ALIEN DEVIL

Lilith was its first name given by humans. It learned its first language, Greek, through the humans that it called its friends. Its best friend was a 14-yr old girl named Iris, and they thrived together. Although devils were a subject of fear to be reasonably afraid of, Lilith was friends with the entire town it lived in. Lilith and Iris were sort of mascots to the town, always willing to help and support their community as much as possible. Lilith loved humans, as she felt they loved her back. ... Unfortunately, on a beautiful sunny afternoon, while Lilith was out picking flowers for an elderly woman, her love for humans could not last. Iris called Lilith for dinner. She was surprised at how early dinner was, yet she did not mind. She and Iris traveled back to their village together, Lilith suspecting nothing wrong. As she ate the community-shared meal, she began to feel dizzy and nauseous. She passed out from her meal being drugged. ... Awakened, she found herself nailed to the ground. She didn't get to readjust to her surroundings before her body was viciously stabbed repeatedly. Lilith cried in agony, in confusion, afraid. She then recognized the men attacking her, along with the whole town watching. These were her friends, and they were trying to kill her. Enraged, Lilith broke free with a freakish might. ... The entire town was now very bloody and empty. Rage was all she could feel, twisting and tearing her body apart physically. She was no longer Lilith to her, it had already forgot that name by the time it limped away from the town. 

1994. The mission was clear. Test out the rocket NASA and Roscosmos collaborated to make. It was their peace offering to each other. It was on his shoulders to make the mission successful. He was fine with that. It would work out. It had to. He studied for several years of his life for this. Even during his time in those childhood camps. In his time in Happy Childhood, he didn't hate it. Most of his time there was easy, thriving with the other children. He didn't question anything. ... There was a time when he hated it, though. When he wanted to see his mother and father when he barely saw or knew them. The camp included a special program that welcomed devils to train the children. It was very strict, of course, but rarely ran into any issues. Until one day, Ivan met his new instructor, the hound devil. Wearing military-like clothing and a body much like a human, save for the dog head. Whenever a child would make a mistake, it included a physical beating. Ivan tended to make mistakes often. ... Many years later, up in space and thought to be alone, Ivan spent an entire week up in space. What he did not know, though, was that he was (predictably) not alone. There lay the alien devil, watching Ivan through the rocket's insides. ... When Ivan landed, everyone celebrated. The mission was a success. People cheered glasses, laughing together. Ivan was hailed as a national hero to Russia, and commended by every authority. After the party, as Ivan goes home, eyes followed him closely behind. ... "Let's make a deal, my Russian cosmonaut."