Ramon stared up into the late afternoon sky. Thin, wispy cirrus clouds streaked across the deep blue void. He looked at his watch. It was ten minutes to five. He drew a deep sigh. At any moment, Brianna would be here. He lifted the hood of his Honda Civic, placing the bottle of oil on the battery. Ramon took out a piece of cloth and drew out the dipstick. He checked the oil level. It was a little low. Ramon stuck the dipstick back in and screwed off the oil cap on the engine block. Opening up the bottle, he poured some oil in. Checking the dipstick once more, Ramon was satisfied. He cleaned it up and stuck it back in, screwing the cap back onto the engine block. “Hey sugar!” Ramon turned to his left. It was a young black woman, probably in her late twenties. She wore a pink tank top and denim shorts that revealed more of her thighs and buttocks than they should. Her body was attractive. The face seemed a little haggard. Ramon sighed. He closed the bottle of oil and put it on the bumper. Ramon pulled back, placing the metal rod that held the hood open back over the radiator and snapping it into place. He closed the hood of the Honda and turned towards her. “What’s up.” She drew closer. “I was wondering if you’d be interested in a little dinner. A little fun.” Ramon smiled. “That’s okay. I’m not hungry. Thanks for the offer.” “Aw, c’mon baby! You sure you’re not interested in a little snack, at least? I’ll make it worth your while.” “I bet you can. But I’m not interested, really. Thanks.” “Back off, bitch.” Ramon and the woman turned quickly towards the direction of the comment. It was Brianna. Her green eyes were ice, filled with a deadly purpose. She drew closer to the younger woman. The woman’s face filled with rage. “An’ who the fuck are you?!” Brianna’s smile was filled with malice. “That’s my piece of meat you’re talking to. I saw him first.” Brianna gave the woman a hard shove. She stumbled back a couple of steps. Letting out a harsh cry, the woman swung a fist at Brianna. She grabbed it, tugged the woman forward, and grabbed her under the chin in an iron grasp. Her eyes began to glow a ghostly greenish-white. The young woman let out a squeal, her face filling with sheer horror. She shook violently in Brianna’s grasp. Brianna’s lips curled in a cruel smile. “Now that you know what I am, you still wanna fuck with me?” Brianna released her. Bursting into sobs and staring at Brianna in terror, she turned and broke into a full run, rushing away as fast as she could. The young woman tripped and fell on the ground. She struggled with difficulty to her feet and ran off again, turning the corner and disappearing. Brianna turned towards Ramon. He stared at her. She glanced at the car. “Are we going for a ride?” A moment of uncomfortable silence passed. Ramon spoke again. “U-Um, yeah. I figured it would be better.” “All right. Let’s go. Take me down near the Water Taxi.” The dark-haired brunette climbed into the Honda. Ramon picked up the oil bottle and got into the car. He placed it under his seat. Ramon started up the car and drove north up Ocean Avenue. Brianna began the conversation. “All right. Let’s get down to business, Ramon. Were you following a news item about a year and a half ago, referring to an asteroid that had broken up near Earth?” Ramon paused, thinking back on past news events. “Hmmm…Yeah, I think I remember something about it. I didn’t pay it too much attention.” “Right. Well, this asteroid broke up into several fragments. One fell in New Zealand, one in India, and another in upstate New York.” “And what does this asteroid have to do with you?” “There’s something in it I need. I’m a traveler. I’ve come a long ways from here. Far beyond this solar system.” Ramon turned towards her for a moment in shock. He looked forward again. There was a long moment of silence before he finally responded. “Bullshit.” Ramon bit his tongue. Then he continued. “You look just like us. What’s up with that?” “Well, I could have chosen the form of a dolphin or some other animal, but sadly, you humans are the most advanced beings here. Frankly, the dolphins are more pleasant company.” “Um-thanks.” “I’m from a civilization that has almost completely died out. I had the ability to travel from planet to planet and blend in with whatever civilization that was around, taking on the characteristics of the beings in that civilization. Their forms, their languages, whatever.” “How did you travel? Ships of some sort?” Brianna chuckled. “We didn’t need ships. We evolved beyond that.