A young alien is sent to Earth on an exploration mission

The first time her feet ever touched Earth, she squealed with joy. It was a sound she never let out before; she didn’t realise she made it. The grass was wet with dew and prickly, it tickled her feet with every step. The air filled her lungs, so sweet and fresh. A butterfly fluttered by her, finally a real insect. 

The hatch behind her opened and she turned to face him, to share her excitement, but he wasn’t even looking at her. Only down, at the tablet in his hands. Its light reflected in his crimson eyes and illuminated his rusty orange skin. She studied the stars tattooed on his head, knowing they’d be covered up soon, just like hers. 

“Do you have your assignment?” It was the first words he had spoken to her since the mission began. Still in their own tongue. It felt strange, these words were the last she’d hear in her own language for a while. 

“It’s in the ship still.” 

He didn’t bother to nod, just let out a disapproving grunt. 

The sensation of the grass on her feet as she walked back to the ship was just as tingly. She didn’t ever want to wear shoes again if this was what all of Earth was like. 

The ship was cramped. Their two seats were angled to the ground, illuminated by the control panel. She remembered watching the elders connect each button and lever as a child, she couldn’t believe she was lucky enough to use one. 

She grabbed her own tablet, trying not to knock any equipment over. If it survived the landing, she didn’t want to be the reason something broke. When she slipped out of the hatch again her partner was already transformed. His familiar features faded to strange ones. His head full of hair now, light and straight, replacing the constellation markings that had been there, and his skin turned a light beige. He looked different, like what the Elders called human. 

Then he was off, no more words, no good luck. She watched him for a while, then noticed the sky. From what they had told her the dark was dangerous, so she needed to transform now.  

It was like lucid dreaming. Like separating yourself from your body and imagining a new one that you zip yourself into. She couldn’t remember when she first imagined this body, this person, but her face had began showing up in every dream she had. Blurry but there, materializing more and more every night until suddenly she had woken up not herself. But it was her. 

She looked down at her hands, no longer a deep violet but a deep tan. She turned her head a little, fascinated with how hair felt as it moved. It tickled her as much as the grass. Her uniform was still on, the grey jumpsuit everyone wore back home. She wondered what humans dressed like, if she’d fit in. Fitting in was incredibly important on Mars, and even more important for her mission. 

After one final look at the ship, she slipped shoes on and headed the opposite way of her partner, following the tablet’s directions. She trekked through the field, ignoring the desire to explore the nature around her, until she could see lights ahead. 

This article was originally published in print Volume 24, Issue 1 on Thursday, August 29.