After spending less than a day on Earth and knowing little about earthlings and how they lived, Malik and I decided to observe a variety of humans in their natural habitat before attempting to integrate into their society.

"This structure is called a mall," Malik explains to me as we stand outside a large tan building, the sun beating down fiercely on our shoulders overhead. "According to Saved by the Bell, humans enjoy congregating here and consuming copious amounts of soda while dancing and singing in something called Reeboks. We should be able to find flesh suits here."

"Soh-Dah? Ree-boks?" I reply, completely fascinated by the idea of seeing so many humans gathered in one place. If I had any chance of blending in and hiding from the Tau, should they try to find me, this so-called mall was the perfect opportunity to do just that. 

Malik and I start into the building, but upon entering, my senses are immediately bombarded with sights and sounds as soon as I step foot into the massive space. A woman who identifies herself as Cardi-B chants above our heads throatily while vibrations play in the background, but the humans who are wandering around seem to pay her no attention.

There were colorful lights in large windows and a variety of uniforms to choose from displayed on faceless dolls, both for males and females. Some of the items to choose from were extremely elaborate, sporting glitter, bows, or eye-coverings for the face.

My eyes bounce from the windows to images of humans smiling and laughing plastered almost everywhere. They seemed to be taunting the viewers with images of items that they could not obtain themselves, as they were showing all their teeth and gazing into the distance. 

"Isn't it fascinating?" Malik turns to face me, beaming, "This mall has everything you could possibly want, Luna. Food, clothes, and even knowledge! Earthlings have so many fine goods that they display them in these boxes called stores. For example, when a human wants something, they just go inside and pick an item off the shelf and walk out!"

My eyes round, and my mouth falls open in sheer amazement. On Tau, we had lived for thousands of rotations, trading, bartering, and sometimes fighting and killing each other honorably for a house or piece of land, but never could I have imagined having so many goods that they were just available for the taking.

"Oh, Malik!" I cry, feeling as if I would burst with joy. "This is all so incredibly thrilling! Where should we start first? I need proper human clothes and shoes, but I also wish to get Alan something as a token of my appreciation and to apologize for abandoning him so suddenly."

"Patience, my friend," Malik replies knowingly. "We need to choose a skin suit before we obtain our outfits and goods."

This turned out to be one of the most difficult parts of our journey to the mall.

Both Arcturians and Tau could obtain DNA from any host via a simple touch or a kiss, allowing us to blend seamlessly into any environment. The only downside was having to combine DNA from multiple individuals to create an entirely new form. 

Strangely enough, Alan had been utterly horrified the day before when I decided to take on an older appearance and had recommended that I not do it again out of sheer terror. However, he had complimented my eyes twice since we met and admired them when I was in my Tau form, which still made me giggle and blush when I thought back to the way he looked at me. 

A part of me wanted to be able to sit beside Alan in public and engage with other people at the bakery, but I did not want to wear something too different from my current appearance.

It was also very possible that I had a slight desire to win his approval.

Malik and I struggled for a while to decide on a proper form and visited a place called a Chinese restaurant at one point where I attempted to harvest DNA from an elderly man. This does not go very well, and we nearly end up beaten to death and chased halfway across the mall in the process, but I do manage to obtain a sample, so it is a victory in the end. 

There were just so many humans, and they all looked so different and pretty with their colorful hair, vivid clothing, and assorted shapes and sizes. 

How could I even begin to choose a form with such beauty around me? 

"Observe!" Malik hisses suddenly and then touches my ankle with a hairy paw before gesturing towards a large area full of humans who are eating together and chatting happily. "This is called a food court! There are many human forms to choose from, Luna. Just look at that human over there!"

I follow his gaze towards a female human dressed in a bright pink suit that hugged her skin, her bright yellow hair bouncing as she talked into a device pressed to her ear. Her hands flapped around wildly, and in the other arm, she carried a very fat creature with a wrinkly face, curly tail, and tan fur.

