I don't think I realized that I was no longer in my room in Breckenridge when I firs woke up the next day, especially since I woke up and begin to feel that sense of being in a foreign place. My only solace was that my Earthy possessions and decorations were placed in their respective places on my desk, walls and dresser, but it was odd to have the usual morning scent of Papa's French toast be replaced with lilac and jasmine. What was even more strange that I also came to realize that I was alone; Mama, Papa, Jeffar...no one was here in the apartment but me. This was my own home, one where I could do what I want, when I wanted. It was a...very new feeling, this independence, but it also fueled my sense of purpose a bit as well. And by purpose I mean that I no longer lived by my parents' rules and could ver well live by my own if I was so inclined.

I kept my promise and called my family via Skype, and I was fortunate enough to catch them before any of them had left for work or school. I didn't expect both Mama and Papa to answer though - Papa would have answered regardless, but I had figured Mama was too disappointed in my academic decision to even bother to answer my call. Devon and Dominique had picked up too, which lightened my already apprehensive mood.

"There's our little astronaut!" Papa cooed, and I felt heat rise to my cheeks. "Where have you been? Your ride there was only for two days!"

"I know, I'm sorry." I apologized. "It was so late when we finally got here, I was exhausted. Anyway, I arrived safely and I'm all moved in."

"Well? C'mon!" Dominique urged excitedly. "What's it like there? Show us your new place so we can see!" I obliged, of course, giving them a tour of my new apartment and showing them the furniture that I picked out (and making Dominique cringe at my tastes yet again), but they were happy to see that I had a place of my own and that I was settling in comfortably. I also told them that I met two of my new neighbors and that I was supposed to be meeting up with them later with a few others, but I left out the part where I was the only human in the entire building and that my new neighbors were extraterrestrials. If you're wondering about my family's standing in regards to interacting with aliens, I will explain later when it's more relevant. The call itself didn't last long since my parents and siblings had to get to their jobs or school, and I had a day to prepare for myself, so we disconnected within the half hour. I then showered, dressed...and realized that I didn't have any food in my kitchen.

Yes, I failed to realize that my kitchen was completely devoid of any food, meaning that I had no way of getting a proper breakfast. And it's not like I could just run out to the nearest McDonald's and get a McGriddle then worry about the groceries later; I arrived on the Ark a little over 8 hours ago, and I haven't had the time to exactly get my lay of the land (so to speak) to just walk out the door to the next store for what I needed. Logically, what I should have done was ask my neighbors if there was a grocery anywhere in the near vicinity, but I was too ashamed of myself and I didn't want to bother anyone. I know, it didn't make sense, but that was my mindset at the time. Fortunately for me, I still had some snacks saved from the Axel. Not the healthiest of breakfasts, but it would hold me over until I could get some actual food in my home.

There were a lot of secrets held in my little apartment, as I would come to realize as I waited for noon to come around. My kitchen had something like a bar that also acted as a border between the living room and kitchen. I noticed that there was this faintly discolored but clear area on the bar that was a perfect circle. Naturally, I rubbed my finger over it as if I was expecting something to happen...and to my surprise, it did. I came to realize that the circle was a sensor which lit up a blue hue as a holographic replica of the Ark appeared right before my eyes. Now, keep in mind that I was used to holographic technology given that we had our fair share back on Earth, but I didn't expect my apartment, let alone the bar, to have a holographic map built right in. As you would expect, I had my fun as I played with the semi-transparent map for a while, spinning it enlarging certain areas, pointing at random locations and causing a little info tab to appear...I even found the building I was in and enlarged the area trying to see if I could peer into the windows, but I couldn't. The map provided some entertainment until I checked the time to see that it was almost 1 o' clock; The meet-up must have started by then, so I turned off the map and headed out the door. It only hit me after I boarded the lift that I could have used the map to find a grocery in the near vicinity. Whoops.

