I used up half my trade bal waving up costume after costume. My twin brothers were hard to please. Finally, Mason picked a devil costume. Figures. So, Jayden got an angel costume. "You can't tempt me, Dark Mason!"

"Oh, I will, Goodie Jayden!"

Can't boys get along? But the doorbell rang. They invited a bunch of friends. Why did I give them permission to have so many kids over? But, Mama and Daddy promised to pay me back for anything I spent. I don't think they'd approve of what ended up being six extra kids! They gobbled all my snacks from cabinet and refrigerator, then all the candy and one girl got sick! I got scared, but she was running around playing within an hour. Love to have that kind of resilience!

And, since aliens came, we all have aandats, that wonderful second skin that makes COVID a thing of the past. I don't miss masks. Or my brothers' ten-thousand colds they used to bring me from their school. Not that I didn't bring 'em from my school. Feels so good not to be sickly!

What a gift telepathy is! They think loud, so I know to stop them before they get into stuff. But, the sun's sinking behind the neighbor's trees. We waited until dark for trick-or-treaters but they ate my candy stash. "Okay, kids! Let's take a selfie, then go trick-or-treating!"

"Are we going to the mall?" The girl wearing an anime character costume blinked up at me with a dramatic pose. Her pipe prop nearly poked me in the eye!

"No, Honey, we're going around the neighborhood."

"Everybody goes to the mall. I bet we don't get any candy! They run out if you don't go early--"

"Oh, the old ladies always have candy! Let's go!" A girl in an angel costume pulled at my arm.We went.

After five houses with no porch light and kids knocked anyway, I began to think that girl was right.

Then we knocked at the 6th house. The door opened and a man scowled at us. Kids backed off. "Slopfahi! Get off my porch! And don't step on my flowers!"

Mason stomped up the steps. "It's Halloween! At least you could be polite. Or do you want tricks, since you obviously don't carry treats, hmmm?"

I grabbed his arm. "C'mon, kids! Let's go. There's a whole other street--"

His meaty hand pulled my arm back. What a grip! "Oh, I might have some candy, after all. You're kind of pretty." He threw porno at me with his telepathy!

I tried to back away but Elshars are stronger than we are. By a factor of 3. "911!"

Light blue portals went off all up and down the street! My problem shot into the sky! His screams upset the kids! They all dived for the ground and covered their heads!

People came out! "Mercy, I didn't think we had slavers in our neighborhood!" A gray-curled lady shook her head. "You better take them home!"

A couple of the kids' parents came running. "We're going home! What were you thinking, to call the cops on slavers! We'll all be targets now!" One lady grabbed her little girl and waved up a green portal. Whoosh! They vanished.

Other parents took their kids and did the same!

I led the two left to their homes and explained. Those parents panicked and packed their homes, with a wave! One man frowned at me. "You better take your brothers and leave, too!"

"I can't do that! Mama and Daddy won't be back until tomorrow!"

"They won't find you! Besides, you shouldn't have taken them trick-or-treating on Monday. I thought you had sense enough to go to the mall with them! We're leaving. Want us to take Mason and Jayden with us? Ernie would want them to be safe."

My brothers clung to me and begged me to let them stay!

"I'm responsible for them--"

"Honey, you're only 17, and I think you showed you're not responsible. You'd better come with us to the Spaceport--"

"People get nabbed at the Spaceport! Atlanta Police said not to go there!"

He sneered. "I take planes all over the world! I never had a problem. I'm over it. Marcie, let's go! I already packed, let's port!" A green portal swirled and they stepped in. Saw the forever corridors and people before it closed.

I shook all over. What can we do now? Diplomats help people in trouble. I waved up a holo to Atlanta Zheien Embassy.

A secretary frowned at me. "What can I do for you?"

I told her I ported Elshars.

"Do you know a Zheien?"

"No."

"This is a Zheien Embassy. You'll have to talk to Atlanta Police. Goodbye." Her holo closed. But, a Zheien diplomat talked to us at my school, and they said we could call!

I waved up Atlanta Police. "What's your emergency?" The lady had an intent look.

"Uh, I thought this was the non-emergency number." I pulled at my long, drab brown hair.

"You just ported repeat offenders. Believe me, you have an emergency. Have you packed?"

"My parents aren't home!"

"Wait right there. I'll send a holocop."

Her holo vanished, and a cop stood there! "Hello, I'm John the Holocop. Let's go to your house. I'll stay with you until you call your parents."

"Wow! A holocop!" Jayden tried to poke his hand through his chest and went whump! He turned red.

The cop laughed. "Oh, I'm solid enough to get the bad guys, but let's just walk. I'm sorry you had a bad day."

We walked down the sidewalk. I didn't feel scared, now, just nervous.

Mason frowned at Jayden. "I'm not rude, like my brother. I'm Mason. He's Jayden." The way he said it sounded like a disease. His devil costume had a rip at the knee already, and he's left his pitchfork someplace.

