Because We Were Different – Part 18

Hello everyone! Here I am back with Part 18 of my sci-fi serial story Because We Were Different. Thank you all for reading, commenting, and liking! It really means a lot to me and encourages me to keep on writing! For those of you who might be new to this story and want to go back to the beginning, you can find part one here, or find any of the other parts by clicking on the “Short Stories” button on the sideline of your screen and scrolling down. Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you all enjoy this part! God bless! ~ Kay Leigh

Part 18

I stepped out of the ship and glanced at myself in the reflection of the shiny metal. Those red contacts made me look like a—! I shivered. I did look like an imp.

“Where should we go first?” Raidon asked as he hopped out after me, followed by Natalia. I looked at them both to make sure they had on their color contacts and nodded, my suspicions once again being aroused. Both looked like natural-born citizens of Shiarizi… and I looked like an imp.

“I reckon we should have a look around,” I said as we started towards the exit of the ship hanger. I saw the identifiers in the doorway, and I mentally prepared myself for flight should our disguises somehow fail to outsmart the machines.

“Why don’t we just get a tour guide like normal tourists?” Natalia asked with a shrug. “It would be easier that way.”

“Good idea!” Raidon said, clapping his hands. “And we can stop and get ice cream on the way!”

“No.” I stepped up to the identifiers and allowed the machine to scan me. After a moment, the light turned green and, with a light beep, permitted me to pass. I sighed as I stepped out, then waited for the others to follow suit.

Natalia passed through fine, but, of course, the light turned red for Raidon. I inwardly groaned as I saw a man approaching.

“What seems to be the problem here?” He asked Raidon, who lifted both hands and shrugged.

“I dunno. This thing doesn’t like me. My friends passed, but it beeped real loudly for me.”

“May I have your bag for a moment, sir?” the man asked, and Raidon, like the good little goofball he was, obliged.

The man rummaged around it in, and I inwardly prayed Raidon had remembered to take out all his Kachinoan identification. We didn’t have time to redo this mission.

“Ah, I see what it caught,” the man said then, and my heart sunk. If this man didn’t kill Raidon… I would.

Yet, to my surprise, he pulled out something I was not expecting — one of my inventions! “Did you forget to throw this out, laddie?”

“No sir,” Raidon said, his smile still on his face. “It’s something I’m working on inventing. Y’see, I’m an inventor from Marni, and my friends have been taking me all over the planets, trying to get me to relax and stop working so hard. Yet I love inventing — I can’t sit still if I don’t have something to tinker with!”

The man looked mildly interested. “And… what is this?”

“It’s supposed to be a door unlocker, but it’s not working right. I hope to fix it while I’m here. Perhaps the Shiarizian air will help clear my mind.”

The guard smiled, then nodded, replacing the invention back into his bag and handing it back to him. “Well, I hope it does, lad. Have a good time.”

“Thank you!” Cheerily, Raidon walked out, as if nothing had happened. As we walked away, I scowled at him.

“You’re lucky you made up such a story on the spur of the moment,” I hissed into his ear.

Raidon only grinned at me. “Oh, I hadn’t made it up on the spur of the moment. I’ve often thought about how I would act and what I would say if I was cosplaying as you! And I finally got to do it!”

My scowl grew, and I rolled my eyes. “Just… come on.” I started away, intent on finding a tour guide and getting this mission over with as soon as possible.