Six

  "These clothes are fancy," I say to Zalu as we walk towards the cafeteria for breakfast. 

  Last night in my room was magical but also a little scary. After Zalu left to go home to her mate, I decided to head to bed. The plush covers and fluffy pillows were calling my name. But when I turned out the lights and silence fell, I was able to hear the roars and calls from the animals outside. It was intimidating, to say the least. 

  "All Harvested women are dressed in the finest outfits that represent their planet. These clothes are nothing compared to the dresses you will be wearing during the tournament," Zalu replies, and I look at her in surprise before glancing down at the beautiful blouse and straight-leg slacks I put on. 

  "How do you know so much about Earth and what we like," I ask as I try to picture extravagant gowns. 

  "Just because humans don't know about us doesn't mean we are ignorant to you," Zalu says as she points toward a table. 

  I follow the line of her finger and smile when I see a green Kea talking to a human female just like me. 

  "Would you like to be introduced," Zalu asks, and I nod. 

  We approach the two, and I begin to overhear the Kea explaining things just as Zalu did yesterday. As Zalu stops at the table, her fellow Kea looks at her with a bright smile. 

   "Morning Jali (Jail-ee), I see your harvested has arrived," Zalu says, and her friend nods. 

    "This is Fiadh (fee-ah). She was the closest to death I have ever seen. We were just discussing the tournament," Jali says, and my eyes dart to the girl staring at me. 

  Her pale blue eyes and reddish-brown hair scream Irish just as loudly as her name. I offer her a smile, but her lips don't even twitch. My smile wobbles and falls quickly.

  My time here has been so amazing I forgot what I was feeling 24hrs ago. I got so caught up in finally being healthy and having a future it was easy to push the whole alien planet thing to the back of my mind. 

  "Hi. My name's Krystal. I got here yesterday," I introduce myself while sticking out my hand. 

  She tentatively shakes my hand, and I try smiling again. 

  "If you are afraid, don't be. The people here are really nice. Zalu has been nothing but kind," I say, and Fiadh finally grins. 

  "Am I that obvious," she mumbles, and I laugh. 

   "A little," I reply, and Zalu places a hand on my shoulder. 

  "I will go retrieve our food," she says, and I nod before taking a seat at the four-top table. 

  "So what's your story Fiadh," I ask, and she chuckles before shrugging. 

  "I was sick, and now I am here. I didn't have much of a life," she says, and I glance towards Jali before looking back at Fiadh. 

  "What did you have," I ask, and she stares at me for a second before looking down at the table. 

  "I don't want to talk about that anymore. I'm not sick now, and I want to move on," she whispers, and I nod before glancing away, embarrassed. 

  I'm not real sure how to connect with this girl. We both come from Earth, and we were both sick, but that's where the similarities end. She obviously wants to forget while I don't mind remembering it. My sick days weren't great, but I had my mom. Maybe a different topic...

  "Are you from Ireland originally," I ask, and Fiadh nods?

   "Your English sounds so American," I reply with a cautious smile, and she looks at Jali with a confused expression. 

   "It's the translator. Krystal sounds Irish to you, and you sound American to her. Zalu and I sound different than we normally do as well. The tone of our voice is correct, but our pronunciation is different. If you knew how to read lips, you would realize our mouths don't match the words you hear," Jali explains, and my brain basically implodes with realization. 

  I knew Zalu wasn't speaking English this whole time, but I didn't connect all the dots about how extensive their technology really is. It even adjusts accents. 

  "What other questions do you have, Fiadh," Jali asks, and I look back at them both curiously. 

  "Who is all in the tournament? What do they look like," Fiadh asks after a moment, and I look at Jali expectantly? 

  Zalu described the Coks to me and a group of people that aren't in this tournament, but she didn't mention anyone else. Maybe Fiadh and I can connect over our hesitancy to mate with some hyped-up soldier. 

  "Okay, this is a long list, so don't feel bad if you don't remember everything," Jali says as Zalu returns with our breakfast.

