Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

A Journey Unknown

I’m in the middle of explaining the butterfly effect to a bunch of Eridian children that have never even seen a butterfly before (not that it matters for the theory itself but I know there are going to be ‘questions’ later if I don’t get ahead of this) when a soft, melodic voice interrupts me. 

“What is a ‘field trip’?”   

At this point I’ve been pacing up and down in front of the xenonite wall for quite some time, lost in thought, playing with my glasses and rambling about cause and effect. The unexpected question makes me stop in my tracks. I stumble over my own two feet and almost bite my own tongue which is a new low, even for me. If I keep going like this I am never going to beat the clumsy human allegations. At least Rocky is not here. If he’d witnessed my latest embarrassing blunder he would have found ways to tease me about it for a week straight. It’s unfortunate that my class has to see me like this but they are a lot more forgiving and understanding of their ungraceful teacher than my best friend. A fact I like to hold over his head from time to time. 

Not that he cares. He maintains that he’s earned the right to mock me as much as he likes after having to watch me stumble and fall repeatedly over the same treshold for four years. 

And maybe he’s not wrong. 

Don’t ever tell him I said that. 

Still! An unexpected question should not be enough to almost have me fall flat on my face. It’s just that sudden interruptions like this have become so rare recently that it genuinely throws me off my game for a second. 

My heart skips a painful beat because this new quirk is just another sign of how much things have changed for me. 

I’d always been one of the more lenient teachers at Grover Middle School. I couldn’t stand the strict and stuffy atmosphere some of my colleagues preferred. Only speak when you are spoken to. Always raise your hand when you have a question. I never wanted that. I wanted a lively classroom where my kids had the freedom to express themselves and ask their questions the second they occurred to them. 

A lot of the time colleagues would ask me how my classroom didn’t descend into pure and utter chaos and I could only shrug my shoulders, confused by their confusion. It’s not like I let them walk all over me. Of course every year had their troublemakers that would try to abuse my laid back teaching style. I always managed to reign them in and sooner or later they all adjusted and fit right in. You wouldn’t believe how eager kids are to learn if you just let them, if you just give them the freedom to explore their ideas and theories in a safe space.  

I never thought I’d be the kind of teacher who has strict rules but my trip to the stars has taught me to take the punches as they come. I would love to just let my pebbles talk my ears off as they see fit, to have the same freedoms as my kids on earth, but it’s simply not feasible. As much as I refer to them as my kids (and they are!), they are not the same as human children. 

I have become very good at understanding the eridian language. I almost never need a translator anymore. I can pick out accents and decipher the mumblers and even learned some slang (which has made Rocky clutch his imaginary pearls).

What I can’t do, and what I will never be able to do because the human body has its limits, unfortunately, is parsing through the melodies when multiple Eridians all speak at the same time. 

It’s become abundantly clear that my auditory canals and especially my cerebral cells are not equipped for that kind of input. If I have to listen to overlapping eridian voices for an extended amount of time, I suffer massive migraines. The doctors have tried to figure out the cause but the best theory they have so far is that the subsonic vibrations they unconsciously use when they speak to each other mess with my head when I’m exposed to too many different wavelengths at once. 

My pebbles are usually good at letting each other talk without speaking over each other but they are still children and children, mess up more often than not. And after the first few weeks of teaching, where I would curl up in my bed at the end of the day with a cold pack on my neck and the lights dimmed, Rocky put all five of his feet down. Either I’d find a way around it or he’d recommend we put the lessons on hold for the time being.

That was our first big fight but it didn’t last long since I knew he was right.

And so, even though it goes against every teaching principle I have, we implemented one, non-negotiable rule: If you have a question, raise your claw and only speak when Teacher Grace calls on you.

It left a bad taste in my mouth but it helps that my pebbles don’t seem to mind as much as I do. There are some slip ups from time to time but they have become pretty rare. 

Which is why this question out of nowhere is a bit of a surprise.

Once I regain my footing I put my glasses back on and scan the classroom to figure out who spoke up. The rest of the class is already one step ahead of me. Seems like they have taken it upon themselves to deal with the troublemaker. They are all stirring in their seats, making little clicking and hissing noises. 

It’s easy to spot the culprit. Tori, a turquoise Eridian with only four instead of five limbs, cowers under all the attention they are getting. 

I immediately feel bad for the little one. 

They joined the class a lot later than the others and haven’t found their place yet. Apparently they were meant to join us from the very start but had been too anxious to commit. When I heard about that I thought they were scared of me which I would have understood. I’m still amazed at the hospitality that has greeted me upon my arrival on Erid. I was honestly waiting for someone to finally show some common sense and be wary of the lanky alien. 

But then Rocky told me that it’s got nothing to do with me. They are a bit of a loner because of their missing limb and instead of being scared of the squishy human the thing that had terrified them had been the idea of sitting in a room with dozens of able bodied children who might look down on them for their disability.

As soon as I heard that I moved heaven and earth to get that kid into my class. It is one thing to not trust an unfamiliar being from outer space, but I will not let a child miss out on fun and learning and making friends just because they think they might get teased by the other kids. Nuh-uh! Not in my classroom!  

It took a private meeting with them and their parents for me to convince them that they would have nothing to fear in my class and that I would make the classroom a safe space for them. 

