It was happening again. That strange feeling, so real, but impossible at the same time. She watched through eyes that were not her own, as the being she inhabited crept from the shadows to the light. All around the darkness, the faint glow of iridescent blue crystals guided travelers along the severe, weather-worn tunnel. From within the coolness of the darkened cave, one could feel the rays of searing red-hot summer sunlight pouring in from the gaping entrance.

Emerging into the crimson rays, a tall, stately avian figure took up a sturdy stance to brace for the fierce, warm winds. From this high and mighty peak, an alien landscape of cliff and forest charged ahead to greet the jagged horizon. The valley below stirred with the movements of wind-swept aromatic grasses and strange, foreign animals. The unearthly scenery was as breathtaking as it was lonely, as there was nothing familiar in sight.

Looking down from the mountain made her nauseous, but her host body did not seem to mind. From the apex of the craggy peak, her host unfurled their long, folded wings and spread the gold-tipped, creamy-white feathers wide. Each plume became a finger, stretching to catch the thermal updrafts from below. Her stomach lurched at the prospect of sudden descent, and her tongue felt thick and dry from sticking to the roof of her parched mouth. Without pause, the host leapt from their perch, pushing off the rocky landing with long, bird-like legs.

Freefall. Dreadful, terrifying freefall. Her host's wings clamped to their backside, and arms and legs were drawn up to maximize velocity. She wanted desperately to look away but was compelled to watch as the ground rushed towards her with horrifying speed. She tensed and lurched, feeling the tightness of anxiety and panic all over. Gripped with fear, she inhaled sharply as her host finally unfurled their wings to take flight. The immense feathers kissed the rocks below, deftly avoiding a disastrous collision.

The sound of her heartbeat rang out in her mind. Too fast, too fast indeed for comfort. Each echo of 'lub-dub' deafened her to the caws and brays of creatures below. Her host's rhythmic flapping of wings went unheard. So too did the whistle of passing tendril-covered trees. Her host climbed higher and higher towards the crimson skies. From this lofty height, one could surely see the whole world. Impressive, beautiful, imaginative, and unreal...

*

Her eyes opened with a start, in concert with the deep breath she forced upon waking. Iris Alcazar found herself back home, the vision all but a memory now. It wasn't a dream, at least it couldn't have been. She was convinced that this recurring projection was just the latest of her adventures delving into an alien world. She would have thought herself foolish, if not for the evidence of it being true in her own apartment.

Regardless, the demands of the day trumped any daydreams and flights of fancy. Iris reluctantly doffed the crisp linen duvet from her queen-sized bed and stretched her spindly arms, left then right. She leaned over to the left side of the bed and gently removed a single, 10" long black feather sticking out from under the pillow.

The other side of the mattress was still warm from where he had slept, and Iris light-heartedly resented the betrayal of being forced to leave the warmth and comfort of her nest. She placed the feather on his nightstand, and opened the curtains on a bright, golden September morning.

The streets were a hustle of activity, full of people going about their daily rituals. The strange red skies of her dreams were soon forgotten. Iris grabbed the pile of folded clothing off the back of her bedroom chair, palmed a handful of jewelry, and readied herself to greet the day.

Her watch told Iris there wasn't enough time to shower. No worries. By the sounds of it, one of her newfound roommates was occupying it this very moment anyway. Iris knocked gently at the door of the bathroom and heard a grunt from within. The door opened to a wall of intense, almost scalding steam.

“Morning, Byxx. Can I get in here for a minute, please? I just need to get ready for work.”

From behind the curtain, a titanic, broad-shouldered man stood leaning back under the showerhead with raised arms, applying sweet-smelling floral body wash. His silhouette betrayed his heritage; from this angle, the pair of horns on his head and his long, whip-like tail could be seen from behind the frosted ivory shower curtain. His deep, syrupy voice echoed from behind the translucent barrier. It was thunderous and strange, yet warm at the same time.

“Yeah. Come on in. I'm almost done.”

“Just a reminder—you'll only have about eight minutes of hot water before it goes ice-cold.” Her advice was met with a deep, throaty grunt, followed by what could only be described as a demonic shanty of sorts. Iris chuckled quietly to herself as she grabbed her hairbrush, medications, and toothbrush from the bathroom cabinet.

A sudden, shrill outburst from behind the curtain confirmed her suspicions on the maximum duration of the hot water. She stifled a laugh at poor Byxx's expense. At the sound of her laugh, a scowling, indignant head popped up from behind the shower curtain. The soaked man had bright magenta skin, with dark carbon-gray horns and a mop of golden hair.

“Hey, that is not the least bit funny, human.”

“I respectfully disagree.” She crowed. “That has to be, what? The third time it got you in as many days.”

Byxx grumbled, then laughed heartily at himself. “Fine, you're right. That is pretty funny. Now, hand me that towel before I leave here without one.”

Iris blushed and handed a large bath towel to Byxx behind the curtain. “Here, here's your towel. Just gimme a minute to get out first, will you?”

Iris hastened to the living room to stand before the portrait mirror on the southern wall. She brushed her glossy, dark purple hair with enthusiasm, musing to herself that the cut helped conceal the concave cheeks and sharp cheekbones on her pale, narrow face. She smiled brightly, pleased with the fine job that Ray had done, cutting, and dying her hair some weeks prior. Suddenly jostled from her reverie, Iris spied the familiar, blank expression of the seated figure in the distance behind her.

