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It definitely takes some getting used to, the humans and their bodies. I couldn’t believe how tired I was. My eyelids were forcing themselves down over my eyes, though I was still looking and seeing and aware. And hungry, my stomach making those noises that command me to obey or else.

These bodies betray them with their senses. Like the way Sherry looks at me and I freeze, my limbs shaky and stiff, this heart pounding against my ribs. I knew she could tell, she had to. If I knew how to be embarrassed, I was sure I would be. The body would show me soon enough.

Tomorrow, we’d gather the supplies we needed. Please let everything go smoothly. I knew Sherry wasn’t thrilled about going out alone with me. I didn’t blame her. I had to gain control of myself around her. It was just after watching her for so long and to have her there...right in front of me...

But...I was going to be a good man. I was going to be noble and gallant, I had to be. I’d keep my distance and just enjoy my time with them here. I couldn’t let her know how I felt. I’d hate it if she felt uncomfortable around me, more than she did already. I had to control myself, control the bodies reactions.

Something had changed with the Lighters. Something that they thought would help them get away with it. Gah, this is bad! How could I tell Danny and Sherry that their world was...over? Centuries and Centuries. Why then?

As I looked at the human face in the mirror of the bathroom, rubbing the hairs growing on my chin, I couldn’t help but not recognize myself. The face looked nothing like my true self. I was utterly devastated to be stuck with the face of someone who could degrade a woman like he had Sherry.

I thought about how I’d have to start shaving, brushing my teeth, taking showers. I poked under my eyes, that were lined with gray semi-circles from fatigue. I ran my hands through my new black hair. The face was young. I had no idea how old Matt was, looked to be early twenties. He kept himself healthy and worked out a lot. I could tell that from the body. My t-shirt was tighter than I’d like and uncomfortable around the arms bands. I guessed human girls like that sort of thing. And this stupid tattoo, a bull of all things. I was stuck with a bull on my chest. Of all the galaxies and planets I knew of, earth is by far the most puzzling.

Earth. Never spent more than a day on earth before in one stretch. Never saw the end coming. I had a feeling we wouldn’t be returning to our home, that there was no going back to the way it was for the humans. Maybe that was just me, being selfish. If I didn’t finish my task, then I couldn’t leave. And I wouldn’t have to find a reason to stay.

I couldn’t leave. Danny and Sherry were my...family. They may not have felt that way, in fact I knew they didn’t but I couldn’t let them go. I’d never felt that. Never had a need to feel it but I couldn’t leave, she was too close. Even if I could never have her for myself, she was everywhere here.

I was stuck and there would be no going home for me.

A New Way To Be Human

There was no sun to wake me in the morning. No windows, no birds songs or honking horns. Only the fluorescent lights that were on a timer as I heard them click and buzz to life. I opened my eyes, squinting against the harsh light. My watch said 6:30.

6:30 a.m.? Ugh. And no coffee.

I hated to admit to myself that I was one of
those people
. Those coffee people. But I liked- not needed- but liked my coffee in the morning. I guessed that was why I was so bitter about Danny’s coffee job. I could work there and drink the heck out of some coffee. But no. Danny, who didn’t even drink coffee, worked there. No, the coffee wasn’t good but, at 6:30 in the morning, I’d take coffee in any form.

Letting my eyes adjust, I laid there quietly, looking at the white ceiling tiles in my small white room. A big perfectly square one with popcorn plaster above my bed. The bed was pretty comfy, firm but soft enough. The room was nice enough, dreary white, but nice. A whole basement of nothing but hospital white and sterile chrome. Lovely.

Danny, still snoring passed the lights and clicking sounds, hadn’t moved an inch from where he fell asleep last night. There was a bed and a cot in the room. Danny graciously took the cot. No matter how unruly he was, he was still a gentleman about some things. Shaking him, I said his name and he moaned and groaned, sucking the drool up from his lip and mumbling something about mom leaving him alone for a few more minutes.

I rolled my eyes, I walked into the hall, I dearly wished we had grabbed some clothes in our hurried escape. I should’ve known that Merrick would have that covered too. Outside my room, on the floor in the hall, were two stacks of clothing. One for me. As I examined them, I realized they were sweat pants and a t-shirt. Universal grey. Great.

