The room on the Khransis they’d been given was much larger than Killerie had anticipated. It was mostly that familiar shade of shedling-approved white, with polished wooden paneling backing the various shelves and cabinets lining the walls. There was a rather fancy bathroom off to the side, which had a bathtub more than large enough for Killerie to fit in. The main bedroom had one bed and a lot of spare blankets, which meant she would be able to easily build a nest on the floor, and the final room in the suite had a ‘flatscreen’, which was apparently a kind of entertainment device. Killerie had never heard of it, but Madeline thought it was quite nice.

Killerie didn’t have much luggage, so she eventually decided on tossing the suitcase into the unnecessarily large closet. Having ‘unpacked’, she asked the question she’d been wondering.

“Hey, Mom?”

“Yes?”

Killerie looked out the window at the stars crawling by, incomprehensible speed barely making a dent on their lazy movement. “Why didn’t we tesser straight to Grinatyz? It didn’t take any time at all to leave the planet.”

Madeline shrugged. “I don’t know.”

Killerie paused at that. The answer had come immediately and without hesitation or disdain, but it still felt like too short of an answer. “I mean, if we can tesser to a ship, why can’t we tesser to a planet?”

Madeline considered the thought. “It probably has something to do with gravity.”

“Well… okay, but why? I mean - are there any blueprints I can look at?”

Her mom chuckled and walked over to Killerie, pulling her up into a hug. “You’d take your vocoder apart if you thought you could put it back together.”

Killerie pouted under the hug. “I totally could.”

Madeline gave her another squeeze. Killerie stared past her shoulder at the vast expanse of space visible through the window. She had tried, once, but she hadn’t been able to find screws in the flat disc, and there wasn’t any sign of glue or alternative adhesives. There weren’t even any faint lines in the material to indicate they could be dismantled. The same was true for the telepathy caps at the end of her antennae - she had no idea where to even start taking them apart.

Madeline stood back, watching Killerie’s face. The young shedling hastily rearranged her expression, going for a perky smile. She wasn’t sure whether her mother noticed, but now she wasn’t certain herself whether what Madeline showed and what Madeline felt were always the same thing.

Her projected excitement visibly staled, and Madeline’s forehead creased. “Well… once you work up to more complicated things, you could try working on your spare vocoder.”

“It’s not that,” Killerie muttered, trying to figure out how to put her feelings into words. She’d never tried to start a conversation like this with anybody, and she was worried she might be wrong, and if she was wrong, then… she didn’t know what would happen.

What was the worst that could happen? Her mom wouldn’t stop being her mom if Killerie asked questions. She didn’t doubt that in the slightest. She knew that logically and rationally. She could reason through her entire life spent with Madeline, and every molt and worry had been taken in stride. Her mom would understand.

Her feelings told her otherwise.

“Mom?” She quietly asked. Madeline knelt in front of her. Killerie’s glossy black eyes met Madeline’s concerned blue ones, and the worries faded away.

Mostly.

“Do you ever get scared?”

Madeline’s eyebrows jumped to her hairline, a quizzical smile crossing her face. “Of course I get scared. Everyone does, bean.”

Killerie dropped her eyes, suddenly unable to keep eye contact, and she whispered, “Then why don’t you want me to see it?”

She had a very good view of Madeline’s knees, but that meant she couldn’t see her mom’s face. Neither of them moved, and Killerie’s stomach twisted uncomfortably.

With a sigh, Madeline scooted next to Killerie and sat down, wrapping an arm around her as she crossed her legs. “Where’d this come from?”

“Back at the terminal,” Killerie mumbled. “With the shedling.”

Madeline didn’t say anything for almost a minute. The knot in Killerie’s gut worsened.

Finally, Madeline slowly replied, “When you’re afraid of something, do you want anyone to know about it?”

Killerie remained mute. Her mom kept talking. “Being scared… it makes you stop thinking with your head. When you know someone you love is scared, that… that makes you want to protect them, right?”

She rested her chin on one hand. “I don’t want to see you worry, Killerie. You - well. You’re getting bigger all the time. You’re growing, and I…” Madeline trailed off, stretching her legs out in front of her, staring at the ceiling.

Killerie pushed into her mom’s side, folding her many limbs inward so she wouldn’t poke her. “Love you, mom.”

Her mom pulled her into a more secure hug. “I love you more.”

Twisting, Killerie rotated her head enough to look into her mom’s eyes. “If you’re scared again, can you tell me? Being scared together sounds better than being scared by yourself.”

Madeline sighed. “I’ll try to, cocoa bean. But you have to promise me you’ll do the same, okay?”

Killerie gave her a small smile, a real one this time. “Okay.”

She hesitated for a moment. Back in the terminal, there had been a sort of fuzz in the background of her thoughts. She’d been too worried about the shedling to pay any attention to it, but… what if it was what the shedling wanted to know about when it’d asked her if she felt different? What if that buzz was really important, and she just didn’t know?

