Never in my life have I felt so out of place. And trust me, I don't do well in parties or public gatherings.

It's funny how I remember how much I suck yet I don't remember any of the important details. It's like, to the universe, the only important detail about me is that I'm a loser.

I sigh inwardly. Why is everybody so mean to me!

Like for example, the first thing an alien comes and says to me is that "I am an abomination." Come on! Don't polite people exist on this planet? I could do well with some greetings at least.

"Don't grumble you biped." It pokes me on the back with it's tail.

"What do you expect me to do! This whole situation is so strange! Let me stomach it for a moment, " I retort.

"How can you eat a situation?" It speaks curiously.

What the hell?! "No dammit, it means to fully comprehend what is happening."

It wags it's tail. "Your language is stupid as you, " It replies.

This stupid creature!

"Grrr.. " I gnash my teeth.

"You're grumbling again. "

"Oh, shut up!"

Where is he even taking me anyway? Not that I know the neighbourhood; it's a different planet!

"Gosh, I really can't remember anything." This is so frustrating. I look for any items that I might have on me to get some more details about myself.

...

Jesus, just thinking that makes me feel so dumb. I bet it's an evil plan concocted by a higher power. The universe is playing a prank on me! Yes that's what it is.

But, I already tested. This is reality. Then, maybe it's not a prank but divine judgement?

Anyway, let's not get carried away. I rummage through my pocket and grasp at something.

"Aha!"

I pull it out. It's my wallet. Opening it and there's my handsome face! Behind it, there's a card... Oh, it's my school ID card. Here I look so much dumber. Official photos have no charm at all! I shove it back in behind my cool picture. As for other stuff, I have a few other cards, not that they'd come in any handy. There's most likely no currency exchange on an alien planet for human money. Also, a few notes and some change.

What, am I broke or what! This won't buy anything better than a dozen eggs! How much does Mom give me for pocket money? Is she a miser, or am I a spendthrift?

I exhale rather loudly which ticks the alien off and I just jeer at it.

"You're annoying, " it says.

"I feel like I hear that a lot."

I begin shoving my wallet back in my pocket, when I stop. I take it out and take out my school ID card again, making a mental note not to look at that dumb picture of mine on it.

"Whoo, alright!" I say to myself.

Now I can at least introduce myself to people. Ahem, so here it is! My name is Jordan Ramsey. I am eighteen. That's all the meaningful information I get out of my broke wallet.

__________

For the time being I'm being escorted to some place by the hideous creature I just met. It looks like an insect kissed a demon and bore this hellish thing. Its face looks a lot like a mantis, it has scary looking appendages, though it moves only it's tail normally. It has chicken legs, but not tasty looking. To begin with, it's not cooked, and secondly, it only has the bends resembling a chicken leg, other than that it's scary and menacing. The whole body is a blackish red with some parts greenish and it has some sort of clothing- rather armour donned making it seem even more otherworldly. Unlike the body, it is completely black and shining. Yeah, it's definitely armour, though I think it resembles the cloth I wrapped around my palm, but seems like it's harder. Well, not that I care about it's fashion.

What's important is that it's not doing me any harm; for the most part if you leave out the occasional tail assault. If anything, it is extremely polite and courteous. Yes! It looks at me the same way I look at it. With kindness and compassion!

Truthfully speaking though, I think we have to respect our differences.

So about the voices earlier. It wasn't any kids museum I was in. These creatures sound a lot like human kids. They have high pitched vocals but something in their speech pattern throws you off until you stumble on the conclusion that in fact, your sweet little kids are far better shrieking, yelling and kicking you than becoming these godforsaken creatures to come and haunt you in your dreams. And I for one, am living the dream...in the form of a nightmare. Things don't get any worse ... or do they?

The most outrageous explanation would be that these actually are kids, just cursed by some inhuman spirit to turn them into whatever this form they are in is called. But I think we are safe from that option.

Now to coolly and calmly think this through, I have somehow come to an alien world. Something really bad must have happened for this to happen. The pessimist in me would say that the Earth is destroyed and I am just a lab specimen to these beings. Hell, that would even explain the weird place I had woken up in. Maybe it was part of a lab.

"Hey, how can you understand me?" I make a brave face and ask the creature. Ever since we met, it had been talking to me in English and understanding my speech in return. The strange language that I heard moments ago seemed like a daydream. But only of this alien creature.The other pedestrians continue their speech in their otherworldly tongue.

"You are a fool," it glares at me and points it's rangy twig-like black fingers at my chest.

Well, I have been called worse. Moments ago, in fact. Still it feels insulting to be called that by an alien. I look at my shirt. What was it pointing at?

"Oh great, you can't even look at yourself properly." It rolls its eyes. "Here," it says as it touches its own.

"Huh? What's that?" A circular metallic object with red dot-like things is just below its neck. I touch a similar spot below mine and between my collar bones. How did I not notice it before?

...

Of course I did not!

"Wait. It's not stuck on. It is embedded! When did you put this in me?! What is this?" I become anxious. Is it a bomb? Am I gonna blow up because I pissed off this gentleman?!

"Don't become more irritating than you already are." Is it sneering at me right now? "It is merely a translating device. It reads your mindwaves and sends it to the listener. It goes all the way to your vertebral column and even inside it."

The colour fades from my face. I have been operated on! It's just like the UFO stories on TV! I don't know what to make out of this. It's so cool and scary at the same time.

"Where are we going? Why am I here?"

"Can't you keep quiet. Just enjoy the view."

That child voice is so misleading. If you close your eyes and hear this thing speak, it would seem like the ghost of an old man sabotaged the controls of a boy's body. Do they even have gender?

