Children of Krina

Chapter Seventeen

Victor's POV

Princess and I barely made our appointment for the VR call with my brothers, the tests our mothers have been running on us took longer than expected and we did not have time to clean up before the meeting. I knew that would not go over well with Gabe, but it could not be helped. We were Krinar and on Krina, we dressed as our people did. The council ruled that Krinar must wear native dress on the home planet and in all centers, human dress when mixing with humans. They did not want us to lose our culture by being on Earth and I agreed with their decision. Sang and I were experiencing it for the first time, we were happy that we were allowed to immerse ourselves into our culture first hand.

With Krina being a tropical temperature year round, the males wore loose shorts, a sleeveless shirt made from a light material and sandals. It was comfortable, allowing us to remain cool and move freely. Sang was wearing the dress style the female Krinar favored, it draped over her body in a manner that exposed most of her back and shoulders. The front of the dress contained strategic pleats that hid her nipples; the skirt was full and floaty, reaching a mid thigh. It was one of my favorites; it was a soft white with a pink blush undertone. I thought it looked lovely against her skin. I glanced down at her feet, yes; she was wearing her favorite pink sandals. Her hair was a bit windblown, as was my own; we were presentable enough for company. I took her hand as we entered the VR room, once inside we made our way to the lake where we often went swimming. I took comfort in the familiar greens, reds and gold of Krina's vegetation, the pure lightly perfumed air carrying the scent of blooming foliage and plants. After so many years spent in smog filled Charleston, I felt as if I could finally breathe. Strangely, the air on Krina was thinner than on Earth, but it always felt like the opposite for me.

I was a bit nervous at seeing my brothers again. It had not bothered me the day we helped them with the crops. First, they had not been able to see me when it was just Sang and I helping them. Then when Lahur was with us, I forgot about my brothers as I concentrated on the job we were there to accomplish. I was not mentally ready to face them yet, but they would not accept my refusals. I knew they would hate me once they realized that I was one of the aliens they hated, the ones they wanted to kill. Lodan and Olari had said it was best to get it over with and that they might surprise me. Even if they did not, I would have my answers one way or another.

I stood holding Sang's hand as I waited for my brothers to adjust to my new appearance. I studied each one of them, taking in the changes the last two years had wrought. Kota had grown another inch in height, his lanky frame was more solid and his muscles defined. Luke had grown several inches and looked even more like a model you would find haunting New York City. Doc stepped forward, Alir growled and I swung Sang behind me and crouched, ready to intercept him. I was certain he meant her no harm, but I would take no chances. While we could not hurt each other physically, we were able to interact with whatever was in the area, including people. Doc was obviously running on to little sleep again and forgotten our training. Once North had him, I allowed Princess to return to my side and continued to study the rest of my brothers. Mr. Blackbourne was as blank as ever, I noted no physical changes to him and was not surprised that he was wearing his suit. Nathan looked wary, watching Sang as if he did not trust her. He had formed more muscle, but had not grown taller; he must still be working out. Silas and North had not changed a bit; they still looked scary and trustworthy at the same time. Gabe had grown, but was still shorter than everyone else was. He still wore his hair the same, he added an eyebrow and lip ring. It made me wonder if he got the tongue piercing he wanted.

"Νομίζετε ότι θα αυξηθεί κάθε ψηλότερο?" (Do you think he will grow any taller?) Silas asked North. "Πώς είμαι υποθέτω να ξέρω?" (How am I supposed to know?) North replied. "Γιατί δεν με ρωτάτε?" (Why not ask me?) I spoke in Greek to them, shocking them both.

Alir gave me a sharp look and shook his head no; I nodded to show that I understood. North had not missed the exchange and directed everyone's attention elsewhere.

As expected, Mr. Blackbourne opened the dialogue, what he said was not what I was expecting. "Now that your health issues have been resolved, the Krinar must return you to your family. Dr. Green and I will step into your parents place since they are missing. Unfortunately, it seems that they drained ..." Uncle interrupted him.

"Owen, we are here to assure ourselves that Victor is healthy. No decisions or plans are to be made without his input. He is eighteen, a legal adult in the eyes of our laws; he will make his own choices." He turned to look at the boys. "Are you going to stand there like idiots or greet your brother?" Sang went to talk to Korum and Alir, leaving me free to speak with my brothers privately.

"What is the food like?" Luke asked, getting the awkwardness out of the way.

"Truthfully, it is delicious," I replied. "With most of the dishes you cannot tell you aren't eating meat."

"What about sweets?" He whispered in my ear to irritate North, knowing his brother would hear him.

"Addicting, more so then the candy you are used to, but it isn't bad for you." I smirked.

"So you really are Krinar?" Kota asked, getting straight to the point.

"Yes," I confirmed. I refused to deny my birthright.

"Then why were you so ill?"

"Damage caused by George's fists." I answered, reminding myself of the mandate.

"Why the f*ck did you dye your hair?" Gabriel demanded, "Do you realize how much work it is going to take to get that color out? Let us not forget the haircut you badly need. Shit, you can't even go out in public the way you are dressed now."

"My hair isn't dyed, this is my natural color." I corrected him. "Princess happens to like my hair this way so I won't be cutting it anytime soon."

"Who the f*ck is Princess?" Gabe looked confused.

"Sang Sonata Sorenson, the only female present," My eyes located her quickly and I see her talking to our fellow Krinar and Uncle.

North barges into the conversation, preventing Gabe from voicing his disapproval of her dress and hair. "What do you do for entertainment? What are the cars like? Do you have big cities? Do you go to school?"

"We don't have cars, we use pods. Unlike Earth, our cities are small and are in park like settings. We believe in keeping our planet as close to nature as we can. Entertainment and school is almost the same thing. We do not go to school to learn Science, Math and History, we attend to learn to socialize, work together and about our culture. No homework involved."

"College?" Kota asked with true interest.

"Once our schooling is finished, we choose one the many fields to train in, working under one of the experts as we gain experience. Most start by joining the field one of their parents is in, as Princess and I have done."

"What field?"

"Our mothers are two of the Scientists that started the evolution of Earth and have nudged along the human race. We are currently going over their research, comparing data."

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