Chapter 11
I soon learn they only have instrumental music and have never heard singing before.
“Can you sing?” I turn my head to see all three looking at me. “Kind of.” People used to say I could but I was never convinced.
“Please sing for me?” It is Phe asking me. He is holding me from behind and has his hands around me, rubbing my stomach. He is so tall he has to bend slightly to do so.
“Fine. But I’m not very good,” I warn them.
I am going to sing a power ballet. They are always fun… Even if you can’t sing. But one song stuck out and so I end up singing that instead.
Cue me singing a song from a popular animated movie. I know, but I couldn’t help it. It’s a great song.
Why do I feel like a complete idiot when I sing? I keep my eyes close the whole song. I feel all of their eyes burning into me.
By the time I’m done I forgot where I am and open my eyes.
They are all still looking at me.
‘Jesus, please kill me now,’ I think dying of embarrassment.
“That was…” Lenime begins and Koya finishes, “…Amazing”
I can feel Phe’s heavy breathing on my neck and his happiness poking in my backside.
I internally laugh, only he would get turned on by me singing. To tease him I keep wiggling on his lap, making my butt rub against his hardness.
No one seems to notice it except him though.
“You are a really good singer,” Ty says and Koya agrees.
“I didn’t really understand all of the words, but it was great.” I chuckles at her.
“You will have to sing for the others,” Lenime suggests.
“Hmm… I’m not sure.” I really don’t want to do it in front of this small group let alone the whole family.
But they all just have a way of making me doing stuff I don’t want to do.
“But you have too,” He says.
Think, think, think. How to get out of it…. “No. I don’t.” Good one, Amber. Straight to the point be strong.
I look up at him and groan, “Lenime. Why do you have to look at me like a fat kid just kicked your dog?” He is wearing the most adorably sad expression.
You would never think he is forty-four, he look more like older teenager, around eighteen.
“Why do you have to be so cute?!” He grins. “Fine. I’ll sing for them.” And just like that I am tricked again.
“Yay!” Koya cheers.
“I like you, Amber. You are much kinder than my siblings other mates,” Lenime tells me. He is wearing a grin, but I can tell he meant it.
“Hey!” Ty glares at him.
“I like you too. It’s just Amber is like a little sister I always wanted,” He does that cute grin again.
The kind where if we were back on earth would have all the teenage girls squealing and wetting their pants over him.
“Aw, thanks, Len. I was gonna say the same about you.” …. “But a brother not sister of course,” I correct myself.
He smiles, but I saw confusion in his eyes, “Len?”
I remember they don’t use nicknames.
“Len like Lenime. It’s just a shorter version.” Still slight confusion.
“It is a Human thing. When you have a friend or family you often give them what we call nicknames,” Teacher pants back on.
Lenime’s grin returns and he walks over and hugged me.
I giggle and hug him back and let him pull back after a couple of seconds.
“I like that… Len,” He thinks out loud.
I look back at Phe who’s lap I have been on the whole time.
He seems reasonably unaffected. He just wearing a smirk.
I guess they also don’t have jealously. Which is good. I don’t need any of that. Not when hugging or interacting with Lenime is genuinely just like having a peculiar friend.
“Do I have a nickname?” His deep spine tingling voice asks, his breath on my neck making me involuntary shiver.
I turn my head again to see Phe wearing an questioning expression.
“Are you okay?” His voice more concerned.
I smile and nod, “I’m good.” He let out a sigh of relief.
“And yes, you have a nickname.” He smiles. “Jet, because when I first woke up I didn’t know your name….” I don’t explain further.
“And so you gave me a name?” He seems more than happy.
I feel slightly embarrassed now.
“Urm… Yeah,” I answer shyly.
Cue face licking time. Which I actually really liked him doing… Strange.
I move my face and lick his tongues with my own one.
His eyes darken with lust and before I know it he has his tongues down my throat… Not literally, but you get the meaning.
His arms moves up my sides and move up to cup my breast.
With that I quickly pull back and move his hands back down.
“Aw. I was hoping to see a live show.” Phe’s head snap to Lenime.
His glares at his brother before turning to me.
“Sorry, I forgot they were here,” He says indicating to the three sets of eyes watching us.
“That was entertaining,” Ty says and Lenime agrees.
“I would rather not see my brother like that again. Thank you,” Koya says with a grimace making me laugh.
“But I am glad he is happy,” She adds now smiling fondly. “You are perfect for him. He has always been so grumpy and a loner.”
“That is because people annoy me,” He retorts. “They all look at me like I am going to throw them out the airlock.”
Lenime laughs, “That’s because you probably would,” He jokes, but Phe doesn’t seem too impressed if his almost incoherent muttering against my neck is anything to go by.
“I’ll throw you out the damn thing… Stupid annoying…” I hear part of it. But I know he loves him really.
I think back to earlier. If they are that old, how old is my Phe?
My Phe…
“Phe…” I turn once more “How old are you?”
