| Chapter 11

For someone who decided on venturing out and doing the things they never had the chance to do, Vera knew exactly what it was she wanted.

With pizza knocked off her list, she grabbed my phone and searched the directions for Chicago's Crown Fountain. I had never traveled to it, not even as a kid, but I vaguely remembered knowing about the two fountain towers displaying peoples' faces on their digital screens.

As we approached the spraying water, I stared at the Sapphire ads playing on repeat. On the fountain's right, a woman held a vial to her face. Letters appeared beneath her, reading, "Sapphire, the cure for humanity!"

On the left was an image of a man. He stood, facing a sunset, slowly removing bandages from his head. Beneath him read, "Sapphire, the means to fight death."

I didn't have the chance to wait and watch the ads change into another image. Vera's hands reached out, grabbing me. "Gus," she laughed as she pulled me towards the water, "come on."

My shoes skidded across the ground as I politely tried to fight her. I shifted my gaze from her to the others around us. Children had already made the fountain a playground, throwing their hands up above their heads when bursts of water shot up from the ground. The sound of their young, excited laughter hit my ears. The sun hit my eyes.

I shook my head and grabbed Vera's hand as she tugged at my shirt. "I-I think I'm going to pass."

"Pass?" Vera pouted. "We're supposed to be having fun, right?" she asked me.

"I can't... I can't swim," I told her the most awful, inaccurate lie.

"Swim?" Vera shook her head as she laughed again. "It's a freaking fountain, Gus. You're not going to swim! You just need to walk."

Walk, walk, right.

I could walk. Of course, I could. I could walk down the street, where it was dry. Up the stairs of my home, into my room, where it was warm and without water. Just the moisture, the way my clothes would stick to my body.

The last time I saw my dad, he said he was getting on a boat. On water. I hate water.

"Vera." I tugged at her hands again, awkwardly laughing. "Come on."

"Exactly." Vera stretched her arms all the way out as she tried to tug me in. Her shoes were soaked. The water rushed over them; dirt along the sides of her feet dripped away. With just two gushes of fountain-splash, the fronts of her shoes were white again.

She smiled at me. "You're not going to drown." Her brows lifted high, even though the glasses still hid her eyes. I knew she tried her best to assure me. "It's impossible."

I wasn't sure if she knew exactly what drowning was. It was more than the fear of a memory; more than being submerged in water. It was simply the idea of oxygen ceasing to exist, the tight compression of lungs struggling for air.

If we were to drown, a substance must have entered our body, foreign to our needs. It would've replaced a vital necessity, a means of life. More than water could do that. Sand could. Dirt.

And her eyes.

As she pulled me deeper into the fountain, past a young girl giggling with another child, I was drowning. It wasn't the water I'd taken in. Or the sounds and lights from the city and its people I couldn't keep up with. It was her eyes; the light, the stars, the constellation that bore no name.

There was no way to explain it.

I stumbled forward into her. Even as she laughed, I couldn't. I simply blew the water off my lips as I locked onto her gaze. The glasses had slid down the bridge of her nose, exposing everything.

Vera's cheeks were pink as she chuckled, pressing her hands against my shirt. Electricity pulsed through my skin. Every part of me burned.

"Live a little." Drops of water dripped off her long lashes. "Can you do that for me?"

I think, right now, I'd do anything for you.

Regardless of my inner struggles, I allowed Vera to tug me once again. In seconds I was drenched from head to toe. Water slid over my face.

The feeling itself bothered me, but not her. Vera relished in it. The look on her face, I swore she savored it.

Like the children beside her, she lifted her hands up above her head. She cheered. She laughed. With her hands off me, I was able to think. Breathe. She looks so damn beautiful.

A young boy hurried past Vera towards his mother as she let out a loud, hearty laugh. "A Pillian," the woman exclaimed. "I've only seen them on the internet!"

I took a step closer. Foot soaked in the water. Vera faced me with her star-filled eyes as I asked, "What's a Pillian? Is that like a Pylon?"

"Um, yeah." Vera hurried over, closer to me, so the people around us couldn't hear. With all the laughter, I doubt they could.