I grabbed them up and went to jump in the shower, assuming Merrick would be in the kitchen, though I didn’t know why I thought that.

As I walked in I saw the steam but it was too late to turn before getting a peek of Merrick’s/Matt’s, backside. All those months we dated I never saw anything but his chest. Gosh, it was nice. What! Turn around you fool!

I blushed what I’m sure was an extreme color of rouge and tried to turn and run but once again he was there before I can escape. Not humanly possible. He had the towel around his waist and already in front of me, blocking the way out.

“It’s ok. It’s all yours,” Merrick said towel drying his hair, not looking a bit bashful.

It was awfully hard to not look at him. I did mention how gorgeous Matt was right and that I’d never seen anything but his chest at the pool?

I averted my eyes to the wall behind him in a desperate attempt to regain some coherency. Then focused on Matt’s tattoo, right above his right breast. A black and gray horned bull. I’d always thought it fit him and his attitude but I guess it didn’t belong to Matt anymore.

“I’m so sorry. I should’ve...knocked,” I said, licking my suddenly dry lips.

“It’s ok. I thought I had more time before you got up. I’m sure you’ve seen it all before anyway...wait. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that,” he said running his hand through his wet hair.

I assumed he meant he saw me in the future walk in on him and he was trying to hurry to avoid this.

“No. It’s ok. And no I haven’t seen it before actually. Matt and I weren’t...like that,” I said, feeling myself blush again and wondered why I thought I had to explain myself.

He seemed to ponder this thought, then moved on.

“I meant, about his death. I shouldn’t have spoken so callously about him.”

“No. Really. Matt was a...I mean, I’m not glad he’s dead but in all honesty, I’m surprised something like that hadn’t happened already with as much as he drank, but he was a jerk. He was...very cruel to me.”

“I know.”

“You know?” I asked, raising a questioning eyebrow.

“Yes. I...I told you I watched Danny, sometimes I saw you too. I saw that he wasn’t nice.”

Lies.

“Why are you lying? I have a gift. I can tell when people are lying to me and I know you know that already. Course I’m a horrible liar myself but...what is it that you keep trying to hide from me?” I said inching a bit closer looking into his extra green eyes.

As I asked him, I had completely forgotten he was standing there in nothing but a towel from the waist down, dripping and steam all around us. Avert eyes Sherry.

“I’m not lying,” he lied coolly.

“Yes. You are,” I insisted taking another brave inch closer.

He looked down at me as if he was wrestling with himself. His eyes went from hard to soft, confused to more confused. He looked like I felt.

“Merrick?” I waited but he took a deep breath and still didn’t say anything. “Fine. Don’t tell me now but one day soon, I’ll get it out of you... So what’s the plan for today?”

It was not at all odd for him that he was having this conversation in a towel? I mean, he wasn’t human, he probably didn’t even get shy or worry about modesty right?

“As soon as you get ready, we need to head out for supplies. The others will be here after lunch. They will have supplies for themselves as well. We’ll be down here, I hope for about at least a month before having to leave again. We’ll see how that goes-”

“A month? Whew. That’s quite a stint,” I mused.

“It’s probably short compared to what some of the other stints may be. I told you. I came early, and I have no idea how early. Our time is not the same as yours. It may be years before-”

“Years! Merrick. You’re telling me that we could be stuck down here for years? What about my job? What about.. our parents? What about-?”

“Sherry,” he interrupted as he tilted his head and spoke softly and sympathetically. “Were you listening yesterday? The world you knew is no more. Your collected, logical, gadget filled world is over. The world of the Lighters has begun. They will not stop until every Special is gone or taken and they can be the majority over the humans. They are here to take over your world, Sherry,” he said and pronounced each word individually and with emphasis.

“I was listening. I just think... what do these Lighters gain from the Specials being gone, not fulfilling the task?”

