Holiday

Summary: You are a gift to the stars.   … ⭐️/ ⭐️\ ⭐️/ ⭐️…   Your presence is noted long before you arrive. We expect you with much joy, as always. “Goood morning, my darling-est favorite-est stars!”  We greet you. Hello, starchild, we say. “Did you see what holiday it is? Did you see??” Your grin would be contagious, if only we could smile the way you do. Yes...

A young xero sat before a long mirror, her legs crossed, her arms to her chest, her eyes filled with sadness. The light from the window behind her darkens her reflection.— Still looking Addy? — a figure more familiar, yet more alien than any, walked up behind her.— ..Mhm.— she hesitated in response. — You know.. the produ...

“This is your new sister,” they told me. “Her name is Morning Glory.” I couldn’t help myself when I asked: “Morning Glory? How’d she even pick that out?” But they told me, “She didn’t.”   . . .   I was already twenty when she joined the family unit. And...

Dearest Diary, Today, Mom and Dad and Dad all went out to do something or other. Probably something boring, which is why I elected not to go. Instead, I shall spend the day with my dear older brother(?) Vampire. Or Vamp. I’m not entirely sure if Vamp is short for Vampire or if he is secretly some sort of honeypot*. Regardless, today was the first day he spent willingly in my presence for more than a few hours. ...

The world was full of wonder, sunshine, and new words the young xero was just beginning to understand. Blinking at her classmates, X-185 knew today could be the day she was assigned a foster family. She had lived at ARC labs just long enough to watch others find their homes, and though her time here had been short, she anxiously awaited whomever might call her number forward. Typically, assignments were given on the first day of the week. Two cycles had passed since X-185 knew of the traditio...

Far into the deepest jungles of the Jurupa Forest, miles away from civilization, in a cozy secluded grove near a river, a small home once sat nestled among vines and twisting branches. In this home lived an old grey Xero. He had enjoyed a simple life here for many years. In the morning he tended to his crops, in the afternoon he fished and panned for rare stones in the river, and in the evening he settled by the fireplace for a well-earned dinner and rest. This ...

It was a sunny, lazy afternoon, and Sunny was laying on one of his parents' laps while the other's drone body was perched nearby. His sister was inside, resting after a procedure, and while she slept better when he wasn't around, none of them had the heart to be doing things out in public. Instead, they sat in the sun, quietly recharging in multiple senses with Sunny's head in his parent's lap as the little xero stared at the swirling, clear motes in the sky th...

An older house stood on the outskirts of Harbor, tall and dignified, perfectly matching its owner. Qumula had taken the day to do some spring cleaning, and replace a few frames for her photographs. Taking one off the mantle, a warm, nostalgic smile blossomed across her face. She’d raised her own hatchlings alongside Tessle, and it had been absolutely perfect.    For years, Qumula had volunteered at ARC to help with whatever they needed. Her love and understanding of biology ...

Catfish’s life began as all living Xeros do, born from a capsule that had been genetically engineered by ARC Laboratories. Unlike most Xeros, Catfish has the glitch status, as some researchers wanted to see how a Xero’s body would react to gaining new sequences of DNA not originally included in the samples collected. Catfish seemed normal at first glance, but through a medical exam, something was noted: the lack o...