She had no idea how upset Madeline would be if she found out Killerie had lied, but her mom had just told her they could be scared together, and Killerie didn’t want to be scared of what her mom might say.

Bracing herself, she said, “Mom?”

Madeline gave her a hug. It was nice, but it made it a little harder to continue.

She took a breath and barged ahead. “I lied to the shedling.”

Madeline sat back, alarm lighting her features up, and Killerie hastily kept going before she could respond. “I didn’t mean to! I got nervous when he asked me if I felt different because there was a buzz or something, but I didn’t know whether it was something in the terminal and I didn’t want to get anyone in trouble.”

Her mom placed a hand on Killerie’s head, trying to calm her down. “Killerie. Killerie! It’s - it’s probably fine, alright?” Staring directly into her panicking eyes, Madeline continued, “That’s - that wasn’t a good thing to do.”

Killerie started to talk, but Madeline cut her off. “But this doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world!”

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

She pulled Killerie’s head into her lap, kneading the smaller plates at the top of her neck. Killerie slumped, feeling the tension drain out of her. “You shouldn’t lie to shedlings, but they’re really good at noticing lies. If they didn’t stop you from leaving, then it probably wasn’t very important.”

Killerie twisted around, pleadingly looking at her mom. “But…”

Madeline patted her head. “I promise, it’ll be alright. Do you trust me?”

Killerie stared back at her for a long moment, then sighed. “Yeah. A lot.”

Her mom planted a kiss on her forehead, then stood up and started stretching. “You know, I was reading up on that pamphlet, and I’m pretty sure they’ve got a pool on the lido deck.” She turned to look Killerie in the eyes, a grin on her face. “Do you remember when we went to the ocean?”

Killerie scowled, successfully distracted. “I remember the crabs.”

Madeline winced. “Well, yes, the crabs were a downer. But what about the ocean itself?”

“The swimming was nice,” Killerie conceded. “The crabs ruined it.”

Madeline’s grin grew bigger.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Killerie stared slack-jawed at the sight before her. Clean white patterned ceramic tiles stretched out before her, with only the occasional table to break up the flat surface. The walls were painted to mimic a clear sky, and a rack of towels covered one side. A weird, too-clean smell filled the air.

Not that she noticed any of that. A rectangular pond occupied the majority of the enormous room. Clear water lapped at the tiles edging it, occasionally spilling onto the ceramic as someone swam near to the edge. The opposite end was relatively shallow, with half a dozen kids and their parents were splashing around. The ground beneath the water gradually sloped down until it leveled out. One or two adults swam in the deep end, but most of the swimmers were in the shallow end along with their kids.

“That’s a pool.”

Killerie swung around to her mom, still shocked. “It’s like a giant bathtub!”

Madeline smiled widely. She’d changed into her swimsuit, the same red one-piece she’d worn when they’d gone on the disastrous beach trip, and she had four thick navy towels slung over one arm. “It is, except you can swim in this one all you want.”

Killerie almost dove in right then and there, but froze. Squinting into the deep end, she asked in a voice laden with suspicion, “There aren’t any crabs, right?”

“One hundred percent crab free,” Madeline confirmed. “Go ahead.”

Pulling her body underneath her, Killerie launched herself into the air with her legs splayed out, and smashed into the rippling water face first. The impact stung her face for a moment, but once she floated a little further down, she opened her eyes.

The water was remarkably clear, which meant she could see everyone in the pool. She couldn’t help but wriggle in excitement.

This was way better than the ocean!

Alternating her legs in rapid movements, she dove to the bottom of the pool and clung to the floor, enjoying the feel of the water pressing on her plates and stomach. She’d always liked resting in her bath. It was what she imagined being in space would feel like.

With a wriggly motion, she pushed off the ground and started clumsily swimming towards the shallower end of the pool, legs pumping. One of the kids in the other end was also submerged, a boy with brown hair, red swimtrunks, and a pair of goggles. A burst of bubbles erupted from his mouth once he saw her and he promptly shot up out of the water, wading for the side of the pool. More of the legs in her vision turned towards her, and in seconds the shallow end was churned into a froth from all the people vacating the pool.

She had to swim a little further forward before she could get up. She didn’t feel comfortable trying to stand on the sloped section of the floor, after all. Planting her rearmost feet on the pool’s bottom, Killerie lifted her head out of the water.

Everyone who had been in the pool stood dripping at the edge, silently staring wide-eyed at the soaked shedling standing in front of them. The expressions on display varied from fear and shock to hostility and confusion, but none of them left for some reason. Even the kids didn’t budge.

Suddenly nervous, Killerie sank into the water until everything from her eyes down was submerged, cautiously keeping an eye on all of them. What were they thinking? What had she been thinking?

