Alien Affair

Chapter Seven

Mira didn't like Hika much at all, she decided.

"No," Ezra cut in. "We have not, and in the future you can ask me personally any questions."

Hika looked at Ezra with a blank face. "Some questions Mira will have to answer."

"Well, those questions can be approved by me first," he said, his words were not a request. They were a command.

Mira looked at him, taking in the way he held himself, and she recognized it immediately. Whatever his parents did, it didn't just give them power, it gave him power as well.

"Very well, sir."

"You'll have to excuse Hika," Tuku added. "She is not yet used to the prudence of earthers. Would it be okay if I asked Mira a few questions about how she is feeling?" Tuku glanced between the two of them. "I don't believe any will offend her or make her uncomfortable."

Ezra looked at Mira, and she nodded, signifying it was okay.

"I do prefer to ask these questions alone, if that's okay with you Mira?"

Mira shrugged, and then led the way inside the cabin.

Tuku shut the door behind him, and Mira sat on the couch. Tuku sat beside her and she got a good look at the tablet-like leaf he was writing on. She wondered how it worked just as he slid it in his pocket and looked her in the eyes.

"I can tell that Ezra feels a little protective of you. How does that make you feel?"

Mira hadn't expected the question. "I guess... I hadn't really noticed." Not until he practically bit Hika's head off out there. "I feel... safe with him. I guess."

"Do you feel like the two of you are beginning to form a friendship?"

"Yeah, I think so,"

"That's good," he smiled. She could tell he was older than the other Jayku men she'd seen. There were deep wrinkle lines around his eyes. "At the end of the week, you are allowed to request a reselection where you will be paired with a different man. You are allowed to change your mind later, but as of right now, do you think you'd be interested in reselection?"

"No," Mira answered a little too quickly. She cleared her throat and lowered her voice. "I think we make a good pair."

Tuku smiled at her again. "I'm sure he feels the same way."

The way he said it made Mira nervous. "Wait, he can request a reselection, too?"

Tuku's smile faded slightly. "Of course."

Mira looked at him, puzzled. "Has he been paired with other girls before?"

Tuku's smile was completely gone at that point. "It is not my place to say. Do you mind if I ask the last question?"

"Sure," she said, wanting him to leave so he could ask Ezra himself.

"How do you feel you have been adjusting to life here on this planet?"

Mira thought it was a silly question. What if she said she was adjusting badly? It's not like they were going to send her back before her duty was fulfilled. Or would they? "I don't know."

"Do you feel overwhelmed by the technology or the obligations required by your contract?"

"Umm," Mira thought about the question, and wasn't sure if she should answer honestly. "I think I'm a little nervous about the obligations, but I don't think I'm overwhelmed."

Tuku nodded, a serious look on his face that made Mira feel like he was her therapist or something. "Why do you think you're nervous?"

Mira licked her lips, choosing her next words carefully. "I guess, it's just a lot of expectations for one person. It's not that I'm not confident that I can do the task, it's just... I think anyone would be nervous even with someone on earth."