"I'm a pillian," she said, smiling softly. "Like you're a human."

Her hands pressed flat against my chest. With my shirt soaked, I felt every part of her fingers. The sparks returned.

Looking into her eyes, I said, "I thought you were a Pylon?"

"Well, yeah, that's my main species." She smirked. "But what I am, is a pillian. Blood and bone. I don't go around calling you guys' Earthlings. None of us do. It's rude."

Her lips pouted as she looked up at the sky in thought. "Well, I guess we always just excused humans for their behavior due to lack of intelligence."

Did she just call us dumb?

"So, why bother?" Vera patted my chest once before turning. The smug smile remained on her face, as though she'd won.

But when she turned to move, her foot caught on the corner of her own shoelace. I watched her face change, victorious to fearful. Her eyes, no longer protected by the sunglasses, were wide. Afraid. Her hands stretched out in front of her, bracing for impact.

I couldn't let her fall. Like the night before, I saw what would happen. I reached out and caught her. Pulled her body against mine.

Rather than fall face forward, her body turned against me. Her hands reached up around my neck, fingers finding the ends of my hair as she held on tight. I hissed, grimacing as she pulled out a few loose strands, but I thought catching her from falling was just enough. I could've laughed.

I didn't expect her to look into my eyes and ask, "What do you see?"

I blinked, unsure of what she meant. "What?" I shook my head, still holding her body close to mine. My hand slid down to her waist to hold her by the small of her back. My other hand rested on the back of her neck.

Water fell from the middle of her lip. "When you look at me, what do you see?"

Was there more to the question? I wasn't sure. I wanted to think there wasn't. It was just her heart screaming because I'd saved her. Falling flat on your face in front of a group of people had to be the most embarrassing experience.

Yet, as her glasses slid completely off her face and fell at our sides, I knew what she wanted to know. In her question were hidden words:

Do you see me? Or do you see an alien? Do you see my happiness? Do you see my light?

This could've been my hopeless romantic heart playing tricks on me, feeding me words that could've been, should've been. With a cute girl in my arms, it latched onto any happy idea.

Water burst up from the ground around us as I thought of my message. "A lot," I said, just above a whisper. Her head inched closer to mine, and I wasn't sure if it was her doing or me moving her towards me. "I see you, I see them," I said, honestly. "I see beauty. Light. Stars. I see—"

"VERA!"

The echo of Vera's name sliced through the sounds of laughter. Silence followed. The children who had been playing ran to their parents' arms, clinging to their shirts. Weary eyes drifted towards the street where traffic had stopped.

Two Pylons stood between the cars. No disguises were worn. As if the public didn't bother them, their glowing blue eyes peered in our direction. Each Pylon didn't blink, didn't break, even as they started to walk our way.

For a second, I thought their stares would burn a hole in my cheek. Even though they had called her name, demanded her attention...

I didn't let her go.

|||

Captain Roderick was one of the two Pylons. I recognized him immediately. As he approached, I felt the wrath of an angry father. His hair, long and curly, was pushed by the winds as he quickly moved to retrieve his daughter from my grasp.

Without hesitation, I moved away from her. Vera added two additional feet between us. While I kept my head forward, eyes focused on the alien who approached, Vera dropped hers.

She couldn't look at him. Or the Pylon behind him.

The big one from the news this morning. I focused on him next and gulped. He's scarier in person.

"Vera, how could you?" Captain Roderick shook his head as he stood in front of his daughter. He placed his hand on her shoulder before sliding it down to her elbow, holding tight. "You left the ship without warning? Without message?"

"Father, I..." Vera's voice trailed off as she looked away, at the fountain. The water paused for a moment as though it waited for her to speak. But when a second passed and no one, not even the crowd, said a word, the streams shot back up from the ground. It rained around them.

The larger Pylon crossed the street. His arms were folded in front of his chest, his eyes glued to me. I held my breath as I found myself under his stare, frozen and stiff. With that look alone, I found I had no free will.

Shit.

"Vera, we were worried about you." Captain Roderick sighed. "With the commotion down below, I was worried."

"Worried," Vera repeated.

