Mark continued stroking my wings all the way home, lulling me into a calm rest despite the aching in my stomach that refused to go away. He helped sneak me inside without drawing Celest out from her room. As we moved across the living room, a heart-wrenching sob sounded down the hall. 

“I don’t know if I can do this anymore.” Celest’s voice trembled. “Seeing her face every day, it- it’s more than I can bear.”

I froze just short of the hallway. I knew it. I knew she didn’t want me around. She might’ve even asked Dr. Swanson to leave the portal room open yesterday, in the hope that I would leave. Why hadn’t she just told me to go? She knew I wanted to leave at the beginning, and I didn’t know why she would have any reason to believe I’d seriously changed my mind. 

Celest sobbed. “I can’t abandon that poor little girl. She didn’t ask for any of this. Can’t- can’t you let her stay with you, just for a while?”

The front door slammed shut, and Celest fell quiet. Mark must’ve opened and closed the door to let her know we were here. Now she would see what a mess we were and be so worried. She didn’t deserve to worry even more than she already had. I rushed for the door. 

Mark caught me in his arms. He’d taken off his shirt and jacket, presumably to hide the odd hole over the chest. The bite mark on his scales was hidden beneath what Celest could’ve assumed was my blood. “Don’t worry. I’ll talk to her. You go shower.” 

“You don’t have to-”

“You’re back early.” There was a quiver in Celest’s otherwise cheery tone. 

Mark turned me to face her. “Don’t worry, she’s fine. She just fell and broke her nose. I healed it, but I think we’ll stay away from heels from now on. I’ll let you know how everything went while Elva cleans up.” He nudged me toward the hall. 

Celest watched me with a horrified expression as I slipped around her. I rushed into the bathroom and saw what had made her so horrified. There was a stream of dried blood down my face and the front of my dress. After locking the door, I quickly undressed so I could hop in the shower. 

I washed as quickly as I could and darted out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel. I wasn’t exactly sure what I expected to find, but Celest crying into Mark’s bare arms wasn’t it. He caught me staring and tilted his head toward my bedroom. I disappeared inside. 

After dressing, I sat on the bed to wait. 

A long while later, there was a knock on the door. 

“Come in.”

Mark came in and closed the door behind him. “As you can probably guess, Celest is finding it difficult to see Leah’s face every time she looks at you, but she doesn’t want to throw you out. I told her I would take care of you until she’s ready to see you again. You should pack everything you’ll want for at least the next three weeks.”

“Oh. Okay.” It was a better outcome than I’d expected--arguably better than I deserved. “Where are you going to take me?”

“A hotel in Sandy. It’s not far from my house.”

“I haven’t gotten a credit card yet. I have some cash Celest gave me, but-”

He shook his head. “I wasn’t lying to Celest. I’ll take care of you.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“El, I’m getting sick of saying the same thing over and over. If you can’t accept my answer, you have to accept that there are some mysteries you can’t solve.”

“I attacked you.” 

“You were drugged, and I’m fine.” He gestured at his chest, which was unmarked except for a scar that roughly resembled a three-pointed star. “I’m going to let Ethan know what’s going on. Start packing.” He slipped out of the room. 

I hesitated to pack. Everything in this room was Leah’s and therefore Celest’s. It wasn’t really my right to take any of it. I didn’t even have a right to the body I was inhabiting right now, but Celest had given it to me because she felt bad for someone she considered to be a child. If she believed I was an adult, would she have ever let me live Leah’s life? Doubtful. 

She’d likely convinced Mark that I was a child, too, which was the only reason I could think of for his continual support. 

Mark came back all too soon and scowled. “Why aren’t you packing?”

“This isn’t my stuff. This isn’t my body. Nothing belongs to me.” And I didn’t belong anywhere. 

“Don’t be ridiculous. Celest told you to use that body, and she’s fine with you taking this stuff. Where’s your suitcase?”

“If you believed I was an adult, would you still be helping me?”

