Wexxon the Great Alien Warrior - Juno Wells Page 0,1

women always do that?” Marsha sighed. “Why do women always default to making our achievements seem less than what they are?”

She then took a step closer to me before she went on. “Do you have any idea what an achievement it is for people like us to get into places like UCLA in the first place? And to blow everyone else out the water when it came time to apply for an internship at NASA?”

“…People like us?” I quietly pressed.

“I read everything in your file, Rachel.” Marsha smiled. “I know what it’s like to come from the zip code you come from. I come from one just like it.”

“Oh. Right.” I offered her a smile in return, too, even though I had a sinking feeling in my gut. I’d never been proud of where I came from, even though I was proud of how much my parents worked to provide me with the best life that they could. I’d even grown up with dreams of making a life for myself on my own, and then going back home and buying my mom and dad a big, beautiful house with a big, beautiful back yard.

But ever since my senior year of high school, the only reason I would’ve had to go back home would’ve been to visit their gravestones. My parents had died in an apartment fire, one that had burned up the whole building. The only reason I’d managed to survive was that I’d happened to be at the public library that night courtesy of a librarian who’d always seemed to like me, pulling an all-nighter as I studied for my SATs.

“Do you know how to make coffee?” Marsha asked, interrupted my darker thoughts. “Do you even like coffee? Because I’ve found that people who don’t drink the stuff are always much worse at making it, too.”

“I know how to make coffee,” I answered, with a slight nod. “Is that my first order of business?”

“Not officially, no.” Marsha laughed before she waved me into the room. “But I was starting to have a hankering for it. I swear, you work here long enough, and you learn how to survive on nothing but bagels and coffee.”

Marsha then paused for a moment as I stepped into the room. She seemed to be eyeing me up and down, soon letting out a small hum. “Actually, we might want to do something about the whole bagels and coffee thing. No offense, but I think that kind of diet might kill someone as thin as you. You just don’t have enough pounds to sustain the fast.”

“I’m not—” I was flustered by her assessment, my hands moving up to my waist as I tried to come up with a response. I was used to people commenting on how thin I was, but not a few minutes after meeting them for the first time. “I eat. I’ve just…always been like this. It’s actually bad, you know, when it comes to…having…babies…”

When it comes to having babies?

Oh my God. Had I really just said that out loud?

“Please don’t tell me you’re thinking about getting married and having babies any time soon.” Marsha groaned. “You’re way too young and way too smart for that. At least wait until you’re in your late thirties. Girls can wait, nowadays, you know. There’s been so much advancement on that front.”

“I know.” I nodded. “I’m…going to wait for as long as I can.”

“Good.” Marsha beamed over at me. “Because pregnant women can’t go anywhere near Sector C.”

“Sector C?”

“Oh, you’re going to love it!” Marsha excitedly clapped before a frown came over her expression. “Wait. Did Lonnie already have you sign an NDA?”

“Yes,” I hastily answered. “It was part of the paperwork they made me fill out before I was able to create a biometrics account.”

“Okay. Phew.” Marsha chuckled again. “Anyway, Sector C is part of our New Worlds Project.”

“New Worlds Project?”

Marsha then leaned toward me, her voice dropping to a whisper. “Aliens.”

“Fuck.” I couldn’t stop the word from slipping past my lips. “I mean, um, that sounds—”

“No, you had it right the first time.” Marsha grinned. “Fuck is always the appropriate response to hearing about aliens, I think.”

“Do you mean like, little green guys? Or…?” I was trying my best to pretend like I was excited and not horrified, visions of a violent alien uprising already sliding through my brain. “Is this…when did we start communicating with aliens?”

“Who said anything about communication?” Marsha playfully winked. “Unfortunately, I don’t think we’ll be at that stage