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CHAPTER 1

Zakrynious tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for his turn to appear before the elders of his people. The queue to the transformation chamber — the only one on the entire planet of Trimmeron — stretched as far as the eye could see. He'd been standing there for hours and he still couldn't see the doorway at the front of the queue. At least this would probably be the last time he'd have to go through the ritual of transformation. Then again, he'd thought that before.

"What are you hoping for, Zak?" Strathryn, the young Camyl'on directly ahead of him, asked. Zak hadn't met him before today, but they'd been waiting so long Zak felt as though they were old friends. "I want to see what life's like on Marinatia."

Zak laughed loudly, prompting a few glares and admonishments from the others in the queue. "Rather you than me."

"What's wrong with Marinatia?"

Zak shook his head. "Everyone who goes there comes back smelling of fish. Once you've turned mer, there's no way to ever get rid of the stink."

Strathryn snorted back his laughter as the line moved on a few more inches.

Zak had not expected this latest transformation. Already close to maturity when he'd last been brought before the elders, it had been something of a shock to find himself back here once again. He had frequently wondered during the last few days what he would end up as this time. He could discount his own race and those he had already changed into during his puberty, but there were still incalculable possibilities.

As one of a race of chameleon-like beings, each of their kind took on several new appearances during their years of puberty up until adulthood. They remained in their new guises until whatever powers causing the transformations determined them ready to change again.

Zak had spent his last transformation on the icy mountains of Gr'chn and although he had enjoyed his time amongst the hospitable mountain people, he had been eager to rid himself of the coarse, furry hide they had developed so as to more easily endure the harsh climate. He much preferred his own softer furred body.

When Zak had reverted back to his natural state on the previous world, he had expected to have full control over his body and the ability to change appearance at will. When he'd realized he didn't, he had rushed to catch the next spacecraft back to Trimmeron so he could take the potion the elders provided to trigger and ease the next transformation. Luckily Gr'chn was an Alliance world and the locals didn't think anything of the fact that he was suddenly a different species.

He had once asked his father why they had to go through with the transformations. His father had told him the story of one of their youths who had refused to drink the potion to trigger the change to a new form. The transition had come anyway, and had been extremely painful for the youth, so much so that he'd had to be cared for by their healers for several days afterwards. The healers were still working on a way for their healing waters to help anyone else who dug their heels in about taking the potion. Unfortunately, the transformation ritual was shrouded in secrecy and the elders refused to reveal the contents of the potion to anyone. Without the knowledge of the ingredients, the healers were working blindly as they searched for answers.

Finally, after another two hours of waiting, Zak reached the doorway. At least now he could watch those transforming before him, which would help to pass the time.

Zak could see his parents, Aristania and Cor'shi, sitting in the chamber along with family members of some of the other youngsters. He gave them a small wave and they looked back at him proudly. He had barely seen them for more than a few days together since his first transformation. Such was the way things had always been for those of his kind. To enable the youngsters to learn about each form they took, it was customary for each young man and woman to be fostered out to a family on the world native to their new body.

The line crept forward and Zak's turn to stand before the elders finally arrived. He didn't have a great deal to say. The elders had already received their report from his foster parents on Gr'chn, which told them all they needed to know. They had also extracted from him copies of his own memories of his time on Gr'chn, adding his experiences and knowledge to their collective database.

All Zak had to do now was drink the vile concoction that would trigger his next transformation. He prayed it would be the last time he'd have to drink the revolting substance. When he reached maturity, around the age of forty, he would revert back to his natural form without being in control of the transformation for the last time. If he ever needed or wished to take on one of his other forms, that being any of those he had taken during the years of his puberty, he would be able to do so at will, and without the need of potions.

"Drink up, Zakrynious," the elder said as he passed him the heavy goblet. "Many others await their turn after you."

Zak gulped the lukewarm liquid down as fast as he could and waited for the potion to take effect.

The transformation never hurt, it simply happened. His first clue that the change had occurred was the realization that he stood shorter than he had been a few moments before. Not a great deal shorter, just enough for him to notice he no longer stood eye to eye with the elder before him.

He looked down at his hands and frowned as he observed their new and strange color. Pale ecru and smaller than he had been used to, they also had two more fingers on each hand than his natural form had. He wriggled the extra digits, already anticipating them being a nuisance until he became used to them.

"Well, this is quite unusual," the elder commented. He coughed nervously and looked behind him to the other elders. "I've never seen anything quite like this before."

