Scott was doing everything she could to hold back the nervousness she was feeling. It was probably because she caught herself looking nervous in the mirror and combined with the whole ‘floaty’ thing she did it seemed to convey a sense of utter ‘neediness’ that wasn’t true and certainly not what she wanted others to see in her. She had dressed as best she could. When she was a boy dressing up never seemed to take a lot of.. effort. Yet now she was criticising her own appearance in a whole manner of ways that were both normal for a teenage girl but also.. well.. alien.
‘Does this make me look too girly? If I was floating on the ceiling what would they see underneath? Is this too casual for school? Did this make me look too… pretty?’ She caught herself a bit at that with a mixed view as she stared at the girl in the mirror holding her rather ordinary T-shirt, slightly over sized though it was on her frame. Her jeans with flared out hips all pointing towards being a girl...The whole idea that she would be ‘attractive’ just… didn’t feel right. The girl in the mirror was certainly quite pretty even with those odd stalks on her head. The strange pink hair made her look a bit odd and a little too flowery for her liking. Honestly, what more could she do? Put a bag over her head?
“Hey sis, ready?” Zomu floated out with a curious look.
“Uh-” Scott slumped her shoulders. “I don’t even see -me- underneath.” she confessed. She was just.. this. This is who she was now. Forever...
“Who does?” Zomu casually adopted a supine pose curling around Scott’s shoulder with the faintest brush of her hair. “You really need to take it easy. You’re just going to school. Oh, sorry about pushing your friend out. It was… a bit rude of me.” Zomu looked reluctant to admit it but- she had seen the way that boy was looking at her new sister and she could absolutely sense how uncomfortable it made Scott… so taking him out of the situation seemed the most logical step. Perhaps she had not considered human feelings. They did hold grudges over the craziest things from what she observed.
Scott grimaced even more at that. Dennis was a nice guy but overly sensitive. He might take it badly but maybe he could straighten it out later. “Dennis… it will be fine. He’s the only one who knows my secret.”
“..secret? Oh, this was a secret?” Zomu gently ‘enquired’ with a slight brush of her hair.
“yes it is a secret!” Scott insisted. “If people got wind of what happened to me they’ll dissect me or something.”
Zomu made a half smile- then laughed. “Funny Scott,” she giggled. “I think we can protect you from the ‘evil human scientists’.” She place a finger on her lip. “I watched E.T… while I can understand cloaking technology I don’t understand why humans would do it to just a weapon they were holding. Though only a human would think of such a.. novel idea as a weapon.”
Scott blinked. Zomu must be thinking of something else. “Huh- Oh! That’s- that’s called-” She blinked… this was a word that didn’t exist in the alien language. “... censorship.”
Zomu frowned. “Huh? What’s that then...”
“Well.. the show had weapons and people didn’t want them any more so… it was changed. Most people don’t see it, and most won’t even remember it. Eventually people will think things were always that way.”
“Oh! Just like what happened to you?” Zomu smiled as if understanding it. “So humans do something similar with their art. Yes, that makes sense. You should be able to adapt pretty well then.”
Scott facepalmed. “No- No- what happened to me isn’t censorship!” She glanced at her own body again.
“You were stitched in time and changed as if you were always my sister. You are my sister.. just as there are no weapons any more in your weird alien show when there used to be. I don’t see how it’s different.”
“It is different! Changing a show isn’t the same as changing a life!” Scott floated slightly away, leaving Zomu to correct her floating.
Zomu pursed her lips. “We have a saying sis... life is an art. If humans are so willing to change what is acceptable, they should be perfectly adaptable to an altered history.”
Scott sighed. She didn’t know what to really say to that.
Zomu smiled again. “To be honest, its what drew me to your planet. Your arts are quite interesting. Especially these.. what is it called… an-ee-may?” She slight shiver of excitement passed through her eyes. “… it’s so much like our world. It’s like you have our world in your heads already. I find it intriguing.. I hope to study more of your art once I learn this language.”
“Well.. if you like that stuff maybe you can talk to Dennis. He has a.. vast library of material.”
Zomu’s eyes sparkled briefly at that. “I just might… well, I best accompany you to this school.” She looked to her new sister with delight. “You still seem so nervous! I’m sure you can handle it though.”
Scott sighed as she floated out. Handle this? She was just trying to ‘get on’ with it… did she honestly have a choice?
At school, Dennis was nervous. He was trying his best to decide how he should interact with Scott… if he even could- or if ‘she’ would. He was very early and was watching out for him- her. A floating alien girl would be pretty easy to spot as he watched from the window at the various students coming in. There were not that many students at the moment, and he had the class to himself. His eyes were slightly baggy as he didn’t get much sleep.
“Just play it cool.. she’s still Scott.” Dennis tapped the window. Wasn’t she? She had to be. She just… she just had to be. If she wasn’t then… then…
Then Dennis lost a friend. He didn’t think that would make him feel like- it would be a loss. People were always so focused on boyfriends and girlfriends or romance but.. Dennis ‘liked’ Scott as a friend. They had a good relationship and knew each other quite well. He sighed a bit partly wishing that this never happened… that they could just get on with their lives but Dennis knew he would find himself looking- or even imagining her body… the body of.. of a friend- urgh!
So many thoughts played out. In some ways this was great.. in others it was terrible. Gaining a friend- who is a girl- meant losing a friend who is a boy- or- potentially gaining a.. girlfriend? No- that didn’t feel right. Well- it could mean something might happen but- but-
“Hey tubby!” a boy grinned as he gave him a sudden push towards the window as if to scare him.
Dennis cringed and nearly toppled onto the glass pane. Though he was in no risk, given the other guy had pulled his clothes- it was enough to get his heart going. “S-Shit!” He stammered. “Greg!”
Gregory gave a slight grin. He was a loutish brute at his age with short dark black hair. Rather handsome with broad shoulders and in top shape. A star athlete of the football team and had been a bit of a bully ever since Dennis could remember. Though his antics had been a bit lesser for the last couple of years it was only because people were more watchful- though at the moment it was just Dennis and Gregory in class.
“Heh, you look like you’re going to wet yourself. Need a diaper?” He laughed.
Dennis sighed. “What are you doing here early?”
Greg gave a shrug. “That ain’t your business. Though let’s just say I’m getting some extra tutoring of a kind you’ll never get,” he grinned. “So who are you waiting for and- is that perfume?” He sniffed then laughed. “Ha! You’re trying to impress some girl. So who is she? You after my girl dork?”
“No!” Dennis quickly raised his hands. “It’s- It’s nobody.”
“Who then? Shelly? Laura? It better not be Laura, or you’ll go on a radical weight loss plan.” He raised his fist and picked up the shorter yet heavier teenager.
“Just a girl- a new one!” Dennis quickly admitted. Then as if by some miracle he saw her. Dennis looked at the window, seeing Scott’s warm pink hair. A sight that made him feel all weak at the knees. It looked like Scott was doing her best not to look like she was floating. Her feet were doing rather odd motions on the ground.
“Wow… now that’s a hot girl,” Greg smiled. “What makes you think you have a shot with her? She looks way out of your league.”
“I- I know her,” Dennis said. “From- somewhere else.”
Greg shook his head. “I didn’t think you knew any girl. Well looks like she’s meeting people already. Some other guys will be making moves on a new girl.”
Dennis gasped at that thought.