Perched atop a bar-height stool sat a pale woman, seated ramrod straight in a half-lotus pose. She remained motionless, save for the trace movements of her closed, darting eyes. Iris turned to face this second roommate, whose faintly pale lilac skin contrasted sharply with the shortish, jet-black hair that swept backwards and stuck out in subtle points behind her long, elf-like ears. Iris leaned inquisitively, squinting at the silent specter. Her faintest exhalation breathed life into the sentinel.

“Good morning, Mistress.” The woman crackled. Iris stepped back a half pace, startled by the sudden greeting. The seated woman began animating once more, revealing the unsettling, ice-blue eyes that glowed faintly with electric blue light. Her pupils constricted from wide, round circles to the harshest of vertical slits, giving her a predatory, cat-like appearance. “Nothing of substance to report.”

“Thanks, Khaz.” Iris half-smiled at her and turned around with flushed cheeks. She had been caught staring again this morning. But then again, who wouldn't be curious about the mysterious mechanical marvel with a mischievous smile and knowing eyes? Iris bit her lip and clipped her hair in place, taming the last rebellious lock before heading towards the kitchen.

Khazmine stood and began retracting the ad-hoc metallic cable from the wall socket back into her forearm. A faint glint of electricity pulsed from the cable as it snaked its way back into the storage compartment. The forearm panel clicked gently into place, sounding like a teacup being laid into a saucer. The seam of the panel disappeared and blended with the flush plates of her body. Khazmine lowered the sleeve on her roguish linen shirt and hopped delicately from the stool. Silently, she trailed after Iris.

Iris busied herself with drinking her instant coffee and preparing food in a slow cooker. She decanted a cup of rice and six cups of water into the crockery, not noticing her third roommate crouched low in front of the open refrigerator door. His shuffling of the fridge's meager contents snapped Iris back into the present moment.

“Looking for something?” Iris inquired. The hunched over figure abandoned the squatting pose and stood tall at his full height of just over seven feet. Slim and athletic, the bulk of his form was a pair of folded wings clamped tightly to his back.

From nose tip to calf, he was covered in a soft down of sapphire-blue feathers. His wings matched in hue, grading to black at the ends of his flight feathers. A faint, soft clicking could be heard as he padded away from the fridge on muscular, high-torque bird legs. The talons on his three-toed feet click-clacked on the cheap linoleum floor.

“Do we have any more fish?” Zayzann asked, hopefully. His open mouth revealed rows of sharp teeth and a long, red-violet tongue. His face was pale on the cheeks and jawline, fading to blue feathers. His head swiveled and bobbed in subtle twitches, to better focus on Iris.

She looked up at him and smiled. “Maybe there’s a box of fish sticks in the freezer. I'll see about picking more up after work this evening. Can you get by until then?”

He snorted defiantly and leaned down to allow Iris a better look at his displeasure at having to wait. “I will survive.”

Iris reached up with her delicate hand and brushed back the feathers on his cheek with her thumb. Zayzann's pupils dilated at the affectionate contact and his throat flushed ruby-red from embarrassment. The dorsal crest of blue-black feathers on his head perked up slightly, and he emitted a low-frequency rumbling sound that seemed to annoy Khazmine. Her ears twitched and expression hardened.

“Shall I prepare food?” Khazmine asked.

Iris scrunched her eyes and drew back her ears. “That's all right, I had coffee a minute ago. Honestly, I'm so nervous about today, I don't think I should eat anything complicated just yet.”

“Very well. Be sure to take sack-luncheon with you, just in case.” Khazmine advised.

“I will, thanks. Will you be here when I get home?” Iris smiled weakly, hoping that Khazmine would be around to keep the peace while she was at work.

“I shall. I have a few calls on my time today. Dinner will be ready at seven. It is my turn to prepare the meal.”

“Thanks, Khaz. Wish me luck!” Iris tossed out the dregs of her instant coffee into the sink and threw the paper cup away.

“I doubt you will need it, but, good luck, mistress.”

Iris grabbed a cup of instant noodles, a small container of applesauce and her empty coffee tumbler from the counter. She turned around upon hearing Byxx step out from the hallway wearing the beach towel and dripping profusely with sopping wet hair. The three roommates approached for Iris's farewell.

She pointed accusingly at Byxx. “No roughhousing.”

Then to Khazmine. “No thieving.”

And finally, to Zayzann. “No fighting.”

Each gave their own grumbling retort.

“No fun...How else are we supposed to spend the whole day?” Byxx chuckled charismatically. He leaned in for a hug from Iris, but Zayzann deflected him with an outstretched wing, growling softly.

Khazmine produced a light jacket for Iris from the closet. “Thanks, Khaz. You three be good today. I'll be back at the usual time. Call me if you need anything and take care while I'm gone. Bye!”

The door closed on them as Iris left for her morning commute. Almost immediately, the apartment descended into silent anarchy...

From the other side of the door, Iris fastened her jacket buttons and shivered. It was uncommonly cold outside for this time of year. She was grateful to have the old hand-me-down jacket to keep her from freezing on her walk to the bus shelter. Each exhalation left a faint cloud of warm air that blended into the crisp morning. For a while, it was the only warmth she could feel. You can do this, Iris. Everything is going to be fine. She thought to herself.

Approaching the bus shelter, a slow, warm drip tickled her upper lip. Allergies again? She assumed. Iris reached into the pocket of her worn-out jacket and fished out a half-depleted packet of tissues. She wiped her nose and saw the tissue stain red with blood. Iris clenched her jaw tightly and tried hard to fight tears, but ultimately succumbed to despair.