“But you are not even in the same room as us,” they’d argued and then immediately ducked behind their parents, surprised by their own cheek. 

But I was encouraged. 

“That won’t stop me,” I said and grinned. “I'm a teacher!”

So when I see the others ganging up on them for forgetting the claw-up rule even though I can tell they are not cruel about it, just a bit obnoxious, I sharply clap my hands and address all of them. 

“Hey! None of that! Do I need to remind you that you were all having trouble remembering the rule when we first started?” I raise an eyebrow at Quinn, who has been a hard nut to crack and who sometimes still can’t help but interrupt me when we are discussing topics that are especially interesting to them. The kid immediately loafs down and does the equivalent of looking away and whistling innocently. “And you are not here to reprimand your classmates for innocent mistakes, you are here to learn.”

They all stop their agitated vocalizing and instead hum deep in their carapace, a noise that indicates remorse and apology. Those closest to Tori gently bump arms with them, making it clear that the apology is meant for them as much as it is for me. 

Tori stops cowering and relaxes visibly. They are still shy but they have come a long way and made a few friends and I'm actually glad that they felt secure enough to ask a question unprompted. I just hope this incident hasn't set us back. I’m unreasonably relieved when, instead of retreating back into their shell, they tentatively raise an arm.

I smile at them, proud. 

“Yes?”

“What is a ‘field trip’?”

Oh. Right. The question.

It’s been a few hours since I’ve mentioned one of the trips I took with my earth class once. Tori must have been sitting on that question for a while. Even though it has nothing to do with our current topic I indulge them, especially since I can tell that the rest of the class has grown curious as well. 

“A field trip is when the teacher takes his class on a supervised and educational journey outside the classroom to do some on-hand learning. On my home planet I would take my class to museums or a historical site.”

The class immediately bursts into noise. They excitedly chatter in my direction, proving my point that they haven't completely internalized the claws-up policy either. I find myself grinning at their enthusiasm like I always do. Despite the dangers of a headache later on I don’t stop them. A quick glance at the clock confirms that we are at the end of the lesson anyway. Their voices are mostly white noise to me like this but I can understand enough snippets to figure out that they are all very excited about the concept of a trip outside the classroom. When Sam’s voice rises above the others to get my attention I'm not the least bit surprised by their demand: 

“We want to take a field trip with Teacher Grace!”

“That might be a bit difficult.” I say and gesture helplessly at my surroundings. They know that I can’t enter their atmosphere without dropping dead.

They all make sounds of sadness and I feel a twinge of regret as well. I've gotten better at dealing with it but from time to time it still hits me just how isolated I am. 

Not lonely. I have plenty of company thanks to Rocky and Adrian and my pebbles. 

But I will never again feel true skin to skin contact. Rocky and Adrian do their best to help me with that by letting me drape all over them when they visit my dome but while the new xenonite suits are much more tactile and soft to the touch than Rocky's ball had been I can’t shut off my brain. I still know that I am ultimately touching artificial material. Not even closing my eyes tight and trying to pretend otherwise can make me forget. It's enough to starve off the crawling sensation under my skin but only barely. 

I thought resuming my teaching would help with this feeling of disconnect and it has. But in a cruel twist of fate it’s also made it worse. I love my class and feel a great affection and closeness for all of them but Tori was right: We are never in the same room. Every time I come here and wait for them I stare at the gosh darn xenonite wall and am reminded that it will always stand between us, keeping us apart.

I will never be able to pat their carapace for a job well done or hug them when they are sad to show them that I'm here and that everything will be okay. 

Likewise they can never take my hand when they are scared or tug on my pants when they have a question. 

All the things I'd taken for granted when I still had them.

I watch the mood shift dramatically on the other side of that wall. It suddenly occurs to me that maybe they haven’t completely understood our mutual limitations until today. I’m convinced that, intellectually, they are aware of our different biological needs but looking at them now I’m not sure their hearts understood all the implications that come with that.  

Until now. Until a simple field trip their teacher has taken a thousand times with his old earth class proves to be an impossibility for them.

It breaks my heart to see the realization ripple through the room and scramble for something to say. 

“Uh, if you could, where would you take me? For a field trip!”

I wince. That's a poopy distraction, Grace, what is wrong with you?

But I'm in luck. My pebbles light up and immediately tell me where they would take me, what they would show me. I can't parse everything but some of the places they suggest sound familiar to me because Rocky mentioned them before. 

“I would take you to my home,” Sam boasts and the others ‘boo’ them playfully. 

“That's not a field trip,” one of them snarks and then adds on uncertainly: “Is it?”

“Not exactly.” I'm still snickering. “A field trip is supposed to take you somewhere new, somewhere where you can experience and learn about something you haven't seen before.”

“My home is new to Teacher Grace!” Well, I have to give it to Sam, they are not wrong. But everything outside the dome would be new to me. “And you could all learn a lot at my place. It is the biggest and most beautiful of all.”

They start to bicker amongst each other and I take my glasses off to pinch my nose. The headache is building and I’ll have to send them home soon but for now I watch them a little bit longer.

An idea gnaws at the back of my head. 

*************************

“Grace needs to be more strict.”

“Hm.”

“Grace is too soft on pebbles.”

“Sure, buddy.”

The claw that had been running soothing circles through my hair, starving off the (thankfully mild) headache, stops.

