It had been a few weeks since I got on the flight that took me to the strange yet interesting planet of Othanai. I’d never been on a plane much less a flight where passengers took showers, changed clothes, slept and ate on a spacious airship. I was nervous on the first day and kept looking out at the outer space I could see from the windows but Sang’s calmness helped me keep my composure.

We’d flown business class. I had a reclinable seat and a tiny office space next to my tiny cubicle of living space. I felt like I was already working for the Department of Community Protection along with almost everyone else in the business class. Just as I was getting used to temporary life on an airship, we reached our destination.

After landing and disembarking the airship, I was immediately hit with a rush of excitement. It could’ve been the nervousness, but the air was buzzing as we started through the space portal in Sahir, the main capital of Karys.

We exited the space portal and boarded a rather fancy-looking bus-train thing to Baxat, the next city over. I couldn’t stop pressing my face to the glass to look at the passing scenery. I had stopped myself from imagining what Karys would look like because I didn’t want to be let down or led astray by my wild imagination. It was like a different dimension. The vehicles didn’t look the same, the trees were at least two times the size I was used to, the buildings were artfully sculpted and domed, and the strangely dressed people looked just like humans but didn’t at the same time. Even the sky, lit up by two suns was different, but it was all so amazing to look at.

The corporate housing we were to stay in was a multistory building full of dorms for DCP employees that included communal spaces and even a café on the ground floor. Dorms went up to fit three people, but Sang had a double dorm and Aubyn had a single. The single dorm was a small, loft-style room with just enough space for one person to live comfortably.

I couldn’t even be bothered to put my things away when I entered Aubyn’s dorm. I nearly forgot to take my shoes off as I rushed to look at everything. As expected of his room, it was exceptionally tidy. I went to the bedroom to throw open the window and look outside again. I hadn’t gotten my fill of the new world, but the excitement must have gotten to my head because that was all I remembered before collapsing.

When I woke up, I was under blankets with a damp towel on my forehead. Aubyn said I’d been out for a day and Dr Stanley had come to check on me to make sure I was alright. My body was adjusting to the different atmosphere. Milan had gone through it as well, coming down with something akin to a cold after being brought to Othanai.

It was like a sudden onslaught of the flu. I was cold, but sweating buckets, my fever was at an all-time high, my entire body ached, I could barely get out of bed by myself, and my appetite was nonexistent. To make sure it wasn’t contagious, Coen had to stay with Sang and Milan in their dorm a floor above us while I recuperated on Aubyn’s couch.

I started to feel better soon. Within a few days, I had healed enough that Aubyn felt at ease leaving me to go back to work with Milan coming over every now and then to check in on me. Milan would come over the second Sang left for work. I had a feeling he was either worried about me or didn’t want to be lonely. Or he was bored.

I was relieved that I’d slept so much that I didn’t have to try to get used to the difference in time. I automatically adjusted once I wasn’t so sleepy all the time. Due to feeling better and Aubyn and Sang going back to work, I mustered up my strength to be somewhat productive because otherwise I’d be stuck at home with a babysitter doing nothing.

Aubyn, after reassuring my new boss, Siele, that I was recovering smoothly, brought back a list of things that needed my attention before I could officially start my new job as Siele’s assistant. There was training, Alunai language classes, accommodations since I couldn’t keep sleeping on Aubyn’s couch, and then there was my uniform to be bought. It all seemed like too much, but then I hadn’t left everything and my best friend behind on Earth for nothing.

I started with the only thing I could do most by myself. The classes I’d need to take before starting my job were conveniently found online and were usually used as introductory lessons for human DCP employees who worked on Earth. Since they’d be working amongst vacuras and other Othanaian beings, they were expected to know a bit about the culture and language of their coworkers. The same went for Othanaians. The training also included a certification that I needed as a government employee who would need to handle sensitive information.

When Aubyn left for work and Milan came over, I’d borrow Milan’s laptop, put some earphones in, grab a book and a pencil and take notes while I listened to the videos. I felt like a student again as I completed my daily quiz on whatever chapter I’d tuned into for the day.

Aside from job training courses, I had language classes. Alunai was the language spoken in Karys and its alphabet, Adul, was a simple one. Maybe it was because I hadn’t left school too long ago, or maybe it was that Milan seemed eager to help, but learning the alphabet wasn’t difficult. It also helped that the letters were named after their sounds.

Milan didn’t go back to work right away, not even after the week-long break they took to get used to being on Othanai again like Sang and Aubyn had. He instead stayed home to keep me and Coen company and help me with pre-work preparations and language learning which kept us cooped up inside. I hadn’t stepped foot outside since arriving at the corporate housing.

“Ugh, shit, my body is still so sore,” I groaned, exiting the bathroom and stretching both arms above my head. Most of my more bothersome symptoms were gone after the first few days of being nursed semi-healthy by Dr Stanley and Aubyn. But there was still some muscle soreness and my iffy appetite.

Milan’s eyes hadn’t even drifted to me as I entered the living area of Aubyn’s small dorm that had been doubling as my bedroom. “Didn’t Sang tell you to stop cursing around Coen?” Milan asked. “He might repeat it and I won’t hesitate to throw you under the bus when he does.”

