The next day, in the still-quiet hallways of his school before classes began, Arix was putting his things away in his locker. He jumped when a translucent figure suddenly appeared behind him: Sly.

  Sly wasn't like other students. His gelatinous form resembled that of a slime, though he belonged to the Gelari, a bio-artificial species created by the Lotheans centuries ago to assist in their research.

  There weren't many of them left, and each had to wear a sealed suit with a helmet to keep their body stable.

  Considered immortal, the Gelari retained very few memories; Sly himself remembered barely fifteen years of life. Despite having no parents, he was one of the brightest students of his grade.

  Though he wasn't in the same class as Arix, he had come looking for him to deliver some news:

  — "Hey Arix! Just wanted to tell you: our teacher said right before the weekend that we're going on a visit tomorrow to the research lab in Scriba. And your class is going too! I can't wait!"

  The news lit up Arix's face. His father had been working at Scriba for years, but the students of Section A, the scientific section, rarely got the chance to visit such a place.

  As he closed his locker, another voice rose behind them. Without asking permission, someone leaned in to peek inside Arix's locker.

  — "You took my kneaded eraser, didn't you? It's been missing for almost a week, and since you love using my art supplies in class, it has to be you..."

  The voice belonged to Seryn, Arix's cousin. A slightly older Lothean, she also wore a suit to breathe on Earth, like many of their people who couldn't adapt to its dry air.

  — "A what?" Arix asked, confused. "Sorry, I don't really know art vocabulary. And why didn't you ask me yesterday when we were playing together?"

  — "I told you several times, but you seemed somewhere else. And anyway, you already stole my colored pencils to make your diagrams. Your parents could buy you some, you know. I need mine for my art studies."

  At that moment, Arix indeed pulled the eraser from his pencil case. Seryn, meanwhile, finally found the pouch she had been looking for — the one she thought she had lost in the rain a month earlier.

  — "Well... I found what I was really looking for. But stop doing that, it's getting annoying. We're close as family, but my parents aren't... you know..."

  After a small silence, Arix apologized. Even he didn't understand why he acted that way: he would borrow things, promise himself to return them, then forget entirely.

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  Seryn gave him a half-smile, shook her head, and walked down the hallway.

  Since the beginning of the scene, Sly hadn't spoken once. Arix's family stories often confused him, but something was bothering him.

  — "You didn't take the pouch for... some other reason, right? Was there something inside it before? I'm not trying to intrude... just asking..."

  Arix sighed.

  — "You're right, I didn't tell her everything. If you really want to understand... you'll have to come to my place."

  The bell rang, forcing them to head to their classrooms.

  That evening

  Sly decided to come to Arix's house to clear up the mystery. He was warmly welcomed by Na?ra, Arix's mother, then went up to Arix's room with him.

  After a long silence, Arix pulled out a notebook and opened it to a page showing a colored portrait: a young girl, around his age.

  — "I've been talking to this girl for a month... and I really like her. I haven't told anyone. Not even my parents."

  Sly grinned.

  — "She looks like a human! Maybe you two could meet someday? Where does she live?"

  — "That's the problem... she lives far away. She refuses to talk by voice. Refuses to meet. Her father forbids it... And yesterday, she blocked me."

  Arix sat on his bed, crushed. Sly sat beside him.

  — "Families are complicated... but why didn't you tell your cousin... uhm... I always forget her name."

  — "Seryn. And she hates humans. She would've preferred living underwater. Her parents too."

  The orange glow of the setting sun filled the room as Arix continued:

  — "And her adoptive father... he clearly knows something. I told him about what's hidden under Earth. It made him furious. He's Lothean too, apparently."

  Sly straightened.

  — "A Lothean? Somewhere else in the universe? That's impossible. The only port is monitored by the humans and our own clan. Travel is almost forbidden. If only our Governor weren't obsessed with protecting those crystals..."

  — "That's what scares me," Arix replied. "This man knows something. Maybe a danger is coming. And... he knew my name."

  He dropped backward on his bed, eyes closed.

  Dinner

  When Arix's father came home from work, they all gathered at the table. Sly thanked the parents for their warm hospitality.

  Arix, however, stared at his father with insistent eyes.

  — "Dad... do you know any Lothean who might have left Trastarce?"

  — "No one," he answered coldly. "And believe me, it's best to ignore the outside world. Things out there are sometimes worse than here."

  Arix frowned. His mother exchanged a strange look with her husband. Arix caught it immediately.

  — "So you do admit you've traveled, Dad? I knew it!"

  — "I ADMIT NOTHING!"

  I'm saying that this person has nothing to do with our family! And if anything ever happens, I'll do whatever it takes to protect you. Even from our own species!"

  He slammed down his utensils. A frozen silence settled over the table.

  No one spoke again until the end of dinner.

  Later

  Sly decided to left the house, and Arix watched him go, waving him one last time.

  He didn't notice, just a few meters away, a figure hidden behind a tree.

  A long, black-cloaked silhouette, hood drawn low, silently watched the family's home.