An Aulorian Experience

Aziphiwe woke to the scorching sun burning her eyes. It took 5 seconds for her skin to adjust to the burning sun. Planet Aulo had maximum temperatures of 51 degrees Celsius. Luckily, Humanaza, as they were referred to (descendents of human beings) had the ability to adjust to the planet's climate. Aulo was a utopia with 652 days a year and a florescent purple, with bands of bronze, lime and dark orange sky line during the day and a black sky with a hue of light blue and green in the night time. Aulo had 28 million species and 2 races, the Humanaza and Aulorians. About 8 billion years ago, a rocket ship containing 45 million human beings had crashed into the planet. Most of the humans didn't make it due to the unstainable climate of the planet. Only 500 000 remained due to the help of the Aulorians and throughout the millenniums, the humans developed the ability to adjust the climate of the planet. It took 5 seconds, every morning for the process of adjusting to happen. Fast enough for them not to be killed. 

"Azi", her mother called, "wake up, quickly, there's a client at the store". She lived in a beautiful modern mansion, most of the houses in her colony were big and luxurious. She quickly got dressed and went downstairs. "There's a girl there, she wants you to be her designer. Said she saw your designs on Metaverse". "A client? For me?", she said, shrieking. She rushed to her car  and sped to store. Her mother was a well known fashion designer. The House Of Mawu was loved across the globe. This would be Azi's first client. She'd posted 3 of her designs on Metaverse and they all didn't get much interactions so she just assumed no one cared. She got to the store and in the waiting area, there she was. Beautiful, her skin glowing with a shimmer of pink and orange. All Aulorians were beautiful. All of them. They were more attractive, well, more better and advanced versions of the Humanazas. More tall. More intelligent. More fast. They had the ability to heal themselves, they could fly, their skin glowed whichever colour was prominent in the sky and much much more. Azi often thought that if they wanted to, they could enslave the Humanazas. But instead they were the most kindest, helpful and nonviolent race. "Hey, I'm Iri", she said with a smile. "I'm going to my prom next week. I stumbled on one of your designs on Metaverse and I totally fell in love. I was so sad when I could only find three. Anyway, I looked you up and was so pleased to find out you're the daughter of Nozi Mawu. She's a true talent. So I know fashion runs in your blood. I don't know what I want. I want you to surprise me. Please, please say you'll take me on as a client". Azi was overwhelmed, Iri was doing a lot of talking. But she was also excited that she was giving her full creative control. "I'd be honoured Iri, let's take your measurements". 

After they were done, Iri insisted they be friends on Metaverse. "Who knows, we might be best friends and this would be our origin story. Can you imagine?". Azi smiled. Iri was infectious and bubbly, Azi wanted to be friends with her so bad but she acted cool. She didn't want to come off too strong. Just then, a tall figure, taller than Iri came through the door." Iri, you're going to be late and I still have a lab assignment to complete", the strange man said. Azi couldn't keep her eyes of him. He was enchanting. Tall, large, fit and firm. His shirt clung to his chest and arms and fit loosely around the waist. His jeans were fit perfectly and the gold chain he wore glimmered with his skin. "Oh, brother", Iri said rolling her eyes. "Azi, this is my brother Luke. Luke, this is my best friend to be, Azi". Azi felt like her heart stopped beating for a second and then, like it was the only thing she could hear. She wondered if the others could too. That's stupid, of course they can't. Say something, she though. She opened her mouth but nothing came out. "Nice to meet you", he said, nonchalantly, "Let's go", he to his sister grabbing her arm. "You're so annoying. Azi I'll call you", Iri said being dragged away. "She's so tiny", Azi heard Luke say as he closed the door. 

So tiny. So tiny. So tiny. Those words rang in her ear the whole day. She'd begun work on Iri's dress. She knew exactly how she wanted it to be and with the deadline so close, she wanted to make sure it was perfect. A mermaid gown with a long train, a plunging low back and a cape, each side, so long that it blended in with the train. So tiny. So tiny. She's so tiny. So tiny. The words came to her again. She wanted to know what he meant by that. She she looked up, it was almost dinner time. She left her workstation and went home. Humanaza did the creative jobs in Aulo because there weren't enough of them, 1.1 million to be exact. This was because the education system in Aulo was too advanced for the human brain to fathom. Through the billions of years, the brain had not advanced far enough. But they did contribute to society through art, music, writing, fashion and everything else. 

"What does someone mean when they say you're tiny?" she asked her mom at the dinner table. "Well, that you're little I guess". "Does it mean they don't like you?". "I just think it means you're little, nothing more, nothing less". Her mom, everso pragmatic, was no use. After dinner, she lay in bed thinking about Luke. Such a brief encounter but she couldn't stop thinking about it. Her phone rang, it was Iri. 

"Hey" 

"Hey Iri, what's up?" 

"Oh nothing much, but school absolutely sucks, it's the last stretch and they're really pushing us. I can't wait until next week when I can…" 

Iri kept talking about school but Azi couldn't much relate. She was home schooled and had classes 3 times a week. But it was kind of nice to have an Aulorian as a friend. She was 18 and had no friends. She had acquaintances and knew people but not enough to call them friends. She actually appreciated Iri for even making the effort to call. 