There was nothing wrong with her appearance otherwise, but I hesitated to choose such a form. After coming from a planet ruled almost exclusively by what humans considered females and feeling like an outcast, I wanted to feel the way I had always felt inside my star.

"I'm going in!" Malik tells me excitedly.

Before I can call to him, he pads towards the female's table and looks back at me once, then darts underneath the woman's skirt, his long green tail vanishing much to my horror. 

"Malik! No!" I gasp and take a few steps forward. "Get back here before the humans see you!"

The woman screams suddenly and jumps out of her seat, and before I know it, the creature in her arms is flying out of her hands and barking wildly. There's a yowl and then a flash of green fur as Malik attacks, and both the creature and my alien companion begin to battle to the death right before my very eyes. "Malik!" I cry, "You could potentially be killed!"

The other humans are standing up, pulling out devices, and pointing them at Malik and the creature. Just like on Tau, a bloodbath was a suitable form of entertainment for them.

"Malik! Please come back now!" I dash forward, pushing my way through the throng, feeling so small among all the tall earthlings around me as I struggle to worm my way forward. Some of them move to the side, but the rest aren't even aware that I'm there and choose to ignore me. 

By the time I reach Malik, he's slipped into full-berserker mode. 

"This is for Tau!" Malik screams and launches into the air, claws extended. "I will bring honor to my family! Meowwww!" 

I grab him before he can land on top of the yapping creature and hoist him into the air when he begins to hiss and screech, his fur all puffy and wild. At this point, the humans started laughing and pointing at us, but I chose to ignore them on my way out of the crowd, cheeks flushed. 

___

"I apologize for my violent outburst," Malik says a while later, as we are seated together a great distance away from the food court. "I did not mean to lose it like that."

I look down at my hands in my lap and then away again, unable to meet eyes with him at this point. "I am very disappointed," I reply. "I wanted to come here to choose a form, Malik. Instead, you chose violence and attacked a human's creature for no reason!" 

"Well," Malik pouts a little, "he started it first."

My initial enthusiasm had all but evaporated following Malik's violent attack, and my trust in him had failed. At this point, all I wanted to do was go back to a home that didn't exist. Instead, something else comes to light as Malik and I sit there in silence. 

"That human who showed up at the bakery was named Noah Kennedy, and that is the only reason I left with you," I finally whisper into my hands. "I barely know Alan, but Noah upsets him, and I don't understand it, Malik. Why would Alan allow him to repeatedly come back?"

Malik seems to think about it. "Perhaps Alan still has feelings for him," he says. "If they formed a deep connection, it's possible Alan still wants Noah as a mate."

My stomach is sick at the thought, and I hold my belly in my hands.

"You shouldn't let it get you down," Malik tells me, reaching over to put a paw on my knee. "You are a Tau Warrior, remember? The most ruthless species in the galaxy! You could easily slaughter Alan and Noah and move on with your life!"

"That does not invoke happiness within me, Malik," I reply, "and I do not wish to slaughter Alan."

"But you do like him, do you not?" Malik presses, his yellow eyes peering into mine.

It seemed impossible to like Alan when I had only known him for such a short time, but maybe something deep within me wished that he'd notice me and want to keep me. It wasn't love because Tau warriors didn't feel love and adoration, but it was a need to connect. To be heard and to have someone there to listen to my most deepest thoughts. 

"There is a place called Victoria's Secret," Malik tells me. 

"What is her secret?" I question, sniffing a little.

"I do not know, but humans use the garments there to impress their partners and to look pretty," Malik says. "We could obtain a few things for you there so you can impress Alan when you return to him in your proper earthling form. There's no way he'll spare a glance in Noah's direction when he sees you."

I reach up and wipe my eyes. "Do you really think wearing pretty clothes will impress someone like Alan? I walked out of the bakery earlier. I know he's going to be highly upset with me."

"If he is not impressed," Malik replies knowingly, "then he does not deserve you, Luna Amir."