“Grace is not paying attention!” Rocky accuses me and pulls (softly, softly) on a small strand of hair. I wince because I wasn't paying attention.

“I am!” I lie and batten his arm away. 

“Grace is a liar. A bad one!”

“Leave him alone,” Adrian interrupts and have I mentioned yet that I really love Adrian? “Grace can't help being a bad liar.”

Ok. Scratch that. 

“You are both terrible,” I grouse and they have the audacity to laugh at me. If the sound of their synchronized melody wasn't so soothing (and for some reason that one never gives me a headache) I would have gotten up and cut the medically prescribed cuddle pile short. 

Okay, so I might be stretching the truth here a little bit. They aren't exactly doctor’s orders to be honest but Rocky’s and mine therapist mentioned that physical contact might help with our overall anxiety and who are we to say no to that? Not that we really need an excuse but it makes it seem more official and less co-dependent and sad. 

I’m currently lying on my back on the quilt that has become one of my favorite comfort items, one hand behind my head, the other lying on my stomach. Rocky and Adrian are close, as always. My best friend is sitting near my head carding a claw through my hair in a soothing rhythm. His mate rests sideways against my bent legs, untying and retying my shoelaces over and over again. 

Something about messing with the delicate knots and loops and coming up with new ways to tie them seems to relax the bigger Eridian. Adrian is a certified genius among their people and Rocky says that sometimes they are thinking about so many different projects and ideas all at once that it feels like there is a storm raging in their head. They used to be able to handle it by distracting themselves with mundane tasks but it’s only gotten worse while Rocky was gone. So even though I’m a little concerned that my laces won’t survive the constant handling much longer I’m letting Adrian do as they please to get some respite from their own head. It’s only shoelaces, I’m sure there are some cords or cables from the Mary I can repurpose if it comes to that. 

We are on the beach, far enough from the water that I don’t have to worry about my quilt getting wet but close enough that I can hear every wave crash against the shore. I’ve been dozing on and off ever since we relocated here from the house for some fresh air but much like Adrian I’m too distracted for any real rest. 

“Grace is distracted,” Rocky immediately points out with unwavering conviction. Sometimes I wonder if he didn’t omit the fact that his species is able to read minds just to mess with me. I merely hum an affirmative. When he sounds like that, there is really no point arguing with him. “Why, question.”

He doesn’t need to add the ‘question’ anymore since I have become pretty good at spotting the subtle intonations of their language. But it makes me smile every time and I think that might be about 99% of the reason why he still does it from time to time. 

I hesitate, trying to think of the best way to raise the idea that has been consuming my every thought ever since class ended. “I’ve been thinking…”

Rocky titters, there’s no other word for it, and once again playfully tugs on my hair. “Oh! Dangerous! Very dangerous!”

Why am I friends with this guy again? 

I sigh with exaggeration and turn my head away from him with the biggest pout a grown man can muster. I feel ridiculous but sometimes a man has to do what a man has to do to get some consideration around here. “Oh, forget it. It was stupid anyway.”

Rocky immediately stops mocking me and scuttles up so he can lean over my body to force me to look at him. He hates it when I even imply that I might be stupid which I shamelessly use to my advantage. “No! Grace not stupid! I’m sorry. Tell me, Grace, tell me!”

If it wasn’t so endearing it would be a bit pathetic, the way I can make Rocky fold like a wet napkin with nothing but a dejected expression. 

Not that I could ever hold it against him because I’m exactly the same. Adrian has told me on numerous occasions that they would never let Rocky get away with some of the stuff he gets away with with me.

“You are spoiling him,” they scold me every time I give in to one of Rocky’s outrageous demands for my time and attention. I mostly ignore them because Adrian is just as bad! We both spoil Rocky rotten but we also both know that he deserves it after spending all those years completely alone on his ship. I can’t really see either of us stopping any time soon.

Adrian shifts their body. Something tells me they would be rolling their eyes if they had any. “You two are worse than children.”

Rocky bristles and I cut him off before their bickering can derail the conversation. “Speaking of children, I want to take mine on a field trip!”

“Field trip?” Adrian echoes but Rocky knows immediately what I am talking about. We had a lot of time to talk about my years as a teacher and some field trip stories definitely made the cut.

He quickly explains the concept to Adrian (when they talk among themselves they can speak a lot faster and in frequencies I can’t even pick up) and then immediately turns back to me. 

“No! I forbid it!”

“You forbid it?” I ask, slowly sitting up. There is not much my friend can do to make me truly angry but right now I’m feeling something hot seethe under the surface. “What does that mean?”

Adrian shifts uneasily but Rocky doesn't seem to notice the tension in the air and just barrels on. “It’s too dangerous outside the dome for Grace! Xenonite suit for Grace is still being tested. Still not safe. What if it breaks? Grace will die! Grace can’t die, I won’t allow it!”

Oh. The hot bubbling mess in my stomach dies down. I want to stay angry but it would be kind of hypocritical. Just the thought of Rocky getting hurt or dying sends me into a spiral of terror. 

“No! Shoot, I’m sorry. Come here.” He shuffles closer and I pull him into a hug. I can feel Adrian pressing against my back. One of my shoelaces is suddenly mangled beyond saving but who cares. I can feel their body quivering against mine and realize that while not quite as vocal as Rocky, they were just as worried about my idea. Rocky clings to me a bit too hard but I can take it. “I don’t want to leave the dome. I know that the suit is not ready.”

