A rumble sounded from Paige's belly that drew the eye’s of Jim. Blushing to her roots, Paige placed a hand on her empty stomach and avoided eye contact with Jim. With her recent acquisition of Jim, had made Paige forget how hungry she was. As a growing Ctarl-Ctarl, she needed food every five hours or her body would shut down and she’d become nearly comatose. At her tender age, getting food wasn’t a want, it was a must have. Her eyes fell on the cowering teen she’d picked to be her meal. She’d picked him because he looked mean and she didn’t think she would feel so bad eating him if he was a jerk. However, since she dragged him out of his cage, he’d been cowering next to her, looking pitiful and pulling at Paige’s sympathy. It no longer was easy to see him as food as before. Another rumble sounded from her belly, this one much louder. Rushing to her feet, she grabbed her Terran meal by his collar and ran for the door. She called out as she ran, “I need to take care of something. Take care of Jim, Trisha. Bye!”

Trisha and Jim watched Paige sprint out, running like hell was following. The two newly made inter-species friends were left alone, with nothing to do, but talk.

“Are you sure you don’t want to rub my belly? You can feel the bones of Terran’s inside softening as you rub,” Trisha said, trying to entice Jim to give her bloated belly a good massage. Jim raised his eyebrow, silently asking if Trisha really though the idea of feeling dying children would persuade him to help her. Trisha caught the look and smiled apologetically, if she had mentioned the bone-melting thing to a Ctarl-Ctarl, they would have been more then happy to give a rubdown. Sometimes, Trisha forgot that Jim was a Terran, a weak, edible Terran. He showed such strength of character and bravery, give him a tail and cat ears and no one would be able to tell him apart from any other Ctarl-Ctarl.

Leaning forward, Trisha stared hard at Jim. Her belly pushed against the table and caused the bolted down table to groan. She wanted to know something and didn’t have the patience to act coy about it. So, she asked her question directly. “You know Jim, you’re a smart kid. I don’t think I have to tell you that Paige has a huge crush on you. Now, I like you Jim, but you’ll be on my menu quicker then you can say ‘digested’ if you ever break my little Paige’s heart.” Here eyes narrowed on Jim and she showed a bit of teeth to frighten the boy. She expected him to give her a hasty promise to treat Page like a princess. She expected him to start groveling. She didn’t expect him to stare back at her defiantly and cross his arms over his chest calmly. His face creased into a stern expression.

“I can’t promise I’ll date Paige and love her until I grow old, but I can promise my aid, my trust and my friendship. I like Paige, even a little bit like-like her, but I can’t call it love, not at this moment without knowing for certain. One thing I do now a hundred percent, I would never, ever, ever, intentionally hurt a friend, and Paige is one of my best friends. Like you are.” His face softened and so did Trisha. That had been what she wanted to hear from Jim. Not some half-assed promise to pretend to love her, but an honest answer of his intentions. She reached over and placed her hand on his head, ruffling his hair playfully and dispensing the serious mood at the table.

“God, you’re more serious then a funeral. Couldn’t you of just made a promise not to knock her up, that was all I wanted to hear.”

“Why does everyone think I’m doing that with Paige?” Jim blushed as Trisha continued riffling his hair. First Aisha gave him the talk and now Trisha. Did everyone think he was some kind of Casanova or something?

“Cause we think you make such a cute couple,” Trisha chuckled, dragging Jim into a headlock. Jim put up groaned as he felt Trisha’s knuckles make contact with the top of his head. Her noogie continued until they were both red in the face. They disengaged from each other, laughing and have a good time.

Their fun brought an angry growl from Aisha. She had been watching discreetly from her table. Looking across the cafeteria at Jim as he interacted with his new owner and Trisha. She had nearly grit her teeth into nothing when she saw Jim holding hands with Paige. She had only been teasing back in Paige’s room about them getting it on; she’d never really expected them to have a relationship. Strangely, anyone dating Jim made her feel angry. it wasn’t jealousy, more of a fear of Jim getting hurt. Like Trisha with Paige, Aisha would skin anyone alive for hurting her oldest friend, even if they were a Ctarl-Ctarl. Currently she was watching an overstuffed Trisha mess around with Jim, in much the same way she used to. This sent a pang of loneliness to her heart because she felt that she should be the one giving noogies and messing with his hair.

“Look at that blood traitor!” Rolling her eyes, Aisha turned to Molly, who had made the comment. Since joining Aisha at her table, Molly had been scraping and brown nosing in an attempt to get back into Aisha’s good graces. All that her comments had caused was a headache for Aisha. “That Godless slut is going to hell, with that little dweeb that is all over the meat. It makes me sick seeing someone from my own race play with food like that. She should be making him scream, not laugh.” Molly’s eyes were wide, her voice shaky. She’d been on this ramble since Jim first walked in, only pausing to praise Aisha every few minutes.

Aisha looked dully at Molly. “Did I ask your opinion?” Aisha stood up not waiting for an answer. Jim was safe and she was only torturing herself by staying to watch him have fun without her. She hadn’t felt this depressed since she got exiled. Unlike back then, there was something she could do about it to make herself feel better.

“Christian!” Aisha barked, grabbing the attention of the officer who was operating the hover lift with all the cages.

“Yes Commander Clan Clan.”

“Bring the cage #13 to my living quarters. I’m starved.” The officer opened his mouth and looked at the cage. Nearly fifteen Terran children were crammed in there. Did the commander expect to eat them all? Not bothering to ask, he got in the hover lift and carried the Terran’s to Aisha’s room, for God only knows what.