Jewel and Rosemary were the first to finish their breakfast. Jewel went upstairs to train Lexie, and Rosemary went downstairs to analyze some samples.
When Perry finished his breakfast, he went outside to confront the intruder by way of telepathically erasing his memory.
Perry focused, as he drew his consciousness inward. But the pressure built behind his eyes, with a dull ache that spread across his temples. His skin began to tingle, starting at his brain and green energy going to the stranger’s brain. He concentrated harder and searched through the man’s recent memories of aliens.
He pushed deeper as he poured his will into finding that single memory. The pressure in Perry’s skull intensified as he found and erased the stranger’s memory. The man’s eyes glazed over, unfocused, as pastel colors began streaming out of the man’s head, like ribbons of smoke.
As the last of the pastel light dissolved and the memory was gone, Perry released his mental grip and let the green energy fade. He then quickly transformed himself into his human disguise.
“Excuse me,” Perry said sternly. “You’re trespassing on my property.”
“I’m sorry,” the man apologized. “I don’t know what I am doing here in the first place. I’ll just go on my way and leave you alone.”
The man quickly left the St. Crowes alone. Perry was still frustrated at what his mother told him, so he went to the garbage can and kicked it to the ground. Then he put all the trash back in and lifted the can back up before he decided to go back into the house and transform back into his alien form.
When he went to the Science/Engineering room downstairs, he found Rosemary already looking at samples on the Chemical Analyzer. He ignored her and went to the robotic station to do some more tinkering.
There was silence between them with only the sounds of Perry’s tinkering in room. But that didn’t last long as Rosemary finished what she was doing and came up to Perry.
“Once again, Vex,” she said. “Don’t forget to fix that Invention Constructor.”
“I promise you that I would, if I knew how.” he answered as the words came out strained.
With that reassurance she left. But the frustration coiled tighter in his chest.
Perry returned to his workbench and reached for a bolt. He raised the hammer to secure it, but then his grip slipped. The metal head struck his own skull with a sickening crack. Suddenly, white-hot pain burst behind his eyes. It radiated down through his neck and shoulders. He cursed and pressed his palm against his temple.
Minutes passed as he worked through the assembly, and tried to lose himself in the familiar motions. But his concentration kept fracturing, as his thoughts, once again, returned to his mother.
He swung the hammer down to secure another piece, and his aim went wild. The hammer hit his skull a second time. The agony radiated through his head, sharper than before. He dropped the hammer and gripped the edge of the workbench.
Minutes later, as he positioned the final bolt, once again his hand jerked involuntarily. The hammer rose and fell, striking his head a third time. He barely felt it through the rage and shame that consumed him.
Perry had built hundreds of robots without any errors. He prided himself on precision, and on being the one his family could depend on. But now he stood there, with his head throbbing and vision blurred.
Later that afternoon, Jewel and Perry pulled up to Studio PBP Lounge in Del Sol Valley. The building’s white exterior gleamed in the sunlight, as its large windows reflecting the surrounding palm trees and manicured landscaping. Both siblings stepped out of the car with their dates, Lilith and Bob.
Jewel had chosen this upscale venue deliberately. One of her co-workers, most likely a studio head or a celebrity, had recommended it as the perfect location for dating.
Neither Jewel nor Perry had ever been here before because there was usually a security guard at the front door, but not today. The entrance stood open and welcoming as they approached.
Perry had been in a good mood since his girls came home and he’d given them the talk about not skipping breakfast. He’d have to see tomorrow morning if they kept that promise. But for now, he was focused on his date.
He spotted the redhead from the dating profile and approached her.
“Hello, I’m Perry,” he said. “From Cupid’s Corner. You must be Lilith.”
“Hello,” said Lilith. “And you look like you do in your picture, which is a bonus.”
“True,” said Perry. “Of course, it’s easy to spot a scammer because they want to get you off Cupid’s Corner as soon as possible.”
“I almost fell for a scam doing that,” said Lilith. “The first thing they ask for if you get off the site early is your credit card information. Which I don’t give out.”
“Same here,” said Perry. He saw his sister approaching with her date. “Oh, I forgot. I did mention online that this would be a double date with my sister Jewel and her date.”
“Yes, you did,” said Lilith. “Hi, you must be Perry’s sister.”
“Indeed I am,” responded Jewel. “I’m Jewel, and this is my date Bob.”
“Nice to meet you,” said Bob.
“Nice to meet you too, Bob,” said Perry.
“Who came up with the idea for us to meet here?” asked Lilith.
“I did,” said Jewel, raising her arm. “I work as a Production Manager for one of the major studios here, and my boss suggested this place to me.”
“Have you been here before?” asked Bob.
“I haven’t yet,” answered Jewel.
“Well, why don’t we all go in and have a look inside?” said Perry, already moving toward the entrance.
They walked through the large double doors, Perry and Lilith a step ahead of Jewel and Bob.
The interior opened up before them: a white marble floor gleamed beneath their feet, and gold handrails traced the banisters while gold molding accented the walls.
