Azure's mental illness is ruining her life. Her parents just died, and her social worker dropped her off at a homeless shelter. The day SETI finds aliens.

Homeless At 16

"This is just for a couple weeks until I can find you a placement, Honey." The social worker pulled up at an elementary school.

"I don't see why I can't live at home. The house is mine, isn't it?" I shook all over. My meds do that.

"I've been trying to explain that. Georgia Medicaid took the house. You don't have a place, so I can't get your things yet. I'm working on it. This is gonna be your home for the next few days, just a few days, until I can find you a foster home or a group home. If this bus'll ever move, I'll get us in the parking lot."

Across the street was a scrap metal yard and a meat packing place. I'd never seen this part of Atlanta.

The bus left two women, who walked up the steps and into the front doors. They didn't look homeless. Maybe I don't.

That voice in my head said YOU DON'T BELONG HERE! Yeah, I don't. But I don't think anyone does, do they? I yanked my pigtails straight out. Shook so hard, cold sweat dripped off my forearms--

"You're not havin' a seizure, are you, Azure? Let's get out. Don't be nervous--"

"He's shouting at me! He says I don't belong here!"

"Who?"

"I don't know his name. He just started yelling at me this morning early."

"Come with me. I got to get you settled and go to my next appointment. They have a social worker here. She'll help you."

I already knew, no social worker can save me from him.

Grabbed my backpack. Why did they have to give me a gray one? I had one pair of jeans, a red T-shirt, and my meds in it. She didn't give me time to grab anything, just a change of clothes. He yelled that I didn't need anything else, so I was scared. I'm still scared.

We walked in and I stood in the hall outside the office while my social worker talked to the secretary.

I heard that voice again and held my red curls straight out.

A woman rolled her eyes. "Honestly, do you have ta-"

An older lady came running out of the office. "Jennifer! That's not helpful. Go walk--"

"I didn't do anything, Ms. Rittle. I wanna stay!" Another woman stared at me. I just closed my eyes and hoped the floor would open up.

"Both of you!"

Their footsteps faded. "Honey, did you get your meds this mornin'?"

"I won't take it! There's more to life than sleepin'!"

The voice drowned her out. YOU WILL GO TO INMAN PARK. NOW!

"I can't go anywhere! They'll find out I live at the Mission--"

YOU HAVE IMPORTANT WORK. GO TO ELIZABETH STREET.

"Her record says she's schizophrenic. Maybe you should call Grady. Her medical cards are in her backpack."

I pulled harder on my hair. "Elizabeth Street!" My knees shook, and sweat rolled down my forearms.

My social worker wished her luck and left.

"Honey, you need to sit here on the sofa while I get you a room. Wait here, all right?"

"Okay." I sat.

GO TO THE BUS STOP. YOUR BUS IS WAITING.

She walked off.

"Hey, I'm Darcy, and she's Jennifer. You got a bus pass?"

Sweat rolled down my arm onto my red hair, and dripped. "Yes."

"Let's go. She'll be a while 'cause that social worker's got Margie in with her. Margie talks her ear off. Last time, they called Grady. C'mon. We'll help you get to Elizabeth Street, won't we, Jennifer?"

"She said to stay."

They laughed. "As long as you're back here by 6 you're all right. We're not prisoners here. C'mon. Your business won't take long, will it?"

I shook my head. As if I know!

We walked to the bus stop, but he said CROSS THE STREET. I led the ladies to the crosswalk. Sure enough, as we reached the shelter, the bus stopped. I got out my wallet and swiped it. My last TransCard. It's January 19th. My bank account doesn't have enough for another one because I had to make payments on the bills. Because of a drunk driver who got killed, my grandparents are dead. My aunt'll never forgive me for donating their bodies to science. She didn't want anything to do with me when Mama OD'd. Who knows where Dad went. He left when I was a baby. I was 12 when Mama died. Granny and Granddaddy did their best, but who wants a crazy child anyway? At 12 I went to alternative school and drew pictures all day of the people in my head. Never had a friend. Not even another crazy one.

Darcy and Jennifer talked to each other, not to me. Why are they even here? The bus pulled into the MARTA station and I went in. Five Points Station is beautiful. They took parts of the old Carnegie Library and put them on the walls. GO DOWN. I wanted to look, but I sighed and went down. So did the women. Train was there. RUN! I barely got in the doors, and Darcy and Jennifer ran into me. Giggled. "Oh, that was fun! You're all right, Azure! But, how important is Elizabeth Street, anyway? There's a house in Cabbagetown--"

GET OFF AT INMAN PARK!

And, we're here. I got up. Oh, that shouting scared me! I ran up the stairs then wheezed like an old woman. Directions kept coming. To the light. Up Elizabeth Street, past businesses. My new 'friends' didn't follow me. Nobody much walked. Lots of traffic. Then, Victorians. Lots of rich people's houses. Granny and Granddaddy lived in South Atlanta. They held out for years. Real estate agents offered to buy their old house, but they refused. It's part of Atlanta's history, they said. I was really sorry to lose it, but how would I repair anything on $192 dollars a month? That's my SSI check.

HERE.

I looked. "That's someone's yard! I can't go in there--

LOOK BY THE TREE.

I saw a man, who gestured for me to come. "Azure. So good of you to come. My name is Serenappenen."

I hesitated and his voice ordered me. I went.

"This is for you. I'll be in your head, telling you what to do with it. Don't be foolish. I can kill you where you stand, with my telepathy. This is the Cube Of Many Colors. With it you can travel in space and time, and you can change history. I'll let you have your grandparents back, if you work for me."

"You're the people SETI found this morning?" I shook all over. Not the friendly aliens I hoped for. These people came to conquer.