The apartment I was supposed to go to was just a floor above me on the fourth floor, apartment number D-720. I arrived to be the only one there on the outside, which didn't help my anxiety any. I know I wasn't too late, although I began to wonder if Ismarii and Ra'rael still believed I was coming. I'll be honest; I wasn't sure about going at first, but they went out of their way to invite me over and it would have been rude to not go. So I bit back my growing social anxiety and approached the door and lifted my hand to knock...but stopped. I didn't hear anything from the other side - the doors to the apartments were pretty thick to begin with, so no sound could go through them unless it was exceptionally loud. I went to knock again, then noticed a button next to the door that looked a lot like a doorbell. I went against my better judgement and pushed it, not knowing if I had turned on or off something vital within that apartment. Fortunately, it was just a doorbell, or something like one. There was a moment of silence before I heard a voice through a microphone, one I had never heard before.

"Hi! Can I...oh! Oh-oh-oh! You're the human girl! Wait there one sec - I'll come open the door!"

My mouth was still open as I had prepared to say something...only being able to release a small squeak as I was unable to speak a word and had to wait for the owner to come open the door. Fortunately, I didn't have to wait long; the door slid open and I was greeted by another extraterrestrial. She was about a head taller than me, covered in ceil fur although the fur on her chest and at the tip of her tail was much thicker. Long tail, fins and sapphire colored eyes, wearing a tube top and blue jeans. She smiled wide when she saw me, extending her paw. "Hiya! I'm Ciel - so nice to finally meet you!"

Her paw pad was soft against my palm, her fur was also soft against my fingers - almost having the same texture as down feathers. "Hello. I'm Minuet. Um...Ra'rael invited me..."

"Yup! He told us, and we were so excited to meet you! Oh! Right, come right in! Everyone else wants to meet you!" She moved aside and granted me entry, where I immediately walked inside and began to feel knots twist up in my stomach. It was a feeling I always get whenever I was going to or in a room full of strangers.

I didn't know what to expect when I entered - since it was just a get-together, I knew there wasn't going to be a big party or anything of the sort as it was a much more casual affair. The first thing I noticed was how homey Ciel's apartment was as the metallic walls were replaced with masonry and the floors was all shag carpeting, the usual scent of lilac and jasmine was replaced with what I could identify as pumpkin spice. Her furniture consisted of the same palette ranging from soft purples, blues and grays, white granite coffee table and counter with a myriad of various and exotic plotted plants sitting in certain spots or hanging from hooks on the ceiling. I spotted Ismarii and Ra'rael on the couch, both whom greeted me once they were alerted of my presence, but there was only one other person in the apartment as well discounting Ciel given I had already met her - it was her apartment after all.

I felt everyone's eyes on me as soon as I walked in, which did nothing for my already growing knots deep in my gut. If I didn't believe that I was the only human in this entire building, I was definitely aware of it now. My only saving grace was that there were two familiar faces there to help ease my growing nervousness, so I went to sit with them while the other guest and Ciel moved over to where we were all sitting in the living room, and I got the strangest feeling that I was going to be the center of attention for the duration of time I would be there. Ciel sat in the middle of Ismarii and Ra'rael while I and the other guest sat in the other armchairs. I had expected to be subjected to a plethora of questions regarding my race and the planet I came from...but I was not. Other than my name, they didn't ask too much else but instead offered me to ask them questions regarding their race and planets. I couldn't deny that I was curious, but I didn't want to seem rude or try to pry into their personal affairs. But the fact that they offered me the floor for inquiry took a lot of that weight off and a lot of that tension began to ease up.

I decided to start with Ismarii since she was the first one I met and her species intrigued me, I'll admit. "I noticed that you have webbed digits...are you of aquatic origin?"

"I am!" She giggled in glee, as if she was glad I was close to guessing her planet of origin. "I am a sea-faring variant of Kobold, and I hale from the tropical planet of Leirani. This is my second year attending Phideza, and I've been on the Ark for three years when my family first moved here. We've been here ever since."

Next was Ra'rael and...well, I didn't bother to guess since I had absolutely no idea where to start. I blurted out the first thing that came to mind - which was if he was a jackal - and immediately felt like an idiot afterwards because he didn't even know what a jackal was. "I am a Saviel who originates from the desert world of P'yrra nuun. This will be my third year for both attending Phideza and residing on the Ark."

Next was Ciel. "This is also my second year, and I come from the planet Feyrisse." I noticed that Ciel didn't mention what she was as a species, but I bit my tongue and moved on because I was still embarrassed after what happened with Ra'rael.

