PEARL

After crying myself to sleep, I woke up with serious hunger pains. Didn't sleep well, either. A sense of dread mixed with guilt poisoned my chest, causing nightmares. Why did I just send Dumuzi away?

It was obvious he wasn't okay. Neither was I, but...

I rummaged through the fridge, unsure of what to cook, pressing my lips together. My empty stomach gnawed at me as I glared at all the fruits and vegetables that were unfamiliar. Shoot.

I wished there was a way to reach out to François. I would have accepted her offer to cook for me. Given that I could burn cereal, I wouldn't attempt something as unknown as a cuisine with alien elements.

I sat in the center of the kitchen floor, legs crisscrossed, snacking on various ingredients. Some of it tasted good, some of it tasted bitter. But not as bitter at the guilt muddying my mood.

I sent him away. I knew the reason, and it was pretty pathetic that I was still hung up on it.

You are afraid to let anyone in.

I let out a slow breath through my nose, my eyes prickling. I refused to let him see me cry over the girl in the memory safe. As soon as I let somebody in, it was followed by rejection. Not just in my romantic life, either.

Sour memories resurfaced, memories of my time in foster care, where a particular family I went to stay with had counted down the days until I was placed in another home.

They threw me agoing away party, which was sickeningly twisted into a thank fuck this kid is no longer our responsibility party. All because I was too curious, hyper, and loud as a ten-year-old; so much harder to deal with than their own children.

I had cried getting in the social worker's car, my belly full of candy and cake from the party, and confused at my foster father cheering in the front seat as we drove away.

So even if people took on the responsibility of having me in their lives, they would still... regret it.

Regret it a lot.

Dumuzi would regret being tied to me for eternity.

There was a quick knock on the door and I flinched. I stood up, wiped away tears, and sighed, wondering who it could be because I wanted to be left alone. Groaning, I opened the door and took a few steps back as an Enuki let himself in.

It wasn't Dumuzi.

"Pearl."

Shadrach. He shut the door behind him, his eyes frantic and wide. It was unsettling to see an Enuki so... emotive. He was dressed in all black. The cloak he wore dusted the floor like a long trench coat. He scanned the living room, eyes narrowing. They came to a stop at me.

I glared at him. I wasn't fond of people just letting themselves into my living space, especially when I was having an emotional breakdown. My eyes were still raw and burning from crying, only adding to my embarrassment and the need to be left alone.

"The fuck do you want?!" I snapped.

He didn't respond, shocked at my shout.

Understandable. I cleared my throat, shaking myself free of the emotions that threatened to swallow me whole from my reverie. I took a deep breath. I couldn't stay furious forever.

Exhaustion made it impossible. I yawned and sat down on the couch, stroking the side of my head. Why was he here? "I don't know if you got the memo, but I don't like any of you that aren't Dumuzi, and I hate it when people bother me when I'm trying to have a moment to myself. Sorry."

His lips thinned. "I am not sure what memo means. Do you lose control of your emotions often?"

I made a face like I tasted something bad. He just had to call me out like that right now? "What are you doing here, Shadrach?"

I drew my legs up, tucking them underneath me. I leaned over and flipped on the lamp to my left.

Shadrach remained motionless, his head almost brushing the ceiling. His enormous frame obscured the door. "I needed to speak with you."

I blinked at his voice. I had forgotten how deep it was. It was almost unsettling–like the rumble of an oncoming storm. "You need to speak with me?"

From what I could tell, Shadrach thought little of me. François was the exception. What did he have to say that was so important that it needed to be said at the butt crack of dawn?

I froze. Was it something bad? "What is it?"

He put up his hands almost as if to caution me. "Ah—forgive me. I have two things to say."

I wasn't sure how such a massive creature could look so rattled. He shifted his weight, folding his arms across his chest. The sides of his lips were turned down. "How do I make François happy?"

I frowned, not expecting that question. I rubbed my eyes, trying to get the sleep out of them.

Did he actually care for her happiness? "What do you mean?"

"She has been crying at night. Oftentimes, during our work together, she gets lost in her mind. Should I bring her a woman so she can have somebody to share more personal moments with? Perhaps a mate?"

I snorted, the anger fizzling out of my system.

He was clueless, and it was kind of... endearing? Nothing about him looked endearing, though. Shadrach was entirely too frightening to stand being around for too long.

I scratched my arm. "No. That's not how that works. You can't just put two people together and expect them to be together." I stretched my legs out in front of me, letting my joints pop. It felt nice. "Besides, she seems like the sort of gal that is more, you know, independent," I went on. "She's upset about the destruction of Earth too, you know."