"What did your brother mean when he said I was tiny?", she asked without thinking, cutting Iri off mid-sentence. 

"Well, I guess that you're short. Shorter than us, I mean. He doesn't have much experience interacting with Humanaza because they're so few and sparsely spread out across the world. So do it, come to thinking of it. Oh, I hope it didn't offend you"

"It didn't. I didn't think of the fact that there's so few of us around".

"What are you doing tomorrow? It's Melday, don't you wanna go out to a party meet some new people?" 

"I'd love to", Azi said quickly. She was embarrassed 

"Alright then, pick you up at 6". You're a great listener. I'm happy we're becoming friends"

"I'm happy too". 

That night, Azi slept with a smile on her face.

In the morning, she woke up excited. She got ready and went straight to the store to work on Iri's dress. She was excited about tonight. Finally being invited to a party and meeting new people. She spent the whole day working and at 4, she went home. She felt kind of hungry, she'd been working all day with no breaks. No time. I have to look good for tonight but not make it seem like I'm trying too hard. She got into the shower and spent the next hour trying to pick something perfect to wear. She opted for a short red dress and white sneakers. Girly and casual. She tied her hair in a ponytail and added stud earrings for the finishing touch. At 6 on the dot her phone rang. It was a number she didn't know but she figured it was Iri calling from a friend's phone. "Coming", she said without hesitation. "Don't wait up", she said to her mom as she walked out the door. 

When she got to the car, she saw it wasn't Iri but Luke. She froze. "Hey", Luke said. She couldn't speak. What is wrong with me? Finally, she let out a weak, "Hi". "Iri asked me to pick you up. I was on the booze run anyway. Get in". They drove in silence to the liqour store. They bought copious amounts of alcohol. Most for Aulorians and a little for her. The party was packed when they arrived. Some people by the bar, some by the pool, and some lounging around in the living area. "Azi, you're here", Iri said, running to her. She introduced her to her classmates. Her other friends and her brother's friends. After that, it was time for shots, in the form of drinking games. The games were fun but because she hadn't done most things, she ended up drinking a lot. After the final question, someone yelled "skinny dipping" and everyone went to the pool and jumped in. Azi stayed behind, she wasn't feeling very well. She tried to get up and the room started spinning. "Are you okay?", she heard Luke's voice. "I think I'm gonna puk-", and she vomited all over him. It felt like everything in her body came out. "Oh no, Luke, I'm so sorry", she had tears coming down her eyes. "It's okay. Let's get you and me, fixed up". 

They went to his room. His bathroom was massive,with double sinks. He gave her a brand new tooth brush and a fresh towel. "You can brush your teeth and wash your face. I have to get into the shower", he said as he was undressing. All she could do was stare. When he unbuckled his belt, he looked at her. "I'm gonna need you to look away for this part". She quickly turned around. So did he, took everything off and went into the shower. She brushed her teeth and washed her face. She felt  a bit better, but incredibly hungry. After his shower, she asked if they could get food, " absolutely famished". "Then I gave the best spot for you. Uva Market has the best food, trust me". 

It was past Aulorian midnight and they walked through the marketplace. It still was buzzing with people. The smell of different foods and spices, filled the air. It was lit with fairy light had an almost romantic feel to the place. "I can't wait to try everything, I haven't eaten all day", Azi said, looking around, mesmerized at everything. "You drank on an empty stomach? Rookie move Azi but I can't judge, you're still pretty innocent". She frowned, "I'm not. I just don't go out much. I'm 18 years old". "18 yes, but still innocent". Through the market she tried various foods digestible to Humanazas, some Aulorian infused. Those were her favourites. They talked as they made their way through the marketplace. She found out Luke was a senior at Beks College majoring in Astrobiology, "Finding habitable planets is kind of my passion". He was single, "I've been in one serious relationship and that ended my freshman year" and did almost everything with his sister, "She's been following me around since she was born. I grew to like it and now I just don't like it when she's not around". He'd never actually met a Humanaza before, "but this is indeed a pleasant interaction", he said. She blushed. They sat on a bench at the market court. He asked about her, her interests, "it's pretty goofy but I like going on walks in the wild. There's always something new species to discover. I've discovered 6 so far". Her future goals, "I'd love to open my own fashion house and build my brand. Fashion is everything to me". About her relationship status, "I've never been in a relationship", she said shyly. "Hey, you don't have to be embarrassed. It's totally cool that you take things at own pace", he said. Her heart started beating faster. At the end of the night, she felt incredibly close to him. As they made their way to the car, he took her hand into his, it practically swallowing hers, she didn't mind, and held it as they walked. Her heart skipped a beat. "I would like to do this again", he said looking straight ahead. "I'd love nothing more", she answered without hesitation. With that, he swept her swiftly into his arms, picking her up until their mouths met and kissed her deeply. She felt like she was melting and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him even closer to her. 

This is the best night of my life, she thought.