Page 18 of Whisked Away By the Alien

The lid slides onto the pot with a clank as she turns to me. “I’d like that. But first, we’ll have to survive dinner.”

“I excelled at survival training. What danger accompanies eating the ritual foods?”

“It’s not the food, but who will be here. My parents and Bubbe. This time, you’ll sit and eat with us, Sten. No roaming around the neighborhood to avoid my mother’s questions, okay?”

Golda’s perceptive, seeing through my actions last night. I’m not one to avoid danger, but Mrs. Birnbaum reminds me of a vilda beast one hunts before a mating on Zyan. Single-minded, determined, and dangerous when cornered. Her gaze moves from me to Golda often. When Golda notices, she glares at her mother, a silent war brewing between them.

Mrs. Birnbaum doesn’t worry me, though. She is a mother protecting her youngling, nothing more. I’m more eager to meet this Bubbe person Golda has mentioned several times. Experience has taught me that bullies need to be dealt with swiftly, decisively.

Mentally, I run through the number and placement of my knives, should I need them. Being prepared is key to surviving. I have my horns and claws as well, features humans lack. Then a thought occurs to me.

The only aliens on Earth are attached to the embassies in Los Angeles, work for GI7, or are witnesses under our protection. Another handful of aliens temporarily reside here while they help the humans build up their planet’s defenses.

“Is Bubbe human?”

“Yes.” Golda’s eyes pull tight. “I’m not sure how to describe Bubbe. Okay, got it… Have you ever seen a tornado?”

“I studied Earth’s weather before arriving. A tornado is a vortex of wind.”

“That’s Bubbe. An unpredictable force of nature that can cut you off at the knees and wipe the floor with you or leave you standing untouched. There’s no predicting which fate you’ll encounter. Just be on guard.”

My horns shoot straight up, scraping the ceiling. I will protect my female from this Bubbe at all costs.

My female… Drekk, I did not just think that, did I?

“Oh, and Sten?”

“Yes, Commander?”

The corners of her mouth lift, the smile reaching her eyes. I could look at her all day and never get bored.

“I’ll be here to save you if you step in anything, Sten.”

Quickly, I scan the floor. I have not spilled anything since the flour yesterday. We’re in no danger of slipping. I appreciate her willingness to save me, but it will take more than a slick floor to bring me down. My bigger concern is Bubbe and his treatment of Golda. I look forward to confronting him. I flex my fingers and hands; it’s been a while since I’ve had a good fight.

“Whoops! I forgot to polish the menorah.” Golda swipes a tarnished silver object from the back of the counter.

“What is this relic?” The object has eight branches stemming from the base, and a ninth in the middle, set slightly higher than the others. The tops are hollowed cups, each smaller than the tip of my last finger. When I first met Golda, she’d fallen on the kitchen floor and the object had flown out of her hands. At first, I’d thought it was a weapon, the way her fingers had been tightly wrapped around it. Upon further inspection, I found no energy source or sharp edges to qualify it as a weapon.

“This is a menorah. We place candles in each of the holders. One for each of the eight nights of Hannukah. Thousands of years ago, my people revolted against their oppressors. When they reclaimed their temple, they found enough oil to light the temple for one day. It lasted eight.”

Golda searches beneath the sink and retrieves a small jar of thick pink cream. She rubs the cream on the menorah, bringing out the silver’s luster.

“Each day that the oil lasted was considered a miracle. Today, we use one candle to represent each of those days. And it’s why we fry the latkes and donuts in oil. To remind us of the miracles.”

“A worthy ritual. But there are nine holders on this menorah.”

“The ninth one is the helper candle. It’s there to light the other candles.”

“A helper. Like me.”

Golda lightly taps my cheek with her palm. “Yes, like you. Thank you for being here. I’ve never had so much fun cooking, and everything’s getting done on time. I’m sure this all seems dull to you and you’d rather be protecting a witness, but you’re helping the entire family. My mom’s watching Sadie for a few days to give my sister Rachel and her husband some alone time. Between school and the baby, Rachel’s been overly-stressed lately, which makes Eli stressed. And that effects Sadie, which aggravates Rachel. Then Eli’s mom complains to my mom who gets frustrated and snaps at my dad. Everyone’s on edge.”

Golda pushes up on her toes and kisses my cheek. “Thank you for being so sweet and open-minded.”

Her kiss sends a fire through me and her compliment humbles me. She is the one who’s sweet and open-minded. From the start, she accepted me for who I am.

A bell chimes and Golda jumps up and down, excited. “That must be Bubbe!” She races out of the kitchen, the door swinging in her wake.

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