
“I know. Thank you for that,” I said to her.
“You’re welcome. And… I think there is something else that we must discuss as well,” she said with a sigh.
I looked at her. “What is it?”
She looked at me, and I knew that whatever she was about to say wasn’t about me, my past, or any of the political drivel. It was about us, our future, and what we meant to one another. Honestly, I wanted to talk to her about it too, since I felt like she’s the first person to understand, and who knows, maybe she does mean more to me than I realize.