"Yes, worried." The larger alien chimed in. With him no longer focused on me, I found I could breathe again. And I remembered his name.

"Brylon," I mouthed his name as I looked at him.

I never thought I was short, not by average height standards. But standing under him, I felt small. Insignificant. His clothes, much like Captain Roderick's, were heavily embellished like a soldier's uniform. The jewels along his sleeve absorbed the sun. On his belt were weapons; lots of pointy, sharp, dangerous weapons.

I just knew they could kill someone. I just didn't want him to kill me.

He brushed past me as though I didn't exist. When he stood beside the captain, he sighed, "Do you understand how long we've been looking for you?"

"I don't know. Hours," Vera muttered, quietly, eyes still focused on the ground. She tugged out of her father's hold and stumbled back. One of her hands slid across the ground to retrieve the sunglasses she'd dropped.

Brylon reached to grab them.

"Wait!" I wasn't sure why I moved forward. Intervened. I placed myself between them. "She needs those."

Captain Roderick placed a hand on his chest, shocked. Brylon cocked an eyebrow, blasting what felt like rays from his bright eyes. With a grunt, he said, "And you are?"

"I'm—"

"It doesn't matter." Brylon extended a hand for her to grab, rather than force to follow as he'd done already. Vera didn't grab his hand. She looked at it. Eyed it. And then she looked at me.

In an instant, Brylon became impatient. "You're coming home," he hissed when she didn't move in his direction.

"I was..." Vera placed the sunglasses back on her face, hiding her eyes from the world. "I was heading home."

"Oh, were you?" Captain Roderick crossed his arms and shook his head. Then he shifted back to glance at me behind Brylon. "Was this human helping you?" he asked.

I clenched my jaw and held my breath as I stared at the ship's captain. The tone of his voice was calm, though questioning. When I locked onto his gaze, he seemed to analyze me. Judge me. I couldn't blame him.

Brylon didn't behave the same. He gave me one hard look before rolling his eyes, extending another hand for Vera to hold. "Playing in some water field with a human is not returning to safety. You had no intention of coming home, did you? Will this be like the last time?"

The captain straightened. Furious. "There was a 'last time?'"

He didn't know. As I looked at Vera, I blinked, confused.

Is running away from home a thing for her?

Vera rubbed one of her shoulders as she looked away. "No, this wasn't like before. Today was just a detour."

"A detour?" Brylon shook his head. The hand he'd extended reached forward, wrapped around her arm, and yanked her back towards the street. Despite her small cry, he nearly dragged her. "This whole adventure of yours is a detour!" he shouted. "You shouldn't have left!"

The captain didn't follow. He watched as Brylon took his daughter away from the crowd. With his hand over his mouth, he sighed. He closed his eyes.

And I remained, more confused than I was seconds ago.

What's going on here?

Murmurs from the crowd carried through the air. Quiet at first as people spoke to one another in hushed whispers. But after a few seconds, the sound increased. Louder. Voices broke the air as they spoke of Captain Roderick and Brylon but wouldn't address them directly.

"He's just dragging her like that?"

"He's just going to stand there? Isn't he the captain?"

"They're so violent!"

"Why are the Pylons down here? After yesterday, they shouldn't even be in our streets."

"This doesn't look good. Should I call the police?"

"Brylon, stop." As if he reacted to the people around us, Captain Roderick lifted his hand and crossed the street. He looked up at his large companion before gently moving Vera next to him. He placed his hand on her shoulder as he sighed.

"Sir." Brylon nodded. "I apologize. I only wished to hurry and take Vera to safety."

"I understand," the captain said. It took a second to glance back at me before turning his attention to his daughter. He rubbed her arm protectively as he asked, "Are you sure you're well? Brylon says this isn't the first time—"

"Father, not here." Vera covered her face as she looked around. At everyone. At me.

"I only wish you would talk to me about this. About your feelings. You know there is no reason for you to run away."

Vera frowned at her father's words. I saw the emotion on her face. Like any worried parent, the captain claimed he would have talked to her, listened. Yet, earlier Vera told me no one would. I was her first.