"Hi there." Came from a shark. Except sharks didn't have ears. Well, visible ears. Slate grey and cropped raven hair that hung over the left side of his face and fiery orange eyes, also in a graphic t-shirt and jeans. I didn't bother to ask if he truly was a shark as I didn't want to suffer any further embarrassment and make myself look more like a jackass. "I also come from Leirani, but from the deeper regions. My name's Obsidian - I'm going on my second year."

I know this was strange given that I was clearly being welcomed, but I felt - excuse the pun - alienated from this little circle of friends. At the time, I thought it was because I was the only human amongst them, despite each of them being an entirely different race from the other. Now I realize it was for the fact that I felt so...plain in comparison. I know it seems odd given that there were other species who found us interesting, but let me take a moment to let you see it from my point of view: I live on a planet where the dominant species are the same type of humanoids with the only differences being their skin color, unlike other planets which contained a myriad of races, each different and unique than the other. Ismarii and Obsidian were from the same planet, but entirely different from the other, meaning that there was a strong possibility that there were more races on their planet. Even those within the same species have different traits that set them apart from the others. Even with my new friends, all whom were extravagant in their own right, they were so diverse and even gorgeous. And then there was me...Minuet. The human.

Still, the warmth in which my fellow tenants gave off as we talked made me feel less and less like a sore thumb sticking out amongst them. There was no need to explain my race or planet of origin since they already knew, but they made it clear that they were elated to have a human in their building for once. I knew they couldn't just walk into the other buildings that housed humans or risk getting in trouble, but I found it very strange that none of them or anyone they may have known was not able to befriend or at least speak with another human at the university, or at least run across one during an outing. I voiced my concerns about the matter, and silence fell over the room as they shared glances with one another. I was beginning to feel apprehensive thinking I had misspoke, but the silence was finally broken when Ciel released a sigh.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Sorry, but it's not that we haven't tried..." She spoke with some shyness. "But...humans...not saying that you're the same, but they seem to favor sticking to their own kind?"

"Oh." Immediately came from me as I rolled my eyes. "If that's it, then I'm not surprised. Humans are...we're a very...what's the word....'shallow' race. We have long accepted the fact that there is life way beyond our solar system over a century ago and even welcomed other aliens to Earth when they came. But if I'm right we act different here, right?"

"Well, you aren't acting different." Ismarii murmured. "You're really nice and you don't look at us as if we're....well...aliens. Well, to you we technically are but....you get the idea."

"No, I understand. If I'm honest? I feel so....underwhelming compared to the rest of you." I remembering feeling strange having openly admitting that, but it felt better to get it off of my chest anyway. "You're all so extravagant and diverse and I'm just so...plain."

"Are you kidding?" Ciel laughed. "You're so cool! I know that's a bold claim having just met you, but you are! Which is why I'm even more glad that we got a chance to meet you!"

I felt much better after hearing that...and I ended up spending that entire afternoon with my new extraterrestrial neighbors, chatting and learning more about each other as time went on. We even brought up each others' home planets on the digital map on Ciel's counter, although they seemed more interested in where I came from. Of course, I was more than happy to bring up the little humble space rock I called home, enlarging the planet until it showed North America, then Colorado, then Breckenridge. I had to admit, seeing my hometown on a map knowing that I was nowhere near it...it was surreal, but I also felt a slight pang of homesickness as the reality of the situation began to steadily set in again. I wasn't on Earth anymore....hell, I was nowhere near the Milky Way Galaxy in a whole! I must have fell into another one of my trances since Ismarii had to ask if anything was wrong given I was staring at the holographic image of Breckenridge for a few moments. I quickly dismissed it, telling her I was feeling a little homesick before turning off the map.

I wasn't sure when it was exactly, but we were given options as to what we wanted to do for food - order take out or rummage through Ciel's kitchen for snacks to hold us over until we went back to our respective apartments. At that very moment was when I remembered something very important that I intended on taking care of before the day was over. "Oh, uh...before I forget...where's the nearest grocery store?"

I half expected to be met with humored laughter or incredulous glances of some kind, but I was not met by either or, and instead heard Ra'rael smack his own forehead as if he had forgotten something. "Shit, that's right. You just moved in....you don't have any food in your place, do you?"