“ Ramon stopped at a red light. “But yet you need the help of some puny human to get some meteorite. Why is that?” Darkness crossed Brianna’s face. “I don’t like your tone.” “And I don’t like being manipulated by you.” Brianna quickly turned towards Ramon. She clutched his right arm, her fingers digging into it. He gasped in pain and turned towards Brianna. Her eyes penetrated Ramon’s like daggers. He recoiled from the fury in her eyes. “I’m DYING, you son-of-a-bitch!!” Brianna trembled in fury. She pulled her hand away. Ramon swallowed hard, rubbing his arm. Brianna bared her teeth. “I’m what you’d call a senior citizen.” she growled. “Those from my race have been known to last millions of your Earth years.” She pulled back. Her jaw trembled. “But just like you-we die. We age…and we die.” Brianna turned away. The light turned green. She sat back and stared out the passenger window. Ramon drove off, turning right and heading down Grand Street. He licked his lips, and spoke. “Beings like you couldn’t figure out how to defeat death?” Brianna winced a bit. “It’s not like we didn’t try.” she said quietly. Ramon nodded slowly. “Are there any others here like you, Brianna?” “No. Just me.” She turned towards Ramon. “I have very little time left. The meteorite I’m after has a mineral in it that can help extend my life for a while longer. I was able to get a little of this mineral from the New Zealand specimen. The bulk of it lies within the one that crashed in New York State. If I reach that one, I can extend my life another 20,000 years and get the power I need to leave this godforsaken planet.” “Twenty thousand years? That’s a long time.” “Maybe to you, it is. To me, it would be only another 2 or 3 of your human years. Don’t let this young human body fool you. I’m an old, decrepit being. My ten million years of life is drawing to a close. I’m at the end of my life span.” “So…you’re trying to postpone the inevitable.” Brianna quickly leaned towards him, narrowing her emerald eyes. “Wouldn’t you??” Ramon bit his tongue. He focused on his driving. He drove past Communipaw Avenue, heading east towards the New York City skyline. Brianna continued. “The scientist who discovered the asteroid is Hans Jasten. He lives in Arizona. I had been tracking this asteroid myself, and my instruments found that it had a large amount of the mineral I needed. When the asteroid’s remnants crashed into the earth, I was in Scotland at the time. I flew out to India. I found the Indian meteorite, but it didn’t have any of the mineral. I then flew out to New Zealand’s south island, and found the second meteorite. It had minute amounts of the mineral, and I absorbed them into my body. “I flew to New York State. I went to the area when the meteor went down, and it was nowhere to be found. Jasten had gotten it. I tried to track the meteor down, but to no avail. NASA had gotten its hands on it, and there was no way I could get access to it.” “Flying? I thought you said that you were able to travel through space without machines. You mean to tell me you’ve grown so weak that you have to depend on human transportation to get you around?!” Brianna slowly turned towards Ramon. He glanced at her. Ramon was startled to see the darkness that had crossed her face. The look of hatred was so all-consuming that Ramon immediately turned away. He heard her growl. Ramon made every effort to focus on his driving. A long while passed before he could work up the nerve to speak again. He resumed the conversation once more. “Did you go after Jasten himself to help you get access?” Brianna glared at him for a moment. Then she looked forward and continued. “He was difficult to find. Jasten was constantly on the move. I came close to locating him a couple of times, but he slipped through my fingers. About two and a half months ago, I learned that the Museum of Natural History was interested in obtaining the New York meteorite. NASA made arrangements with the museum, and it will be arriving at the museum in two weeks.” Brianna took a deep breath. She spoke again. “So. Let’s discuss you now, Ramon. I think you understand the picture. If you want to live, then you get me access to the Jasten meteorite when it arrives at the Museum of Natural History. Because if I don’t reach that meteorite in time, I lose all my powers and I turn into the creature I am mimicking-a human. And when that happens, you die.” “You actually become a human?? And there really is no way for you to get access to this meteorite beforehand?” Brianna grimaced. She turned