The following morning, I called my three closest friends. I told them that I had run into some trouble, and we needed to talk. Fortunately for me, it was the beginning of spring break, so I had all day to explain my situation.
The first to arrive was Grace Torres; she was near my height with mid-back red hair and green eyes. She arrived with a worried expression, still in her pajamas, which were a pair of shorts and a loose top. Mom was at my side for support, with the dining table set for a long talk in view behind us. "What happened to you?!" Out of breath, Grace demanded. "You sounded like your world was falling apart over the phone."
"We will explain when everyone arrives." Firmly but kindly, Mom replied. "For now, we will say that Brooke will be needing all the support she can get for the next three months."
Grace's eyes went wide. "What?!"
The second friend to arrive was Tara Winters; she was a fit girl, with shoulder-length hair and blue eyes. She pulled into the driveway on her motorcycle, dressed casually, with a near panicked look on her face. Mom let her in, and she saw the table set with tea, soda, and snacks. A sigh escaped her lips. "I knew there was something about that Kale Celeste when I saw him with you at the party last Friday!" Angry, she said. "What did he do, slip you something that made you sick?! Worse?!"
I gulped, leaving Tara to guess, and she turned red. Only Mom stepped in before she could speak, a stern look on her face that would make anyone pause. "It does involve Kale Celeste." Firmly but kindly, Mom explained. "Only I ask that you wait until you know the whole story before reacting and doing anything rash."
Tara, although still flush with anger, sighed and gave a nod, and entered the house to join Grace at the dining room table as my third friend arrived. Her name was Kelly Smith; she was dropped off by her father in a 1930's black Buick Straight Eight. She also was in casual clothes as she ran up to the door with a worried expression. "We were on our way to the local car show when you called." She explained. "You sounded like someone had taken your last dime over the phone; what happened?!"
"Join us at the table and we will explain." Calmly, Mom said. "Understand, though, this will be hard to believe, and we will thank you to keep it under your hats for now."
Once everyone was settled, I recalled everything that had happened at and after the party last Friday and what was happening to me in the few days after.
"Shut the front door!" Grace said, or something like that.
"Get out of town!" Tara said.
"C'mon, Brooke, what's the real story?" Kelly asked.
But all of their jaws dropped as Mom took a hold of my wrist and spread my fingers apart. They had become webbed!
"We are not alone in this universe, kids." Firmly but kindly, she said. "Of course, no one except certain government officials and organizations know about this. A select few had been given permission to live among us as an experiment, so to say."
"Kale was one of them." Softly, I said. "I had no idea, and he didn't tell me."
"Are those webbed hands... permanent?" Worried, Grace asked.
Mom shook her head. "No, these will go away once the child is born. From what we understand, it is a defensive adaptation, to allow Orion women to enter any terrain to stay safe."
She then went on to explain the imbalance of male to female population, which left my friends pale with horror. I had to admit, I would not like to live on such a world where every man saw me as a potential mate every three or four months.
"So, what happened?" Frowning, Tara demanded.
"This was one of those one thing led to another scenarios, and they had a one night stand." Serious, Mom said. "Kale had been given strict orders not to get intimate with any human female during his visit."
"Only he disobeyed those orders." Frowning, Kelly said.
Mom nodded. "He did, and was rendered sterile for life because of it."
"Only Brooke has to carry the child to birth." Guessing correctly, Grace said.
"Her pregnancy will only be three months." Sadly, Mom explained. "As such, it is going to be painful, and impossible to terminate without killing her in the process."
Kelly winced. "That sucks... what can we do to help?"
"Keeping her home from school would be a good start." Serious, Tara said. "Brooke will likely be screaming in pain, as fast as the baby is growing inside of her."
"We have started an experimental home schooling for the rest of the school year." Calmly, mom replied. "She and Ty will be staying home until summer vacation."
"I'll be having very odd food cravings for a while." softly, I said. "For example, I ate a few roses before you came over."
"Maybe we can mix rose petals in with something normal you may crave." Thoughtful, Kelly said. "That way, it won't look weird if they hit while we are out."
"That's a good idea." Smiling, I said.
Grace looked around. "Where is your little brother anyway?"
Mom smiled. "My husband is keeping him occupied in the basement for now. He is a good kid, but too young to understand when to keep his mouth shut about certain things. The less he knows, the better."
We all giggled at that for a moment, then talked about everything that could be done to make my life a little easier. I was very happy to have such good friends I could rely on.
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