Distant Lands

Sitting on a bench, I look through the gym windows and see Isa and Nina sparring. Isa has a training weapon in her right hand, lifts it in the air, and runs toward Nina.

Nina braces her feet on the ground, ready to defend herself. She quickly grabs Isa’s weapon-wielding arm, stopping it before getting struck. She then trips Isa with her foot, dropping her to the ground. Nina quickly climbs on Isa, pinning her down on the mat, taking the weapon away.

"Good job Nina." I clap quietly.

Ethan and the rest of the students look on, clapping. Nina helps Isa off the floor, looking excited to have done well. The students gather their belongings and begin to exit the building. I quickly get up to leave. Ever since the dinner, I’ve been trying to hide from everybody. I sit at the back of the class to have fewer distractions and to avoid the eyes of others.

When the girls see me in class, I just give them a friendly smile, but that’s it. I quickly walk out, trying to avoid everybody. I grab my backpack and head toward the garden.

Today’s a beautiful day with clear blue skies, the sun shining softly on my face. The weather reminds me of my home. It was always sunny, with short winters, perfect for gardening. Although I was not very good at it, I enjoyed growing my garden back on Earth.

I walk around trying to identify plants that I learned about in plant biology. There are medicinal plants and edible flowers in the garden used to make teas. Learning about these beneficial plants can be helpful to me in the future, so I’m trying to learn as much as I can.

I sit down at one of the benches under the cherry blossom tree and go over my notes. My mind wanders like it usually does when I’m trying to study. I stare at the river in front of me; even though it’s man-made, it blends in, making it seem like it was always there. I wonder what is going on back on Earth. Diego had warned Dan. I hope they are safe.

Suddenly Ivan sits next to me.

“Oh, hi, I didn't hear you walk up,” I say.

“I saw you were sitting here alone. You looked like you were deep in thought.”

I smile, trying to act like nothing’s bothering me. “Yeah, I was just studying, trying to drill all this info in my head.”

“You’ve been distant these past few days. You know you can always talk to me, right? I know I’m busy all the time, but I’ll always have time for you, Elizabeth,” he says, making me smile.

“I know, thank you, Ivan. I’m sorry, I’ve just been homesick.” My voice is shaky, and I know I'm getting emotional.

Dammit, Ivan’s kindness touched my heartstrings. I curse myself for being so emotional. Here they come, and my tears start to fall automatically. I cry silently.

Ivan puts an arm around me and leans me towards him, and I cry into his nice shirt. I didn’t know I was harboring all this sadness. His warmth and smell are very comforting.

He rubs my arm, consoling me. I needed this, I needed to release these feelings, and I needed to be this close to someone. After this cry, I feel much better. I look behind Ivan, and I notice Lenna standing by the building, she tried to hide, but I saw her. I look at Ivan’s shirt.

“I’m sorry for ruining your shirt,” I say, trying to wipe off my tears from his shirt. Ivan laughs.

“Don’t worry about it. I mean it, Elizabeth, I’m always here for you, okay? And so is your uncle Ethan,” he says, standing up. I nod. He then walks off towards his office.

I stand and swing my backpack on. I don’t see Lenna anymore, and I start walking toward the building. When I turn the corner, Lenna stands there, with her angry eyes glued to me.

I glance at her but look away to ignore her. I walk past her, and she grabs my shoulder and pulls me back, making me turn to face her. Her fingers dig hard into my shoulder, it hurts, but I don’t show any pain on my face.

“Hi, Lenna,” I say calmly. She looks at me like she’s getting ready to fight me.

“Ivan is mine. You stay away from him,” she says, seething with anger.

Oh shit, this alien is crazy. This superhuman can probably break me in half. I remain calm.

“Oh right, Ivan is your man. Alright, he’s all yours,” I turn around and walk away.

Suddenly I hear her loud footsteps behind me, and she shoves me hard. I fly forward and fall to the ground trying to catch myself. I quickly turn around on the ground to look at her.

“I mean it! Stay away from him!” She gives me a death stare and walks away.

I quickly look at my hands and knees to check if I’m bleeding. I have scrapes on my palms and knees, but they are not openly bleeding. I quickly get up and start running towards my room.

I run into my room, locking the door behind me, catching my breath. Damn, she pushed me down hard. It felt like a car had bumped into me. If I hadn’t caught myself before hitting the ground, I would have had a worse injury. I need to be more aware.

***

I’m on my way to Plant Biology class. I walk quickly and turn down a hallway. Lenna is talking to her friends in the hallway ahead of me.

Ivan comes out of his office, “Oh, hi Elizabeth, how-”

“Sorry, I can’t talk,” I quickly walk faster. Ivan just looks at me, confused. I walk past the mean girls, and Lenna gives me a dirty look, says something to them, and laughs.

Isa sees me and comes toward me, “Elizabeth, can we talk?” she asks, and I barely look at her.

“Uh, no, sorry, I got to go. I’m late,” I walk forward. Every day it’s getting harder and harder to avoid them.