Page 79 of Citrine

"Yes," he agrees. "They are natural."

Natural. That's a funny word. Not a word I would use to describe being stranded on an alien planet and fucking an alien but here we are. Plus, I'm feeling queasy. Did the fruit go bad?

"Wroahk?"

"Yes?"

"I used to be human, a different species. I don't look like I used to anymore but inside me, I'm still human. Eli the human who used to work so many jobs to make a living."

I scoff at myself. Is that really what I want to be known for? In a whole new place, with a whole new body?

I tried so hard to scrape by and for what? To end up stranded here looking like something I'm not. It's just the plot of a horror movie.

Thankfully, I'm not a carrier host for a pod of parasitic insects.

My skin prickles.Dios, I hope not.

I pull over my cape of sunshine and pull up a memory to distract me.

"One day at work, we were offloading a huge shipment and I thought I was a big, strong girl who could do anything. I tried to lift one of the boxes and ended up dropping its contents all over me," I snicker remembering the look of horror on Adrian's face.

"You see the thing with those stupid uniforms is that they're all low quality and they have low porosity. Basically, I stank like fish for weeks. That's one of the main reasons I'm a vegetarian now."

"What a waste," he says.

"Yeah, you say that about the food but what about poor old me? Imagine trying to weave through a crowd during morning rush hour smelling like fish? Well, as I found out, You don't have to weave. The crowd just clears itself."

He looks at me, obviously with no idea what the hell I'm talking about.

"You missed my joke, didn't you?"

It's the same blank-eyed stare he gives me. He doesn't understand me. If he were human, he would've gotten it.

No worries. I'll teach him to appreciate my jokes in time. We're stuck together, after all.

I blink at that thought and how it no longer makes me upset. Just feels good, actually.

"¡Qué rabia! Anyway…"

All that time stealing moments away to study a new creature, never nearly enough time, but still fun. Seeking vicarious adventures from reptiles and spiders. What did I even think adventure looked like? Definitely not out in the stars, enduring pain, frustration, and… well, I guess pleasure, too.

Weird.

The feeling of dryness and thirst in my throat returns. I look back at Wroahk. He's completely adapted to being in the water. He doesn't leave it unless he must. The question is, do I have to as well?

I'm not ready to give up the land.

36

Wroahk

She finally lowers herself into the water, her complexion changing as it soaks into her skin. Good, maybe she will cease her constant scratching.

She moves the water with her graspers, keeping her eyes on me until she approaches me. The midday sun is now high in the sky and the temperature has risen.

"I don't think I said it earlier but it's like a whole beautiful ridge down there. Surprisingly colorful and so unique. Untouched bytechnology, I waspissed offat you, but it was fun."

There is nothing in the water but creatures and predators, but she thinks it's fun. How careless can one person truly be?

---