Page 10 of Malliko
We’d been driving through a town for a while now and suddenly she pulled into a docking station under a tall building where other cars were lined up.
“This is us,” Tania said and collected her keys and purse. “Let’s go, Malliko.”
I followed her out of the car, into a cargo lift with music, and up to a hallway with lots of doors.
“I’m in H37 and you’re in H39. Here’s your key.”
Watching her open the door, I walked inside when she held the door for me. “I hope you like it.”
I walked straight to the large windows and stood looking out over the building across the street.
“There’s a bedroom with an adjacent bathroom in there, a walk-in closet, a powder room to the right of the entrance door, and the kitchen and family room is all open concept.”
“This is a very nice cabin,” I said.
“It’s not a cabin. It’s an apartment. The agency had that door installed between our units. It leads to my place, which is a copy of yours. Don’t walk in without knocking.”
“Understood.”
“Good. Here’s something that’s a must-have on Earth. It’s a mobile, and everyone has one. It’s how we communicate, get entertained, and find answers to the questions we have.Tomorrow morning, I’ll show you how it works, but right now, I’ll leave you some time to settle in.”
“Thank you.” Lifting my left hand, I made a fist and placed it between my eyebrows and bowed my head.
This time Tania didn’t reciprocate but said. “Humans don’t greet each other like that so you have to unlearn that.”
“Then how do they greet each other?”
“A smile, a handshake, or a hug. It all depends on the situation.”
“How will I know when to use what?”
“Mirror the humans and you’ll know.” She turned and walked to the connecting door, but then she stopped halfway through the threshold and asked, “Malliko, there’s something I’ve been wondering.”
“You can ask me anything.”
“Why do Eidrons cover their foreheads with a fist? It always seemed weird to me.”
“It’s a signal of respect. By covering our third eye, we signal that we don’t intend to read the other’s mind or pry in their affairs.”
Tania looked thoughtful. “Can you read my mind?”
“Not unless I want to, and it’s considered rude to connect without an invitation.”
Her gaze fell to the floor. “I didn’t inherit the ability to read someone’s mind from my father. That’s one of the reasons that I felt too human to stay on the hybrid planet.”
“Maybe you just need to practice,” I suggested and felt bad for her. Telepathy was a fundamental skill to have.
“I did, but it didn’t help.”
“What about controlling machines? You would need to link up to them. Do you at least know how to do that?”
She shook her head. “No. And here on Earth I don’t need to.” Dismissing it, she walked inside her apartment and closed thedoor with a last reminder, “Knock if you need anything. If not, try to get some sleep and let your body adjust to Earth density. Most of the researchers that I’ve hosted have seemed more affected than you, but still.”
“I’m fine, Tania. Thank you.”
“Good. In that case, once again, Malliko: Welcome to Earth.”
CHAPTER 4