Adrian, Rocky and some of the other engineers have been working on a space suit for me so that maybe one day I can leave the dome and explore the rest of Erid. The one Rocky made for me to explore his ship was adequate for a quick visit but every single muscle in my body had been aching afterwards because it was so heavy and clunky. Down here, where the gravity is even worse, a design like that wouldn’t let me move an inch. 

Although they are very eager for me to see and visit all of Erid, the new suit is not nearly close to being done. There are so many problems they still have to figure out. Making sure I will have enough air inside to make it farther than ten steps is top of the list. Not to mention the weight and mobility and the heat it would have to be able to withstand so I don’t get cooked alive in there. While they have perfected the suits the Eridians use in my dome, a suit for the squishy and breakable human is still very much up in the air. 

“Why does Grace insist on giving Rocky a heart attack?”

Reminding Rocky that he has five hearts and can surely spare one doesn’t seem the way to go here. He’s so tightly strung, he’d probably throw me into the ocean and drown me. Instead I pull him tighter against my chest. “Sorry pal.”

“What did you mean then?” Rocky demands to know. “When you said field trip?”

Okay, here goes nothing. Considering how he reacted when he thought I wanted to take a walk outside the dome I don’t have much hope that he will agree to help me with this. 

But I have to try. 

“I thought maybe the pebbles could come visit me in the dome?”

“Ah. Understand. Okay.”

I pull back from Rocky, shocked. I could swear looks up at me with an air of innocence. “Wait! What? Just okay? Didn’t you just almost rip my head off when you thought I wanted to leave the dome?”

Rocky blows a raspberry. I wish I’d never taught him the sound and what it means, now he’s doing it every time he thinks I’m being unreasonable. “That is different.” 

“It’s not!” Adrian finally enters the conversation and they sound as incredulous as I feel. “Grace’s atmosphere is just as dangerous to pebbles as the other way around!”

My shoulders droop but Rocky slides past me to climb Adrian’s carapace until he’s crouching on one of their shoulder joints. “But xenonite suits for Eridians are completely safe. Otherwise you would not let me come in here, right?” Adrian says nothing which is pretty much a concession. “We can make them balls like I used when I was on Grace’s ship and we can make the xenonite even thicker and add a second layer for safety. Nothing will happen. Totally safe.”

Adrian hums deep in their body. After a moment they take up the shoelaces again and fiddle with them in an absentminded manner. I slip my foot out of the shoe. When they are distracted like that they sometimes don't notice how much they yank on the laces and considering how tall they are that has led to a few very uncomfortable positions for me. My headache has receded considerably but I don't think hanging upside down by my feet would help. “It will be a lot of work.”

Rocky scoffs. “I built my ball alone in less than a day without ever having done something like that before and it worked.” Both Adrian and I twitch at the reminder. Yes it worked but golly, I don’t even want to imagine all the things that could have gone wrong back then. “Now we are experts and have a team. Won’t take long at all.”

I can tell that Adrian’s resolve is wavering and press a hand against their carapace. “I don’t want to make more work for you,” I say and avert my eyes. “I just thought it might be fun for the kids but I understand if it’s too much.” I smile up at them. “It’s okay, really.”

If Rocky folds like a wet napkin, Adrian falls like a house of cards. They promise to have the xenonite ready by the end of the week and maybe Rocky is not the only one who gets horribly spoiled around here.

I do feel bad for using my powers for ‘evil’ but then Adrian falls over and traps Rocky and me under them and laughs at our flailing and shouting and I think I might be forgiven already.  

Chapter Text

Chapter 02

The day of the field trip is finally here and I still can’t quite believe that we managed to pull this off.

Okay Grace, time to eat some humble pie: I can’t believe Rocky and Adrian managed to pull this off.

While my two friends had been busy with organizing and making sure this trip would go off without a hitch, my only contributions had been anxious bouts of overthinking and catastrophizing. My specialties, in other words.

Mentally I’d been running in circles, lying awake at night, the same questions and doubts torturing me on repeat: Am I doing the right thing? Will this be safe? Will they even want to come visit my dome or will they be too scared? 

Considering that this had been my brilliant idea I tried to keep my mounting self-doubts under control and not bother anyone, least of all my two best friends. I’m not so sure I succeeded. Rocky and Adrian hover on the best of days but ever since I first brought the trip up they have been glued to my side whenever they are not preparing for the big day. I thought their constant vigilance would chafe but it is actually quite reassuring. Their fussing distracts me from my own worst enemy: Myself.  

But maybe I shouldn’t be too hard on myself. At least I managed to hide these moments of crippling uncertainty from my unsuspecting students who we'd decided were not to know about the trip just yet. By some miracle we really did manage to keep them all blissfully unaware of all the preparations happening in the background. At first we told ourselves that we just wanted to surprise them but the more time passed, the more obvious it became that there were still too many hurdles to overcome to confidently say that this was really happening. Keeping the kids in the dark became a necessity because the plan was touch and go for a while.

The thought of having to console an entire class of heartbroken and disappointed pebbles because their human teacher got them hyped up for a stupid and impossible idea when he should have known better paralyzed me with dread. 

