It was her.
Why did it have to be her…?!
Dang it, Faye! Maybe she should've been hit properly by that comet earlier when it fell—
Wait.
That's a horrible thought.
God, what is wrong with me?
I swear, Lord, those were impulsive thoughts.
Elena's voice cut through my spiral.
"Here," she said gently. "You shouldn't leave things you like behind, you know?"
She held up the book.
"I've read this over a hundred times. And plenty of others, too. Visiting you and asking for recommendations was just an excuse… so we could be alone."
She smiled.
At this point, her smile wasn't pleasant anymore.
Not with how fast my thoughts were spiraling.
I was an idiot for letting her into my room. An idiot for thinking she might've been my friend.
She's probably lying anyway. I bet she doesn't even like this kind of stuff—
Before I could finish another thought, she spoke again.
"It's… amazing how humans love these things," she said softly.
"Is this how you all live? With meaning?"
…Huh?
Did I hear that right?
"Humans…?" I frowned. "What do you mean by that?"
She stepped closer. Her expression turned serious
"Mayumi… I'm the one you saved. I'm the one that fell from the sky."
"…What?"
Her voice lowered, almost a whisper.
"Mayumi… I— I guess you could say… what your kind calls… an alien."
"I'm… an alien."
Everything up until this moment—I'd been overthinking. Assuming the worst, bracing myself so it would hurt less when it came.
So I wouldn't be surprised.
But this?
This genuinely caught me off guard. And somehow…
I felt relieved.
I broke.
A huge smile spread across my face, followed by the loudest laugh I'd let out in years. More funnier than the corny jokes Hazel spits out.
I couldn't stop.
I mean—come on.
A pretty girl from out of town. Obviously a city girl. The kind you'd see in magazines. The kind boys would casually say they had a crush on.
And then, with the most serious expression imaginable—
She tells me she's an alien who fell from the sky.
I tapped her shoulder with my hand because I was laughing so hard.
"Okay—okay, enough jokes, Elena," I wheezed, wiping tears from my eyes.
"Very funny. I didn't take you for someone so… imaginative."
She looked confused at first.
Then she smiled.
"I see. You don't believe me," she said calmly.
"Alright. I suppose that leaves me no choice."
"Hahaha… What do you mean by that—" Before I could finish, I wiped my eyes and looked up—
—and froze.
Her face split.
Not violently. Not bloody.
But like skin being pressed by nails—thin cross lines forming before slowly opening, like petals of a lotus blooming.
Her body started… shifting.
Her clothes warped, colors bleeding and reshaping as her form twisted into something wrong. White, tangled shapes wrapped around her, unfolding and refolding.
I couldn't look away.
It was terrifying.
Unimaginable.
I stumbled back until my back hit the shelves.
Her body was getting bigger. Changing.
That thing—
That thing was Elena?!
Holy—
Holy shit.
My legs gave out. I collapsed to the floor, the books slipping from my hands as my entire body shook.
This was terrifying. I think I'm about to piss myself.
I wanted to run. To scream.
But my body refused to move—frozen, trapped between fight and flight, choosing neither. My heartbeat was so loud I was sure she could hear it.
"…Mayumi?"
Her voice echoed strangely. Confused.
The shifting stopped mid-motion. That awful, wet sound froze in place.
"You're afraid," she said quietly, like she'd just discovered fire could burn.
"Did I do something wrong…?" There was no mockery in her voice. Just genuine concern.
And somehow, that scared me more.
"You weren't afraid before," she said.
Yeah. Because I was drunk and emotional. How the hell was I supposed to know what kind of animal it was back then?!
I didn't know the thing I helped on that mountain—the thing that fell from the sky—was an alien.
Then I heard it again.
That shifting sound.
Her body started moving once more, folding in on itself like it couldn't decide what shape it wanted to be.
Something pale stretched toward me.
A tentacle.
I think.
So this is how I die…
Wow. I haven't even gotten myself a boyfriend yet.
Not that it matters. Romance never gives me a chance anyway. I love it—but it clearly doesn't love me back.
I squeezed my eyes shut. Fine. If this was it, then so be it. I waited for pain. For something sharp.
For anything. But instead…
Soft.
Warm.
A gentle touch against my cheek.
I opened my eyes, drenched in sweat—
—and she was there.
Elena.
Normal...Human. Like the monster seconds ago never existed. We were sitting on the floor, facing each other.
Her hand still rested against my cheek, hesitant, careful.
She looked at me like she was afraid she'd broken something she didn't know how to fix.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly, lowering her gaze.
"I didn't mean to frighten you."
No shit, I thought.
But seeing her back in that normal, pretty human-looking body helped a little. It was reassuring in the dumbest way—like proof she wasn't about to eat my brain or kill me on the spot.
Still… I wasn't going to forget it.
I'd just watched my entire life flash before my eyes. And it didn't exactly feel good.
Her hand was still brushing my cheeks. I noticed her staring at me again, and as soon as she caught me looking, she quickly pulled her hand back.
Of course, I couldn't say anything.
I was still trying to process what the hell had just happened.