They did not return to the city. Instead, they cooked together and tended to Eileen’s garden. Iris did most things this time around, following the older woman’s directions. Eileen seemed to be growing more tired earlier and took to sitting down more often than she had in the first weeks of Iris staying with her. Even when gardening, Iris was the only one who could bend down with no trouble.
This was something new to Iris, something strange. Martians did age of course, The Elders were older than all of them, but they did not age like this. Their joints did not ache, their memory did not falter and they were just…gone one day. She was still young enough it was none of her concern, but now she wondered how it would be when she was an Elder.
It had been a relatively short period that she had known Eileen, especially in Mars years, but she felt at home with her — more at home than she had ever felt in the bunkers. Eileen was her only human friend so far, her first real friend ever, and in a way her mentor here on Earth. The thought of losing that connection scared her.
“You really don’t have to do this, I’ll be fine.”
“It’s okay, I want to.” Iris continued with the dinner; pasta was the only dish she did not need directions for anymore. Eileen always refused her help, but she never stopped Iris.
After a moment of silence, Eileen spoke again, more wistfully. “Did you see the comet last month? Have you ever seen a meteor shower?”
Iris looked over at her and shook her head. Only the Elders were allowed to look at Mar’s surface and space — she had never seen anything like that.
“Would you like to?”
Bellies full, the two women spread out a blanket on the grass in the garden. Iris helped Eileen down then sat down herself. The sky had turned a deep, inky blue and only the pale white light of the moon and some stars illuminated their surroundings. It was like all the colours of the garden faded and became washed out by the night air. All except the irises, which still glowed a faint purple in front of them. She went to sniff one, when Eileen spoke again. For being in so much pain lately, she masked it with speech.
“You’re not of this world, are you?”
Iris felt her heart sink to her stomach. Her one rule was to never be found out and yet here was a human who just figured it out.
“You’re from Mars, right?”
There was no malice in Eileen’s eyes though, no hatred or fear.
“You know?” Was all Iris could manage.
“You have the same gleam in your eyes, the same accent as my mother did.” Eileen said with a small, sad smile.
“Your…she was Martian?”
“And I am too, partly.”
Iris was more confused than she had ever been before. Eileen was human through and through, there was no way she could be Martian. She had none of their tattoos, none of their colouring. And yet she did understand her so well, and did not question much about where she was from or what she was doing. Could Martians and humans even procreate?
The biggest question going through Iris’ mind, however, was how long had her kind been sending them to Earth?
“I didn’t mean to scare you, hun. I just, I had to know if I was making things up or not. I haven’t seen a Martian since she died years ago.”
“I’m sorry. For your loss.” Death was not mourned on Mars, not in the same long, emotional way as on Earth, but Iris thought it might be like how she imagined losing Eileen would feel. And that was very sad.
“It’s alright, it was her time. And she showed me her true self, in the end. Your kind are beautiful, symbols I could never decipher etched into your skin. I wish I inherited those.” Eileen laughed, though Iris could hear the sadness behind it.
“She told me she came down in a rock; some of you use comets, some meteors, she said. Though they’re rare, we’d always come out to watch the shooting stars.”
As she spoke, Iris noticed the first few streaks of fire start to fall from space. Several stars became balls of light that trailed tails of orange and red and white behind them like someone was painting the sky. Iris sat, transfixed, head pointing towards the sky.
Eileen watched the young Martian for a moment, then turned her head to the sky too.
“She always hoped more of you would come down, so you could live better lives. I always hoped you’d come down so I could know you.”
Iris watched the meteors fly across the night sky, basking everything in orange light. The flame The Elders had nurtured in her all her life, the hatred and fear of humans was not burning as bright anymore. Like the meteors that had disappeared behind the horizon, her need for home and The Elders’ approval was fading. The want for Earth was still there, but not in the same way. She wanted to tend to more of nature and meet more people as kind as Eileen.
“Thank you for taking me in. I would’ve never known about beautiful things like this,” Iris motioned to the sky, then the flowers, “or this, without you.”
And it was true. Iris’ experience of Earth could have been much different if she had taken another path like her partner did, if she had stuck to the map on the tablet that now sat dead in her room. By chance, Eileen had stopped her truck for her. And by chance Iris had felt confident enough to step into the human’s vehicle.
“Of course. I knew there was something special about you the moment I saw you on the road. It was like you were glowing.” Eileen said.
“I can teach you some of the language.” Iris offered, “but help me adjust better. Please.”
“Of course. Oh thank you, that’s always been my dream.”
Sitting there in each other’s presence, and watching such a beautiful celestial sight, nothing else mattered. It was like the meteor shower was washing away her past self who she had been only days ago. Iris did not care where her partner was and no longer would complete the mission. Maybe the mission never mattered if they had been coming here for so long; her faith in The Elders had crumpled at that revelation.
The new fire in Iris’ heart told her she could live a peaceful, happy life among the humans — the better life on Earth that Eileen’s mother had hoped for them. She wanted it more than anything, and she would not let anyone or thing get in the way of it.
She also wanted to stay with Eileen for longer, for she had found a real friend and it felt like they both needed each other.
As the last few meteors flew across the sky, Iris felt like she truly belonged. She was home.
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