He rolled his eyes before checking the closet. “No suitcase in here. I’ll check the hallway closet.” He left and returned with a couple of suitcases. “Do you care if I manhandle your clothes?”

“Go ahead.” 

As he tossed armfuls of clothes in the suitcases, I collected Leah’s electronics, paint, and a few books in her backpack. We loaded them into his car. I pushed aside the bloody towels and sat in the back.

Mark sat next to me and put his arm around my shoulders. “You okay?”

I didn’t know what to say to that. The simple answer was ‘no,’ but if I said that, he would want to know how he could help, and I couldn’t think of anything he could do to make me feel less crappy right now. “I’m as okay as can be expected given the circumstances.”

“That’s not a strong vote of confidence.”

It wasn’t meant to be. 

Ethan caught my eye in the rearview mirror. “So, how long have you two known each other?”

“A month,” Mark answered.

“You’ve been dating since the day you met?”

I was prepared to tell the truth, but Mark cut me off.

“Yes.”

“That’s fast.”

“Yep.”

Ethan chuckled. “Who would’ve guessed ‘alien parasite’ was your type?”

“Don’t call her a parasite.” There was a hint of edge in his voice. 

“But isn’t she…?”

“I am,” I said before Mark could answer. “‘Parasite’ doesn’t have the same negative connotation to us that it does to humans.”

Ethan nodded. “Hey, how’d you end up on Leah anyway?”

I explained the events that had led to me coming to Earth. 

“Rough,” he said when I’d finished. 

“Indeed.” 

He parked in front of the hotel and twisted around to poke my arm. “You feel that?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

“My belly tendrils are spliced into the nerves of Leah’s spine.”

He grimaced. “Like a meat puppet with nerve strings.”

“If anything would be the strings, it would be the tendons. They are what physically pull the meat around.”

Mark stifled a shudder, which drew Ethan’s curious gaze. Taking his arm down, Mark got out of the car. As he set about unloading my luggage, Ethan leaned over the front seats to speak quietly. 

“Why are you really dating him? Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”

He sounded sincere, but logically speaking, why would he ask that kind of question if he didn’t intend to tell Mark immediately? My best chance of convincing him of my good intentions would be to share some of the truth—but not all of it, as Mark obviously didn’t want to share much. 

“Mark has done me a great service in helping me reform this body. I am very appreciative of him.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Are you attracted to him?”

“He has a well-maintained body.”

“Yeah, but do you think he’s hot?”

I shook my head. “He can make a cool mist to lower his temperature.”

“Not-” He glanced out the window as Mark came back with a jacket over his arm. Ethan got out of the car and muttered something in his ear. 

Mark rolled his eyes. “I know. That’s one of the reasons I like her.” He put on the jacket.

I got out of the car, trying to pretend like I wasn’t straining to hear Ethan’s whispered response. 

“You like that she’s not attracted to you?”

With an exasperated sigh, Mark led Ethan a little ways away. “If she’s not attracted, she won’t get horny for me.”

“You still want her to like how you look, right?”

“Did she say I’m ugly?”

“She said you have a ‘well-maintained body.’”

Mark smiled. “Then what’s your problem?”

He shrugged. “I don’t get it. What do you two do together?”

“We hang out.”

“How’s that different from what you do with the rest of your team?”

“It just is.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “With all due respect, you don’t need to get it. Elva and I do, and that’s enough for us.”

“Right.” Ethan rocked back on his heels. “You staying with her or heading home?”

“I’ll stay with her for a while.” 

“And I’ll catch an Uber. See you later.”

“See you.”

Leaning against the hotel wall, Ethan pulled out his phone. 

Mark came to me and took hold of the suitcase handles. As I swung my backpack over my shoulder, something occurred to me. 

“If it would help you with your lying, I would kiss you in front of him.”

He stiffened. “You would?”

I nodded. 

For a moment, I thought he was going to say yes, but I must’ve misread his expression, because he actually said, “Thanks, but don’t.”

“Okay.”