Worlds Apart

Jamie nodded, he didn't think it was cool, but she was happy and he didn't want to burst her bubble by being negative. She wouldn't be gone too long, in any case, she had schoolwork too and she was at the top of her class in exobiology and exolinguistics. She was practically cheating with her intimate knowledge of their language, gleaned from sessions with her parents. She was shaping up to be a diplomat like her father.

"I just hope they don't plan to marry me off to some damned ladder-climbing socialite," she laughed, putting down her wing and poising to imitate her mother's voice. "Oh Lizka, you must start thinking about your social standing! How will you find a strong mate to give you a litter if you're at the bottom of the hierarchy?" She chuckled at her own joke, and turned her attention back to her food. "I swear, my parents act like our culture is beyond reproach, but sometimes they behave like...like some pack of wild dogs." She noticed that Jamie was grimacing, and tapped his leg with her dexterous tail. "I'm only joking, Jamie. I've read about how Borealans court and that's just...not for me."

She finished off her food, then waited patiently for Jamie to drink his float, making idle small talk before they paid their bill and headed out.

Liz's father opened the front door to their house as he saw the pair walking up their paved driveway. The dwelling had been specially constructed for the ambassador and his family by the UN, in order for him to live comfortably near enough to the embassy to be able to commute. It was a strange amalgam of human and alien architecture. The front that faced the street was of the same rectangular, prefab design as the other houses on the block, but it had a domed roof and was somewhat larger than average. It was only upon walking up to the porch that you realized the door was almost nine feet tall and twice as wide as a standard one. If one was to look at the structure from an angle that showed the back of the house leading into the garden, they would see arches made to mimic stone and a windowless face.

"Greetings, James," her father boomed in his strange accent, his baritone voice almost deep enough to make Jamie's teeth vibrate. He was so tall and broad-shouldered that he completely filled the doorway, and was wearing clothing in the style of his homeworld. He sported a long open-necked tunic made from blue, floaty fabric and shorts that ended at his knees, all embroidered with fine threads of gold and red wound into decorative patterns. He was the same color as his daughter, sandy blonde like a lion with caramel skin, and a mane of long hair to match. His wife was paler, with orange hair like a tiger, though she didn't seem to be home right now.

Jamie didn't plan to stay, and so returned the greeting then waved goodbye to Liz, setting off back to his own house. It was fairly out of his way to walk Liz home every day, but he knew that she appreciated it, and he enjoyed her company.

CHAPTER 2: SEPARATION ANXIETY

Jamie raced around the oval running track that ringed the school sports field, his sneakers kicking up dust as they pounded the ground. The weather was becoming cooler as winter approached, but he was dressed in his mesh shorts and vest regardless, if he got too cold he would just run faster.

As he rounded the turn he saw a figure sitting alone on the bleachers, cradling a book bag. It took him a moment to recognize her due to her pink beanie hat, but it was Liz. Curious, he hadn't seen her around school today, not since he had walked her home the previous afternoon in fact.

He turned towards her, panting as he climbed the steps and sat heavily beside her on the bench. He was pouring with sweat, and he wiped his brow on the back of his arm as he caught his breath.

"Hey Liz, not seen you around today, what's up?" She didn't reply, her mittens were clutched around her bang and her face was partially buried in it, this wasn't like her at all. He put his hand on her shoulder and nudged her. "Hey, Liz, are you ok? Did something happen?"

She turned her head to look up at him, her eyes were red and puffy, her cheeks were stained with tears. She looked just like she had on the day he had met her, frightened and upset. She dropped her bag, letting the flap fly open, her beloved textbooks spilling free. Sheets of paper fluttered on the cold breeze as she lunged at him, wrapping her arms around him and pushing her face into his chest, his shirt muffling her miserable wail. He put one arm around her back, and the second around her head, holding her as she cried it out. She sobbed, her chest heaving as he cradled her, he waited a minute for her to tire herself before he asked her any questions.

"What on Earth is wrong Liz? Has someone been giving you a hard time?"

"N-no," she replied, sniffing loudly, her staggered breath choking her voice. "Oh Jamie, we're going to Borealis..."

"Isn't that what you wanted," he asked, perplexed. "I thought you were excited to visit?"

