“The words you use, the names you call them, nicknames, endearments, the gifts you give each other, the places you choose to go. It’s hard to explain. Do those who are allowed to mateeverget to choose who they want to be with?”
No.
“We choose. Sometimes we get it wrong.”
Harris.
“Yes. How long do you live?”
In Earth years—fifty. Then release.
“You have your life ended?” Kaden gulped.
Yes.
“Oh. Do you have males and females in your species? You said you were male, but…”
We are both male and female. Hermaphrodite. Now I’m not. I’m male. You prefer males. Now I’m like you.
Oh God.“Because of me?” He’d made him gay?Oh fuck.
Yes. I’m gay too.
Kaden almost said he was sorry but… It wasn’t his fault and why shouldn’t Joe be gay?
“The correct term is homosexual. There are lot of different sexual orientations and not everyone is supportive of anything other than a male-female pairing.”
Why not? Is it wrong? Not allowed?
“It’s not wrong, though there are people who think it is. In some countries it’s against the law to be gay and people get beaten up, put in prison, even killed. Sexual orientation isn’t a choice, it’s just the way you are. Just like you once being a hermaphrodite. In this world, some people like malesandfemales. Others aren’t interested in either. Others are born one gender but identify as the opposite gender. Some people feel they’re a mixture of both. There’s a lot of variety and all of it is okay, it’s just that not everyone agrees with that.”
I need to read more. Can I use your laptop while you sleep?
“How would that work?”
I’ll read. You sleep. The more I learn, the quicker I can leave your body.
“Okay.”
Kaden bought chips on the way home and smiled as Joe whined with pleasure. He’d sort of assumed Joe would like everything he liked, but then he’d definitely not liked Marmite. He’d freaked out more about that than anything else.
They watched a programme about British castles on the laptop, another about rescues at sea, then laughed together over a comedy show about a vampire and a werewolf. Well, Joe laughed after Kaden had explained the difference between fact and fiction. Fiction was new to Joe. And music. Kaden couldn’t imagine living in a world without books and films and TV and music—without imagination.
He still kept having freak-out moments at the thought of having Joe inside him, but whenever he did, Joe did something to make that worry go away. Though the questions kept pouring into his head. How would Joe get out? What would happen to him when hewasout? How could he manage on his own?
“Are you sure no one else survived the crash? What if they did and they launched a rescue mission to get the others out of the lab? What if they’ve reproduced? How quickly do you mature?”
I don’t believe anyone else survived. Reproduction requires exacting conditions. Gestation is six Earth months. Maturity occurs at eighteen Earth years.
“What happens at maturity? Is that when you are allocated your roles?”
Yes.
“Based on what?”
Your life up to that point. How you react with others. What you’ve achieved.
“How old are you?”
