Terrestrial Alien ✔

Chapter 24: Batter Up!

Trigger warning for violence.

Joshua

Ping!

The sharp sound of a metal bat colliding with a baseball rings from somewhere behind us, and I jolt. The other team has arrived now, and someone on Ethan's is practicing his swings. Seth and Ethan both look at me, and I give them both a grimacing look.

   "Jumpy." Ethan comments, sounding somewhat surprised.

   Gripping the rubber tape wrapped around the handle of his bat with sweaty palms, I say nothing.

   Ethan looks back to Seth, who is looking between the two of us with those eyes of his, and I can't tell which of them is more eager to talk to the other.

   When we had drawn nearer, he had begun to look excited. He smiles now, shifting from foot to foot. Ethan opens his mouth to say something, but Seth says over him, "You must be Ethan." He shoots a hand out to shake eagerly, adding, "I'm..."

   He trails off. I'm staring at him incredulously, and his Adam's apple bobs. His hand slackens slightly in the space between him and Ethan.

   He's not supposed to know who Ethan is. I can see it on his face as he realises this, and that odd colored flush rushes to his cheeks. He's not looking at me now in that way that is him trying to not be looking. I want to be mad at him—I know I never mentioned Ethan to him in all our terse talks—but I already know he's been spying on me. It's not surprising he knows who Ethan is. I can't be mad, but I'm still vaguely frustrated.

   Seth looks ready to retract his hand when Ethan reaches out and takes it. Giving it a firm shake, Ethan replies, "Yeup. That'd be me. And you're... Seth, right?"

   Seth seems to regret offering his hand to shake now that Ethan is tightly gripping it, but he nods. If Ethan notices the sudden change in Seth's demeanor, he doesn't comment on it. He says only, "Joshua talk about me much?"

   "Y-yeah." Seth chokes, shooting me a look. I scowl at him, but I quickly try to flatten my affect as Ethan glances back at me. He gives me a grin.

   Looking back down to where he's still gripping Seth's hand, Ethan does notice something else of Seth's.

   "Woah," he says, and his grip slackens for a moment. Then he's pulling Seth's hand closer to his face so he can look at the black marks darkening Seth's fingers, running up the back of his hands, and at the lines that trace the tendons of his fingers from his knuckles to form a V-like pattern on his skin.

   "Are these tattoos?" Ethan asks, turning Seth's hand this way and that. "Cool! I like your style." He grins up at Seth, and the alien's uncomfortable olive flush worsens. It makes him look vaguely sick.

   "Thanks..." He murmurs, looking away from Ethan now.

    I can tell from the way he's holding his hand that he wishes Ethan would let go of him, but he doesn't pull his hand back himself. I don't know why Ethan's being so intrusive; he's never like this when meeting new people. I know he can see how uncomfortable he's making Seth, at least... I'm pretty sure he can see. And yet still he doesn't back down.

   Ethan releases Seth's hand finally, and Seth immediately shoves it into his pants pockets. He makes an effort to train his gaze on the ground instead of looking at either of us now.

   "So... You're an alien, right?" Ethan asks.

   Both Seth and I dart our gazes to him, startled by his bluntness.