Alienated

Chapter Fifteen

“Any suggestions?” Cara asked Ashley, who perched beside her in the empty World Studies classroom where the debate team used to practice before they joined the shun. “I want to bring the hammer down on HALO, but not by stooping to their level.”

Ashley chewed on the end of her ballpoint pen, orangey forehead wrinkled in thought. “You could ask your support­ers to start a petition against the Expulsion Act.”

“True,” Cara agreed, “but I’d like to make a bigger impression.”

Ashley considered a moment and suggested, “How about an online movement to educate people?”

“Like . . . ?” Cara prompted.

“Like an International L’eihr Awareness Day.”

“Huh.” Now that was an idea. They could call it L’awareness Day. “I kinda like it. We could do a mythbusters segment, too. Finally debunk the crazy rumors about crop killings and abductions and mutant alien babies.”

Nodding vigorously, Ashley continued. “You could ask other bloggers to join in by giving them a discussion prompt, maybe design a logo to grab for their sites.”

“You know what’d be cool?” Cara said. “To incorporate some kind of contest and let the winner Skype with Aelyx.”

“I’d be all over that,” Ashley said.

“Public demonstrations would be even better, but that’s hard to organize on a global level.”

“Worth a try, though.”

“Thanks for the idea,” she said, giving Ashley’s shoulder a light bump. “Hey, maybe you could guest post for me next week.”

Ashley’s blond brows shot toward her hairline. “Seriously?”

“Yeah.” Then Cara added a dollop of figurative whipped cream and a cherry on top. “You should interview Aelyx for a special feature.”

“Omigod!” Ashley squealed, bouncing in her seat. “Omigod, omigod, omigod!”

“Is that a yes?”

“Yes!” She quit vibrating long enough to ask, “So, should I call him? My hair still hasn’t grown out from when I dyed it, so maybe I shouldn’t get too close.”

“Nah,” Cara said. “I’m sure the chemicals have faded enough by now. He’s probably in the library if you want to get started. I need to wrap up this post, and I don’t think any­one’s going to show for prac—”

Before Cara could finish, Ashley snatched her notebook in one hand and bolted for the door. The echo of her squeaking sneakers faded as she jogged down the hall, leaving a smile on Cara’s face. If the former L’eihr Lovers could see Ashley now . . .

Cara returned her attention to her computer, where she outlined a basic plan for L’awareness Day and scheduled it a month in advance, hoping that would give her enough time to work out the details. Just as Cara hit the publish button, Ashley came dragging through the door with her shoulders slumped.

She tossed her notebook onto the desk. “He wasn’t in the library.”

“How about the computer lab?”

“No dice.”

“Huh,” Cara said. “That’s weird. I wonder where he is.”

“Look at this!” Aelyx used his com-sphere’s magnification feature to show Eron the sample in his petri dish. “I collected the water a week ago, filtered it through a micro-strainer to remove contaminants, and then poured it back into the tube. When I opened it today, this was everywhere.”

“Impossible.” Eron’s hologram bent over the dish, peering inside.

“That’s what I thought when I analyzed my first sample. It was moss that time. What about yours?”

Eron glanced up. “I never opened my tube. The initial diagnostics were enough for me.”

“Go get it.” Aelyx wasn’t sure what outcome he wanted—if Eron’s sample displayed the same characteristics, it would validate his findings. But it would also mean something was terribly wrong with Earth’s water supply—or at least the water near Midtown and Lanzhou.

In minutes, Eron returned with a glass bowl. He set it in the bathtub, unscrewed the lid to his collection tube, and poured the contents into the dish. Once Eron magnified the sample with his com-sphere, Aelyx noticed a heap of tangled, filamentous algae in the water.

“Bleeding gods,” Aelyx whispered. “What does it mean?”

Eron shook his head in disbelief. “A shame we’re transla­tors and not scientists.”

“Could the sh’alear have caused this?”

“Impossible,” Eron said. “It kills plant growth; it doesn’t accelerate it.”

“You’re right. We should probably tell Stepha.” Aelyx wasn’t looking forward to that conversation. He’d never been skilled at deception, and he feared the ambassador would glimpse his face and immediately know he’d done something wrong. “I’ll contact him tonight.”

“And I’ll ask Syrine to check her sample.” Eron disposed of his water by pouring it into the toilet, but instead of flush­ing it down, he avoided Aelyx’s gaze and said, “I’m going to speak with her about something else, too.”

“What’s that?”

“I’m going to uproot my sh’alear. We were wrong about humans.”

Aelyx wanted to contradict him, but when he opened his mouth to speak, the words clung to the back of his throat. In truth, he wanted to abandon their plan, too, but not because he’d changed his mind about all humans. Just one. It was at that moment Aelyx realized he didn’t want the exchange to end. Ever. Leaving Cara behind would be harder than sever­ing his own arm. But despite that, he felt a duty to put aside his feelings and focus on L’eihr.

Aelyx considered his next words carefully. Eron had always been different—more sensitive than most of their kind. “I know you’ve taken a liking to your ‘brother’. . .”

“It’s not just that—”

“But,” Aelyx continued, “I’m afraid he’s clouded your judgment.”

“Do you trust me?” Eron asked. When Aelyx gave a reluctant nod, he added, “Do you think I would do anything to endanger our Sacred Mother?”

“Not intentionally.” Aelyx nodded at the miniature toilet. “But look at your water sample. Look what they’ve done to Earth.”

Eron flushed the toilet as if to destroy the evidence. “That doesn’t mean they’ll do the same on L’eihr. The colonists will be carefully screened.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Please,” Eron said, turning up both palms in surrender. “Will you at least consider it?”

For several eternal moments, Aelyx said nothing as his heart and mind battled for dominance. In the end, his heart won. “Fine. I’ll consider it. But Syrine won’t.”

“Don’t be so sure. She’d do anything for me.”

“Not this.”

“I have hope.” Eron lifted two fingers in a good-bye. “That’s enough for now.”