Page 21 of Alien Abduction for Beginners
A grin lit up his face and his cheeks turned a darker yellow. An alien blush, how very sweet. I was starting to realise that there was something sweet and cuddly inside those big, burly men.
"Try them," Matar encouraged me. "That red piece is grilled oro steak, a delicacy from our home planet."
It didn't look like it had been grilled or cooked in any way. It was bloody. Or maybe that was a sauce. I told myself it was red gravy and gingerly took the piece of meat. I gave it a cautious sniff, but it actually smelled quite nice, like peri-peri chicken.
I wasn't a picky person. If you were poor, you ate whatever you found, even if it was out of date, dirty or come from shady sources. This was alien food, however. There may be harmful substances in there. Germs my body wasn't used to.
"Havel has made sure it's all safe for you to eat," Matar reassured as if he could read my mind. Maybe he could. I didn't know anything about their species.
"Where is he?" I asked to stall for time. As appetising as the meat smelled, as disgusting did it look as it oozed with red fluid.
"Practicing," Xil replied, then pursed his lips. "Ignore I said that. It's a surprise."
That sounded ominous. A drop of liquid fell from the piece of meat, landing on a white disk that looked like a tiny pancake. It immediately turned a disgusting shade of orange.
"That's strange," Matar muttered. "Must be some kind of chemical reaction." He took the mini pancake and gave it a sniff. "Do you mind if I taste this, female?"
"My name is Trish. And go ahead."
He bit off a tiny piece, leaving teeth marks on the disk. His teeth were triangular. Weird. But not the weirdest thing I'd seen since waking up on this spaceship.
"Still tastes good. Those are some of my favourites."
He put the half-finished pancake back in its place in the box. Eating something someone else had bitten into didn't seem to be against their etiquette. A pancake with blood and alien spittle. Just what I'd always dreamed off. Still, it looked more appetising than the meat I was still holding.
I squeezed my eyes shut and almost threw the piece of meat into my mouth. It was chewy as if it had been cooked for too long, but it didn't taste bad. The spices were different from anything I'd ever eaten before, but definitely edible. This wouldn't become my favourite food though. The aftertaste was strangely sour, making me wish for something sweet. Maybe that pancake?
I took it, not hesitating this time.
I gagged as soon as its flavour registered. It tasted like puke. I spit it out, catching it in my hand. At least I hadn't thrown up all over the box. That should count for something.
"Not to your taste?" Xil chuckled, not seeming to be offended. "Try some of the plants. Havel said humans must eat a lot of plants. Something about mini vitas."
"Vitamins." I grinned. "What would you recommend?"
He pointed at a ball of cooked leaves that reminded me of spinach. It was even green. That seemed safe.
Still, it took some force of will to nibble on it. The nibble turned into happy chewing as flavours of cinnamon and caramel caressed my tongue. Now this was what I'd expect a suitor to give me. If all their vegetables tasted this good, I was going to become a vegetarian.
"Do you have more of that?" I asked as soon as I'd reluctantly swallowed that amazingness.
Xil nodded. "I can make you an entire bowl. But first, you need to go with Matar. Havel is ready." He pointed at his wrist computer as if that meant anything to me.
What were they going to do next? More probing? Likely, if Havel was involved. He was deeply passionate about it. He'd even asked me questions about how I'd found the probing while he'd cleaned me, but I couldn't quite remember what I'd answered. It was all a bit of a blur.
I left the weird food box on the table and followed Matar to a circular column at the other end of the room.
He pressed his hand against what looked like smooth bronze metal and it rotated until an opening appeared. The inside of the column was lit up with fluorescent blue lights.
Matar stepped inside and again put his hand on the wall before realising that I hadn't followed him.
"It's the elevator," he explained with a smirk. "It'll take us upstairs."
"It's very small."
His tail waggled. Like a happy dog's. "Yes. It is. We'll have to stand very close."
"Can't we go one after the other?"
