A Little More Purple

Hushed whispers moved in waves down the corridor as Lorelei walked through. Her hooves made distinct clicking noises that echoed in the stone chambers of the cult’s cave, announcing her arrival. She could pick up snippets of conversations from groups of cult members that she passed.

“There she is…”

“A trusted member already…”

“The alien…”

To her, they were the aliens who had abducted her, Lorelei bit back the retort that bubbled on her lips. She could feel the talons protruding from her fingertips digging into her arm. She tried her best to not show any emotion as she continued, chin high, down the hall. Almost to the barracks, she promised herself, then she could be alone. The closer her bedroom came, the quicker her steps became, until she was almost running down the hall. The moment her hand brushed the brass of her door handle she felt her entire being relax. Her ears drooped slightly with relief as she pulled open the door.

Lorelei’s room was rather nice, considering where she was. A twin-sized bed, a desk, a bookshelf, and a dresser lined the walls of her room. The floors were wood, covered with a round, shag carpet. Save for a few papers scattered around the floor of her room, it was rather tidy. Lorelei let out a sigh of relief and cast a grateful gaze around the room.

And rested her eyes on a small, teenage girl, sitting on her bed.

Lorelei yelped and jumped back, her hands out in front of her for protection.

“Lori! Lori, hey! It’s okay!” The girl’s bright blue eyes went wide as she frantically waved her arms. “It’s me!”

Lorelei blinked and lowered her hands. “Lilly.” She let out a breath of relief. “How many times have I told you to wait for permission to come in here?”

“Sorry! Sorry!” Lilly grinned sheepishly. “I just wanted to talk!”

“About what?” Lorelei unclasped her cloak and removed it, draping it unceremoniously across the back of her desk chair.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Lilly’s eyes twinkled. “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

“That’s an odd thing to talk about.” Lorelei frowned.

“It was a joke, Lori!” Lilly snorted. “C’mon! You’ve been on Earth for how long and you still don’t get that?”

“Am I supposed to?” Lorelei walked over to her bookshelf and pulled out a pack of gouache.

“What’re you painting?” Lilly’s eyes lit up.

Lorelei gestured to her desk, Lilly ran over to take a peek.

Staring back at the two of them was a half finished painting of another dainty.

Lilly’s eyes widened, she looked up at Lorelei, her face full of sympathy. “Lori…”

Lorelei shook her head. “I just… want to learn to paint her before I forget what she looked like entirely.” Lorelei brushed her hand over the surface of the painting. “She deserves to be remembered.” Tears pricked in her eyes.

Lilly remained silent for a while. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth, but closed it before speaking.

“Her family doesn’t even know what happened to her.” Lorelei’s ears drooped. “What I did to her.”

“You had no choice-” Lilly started.

Lorelei shook her head. “You and I both know I didn’t have to fight her. I could’ve waited.” Her voice began to tremble. “I could’ve let the cult decide which of us got to live.”

Lilly looked away. She wandered back to Lorelei’s bed and sat down. “I know… I know exactly how you feel.” Her voice was hollow. Her eyes studied the floor before her expression morphed into determination. “Sebastian talked to me again today.”

“The… one who…” Lorelei blinked and turned back to Lilly.

Lilly nodded. “He’s getting a plan ready.” She said. “He really thinks he’ll be able to get us out of here.”

“You think so?” Lorelei’s face brightened with hope.

    Lilly smiled and nodded. “My siblings’ll help us too.” She promised. “They’ve been talking about finding a place to go outside of the cult the other day.”

“Can he get four cloaking devices?” Lorelei frowned.

“I don’t know.” Lilly shook her head. “But he says he knows someone who can make them if he can’t.”

Lorelei nodded. “But he’s not coming with us?”

“He’s not coming with us.” Lilly confirmed.

Lorelei glanced down at her paper. She brushed her fingers against the chalky paint. “If we get out, I can find a way to tell her family what happened to her.”

“And maybe then I-” Lilly’s voice broke off and she blushed slightly.

“Huh?” Lorelei tilted her head.

“Well…” Lilly tapped her foot on the ground, her hands clasped tightly behind her back. “You always said you came to earth looking for a host, right?” Lilly met Lorelei’s eyes.

Lorelei nodded. “Yes, that was the original plan.”

“Um, so… I was thinking.” Lilly swayed slightly, her cheeks growing dark red. “Maybe… I could be your host?”

Lorelei’s eyes widened. She shot a glance toward the door. Then back down at her painting. She turned back to face Lilly, her eyes still wide. She put a few fingers to her temple.

“A- ah! I’m sorry!” Lilly sputtered. “That was way too forward, I don’t know if you even wanted to have a host anymore! I just thought that, I mean, we’ve known each other for so long now-”

Lorelei’s face softened, her eyes welled with tears. “Lilly, I…” Her voice caught in her throat. “I don’t know how I didn’t even think about it before but… you kind of… have been my host. This entire time.”

Lilly’s eyes widened. “W- wait, for real?”

Lorelei nodded. “You’ve been teaching me about the cult, about Earth.” She let out a small laugh. “You’ve been doing the job of one ever since I met you, just, without the title.”

Lilly clasped her hands to her mouth. She ran up to Lorelei and threw her arms around her in a hug. “Thank you,” She buried her face into Lorelei’s shoulder. “Thank you so much!”

Lorelei patted Lilly’s head. She let out a small, tearful laugh. “This certainly isn’t how I expected to find a host when I first came here.”

Lilly sniffed and pulled away from Lorelei. “You probably expected a lot less purple.” She let out a small smirk and wiggled her corrupted fingers in the air.

Lorelei laughed. “Yes, that is definitely one difference.” She looked down at her hands, the swollen purple color matching Lilly’s perfectly. She reached out and clasped Lilly’s hand. “I’ve done a lot of things I’ve regretted since I came to Earth.” She took a deep breath. “But… I don’t regret meeting you.”

Lilly’s eyes welled up again, though she still managed to keep her smile. “And I definitely don’t regret meeting you.”

Lorelei walked over to her mini fridge and pulled out a few cans of soda. She handed one to Lilly and opened her can with a fizz. She held the can out to Lilly.

“To the next level of our friendship?” She smiled.

“And to someday getting out of here.” Lilly held out her soda as well.

The two cans clinked together.