PEARL

The journey back to my silver bubble took less time than expected. The sky was overcast, so the sun didn't bother us as much. The humidity turned me into a walking puddle of sweat; it even affected Dumuzi, causing perspirations to darken his shirt.

Kinda sexy, if you asked me. Despite the absolutely gorgeous creature dripping with sweat beside me—muscles glistening and dark, purple eyes lost in thought–I was too tired to focus.

As soon as I got inside the house, I took off my boots. I wanted to dive headfirst into the couch, but I was too sticky and didn't want to stink up the nice furniture. Shit.

I really needed a shower. My stomach was also growling rather loudly, to my embarrassment. He probably had perfect hearing.

If he heard it, he didn't say anything.

"Thanks for letting me be outside today. I might gripe about the heat, and what I saw sucked, but... I enjoyed the adventure."

"I thought you might appreciate the scenery."

He was back to being closed off, given the way his sentence was delivered: monotonous, quiet. I sighed, too exhausted to pry the reasoning from him, but I sort of had a feeling I already knew was it was.

What we just watched together was a lot to take in.

I sat on the couch's arm, staring at Dumuzi's dusty shoes, thinking about the girl from the memory. If I would have been there, I would have stopped her death. Did aliens have time machines?

I was sure she would haunt my dreams forever. It bothered me that humanity was like an accident, forgotten like an unwanted child. It was true that humans came about–at least in modern society–through accidents all the time. Birth control not working. Condoms breaking. But this was more than that.

They didn't have the right to destroy us. Not when they didn't even look after us properly. Sure, we ended up pretty awful, but still.

The silence in the room was unbearable. I had no idea how to approach my next topic. I chose my words carefully. "I need some space this evening. You know, time alone to think about things."

I had a shitload of stuff to sift through mentally. If what I witnessed today could be compartmentalized, it would sit in file boxes that reached the ceiling. I needed to think about the human girl and mourn her. I needed to swallow back the awful taste of humankind's ancient history.

"Take as much time as you need."

"Are you okay?"

"I am contemplating what I should say to the council when I depart. I have a lot to do if I am to honor your request for a hearing, but they will not be pleased."

"Figures."

His expression was stern, yet closed off. I scratched my arm, worried about his mood and if it would get any worse.

It probably could. Maybe he needed some time alone, too, to figure everything out. I hope I didn't overstep with my demand.

"Be sure to hydrate and rest." He folded his hands together, tilting his head to avoid the ceiling as he stood taller. "I believe you need to eat something as well. If you need anything, touch the bracelet I gave you. There is a mechanism on the side."

"Okay." I nodded. So he could hear my stomach growling. "Will do."

The first plan of action would be to get into a cool shower. The second would be finding something to eat. Third, maybe cry myself to sleep about what I witnessed today.

He put his fingers on the door handle to leave, but I put up a hand, thinking of something. "Wait."

He paused, looking down over his shoulder.

"I have a question," I said quickly.

"Yes?"

I gathered my jumbled thoughts in order to form a sentence. "Earlier you said it was against your laws to engineer life. Why was that decided?"

He blinked as if surprised at my question. My mind was a mess ever since entering the memory safe. It was a good question to ask, though.

"You saw what happens when we do. Providing for everyone and giving them everything is impossible. It only causes more issues. My youngest brother, Ona, is the biggest and latest grievance against introducing life into the galaxies."

Like the gathering of storm clouds, Dumuzi's demeanor changed into something darker. He said his name like it was a curse word. I wondered if his mood could get any worse, and it had. Much, much worse.

Shit. Maybe I should have asked another question.

Well, too late to back out now. "You've never really talked about having a younger brother. I'm not connecting the dots here. Can you explain?"

His voice was sharp. "As your kind tends to say, to keep a long story short?"

"Sure," I muttered, flinching. "Just the condensed version before you go, then."

Oof. Touchy subject, even for him.

He took his hand off the doorknob and ran it through his long, white hair. The darkness in his eyes faded like a lighter amethyst. But only by a little.

"My brother was a pioneer of genetic manipulation; a genius, but his heart was foul. He created monstrosities that ravaged many lifeforms in the universe, including our own, as I have previously stated. In addition to being very different from my kind–an anomaly in itself–he was also very manipulative and was capable of hiding his true nature until the last moment. Anything standing in his way was destroyed."

See? There are bad eggs in every species, I wanted to say. But I thought better of it because he possibly killed many people Dumuzi cared for. I closed my mouth which hung open with shock. "He created what attacked you? Why did he do that?"

"This is a simple answer. He was hungry for power, hungry for resources. He would have destroyed Earth if we hadn't intervened. Whereas we plan to relinquish our responsibilities–and our existence–to those we have made, he wants total control and to embrace ourselves as the gods of all."

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Cripes. He sounds like a fucking narcissist."

"Mmm?" He chuckled quietly. "Yes. Very much so. Having suffered a great deal of loss because of him, I found it rather satisfying to see him begging for life at the end of my spear aimed at one of his hearts."

I gasped, not expecting that at all. "Did you kill him, then?"

"Regretfully, no. He has been imprisoned. A fate much worse than death for my kind. Call it cosmic retribution, if you will." The side of his lip quirked up. "We are a non-violent species, but we protect fiercely. We are lethal when it comes to those we love."

I shivered. Honestly, I didn't even want to unpack that all in my head. A prison worse than death? It must have been a nightmare.

Good.

I couldn't even imagine all the loss he experienced. Did he lose his entire family? A sharp pang of sadness stabbed at my chest.

For a brief moment, I wondered what a genuinely pissed-off Enuki looked like. Probably terrifying. It would be the last damn thing you saw, considering they could kill with the flick of a finger. Dumuzi's brother, Ona, obviously deserved his punishment.

Hope he rots.

"I appreciated your bravery today, Pearl."

I blinked slowly at him, nervously twisting and untwisting my fingers in my lap. "I appreciate you keeping your promise and telling me more about your family. You didn't have to do that."

"Nonsense. I hope you sleep well, as always."

I nodded, pulling my knees up, letting him leave as conflicting emotions whirled inside of my guts. Guilt gnawed at my stomach for sending him away. I wanted him to stay, but I didn't want him to see me fall apart.

I was not willing to let him witness me lose control over my bottled-up feelings.

But wouldn't it do you good to let somebody in for once in your life?

I grimaced. "Goodnight, Dumuzi."

I didn't cry until he was gone.