Luckily, it won’t have to come to that! In the end everything worked out. Even the scientists who were voicing concerns were won over to our cause with a lot of logical arguments (Adrian), stubbornness (Rocky) and begging (me) and the construction of the xenonite balls finished within a week. 

The last (and in my opinion biggest) hurdle had been the parents. Adrian had been nice enough to talk to them on my behalf so we wouldn’t have to call them into my ‘office’ which is always a bit of a logistical nightmare. I’m already dreading the first parent-teacher conference. The Eridians might not even know the concept which would give me the perfect excuse to just skip it. If I didn’t take so much pride in my profession I might have just done that but the dreadful ritual is and will always be a part of the job, no matter the solar system.

Anyway, Adrian was able to convince the parents that the trip would be perfectly safe for their pebbles. They actually assured me that it took very little persuasion. Apparently none of the parents were too worried because they trust me and the science team to know what is safe and what isn't.

I’m not sure how much I believe Adrian, to be honest. I know that the parents must have ultimately agreed since my friend would never lie about that. But I doubt they were all lackadaisical and fine with their children taking a stroll through my toxic atmosphere. I’m sure there were a lot of concerns, to put it mildly.  

I wouldn’t put it past Adrian to embellish the truth a little to make me feel better and take another burden off my shoulders. 

Rocky meanwhile, thought it might be fun to keep the trip a secret until the very last second. If it was up to him, we would have just collected the children on the day of the trip and led them to the access vault without any warning. 

My dear, sweet, clueless friend has obviously never had to deal with a bunch of over-stimulated children.

Ignoring his suggestion, I announced the trip the day before. Rocky was busy with last minute preparations and so he was sadly not there to witness all of my pebbles predictably losing their adorable little minds at the news. Dealing with that chaos on the day of the trip itself would have been a nightmare.

As it is, it took me an hour to get them all to calm down long enough to listen to some ground rules.

“I’m not kidding about this,” I said and made myself sound hard and uncompromising. I’ve never had to use this tone of voice with them before and I could tell that they were all taken aback which was exactly the effect I had been hoping for. I needed them to take me seriously and the way they immediately grew still and attentive made me think I succeeded. “These rules are for your own safety and I do not play around with that. You are safe in the xenonite but I won’t take any chances. Any of you that don’t follow the rules will be escorted out of the dome and back home immediately. There will be no second chances. Do you understand?”

They all promised and that’s as good as I was going to get, I guess. I just have to hope that my pebbles are smart enough to realize the seriousness of the situation.

Knowing how short attention spans can be when excitement runs high, I kept the rules simple yet effective:

• Always stay in Teacher Grace’s eyesight. 

• Stay at least thirty feet away from the water.

• Do exactly as Teacher Grace tells you immediately! No arguing, no buts, no ifs.

• If you think there is something wrong with your xenonite suit, SPEAK UP IMMEDIATELY.

I made them repeat the rules a few times and then some more for good measure. I’m pretty sure they grew bored after the seventh repeat since even eridian children have a much better memory than the average human adult but better safe than sorry.

So now the day is here and I’m waiting for my class inside my dome, rocking up and down on my feet, fiddling with the portable translator clipped to my shirt. My pebbles have started to practice my language but none of them have enough vocabulary memorized yet for me to communicate with them without a translator. At the speed they are learning though, it won’t be long until we can ditch the aids. 

Rocky is my only company so far. Adrian has offered to escort the children to the vault and help them into their xenonite balls before leading them inside. I had planned to ask them both to chaperone but didn’t even get the chance. They had readily volunteered which had taken another burden off my shoulders. I feel confident that I can handle a horde of children by myself (been there, done that) but considering the unique circumstances I just feel better knowing that I have some extra ‘eyes’ keeping watch. 

“Grace doesn’t have to be nervous,” Rocky says. 

I shoot him an amused glance. Judging by the way he’s paced a groove into the sand behind me he’s just as nervous. 

Before I can answer, the gate activates. The way the ground shakes and vibrations travel through my bones always manages to surprise me. The door itself is unassuming but Rocky once showed me the plans for the hidden mechanisms and just looking at them made my head spin. On one hand I’m grateful that they put so much thought into designing such a secure passage but a part of me wonders how much work and time and effort this must have taken and if one, squishy human is really worth all of that. 

The massive gate slowly rises upwards and there they finally are. My students.

A quick headcount that has become second nature by now confirms that they are all here so no parents backed out at the last minute.

What a relief! 

They are all clustered around Adrian and the first thing I notice is that they are not in balls. Instead every single one of them has their own suit just like Rocky and Adrian use them. They all fidget a little, wobbling in place as they get used to the extra weight and unfamiliar feeling of being encased in xenonite. As soon as they spot me they all scramble towards me on tiny legs, stumbling occasionally over small sand piles or each other and shouting and waving their little arms. They swarm me and I can’t take my eyes off of them and their shiny little suits as their bodies press directly against my legs.

“What-?”

“Better this way.” Adrian makes sure the passage is sealed back up and then follows more sedately. They join Rocky who immediately climbs them like a tree and perches on top of them to observe the spectacle from above. I can feel both of them watching me with that intensity and care I’m still getting used to. “They would have too much freedom in a ball, too much speed. They would roll around and we would have to constantly chase them. We will have more control over them this way.”

