Colin took the late night bus downtown. His parents had reminded him to call if he was going to be out past midnight, oppressive bastards that they were. He'd just walk right out the front door if he pleased, no matter what they said. He'd brought all the important things in his school pack. His CD player, some cloths in the new 'xeno' fashion that was being marketed, a small pen knife in case he got into any trouble- his parents didn't know he had that, Colin was willing to bet- and of course, his credit card which was better than money in any situation.

Whatever the Xeno side of town could possiably offer, he would be well prepared.

The bus driver didn't raise an eye as Colin stepped onto the lumbering machine. A pair of lanky hands scribbled a number down on a clipboard as Colin paid his fare and took a seat towards the back, but that was the only interaction the two had. The boy had seldom taken public transit, but he couldn't possiably walk all the way across the island and bridge and traintracks and be expected to find some Xenos after all that. So here, he took the bus.

Sooty clouds streaked the sky, tinted strange colours. The sun was just barely gone, the moon far from coming up yet and the sky and its inhabitants inky dirty colours. Colin leaned his head against the window of the bus and watched the painted lines on the road waiver as they rolled along. Moving his head, a thin streak was left on the glass where he had been leaning.

Colin fell asleep on the bus, but he didn't have any important dreams. He dreampt he was being spoken to by a bear, that it was telling him he ought to remember to mix the CDs. Then it climbed onto an excersize bike which made a peculiar creaking sound when the wheels turned. Waking from the bear and the creaking, Colin realized that the sound was that of the bus crossing over the short bridge between the island he lived on and the nearby mainland.

In the day the bridge was packed with traffic, everyone commuting to or from work. At dusk, the crawl seemed to speed up a little heading towards the mainland and the grumbling of the tires on metal maintained a fairly constant rythem. Sick of the repetative noise, Colin fished out his music and afixed a set of buds into his ears. It took the player a moment to begin to spin the CD, the music taking up its constant backbeat.

It took so long to cross the bridge that Colin was begining to consider getting out and walking, or taking control of the bus himself, but of course he didn't do any of that. So he waited through the lengthy ride, through the turns between city blocks until the bus reached its last station.

The driver said nothing as the bus pulled into its lot, continued saying nothing as he shut the engine off and opened the doors with a creak and kept on saying not a damn thing as he stepped off the machine and into the yellow light of the station. Colin got up from his seat and followed the man off the bus, feeling insulted at not being told anything. Weren't they supposed to say it was the last stop, or what the next stop would be or any of that?

"Hey, you!" Colin's sneakers scratched on the asphault as he tried to quickly put his CD player back into his bag and sling the pack back across his shoulders at the same time. The man didn't even look back at the boy following him. Colin tried to keep up, but the man's stride was wider and long before Colin was close to catching up, he'd disappered behind a door marked 'employees only' in scratched black paint. Colin stopped before reaching the door and let his voice fall. The bus driver was gone. It was night and this was as close as the public transit would take him to the Xeno side of the city.

The spit had only insulted Colin, for some reason the message hadn't reached him yet of exactly where he was or what was happening. He shook his head, strands of dirty hair sticking to his forehead. "I came here for a reason, Xenos!" He intended to make his voice commanding, like his teachers told him he should when dealing with Xenos, but there was a small crack at the end. "Now listen to me!"

For a moment the one who'd spit on him just stared, mouth slightly slack and large, slime-slick eyes staring at him half-lidded. Its foot moved back for a moment before placing back down on the asphault. Looking back at the other Xeno, a smirk crossed the entirely inhuman lips and made Colin's stomach feel awkward. "Listen to you? Oh, grand, what've you got to say, pinky?"

"I'm obviously like you. So, Xenos, show me where I can join your ranks."

"Our ranks?" The Xenos burst into hysterics, snorting with laughter and making flamboyant movements with their arms, waving them over their heads and dancing back and forth across the street, mocking Colin's tone of voice. "Oooo, our ranks! We have a fantastic old conspiricy now, haven't we? Oh, thrash the little humans! Rise up against our oppressors!"

"Yes!" Colin tried to sound commanding again but could not ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach. He was backing towards the building behind him now. "Yes, exactly! So you have to tell me where I should go!"

Wrinkling up her snout, one of the thick skinned Xenos showed a line of teeth. They were like human teeth, only bigger and brighter white. Flat and simple, they were somehow more surreal to Colin than any mouth of sharp fangs could have been. "Plot your whole course for you, draw you a little chart? Nah, little pinky girlie. You were fool enough to wander to this end of things on your own. You wander your way right out again."

The other one barked a laugh and swung Colin's pack over her shoulder. "Or if you're really that big a git, wander your way further into our territory."

"Either way, pinky, we're not interested in helping you."

"But you have to!"

Again, their honking laughter bounced off the stone buildings. Colin could feel the all too light fabric of his shirt starting to bunch up around his shoulders as he began to slide down against the brick. The wet spot where the Xeno had spit touched his cheek and he turned away as though it had just hit. Things were sinking in.

"Well it's been a regular pleasure, pinky," the Xenos snorted and began to walk away. Their backs were covered with cotton shirts- unmarked, unmarred, completely devoid of any special trappings and utterly out of what Colin had known as Xeno fashion. He was suddenly aware that the ground was cold. "We shant be seeing you anytime soon, I think. So get lost, pinky, and thanks oh so much for the player and the card."

Still laughing, the two Xenos slunk away into the long false shadows of a city evening, leaving Colin with his back tight against a crumbling brick building. They'd taken his pack, taken his music, taken his money. Colin was left on the street with his fashionable cloths thrown down on the asphault and his shirt getting gritty from the building at his back.

The Human's hands shook at his sides. It was finally striking him that he was here and alone. Xenos were nothing like he'd been taught and he had no power over them. There was nothing he could do now. He didn't know where he was, nor did he have a way to get back home- his bus fare was used. He'd been running away, he'd only taken fare for one way. What would he do? Where would he go?

Alone in the street, the stupid earth boy curled up tightly and waited for the later hours of night to pass over.