Chapter 3

Poppy

 

It's been two weeks since I discovered the ways of this planet called Earth, and only now was I enrolling in an educational system where there's supposedly a healthy, social learning environment. From what I observed, more than half of these life forms didn't take up the opportunity for learning. I guess I didn't either, since I didn't even do that much but mill around since the system hasn't "pulled up my schedule", whatever that means.

I must admit, these life forms that call themselves "humans" are a very simple race, not as complex as the Talonians. They think they are the dominant life forms and seem to enjoy destroying other organisms, even if it's themselves. I can't help but pity this planet, but I can't say anything in my own defense, since I'm just as bad.

The lines that grew up from the ground, I found out, were "trees", and that my shuttle had landed in the middle of a lot of trees called a "forest". Since I have yet to hack this planet's computer system thoroughly, I hadn't gotten a home to stay in, so I would have to do with my shuttle. The school system was just the easiest to hack so far.

My emotions rushed through me, and the most paramount: confused. This planet was too strange for me, too simple for my advanced mind to really comprehend. An unfamiliar ache came to my head, and I believe this planet would call them "headaches".

I pushed my distress to the back of my mind and turned towards the main console which seemed to be broken. No regular Talonian would be able to fix this, they would be stranded. But I'm not a regular Talonian.

 

 

 

 

The next day, the office got me a "schedule" which I had no clue as to what to do with it. It couldn't be hacked, so it was no technology that I knew of. Humans milled around me in the passageways, leaning against the walls, sitting down, standing, socializing. It didn't seem that anyone else had these "schedules" out with them.

"Whatcha got there, pretty thing? Need some help gettin' 'round?" a voice asked behind me.

I looked up, suspicious. The human wasn't short like I am, but taller by only some inches, with dark brown hair that looked messy. His brown eyes held amusement. Amusement that seemed to irritate me.

Was he talking to me? I hadn't had to use my vocal chord's since I crashed, the computer doing all the talking for me.

I swallowed and cleared my throat. "Excuse me?" My voice came out smooth and even, the sound surprising even me since I haven't heard it in so long.

The boy blinked, surprised by my voice too, a little taken aback. "Just felt like seeing if the new girl needed help gettin' around this hell hole called school."

"I... don't understand your terminology." I said, even more confused. "Hell... hole?" I understood that one to the human religions believed in a heaven and hell, but I didn't understand any more than that.

He looked even more confused now. "You don't understand my... terminology? Are you a foreign exchange-?" He got cut off when a loud ringing noise came from the ceiling.

I looked around for the source, but then, the boy seemed to have vanished, along with everyone else. So I was alone in the corridor, stranded. Well, not completely alone.

Another human walked through the doors quickly, his face into a big book, not looking where he was going. Somehow, he walked right into me without glancing up from his source of knowledge and we both went to the floor.

My elbow hit the ground first and took most of my impact, but I didn't feel anything. The boy obviously felt some pain since he winced.

"I'm sorry, I should've been looking where I was going and-" he stopped when he looked at me.

His hair caught my attention, the color of my planet's main fruit and my only food that I ever got in the compound. Earth would call it a "mahogany" color. A color where red and brown seemed to mix. my gaze went to his eyes, and they startled me. Any human would see it as either blue or gray, but what I saw was a molten steel color. Where water and the clouds seemed to mix. Knowledge and life filled behind his eyes.

Something about him... It was the first time since I crashed on Earth, that I didn't feel confused. That I knew how to act around him. I didn't feel homesick. He felt like home.