“But that must have been so much work, all these little custom made suits!”

“No,” Rocky waves an arm as if to wave off my concerns. “Not more work than balls would have been. Was easy.”

These two are so full of it! I know for a fact that the manufacturing of these suits is delicate and complicated work and that only a handful of Eridians have mastered the craft yet which means a team must have been working on these things day and night to complete them so fast. 

Easy, my butt!

As my pebbles pull on my pants and grab at my shoes and chitter excitedly, I am overwhelmed with this breathtaking kind of love I feel for the two of them. How come that I had to leave my own planet to find people who understand me and my needs better than anyone on earth ever did? 

I sink to my knees and reach out, taking the little claws that are meeting me halfway into shaking hands. I make sure to hold the claw of every single student at least once, squeezing for a few seconds, letting them squeeze my fingers in return. They are so careful with me that I wonder if Adrian warned them not to be too rowdy with the squishy human. The thought makes me smile.  

I feel something pull insistently on my shirt and look over to see Tori trying to clumsily climb up on my lap. They are chirping in distress and I realize that they are overwhelmed by the crowd, caught in the middle of the cluster that is surrounding me. I help them the last few inches and let them rest on my thighs for a moment, their little body pressed against my stomach. It doesn’t take long for their shaking to subside and I put my hand on top of their carapace. I whisper that everything is alright and that they will be okay. It’s too low for the translator to pick up but either Tori understands more than I thought or just the tone of my voice is enough to calm them further. They chirp in gratitude and let me guide them back down where the two pebbles who have more or less adopted them eagerly await their friend.  

I am proud that I was able to hold out for so long but I’m not made out of stone like my friends. Tears start to gather in the corners of my eyes and I reach up to swipe at them before anyone can notice.

No such luck. 

“Teacher Grace is leaking again!” Someone shouts and they all clamor even closer, worried that I’m hurt or sad, two of the main reasons I gave them for why humans sometimes leak. I can feel Rocky’s smug stare drilling a hole into the side of my head and barely keep myself from sticking out my tongue at him.

“It’s the saltwater on the breeze. It’s irritating my eyes.” I point at the water to our left. “Who remembers why the earth's sea is salty?”

Dozens of little claws rise up.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

We spend the first half of the field trip on the beach. The little pebbles are fascinated by the sand, letting it slip through their claws and digging holes into it. Before long I have to put a stop to that because they go at it with so much enthusiasm that I’m a little concerned they will dig right down to the bottom of the dome. Rocky volunteers to let them bury him like he’s seen on the filler beach episode of his favorite anime and I have a vivid vision of being forced to dig up the whole beach because the pebbles go at it a little too hard and Rocky fails to stop them before they bury him completely. 

Fortunately, I don’t have to be the bad guy this time. Adrian has some choice words for their mate and his reckless ideas which makes for fascinating entertainment for my pebbles and probably cures them a little of the hero worship they still have for Rocky. 

The real star is the water. They are enamored with it, staring at the waves for minutes at a time. I’m happy to see that they are keeping their distance, just like they promised, but their yearning is almost palpable. Even when I try to steer the lesson in another direction their attention keeps going back to that wondrous body of water and their questions about it get more and more pointed. I would have to be blind to not see the way their carapaces keep tilting towards the shore, as if the waves are calling to them. 

I’m not immune to their plight but I simply don’t feel comfortable allowing them any closer. Just the thought fills my head with all kinds of horror scenarios. Small pebbles getting washed away by a big wave, sinking to the bottom of the fake ocean, never to be seen again. 

No! We are not doing that!

But not doing anything to sate their curiosity feels wrong too and they are here to learn, aren’t they? So I ask Adrian to please get the big basin I keep behind the house. It’s repurposed equipment from Mary and during my initial recovery I used it to soak my hands and feet in hot water when the joint pain became too much. It’s been collecting space dust lately but now we fill it halfway up with water. 

I kneel next to it and push my sleeves up my arms. My pebbles gather around me and I tell them to form a line. One after the other I lift the little bodies up and into the basin. I take care to not let on how much their weight takes out of me and how my arms start to shake five pebbles in. Rocky will insist on taking over if he thinks I'm straining myself too much and some part of me is weirdly possessive over this moment. I want to be the one to share this experience with my pebbles. Their first and maybe only contact with water. It belongs to us.

Every pebble gets about two minutes in the water to splash their limbs around before I lift them back out to get the next one. The suits mean that they can’t feel the water directly but they are able to experience the way it moves around them and how their movements generate small waves and currents. It is enough to satisfy their curiosity. We made sure that even the smallest pebble would be able to stand in the basin without sinking under the surface of the water, but I still keep my hands around their bodies at all times. Most of them are thankful for the extra sense of security but some of the more adventurous ones tell me that I can let go, that they are not scared. Of course I refuse, no matter how much they beg. They might not be scared, but my heart is racing like crazy in my chest. The suits are waterproof and temperature regulated but I’m still relieved when we get through everyone without incident. 

The last in line is Rocky who playfully holds up two of his arms for me to lift him inside. Instead Adrian and I lift the basin up and dump the contents over his head. 

The children are still giggling and Rocky is still shaking himself like a dog when I lead them all into my house for the second part of the field trip. Rocky warns me that some of my possessions might get broken by eager little claws. 