This time, it was his turn to frown. "Independent?"

Of course he wouldn't care about the Earth part. "Yeah."

"This does not make much sense to me," he murmured as he moved to the kitchen window to peer outside. The sun was rising, filling the home with purple light. It reflected off the kitchenware's gleaming metals, creating bright patches on the walls. "I do not like to see her sad."

Interesting. He cares about her.

Hearing about her being upset did something to me, too. But there was nothing I could do about it, not until I got a hearing with the council to save Earth.

If they would even listen to me.

"What's the other thing?" I asked.

Did all Enukis go silent for no reason all the time? It was like I didn't even say anything. I cupped my hands over my mouth to make my voice more booming. "Earth to Sha—wait, that's not the name of this planet."

This planet was named Lare. I tried again. "Lare to Shadrach, I'm asking you a question. That usually requires a response."

More silence. The eerie quiet didn't feel right. I didn't believe in premonition, but the large alien in the dining room looked too frazzled to seem like everything was peachy. My thoughts went to Dumuzi.

Was he okay?

"I apologize for my hesitation," he whispered. "I am not usually this... stressed."

"What's Dumuzi up to?"

I hoped that whatever he had to tell me didn't involve him. Because it didn't look good with the way Dumuzi had been acting as of late. More guilt pierced my chest, and I held my breath as he answered.

"Dumuzi is facing a situation. I am not supposed to speak of this, but I feel like I have no other choice. I will answer whatever questions you have, journalist."

My breath came out in one big huff, the back of my neck all prickly and hot. I got up from the couch and moved to him. My stomach sank into my toes as I glanced up at his rigid, anxious face. "What happened? Is he okay?"

"We have detained him."

"Detained?"

"Yes."

My mouth flew open in surprise. His eyes were hard on my face, studying my reaction. My heart felt like it was going to pound right through my ribcage and flop on the ground like a fish out of water.

"I'm not sure whether you're aware, but Dumuzi is my biological brother. I am concerned about him. This is my main purpose for being here."

I rocked back on my heels, chewing my lip. No, I didn't know that he was his brother. Dumuzi had said he had brothers, but he spoke of Enukis as his brethren, leaving a bit of confusion.

I knew he had another maniacal brother that nearly destroyed the universe, though. "Why has he been detained?"

"Another council member, Degnath, was gravely injured by him in a disagreement. Fortunately, we were able to stop Dumuzi before he killed him. The scuffle inflicted other injuries on council members. He has succumbed to his sickness in its terminal stages. He is too dangerous to release. This is... unprecedented in our kind."

The blood drained from my face. Dumuzi, what the hell?

I swallowed, eyes prickling."Why—why would he do something like that?"

Dumuzi never struck me as the violent kind, nor did any Enuki, really. He was also so careful–restrained, highly calculating, and quiet. Whatever was going on must have been serious. He said he was dangerous.

I mean, I knew he was dying, but I had thought there were weeks left. I didn't think his upcoming death would cause this.

I turned on the journalist switch in my head, not taking silence as an answer. Maybe he was too worried about his brother to relay it all. "I'm not as ill-informed as you'd expect. I know Dumuzi doesn't have a lot of time left, and Osa is making it hard for him to be away from me. Is there anything we can do?"

A moment of silence passed between us. I hated it. It made my skin crawl with uncertainty.

"Gather your things," was all he said. "I'll take you to him."

I grabbed him by his enormous arm as he passed me. It was hard under my fingers. "You guys are so annoying with avoiding my questions."

"I will explain all of this later. His time is running out, Pearl, and I think you might calm him."

Calm him? I made a face. "If he attacked the others, wouldn't he attack me?"

"You are the only one who would be safe from him."

"How do you expect me to help?"

Put him in time-out? Tell him to knock it off? Confusion was the only thing keeping me from packing in a flurry. I wasn't afraid of him, even if he was a danger to me. I cared about him too much; I'd figure something out.

He shrugged off my hold, stepping back. His eyes were dark. "That is a problem to figure out later. Right now, he must be... placated. Putting you in his presence will do that. Perhaps you can talk some sense into him."

"Bullshit, Shadrach. The only way to fix this would be to complete our bond."

He froze. He put another step between us and turned his head to gaze out of the window to his right. "True, but that is only if you wish to. Dumuzi seems keen on thinking he is too inadequate for you. Guilt and shame festers inside of him. It eats at him."

I sputtered. "What?"

Right now, I was a lot of things; stunned, terrified, and out of it from a rough night's sleep. Now? Now I was furious. I kissed him. He consoled me after I cried. He took care of me when I was sick. He showed me his ancestor's not-so-shining-past, for heaven's sake.

