Page 2 of Secret Twins for the Alien Dad

Though, I know what happens if I complain to Brev. I just have to suck it up, plaster a fake smile on my face, and deal the cards. Sooner or later, they’re too depressed from losing all their money to pay any more attention to me.

I just have to remember that this is all in service of my dream. Every card I deal, every tourist I pretend to flirt back with, it all gets me closer to leaving this place forever.

No matter how much this life weighs me down, I have to remember that. Repeat it in my head.I will get out of here.I will escape.

I’m greeted by Dena, a sweet older human woman at the casino’s front desk. “Good morning, Myra, on time as always.”

“Can’t afford to be late. Couldn’t bear to be early.”

We both laugh as I pull out my keycard and scan myself in.

“Have a good one,” Dena says as I move deeper into the building.

“I’ll try.”

Once I step onto the game floor, I’m struck by the unfortunately familiar smell of the thick wave of smoke that populates the room at all times. I heard that, years before I arrived, they tried a ‘no smoking’ rule. It lasted an afternoon before the regulars started to riot.

So now everyone else just has to deal with it. I’m afraid to think about what sitting in all this smoke everyday for three years has done to me.

I make my way across the floor. A lot of the regulars catch my eye. A handful of tourists are also scattered around. A standard turnout this time of day, but it will only get busier.

I don’t know what it is about this room, but when it gets loud, it getsloud. The noise is almost as annoying as all the smoke wafting into my nose and making my eyes water.

I’ll never understand why people decide to come to a place like this tolosemoney. I’m only here because I get paid to be. And even then I’m just waiting for my chance to leave.

As much as I complain about the Nova Casino, and I complain a lot about it, there are worse places to work in the city. Worse casinos, too. I get paid enough to pay the bills, and slowly but surely hide away a little money.

This place is also relatively the safest casino in the city. I assume Brev doesn’t want to keep searching the galaxy for a way to steal more employees, so he has to keep the ones he has safe. Security seems light across the game floor. They’ll let the guests drunkenly fight each other all day long, but then swoop in the moment an employee is in harm's way.

I step behind my empty Kalei Hold’em station and take a deep breath. I have another sixty seconds before I have to be on shift. I look at the time and wait.

It’s going to be another long day. Brev scheduled me for a triple shift, again. I swear, if I don’t get good tips tonight, I will lose it.

I watch the clock turn to the start of my shift. Quickly, I flick on the light over my table, showing that it’s open for business. I hardly have a moment to blink before my table is full of a mix of regulars and already drunk tourists.

“Hey, toots, deal me in,” says a regular whose name I’ve made it a point to never learn.

“Me- Me… I, too!” says some drunk guy between burps.

I tune out the rest of the comments as I let out a deep sigh. Here we go. A huge fake smile grows on my face as I turn to face them all.

“Alright, boys, the game is Kalei Hold’em…”

2

ZAIR

“How about the Nova Casino?” I point at the data pad in my hotel room, displaying a list of all the dens of fun Glimner City has to offer. Pretty convenient that it’s part of the hotel. Don’t have to go very far to get fucked up.

I receive a chorus of “Fuck yeah,” “Let's go,” and general roars of excitement from my crew in response. Glimner City has no idea what’s about to hit them. We all just got off a two-week job, and we’re ready to fucking party.

“Last one to the casino buys the first round,” yells Idrax. Usually the quietest and reserved of us, even he’s ready to unwind and cut loose.

Just like that, a dozen Kaleidian warriors are stampeding out of my hotel room. Other guests in the hallways move to the side as we all charge past. None of us are willing to risk waiting for the elevator so we all leap down the stairwell all twenty-something floors to the lobby.

We then race across the beautifully decorated lobby, following the signs directing us to the casino. A few snooty looking guests scoff and stick their noses up at us as we run past. But we all simply give our Kaleidian battle cries in response.

We are Kaleidians, it’s going to take a lot more than that to get us to calm down! Plus, me and my crew have earned this trip. We’ve all been working very hard.

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