"We're not visiting," she wailed, fat tears starting to pour down her round face again. "My parents are moving back and I have to go with them."

It was like a knife to Jamie's heart, his blood went cold as he held his distraught friend.

"You're not...coming back?"

"My Dad is done here, they don't have a reason to stay now that his employment period with the UN has ended, and they want to take me...home," she spat the last word like an insult, and Jamie understood how she felt. Earth was home to her, not some alien planet she had never been to. "They say I'm too young to stay here on my own, and that I need to 'learn to be a proper Borealan', like there's something wrong with how I act right now."

Jamie felt tears welling in his own eyes and did his best to fight them back, it wouldn't make Liz feel any better if he started crying too. He patted her back through her heavy winter coat, trying to calm her down.

"Don't they understand that you're happy here? You have friends, you're doing well in school, don't they care about any of that?" She shook her head, her long, sandy hair falling from beneath her hat.

"They only care about their stupid culture, I don't care about packs and status, I just...I just want to stay here, with you."

"When do you have to leave?"

"Three days," Liz replied, her lower lip trembling. Damn, they had really sprung this on her suddenly, perhaps they had anticipated her reaction. Jamie wasn't the kind of person who judged foreign cultures without understanding them, but it seemed harsh by any standard of measurement.

"Maybe I can talk some sense into them, try to change their minds, help them see things from a more human perspective?"

"No," she stated emphatically, placing a gloved hand on his chest. "My reaction made Dad angry enough, he won't listen to reason. I doubt he'd even want me seeing you at this point."

Jamie wracked his brain, there must be something that he could do to stop this, should they run away together? No, that was a ridiculous proposition, they didn't have enough money to live on and hiding the Borealan girl would be downright impossible.

"It's all been planned and decided already," she continued, "they didn't even ask my opinion." She seemed as angry as she was upset now, her green eyes afire. Her expression softened as she leaned against Jamie again, and he held her tightly in his arms, the cool air starting to chill the layer of sweat that coated his skin.

"We'll fix this, it'll be ok," he whispered, as Liz rubbed her nose with her sleeve and clung to him as if he might somehow disappear. He didn't really believe those words, but he was trying to comfort himself as much as Liz.

It was futile, he had tried to contact her parents over vidphone a dozen times, they had blocked his number and wouldn't take his calls. He had walked over to their house and hammered on the door, he knew they were home, but they wouldn't see him no matter how much of a racket he made. There was no word from Liz, had they confined her to her bedroom? Confiscated her cellphone? He returned home angry and frustrated. Would they not even let her make the most of the few days she had left?

He had spent his whole life looking out for Liz, protecting her, whenever she was upset or angry or unsure she came to him for comfort. Now it was like there was a force field between them, a barrier holding them apart that he couldn't breach no matter how mad he got, he couldn't solve this problem with his fists.

Another day passed with no sign of Liz, Jamie didn't go to any of his classes, he just loitered around the campus feeling miserable and impotent. If she was going to show up, it would be here. Eventually night fell, and he decided to make his way home, walking along the route he and Liz took together every day. He considered stopping at the diner and getting a float, but he didn't have the heart. The streets were empty of pedestrians and the road was almost clear, the rush hour traffic flow having long since diminished to a trickle of stray vehicles. He kicked through the now damp and rotting leaves, the eerie, yellow glow of the streetlamps now the only source of illumination as dusk crept over the city. As he rounded a corner he saw a figure standing in the pool of light cast by one of the dull lamps, leaning against a wall. It took him a moment to recognize her, the color of her pink hat bleached by the light.

"Liz?"

She covered the distance between them like a bolt of lightning, leaping into his arms with enough force to knock the wind out of him. After he got over the surprise, he returned the embrace, wrapping his arms around her.

"I knew you'd come this way, Jamie."

"You weren't at school today, where have you been?" She looked up at him from beneath her hat, her emerald eyes reflecting what little light was available like those of a cat, making it seem as if they were glowing in the twilight.