I look around. Yeah. Yeah. They do, there's a variety of creatures all around. Welp, there's my answer. There's probably more than two genders available in this world. Or maybe, they all are different species?

There are a range of insect heads. Some look like ants, some like wasps. Even if those two have hugely different sizes and body shapes, they have the same general head arrangement. Only subtle changes. So yeah, they are the same species, these aliens I'm seeing scurrying across the sidewalk (Some features of the world are universal it seems).

The buildings look fantastic. Yep, straight out of something you'd expect to see in games but, they have an originality to them. They are mostly of the same kind (like flats) , but at the same time, different (again like flats). They have hexagons etched all over, or maybe those are supposed to be the bricks? There are huge hoses attached to their sides that connect at different points in the building at different heights. Mostly all metallic, so it is safe to assume that they have a similar sense in making things like we do. I wouldn't be surprised if these were made out of a different alloy or metal though. It's more likely that way. There's also other smaller buildings like the place I woke up in. They are rather simplistic with not too many flashy features- just a few geometric lines along the sides and all metallic. A bluish-greyish-blackish metal, to be exact.

We enter another building. This one is like the one I mentioned before with the hoses connecting at different points. Sliding doors open automatically, and I enter the vast space with my gentle escort. "Wow, talk about design." Fluid protruding lines flow all over the interior with oval shaped lights at times breaking out. There are also holes on the walls at some points. Wonder what's that about. But most importantly, inside the building, there's a sweet smell. Almost as if, someone had a good bath with a top notch soap or bath bomb. Hmm, maybe I should wash myself as well.

I sniff my underarms.

Yeah, I totally reek.

Whatever the hell I have been through, it has left its mark on me even as body odour.

The inside of this building is more organised and meticulous, and also really very huge. I mentioned it before but feel the need to really emphasise this fact. And like all the buildings I saw while coming here, it is made almost completely out of metal as well. I feel quite small. Looks like where I was, was totally an abandoned site. This is where these creatures live.

"This way," it calls me and I follow.

"I'm impressed," I say, unable to hide my fascination.

"Well, I'm disappointed," it replies peeking a glance at me from the side. What a jerk!

I arrive at the area where it wants me to be. "Okay, now what would you do with me?"

"Now we eat," it says, simply.

I take back a few steps, my eyes opened wide. "No...NO!" I shout. "YOU CAN'T EAT ME! TRUST ME I'M NOT TASTY! I REEK! SMELL ME!" I try and look back but the path we came in through has been sealed. There's no running away.

Oh god, did I come here to die? Maybe I really was a lab specimen, and now that they are done with their research, they are ready to chomp on me!

"You STUPID human!" It slaps me with its tail.

"Ow!" I rub my back.

"I meant, we would eat now. That is, food will be brought to you. You and me. It's been a rough day, and it just got rougher the moment I laid my eyes on you. I thought we were done with your lot." It snorts.

"Wait, my lot? What are you talking about?"

Just when I am about to burst another question, white forms come out of a sliding door in the near distance.

I can't believe my eyes.

Girls. Towels draped around their bodies. And boys too! Wait so I'm not the only one?

"You are brought here for a purpose," the alien speaks back to me, now it carries a note of seriousness.

"'You must save our race' Is that it?" I ask, stating a stereotypical plot.

It looks at me. Then it laughs. It laughs so oddly, it unsettles me. "What was that? You little meat creatures are gonna save us?"

Cold sweat forms at the sides of my head. "Then what are we to do?"

"Simple. Know your place and do your job." It nods its head.

"Um, you want us to be your slaves?"

It's eyes squint and I get the feeling that it is frowning at me. "Now, now. That would make us look bad and plain evil. Frankly put: we have suffered, and now we are to restore and rejuvenate what is lost, what is ruined. And for that we need manpower. Because time is of the essence. And all we need from you- is labour. Know your place, do your job and you shall have a life of peace. Well, as long as it lasts."

Okay, I think this is a much more realistic plot. So all they need is my help. No, our help. I have to get hooked up with some of those girls to see how they ended up here. That's top priority. I hope those other guys have not made any moves on them yet. The girls look pretty, so I must make my actions quick. But I must also not get fazed by the looks only. The last girl I dated was a pain in the ass and had the face of a princess. I absolutely hate those types!

If the deal was like this- work when you are meant to and we would give you food and other resources important for living, then I can't complain about the situation too much. If anything, this is the best thing that's ever happened to Earth! Well, if it still exists that is. I hope it does.

Maybe this is the future. We can coexist in harmony! With limited freedom of course, but you must make some sacrifices to progress, right? What remains to be seen, is how limited.

I move towards the people whom I spotted from the distance and the first thing they do is point behind them. Great. Let's take a bath and then we'd get a move on.

"Big sis, I hope I can meet you soon. I just need to find out where you are. Not gonna be an easy task by any stretch, but I believe in myself. These aliens are nice... relatively speaking," I take an oath as I utter those words under my breath while taking my clothes off. The bathroom is large, like the building and it's golden! Feeling like VIP here! Even the doors open automatically like the ones I encountered before.

I immerse myself in the large metallic pool, the cool water soothes my stiff muscles and I relax.

The next thing I hear is an ear piercing shriek from the side and a slap to the face. My glasses take flight and I slam my head on the side rail. "Why am I getting beat up so much the first day I meet aliens!"

Then I realise my mistake. I am not alone in the bathhouse. There's a girl sitting beside me, and this time there's no towel curtaining the good stuff.

Oh shit. Here we go!