My Friend Is An Alien

12 My First Museum and My First Gift

12 My First Museum and My First Gift

Using my small portable scanner on my wrist, I managed to find the CCTV of the Poultry Cross and alter it ever so slightly, so I wasn't implicated in anything that looked out of the ordinary. With a spring in my step, I fell behind Rachel and Ryan, who were now quietly and slowly walking around the park. I took the time to check out some of Salisbury's attractions, one of them being the museum, which I thought was interesting. It wasn't that far away, either.

I thought I'd broach the subject and see what would happen. "Um, Ryan, may we go to the museum?"

"The museum?" Ryan asked, sounding almost relieved that I wished to do something normal. "Well, I don't see why not. Rachel?"

She was tapping on her phone, her neck craned down, so her hair was hiding her face. "What?" She looked up, and there was a slight change in her appearance when she glanced at me. Was it curiosity? Fear? The expression was odd to me. I was unsure of it, and it made me apprehensive. What would they say if Rachel or Ryan did go to the police? How would they broach the topic? That I had jumped high into the air and ran insanely fast to punch a thief in the face to give back a woman's bag? Saying it thus so sounded strange. So perhaps I was safe, for now.

"Museum? Quinta would like to go."

Rachel stopped tapping on her phone. Her brows knitted together. It clearly sounded like something was irritating her... "Last time I went there, I was what... six, seven? It's quite boring."

Ryan rolled his eyes. "But not for a Finnish student," Ryan interjected. "We are here to show Quinta about Salisbury. Come on; it's not always about you."

She glowered further and groaned. "Fine. Let's go. Just prepared to be bored."

The walk to the museum was silent. Both Rachel and Ryan were playing on their phones again, but it gave me quiet reflection on the surroundings of the city. The luscious green of the grass from the park as we walked around it was speckled with vibrant flowers. Passing them, I inhaled their interesting scents. One smelt similar to a plant I had on my home planet. It's called T'hyriu'n. It's a blue and black flower that is given to a special child. All of my siblings are special, but my K'ata, or mother, gave it to me before I left for earth. That small gesture meant a lot to me. I wish I could have brought it with me, but mixing any flora or fauna on earth is prohibited.

Then just as we left the park, my memories were pushed away as the clouds released their rain. I noticed how the weather changes people's gait. They quicken to hurry indoors, covering their heads with whatever they could; their hoods, an umbrella or even a small stack of papers that they call a newspaper. The chance to people-watch was a fun pastime for my race. Ryan and Rachel just put their hoods up and kept their head down. Children, apparently, don't really care if they get wet. The adults, however, were practically running for their lives.

The shower only lasted for approximately three and a half minutes. A sheen of water covered the pavements, which reflected the sun, making the ground glimmer like gold. It would have been pretty if it wasn't already pockmarked with chewing gum.

Moments before we turned around a corner, Ryan's phone rang. "Hello, mum."

I heard the conversation clearly. "Hello love, where are you?"

"About to go to the museum." Rounding the corner, Ryan pointed ahead. "It's there," he said to me.

"Oh, okay. When do you think you'll be back?"

"Er, an hour or two. We've already had lunch," he added.

"Has Rachel got her present for Hannah?"

"Yes."