"When she said holocop, I thought my hand would pass through. I'm sorry!" Jayden looked pale, and that blond hair was sticking straight up.

"That's okay! Did you get scared when the Elshar ported?"

"No! Nothin' scares me! Jayden hit the dirt! Look at 'im, he still has dirt on his face!"

I frowned at Mason, who also had dirt on him. Poor Jayden got red.

John the Holocop patted Jayden's back. "Elshars are scary when they don't obey our laws. They only port when they've done something illegal. He'll see Ih Esta on Elshar Mashai. That's like me."

My wrist throbbed where he grabbed me. Our walk didn't take long. I waved to unlock the door, grateful I didn't have to fumble with keys.

We sat in the living room and I called Daddy. He and Mama just got back from a restaurant in their hotel. As I explained, a holo played of that Elshar. I braced for a lecture from Daddy, too.But he hugged me. "We're porting home, right now! Will you stay?" He looked at John the Holocop.

"I will protect them, and you, when you get here. Then, we will go to Atlanta Zheien Embassy."

I stared at him! My parents hung up. "But that secretary said I needed to know a Zheien!"

"That's suspicious. The Zheien have to help us, by treaty. I'll send a holo buddy over there to investigate." His holo frowned. Not a black curl out of place.

A green glow built in the living room, and my parents stepped out. Jayden hugged Mama and Mason went for Daddy. Who packed, with a wave!

The holocop ported us to that embassy at the top of the cylindrical hotel.

A Zheien diplomat met us. I tried not to stare at his orange skin or those flat, twin fingers. That secretary looked guilty. "I am very sorry you had trouble! My secretary knows of our treaty now. Since Elshars know of you, I wish to provide you transport off Earth. The Alb System is safe for you. If you wish to go elsewhere, we advise that you stay in Alb until you learn more of other Earthan Colonies."

Neither of my parents said a word. We talked about Alb, but never got serious about leaving Earth. Daddy asked us to think about it, because his work brought him in contact with many of the aliens of various species, and he knew people who made an enemy--by mistake--and they had to leave like this.

Both my brothers had an 'emergency collection' of all sorts of things they picked up everywhere we went. Acorns from Piedmont Park. Twigs from the ground. Leaves. Magnolia seeds from neighbors' yards. Mason even collected roaches and yellow jackets to torture his brother with!

 Jayden didn't want me to tell Daddy or he'd have to give up his rats and mice he collected when I found one in my closet. They're all in stasis, thank goodness! I had a stray cat in my alt storage that had been hit by a car. My job as a receptionist at Happy Staffing didn't pay much, and I'd been saving up for a Zheien healer vet. When I found out how expensive, I knew I'd be saving at least for a year.

And, where will I work, now? Earthan Colonies wanted people with graduate degrees in science or skills I didn't have. My cousin got a job in one and confided she wanted to come back to Earth, but couldn't get a similar job, here. She hated Columbia, a sterile rock with mines.Trading's everything, offplanet. But all I had in my terminal were holos I took of pretty sunsets or Piedmont Park, or walks through our neighborhood on the way to MARTA. Those are so common, they're worthless. I tried going to second hand stores and buying up old CDs and books, but I couldn't trade any. Expert traders know what to buy, and I didn't have any idea what people wanted.

The diplomat opened a portal to his ship. No seats? "Friends, I am Ifin, Diplomat Of Elshar Zheiea. You may call me Ifin. Do you have leiwege, or chairs you enjoy?"

Daddy shook his head. "We have furniture, but this is a very small ship, so I don't think any of it would give you room to move." The light blue, domed ship wasn't much bigger than Daddy's classic car.

"O, I can expand him. Think of your seating."

Daddy pictured our living room and the huge blue sofa that was getting kind of uncomfortable. It sagged in all the wrong places and Daddy's neck hurt a lot from his side being broken. Mason did that last year bouncing on it.

Ifin frowned! "Perhaps I ask of a leiwege maker when we land! For now, I can fab them." A wave and we each had a flat seven-sided mattress.

I dragged mine against the curved hull and leaned against it. "Wow! This is soft!"

He knelt beside me and bent it so I sat up more. It stayed! Then he helped Mama, Daddy, and the boys with theirs. Mason enjoyed folding his in like a crab shell. Giggled.

Then Jayden did it, but looser. Laid in it with a satisfied smile.

Mason ported a yellow jacket, in stasis, near his face!

Ifin waved, and it vanished! "Young son, you must nae! Fright is harm!" He hugged crying Jayden.

Mason looked shocked! "Aw, I wouldn't let it sting him!"

"That was mean, Mason!" Daddy frowned. "How many of those things do you have?" Without waiting for an answer, he waved up both boys' manifests. I worried that he'd look in mine! "I'll take custody of your 'pets'. Did you know they're worth a lot of trade offplanet? I'll teach you both to trade, and you can earn some trade bal."

