Origin 3

"Um, I think I know," Tora said as she placed her mug down on the table. Raising her head, she found every eye fixed on her, waiting for her input.

Tora gulped and froze as she was unable to find the words to continue.

Uncurling her feet, she stood off the couch and walked to the window. Her anxieties mounted as she sensed their eyes glued to her back.

Everyone waited in silence for Tora to continue, watching as her shoulders shook. They waited patiently for her to work up the courage to speak. They all knew Tora was not one who was always willing to share. The only thing they could do was wait for her to work up her courage.

Tora's shoulders rose, and her body tensed. She clasped her hands together to still her body. Cold sweat ran down her back as she tried to find a way to tell everyone her greatest secret. It was a secret she kept to buried deep within herself.

Matt and Nathan would undoubtedly be shocked, but Tora was most afraid of how Miriam would react. Her birth mother abandoned her for a similar reason, what about her adoptive mother? Would Miriam be frightened enough to leave her?

Tora's eyes stung with tears, but she shook her head, not letting them reach the surface. It would be better to tell them now, instead of having them discover it later.

Tora steeled herself, releasing the breath she held for the longest time. She held her hands together, focusing the energy into her hands before a faint blue light shone from her palm. She raised her hands up as she turned around, her palms radiating blue light. "I think they're mine."

Soft gasps filled the room. Although stunned for a moment, their reactions relaxed quickly. They had all become used to the revelations and the powers. They were mostly curious about the abilities and had many questions to ask.

Matt was the first to comment, "But that's blue light."

The color of the light changed to a soft violet, then a pale red. "It doesn't matter. It can be any color or even invisible since we can't see every part of the spectrum." She placed the orb of light in a clear glass, turning it into a makeshift lightbulb.

Miriam spoke in a soft voice. "Tora, were you afraid of telling us this? We won't look at you any differently because you're a Vetri. You already told me you had powers."

Tora shook her head. "That's not all. The enhanced senses, strength, and speed didn't come like you think." She shook for a moment, then walked around the couch. She sat down, sitting with her back straight, and her hands curled on her lap. She shook her head as she tried to find the word. She inhaled deeply before opening her mouth.

"I'll start at the beginning." She closed her eyes tightly, holding her breath as she declared, "My name is E'Tora (pronounced eh- toRRa). I'm not fully human. I'm an alien-human hybrid."

A sharp collective gasp came from everyone in the room.

Darren remained silent.

Tora kept her eyes closed as the gasp became heavy silence. Her heart shuddered when she felt Miriam's weight shift on the couch. She kept her eyes tightly shut to keep her tears from spilling.

Tora thought she had become inured to disappointment and abandonment, but the oppressive silence only weighed on her. Since she was a child, her true parentage was a secret she kept close to her heart. Her father was an alien from another planet while her mother was a human woman. Her mother abandoned her and her twin brother due to their alien halves. Her father sent her to earth because of the weakness of her human half.

All her life, she could never reconcile her two halves, so she locked it inside.

Other than Darren, whom she told when they were young, she never told anyone, not even her adoptive parents.

This secret was the reason she kept people at arm's length.

She did not form many long-lasting close relationships because she always hoped her father would come back for her. To her younger self, there was no point in getting comfortable or making deep connections on earth.

The only reason she stayed with Darren was that he was the first person she met. She had nowhere else to go when the kind-hearted Darren offered her a room in his empty house. He was simply convenient.

The second reason she steered clear of people was that she was afraid they would find out about her true origins and be fearful of her. Terrans did not have a favorable view of extraterrestrials. Hybrid children also faced discrimination as they often had monstrous appearances. There was also the fear that Hybrids could be spies for alien races who aimed to conquer the planet since the Theaskarian invasion of the late 19th century.

Although she looked human, Tora never entirely overcame the second reason. Even though she became close to Miriam and Jordan to the point she let them adopt her, she never dared to tell them her true origins. She was just an orphan, and that is what she would remain to them.

The day finally came for her to let the cat out of the bag. As the situation presented itself, she wanted to free the anxieties she kept locked inside. She was going to let go, no matter the consequences.

The hair on Tora's body stood up like a cat's, startled by the hand on her shoulder. Her eyes bolted open as she turned around to find Miriam standing behind her.

"Why did you stop? Tell us everything. We'll listen."

"Darren is the only one I told, but I'm sure Master Levi has figured it out on his own," Tora said.

Darren furrowed a brow and cocked his head. It was the first time he'd heard of Tora's true origin. He opened his eyes wide. "Oh. When we were younger, you told me you came from the stars, and you were waiting for your father to come to get you. I thought you were speaking metaphorically. I didn't think you actually meant another planet."

"That's great, but let's get back to the story of how you're an alien-human hybrid," said Matt. His eyes were wide with anticipation, curiosity, and pure excitement as he looked at Tora like a predator drooling over a piece of fresh meat. Matt was an astrobiologist studying Terran-Astro hybrid organisms like Theaskarian and their hybrid descendants.

Tora was his most prized specimen. He wanted to hear all she had to say about her planet, her alien species, and the powers they possess.

"Tora, you can continue," Miriam said.

"The planet is called Gorian, and my race is called Gahari. The planet orbits two suns. The two stars bake the surface of the planet. The high amounts of radiation mutated many of the species on the planet. The mutations they developed changed the species' individual physiology, allowing them to survive the harsh environments. The planet is also ravaged by war because the different species fight over the land that's rich in food and water. My father's people were always fighting stronger races to keep dominion over the lands.

"Although our species was the weakest physically, we were the smartest. We created weapons to give us a chance against the others. We also learned how to travel to other star systems.

"Five hundred years ago, the Gahari came to Terra after finding out humans could turn sunlight into Vitamin D. They tried to understand the cellular mechanism in humans. They wanted to be able to alter their own DNA to turn high-frequency radiation into a harmless product.

"They took humans, experimented on them, and had children with them to try to sire... more desirable offspring. Most of the children who survived gained enhanced strength, metabolism, speed, and senses. A few of the progeny gained the ability to manipulate photons and radiation. They also lived longer because the sun became a source of energy for them, like autotrophs. They could live for hundreds of years.

"My father is a descendant of those experiments. Not only is he over a hundred years old, but he can shoot light rays from his eyes."