Out of This World

Andy

Her eyes moved downwards, taking in another part of her body. In the center of her chest there was a dark circle, lined with the typical neon blue that was common among all Akiridions. Inside the circle was a life core. It was round like Aja's and Krel's, with a circle at the top and a semi circle underneath, like a really thick upside down fermata. Her fingers brushed it briefly, she could feel it thrumming in her chest.

Just a little farther down were her arms. She had two normal, human arms. Two perfectly average, maybe a little long, human arms, with her regular slightly too large human hands. Normal. That's about where normal stopped. Underneath her two perfectly average, perfectly normal shoulders, that had two perfectly average, perfectly normal arms, were another pair of arms. These were also perfectly average and perfectly normal, for an Akiridion. A royal Akiridion. Her hands were blue and glowed faintly, and her arms sported the typical Akiridion bodysuit.

She couldn't see under her shirt and she wasn't about to lift it up to see what had become of her stomach, so her eyes drifted farther downwards. Her right leg was completely fine. She couldn't exactly say the same thing of her left.

No wonder I had so much trouble walking, she thought.

Her left leg no longer sported a human foot. Rather, it had the typical Akiridion boot, a small round foot with not much of a visible ankle. She could still move it around like an ankle, but it was different. Less mobile, almost. She wasn't sure how the Tarrons moved as agile as they did.

She stood there, unmoving, unable to formulate a response to what she was seeing. Krel rubbed her shoulder.

"Are you alright?" he asked, sounding worried. Aja came into the frame of the mirror, also looking concerned.

"I... I'm not sure," Andy said, rubbing her head and chuckling. "It's a lot to take in."

"I know," said Krel, sympathetically.

Andy jumped as a realization hit her. "WAIT, HOW LONG HAVE I BEEN OUT!?"

"Six delsons," Varvatos supplied.

"MY DOGS HAVE BEEN ALONE FOR SIX DAYS!?"

"Do not worry," Aja said, rubbing her arm. "Krel and I have been taking care of them."

Andy let out a sigh of relief. "Thank God," she breathed.

The door burst open. "I came as soon as I got the news," Stuart's familiar English accent exclaimed. "Where is she?"

"In here Stuart," Andy called.

The portly taco truck and electronics store owner rushed into Aja's bedroom. "O-M-Gorbon!" he exclaimed, grabbing his head in surprise. "Andy, is that you?"

"In the flesh! Er, sorta."

"You're... half human, half Akiridion!" he exclaimed, walking forward. He extended an arm, but then pulled it back hesitantly. "May I?"

"By all means," she said, holding her lower arms out.

Stuart took her hands, examining them. "Seklos and Gaylen," he breathed, turning them over in his own hands. "Never in all my years did I expect to see something like this."

"Pretty incredible, isn't it?" Krel asked, beaming.

Stuart nodded. "You're half and half. Hey, And is the first three letters of your name! Half-And-Half!"

Andy giggled. "Is that my new nickname?"

"Yes," Stuart said, with mock solemnity.

She turned to Krel. "So this is all well and good, but there's just one thing bothering me."