She sighed as she let her father turn her away. Before she lowered her head, she glanced at me, silently mouthing, "It's okay."

I couldn't move. I knew I wouldn't be allowed to follow them. They were going to head back to their ship, return to the safety of their home and away from human law enforcement. And, in a way, that had been my goal from the beginning. To make sure she got home, was safe and away from peering eyes.

Yet, as a large chest appeared in front of me, I found I wasn't free from the anger of a Pylon. Brylon blocked my view with his body. I stepped back, looked up, and held my breath.

Blue eyes never looked so painful and terrifying.

"I... I..." I stammered. Then my voice dropped below a whisper. "I'm sorry."

"What? You're what?" His brows shot up. "What do you want to say, human?"

I pursed my lips. Pylons were supposed to be nice. History depicted them as our closest possible gods, gifting us with life, granting us evolution. But Brylon looked at me as though I were trash.

"Speak!" he shouted.

And I squeezed my eyes shut. "I was going to take her home! I swear!" I said without looking at him.

"Oh?"

When I finally willed myself to open my eyes, Brylon had turned. He gave me his back, arms folded in front of him. I could tell he watched the captain and Vera; he made sure they were okay.

That's all I was trying to do with her, though.

"Yeah..." I muttered, clearing my throat.

"Yeah," Brylon mocked me. Turning his head, he glanced back at me. "Do you understand your place, human? Or do you not know the rules between my kind and yours."

Honestly, I wasn't aware of any rules. I knew that one couldn't just mingle with a Pylon without reason; the fair was meant to open the possibility and bridge the gap. Show their love and support of our relationships here on Earth.

And, if my mother told the stories, there was a time when there weren't any rules. Just freedom. Unity. A Pylon could be a worker, a doctor, a friend, a lover.

The separation was new. Wasn't it?

"Your blank stares tell me you don't know." Brylon shook his head and looked up at the sky, at the ship's silhouette drifting in the clouds. "Vera will return home with her father. Our doors will be sealed. For your safety, human, let us pretend as though this didn't happen."

I watched him turn and walk away. With the space between us, I was able to see Vera, just a half block away. She'd stopped, pleading with her father, who had one hand over his face. I couldn't hear them, but I knew she was trying to explain. Besides running away, she had done nothing wrong.

I couldn't let her explain alone.

"Nothing happened!" I argued, taking a step towards Brylon as he was the closest to me. "Tell her father we didn't do anything wrong. She just wanted to see the city. We were just having a little fun, man."

"Fun." Brylon laughed, shook his head, but wouldn't look at me.

I wanted to tell him again, it was nothing. I had admitted my mistake to the city, all to free up the area and let her get home. The fix wouldn't be instant; we had to wait it out. I told myself at the end of it all, I would've walked her home and made sure she got inside, like a gentleman.

But Brylon didn't turn back, not once. He continued walking away from me and the crowd. After a few minutes, I couldn't see any of them. There were only the people who watched them leave, too. Once it was clear they were gone, those in the streets slipped back into their cars and drove away.

"Fuck, man..." I whispered as I turned, walking out of the fountain's space. With my head down, I avoided the curious looks from peering parents and their children. Who knew what those expressions said?

That I suck.

Once on the sidewalk, I reached into my jeans for my phone.

That I could've done that differently.

Water dripped from its plastic case. I groaned because I had completely forgotten to put it aside. But Vera had been so adamant to get into the water. And as much as I tried to say no, I couldn't.

Who am I kidding?

Pressing my thumb against the sides of the phone, I watched the screen come to life and sighed with relief. Last thing I needed was for it not to work. How else would I get home?

With a quick swipe along the screen, I brought up my contacts, scrolled past my uncle's name, my mom's, my aunt's. I settled on David's because who else could I call? No one knew I was downtown. No one knew what I'd done. Only him. And as much as I didn't want to depend on the cousin who, deep down, couldn't stand me, I had no choice.

I tapped the picture of his face and pressed the phone against my ear. He answered faster than I expected, and really, I didn't think he would've answered at all.

Sucking in a deep breath, I said, "I need a ride home, man..."