Zak glanced toward his parents in the audience. They stared at him with expressions of surprise and perhaps a little curiosity. He turned back to the elder and waited for him to tell him where he would be living for the duration of his transformation. Until he knew which galaxy he would be residing in, he had no idea which spacecraft to go to.

One of the other elders stepped forward and peered at him closely. "Most irregular," he mumbled.

"What is it?" Zak asked. "What's the matter?"

"Why, we don't know what you are," the first elder replied. "I don't recall seeing one of those before."

"I thought we always took the forms of races who would play a large part in our lives." Zak looked from one elder to the other, waiting for one of them to explain what had happened.

The elder patted him on the arm kindly. "That's true. Now we just need to figure out what you are, so we can make arrangements for you to be fostered."

Zak nervously shifted on his feet.

"Perhaps we should deal with the remaining youngsters before we try to figure out what he is," one of the female elders suggested.

The elders readily agreed and Zak scurried over to sit beside his parents, where he could wait out of the way of the others.

Eventually the rest of the youngsters had taken their new forms and had left for the ships that would take them to their new, albeit temporary, homes. Many had cast him curious glances when passing him by. When the room had cleared except for his parents and the elders, Zak found himself the center of attention once more.

The very oldest of the elders, who was rumored to be nearly twelve thousand years old, stepped forward with a database access portal in his hands. "Let's see his teeth," he ordered.

Zak opened his mouth so they could look at them. He wondered what they expected to find.

"No fangs," the elder muttered. "We can discount several races with that bit of information."

Zak wondered how long this would take. Although he didn't feel as self-conscious as he had immediately after the transformation, he was far from comfortable being stared at by the half dozen elders as though he had become some sort of experiment.

They continued to poke and prod him for some time to come. Zak let his thoughts drift to more pleasant topics — like dinner — as he waited for them to figure out what in the world he had turned into.

"What's that?" one of the elders suddenly asked, pulling Zak from his wandering thoughts.

Zak looked at the elder who had spoken. He pointed toward Zak's abdomen. Zak glanced down at the front of his robes. The robes were designed to be loose fitting, just in case the wearer's new form was somewhat larger than expected. His robes now engulfed his smaller body, but there seemed to be something extra down below that hadn't been present before.

"Undo your robes," the elder with possession of the database ordered.

Zak, like most of his race, wasn't shy about being unclothed. He disrobed quickly and looked down at his new appendage. He had never seen anything like it before. No form he had ever taken had caused him to grow an extra part to his body just there.

One of the elders reached forward and poked the mysterious protrusion of flesh with a finger. Zak drew in a sharp breath and jumped backward. Never had a touch to his flesh felt like that. A shiver had gone through every part of his body and the rod between his legs seemed to stretch and extend even more.

"It can't be," the elder with the database said as he rapidly tapped the screen, searching for who knew what.

"Can't be what?" Zak asked, drawing his eyes away from the sensitive flesh for only a moment.

The elder ignored him for several minutes before finally giving him his attention. "I believe you may have turned human."

Zak had never heard the word 'human' before, but apparently several of the elders had and they gasped in astonishment. Or maybe horror? What was a human and how had this happened?

"Are you sure?" Gandr'ah asked.

"Not entirely. I'll have to check the records for the last time this occurred."

"The last time?" Gandr'ah pulled the elder aside though Zak could still hear their words. "You mean this has happened before?"

"Once, to my knowledge. It must have been around seven hundred years ago. Just can't quite recall the name of the boy who turned human. No one had any recollection of the world humans reside on and the youth was nearly fully mature before he even arrived on the planet. He seemed to enjoy life there. From what I remember, he returned to the place immediately after he reached maturity and hasn't been heard from since."

"Do you think he could still be there?"

"It's possible. Why? What are you thinking?"

Gandr'ah nodded toward Zak. "He needs to foster with someone and if the planet isn't part of the Alliance, it would be better if he stays with one of his own kind, rather than the natives."

Zak waited as the elders nodded in turn. It seemed his fate had been decided for him, though he still had no idea of the name of the place he was destined to be traveling to.

After more discussions and looking up references, the elders decided Zak would leave for Earth — the rather boringly named planet of the humans — on the next available ship. Since Earth didn't form part of the Alliance, the elders explained that it might take a little while to find a craft going in the right direction.

They had eventually found the name of the only other man to have ever turned human buried in the archives. They'd sent a message to Darresh to let him know to expect Zak's arrival on the planet in the not too distant future.