“They want to live your life. They want to take over your world, to live here, but there are billions of you and thousands of them. They knew they couldn’t just come and take it from you. And they are like us. They can only come to earth when someone dies, to take their body. Only thing is, the ones that are already here are persuading people who aren’t ready to die yet to be reckless. I told you, they are very suggestive. It’s compulsion. People are listening and are dying and carrying out their deeds. Soon, every Lighter will be here and it will be near impossible to stop them. Listen. Take a shower and we’ll talk more later in the car. We’ve got to get going.”

As I watched him leave, I realized something for the first time since I met this so called guardian. If he was right, this was the end of the world. Days end. What could that mean? What would happen to Danny after he fulfilled his task? What would happen to Matt, still be dead once Merrick leaves his body? Of course. That was stupid. Merrick would go home then I guessed. Wherever that is.

The water was really hot down there, even though Merrick just took a shower the water was still deliciously scalding and the pressure was wonderful. The water in my apartment wasn’t even that hot. It felt great on my frazzled nerves.

I wondered if we could work out a way for a door to be put on that particular room. I wouldn’t have been so cool about it had Merrick walked in on me. Course, he probably would have announced his arrival, or knocked. I was so spacey sometimes. He probably thought I was rude. Poor little prodigy’s sister. I laughed out loud and heard the echo at the thought of Danny as some prodigy.

Danny wasn’t too happy about being left behind but held tight. He had his Nintendo DS in his pocket. It wouldn’t be long until the battery was dead but Danny would probably sleep most of the time anyway and I could pick him up some batteries. We’d be back as quickly as we could. After Merrick’s pep talk, I was pretty anxious about being out in public.

I wondered how we were going to pay for all the stuff we needed? I hoped he wasn’t expecting my meager wages to sustain us.

Once he put the key in and turned it, the elevator creaked to life, the doors shuddering open. We stepped inside and I got ready for the long ride to the top. I was ‘asleep’ before and didn’t realize the elevator lights were blown and it was pitch black in here.

Silence is a killer. I felt the need to say something and that was as good a time as any.

“Merrick. What did you mean yesterday, that you’ve waited? That you couldn’t believe you were here...with me?”

Saying it out loud was suddenly terribly embarrassing and my cheeks flushed and burned hot. Thank goodness for the darkness.

“Sherry, I’d...I’d rather not do this right now, if that’s ok. Let’s focus on getting to town and back safely.”

“So you’re blowing me off again and still lying. Ok. Fine, we’ll focus,” I said and snorted a humorless laugh.

“I’m not...Sherry, I’m sorry, ok. I can’t imagine how weird this must be for you and I’m sorry if I made it worse with my...gibberish. It’d been a long day.”

“It didn’t sound like gibberish or lies to me. You did tell me you would answer all my questions didn’t you?”

Silence in the small space, ignoring me. Fine. Awkward silence it would be. Instead he asked me a question after a moment.

“Is it weird for you, confusing? With me in Matt’s body?”

I thought for a minute and went over the things I’d realized. The eyes were different, the body language, in fact everything was different.

“Not as much as you’d think I guess. Matt didn’t talk or walk, really do anything like you do. Your eyes are green and his were brown. Even your facial expressions and tone of voice are so different. He never talked to me or looked at me the way you do, or anybody for that matter. He was...a character. Can you walk egotistically?” I gave a small laugh, shaking my head at my own stupidity. Thankfully he couldn’t see my face. “That’s sounds dumb, but that’s how I saw him...you’re not like that at all.”

“Hmm.”

“Hmm? What? No insightful wisdom this time?” I jested.

“I’m just wondering what you ever saw in him to begin with.”

“Wow. That’s...direct,” I mumbled. “Um, I don’t know. He was just the first guy to show interest I guess.”

“Hmm.”

As the elevator slowly and graciously opened, relief swept over me as did the warm sunlight, blinding me. What a strange conversation and thankfully it was over. He hurried ahead of me, probably just as eager to go and get back as I was.

“You drive,” Merrick commanded tossing the keys to me.

“Ok. Seeing as how it’s my car, I won’t object,” I said as I climbed in the driver’s side.

The top was already down, they’d left it down last night before heading down under. Men should know better than that, you would think.

“Remember to be careful, ok? Don’t speed. We’ll have to be on our guard at all times,” he said in a firm tone.