away. “Yes. We turn into whatever creature we’re mimicking, as a last attempt at survival. And there are no other alternatives for me. This plan is the last chance I have at the life I want.” “N-No insult intended-but don’t you have any devices that can get you to where the meteorite is? You were able to travel space all this time without mechanical aids-I assume you’re advanced enough to be able to create something to get you that meteorite! I can’t understand why you needed me to begin with!!” Brianna chuckled. She turned towards Ramon. “In human years, I’d be over one hundred ten years old. I was old and frail when I arrived on Earth all those millennia ago. My mental and physical capacities simply are not what they were. It took me several centuries to build the devices I needed for finding the Jasten meteorite.” She paused for a moment and spoke again. “I have no intention to live my last days as a human. If I have my way, I won’t die at all.” Ramon cleared his throat. “So, what happens to me, when you find your meteorite?” Brianna looked out the passenger window again. “I fully heal you. We go our separate ways.” Ramon nodded slowly. “All right.” He took a deep breath, and spoke again. “I’ll do whatever I can to help you get access to this meteorite. If I learn anything of importance, I’ll let you know.” Brianna nodded. “Good.” She turned towards Ramon. “Now, you fully understand the situation. Our destinies are linked. Neither of us wants to die. You help me out, and we’ll both get to live a while longer.” “When will we talk again?” “Saturday morning.” She reached into her pocket and took out a piece of paper. She placed it in the cup holder. “My number. It’s here in the cup holder. Call me as soon as you hear something. Give me yours.” “I’ll give it to you when we reach the end of Grand Street.” “Fine. I’m getting off there.” They continued on in silence, passing the Jersey City Medical Center. In a little while, they were only a couple of blocks away from the waterfront. Brianna spoke. “I’ll get off right by the light rail.” “Right.” Ramon continued onto the next block and pulled over to the right curb. Across the street in front of them was the New Jersey Transit Light Rail system. A train pulled into the station. Ramon reached over to his glove compartment, opening it up. He picked up a notepad and pencil. Ramon opened the pad and jotted down his home phone and cell phone numbers. He ripped off the paper and handed it to Brianna. She looked the information over. “Good.” Brianna looked up at Ramon. “I’ll see you later.” Brianna opened the door and got out of the car. She closed it and walked off towards the waterfront. Ramon closed his eyes and let out the breath he was holding. This wasn’t happening…!! He was being kept alive by…an alien?!? This was like some freaky science fiction film on the late show. The enormity of this situation made him violently ill. Ramon nervously ran his hand through his hair. He stared at Brianna as she got further from the car. Ramon felt nausea begin to churn his stomach. He suddenly burst into loud sobs and cried like a newborn infant. It was too much for him to take in. Ramon’s life was held in the balance by some alien…thing. He was its hostage, to do with as it pleased. Would the alien come through with its promise to give Ramon back his life? He didn’t know. He had no choice but to wait and find out. “120 over 80 Mr. Veldez. Very good. The Lo-Trel and Torpol are working nicely together.” The doctor unwrapped the apparatus from his arm and placed the blood pressure device on the table. He turned to Patricio and smiled. “You’re doing all right.” Patricio nodded in approval. “That’s good to know.” “Just stay active, watch your diet, and you should be okay. I’ll see you in December.” The doctor extended his hand out to Patricio. They shook hands. “Thank you, doctor.” “No problem.” The doctor turned to Ramon, and shook hands with him. “You’re a good son, Ramon. You keep close tabs on your father.” Ramon smiled. “I do the best I can, Doctor Mitchell.” The three men rose to their feet. The doctor returned the smile. “Take care.” He turned and left the examination room. Patricio turned to Ramon. “Okay. Let’s get out of here.” The two men left the room. Patricio went through a door into the waiting area. Ramon went up to the reception desk. The woman behind it looked up and smiled. “Hi.” “Hi. Um, yes-I’d like to set an appointment for December for my dad, Patricio Veldez?” “Morning or afternoon?” “Morning.” The woman turned towards