Page 12 of The Royal's Bumblebee
“I can make it into my office?” I nodded eagerly at her. “And the shower?”
“On the second floor. We have a large dual hygiene room. It is large because I will use it often when I need to shuck off my old scales.” She nodded to me, so I continued. “The top floor is my living area. My slumber chamber is there, as is my trophy room and reading room.”
“Reading room?” Billie’s eyes were still shut but the curious smile on her lips filled me with pride.
“Yes. I have many books to reference if you ask any questions about my people’s culture, history or biology.”
“Okay. I want a shower.” She tugged my hand in the direction of our nest. I released my tail from the coil around her and once I was steady, and led her silently to our front door. I reached ahead to open it so she wouldn’t have to stop. Billie jerked to a stop at the change of sound underfoot.
“We are now inside. Humans get cold easier than Ucfeni, so I was advised to have carpet placed in for you.” This was the big moment. Where my new charge saw the nest I had made for us. My scales itched with anticipation, and nerves, as I waited to see if Billie would approve…or not…
“Okay. We’re inside?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’m going to open my eyes now.”
Chapter 9
Billie’s new nest
Billie
I want this. I want to be here on Thelia. I want to have an amazing adventure and I agreed to come here because I wanted to. I wasn’t coerced or bribed against my will. I want to be here. I also want to behere,in Izule’s home. I want a shower and it’s on the second floor.
“Okay. We’re inside?” I asked at the softness I could feel beneath my pumps. I couldn’t feel the cool breeze against my face or jumpsuit anymore, so I assumed we were now shielded by the building.
“Yes.” Izule’s deep voice rumbled and he patiently waited for me to reply. I liked that he didn’t rush me to respond as some people did.
“Then I’m going to open my eyes now.” I declared and took a deep breath. I still held his warm smooth hand to my chest with both of mine as I slowly peered out to my new home. I talked at length about this with Hannah before we left. About the fact I wouldn’t be living in my apartment. It wouldn’t have the whir of fans keeping all my tech cool. There wouldn’t be any of my animal figurines, as I had to leave them behind. My one personal item was my snoogie. Those were the rules. I liked rules.
I was supposed to be living with Hannah. She was supposed to be my familiar comfort in this new environment. But she isn’t here. The planet is already inhabited. I’m not in a human-built complex, but the home of a giant snake alien. Who also happens to be a prince and looks like a King Cobra.
Izule was motionless beside me and let me take my time as I finished opening my eyes. First I looked down and saw a thick burgundy carpet. It covered the whole floor in one block colour. I stepped out of my pumps, not wanting to get the carpet dirty, and braced myself for the texture between my toes. If it was course, I would be putting my shoes back on until I could find slippers, or at least some socks. I smiled when I found the carpet to be really soft. And warm. I liked it.
Slowly I looked up and found that for the most part, the ground floor was open plan and rather empty. As far as I could see it was made of wood, rather than the yellow stone of the palace. The wood itself had a reddish tinge, but wasn’t dark like mahogany. There were darker brown ‘eyes’ in the woodwork, but they were sparse and small enough that it didn’t cause me too much of a distraction. Izule said this was the social room. I can’t see how, when it’s a big oval room with only a burgundy carpet in it and a couple of rounded windows near the ceiling. They seemed to have glass panes in them and dim spotlights of natural light onto the carpet. It was quite shady otherwise. I couldn’t see any source of lighting for late at night though. I was going to need a torch.
Having less to take in made it quicker to process. Slowly I lowered one of my hands and held Izule’s between us. He didn’t know this yet, but that was a sign I was getting more comfortable. I leaned in and smelt something fruity. “What’s that smell?”
“Jala fruit.” Izule answered me and leaned forward on his tail to curve around to look at me. I tensed my hand, afraid he was intending on ‘walking’ on ahead without me, but he didn’t. He was just entering my field of vision. “I picked some this morning and placed them in a bowl in the kitchen. They are some of the native species of fruit that are compatible with your diet.”
“It smells like watermelon.” I concluded upon a second sniff. “I want a shower.” I was hungry, but I felt dirty. I wanted to brush my teeth too.
“Would you like to go straight to the hygiene level?” Izule pointed upward and I followed his prompt to see a hole in the middle of the ceiling. “Internally, we have spirals connected to the dividing walls in access holes like this one. Alternatively, on the side of my nest is another access spiral. The pole with long grips I described to your earlier.”
“I can’t reach that.” I stared up at the hole in the roof and marched into the middle of the social room. I still held Izule’s hand and dragged him with me. “I don’t want to go outside.”
“I could carry you?”
“No.” I didn’t want that. I didn’t want too much touching. With my left hand I tapped my thumb and middle finger together as I craned my neck upward to look at the access hole. “I’m going to need a way to get up there without you carrying me, or going outside. We’re high up. I don’t want to fall.” I slowly turned to look at Izule and caught his yellow eyes and wide elliptical pupils looking at me. My gaze dropped to his mouth and I cleared my throat. “If you could use the spiral tower outside, and there are access holes connecting each level, could a spiral staircase be installed? I could bring up plans for one, and it could be narrow. Do they all line up?”
“Yes, they do. I can have an architect here within the hour.” Izule nodded. He agreed that easily. “In the meantime, how shall I help you move between levels?” I looked at the wooden poles jutting out from one side of the access hole. Ucfeni must rear up on their tails to slither along that set of wooden poles, and then lift their bulk up, before slithering along the floor of the next room. I didn’t want him to carry me. I didn’t want to go back outside. It took me a long time to get here, and I was afraid of heights. This room, and the whole building for that matter, seemed very sturdy.
I knew I was going to have to let him lift me up there. I wanted a shower. But I wasn’t ready to be touched. I released his hand completely and he tried to reach to take it back. I folded my arms and backed away from him to explore this level some more. Izule acted like he was bereft of the loss of contact and slithered to keep up with me. He stopped advancing when I looked warily over my shoulder at him. “Shall I wait here?” I nodded and he folded his arms and nodded for me to proceed. I tentatively walked into the next room to give myself some more time. I found myself in a kitchen. Everything was made of the same wood as the empty social room. Unlike the last room, the kitchen was fully furnished. A tall fridge freezer, made of dull silver, stood erect beside a matching sink. The countertops were all made of red wood. I didn’t need to turn around to confirm Izule was leaning in the doorway to see me take in this room like the last. The carpet muffled the sound of him slithering across the social room carpet and he cleared his throat behind me. I touched the wooden draining board and felt a kind of hard clear lacquer covering it. It probably made it waterproof. I opened the fridge and found it was empty. There was a cooking unit on the other side of a worktop counter where a chopping board waited to be used. There were cupboards beneath each counter and a middle island to sit at and eat. Evident from the wooden stool propped in position against it. On the island was a bowl of fruit that drew wet my tastebuds.
I stood staring at the strangest thing I have ever seen, and I’m on an alien planet that supports life. They were the size of gala melons, round, and hairy. The watermelon smell was definitely coming off these brown furballs. There were six of them in a polished wooden ball on the island countertop. “Jala fruit. The flesh inside is sweet and edible for mammals.”
“Inside?” That made sense. There was no way I was eating the hairy rind. I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to touch the hairs to find out.