"Nope."

"Well," Obsidian spoke now "technically you don't need to go to the store itself. When it's inconvenient, you can have your groceries delivered to you."

"She doesn't have that available to her right now." Ismarii pointed out, as if it was a basic fact despite that I had no idea what they were talking about. "She just got here yesterday, remember?"

"Oh...right."

Ra'rael only rolled his eyes as he stood and went straight to the door, and I instinctively followed him as I had this feeling he was going to guide me to where I needed to go. "Right. So. We're going out on a food run. You're all welcome to join if you want." We were out the door before any of them could say they were coming or not, and midway down the hall I would realize that the other four had decided to join us on our quest to the grocery. I was tempted to ask, but neither of them said anything as we boarded the lift, so I also decided to stay quiet. From what I could gather, it was a regular thing between them.

Now, my readers, it may seem odd that I would include something so trivial such as a trip to the grocery in this chapter, but this was actually one of the more pivotal moments of my life. Even the most simplest of tasks or outings can be the very first of a chain of events that would lead to - in my case - a rather strange roller coaster of emotions as I went through a...shift, you could say. As an 18 year old, it was especially difficult since I didn't have the luxury of still being a teenager and dismissing it as the "experimental phase" as my mother would call it. Still, it could have very well have been considered the same thing as many young adults still go through this phase up until they realize it wasn't a phase at all by the time they hit their early or mid twenties. It was an entirely different experience for me, and more on that when it comes up.

There was a quaint little square just on the next block of the apartments that held businesses such as a few restaurants, a pharmacy, several clothing shops, and electronic store, a bakery, and of course the grocery. I couldn't say that the grocery was standard to that of what I would see on Earth; it was much bigger, broken up into specific sections that catered to the needs of the vast diversity of species and races from all across the galaxy. I should point out that the grocery on the Ark doesn't operate the same way as on Earth. For starters, you no longer required a cart or basket to carry your groceries with; all the aisles and shelves instead had digital screens displaying the item and the quantity above it. Below the screen was a button and another screen - the button was for you to decide how many of the item you wanted and the screen displayed how many you picked. The items would then be transported to the front to a self-checkout, where you had to go first and enter your name and claim a register temporarily until you were finished shopping. We entered and dispersed into separate directions shortly afterwards so I was left on my own at the time, but that sense of feeling lost was starting to set in again as I had no idea where to start. Not where to start in the store itself, but what to actually buy. I was so used to my mom or dad doing the grocery shopping or going to the nearest Chinese takeout or pizza place that I had no idea as to what I wanted to stock in my kitchen. Now, this isn't to say that I can't cook - since Papa was the main cook in our home, I learned how to make a myriad of recipes from him, and I considered myself a decent cook at best. I decided to go for the standard items first such as cereal, milk, bread, eggs, coffee, salt, pepper as well as some toilet tissue, paper towels and cleansers...I was still on a student budget so I stocked up on instant ramen as well.

I didn't stay in the Earth sections only - there were other foods that were safe for human consumption and I couldn't deny that I was curious as to what else was available. I was browsing the various meats when I was accompanied by another shopper who also browsed what was on display in the glass case. I wasn't sure what it was, but I found myself looking over at the other shopper due to my own curiosity. He was as tall as Ra'rael but lacked his tall ears, his entire body covered with silver fur and wispy markings that coiled up and around his neck and tail. He was unique as he had 4 slender ears, jasper eyes and long red hair where only a quarter near the back was white with streaks within the red. It was at this point that I found myself captivated by the towering creature and for the life of me I couldn't understand why. He was certainly unique, of course, but the Ark entirely was a massive hub for diversity, so it was nothing I should have been surprised by. But there was something about this fellow that immediately had me drawn in before I knew it, and I had to force myself to not look at him for too long and be caught staring and seen as another shallow human. We were just strangers to each other who only crossed paths as we were seeking the same thing. What a strange way to meet strangers.