her computer screen, clicking her mouse and a few keys on her keyboard. “Um-all right. Thursday, December 5th at ten-thirty?” Ramon nodded. “That sounds good to me.” “Fine. You’re set.” The woman took a business card and jotted down the date and time of the appointment. She handed it to Ramon. “There ya go.” Ramon smiled. “Thanks. Have a good day.” “You too.” Ramon turned and went through the door into the waiting room. Patricio and Alexa sat there. They got to their feet. “You ready?” asked Patricio. “Yeah.” answered Ramon. “Let’s go.” The three walked to the entrance, passing through two doorways. They walked out onto the street. Patricio sighed. “I’m hungry.” “What do you want to eat, Pop?” The old man licked his lips. “I gotta tell ya…it’s been a while since I had some shrimp and fries.” Alexa raised an eyebrow. “French fries? Should you really be eating that?” Patricio looked at her with a hint of annoyance on his face. “Oh come on, Alexa. I don’t eat those things all the time. Rarely, in fact. I just have a craving.” “It sounds good to me.” said Ramon. “I haven’t had them in a while myself.” Alexa shrugged. “Well, looks like I’m out-voted. Let’s pig out!” Ramon walked over to his Honda, unlocking both passenger doors. Patricio got in front. Alexa got into the back. They closed their doors. Ramon walked around the front of his car and unlocked the door to it. He got in, closed the door and started the engine. The little Honda soon moved out onto the street. “I hope Tia Alida’s doing better, Pop.” Patricio shook his head. “I know. That was a very nasty fall she took there. Tripping on a crack in the sidewalk, falling right on her left forearm.” Alexa winced. “Ouch. It hurts just to think about that.” Ramon stopped at a red light. “I wonder who Titi could sue-the owners of that building, or the city.” Patricio shrugged. “That’s a bit of a mess she’d have to confront, if she went through with it.” “I’d have to talk to my friend’s brother-in-law, who’s a lawyer. I wonder what he could tell me…” Patricio turned to Alexa. “So-what classes are you going to be taking next semester?” “Banking and finance, accounting, business computer applications…those are a couple. I’m also looking into getting an entry-level job at a bank in downtown Jersey City-near Exchange Place. An old teacher of mine from high school knew someone at this bank, and he recommended me to them. I’m going to take a trip down there Wednesday.” Patricio turned to Ramon. “You know, why don’t you look into doing something like that, son? You can’t be doing security guard work forever!” Ramon bit his lip. The light turned green, and he made a right turn. “I hear ya, Pop. That’s why I was thinking about something like…like getting involved with computers.” Alexa leaned forward. “What kind of work?” “I dunno…repair work, maybe administration…I dunno.” Ramon shook his head. “I’m still trying to decide what, specifically.” “Ya gotta find some time to go down to the library and do research on the field.” answered Alexa. “Go out and talk to people. I know it’s kinda tough, hon-but ya gotta make the time and find out about these things.” Make the time, she says…I’m too busy trying to figure out how to stay alive. Alexa noticed the forlorn look on Ramon’s face. She raised an eyebrow. “You all right?” Ramon slowed down and prepared to turn left into a parking lot across the street. “I’m…ok I guess.” Alexa’s eyes narrowed. “You guess?” Ramon shrugged. He made the turn, pulling into the lot. “Eh-nothing. Don’t mind me. I’m just feeling a bit moody, is all.” Alexa drew closer. “All right hon. Talk to me.” “I’m just thinking about that asshole who stabbed me.” Alexa rubbed Ramon’s shoulder. She frowned. “Still no word on the stabber?” “None.” Alexa rubbed his shoulder again. She sat back in her seat, a snarl curling her lips. “With any luck, those fuckers will be caught.” Patricio shook his head. “Yeah-and hopefully, they’ll get stuck like pigs themselves in jail.” Ramon let out a light chuckle. “Poetic justice. That would be nice.” He stopped and put the car in reverse. Ramon backed the Honda into a spot. He put it in park and shut off the motor. The three climbed out of the car. Ramon went over to the parking meter and put coins into it. They walked down to the sidewalk and headed up Central Avenue. The trio crossed Hutton Street and entered a Chinese restaurant at the corner. They went up to the counter. A middle-aged Chinese woman approached them from the other side. “Yes, what will it be?” “I’d like French fries