Alien Holiday by Tracy Lauren

Chapter 1

Lo

“As always, we are going to end our time together with Savasana—to rejuvenate our bodies and relax our minds.” April’s voice is as soothing as a lullaby. “Allow yourself this moment to find inner peace. Let go of all the tension that might be coiling in your shoulders, your jaw, all the places we tend to keep so tightly wound. The more you let go, the more you’ll get out of this pose. Fall deeper and deeper into Savasana. Think of yourself as an asteroid coasting through space. You have no place to be but right where you are…”

Hermanais like a damn hypnotist. My ass is about to fall asleep over here. Still, I try to take deep breaths—in through my nose, out through my mouth. What’s it matter if I breathe in through my mouth and out through my nose? Who would even know, my busy mind asks. I click my tongue at myself. April would. She’s practically a damn Jedi, always catching me when I’m half-assing it.

“Shhh.” She glides by, hushing me gently with soft smile. It’s not a reprimand, like teachers used to do when my mind was running a mile a minute in high school. It’s more like a polite reminder to stay in the moment. “In through your nose, out through your mouth…” April tells the group, but she’s looking at me. Damn bruja. She’s reading my mind.

So, I close my eyes and focus on my breath—placing my hand on my stomach to feel the up and down motion. April says it helps to do this and I guess it does. It is relaxing. Especially on an overcast day like this one. All these grey clouds. It’s the perfect day to sleep in.

My mind wonders to my cozy bed back at the temple. My fluffy white comforter. I can just imagine a little warm ceata in a mug, a crackling fire, and a plate of Holly’s holiday cookies. She shapes them like all kinds of fun things—Christmas trees, reindeer. With the right ingredients, a day like today almost feels like Christmas. Almost.

I want that feeling so bad, and it’s times like this that memories of mi familia flood my mind. Mamá, Papá, all my tías and tíos, not to mention my 17 cousins. My abuelita Carmen—I know I shouldn’t have a favorite grandmother, but I do and hands down, it’s Carmen. Then there’s my abuela Valentina and my abuelo Caesar. And of course, my sisters Yesenia y Veronica and our little brother Antonio. That little cabrón. I wonder what trouble he’s getting into these days? Or if he has a serious girlfriend by now and is starting to act like a man. I let out a heavy sigh. Family—the thought makes me smile. Sí claro. Yeah right. It brings tears to my eyes.

Here I am, about to spend another Christmas without them. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the company of everyone here in the village, I really do. But it’s different. Most of these girls, well…they’re white. Which is fine! They just don’t have a lot of the same tradiciones as my family and as much as we all try to recreate our favorite home cooked meals, no one else is missing menudo, if you know what I’m saying.

At this point I’ve completely forgotten about the Savasana pose I’m supposed to be doing and memories of home and the holidays flood my mind. I can’t believe how much time has passed! Here I am, another year without abuelita’s famous tamales y Mamá’s posole. Oh, what I wouldn’t do for some posole on a cloudy day like this!

“Shhh.” April hushes me again and my eyes blink open.

“Sorry.” I blush. I was so lost in thought; I hope I didn’t say anything out loud.

Okay, okay, clearing my mind. I’m in the moment—staring at the clouds floating overhead. They remind me of my cozy bed in the temple, which reminds me of a crackling fire. Mmm. A warm cup of my favorite ceata. I suck in a deep breath and release it slowly—through my mouth—as I listen to April’s soothing tone.

“Ayo! You forgot one!” I hear a man’s voice shout—it’s one of the aliens. And it’s so loud I sit up with a start…only to realize I’m alone on the hill. One of the horned Vendari lingers behind the departing group, pointing me out to the others, and a few of the girls come jogging back—Mel, Holly, and April.

“You fall asleep again?” April asks, an amused grin on her face.

“Soy estúpida,” I mutter rubbing my hands over my face. “Sorry, chicas. I don’t know what happened.”

“Girl, you were daydreaming again. You need to learn how to be present in the moment,” April instructs, lending me her hand. She helps tug me to my feet.

“That was the problem. I was too in the moment. Savasana makes me tired.”

“Hey, if you fall asleep during yoga that just means you’re really good at relaxing, right?” Mel says, her demeanor bright.

“I like the sound of relaxing better than daydreaming. I used to get in trouble for daydreaming.”

April throws an arm around my shoulder. “Call it whatever you want to call it as long as you enjoyed yourself.”

“Gracias a Dios por mis amigas.” I really am grateful for my friends. I force a smile to my face, even if I am unable to shake away that empty space in my heart that only my family can fill. I miss them. I think I always will, especially at this time of year.

A wind picks up, hitting us with its chill, and we rub our arms to fight off the oncoming cold.

“The rainy season’s going to start any day now.”

“Any day?” I grimace. “More like any second.” The ladies hum in agreement.

“What would you ladies say to a fresh batch of cookies and a steaming mug of hot cocoa?” Holly offers.

“Hot cocoa?” Our eyes shoot to our fellow abductee.

“Okay, not hot cocoa. Just ceata. But we can pretend.”

“How festive,” April teases, as we start making our way back to the village.

I smile that hollow smile, but the wind is bitter and the holidays seem empty without my family…my culture. Yes, thank God for friends. And cookies.