  She hands me my bowl and sits down in the chair across from me. Fiadh and I nod, encouraging Jali to begin. Jali takes a deep breath and sets down her bowl. She looks past us as she begins, and I realize this is going to be long. 

  "The Vaals are a strong people with even stronger ties to their family. They resemble humans the most. They look like the people from the Earth's country, Africa. They have three participants in this Harvest. All three are brothers. The Coks are next. They are a resourceful people. They come from a hot and sandy planet. They live primarily underground to avoid the heat and to be close to their water source. They have fifteen participants in this Harvest. Due to the harshness of their planet, they are known to be excellent fighters which is why they have so many. Their skin is a tan color. The Hassins have six fighters participating, and like us, they range in color. Their tones are more metallic-like, and their features are sharp. Their planet is a cold one. They are thick beings and loud. They are typically the life of the party, as humans say. Shikazs are from a planet filled with tall trees. They are very uniform in color. Their skin is a rich brown, and their eyes are dark green. They enjoy solitude and have small families. There are five of them competing. Makskins have the harshest planet. But they have built domes that encapsulate their cities, so the environment is controlled. Their skin is typically a burgundy shade, and there are five of them competing as well. Glortinons have an interesting appearance. They are light in color ranging in pale yellows, but what makes them fascinating is their glow. Their skin has taken in so much UV light from their many suns that it literally glows. Their planet has no night. They have six competing in the harvest. Froles are fast. They come from a planet that has almost no trees. They are wild-like in personality and features. Their skin is striped from their head down to their toes. They are striped so they can blend in with the grass. They see great at night and are similar to the big cats on your planet when it comes to hunting. They typically choose females from their own planet. They have seven males competing. Next are the Bronkorks. They are the largest beings fighting on our side in the war. They typically stand over seven feet tall and have orangey skin. They come from a planet full of mountains and hills. Like the Hassins, they are loud and boisterous. They have five competitors.

Last but not least are the Gaimos. Their planet is swamp-like. They have thin pupils and scales on certain areas of their skin for protection. They tend to be quiet. Three Gaimos are competing. Two planets had no competitors this harvest, and those are the Keas and the Peulos. The Peulos come from a watery planet and like to swim. They are blue or green in color. Kea's are all around you. We are the most colorful. We view everyone as family and hate conflict. Fighting in this war is hard for our people. That is why Keas host the Harvest.  We are the most trusted," Jali explains, and my brain rattles as it tries to categorize the different males that will be competing for our hands. 

  "Wow," Fiadh breathes, and I nod in agreement. 

   I can't think of a better word to describe what was just explained to us. 

  "Oh, look. The other humans have all arrived. That was faster than usual," Zalu suddenly says, and my eyes snap to the door. 

   Two of the human females look similar with their beautiful dark straight hair and almond-shaped eyes, but the third is an elegant dark beauty that has the presence of a queen. The Keas escorting the three of them lead the women to our table, and my back straightens a little. 

   "Fellow Harvestees, may I present. Zuri, Xiu, and Jia. They all just arrived," the blue Kea says, and I stand up. 

"Hi, my name is Krystal. That's Fiadh," I say as I look back at my Irish counterpart, who is blushing. 

I turn back around to the three newcomers and smile. I hold out my hand, and Zuri, the dark beauty, gives me a smile back before shaking my hand. When I move to Xiu, she shakes my hand but bows her head a little. I copy the motion to be polite. Jia slightly giggles at my hesitancy, and when I shake her hand, she gives me a wink. 

   "Where are you from," Zuri asks as I sit back down. 

   "I am from Ohio. Umm, well, the United States. Where are you three from," I answer, fumbling a little? 

  "I am from Africa," Zuri answers, and I nod before looking at the others again. 

   "China," Xiu says shyly, and I smile again. 

   "That's cool," I reply before looking at Jia. 

   "California in the United States," She says, and a slight sense of comfort fills me. 

   At least someone can relate to me.