There is a reason why I included this particular moment - I wouldn't have if it weren't important but for clarification's sake, I need to point this out a second time. Unlike the usual romance novel or chick-flick where two strangers stare at meat and suddenly the two find a way to speak to each other and they hit it off which leads to a whirlwind romance between two star crossed lovers. No. No, this was nothing like that; It wasn't love at first sight for neither of us, and we parted ways without another word after getting what we wanted and that was the end of it. Yes I will openly admit that this stranger in particular was alluring for the simple fact he was an unique extraterrestrial that had luscious fur and hair and had a build that had me curious, but that was it. The only thing that even got us to meet up again was when I met back up with Ciel and Ra'rael to checkout and he was there engaging in a conversation with them both. Of course, Ra'rael was the first to pick up on my presence, his large ears never failing to pick up on distant noises, and all three were immediately alerted of my approach.

"Ah, hello Minuet." He greeted me with a smile before nodding towards the stranger. "We ran into a friend of ours and were just talking about you."

"You were?" I asked, although I would have rather stayed quiet. At the same time, I didn't want to seem like an asshole either. I was moderately surprised to see that it was the stranger I had seen previously, but I remained quiet and only greeted him proper. "Hello, by the way. Are you in the same building?"

"I'm afraid not. I live in the south building." He smiled, extending his hand where I immediately shook it. He didn't exactly have paw pads, but his had was soft enough to be one on its own. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Minuet. I'm Sorin - I know Ciel and Ra'ael because we attend the same classes."

Anyone who knows me already know exactly why I included this part of the story, and for new readers who are already making their own assumptions on the matter - all of which I am sure are similar if not the same - yes, I engaged in an interspecies relationship with Sorin some time down the line. As I've stated before, none of it was spontaneous as you would like to believe since my life isn't that of the main protagonist of the next comedy romance. And while I do not want to give the full story just yet given that it's not the time, please bear in mind that my memoirs do not strictly revolve around Sorin and I despite our relationship making a huge impact in both of our lives than we had initially anticipated. My fellow humans are most likely frowning at the idea of another having any sort of intimate affairs with an extraterrestrial as we are still stuck on our traditional ways in regards to sticking with our own species when engaging in courtship, and just that detail alone was the cause of why I almost didn't get this published in the first place. Nevertheless, while the act is still frowned up and even seen as a taboo in large circles on Earth, that still didn't stop me or Sorin as he was one of the main reasons why I am where I am now. But more on that a bit later.

We spoke for a good while as I began to checkout, my three new friends explaining how they knew each other after working on a group project for their class. They were close friends, although Ra'rael and Sorin were particularly close since they knew each other longer. In turn, I told him how this would be my first year attending Phideza and how I had moved in the previous night, and meeting with my friends. Of course, he was also aware that I was the only human in the entirety of the east building and I gained the strangest feeling that I would be hearing that for the remainder of my time there. Not that it bothered me - it was puzzling and somewhat embarrassing at first, but I was slowly but steadily embracing the idea of being the only one of my kind amongst an apartment full of other diverse races, and I gained a little bit of pride behind that.

We returned to the apartment with our new goodies in tow after the others had regrouped at the registers, where we went our separate ways since we had our own respective business to attend to. Granted, I really enjoyed my time with my friends, and that overwhelming sense of loneliness was becoming more and more of a distant memory, and I found myself smiling as I put away my groceries when I got home that evening. I would have regular meet-ups with them until school started the following week where they all helped me settle in as the days passed. They showed me around the Ark - well, they showed me around the district we lived in. Again, the Ark is a massive intergalactic hub, and despite only being built as a space station, it was large enough to almost be considered as a planetoid. The Ark was broken into several districts; the district we lived on was District Theta, which was considered to be where the middle or working class and students resided. This was the district I had to focus on since I lived there, but I still learned about the others just to have a relative idea rather than walk around completely ignorant. Of course, I didn't memorize every district and its relative function my first time and it took me some time to remember just a third of the Ark itself. While there was a slim chance I would ever be going to any of the other districts if it wasn't for school or work, I still wanted some idea as to what else was there other than the university.

There wasn't much for me to do for that week up until school finally started the following Tuesday, where my wacky adventures and misadventures truly began. That's right - the introductory portion of this story has come to and end, and the main event is coming up, which is what I am positive most of you are reading this for. Allow me to entertain you with the strangeness that my life was about to become.