Having fun (crossposted to theatrical_muse)
Mrs. Yates laid down her book and looked at her nine-year-old daughter, who sat industriously tapping at a child's PADD and ignoring the glorious May sunshine outside.
"Kassie, honey, I really think you need to get some fresh air." She sighed. "We've been back on Earth almost a week, and all you've done is work on your holoprogram."
Kasidy didn't look up. "I'm trying to get it to make the pilot look like Mar'kata, Mom. I miss her."
"I know you do, sweetheart. But why don't you go out and play catch with Nathan? It would be more fun than sitting inside all day."
Kasidy rolled her eyes. "Mooom. Nathan's boring! He still plays with Flotter!"
Hiding her amusement (Kasidy herself had been playing the Flotter holoprogram not two weeks ago), Mrs. Yates gently took the PADD away from her daughter. "Out. For an hour. Then you can come back in and have some of the cookies the neighbours brought over last night."
"Mooooom...."
Five minutes later a disgruntled little girl stumped out of the house. She kicked at the grass (which was a little bit too green) and stared at the sky (a little bit too pale). She glared down the driveway with its bushy alien-looking trees. Earth was just too weird.
There was a bright spot against one of the trees across the road; somebody was peering around a tree-trunk. A little girl about her age, with long blonde braids.
Kasidy frowned, interested in spite of herself. It might be kind of nice to talk to somebody. She skipped across the road, pretending to ignore the visitor until she was a few feet away from the tree. Then she turned and called out to her before she could run away.
"Hello?"
A blonde head peeked out from behind the tree, then ducked back into safety.
"Who are you?"
A mumble.
"What?"
The head peeked out again. "'m Beth."
"Hi. I'm Kasidy. I don't bite."
Another mumble. Then, "My mommy says you're an alien."
Kasidy laughed. "That's silly."
"My mommy says you don't come from Earth."
"That's true. I'm from Cestus Three."
"So how come you're not an alien?" Beth came out from behind the tree, but stayed close to it in case Kasidy turned out to be a dangerous monster after all.
"You know Vulcans, right? Or Bolians, or Trills. If they live on Earth, that doesn't make them humans." She shrugged. "So if humans live somewhere else, that doesn't make them aliens."
Beth nodded. That made sense to her. "But do you know any aliens?"
"Oh, yeah. My best friend was an alien."
Beth's eyes got big. "Really?"
"Yep. She was a Bolian."
"All blue?"
"Yep."
"Wow. I never met any aliens."
Kasidy thought for a minute. "You can be my friend, if you want. Then I can show you all my holograms of Mar'kata."
"Okay."
Beth looked shy again, so Kasidy said quickly, "D'you know how to play baseball?"
Beth shook her head. "What's that?"
"It's a really good game my dad taught me. You play with a ball and a special stick called a bat. I can teach you, if you want. You can be the pitcher."
"Okay."
"Come on. I'll get my stuff. Maybe we can even get my brother to help. Except he's kind of little. Do you have any brothers?"
As the two little girls chattered their way across the lawn to get Kasidy's baseball equipment, Mrs. Yates pulled the curtains closed and smiled. With luck, Kassie would make friends here just like she had in the colony. She went back to her book, wondering if maybe she shouldn't go outside and have some fun herself sometime soon.
"Kassie, honey, I really think you need to get some fresh air." She sighed. "We've been back on Earth almost a week, and all you've done is work on your holoprogram."
Kasidy didn't look up. "I'm trying to get it to make the pilot look like Mar'kata, Mom. I miss her."
"I know you do, sweetheart. But why don't you go out and play catch with Nathan? It would be more fun than sitting inside all day."
Kasidy rolled her eyes. "Mooom. Nathan's boring! He still plays with Flotter!"
Hiding her amusement (Kasidy herself had been playing the Flotter holoprogram not two weeks ago), Mrs. Yates gently took the PADD away from her daughter. "Out. For an hour. Then you can come back in and have some of the cookies the neighbours brought over last night."
"Mooooom...."
Five minutes later a disgruntled little girl stumped out of the house. She kicked at the grass (which was a little bit too green) and stared at the sky (a little bit too pale). She glared down the driveway with its bushy alien-looking trees. Earth was just too weird.
There was a bright spot against one of the trees across the road; somebody was peering around a tree-trunk. A little girl about her age, with long blonde braids.
Kasidy frowned, interested in spite of herself. It might be kind of nice to talk to somebody. She skipped across the road, pretending to ignore the visitor until she was a few feet away from the tree. Then she turned and called out to her before she could run away.
"Hello?"
A blonde head peeked out from behind the tree, then ducked back into safety.
"Who are you?"
A mumble.
"What?"
The head peeked out again. "'m Beth."
"Hi. I'm Kasidy. I don't bite."
Another mumble. Then, "My mommy says you're an alien."
Kasidy laughed. "That's silly."
"My mommy says you don't come from Earth."
"That's true. I'm from Cestus Three."
"So how come you're not an alien?" Beth came out from behind the tree, but stayed close to it in case Kasidy turned out to be a dangerous monster after all.
"You know Vulcans, right? Or Bolians, or Trills. If they live on Earth, that doesn't make them humans." She shrugged. "So if humans live somewhere else, that doesn't make them aliens."
Beth nodded. That made sense to her. "But do you know any aliens?"
"Oh, yeah. My best friend was an alien."
Beth's eyes got big. "Really?"
"Yep. She was a Bolian."
"All blue?"
"Yep."
"Wow. I never met any aliens."
Kasidy thought for a minute. "You can be my friend, if you want. Then I can show you all my holograms of Mar'kata."
"Okay."
Beth looked shy again, so Kasidy said quickly, "D'you know how to play baseball?"
Beth shook her head. "What's that?"
"It's a really good game my dad taught me. You play with a ball and a special stick called a bat. I can teach you, if you want. You can be the pitcher."
"Okay."
"Come on. I'll get my stuff. Maybe we can even get my brother to help. Except he's kind of little. Do you have any brothers?"
As the two little girls chattered their way across the lawn to get Kasidy's baseball equipment, Mrs. Yates pulled the curtains closed and smiled. With luck, Kassie would make friends here just like she had in the colony. She went back to her book, wondering if maybe she shouldn't go outside and have some fun herself sometime soon.