No kidding. Aelyx had cleaned up nicely since Cara had seen him in the hall. The fitted ivory shirt he’d chosen highlighted his bronze skin while clinging to the contours of his chest, and he’d smoothed his long brown hair to perfection and secured it at the nape of his neck with a leather cord.
But then Sharon scowled. “What’s with the face? You look like a cyborg.”
Aelyx walked to the sink and filled a glass with water. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“You know, a robot. You’ve got no sentiment, no spark. Can you try to look a little animated?” She gripped her waist with one well-manicured hand.
Aelyx stared at her while Cara’s cheeks burned hot enough to fry eggs.
“If you’re so advanced, then you can manage to look alive. That empty stare’s disturbing, and it’s not going to help you fit—”
“Stop!” Cara stood from her chair. Unfortunately, the stylist still held a lock of her hair, sending her head snapping back. She rubbed her throbbing scalp and glared at Sharon. “There’s nothing wrong with his face.”
Sharon froze for a few seconds and brought her hands together in prayer. “I just had an epiphany. Cut the parents. They’re boring.” She pointed back and forth between Aelyx and Cara. “This is what people want to see.” Smiling and nodding like a dashboard bobblehead, she added, “Friendship, maybe more?”
Cara rolled her eyes. “Friendship, period.” She stalked into the living room and plopped down on the sofa. Her stylist followed and shellacked one last section of hair in place while Cara tried to steady her pounding heart.
Aelyx sat beside her, so close his sleeve brushed her bare arm. When he leaned in to whisper in her ear, a spicy-sweet scent filled her nostrils.
“And you say our breeding program is a bad idea,” he teased, nodding toward the kitchen. “I give you irrefutable evidence to the contrary.”
“What? You mean Sharon?” Was he wearing cologne, or did all L’eihrs smell this good? And how had she never noticed before?
“On my planet, she’d never be allowed to reproduce, and no one would clone her. She’s awful.”
Cara couldn’t argue with that. “I think she left her soul at home. Maybe it didn’t match her shoes.”
Sharon took the seat opposite the sofa, and her crew filed into place. With the living room at full occupancy, Mom and Dad came in from the porch and settled in the kitchen doorway to watch, giving Cara encouraging waves.
“Don’t be nervous,” Sharon said. “We’re not live, so mistakes are no big. Ready?”
She turned to the camera and flashed her flawless white veneers. “Good evening, America. I’m here with Cara Sweeney, host to a very special exchange student . . . from planet L’eihr!”
Sharon pointed a golden pen at the sofa. “Cara, tell us about your role in the program.”
“Well.” Cara paused to clear her throat, even though it didn’t need clearing. “I take Aelyx everywhere I go and help him understand how we live. He shadows me in school—we even share a locker.” She covertly wiped her sweaty palms on the cotton slipcover.
“How do the other students feel about that?”
“Um, there were a lot of stares the first day. But it’s been almost two weeks now, and things are mostly back to normal.” It was the Mount Everest of lies. Protests continued each morning, usually ending in fistfights, and students openly recruited new members for HALO right there in the hallway as she and Aelyx passed. They wore little gold pins in the shape of angel wings, but their whispered insults were anything but saintly.
Sharon crossed her legs. “Aelyx, how were you chosen for this program and what did you do to prepare?”
“I have a special talent for learning languages, so The Way selected me to represent our people.” He spoke fluidly—no hint of anxiety—and for the first time, Cara envied his ability to shut off his emotions.
“The Way?” Sharon asked.
“Our wisest leaders. They make all decisions on L’eihr.”
“I must say, your English is impeccable,” she said. “No trace of an accent. How long did it take you to learn?”
“One week.”
“Excuse me?” Sharon leaned forward, cupping one ear, while Cara questioned her own hearing. Maybe a week didn’t mean the same thing on L’eihr. “You learned English in a week, as in seven days?”
“It took one week to master English,” he said. “As languages go, yours is rather uncomplicated. I spent my remaining time studying Earth’s history, particularly reoccurring themes of warfare. We take academics seriously on L’eihr, unlike Midtown’s students, who seem content to learn as little as possible.”
Cara discreetly kicked him in the ankle while smiling for the camera.
“Ow—Well,” Aelyx corrected, “only some of them. Others are quite dedicated.”
Sharon froze with the golden pen wedged between her lips. “Uh . . . what was your first impression of our planet?”
While Aelyx leaned back on the sofa, tilting his head in contemplation, Cara braced herself for a tsunami of complaints. She didn’t expect to hear him say, “Amazement. The colors of my home are neutral and muted, so Earth’s vibrancy was a shock. To be honest, sometimes the beauty is overwhelming. It’s a shame you’re allowing industry to destroy it.” He folded his hands in his lap. “And I was impressed by the hospitality of my host family. They’ve amazed me, especially Cah-ra.”
“How so?”
“I’m not sure she’d want me to share the most recent example.” He glanced at her, eyes bright with amusement.
“Oh, no.” He meant The Great Barley Debacle. She couldn’t believe he’d brought it up. On national television! Cara laughed nervously as her cheeks went up in flames.
“Now I’m intrigued,” Sharon said.
“I’ve had trouble finding food I can consume here. Cah-ra. keeps trying to re-create my favorite L’eihr flatbread from ingredients on Earth to stop me from going hungry.” He laughed and shook his head. “It’s such a kind gesture.”
Cara tried to pull herself together. “I’m going to find something you like or die trying. You can get me back by making disgusting fake Pop-Tarts when it’s my turn on L’eihr.”
Sharon smiled knowingly at the camera before turning back to Cara and Aelyx. “That’s a beautiful necklace,” Sharon said. “Very unusual.”
“Thanks. Aelyx gave it to me for my birthday.”
“Oh, really?” Sharon’s voice dripped with implication. “Give us a look.”
With a little reluctance, Cara lifted the silk cord so the cameraman could zoom in on the ahib. She hoped Sharon didn’t try to spin this into something romantic.
Sharon quirked an eyebrow. “So he gives you jewelry, and you spend hours baking for him? Sounds like you’re getting along really well. That’s what I call interplanetary relations!”
Holy God, why did she have to take it there? The woman really was missing a soul.
The interview continued until Sharon said she had enough material to edit into a thirty-minute show. Cara felt a cold weight in her stomach when she thought about the national airing on Friday. The exchange program’s goal was to make people trust Aelyx, but she doubted anyone with a serious prejudice against L’eihrs would like what they heard. In fact, it would only feed their paranoia.
Later that night, Cara hovered over her laptop to perform some damage control.
Sex sells, she typed. And a certain journalist wants you to think I’m letting Aelyx stun me with his laser, if you know what I mean. Don’t buy it—we’re just friends. And speaking of Aelyx, let’s cut him some slack. Try to put yourself in his four-toed shoes and—