She'd always been a different kind of bird, as a saying she once heard her mother say, goes.

Amaranth's bright, rose-red eyes closed, and a mischievous smile, spread across her face. Thoughts of Kendrīîa came to mind; a planet where its inhabitants mate through brainwaves and work in underground tunnels building housing and research facilities. Or, Balneria, where every being learns about archaeology and biologically united their bodies to reproduce. The males carry their offspring for four weeks and give birth through a small opening on their backs. Or, Valdmida, where her mother is from...

You'd think living on a large, round piece of rock orbiting three stars would be exciting, and its inhabitants warm, but it wasn't, and they weren't. They call it Alchýmia, and it is one of five other planets in her solar system where they focus on scientific research and mathematics.

Frowning, she shivered in want at the thought of being touched intimately. On her planet, they clone and create life in test-tubes. Touching is barely a passing thought. Yes, Alchýmians pair up, but not for companionship, or love, but to become think tanks, strengthen their research, technology, and survival skills.

Opening her large, oval eyes she looked around making sure no one noticed she was daydreaming. Her body bubbled, feeling that familiar excitement and happiness so few in her world, experience. Her mother arrives today, after a long visit to her home planet.

Rapidly removing the safety suite she wore over her clothing, she passed through the detoxing chamber, then entered the neutralizing air compressor chamber, before finally reaching the personal property containment area where she'd placed a red jacket her mother brought her from one of her trips to Valdmida.

Stepping into the sparkling, diamond, automated walkway leading home, she drew the jacket closer to her body reminded of her parents' story.

They met when her father went on a mission to Valdmida. Life is ever-dying there and he and his team were assigned to collect samples of fresh and saltwater, algae, animals in extinction, and plants they could grow in their own atmosphere. It was an in and out mission, but her curious father separated from the group and came face to face with a Valdmidian, her future mother.

Maiglsha froze, wide-eyed but unafraid. "Who are you?"

"Imanike." He stared in awe at the platinum, flowing hair off her shoulders. On his planet, pili are uncommon.

She didn't scream when the tall hairless being towered over her ogling. To her, he looked intriguing and interesting. Instead, Maiglsha curiously formed questions in her brain at which the strange, but weirdly attractive figure, responded to, telepathically. Soon, they were having one of the best conversations they'd had in their lives.

Maiglsha was fearless and intelligent. A scientist of sort in her own planet, where knowledge is primitive but she was eager to learn and excited about new discoveries. The best one yet was the confirmation of life elsewhere beyond her own planet.

The Valdmedian always believed there to be life in other solar systems, but being faced with Imanike, proved to her she needed to believe more in herself and forget what others might think.

Imanike vacillated between feelings of joy and despair. He experienced strong emotions towards Maiglsha and her integrity. When they said their goodbye's he did so with the promise of coming back. How could he forget about her now? Leave her?

Imanike gathered the council insisting he must return. He explained how important it was, to continue their research. They allowed him to. He could contact her every time they visited which, at the time, was every three weeks, due to the quick changes in the atmosphere.

In no time, the relationship became something else. Something inexplicable. A different curiosity he'd not only never experienced, but couldn't admit to. He became impatient before going to see her and, when he did, his body perspired and vibrated in response to her physical nearness.

Finally, Amaranth's mother innocently made the first move. Excited to show him improvement on her research about cooling down the atmosphere, she reached for his hand lacing it with hers. The emotions he felt at that moment, which had been buried for generations, surfaced and instinctively as if being burned, he retracted his finger from hers.

Thinking she'd offended him, she profusely apologized but his response was a hard sloppy kiss. He'd seen it done before, for research purposes, but never had he experienced, not cared to experience intimate physical touch. In doing so, it brought out primitive emotions many of his colleagues would have been appalled to feel.

She'd giggled, slowly pushing him away and coached him gently with a whispered,"let me show you," guiding his lips with hers.

Slowly, she taught him how to love. How to feel and how to care about someone deeply. When he traveled to her planet, and they were together, they were whole.

Soon they found out they were pregnant and feared the worse. In Valdmida, their daughter would be different in every imaginable way, so, they decided, at 3 months term, Imanike would take their baby from her womb and raise their daughter on his home planet.

It'd been the right decision even though, to their welcomed surprise, their daughter was the perfect balance between Alchýmian and Valdmidian.

For Maiglsha, losing her was much too difficult to bear and because of her pain, Imanike barely slept or ate. Soon he suggested she go with him. He knew she'd be accepted within the Alchýmian planet and they both knew she'd adapt to their way of life.

Maiglsha feared leaving her family and her planet for the unknown. However, leaving, was the easiest decision she ever made.

Every year, Maiglsha travels back home for a few months. Everyone in her family thinks she was transferred for work and comes by on holiday but, Amaranth wondered what they'd actually think if they knew the truth about her mother, her father... Her.