Chapter Eleven

“So… goodnight?” Silas asked, smiling at me.

I smiled back. “I guess. Goodnight!” Hesitantly, I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. He clasped my hand.

“Charlotte?”

“Yeah?” My heart sped up about ten times.

“I know you’re nervous about… everything. And me being an alien to your people… but would you consider… being my girlfriend?”

I almost cried. “Yes! I don’t care what they say. Silas, I love you.” I kissed him again, this time on the lips- but quickly. I didn’t want to overstep. “Goodnight.”

I stepped off the ship and into the Stellosphere. Giddy, I sprinted across the hangar. I would’ve squealed if everyone else wasn’t asleep. I just had to get to my bed and nobody would ever suspect-

I opened the door to the main ship and all of my thoughts stopped. My entire family glared at me, and whereas I felt so large a moment before, now I felt as small as a mouse under their glares.

“Where were you?” my mom yelled. “You scared us half to death!”

“I- I-” All thought had stopped at this point.

“Tell us where you were!” my dad said.

“I was with Silas!” I blurted, unthinking.

“I knew he was no good,” Miles muttered.

Loretta glowered at him. “Shut up, Miles!”

“Loretta, don’t say that to your brother!” my mother exclaimed. “And Charlotte, I knew that boy was no good. I expect more from you.”

“But-”

“But what? There’s no excuse for sneaking out of bed to run off with some… some alien!”

“We were on a date,” I whispered, dropping my head.

I didn’t think that I’d ever see my mother, Phoebe Andromeda Callisto, more than mildly mad. But now, she was more than mad- she was fuming. “Charlotte, come with me.”

She dragged me off to my room. Once we were in, she slammed the door, almost toppling several dangerous and expensive chemicals to the ground. Luckily, we both had the common sense to lunge for them, and between us, we saved them all and replaced them in their place. Not a drop was spilled.

“Now that that’s out of the way… please explain why you thought it was okay to go on a date at midnight with an *alien,* of all people.” She was fake calm, and that scared me more than when she was angry.

“I don’t know…”

“And the fact that he’s an alien… from Jessalium of all places!”

“What’s wrong with Jessalium?” I asked.

My mother sighed and sat down. She grabbed onto my arms. “Charlotte, I’m sorry. You clearly don’t understand, and it’s not your fault. I’m sorry for lashing out at you.”

I was genuinely confused. “What are you saying?”

“Look, Charlotte, not all aliens are created equal. Some are smarter and… some are… less violent. We're one of both, and we don’t intermix or… interbreed, if you know what I mean, with any of the… lesser species.”

“I do understand, but I don’t see how that’s any different than mixed breeding of dogs.”

“Charlotte, that’s-”

I stood up, passion suddenly infuriating me. “And what about stuff like the goat spiders? Jessalians are humanoid. Don’t treat them as anything different than us!”

She smiled at me with pity. “Starshine, those were in a lab setting. And please, don’t forget, they *are* different.” She placed a hand on my QuestCom, which I had left on my desk. I gasped and reached for it.

“Please don’t-”

“I’m sorry, but Charlotte, you’re grounded.” Her voice grew more serious. “And you’re never talking to that boy- that *alien*- ever again. Do you understand?”

I looked down at my feet. “Yes, mom,” I whispered, on the verge of tears. There’s no use arguing with Phoebe Andromeda Callisto.