In the meantime they would take the unusual step of implanting in him the knowledge Darresh had provided to their collective database to prepare him for life on Earth.

* * *

Two weeks later, Zak said goodbye to his parents and stepped onto the spacecraft. The journey would take around sixteen hours and when he arrived he would be met by Darresh, the only other Camyl'on who had ever taken human form.

Zak watched the holographic entertainment display as the ship took him to Earth. He hoped the music would distract him from the images in his mind. After the elders had used their technology to implant in Zak all the knowledge Darresh had provided them with, Zak had reached the conclusion that humans were little more than animals. He had been far from impressed with what he had seen. Primitive and barbaric were two words that sprang to mind. The idea of turning round and fleeing back home seemed quite tempting. If only running away were one of his options.

Why ever had Darresh wanted to return to the place?

The elders had told Zak a message had been sent ahead of him to Earth, but from what he could see of the human race, it would be amazing if Darresh had survived to receive the news of his impending arrival.

He supposed he was lucky that Darresh had turned human before he himself had, because he didn't know if he could have handled traveling to such an inhospitable world on his own, with no friendly face to greet him.

Sam Palmer gasped as he watched the bright lights skim slowly across the sky. Through his telescope he had the best view of anyone watching the skies in the local area tonight. Moving too slowly to be shooting stars, the purple blinking orbs were like no aircraft he had ever seen before. Perhaps it was just his inner geek egging him on, but he felt sure he was witnessing a genuine UFO. He slipped his phone from his pocket, and with one eye on the sky and the other on the screen, he phoned Lucy across the other side of town.

"You have the worst timing in the world, Sam," Lucy complained as soon as she answered the phone.

"You're watching them too," Sam guessed. "I've never seen anything like it before. What do you think they are?"

"What are you talking about?"

"The lights in the sky. Isn't that what you were watching when I interrupted you?"

"No. You interrupted me finally getting somewhere with Richard, everyone's favorite stud. Now he's gone wandering off to talk to Trudy."

"Sorry." Sam offered the apology even though he privately thought Lucy was far too good for a conceited arsehole like Richard.

Lucy huffed on the other end of the phone. "Yeah, yeah. So, what's this you've apparently seen?"

Sam's excitement, which had deflated slightly, built again as he described the mysterious phenomenon visible in the night sky. "They're in a perfect formation, going all over the place, kind of circling around the town, almost as though they're waiting for something."

"They're probably coming to take you away to perform all sorts of weird experiments on you," Lucy teased. "I can't believe you think I'd be watching the skies on a Saturday night."

"You used to like watching the stars with me."

"I used to like playing with Barbie dolls too."

Sam laughed. "It's hardly the same thing. This is science!"

"You're the science geek, not me," Lucy reminded him. "Why don't you put away the telescope and come down the pub with the rest of us. We're thinking of getting the late bus into the city and going to a club."

"I don't think so," Sam said.

"Why not?"

"I just don't feel like it."

"Maybe if you got out of your PJs and dressed up a bit you would."

"Who says I'm in my PJs?"

"No one, but I bet you are."

Sam looked down at his favorite T-shirt and ripped jeans. "Not tonight," he smugly replied.

"Then why not come and join us?"

"I don't feel up to it tonight."

Sam could hear the background noise around Lucy fading and he suspected she had gone somewhere quieter before continuing their conversation. "Are you okay?" she asked with concern.

"Just tired," Sam said. "It's been a long week and my mother's in one of her overprotective moods again."

"You can't really blame her."

"I know, but she's doing my head in with it."

"Then come out with us and get out of her way for a bit."

"Maybe next time," Sam suggested as he turned back to the telescope.

"Why not this time?" Lucy pressed on.

"I don't know any of your art crowd friends."

"If you took me up on my offers to come and join us, you could meet them. They're a great bunch."

"I'm sure they are."

"Then why not come with us?"

Sam sighed. Lucy didn't understand. It wasn't the same hanging out with her friends as with his own mates. Unfortunately, all his friends were long gone, moved on without him. "I wouldn't be very good company tonight," he finally admitted. "I should probably get some studying done while I can — else I'll no doubt flunk my exams all over again."

"It's not your fault you didn't get the grades you needed for the course you wanted."

"I was the one sitting the exams."

"Yeah, but you've had a lot to deal with the last few years. You shouldn't be so hard on yourself."

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Excerpted from "My Boyfriend's An Alien"
by .
Copyright © 2013 L.M. Brown.
Excerpted by permission of Totally Entwined Group Limited.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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