I told him I wanted him! I was the one who made him hang around when he wanted to leave. He was the one who was inadequate for me? And here I was, bawling my eyes out in the kitchen not that long ago because I felt I was inadequate for him. "That's ridiculous."

His shoulders relaxed, and he glanced back at me. "For our kind, it surely is. Yet, you have this effect on him. I am frightened of this for myself if I gain a human Sohme. I shall never turn my gaze to Earth to find out."

"Be afraid, be very afraid," I growled.

Dumuzi was not his ancestors. He was not like the other Enukis here. He was different. Kind. And I was really starting to care for him... deeply.

I am going to rip his head off.

Something told me I should be nervous, given that restoring him back to normal would imply sex. But I wasn't. Even though I had never slept with a guy, I was always the one to plunge into things head-on.

I would be nervous when I got there. Get there first.

I focused on forming a plan.

"What do I bring?" I called over my shoulder as I headed to the hallway. "Holy water? Condoms? A bag of weed to chill him out?"

He didn't catch onto my humor, as expected. Humor was my defense mechanism, but it wasn't helping much right now.

Just like his brother, he took my joke literally. "You do not need contraceptives. Our kinds are not compatible genetically in that regard. Bring clothes. Hygiene supplies. Whatever you may need. I am not sure what you humans use."

"Well, that's enlightening," I said, running my fingers through my hair. My stomach flopped at the not compatible genetically part, but I'd mull over it later. Right now was about him. "Am I staying there long?"

"If you plan to mate with him, I'd imagine so."

"Be right back," I said in a tense voice.

I went into my room.

In the closet, I discovered a bag. I stuffed it with as many changes of clothes as I could and used the zippers on the side to store extra items. I snatched up a toothbrush, a tube of toothpaste, and some cleansers. My hands shook the entire time, worry sitting like a pool of acid in my guts.

Dumuzi.

I wanted to make this okay. He might be a genius, but he was clueless when it came to humans. When it came to me. How could he be thinking those thoughts when I struggled with them too?

It made little sense.

I splashed water on my face to remove the crusts that formed in my eyes. Due to my disturbed sleep, my hair was a snarled nest on my head, so I raked my fingers through it. I couldn't even look in the mirror. I knew I was freaking out. Looking at my reflection would only make it worse.

"I'm ready." I swallowed, slinging my bag over my shoulder. I walked out into the hallway, nodding my head once. "Take me to him."

He folded his massive arms across his chest, eyeing me. "Are you sure you wish to do this? This might be dangerous for you. I would understand your hesitation—"

"Shut up and let's go, Shadrach."

"You lack self-preservation, human. You must think about this first."

"No. Can we go now?"

He stared me down.

I met his jade stare evenly without so much as flinching. Which was a big feat, considering that he was somewhat terrifying. And nearly twice my height.

He shook his head and turned his back to me.

I smirked in triumph.

He was the first one through the door. I followed him out, shutting the door behind me. The sun was still rising. The dark-purple shrubbery dotting the hillside hissed slightly in the wind. The air was crisp and smelled of dew. I took a deep breath.

As daylight painted the landscape, thousands of stars faded at the tapering edge of the night sky. There were no familiar bird chirps, no buzzing of cicadas, no croaking of frogs like there were on Earth. Part of my soul ached.

"Are we walking?" I asked, deflating a little. I wasn't up to another hike; my muscles were still sore from the last one.

He reached into his long, black cloak pocket and tossed something to the ground. It landed with a mechanical thud. In the blink of an eye, the silhouette of a gigantic rectangle appeared, like something rendering into existence. If I stretched my arms out, it would not have encompassed my width.

I gawked.

The center became what looked like a thin mirror. Our reflections did not greet us back, but a different area entirely. A hallway with a smooth, gold floor and yawning archways beckoned me. The vision shimmered a bit, swaying in response to the wind that picked up.

I took a step back. "Let me guess, it's some weird alien technology that teleports people?"

Shadrach gave a sharp nod. "It might make you nauseous the first time or two. Though we theorize it to be safe to you."

"Theorize?"

"Do you want to walk instead?"

I blinked at the horizon, thinking of Dumuzi. "Sounds like this is a time-sensitive issue."

"It is."

I shrugged my shoulders and walked up to the weird glass. I inserted my fingers into the opening. Inside, there was a discerning difference in the air. There was no bend, no surface–nothing from keeping my fingers back.

It was just like any other doorway to a room.

Holding my breath, I slipped through.