As if I haven’t already taken the more valuable mementos somewhere safe. Come on, I’m a teacher! I know how this works!

“They can’t be more clumsy than you were when you first invaded Mary,” I tell him with a cheeky little grin which makes the kids and Adrian laugh and Rocky sulk for a good ten minutes. 

His worry is unfounded anyway. They scurry all over the place and pick everything up that looks even remotely interesting but they are very careful with everything. Almost too careful. They regard their surroundings reverently and hold my possessions in their claws like they’re some kind of holy relics. With a tug in my stomach I realize that my impression might not be that far from the truth. I’m not blind to the fact that Rocky is not the only one that is getting a bit of the hero treatment even though I do my best to ignore that part. 

Does it feel to them as if they are handling the otherworldly belongings of their savior?

The thought makes me very uncomfortable. 

I plop down in the middle of the room with my legs crossed and announce that they can bring me whatever they want and I’ll explain to them what it is and its purpose.

There is immediately a steady stream of tiny Eridians carrying stuff to me that ranges from the mundane (my chopsticks) to truly embarrassing (a pair of boxers from under my bed that I apparently missed when I cleaned the place. Rocky squeals and rolls around with laughter as I snatch them from tiny hands with flaming cheeks).

I am saved from having to explain that one when I spot three pebbles working together to bring me a familiar fox sweater. 

“Oh, this is my favorite one,” I exclaim and immediately pull it on as I explain to them what it is and what humans use it for. It’s technically too warm but I always feel a little better whenever I’m wearing it and now that I have it in my hands I can’t resist. It’s starting to fray a little around the bottom so I’m extra careful as I push my arms into the sleeves. 

“Who’s your favorite student?” Carter, one of my kids who is a striking purple color, asks. I can practically feel every Eridian turn their attention to me. 

“Teachers don’t have favorite students,” I explain calmly. “That would be unethical. I like you all equally.”

“But it’s me, right?” Sam ignores my diplomatic answer and pushes against my knee. “I’m your favorite!”

I laugh a little. Sam fancies themselves the leader of the class which has gotten them in trouble with some of the other headstrong students from time to time. They still claim that since they found me and led the other students my way, there wouldn’t even be lessons with Teacher Grace without them. 

At first the other kids had no trouble following that sound logic and happily went along with it but I have been able to sense a change lately. A kind of revolution, you might say. They are all growing into their own and dynamics are changing almost daily. I’m not worried about any of it yet, I’ve seen this stuff with every class I’ve ever taught. It’s a part of growing up and finding your place in this world. Making your mark.

Sam can be a bit stubborn but they are a genuinely good and popular kid. And despite their need to push boundaries like it’s an olympic sport they also know when it’s time to back off. I don’t see the need to intervene but I definitely have my eyes on the situation so I can stay on top of it when an intervention is required. 

Like now. 

I can tell the rest of the class is growing a bit restless so I make sure that my voice carries through the entire house. While Sam will always be my first Eridian student, I am completely serious when I claim that I don’t have a favorite. I love them all with all my heart.

“I don’t have a favorite, Sam. Like I said, you are all equally dear to me.” After a moment's thought I add. “And if I had a favorite Eridian it would probably be Rocky.”

While Sam quietly argues that “Hero Rocky” doesn't count because he's not my student, I feel Rocky glaring daggers at my back.

“Probably? Of course Rocky is Grace's favorite,” he declares firmly, leaving no room for an objection. 

Sam huffs and taps their feet against the ground, clearly jealous but still too awestruck by the legendary hero to contradict him. 

I deliberately turn my back on them - not to ignore them but to give them a chance to compose themselves without an audience - and smirk at Rocky instead. “Awfully confident of that, aren't you?”

Rocky huffs and taps his feet against the ground, a perfect mirror of Sam’s tantrum. It takes everything I have not to burst out laughing. 

“Why wouldn't I be? Who else could be your favorite?”

“Oh, I've been getting along with Scotty pretty well recently. They have a truly astonishing mind.”

Scotty is what I have named one of the other engineers who sometimes comes around to pick my brain. They do have an astonishing mind: astonishingly obnoxious! 

I do not enjoy their company at all but my friend Rocky despises them. It seems like Scotty has been some kind of arch nemesis of Rocky even before he left on that fateful mission. You might think a peaceful society like the Eridians doesn't believe in holding grudges and therefore doesn't have any use for making an arch nemesis out of a fellow Eridian and you'd be correct. It’s just Rocky. Another thing that makes him so unique even among his own people, I guess. Especially since not even Scotty seems to be aware of their blood feud and happily greets his colleague every time they cross paths.

But Rocky’s one-sided beef is secondary here. What’s important is that I get exactly the reaction I’d been hoping for. 

Rocky screeches so loud my little pebbles jump and scatter. 

“BAD GRACE. TRAITOR. JAIL FOR GRACE! JAIL FOR GRACE FOR A THOUSAND YEARS!” 

He jumps forward and barrels into me until I fall over on my back, laughing. Despite his outrage he is still careful about it so it doesn’t really hurt. He proceeds to try to climb on top of me, maybe to throttle me, but I manage to keep him off of me for the most part. Of course it's because he actually lets me stop him. If he was truly determined I wouldn't be able to fend him off. He'd crush my ripcage with his weight alone which I'm moderately sure is not actually the end goal here. 

