Chapter 11: This So-Called Life, Part 2

Upon awaking, Bilal had found himself surrounded by his four parents, their tentacles pressed into his body. His eyes focused on his First Mother. Her skin was mottled black and red because she was angry, yet a tentacle formed to caress his face. He formed a tentacle and intertwined it with hers. It was akin to a human hug and kiss.

A First Mother's bond was strongest because she had carried him. Bilal had two mothers and two fathers. Their DNA had been mixed in order to create him before he had been implanted into his mother. It was the most efficient way to coexist on a mother ship that traveled through space for years on end. The limited space meant that one family consisted of multiple parents. Offspring generally lived with their parents until it was time for them to reproduce and to form their own family units. Parents went through a great deal to negotiate the best match. Certain traits possessed by a Centaurian were more desirable than others. But that was not the only consideration. Social standing also factored in.

Mina, his First Mother, had been highly desired despite being much older than his other parents. She was a high-ranking official in the Centaurian hierarchy and was one of the few Centaurians who had only one mate like in the old days. Her first mating had occurred long before her new mates had been born, and unfortunately her original mate had died of old age. A short time later it was negotiated that she would join a newly formed family. When it was time to create a child, she had demanded to be First Mother. Perhaps that was why there was some animosity between Bilal's mothers. His Second Mother, Baba, had argued that Mina had already given birth to a child and it was her turn. Mina had never bonded with the family because of her previous mating, and the fathers thought that if she bore the child then it would help her.

It hadn't, and once Bilal had become an adult, she moved into her own home.

His First Mother had gone against tradition when she had formed her own separate house away from her partners, a luxury only now possible since the formation of Earth 2 and the extended living space afforded to them. She had then invited Bilal to live with her, which he had done happily. It had deepened the animosity with his Second Mother, who didn't even like him. It shouldn't have ever mattered, but it caused a huge scandal within the Centaurian community. Some tried to pass laws against it fearing the collapse of Centaurian family units, but it was more unpopular to pass such laws than to allow an unhappy partner to leave. Because Centaurians were so rooted in tradition, not many considered doing such a thing.

Baba removed her tentacles from Bilal, and he gave her a weary look. Here it comes …

"Child, what have you done to yourself this time?"

Child? He was an adult. His body formed into a ball, and he reached out a tentacle to communicate without words. "Mother-baba, I was attacked."

"Attacked?" his fathers asked, listening to his conversation through their own tentacle connection. "By what?"

"Wolves." He lied. Why was he lying? He prevented his skin from turning yellow in shame.

"You were nearly dead, Bilal," his Father-Tom spoke. Centaurians had selected simple names that were easy to form with their foreign mouths and tongues.

"There were a lot of wolves Father-Tom. I dispatched them but not before I lost much strength."

"What if you had died?" Baba asked.

Then you would no longer be ashamed of me, would you? Bilal thought. He reached out a tentacle to wrap around hers. "But I didn't."

II

He rested with his First Mother and was thinking about the brown woman when his two best friends entered the set of rooms allocated to him. His rooms were "human-friendly." He had chairs and couches and utensils for eating and drinking. He didn't lie to his mother that the things were for when his friends visited him. He didn't have to. His mother understood that he liked having manmade items around him.

"I heard you got your ass handed to you by a pack of wolves," Lawrence said with a broad smile.

Bilal stretched out on his bed, elongated, and came to a standing position. "And hi to you, too. Yes, I'm fine, thank you very much."

His other friend, Raj, rubbed his body until it formed a tentacle that intertwined with his arm in pleasure. "Are you okay, little buddy?"

Lawrence came over and rubbed him until another tentacle formed to wrap around his arm as well. "I'm fucking with you, Bilal. You are okay, aren't you?"

He regarded his two friends. They didn't mind when he touched them in this way. They didn't think it was like a snake wrapping around their bodies. He could see in their facial expressions and postures that they cared about him.

"I'm fine." He released them.

Lawrence went to get something to eat from Bilal's cabinet. "Did you find anything interesting down there this time?" he asked while examining a piece of fruit that had seen better days.

Bilal's body began to ripple, and Raj cocked his head. "What's wrong?"

"I did find something interesting."

Lawrence bit into the fruit and studied his friend. Lawrence was twenty, had blue eyes and blond hair, and was strong and sturdy. Raj watched Bilal curiously as well. He was smaller with a compact yet toned body. He was forty and had the golden brown skin and slanted eyes of an Asian. He was Korean but had lived his life in America before the end of days.

"Well, show us," Lawrence said while chomping away. "You always find some good shit. Tell us what you found, and we'll explain it to you."

"I can't. I left her on earth."

"Her?" Raj asked.

"A woman. One last human woman."

"Fuck … me …" Lawrence said.

III

Bilal watched the silent house and worried. Maybe she had killed herself. Humans did that kind of thing when they were afraid or confused.

Bilal had shuffled back and forth before cursing to himself. He had to go inside, and that had not been his intention. He wanted to watch, that's all, to make sure she was okay. Okay, no, that wasn't it. He was curious. He wanted to indulge his curiosity. He liked looking at pictures and roaming through dead towns for a semblance of the life humans had once lived. And now here was a human right before his eyes. How could he not indulge his curiosity?

He lifted a tentacle and raised it, searching the air for any signs or sounds. Bilal turned swiftly. A wolf was coming up on him, stalking him, and he'd been so preoccupied that he hadn't realized it. It was only one wolf, but it was a big healthy one.

Bilal withdrew his stinger just as the wolf leaped and went for him with lethal teeth bared.