Jinx: Chapter 6

Nobody moved for a while, all in shock at the series of events that had just occurred. Mocha was still sobbing, and Alexandria was crying quietly as well. To lose one of their group so suddenly, and when they were so close to their destination, was unsettling to say the least. With a shaking hand John pushed a combination of buttons, and both doors to the airlock opened simultaneously. They stayed open this time, letting in the air of this new planet.

Slowly, dazedly, David unfastened himself and stood up. Making his way to the airlock he took a deep breath and strode through, taking his first step on a new world. Breathing deeply he inhaled the fresh air, air that smelled different than on Torrin. Above him tall, needle-filled trees reached to the sky, and green strands of vegetation bent under his feet. The star that Earth revolved around shone in the sky, its beams filtering lazily through the trees.

He felt somebody come up behind him, and when they gently touched his arm he knew it was Alexandria. Looking down at her he put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into himself. She leaned into him, hardly able to stand on her own because she felt so overwhelmed. "What a start to a new life," David muttered, trying to stay strong for her sake; for everybody's sake.

Eventually everybody made their way outside, the still-sobbing Mocha being held up by Brittany and Sky. One by one they fell silent, taking in the strange new landscape in which they had landed.

"Well," John said after a while with a heaving sigh. "I suppose we had better start unpacking." He turned around and went back inside the ship. After a moment panels on the side of the ship slid open, revealing the multitude of items they had come with. Most of it would stay inside, waiting to be used until they could find a planet of their own to repopulate. Some, however, were intended to be used for their survival on Earth.

David went to go help him, as he was the only one who knew exactly what everything was for and where it was. The first thing he brought out was a small hand-held device, one that lit up as he grabbed it. "We should probably go do some recon," David said to John, messing with the setting of the device. "Once I find the nearest human town Alexandria and I will put on some Earth clothes and go check it out."

"Are you sure?" John asked, unloading box by box. "Will you be safe?"

David nodded. "More than two of us and we may draw undue attention," he said. "Besides, I'm the only one who has done extensive research on humans. If anybody is ready to interact with them without attracting questions, it's me."

"Can't argue there," said John. "Just be careful, all right? We'll be waiting here for when you get back." David nodded and, finding the box with the clothing they had designed specifically to look human, grabbed a few articles and left to find Alexandria.

"Here, put these on," he told her, handing her a pair of pants and a long sleeved shirt, as well as some laced shoes. All of it had been thoroughly researched through the region's popular media, but he was still hoping they looked human enough.

"Why, what are we doing?" Alexandria asked, slipping on the pants over her bodysuit.

"There's a town about five miles from here," David answered, pulling on clothes of his own. "I want to go check it out, gather some necessary information." Alexandria nodded, and once they were finished they set out into the forest, guided by David's handheld device.
Alexandria looked around in wonder, taking in all of the different foliage. "What are those?" she questioned, pointing to the towering pine trees.

"Those are trees," David said. "Pine trees, specifically. They're called ponderosas, and are really common in this mountain region."

She gaped at them in awe. "But they look nothing like trees," she quietly protested.

David smiled, and said, "Yes, they're quite different from Torrin trees. Instead of the shiny panels we're used to they have leaves, or 'pine needles' on these trees. Those are the slim green things poking out of the trees; you can see, some have fallen on the ground." He pointed things out to her as they went, Alexandria looking surprised and curious at everything they came across.

"How do you know all of this?" she wondered, reaching out to touch the rough bark of a pine tree.

"I researched this place for months," said David with a smile, "and I have a very good memory. Still, it's very interesting to see it all in person!" Seeing Alexandria so enthralled by the trees he told her, "Smell the tree."

"What?"

"Smell it. Trust me."

Hesitantly, curiously, Alexandria leaned into the bark and took a sniff. Her eyes widened with delight. "It smells sweet!" she exclaimed happily. "Is it supposed to do that?"

David laughed, and replied, "Yes, it's supposed to smell like that! All ponderosas do. Most humans think they smell like vanilla, or butterscotch."

"What are those?" Alexandria asked, her eyes bright and alive again from the thrill of curiosity.

"Certain flavors of human sweets," said David.

Alexandria smiled, almost skipping as she walked. "Maybe once we get settled in we can try some!"

David chuckled. "Maybe we can," he agreed. Just then they exited a copse of trees, and saw a small town nestled in the foothills below them. "There it is!" he said, pleased that the device had directed them correctly.

"Then let's go be human," Alexandria said with a smile, and they set off down the hill.

The town was quiet, but not abandoned; being early autumn, couples walked around close to each other, wearing scarves and light jackets while still enjoying each other's body heat. There was only really one main street, and on it stores of every kind showed their wares in front windows. "It looks just like a street at those history places," Alexandria whispered, looking around in wonder. "You know, where they preserve streets from when everybody sold things in stores, and they do historical reenactments and stuff."

"Except this isn't Torrin history," David replied, taking in observations as well. Suddenly, a sign outside of one of the small buildings caught his eye. It said 'Buy a house today!' and had a small bin attatched to it, in which was a large catalog of real estate. "This is perfect!" David exclaimed, picking up the catalog and flipping through it excitedly. "Just what we need."

"What is it?" Alexandria asked, craning her neck around him to see.

"A book showing every living quarter for sale in this area," David said, rolling it up and sticking it under his arm. "We'll find a place in here that works for everybody, I'm sure."

"One problem," Alexandria said. "We don't have any Earth money. How are we going to buy a house?"

David smiled and said, "Oh, don't worry about that!" He happily shook the small device he had brought along. "We just have to get our hands on some of their currency and I'll take care of the rest."

"Easier said than done," said Alexandria, gazing about the street. "I don't see any humans just giving out money." A few golden leaves from some of the pale aspen trees nearby filtered down, as if lending a visual image to the serenity of the quiet little town.

Gazing across the street at a local general store, David was struck by an idea. "Here, I have a plan," he said, and told Alexandria his thoughts.

They entered the store together, a small bell above the door chiming as the door swung open and closed again. As they thought there was just one man behind the desk, who looked up as they came in. "Hello!" he said cheerily. "Anything I can help you with?"

"Yes, actually!" Alexandria said with a smile, thinking through what David had told her to say. I'm looking for a nice coffee maker, could you recommend any?"

"Of course," the man said and, standing up, came out from behind the desk to aid her. "If you come over here…" He led her towards the section of coffee makers in the back of the store and began pointing out the good points of each one, just as David had expected. He himself slipped behind the counter, crouching down to not be noticed and looking over the cash register.

"A keyhole?" he whispered derisively, looking at the drawer with surprise. Almost laughing at how easy it was, David pushed the button on top of the register and, supporting the drawer with his hand, opened it slowly and carefully. In it were bills of all different designs, as well as coins. Pulling out his device he fed in the bills one at a time, letting the machine scan them thoroughly before carefully putting them back in the cash register. He did the same with the coins and then quietly shut the drawer once more, moving out from behind the counter and making his way over to where Alexandria was still talking.

"My dear, I think it's time to go," he told her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Oh, yes, of course," she said, knowing exactly what he meant. "Thanks for your advice, I'll have to think about my decision," she told the shopkeeper with a disarming smile, and they left the store.

"You did great," David told her, taking her hand as they walked back into the forest.

"Thanks!" she said, a bit breathy from nerves. "Did you get what you needed?"

He smiled, thinking about all of the possibilities now open to them. "Yes," he replied, "yes I did."