His smile never falters. “Older than you, younger than my parents.”
I look at him blankly. “Well, aren’t you funny?” I say flatly.
“Our mother is one hundred and twenty and our father one thirty, if that helps?” Lenime says with a cheeky grin.
“He’s seventy,” Koya calls.
My eyes widen. “Wow. You are older than my parents were, even than my grandparents,” I think out loud.
“And you are younger than half of my nieces and nephews,” He says still smiling.
“What? Really?”
“Yes. We have a son who is twenty-eight and another the same age as you. A daughter ten and another in the Inco,” Koya answers and her and Ty share a loving look.
“Our daughter is at lessons, but our sons busy with work somewhere on the ship,” Ty adds.
Okay. Now I’m not sure what to say. “I wasn’t expecting that.” Good job.
“You look so young.” She smiles at me.
“Thank you. You’ll meet them at dinner later.”
I smile and nod, but truthfully I’m not looking forward to it. Some many people.
“Hang on, what’s the inco?” I ask remember what she said.
“Incubator.”
“Before I say something really dumb will you tell me the reason she is it an incubator?” I ask her.
“To grow…”
“What do you mean?” I ask unsure.
“After fertilisation the female carries the fetus and a month of gestation in the womb, the baby is given birth to, the fetus in the amnion shell,” Lenime begins to explain.
Amnion shell? Not sac?
“After that it is transferred to the inco … Incubator where it stays for the next five months until it is fully developed and ready to be taken out. During that time it is nurtured, cared for by not only the parents, but also trained carers. Then at full term it hatches and joins it’s family.”
“Amnion shell?”
“Yes. It is the hardened membrane that is forming a closed sack around fetus with the amniotic fluid and it also has slow releasing nutrients which feeds the baby until born from the shell. The inco helps maintain a stable atmosphere.”
Ty is the one to see my surprised expression and asks me, “Is that not how your young are born?”
I laugh, “No. I wish.”
All seem curious now. “How is it then, Amber?” Phe asks me.
God, I love hearing him say my name. Maybe next time I can get him to say it while…
No! Amber. Focus.
“The woman keeps it – the fetus – in her womb for nine month and then you give birth.”
“But you are tiny. It would rip you apart!” Phe exclaims worried.
The others have an unsure expression too.
“Hang on a second,” I search through the memory card files. Aaron had put all sorts on here. Including medical texts and videos. Surely one should be about pregnancy and childbirth. Sure enough two minutes later I find what I am looking for. Call me lazy, but it saves a lot of questions and headaches.
“Watch this,” I tell them playing the video.
I sit back and pour myself another drink and watch their faces.
They all find it interesting and watch intently until the birth came and their eyes widened.
I almost spit my drink out when I see Koya’s expression as the baby’s head pokes out.
Yes, it is a very detailed video.
“What’s the long thing connecting the baby with the woman?” Lenime asks. He is the only one who doesn’t look slightly paler than normal, if that is even possible with their deadly white skin.
“That is the umbilical cord. It connects the fetus with the placenta and through which respiratory gases, nutrients, and wastes pass through. It is inside for nine months, it needs to be fed some way. The placenta is the organ that forms inside the mother’s uterus, nourishes the unborn baby,” I explain.
“Makes sense,” He mutters still watching the video. The cord is cut and just when they thought it has finished the contractions start again and then the placenta pops out.
Their faces all scrunch up. Koya looks like she was going to be sick.
“And that is the afterbirth, the placenta.”
Lenime, the sick little bunny, is watching in awe. “That was great…” He looks from the screen to me.
“When you have babies I will watch,” He tells, not asking but telling me.
“You will?” He nods his head.
“Hmm. We’ll see,” I tell him meaning no.
“He will not watch,” Phe says leaving no room for argument.
I am glad he said that and not me. Lenime is sulking but saying nothing.
“What do they do with it now?” Koya asks about the afterbirth.
“Most of the time they just incinerate it, but some people keep it for medical purposes and others eat it.”
“Eat it?”
“Yes. Not myself but people do.” Koya runs out of the room closely followed by Ty, who went to make sure she is alright.
Her younger brother laughs, “That was great. Do they really?”
I nod my head, “They also cut the woman’s stomach open sometimes.”
An hour later and Koya and Ty have returned. Lenime know as much about human pregnancy as me and Phe is sitting silently still holding me.
“Right. We are going now,” Phe says standing up with me in his arms bridal style.
Lenime and Koya frowns. “I need to do some work before dinner,” He tells them.
“You do, not Amber. She can stay here with us,” Koya tells him.
“No. She is not leaving my side,” He says again in a no nonsense tone.
“Can Amber at least show us the movie folder so we can watch one?” She asks.
Phe sighs and sits back down long enough for me to show them the movie folder and tell them what not to do. It is hard for them because they didn’t understand English writing. I play ‘Farscape’ because I can. But show them what to press if they don’t want to watch it anymore or how to go to the next.
Then we left the room.