"Ejis nae! You have an injured cat? Please, bring her out and I can try to heal her!" His blue eyes turned dark!

I waved her out. The poor thing--I couldn't look!

But he hummed, and she didn't look as lumpy. Slowly, she thawed and growled.

Mason laughed, but Daddy's frown stopped him. "Poor thing! How did you get her, Emily?"

"She ran from between two cars! I thought she was dead, but my terminal put her in my account, saying I could find a Zheien healer. My terminal looked for an owner, but she's a stray. I'd been feeding her for a couple weeks. I felt awful, but I was saving up--" And, how will I pay this man for it?

Ifin held her. She hadn't let me touch her, even while she ate. A gray kitten. Finally, she got up and walked around. He waved a bowl of wet food on the floor and she wolfed it! "I am happy she nae has to travel in stasis! I will give manual calcs to Alb. Did you choose a world?"

We looked at Daddy. "I hadn't thought much about it."

He showed us fifty worlds with Zheien colonies. Many weren't taking new colonists unless they knew someone there. But a yellow world with lots of farms only had 51 of us in their Earthan Colony. "Want to try that one? Ifin lives there."

The diplomat turned a bit orange in his face. "My ba and I lived on Zhea~ while Fa was stationed diplomat from Elshar Mashai Zheien Colony. But now our colony is on a new world, Elshar Zheiea, and my parents moved there. I nae ever saw it, but I am happy to take you."

"Is it okay for us to go there, then?" Mama looked worried.

"O, Earthans are welcome in all the colonies of Alb! Nae concern." He stood up and let Jayden sit in his leiwege again. My brothers frowned at each other. "Here is information for you about the Earthan Colony. Bedelia Stone is the council member who represents Earthans. When we arrive, I contact her quickly for you. I will give calcs now." He faced a bulge in the wall and recited numbers.

Clicking began under us, which startled me! Then I laughed, like the rest of us.

Elshar Zheiea had a lot of places, but the Earthan Colony had a replica of the entire Beltline, including Piedmont Park! Zoo animals roamed free. Beautiful. People petted them as they went through. Lush flowers bloomed. But the ground was yellow sand!

Near the Beltline were some Zheien cities. Each had seven buildings. The solid colors made a rainbow, and they were in that order, too. A seventh one was white like a diamond pointing to the sky with a dull point. Light shone through them.

Families walked around. Daddy zoomed in on the blue building where traders had tables. Most had light blue robes like Daddy had. Some had cobalt blue. Those are the expert traders like the one who trained Daddy at his work. He solved trade disputes for the company. That's why he worried that we might have to move. I never thought my stupidity would make us have to move!

After about an hour, clicking stopped and Ifin stopped saying numbers. "We are on Elshar Zheiea!"

A wave and half the hull just vanished. Daddy waved our leiweges to Ifin but they went into our accounts. "I wanted to give those back to you."

"You may keep them, but I will ask of a leiwege maker, to measure you for better ones. Shall we sit and discuss homes?"

We ended up sitting in the sand on our leiweges. Very comfortable. I stumbled on the way down. I didn't feel heavy, like on Earth.

Ifin eased me into it and bent it for me. It's warm here, not cold, even though it's getting dark. The sky's deep red with five moons smaller than Earth's. But we saw the Milky Way. Out here?Jayden counted 22 stars. It's a very empty sky compared to Earth.We had a copy of our house with everything in our rooms already. Daddy and Mama chose a spot on Lake Clara Meer. Ifin waved, and it sat there and we ported to it.

"Can we see your house, Mr. Ifin?" Jayden held onto his hand. That seemed odd to me, that an 11-year-old would hold hands with anyone, but Jayden--well, all the kids his age were holding hands. Zheien kids, anyway.

He laughed. "All of you may visit me anytime! Here is my house." A slight wave of his flat finger, and a map came up. He lives in Mandalay. Our house is across Piedmont Park from there, near Esta Faho, a city. When I looked up, Ifin was watching my face. Should I do something? I held my kitten. She seemed content to stay in my arms.

After all that happened, I guess I was a bit tense. Bedelia Stone came to talk to my parents. We sat on our old sofa and it was a lot softer, like our leiwege. They had questions. I just tried to listen, but wasn't paying much attention. I felt really overwhelmed. Jayden and Mason went out to explore our yard, which had all our trees, and flowers in full bloom! We walked around the yard and the grass wasn't long, like just mowed.

My room looked the same. But the view of that yellow sand with our flowers growing in it, and that dark sky through the oak tree, hard to pretend I was just at home. I had a good cry. Our life's forever changed. I'll get used to this, and maybe I'll like it. Hard to feel too bad, with Jayden and Mason playing, just enjoying our new adventure. My kitten sat on the bed with me, and I sure was grateful to have her here.