Chapter 40: Not going home yet.

There was silence after Sloan’s announcement that he was leaving. Maybe he had won? Maybe the alien was gone now.

Sloan set his ear on the wood and listened. After about three seconds, there was a swish. When he looked down, pink silk slipped under the opening of the door. Shocked, Sloan stumbled backward to the sink. The fabric moved on its own. A piece of pink sateen slid up the door and around the towel he’d tied. Another piece slid along the floor toward Sloan’s feet.

“What the fuck?” Sloan climbed up onto the counter. The door to the bathroom opened with a bang. The silk had somehow cut through the terry cloth by itself. Sloan wished he were high to explain this messed-up visual.

“This is not silk.” Octnavin leaned in the doorway. “This is Nebos. They are with us from birth.” Octnavin crossed his two middle tentacles over his chest. "They are like family."

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