Page 51 of Alien in the Attic

Sofia lifted her goggles and let them cling to her forehead. “You Thryals have this naming thing all wrong,” she said, squinting against the breeze. “If you’re going to call this place something, don’t call it the falls. It’s very confusing to Earth people.”

Elena double-checked that the packs Arccoo handed out when they arrived were strapped securely enough. “I don’t think theyhad humans in mind when they came up with the name,” she said, adjusting her own goggles comfortably on her nose.

Sofia ignored her. “Now Earth knows how to name things. We have a giant hole in the planet as well. We don’t call it the falls, though. The falls are a bunch of water going over a cliff. Theyfall. See what I mean?”

Arccoo tightened the straps over his broad shoulders, smirking at his first sister-in-law’s diatribe. “I do. My wife and I had a similar discussion when I mentioned this place to her.” Carmen smiled every time he referred to her as his wife. So did he.

“Yeah, well, mysistershould have told you that these falls of yours are really more of a canyon,” Sofia went on. “I’d say it was a prettygrand canyon, if you catch my drift.”

“Sof, I don’t think we should be trying to rename Thryal landmarks,” Carmen said, stretching in such a way that gave Arccoo ideas. “We’ve already made quite a few changes just by being here.”

“You say change. I say improve,” Sofia replied. She returned her goggles to their original spot. “So, how do we do this thing?” she asked.

After the wedding, Carmen said she and her sisters were curious about the rest of the planet. Their outreach efforts were running smoothly, and if they were truly going to become fixtures in Thryal society, they felt it was important to know the geography and experience the landscape the same way a local would.

Arccoo agreed and decided the best place to get started would be his favorite area, the place that always made him feel at peace. Only, he had no intention of simply showing them the colossal ravine.

“It’s very simple,” Arccoo said. “Your pack has a homing beacon connected to the sensor on the other side of the falls. You tap the pendant on your chest like this.” Arccoo demonstrated, tapping the pendant that locked the overlapping pack straps in the center of his chest. A set of triangular wings shot out from the pack, creating a personal glider. “Then you dive. The wind and the beacon will do the rest.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Sofia said, holding her hands up at shoulder height. “We jump? You want me to jump into the biggest fucking ditch I’ve ever seen and just trust that your technology will bring me safely to the other side?”

“Your puny human mind comprehends completely,” Arccoo said. “I’m impressed.” After spending so much time with his new family, he’d learned how to talk to Sofia in fluent snark, which was the only language she seemed receptive to.

Elena tapped the pendant. When the wings shot out of the back, she turned back to everyone with a mischievous smile. “Oh, I like this,” she said before diving off of the edge of the cliff. She fell out of sight.

Sofia reached for her, a yelp echoing through the sky.

Carmen tensed next to Arccoo. He put an arm around her, whispering a small countdown. “Three… two… one…”

“Amazing!” Elena called from the sky. A sudden gust of wind had sent her rocketing up above their heads. With the instincts of a bird, she twirled before diving back down and charging forward to the other side like a blade through butter.

Carmen exhaled. “Jesus Christ,” she said. “Will it be like that for all of us?”

Arccoo winked. “If we’re lucky.”

“No,” Sofia said, shaking her head. “This isn’t going to happen. I’ll just go back to the transport and wait for you three idiots to come back.”

Carmen conjured her best commanding big sister voice. “Sofia Flores! You are not a child. You are a grown ass woman who is strong, brave, and capable of anything.”

Sofia scowled. “Are you serious?”

“Dead serious,” Carmen replied. “Woman, you flew through space. Literalspace. Now you’re scared of a little jump?” She gave Sofia a contentious look.

“Fine,” Sofia sighed. “You two go first. I’ll follow.”

Carmen wasn’t buying it. “So you can back out once we’re airborne? No, thanks.”

Sofia rolled her eyes, caught. She peered over the edge and visibly trembled. It was obvious that she was going to need a nudge.

Arccoo had just the thing.

“Did I mention that the beacon also functions as a tractor beam?” he said. Before Sofia could respond, he removed the remote from his pocket. “A remote-controlled tractor beam?”

He triggered the remote. Sofia’s wings ejected and the beacon took hold of her, yanking her into the ravine faster than she had time to process. A split second later, she took off as if a jet were strapped to her back. The wind carried her joyous cheers behind her.

“That wasn’t very nice,” Carmen said with half a smile.

“I know,” Arccoo said. “She’s loving it, though. Trust me, she’ll be begging for a second go by the time we land on the other side.” He looked her up and down. The straps of the pack accentuated the parts of her that sent ripples through every inch of him.

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