the alien that liked rain and petrichor

5

   I grabbed a metal lunch tray from a stack next to the lunch line and scittered back to my spot before it was stolen.
   It was three minutes until I got to the "lunch lady-man", who was a massive iridescent mass of varying blue-green-almost-liquid-like-appendages. No one really knew weather it was male or female, and it never bothered to clarify which.
   "What do you want?" They said depressingly.
   "Can I have a tuna sandwich please?"
   "Always so polite and well mannered, hah hah, here you go."
   A iridescent tentacle threw a sandwich at me, I caught it, nearly dropping it in the process (earning a few giggles from my peers) and moved in in line.
   I walked quickly to my normal seat, a table next to the exit, with my best friend, Haze, a creature one could describe as a wolf with a "something doesn't look right" look. His face was too slim, his paws too small, and tail too long and bushy, and unlike most wolves, his entire pelt was white, excluding light grey on his hind leg and the orange patterning his face.
   He chowed down on a plate of today's special, "mystery meat".
   "Heya space case..!" He said, looking up at my from his food. His voice was guttural, gravely,  and overall deep. He was sixteen, and the fourth species to come to our facility. Unlike me, they just stumbled upon him in the southernmost part of Alaska, where he had made himself at home as a lead dog on a sled team. He was physically nothing like me, muscular, temperature adapt, burly, and not to miss the most important detail, fluffy.
   "Hey." I grumbled, sitting next to him. He wasn't sitting, more like leaning over the table and bending over to stick his muzzle into the heaping thing of food. When he was standing on all fours, he must've been eight feet tall. Good thing the ceiling was three times that size, or he'd have to worry about getting concussed from industrial ceiling fans.
   "What's got you mopey?" He asked, looking down at me after taking his face away from his food.         
   "I'm not moping." I said firmly.
   "Yeah, and my pelts not white, its actually black." He said bluntly.
   "Ok fine, maybe I am a little upset." I said, taking a mouthful of food. "Ok watch it, your gonna choke." He snorted.
   I chewed aggressively, and took another bite, "don't help me if I do."
   "Don't be suicidal."
   "It's not suicide, I just wanna pass out until this day is over."
   "Something is wrong! Tell me tell me tell me tell me tell me-
   "Okay, okay, don't be so earnest."
   He looked down at me with already huge puppy eyes. "It's my birthday." I said, making a pathetic display of jazz hands.
   "What?" he inquired.
   "b-i-r-t-h-d-a-y." I spelt.
   "Oh! I know what that is, sorry, I forgot about those." He said, sticking his face back into his food.
   "We all have one." I said, taking another bite of sandwich.
   "Why do you want it to be over so bad?"
   "For the past couple years it's been reminding me of the day I was voted off my home world." I said dazedly.
   "That's rough buddy." He replied promptly.
   "I guess. I don't know why, it just bothers me." I grumbled, playing with my food.
   "All species, please report to the yard." A mans voice proclaimed through the intercom.
   He repeated three more times before he stopped.
   Haze scooped all the remainder of food into his mouth, and bent his front legs to lower himself. I held my sandwich as I clambered aboard.
   "Let's see if we can beat everyone else there!" He said enthusiastically, standing up.
   "Full speed, lead dog." I proclaimed, putting a hand in my hip and pointing with my sandwich.
   He bounded through the crowd of species trying to exit to the yard. I clung to him, smiling and tail lashing.
   He burst through the (huge) glass-steel doors, tripped on the step downwards, and landed in a topple outside, flipping over and landing on his back on top of me.
   He laughed, and rolled off me, leaving me feeling similar to a pancake.
   I got up, and brushed off my T-shirt, and had it not been for my semi-collapsible skeleton, I would've been crushed to death. Nice thoughts.
   We stood in line, giggling unprofessionally.
   Different species lined up next to us, casting us chill-tf-out-looks.
   I flashed everyone a shark-toothed grin.
   Different species where very interesting, like this one Sraili had a pink fluffy mane and pale pink skin and black eyes, while there was a male and female Togī who looked like anthro birds of paradise. A young Sonter on all fours prowled outside and stood on her paws once she got in line. Sonyers look like offbeat tigers, except no stripes and long ears that end in tufts of fur.
"Alright everyone, before you begin your daily activities, I would like to announce that Mr. Davis is coming in for the annual inspection, and I want you all on your best behavior." Said what only could be described as our headmaster, Miss Reigold. She was the most well behaved creature on the facilities grounds, and she was so smart and well coordinated. She was actually the young Sonters older sister, who's name was Lilac. Miss. Reigold was appointed our unofficial leader, as well as a role model, besides Elonie.
A few of the younger species snickered and giggled, prompting Miss Reigold to then say, "That means no mean pranks on Mr. Davis, as he now has a bodyguard, who's code name is Mrs. Lance," she said, "Lance will not hesitate to put you in your place."
A few of us, including me gulped or fidgeted, for we had played a few pranks on Mr. Davis that may or may not have involved acid spit, water canons, and also that one time we stuck mashed potatoes to the ceiling of his box office.
   "And because of his higher status," Reigold continued, "whatever he says, goes."
   "Can we still- Lilac interjected, but was quickly cut off with a, "No, Lilac, you cannot play pranks on Lance either." Reigold said with a sigh, "Dismissed, it's your free time."
   Extraterrestrials sighed, and walked, scittered, swayed and prowled to wherever activities they would be doing for the next hour.
   I walked to the big stone wall that separated the court from the outside world. I sat by and picked at the grass, studying the roots and the follicles that made up the blade of grass itself.
   The court was a wide space, approximately two acres worth of space, complete with a basketball court and some exercise equipment, which was bolted to the cement that made up thirty percent of the floor, while the rest was well kept grass speckled with flowering weeds.
   "Hey Case?" Haze asked trotting over to me, tail wagging.
   "Yeah?"
   "Why do you keep that human-like form?"
   I frowned at him, "Well that's sudden, why do you ask?" I replied, sticking my hands into the pockets of my white uniform.
   We all wore white uniforms, by that I mean a white tee, white cotton pants, and white slip ons. They say it's because if we make a run for it, they can easily see us against the canyons surrounding the base.
   "'Don't know, guess I'm just feeling curious today." He said, sitting down next to me and scratching his ear with a  massive hind leg.
   "Hm, I don't know, good question." I responded, laying down and staring at the blue sky.
   "But I've seen you when your angry, like that time Lerolli and Samson's made fun of you," Haze trailed off, "You where out of control, man."
   I chuckled, "They put me in solitary until I calmed down." I said, reminiscing of that long, dimly lit hallway of cell after cell.
    "You where very powerful, you launched a lunch table at them."
   "Wasn't that big a deal."
   "You where as tall as me!" He said dramatically.
   "Yeah."
   "Then why do you stay in that small, semi-weak human form?" He pushed.
   "I can fit through doors easier."
   Lies.
   "Good point." He concurred, taking the hint I didn't want to talk.
   "Haze!" Someone yelled, "look what I found!"
   It was lilac, and she held a metal trash can lid over her head, "Wanna play fetch?!" She screamed unnecessarily loudly.
   Watching Haze play fetch was probably the most interesting thing we see all day, especially when the dog in question weighs about the same as an elephant.
   "Throw it!" He said, getting up and bounding towards Lilac.
   I smiled, "What a bunch of wackos."
   I sighed, and fell backwards again, letting my back hit the untrammeled grass, and looked up at the blue sky, now dotted with clouds.