Species Traitor: A Science Fiction Dystopian Novel by Kate Mary (books to read to get smarter txt) 📕

to be used as clotheslines, spinning in the breeze, the damp clothes clipped to the spokes flapping as they did.

Those were just a couple examples of how the Veilorians had managed to reuse whatever castoffs the humans threw their way. Unlike us, the visitors took pride in their world, and as a result, the little city encompassed by the fence was fresh and bright and well cared for. Welcoming, even.

While humans didn’t tolerate Veilorians leaving their part of the city, the aliens who’d come here almost twenty-two years ago had no qualms about us coming inside—assuming we didn’t cause trouble. It had even become a rite of passage for most teens these days, coming into the District to get a drink at one of the Veilorian bars or grabbing some food at one of their restaurants. It was how Ione had met Rye, and she wasn’t alone. Johnson hadn’t been exaggerating about the number of humans now living in the District. More and more young people were discovering that the visitors weren’t the monsters their parents had made them out to be. Even the mayor, who was currently running for re-election, had gone on record saying he thought the restrictions on Veilorians had been too harsh for too long. It gave me hope that things might one day change. Not that I thought it would alter my family’s view of Ione’s marriage, but at least it would be a step in the right direction.

A few Veilorians glanced my way as I headed deeper into the District, but most seemed not to notice me. I stood out even though they didn’t look all that different from humans. They weren’t like the aliens of old horror movies, scary or bug-like, but were instead anatomically similar to us. In fact, at first glance, there was only one main difference between Veilorians and humans. Their height. The men were tall—often over seven feet—and broad, all muscle and strength, and even the women surpassed six feet. The females were all slim, too, and while they did have small breasts and their reproductive systems were compatible with our own, they weren’t curvy like humans, but straight up and down——which was probably why so many Veilorian men were enamored with human women. It wasn’t uncommon to find teenage Veilorian boys huddled together, their eyes glued to a human magazine that had managed to find its way inside the District.

While humans came in many different shades, Veilorians all had ghostly pale skin that didn’t tan or burn even after hours in the sun, and pale, jewel colored eyes. Turquoise and lilac were common shades, as well as soft greens and even some mauve. They were, all things considered, a very attractive species.

I’d been in the District enough times that I had no problem finding my way through the towering city to Rye’s house. It was in the center but three stories up, and to reach it, I had to climb two spiral staircases and cross a couple walkways. I was halfway across the second one when my scalp prickled from the sensation of being watched, and I stopped to scan the neighboring paths, finally spotting a Veilorian man below me.

No, he wasn’t Veilorian, I realized, but half-human. It was odd, considering he had to be at least twenty, meaning he must have been conceived only a short time after the visitors arrived on Earth. I’d never seen a half-human older than the age of eleven—although there had to be some—and seeing him now was strange and a little awe-inspiring.

Being half-human, the guy was shorter than most Veilorian males, but still had to be a good foot taller than my five feet seven inches. Like his alien counterparts, he was slim but broad, and his skin was the same pale ivory as every other Veilorian in the District. His hair was sandy brown and his eyes the pale yellow-orange shade all half-human children had. There was also something about his features that made him look distinctly human even though he was as breathtakingly attractive as every other Veilorian. Maybe even more so, if that was possible.

His gaze held mine, trapping me in place, and my body tingled under the scrutiny. But in a good way. I’d met dozens of Veilorian men since the first time Ione and I visited the District—I’d even gone on a double date with one after she started seeing Rye—but I’d never met a half-human Veilorian, and I’d never seen one even remotely close to my age. They were all a lot younger, most of them toddlers or babies.

After a moment, he looked away, his focus shifting to something I couldn’t see. Only a few seconds after that, he moved out of sight, blocked from view by another walkway, but I stayed where I was, waiting to see if he’d come back or maybe even head up to introduce himself. The way he’d looked at me, his intense, citrine eyes taking me in and making every nerve ending in my body fire at once as if I were about to burst into flames, made it seem like he’d wanted to meet me. But to my disappointment, he neither came back into view nor materialized on the walkway.

Once I was sure he wasn’t going to pop up in front of me, I started walking again, continuing my trek to Rye’s house, telling myself there would be time to meet this half-human Veilorian. The District was small, so the odds were good that I’d see him again one day. Although why I wanted to meet him, I didn’t know. Curiosity, maybe? Yes, that had to be it. While I didn’t begrudge Ione’s choice, I’d never really considered getting involved with a Veilorian myself. Even the one date I’d gone on had been more to humor my cousin than out of any real desire to date an alien.

I paused when I reached my cousin’s new home, taking a moment to study the tiny dwelling. Like all the houses