We haven't tussled like this in a long time, me being too weak from our trip and Rocky too anxious about accidentally hurting me. I'm so relieved that he's finally getting over his irrational fear of hurting me that I don't even mind being attacked like this in front of my students. 

My class seems fascinated by our antics. After a second of indecision they start cheering us on. Some of the (thankfully smaller) pebbles join in, climbing all over me and playfully swatting at Rocky to defend their beloved teacher from an unjust attack. Once or twice a careless leg digs painfully into my skin and against a bone but I bare it with a grin. Some bruising is a small price to pay to hear them all laugh and holler. Rocky playfully engages for a few minutes but ultimately backs down and concedes defeat much faster than he might have done if it had been just us. 

Adrian, who'd been tensely watching this spectacle from their corner, gradually relaxes again. Despite all the fun we’ve been having, the dangers of my atmosphere never quite leave the back of our heads. Just one small rip in the suits would be enough to spell disaster. The chances of that happening are almost negligible even with all that roughhousing. But almost is not good enough when it comes to the safety of my kids. 

I sit back up and cradle my protectors safely against my chest, breathless with laughter. 

Adrian rumbles deep in their body. 

“Dearest mate, dearest Grace. You are supposed to be the adults on this field trip.”

I grin at Adrian but Rocky just slumps against their side and whines. 

“Adrian, have you heard what Grace has said?” He points an accusing claw at me. “Take it back!”

I raise one of my hands, the other still juggling the pebbles to keep them from tumbling down. 

“You're right, you're right! I was just messing with you. Of course Scotty is not my favorite.” Rocky straightens up and I deal the killing blow. “It's Adrian.”

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“Did you enjoy your first field trip?” I ask and dozens of little arms raise up in the air to do the jazz hands. I grin and copy them, giddy with relief and the feeling of accomplishment. Everything worked out great and there were no major catastrophes. A minor miracle, all things considered. 

“Me too. Now off you go, I’ll see you tomorrow for class and don’t forget your homework. Think of three things you learned today that you didn’t know before. It can be anything you want, feel free to get creative with it.”

“I’ve learned that Teacher Grace never cleans under his bed,” one cheeky pebble pipes up.

Rocky laughs at the sour look on my face but the laughter dies a sudden death when another pebble adds: “And I learned that Teacher Grace’s favorite is Elder Adrian.”

Adrian chuckles and starts to herd the class towards the passage. One of the pebbles falls behind and seems reluctant to leave. I notice that it’s Sam and jog over and kneel down beside them. “Everything alright? Did you have fun?”

“Yes,” they say and shuffle their feet. I can tell that they have something on their mind and wait. Adrian is still busy instructing the others to form a line in front of the gate. I don’t have to wait long. 

“I’m confused.”

“About what?”

“Teacher Grace said that you can’t take a field trip to someone’s home. But we came to Teacher Grace’s home.”

“Uhm.”

I’m momentarily at a loss for words because I never even thought of it that way. When I planned this trip I thought of it as an outing like any other I've taken with my human students. It didn’t feel any different than a trip to a place of interest like a museum or historical site. But it is different, isn’t it? This place is not just some attraction. 

I look around myself. 

This is my home.   

“I simply can’t leave the dome. Not for a very long time.” Sam hunches a little and I put a hand on their carapace, still marveling at the fact that I get to do that. “Tell you what, tomorrow, after you all tell me what you learned about my home, you all get to tell me about yours. Where and how you live and with whom and what you love about it. What do you say?”

Sam has perked up considerably and bounces up and down. “Yes Yes Yes!”

“Okay then,” I give them a little push. “Don’t keep Adrian waiting and tell the others about tomorrow so they can prepare, alright?”

Sam bounces one last time and then rushes after the others who have just started to push through the gate. All of them turn around at least once and rub their little claws along their limbs in farewell. 

I’m still sitting on the ground when Rocky draws up next to me and we watch together as Adrian and the pebbles slowly filter out. We will wait at the house for Adrian’s return and then resume our Lord of the Rings marathon. 

“You are Rocky’s favorite human, statement,” Rocky mutters sullenly after the last pebble has left and the passage is sealed once more. 

I have to grin. “Are you still mad about that? And that’s not the guilt trip you think it is. You said it yourself, I’m the only human you know. Pretty easy to be the favorite, you just don’t know any better.”

Rocky stills for a second and then repeatedly hits my shoulder with enough force that it will probably bruise a little. Oh well, I already feel sore all over from the day, what's a few more? 

“Stupid Grace! Stupid! Does not matter! Grace will always be my favorite. Could know all the humans on earth, every single one, and Grace would still be my favorite, statement statement statement.”

I take some deep, measured breaths and cross my arms over my chest. Then I uncross them because I know a better use for them. I turn and wrap myself around Rocky, pressing my cheek against his suit and hiding my face inside the crook of my arm. My friend immediately does the same until we are as entwined as a pretzel and you can barely tell where one starts and the other ends.

We stay like that for a while, long enough for my sniffles to die down and the artificial sun to start to dip beneath the horizon. 

“Don’t tell the others,” I whisper. “But you’re my favorite too, statement.”

Before he can start gloating like I know he will, I get to my feet and race him back to the house.

Back home.