“I doubt he heard me.”

I sat on the couch and pulled my knees up to my chest. Coen was too immersed in his tutoring lesson at the table with headphones on to pay us any mind. To make sure he could rejoin his class and wouldn’t fall behind when he went back to Downton, while we were in Karys Coen had to be tutored. Every day for a few hours, he’d get on a call and catch up with the lessons he had missed due to travelling, including English lessons.

“Can we go outside? I’m tired of being cooped up,” I whined shamelessly. As uneasy as being out in an unfamiliar environment without Aubyn made me feel, I couldn’t stand feeling boxed in anymore. It didn’t help that Aubyn’s single dorm was only really suited for one person to live comfortably.

Milan looked at me suspiciously. “Are you serious? Don’t bait me. I’ve been just as cooped up because of you and I’m dying to go outside.”

“I’ve been weak but I’m feeling better.” I placed my hand on my belly, hoping that I could stomach real meals without wanting to throw up. “And I think I’m getting my appetite back.”

I hadn’t been able to keep down anything while ill except for a strange-tasting green smoothie I was given every day. It was supposed to be nutrient-dense to help me adjust and recover. After I didn’t feel so woozy, I was given fruits, pudding-like snacks, porridge, and anything Aubyn could find that was easily digestible. But I had yet to have any real food.

“Good. We can go out to eat. I’m dying for some xeo.”

I’d stared at Milan for a moment, waiting for him to explain, but he was silent. “Are you really going to make me ask what that is?”

“It’s like… an empanada but it’s soft and flaky on the outside. It can have a curry filling, or even… pretty much anything. It’s so good and it’s really cheap street food.”

It did sound good. After having my very first curry bun, I was officially a fan of curry. I’d eat anything with it. “I guess I can try that. But doesn’t street food make you sick?”

“Nah.”

Despite my hopes, my body was bound to protest anyway. My tastebuds were in for a trip. “Are there food trucks here?”

“Not around here but some stop by the office around lunchtime,” Milan had said, picking up the book that lay next to him.

“Speaking of the office, don’t you have to go back too?” I had asked.

“I only helped with organizing files for the DCP while we were on Earth because I wanted some extra cash. That’s not my real job.”

“Then what do you do?”

“I’m an attendant and model for Seara. It’s a clothing store near the DCP office that sells clothing like what I wear. I like clothes and having my picture taken, so I’m pretty sure I have the perfect job. If you’re looking to change jobs…”

“I’m already a manager’s assistant. I think I’ll stay in that role for now. I need to learn a thing or two anyway since I have no real work experience.”

“You can always get another job whenever you want. Your work licence is valid for any job as long as they’re willing to sponsor you.”

“It’s not as easy as you think seeing as the DCP is the only place I know that has English speakers. Without any knowledge of the language, I have very few options.”

“I’m glad you know,” Milan had said with a sarcastic smile.

Milan hadn’t gotten any nicer since being back on the planet he considered more like home despite being human like me. I’d accepted that the snarky, sometimes bratty attitude was just his personality. Unlike when we first met, I didn’t hate it.

We’d decided to go out for street food once Coen finished his tutoring for the day. Coen was so well-behaved for such a young child. He knew that he had tutoring every day around the same time and answered the video call when it came in on his tablet. He studied well and took his breaks when he needed to. He didn’t even complain. I asked him if he was sad that he didn’t have as much time to play anymore, and he replied that he didn’t want to be behind in school.

I wasn’t sure whether we were getting any closer or not since his first choice was always his father, then Sang, then Milan, then me. I was the choice he made when he had no other choices. It was proven by what happened every time he finished tutoring for the day. He’d go straight to Milan to show him what he’d learned. The one good thing I noticed was that he seemed more comfortable than he was on Earth and he hadn’t shut down once.

Coen took his headphones off just as the call ended and went excitedly over to Milan with his notebook. “Nao, I’m all done. Look at what I did today.”

Milan grimaced. “You studied English today?” Milan nudged me with his foot. “Maybe you should show Zedikai. He’s really good at English.”

I rolled my eyes. Milan spoke English well, but he could only read and write at a third-grade level. With how much he hated practising his reading, I couldn’t see him advancing anytime soon. “What did you learn today?” I asked in my attempt to rescue Milan from a proud Coen.

Coen showed me his book and got up on the couch between us. “Emotions.” He pointed at the words as he read them. “Sad, angry, happy… con… confused. Uhm…” He tapped his finger on the one he was hesitating on.

“Ner-”

“No, don’t say it!” Coen had exclaimed, covering my mouth with his little hands. “I know it by myself. It’s nervous.” He went on to list the others and grinned from ear to ear. “See, I know them.”

“That’s amazing. Since you did so well, how about we go out for a walk today?”

“Where are we going?”

“To get something to eat,” Milan had told him, standing. “I’m going to get changed. You should too so we can go as soon as everyone is ready.”

“Can we buy some food for Papa and Sang-ga too?”

“Sure. Get dressed and meet me on the ground floor alright?” He was already putting his shoes on by the door.

Once he left, Coen took my hand and tried to pull me up from the couch. “Come, come, we have to get dressed.”

“Alright, alright,” I said, getting up.