"My parents wouldn't let me leave the house, they're really angry about how I've been acting." She smirked for a moment, then buried her face in his chest, he could feel her warm breath through his jacket as it contrasted with the cold air. "I guess I had a bit of a meltdown and trashed the place. They just...they don't understand and they refuse to see things from my perspective. They're so set in their ways. Anyway, I snuck out to come meet you on your way back from school."

"I'm glad I got to see you again, Liz."

"I'm not going back tonight, I can't get in any more trouble than I already am. Will you stay up with me until they figure out I'm missing?" Jamie nodded, straightening her beanie hat, and she beamed up at him. They released eachother, and she followed beside Jamie as he continued on his way, holding her mitten in his hand.

"You hungry?"

She nodded, and they turned in the direction of the diner.

The pink, neon sign flickered as the interior lighting illuminated the street outside through its long, wall-length window. They were still open, and there was nobody inside as usual. Jamie held the door open for Liz, and they made their way over to their favorite booth.

"You two are in late," the waitress commented, recognizing the two friends. "Isn't it a school night?" She shrugged without waiting for an answer, realizing that she didn't care enough to make an issue of it. "What'll it be, the usual?"

They nodded, and she left to get their orders. It was warm inside, but Liz was still hiding beneath her hat and coat, Jamie knew that meant she was feeling insecure or scared. He reached across the table and took her gloved hand.

"Hey, it's gonna be ok Liz, we're gonna figure something out."

"No it isn't, and we aren't," she mumbled, choking back her tears. "I had everything planned out, I was going to graduate, get my degree. I was going to become a diplomat like my father, I wanted to stay on Earth, and..." She trailed off, peering out of the window at the dark street, the light from the diner casting long, dark shadows on the trees outside. They were gnarled and leafless now, their bare branches reaching towards the sky like bony fingers, the warm colors of autumn now absent.

"You can still do that," Jamie said, trying to reassure her. "You can just continue your courses on Borealis, right? You could be back on Earth within a couple of years." She withdrew her hand and lowered her face into the collar of her coat like some kind of sad turtle.

"You don't understand how different things are there, I've been reading about it. It's nothing like Earth, the culture, the people...they're all savages. That's how my parents want me to act, what they expect of me, to become like them."

She was right, he didn't understand. He didn't know how to comfort her, how to make her feel better, this was a problem that was completely beyond him. She seemed to notice his conflict, and her expression softened as she took his hand again.

"Sorry, I'm being selfish aren't I? This is just as hard for you as it is for me."

"I doubt that," he chuckled dryly. "But yeah, I'm not having an easy time either."

"You've always been there for me, Jamie, ever since I was a little girl. One of the first things I remember is you defending me from bullies, you walking me home because I was scared of getting lost in the city on my own, that time you used up your whole allowance taking me to the aquarium when I begged my parents to let me have a human birthday party and you were the only one who came." She laughed at the memory, then trailed off as the waitress brought them their food. Liz stayed quiet until the woman left them alone, then prodded at her favorite burger with her clawed finger. "This whole thing has kind of...spoiled my appetite." She gazed out of the window again, looking up at the dark sky. Her mind seemed to be stuck on Borealis, Jamie felt like he had to distract her or she would spend her last night on Earth feeling miserable instead of making the best of it.

He stood suddenly, dropping some bills on the table and tugged her by the hand.

"Come on, let's go do something, we can't waste this night. Bring your burger with you."

She picked up her meal in a tissue and followed behind him as he left the diner. Liz ate as they walked, taking smaller bites of her burger than usual. That more than anything bothered Jamie, it was so unlike her. He thought about taking her down to the park, but as the night became darker the temperature dropped, and he could see the breath from his mouth misting and glittering in the air.

"You want to go back to my house? My parents are working, they won't rat you out. We can just hang out, get some warm drinks, watch some vidcasts or something."

"I'd like that," she said, clutching his arm and leaning her head on his shoulder. "My parents will probably look there first, but I don't think they'll come and find me until tomorrow. By then it won't matter. I just want to...spend this time with you."

CHAPTER 3: A FLEETING MOMENT

They arrived at Jamie's house, and he unlocked the door with a click, taking off his coat and hanging it on a stand in the hall. He helped Liz out of hers, and she stowed her mittens and hat in the pockets. The automatic heating had kicked in, and so it was already pretty toasty inside, but he decided to light the log fire in the living room anyway. Liz stood behind him, her arms wrapped around her torso as he knelt in front of the iron grate, she was clad in her baby blue turtleneck sweater.