On the left side sat a busy bar lined with four stools. Two fancy white wingback chairs faced one end of the bar, while a love seat occupied the other. At the far end of the room, some empty seats faced a gold and silent microphone.
Despite the elegant emptiness of some corners, the place hummed with activity. People moved through the space with the casual confidence of regulars.
“What do you want to drink?” Perry asked Lilith as they headed toward the bar.
“I’ll have an Espresso Martini,” said Lilith.
“Alright,” Perry answered. “I’ll order some beer for myself then.”
Jewel and Bob lingered near the entrance. Jewel had expected a restaurant, but this was something else entirely. She glanced around at the well-dressed crowd moving through the space with practiced ease, and it clicked: this wasn’t about food or entertainment. It was a place where rich people meet and deals happened.
Bob stood transfixed by the architecture, as his eyes traced the gold details and marble surfaces.
“Wow, this place looks like a palace,” said Bob.
“It really does,” said Jewel, with a small smile crossing her face as she took in his genuine wonder.
Once Perry and Lilith grabbed their drinks, they settled into the two wingback chairs. Lilith set her Espresso Martini on the floor beside her without hesitation, crossing one leg over the other in a relaxed posture. Perry held his beer loosely in one hand, leaning back slightly.
“Why don’t you tell me more about yourself?” asked Perry. “Other than what I read on your profile?”
Lilith took a sip of her drink and then thought about what she was going to say.
“Well, I’m a student at Britechester right now.” She paused, her expression thoughtful.
“What courses are you taking there?” asked Perry.
“I’m taking General Studies at the moment,” said Lilith. “Because I’m still not entirely sure what I want to do with my life.”
“Well, once you know what course interests you more, then you’ll know for sure,” said Perry.
“I guess,” answered Lilith. “What do you do for a living?”
“I’m an engineer myself,” said Perry. “I work at one of the major engineering firms here in Del Sol Valley.”
“Do you have any kids?” asked Lilith.
“Yes,” answered Perry. “I have two teenage daughters.”
“Oh,” Lilith said quietly. She looked down at her drink for a moment to process that information.
Jewel and Bob were sitting on the love seat. Jewel had a glass of purple cosmopolitan in her hand as she drank. Her date, so far had become awkward and there wasn’t much talk between the two of them.
Bob cleared his throat and gestured toward the bar. “The setup here is pretty impressive. Have you ever worked in a place like this?”
“I never have,” Jewel said, glancing around.
“Then how did you get permission to come to this exclusive place?” he asked.
“I thought that I told you that I work as a Production Manager for a film studio,” answered Jewel. “My boss suggested this place as a good first date spot.”
“Right, yeah,” Bob nodded slowly. “That’s cool.”
“What do you do for a living, Bob?” asked Jewel looking at her cosmopolitan.
“I’m a chef at one of the restaurants in Willow Creek,” said Bob, not wanting to talk much.
“What restaurant?” probed Jewel.
“One of the restaurants in Willow Creek,” answered Bob.
“There are a lot of restaurants in Willow Creek,” said Jewel. “Which one is it?”
“You’ll find out later,” was his only answer.
Perry and Lilith heard violin music drifting through the lounge. The sound was thin and wavering, more like a child practicing scales than anything resembling a performance. They exchanged a curious glance.
“Do you hear that?” Perry asked.
Lilith tilted her head, listening. “Is that supposed to be a concert?”
“I didn’t know there was going to be one here,” said Perry.
“Neither did I,” answered Lilith.
Perry grinned slightly. “I know that music sounds awful, but why don’t we check out this train wreck anyway?”
Lilith laughed softly, her earlier reservation melting just a bit. “Sure, why not?”
They got up and walked toward the entertainment area. They were both following the wavering violin notes. Once they reached the rows of empty seats, they settled in near the front. The musician continued playing with professional composure despite the awful sound coming from his violin. Perry and Lilith exchanged another glance, as they were both working to keep straight faces.
A moment later, Jewel and Bob arrived and took the seats directly behind them.
After an hour of enduring bad music, the concert finally came to an end. The four of them exchanged knowing glances. But no one had enjoyed it. As people began to disperse, Perry and Lilith agreed it was time to head out. Jewel and Bob did the same.
Both siblings said goodbye to their dates at the Lounge and they both went home by car.
Once inside the living room, Perry and Jewel let their human disguises fall away. Their green skin returned, and for the first time all night, they felt like themselves again. Jewel dropped onto the couch with a heavy sigh. Perry stood near the doorway, loosening his shoulders.
“How was your date with Bob, Zaeli?” asked Perry.
“It was terrible,” she answered. “He didn’t say much. He didn’t even mention which restaurant he worked as a chef in. How was your date with Lilith?”
“It was okay,” he answered. “But I think because of the age gap, there was no connection between us.”
“I also learned not to trust my boss in suggesting places to date,” said Jewel. “So what have you learned so far that you’re going to put into this research in human social behaviors.”
“Like regular human mating rituals, called dating, it’s more complicated to connect with the other person,” answered Perry.
“I was thinking the same thing, Vex,” said Jewel.
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