Alien Scrooge - Zara Zenia Page 0,6

was faulty. "So then, if you aren't an elf, what are you?"

The creature paused, looking at her. It seemed his frustration with her was about to peak again, but then his expression changed to one of confusion. He sighed heavily, then drew in close to her face.

"I'm an alien," he said coldly.

He was clearly hoping that this new information would actually scare her off this time, but

Cara's eyes grew wide, glinting, not with fear, but excitement. "A real alien?" she replied in almost a whisper as his face still hovered inches from hers. She stepped back to take in his appearance again, blushing from the proximity and the realization of his nakedness.

His face contorted as he lost his patience with her. He lurched forward, probably to yell at her, but was stopped fast by her outstretched hand.

"I'm Cara." She smiled, introducing herself.

He ignored her attempt at a handshake and looked as though he was unable to comprehend the unexpected enthusiasm from her. Instead, he stared at her in shock for a moment before turning away and grumpily walking toward the house like structure.

"I'm called Egrix," he responded to her introduction before disappearing through a panel in the side of the alien structure.

"Egrix," Cara said his name quietly to herself. She felt dazed and giddy from the sudden, unexpected interaction, her mind filling with questions. She looked to the place where the alien man had disappeared, but she couldn't see a door in the structure.

"Egrix?" she asked louder, realizing he'd left her alone in the cave. She looked around at the unrecognizable tools and machinery that dotted the floor of the cavern. The lights she had noticed when she walked in were even more strange looking up close. They looked natural in the cave environment, like a plant or creature stuck to the stone wall but had an artificial buzzing that gave away the mechanics within. They seemed to be made of something gelatinous and glowed brighter than any lightbulb Cara had ever seen. There were various containers scattered around the campsite. Some stood open, with the lid lifted, however, the closed ones had no indication of where they would open, seeming to be one solid cube. These were made from the same substance as the structure in the center, which Cara now approached.

It was egg shaped and about ten feet tall, grazing the ceiling of the chamber. The material looked thin and shiny, with tiny ridges decorating the side that wrapped all the way around. At a glance it resembled a giant sea shell. Cara found it odd how fragile it looked as she placed her hand flat against it and was surprised to feel a slight hum coming from inside. The surface was metallic to the touch with a heat emanating from within the otherwise cool surface. She traced her hand along the outside of the structure, searching for the entrance that had seemingly vanished. She wrapped around to where she had started and took a few steps back from the alien structure, perplexed and debating whether she should go back to her camera and give up.

She glanced behind her to where the cave arched back up to its opening, crossing her arms and biting her lip before looking back to the odd campsite. She nodded decidedly to herself, this was a once in a lifetime chance that she couldn't afford to miss. With that, she walked to the side of the seashell house, leaning against it to sit down. She wrapped her arms around her knees, resting her chin on her kneecaps before cautiously calling to the alien inside.

"Egrix?" Her call echoed in the quiet cavern and she could hear a voice grumbling through the material of the wall in response.

"What?" he spit back, clearly still unhappy about her presence.

"Oh, ummm—" Cara was a bit surprised that he replied, even more so that he'd continued the conversation, so she tried to pick her next words carefully, "I-I'm sorry about earlier. I really didn't know anyone was in this cave."

She apologized honestly, hoping to clear the air of their harsh introduction. It was obvious he didn't want her there but still, she felt drawn to the grumpy alien. Of course she had a plethora of questions at her disposal that had been thought up with her dad during the years they spent studying the stars together, but it was more than just curiosity. There was an uncanny desire to see Egrix, like a force that could only be satisfied