"It's not a real wood fire," he explained, making small-talk as he used a long lighter to ignite the gas flame. "It's just a replica, it uses gas, but it looks nice and it's warm. You want a drink?" Liz nodded. "Your usual?"

"Yeah." Jamie went to the kitchen as Liz made herself comfortable on a fluffy couch adjacent to the fireplace, setting a kettle to boil water and finding a teabag for himself. When the water had boiled he prepared two mugs, dropping a bullion cube into Liz's drink. It would dissolve and make a kind of meat-flavored broth that was pretty much the only hot beverage she liked, as coffee and cocoa were too sweet for her.

He returned and handed her the drink, sitting beside her and sinking into the couch. The fire was crackling now, casting dancing shadows in the room, the automatic lighting having already dimmed to a dull glow in order to save energy. The curtains were drawn, as both of his parents were working their night shift. They were a little less well-off than Liz's parents were, their decorations were more modest and the carpets were on the floors, not the walls. Liz's father would not have even been able to stand erect in this house, if he could even fit through the front door.

"Want to me to put the TV on?" Jamie asked, but Liz shook her head. She shuffled closer to him on the couch, leaning on his shoulder and raising her steaming beverage to her mouth to take a sip.

"You remembered that I like the beef one," she commented, blowing the steam from her mug. They sat for a while in silence, watching the flames crackle behind the iron grill over plastic, replica logs. Jamie was content to just drink and enjoying her company.

"Jamie, I've never said...I thought I'd have a lot more time," she muttered. She seemed agitated, nervous. She set her mug down on the coffee table and sat awkwardly beside him. Her tail flicked back and forth, tucked next to her thigh like a furry snake. "You're pretty much the only boy who has ever been nice to me, the only guy who looks at me like I'm a person and not some oddity. Do you..." She seemed to shake her head almost imperceptibly, pulling away from him a little and leaning down to pick up her drink again. "What am I saying? We're so different..."

"If there's something you want to tell me..." Jamie trailed off, the implication was 'this might be your last chance' but he didn't want to further sour the mood by bringing attention to that fact.

"Hell, I might never see you again after tonight," she chuckled bitterly, "what do I have to lose?" She took another draw from her steaming cup, staring at the fire as she talked, its orange flames licking at the hearth. "Do you think...you could ever love someone like me? I know I look different from a human girl, I don't even know if a Borealan and a human could even..." Jamie watched her, dumbstruck, was this a confession? "Maybe I'm crazy and you don't even feel attraction the same way I do, maybe I'm like an animal to you and you couldn't stand the thought of being with me, but I like you Jamie. I've liked you for a long time. If I don't tell you this now, and I never see you again, I'd regret it for the rest of my life."

Jamie didn't know how to respond, his heart had started to race and he couldn't think straight, it was as if a fog had rolled in over his brain and clouded his mind. Her expression became pained, she still hadn't looked in his direction yet, as if her eyes were glued to the fireplace.

"I understand if you don't feel the same way, I just wanted to tell you, is all. I wanted you to know how I felt about you. I don't know anything about love and relationships, I don't know how the human experience of sexuality and romance might differ from my own." She laughed dryly again, in a tone that almost seemed self-deprecating. "Listen to me ramble, I guess at the end of the day you either feel the same way, or you don't. I just wish...if I had known, I would have told you sooner. Maybe that would have been easier, maybe it would have been hard-"

Jamie cupped her cheek in his hand, turning her to face him, and leaned down to press his lips against hers. Her clawed fingers rested on his forearm as they embraced, her eyes closing slowly as the kiss went on. It must have been clumsy, Jamie didn't have any more experience than she did, but his body just reacted in a way that he knew felt right. Her rough tongue glanced his own, she tasted metallic, with a hint of the broth on her saliva. He felt her claws prick through his jacket as she leaned into him, pulling closer. It was such a strange sensation, warm and wet, impossibly soft. Sparks buzzed in his brain as if someone had set off a sparkler in his skull.