He laughed. "Who says we're not friendly? Earth means little to me, or my brother Rentappenen. Listen. There's a conflict that you need to solve for me. They don't know your genetics. Genetics are the key to everything.

"There's a ship there." He pointed to a garden. "You can get on it. Take the cube. Go on. It won't hurt you, little Earthan. In that ship is Emperor Ry'nao. Ask for him. Show him the Cube and tell him you're Earth's new Councillor. He'll do anything you say. I'll tell you what to do. Go now." He put the Cube in my hand.

I felt the anger of a lot of people, and it came from this plastic-looking Cube.

But, I looked up, and stood on that ship.

People gasped and stood back.

A red-haired girl younger than me came forward. "Oh, Azure! Hi, I'm Molly."

I didn't hear the shouting! "Molly. Is Ry'nao here? I—need to know what's going on!" I shook so hard, my teeth chattered! Outside, it was late afternoon. If I don't get back by six—but does that matter?

An old fella with wispy gray hair came out of a room with a tapestry of him and a lady his age. He bowed to me, one leg behind him, like a ballet dancer. "I am Ry'nao, Emperor Of The Seven Unified Galaxies. Why are you here?"

I tried to bow but did a curtsy. "I-I don't know! This man, Serenappenen, gave me this cube and told me he'd tell me what to do, to ask for you. Should I give it to you?" I held it out.

He frowned. "I cannot take it, for I would die. No one can touch it except for you."

"Serenappenen did!"

"Yes, but surely he created it. This Cube is tied to your genetics. It has the power to create or destroy worlds."

"Worlds? Why me?"

A couple came out of a room next to his. She had beautiful red waves that curled on her shoulders. Not like my dark red frizz. And her eyes, brilliant blue, not like my dull green. Thin, like me. I shook so hard, I felt like I'd throw up or faint!

Then, words came out of me like I knew what I was doing. "This girl is untrained. We will fight Serenappenen. She is not allowed to interfere with you and Eriganh. We block Serenappenen and Rentappenen from you. He planned to take the White Cube, but we know that is impossible. This Rainbow Cube is weak, but it can change your history."

That voice was like a bunch of people talking at once! My voice, small and weak. "He called it the Cube Of Many Colors."

"The Cube Of Many Colors created this one, and Serenappenen wants to contaminate your timeline. Our Collective is at war, but we control it, for a short time. Stay on this ship and do not use this Cube. If you think to bring back your dead family, you will change your home's timeline. This, you must not do. Our purpose is to keep you here on this ship. There must be no interference with Adia, none with Eriganh. Their battle, in the yard you just left, ends our war." The Cube went dark.

Memories came to me of another future. I made Pirad create a son for me to marry, Pier. We traveled to many worlds, and tried many timelines, but none was better than this one, that Adia is in, right now. I died because of the strain of all that time travel, and because my genetics is tied to a room of a thousand people somewhere on Earth. My Collective is right, I am Earth's Councillor, and I'm supposed to save it from slavers. Eriganh is flooding it with slavers as we speak.

And, Ry'nao heard all of it. "What should I do?" I sobbed. I don't want to be holding this Cube in my hand.

"Child, let me share memories with you, of the Council, what I know of our future. Put the Cube in your pocket. You don't have to hold it. I will not tell a Councillor what to do. But, the more you know, this will help you decide what to do. Your Collective cannot tell you how to work."

"Can't I just give it to someone else? I don't want it! I'm schizophrenic, I'm crazy, and I--"

"Let me bring a healer for you. Will Pas please you?" Like the lady with the red hair, he was orange and had flat, twin fingers.

I held his hand. "C-can you fix me so I think better?"

"Oh, I will try, Maiden. Have you pains?"

"This shaking hurts, but that's just a side effect of my meds."

"May I look at your medical records? We scanned everyone from Earth. Sit here, please."

I nodded. He waved up a padded bench the same color as my pink T-shirt, if it wasn't faded. My blue jeans had holes at the knees, and dried blood.

My medical records came up and he read 'em while I watched. Nodded. "We have better herbs than these. May I touch your head? I will be gentle."

His mind was also very gentle. Explained what he wanted to do. Unlike rude Serenappenen, he was afraid of hurting me.

Ry'nao sat on my other side. I heard the war going on in that Collective. People shouted at each other.

But, Adia has one, too. She asked them to listen to each other, and love one another. I showed them. The ones who took control of the Rainbow Cube weren't supposed to do that. All of them talked to each other, politely now, like Pas did.

Pas trembled as he moved his fingers back on my head. "What happened here?" I had a scar on top.

"Mama got mad because I wouldn't go get her drugs, and she hit me with a frying pan. I woke up in the hospital. Aunt Kandace took me to her house, but got tired of my social worker. Mama's social worker let me stay."

The old fella wept. "Had you many injuries such?"

"Oh, I was always falling and getting hurt, or Mama hit. You can't be more stupid once you're stupid, she said. I'm clumsy and I fall a lot."

"She was wrong, Daughter. Each injury harmed your mind. I wish to give you an aandat. You will need nae rest rooms, will never catch a virus, and you gain telepathy in 2 or 3 days. She is like 'living underwear', as Molly says."

"I got mine this morning, Azure." Molly pulled up her yellow T-shirt sleeve and I saw white, like a second skin. Didn't look scary, so I nodded.

Pas waved for a green cube and white fell out of it onto my ankles. Flowed up to my neck. Pas hummed and I didn't get scared. My knees didn't feel sore, now! Molly waved and I wore a green T-shirt, long-sleeved, and my jeans were light blue. I smiled.