with five jumbo shrimp.” said Patricio. “I’d like a Pepsi with that.” The woman jotted down the order. She then looked up at Ramon. “Large pork-fried rice. I’d also like a Kiwi Snapple.” The woman wrote down the order and turned towards Alexa. “Same thing he just ordered, except I want a mango Snapple.” “What does all that come to?” asked Ramon. “Seventeen dollars.” “I got it.” said Ramon. Alexa shook her head. “Let me pay my share.” “Forget it, Alex.” “Ramon, I can pay-“ Patricio protested. “Don’t worry about it, Pop.” He took the money out of his wallet and gave it to the Chinese woman. She counted it up and nodded. “Thank you. It will be about five to ten minutes.” Ramon nodded. “All right.” The three sat down at a table. Ramon sighed. “I can’t wait to get all of this bullshit behind me and get on with my life.” Alexa patted him on the hand. “You will, love. You will.” Ramon bit his tongue. If she only knew… Brianna sat in Central Park, gazing at the Museum of Natural History. With any luck, in two weeks’ time, it would all end there. Six thousand years of being among humans… Brianna hated them. Hated their form, their smell, their touch…she hated everything about them. Most of all, Brianna hated that she was stuck on this planet due to extreme old age. And Brianna knew she was cutting it close. If this plan of hers didn’t work, she would die as a human, among humans. The thought was so horrific that it curdled her stomach…heh, stomach. A human body part. Brianna bristled at that. And her human form heightened her emotions. As a result of age, the final loss of all her powers would result in Brianna’s body changing permanently into the form of the being she was imitating. It was a built-in mechanism to aid in her survival. Brianna wondered if this wasn’t worse than death. The thoughts roiled through her tortured mind. Then it ripped through her skull. A sharp blast of pain… Brianna clutched her head and bent over, moaning. The headaches were growing more frequent. Part of it was her human form’s reaction to stress, and part of it was her true nature crying out as age wore her down, bit by bit. Brianna remembered Ramon’s comments… Beings like you couldn’t figure out how to defeat death? But yet, you need the help of some puny human to help you get some meteorite. Why is that? Brianna ground her teeth in rage. That little shit, Ramon. He’d pay for those comments… She sat up. Brianna looked around her. A few people milled about. She saw more people walking along Central Park West. Her lower lip trembled. At one time, she was able to read their minds. She could read their most intimate thoughts. She could plant ideas into their heads. But that was long ago. Brianna had mostly lost this ability. She had lost many of her abilities. Brianna was growing weaker every passing day. She remembered how she passed herself off as a god long ago. She influenced the thoughts of kings, queens, popes…the Aztecs had made countless sacrifices of their people to her…. But that was all in the past. Brianna had only the present to deal with. And as time passed, she was losing more and more control. Brianna turned to her right. A few yards away sat two men, their backs facing Brianna. No one was near them. She willed her hearing to grow sharper, listening in on their very soft tones… “…the Americans have not learned anything from 9/11. We must attack again.” “How, though? What could we do?” “Masar and I have toyed around with different ideas, but we haven’t been able to settle on one yet…” Brianna raised an eyebrow. This sounded interesting. Brianna closed her eyes and focused as hard as she could on the man that sat to the left. A shot of pain cut through her skull. She gritted her teeth… …and suddenly, she was in his mind. For the first time in ages, she was inside the mind of a human. Brianna quickly planted several ideas into his mind. The effort soon grew to be too much. Brianna quickly withdrew from the man’s mind. She collapsed against the side of her bench, gasping heavily. Brianna slowly looked up at the man. He was bent over, rubbing the side of his head. Brianna listened in. The man’s friend leaned towards him. “Are you all right?” The man sighed and nodded. He looked up, and his eyes widened. “Musar, I’ve got it…” “What do you mean?” He leaned closer to his companion. “I have an idea for an attack that would involve bombing Jewish synagogues in Brooklyn as well as an attack on the New York City subway system…” Brianna willed her hearing to become normal again. She sat back and