There was a splash as Madeline dove into the deep end. She was a much more competent swimmer than Killerie, and she made it to the shallow end in a few seconds.

She staggered to her feet and pulled the hair out of her face, wiping her eyes with a ready smile. Ignoring the people at the edge of the pool, she asked Killerie, “Do you know what a cannonball is?”

Killerie flicked her attention between the unabashedly staring bystanders and her mom, before curiosity beat embarrassment. “No?”

Madeline climbed over the edge of the pool and headed back to the deep end. Taking a step back, she took a short run and then jumped, curling her legs and arms inward. Killerie flinched back as Madeline hit the water, a good-sized splash dousing the already sopping shedling further.

A moment later, she swam up to the surface, wiping her eyes clean. "Do you want to give that a shot?"

Killerie didn't have to put much thought into it. She scuttled up the side of the pool, avoiding the people standing along the poolside. They shifted out of the way, still watching her as she headed for the deep end.

Backing away for a running start, she charged for the water and jumped. The instant her feet left the ground, she started curling up, but her jump had far less impetus than she’d thought it would and she slammed into the water in a giant C shape.

A fwoom of bubbles shot past her head. Slithering back up to the surface, she poked her head out of the pool and reflexively blinked the water out of her eyes. Madeline was leaning on the side of the pool with a wide smile.

A second splash of water abruptly hit Killerie in the side of the face. Spluttering, she shook her head and stared.

There was a boy in the pool. The one she’d seen first, actually. The parents ringing the pool bore expressions of united panic, frozen in the motion of reaching out for him. Even Madeline seemed a little surprised.

He awkwardly paddled in the middle of the pool where he’d landed. He had a massive, alarmingly stubborn grin on his face.

“I’m Jason!” He shouted at Killerie. “I won!”

Killerie froze. There was a person in the pool with her. He seemed to have jumped in intentionally, but that felt… off. People weren’t comfortable around her, they never had been.

She flicked her gaze over to Madeline, totally unsure what to do. Her mom gestured to her encouragingly.

Turning back to Jason, she hesitantly replied, “I’m Killerie. Uh… what did you win?”

“My splash was bigger!” He instantly responded, slowly dragging himself over to the side of the pool.

Killerie glanced back at Madeline. Her mom was smiling wider than Killerie had ever seen her, and her face was damp. Probably from the pool.

Dashing the water under her eyes away with a quick hand, Madeline told Killerie, “Your turn!”

Startled, Killerie quickly scrambled out of the pool and shook herself off a bit. Jason took a running start and leapt into the air, tucking his arms and legs in. She had to admit, he did make a pretty big splash.

Taking a few steps back, she paused. She still wasn't sure what exactly was going on, or why Jason was talking to her, but Madeline seemed to think it was alright. There had to be a better way for her to make a splash than her previous strategy. She couldn’t get very high with a normal jump, but there had to be a better way.

Walking over to the edge, she reared up until she only had a few trembling pairs of legs on the slick tiles. Jason surfaced, spluttering with his eyes still closed. Taking a giant breath, he yelled, “That was huge!”

A background part of Killerie’s mind wondered how he could possibly know how big his own splash was with his eyes closed, but she ignored it. With a convulsive motion, she clenched her stomach muscles and launched herself forwards, forcefully smashing the flat plate on the top of her head into the surface of the pool.

The rest of her body tumbled in, and after a complicated bit of underwater maneuvering, she swam back up to the surface to see the results.

The surface of the pool madly undulated with ripples. Jason had been pushed to the opposite side of the pool, and a swathe of tiles on the other end was thoroughly drenched, along with the people who had been occupying it.

Jason sputtered to the surface, flailing around for the edge of the pool. The moment he had a grip, he wiped his eyes, fixed his gaze on Killerie, and screamed at the top of his lungs, “THAT WAS GREAT!”

Before Killerie could reply, another kid jumped in, and then another. Some of the parents visibly relaxed, and a few sat next to the pool, resting their legs in the water. Most of them left with their kids, hastily drying them off with fluffy towels and ignoring their small complaints. Killerie kept an eye on everyone, nerves singing with alarm as she tried to find the liars, the people who were hiding underwater so they could surprise her with the malicious punchline to a joke she'd never get to understand.

Five minutes passed, several more kids added their cannonballs to the mix, and she hadn't been hurt yet. In spite of her molt-induced caution, she slowly started to relax.

"Killerie!" Jason shouted from the side of the pool. He didn't seem to have any other volume aside from loud. "Beat this!"

He jumped in, this time sticking one leg out and leaning backwards. The resultant splash was much larger, and a man on the sidelines - his dad, maybe? - whooped in excitement. Killerie's antennae lashed as she climbed out of the pool, trying to figure out how she could generate an even bigger response to Jason's attempt.

Five minutes after that, the pool was once again full, this time with a very large centipede and a very proud mom added to the mix.