sighed, her eyes closed. She couldn’t get over the effort it took to plant those suggestions in the man’s head. It used to be so easy to do… But not anymore. Times had indeed changed. Still, it would have been interesting to see him carry out these new ideas. They usually did, when Brianna planted the suggestions in their heads. But she had other things to deal with. Ramon gazed out the window of the PATH train as it pulled into the Ninth Street train station. He felt drained and stressed out. And for some reason, the area where he had been stabbed was feeling more soreness than before. He couldn’t understand why. Ramon also felt some slight discomfort in his chest. He stretched and yawned. Alexa gazed at him closely. “Ramon? You all right, sweetheart?” Ramon turned towards her. “Huh? Yeah, sure.” Alexa shook her head. “You certainly don’t look it.” Ramon bit his tongue. He paused and spoke. “What do you mean?” “You look really tired. Anxious. I’ve been noticing this the last few times we’ve gotten together. And each time I see you, you look worse.” Ramon swallowed hard. He had been trying desperately to hide his feelings, but the stress was taking its toll. Ramon shook his head. He lowered it. “I’m okay. It’s nothing.” “Bullshit.” Ramon looked towards Alexa. Her eyes narrowed. “Something’s bothering you. You know you can’t hide stuff from me. I’m too good at picking up on it.” Ramon looked up at the ceiling. The train doors closed, and the PATH train began to move again. “I…I guess I’m still spooked by that near-death experience.” Alexa drew closer. She put an arm around him and kissed him on the cheek. Ramon closed his eyes. The lie worked. Alexa spoke again. “Sweetheart, maybe it’s too soon for you to head back to work?” “Bills have to be paid. I can’t stay on sick leave forever.” “I know, but…” Alexa sighed, lowering her head. “I-I’m just worried about you. I don’t like seeing you like this.” Ramon ran his tongue under his top row of teeth. “I’ll manage, somehow. Don’t worry. I’ve got to get back into the saddle, right? No use sitting around, feeling sorry for myself. I’ve just got to get over these feelings.” Alexa looked towards him. “Think you need to see a shrink?” Ramon turned towards her, eyebrow raised. “I’m not seeing a shrink. I don’t need that.” “Sweetie, if things get worse…” “They won’t. I’ve got it under control. I’m fine.” Inside, Ramon laughed at himself. Fine. What a load of nonsense. Alexa clutched Ramon’s right forearm. She squeezed it. “Ramon, if you need help, don’t hesitate to ask me.” Ramon let out a smile. His insides shriveled up, wracked with emotional pain. He wanted help. But Ramon couldn’t risk Brianna unleashing her powers on anyone else he cared about. This cross was his alone to bear for the duration. “Don’t worry Alex. You’ll be the first one I run to.” He sat back and sighed. “Let’s change the subject. You have a particular PC in mind?” Alexa shrugged. “I dunno…I guess I’ll know when I get to Comp USA. I’d like something powerful with a lot of drive space. Outside of work, I’ve got stuff I’d like to store on it, like some movies and some MP3s.” Ramon scratched his head. “You know what I’d like to do?” “What?” “I’d like to catch a concert.” “Who would you want to see?” “Incubus.” Alexa nodded. “Hmmm. Good choice.” “I know they may be going on tour soon-I’d like to find out when so I can get tickets. You mind seeing them?” “Sure! Why would I mind? I like them.” “It’s just a question of fitting them into your schedule. “ Alexa patted Ramon’s leg. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.” Alexa paused. Her eyes widened a bit. “Hey. I was thinking we could try for February or March.” “For what?” “Our moving in together.” Ramon smiled sadly. He felt gnawing guilt at his infidelity to Alexa. He remembered how much he had enjoyed his sexual encounter with Brianna. It filled him with self-hatred. “Well, if we find something decent by that time, sure.” he responded. “I’m not too fond of where I live, especially after what happened to me.” “I’d like to find a larger space than that shoebox I’m in at Monmouth Avenue. They’re charging way too much rent for that space.” Ramon nodded. “Yeah. $800 is too much.” Alexa clutched Ramon’s hand and smiled. “Between you and me, we’ll work something out.” Ramon smiled. He placed his hand on top of hers. It would be a while before Ramon crossed that bridge. He had to survive crossing this one first. It was a cool, crisp, Wednesday afternoon. Brianna was at the corner of 17th Street and Park Avenues. She was tired and in the mood for a soft drink. Brianna decided on apple cider. She walked into the fair at the northern end of Union Square Park. The crowd was quite large. Produce was being sold. People of all races and colors were milling about, some elderly, some with kids and others with pets. Brianna spotted one tent that had two large silver barrels. She walked over to the tent. A Phillipino man stood behind the register. “How much is the cold apple cider?” Brianna asked. “One dollar, miss.” Brianna took out her wallet and pulled out a bill. She handed it to the man. He turned around and reached for the paper cup dispenser. Taking out a cup, he placed it under the silver barrel’s spigot. Brianna bit her lip. There were few pleasures to be had as a human, but she had to admit that she had acquired a taste for cider. Once the man filled the cup, he placed a lid on it, then turned around and handed the cup to Brianna. “Here you go, miss.” “Thank you.” Brianna turned around and walked into the northern entrance of the park. She spotted an isolated bench. Brianna quickly walked over to it and sat down. She placed a hand on her temple. Brianna felt light-headed. She was feeling weaker. Time was running out. How horrible it was for one to get old. And the laughable part was that she appeared to be a 30-year old human woman. In reality, she should been a human centenarian. That was closer to her truth. Brianna spotted an elderly couple, hobbling along a distance away. The old man was tall and thin, wearing sunglasses and inching along with a cane. His companion was hunched over, her spine curved in a strangely unnatural way. She walked with a cane, too. She carried it with her right hand. Her left was hooked around her companion’s right arm. Two old, wizened humans. Of all the people in the park, she related to them most. They looked like she felt. The worst was the isolation. Brianna’s race had scattered shortly before their solar system was sucked into a giant black hole. Since that time, Brianna had been on her own. She didn’t know what happened to her other comrades-but it had been obvious for a while that they weren’t interested in dealing with an elder. And the joke of it all was that she spent the last two millennia in the form of an attractive human brunette. Brianna suddenly heard loud barking. A man walked by with a German Shepherd. The dog snarled at Brianna, and resumed barking furiously at her. The man yanked the dog away from Brianna. “Hey!!” shouted the man. “Kira!! Stop barking at the lady!!” He dragged the dog off, and soon the German Shepherd’s attention was elsewhere. Brianna sighed and took a long pull from her cup. After all these millennia, to finally have a real chance of escape in her grasp… Brianna wanted so badly to dream. But she couldn’t. She had been disappointed too many times before. More than anything, she didn’t want to die-in particular, among humans. No, it was bad enough to die alone-but not among humans. She couldn’t-wouldn’t tolerate that. More harsh barking. Brianna looked up again. This time, it was a collie, being walked by a young woman. The dog lunged towards Brianna, but the woman firmly yanked it back by its leash. “Hey, cut it out!!” snapped the woman angrily. “What’s wrong with you?!” She frowned at Brianna. “I’m sorry about that. She’s never like this!!” Brianna rose to her feet. She drew closer to the pair and gazed at the dog. The collie grew quiet and stared back at Brianna. It let out a low, fearful whine and sat. The owner stared at the dog. “What in the world…??” Brianna smiled. “It’s okay.” She bent down and stroked the dog’s head, pressing her index finger gently into the top of it. “Good girl. Good girl.” Brianna looked up at the woman. “What’s the dog’s name?” “Peaches.” “That’s a nice name.” The woman gazed down at the dog, shaking her head. “I don’t know what got into her. She never acts that way!” “Don’t worry about it.” “Anyway, I’m sorry. Come on, Peaches.” The woman led the dog away. Brianna walked off in the other direction, finishing her apple cider. She turned around, eyeing the woman and her collie. Suddenly, the dog stopped and began to tremble. She let out a pained cry and collapsed onto the ground. The woman quickly knelt at the dog’s side, her face filled with horror. “Peaches?! Peaches?!” Brianna turned around and walked off again. A malicious smirk curled her lips. She tossed the empty cup into a trash bin. “Your doggie is now peach cobbler for the worms.” She disappeared into the busy crowd. Part 4