Skylar held up a pale pink circle they had been told was meat. One piece was already sizzling in the frying pan. "You humans have created such strange things. And such weird spellings." The word on the package certainly didn't match up to what Skylar thought it should sound like based on phonetics.
John and Emily didn’t know how bologna became buh-loan-ee.
"Skylar." John's hand waved in front of their face. "I'm ready for the next piece." In the time it took for Skylar to blink, John pinched the piece of bologna in their hand. Skylar let go and John placed the meat into the frying pan.
Emily was standing on the other side of the island counter, putting mayonnaise on bread. "So, are you all vegetarians?" She asked.
"In our natural state." Skylar picked up another piece of the meat. "But if we wish to maintain the body of of whatever we've transformed into, we adjust to their natural diet."
"So," John turned away from the pan, "how long can you stay transformed anyway?"
"Indefinitely." Skylar looked down at themselves, wiggling their toes against the pale yellow linoleum floor of John's kitchen. "As long as the body stays healthy."
"Well that's good." Emily scraped the knife against the top of the mayonnaise. "Since the park is going to be closed for a while."
"Isn't there another way to get to your ship?" John flipped the sizzling bologna. "Even invisible and perched in a tree, they might still find it. We should have a plan to get you out."
"I could fly it remotely to a secure location." Skylar handed John another piece after he put the two fried slices on a piece of bread. A darker red, curled and crinkled edges, the cheap meat certainly looked more appetizing fried. "But my landing is even worse."
"I mean, there's tons of desert." Emily drummed her fingers on the counter. "Even a crash landing would go unnoticed."
"That will probably be our best shot." John sighed. "Still risky."
"It's an invisible ship." Skylar protested. "And fairly quiet. Well… except when it crashes."
"Your ship can perch itself in a tree, but can't land on the ground?" John asked. "I'm confused."
"Security was too tight around the ships in perfect conditions." Skylar shrugged. "I took one that was scheduled for scalping, buy me more time before anyone noticed I was gone."
"So, how long until they notice?" Emily pulled her plate closer, pressing the bread slices together before taking a big bite.
"Undoubtedly they already have." Skylar said. “But since I took the old ship, tracking me will be difficult.”
“We should still plan on getting you out before you get found.” It wasn’t long before the meat was cooked and Skylar was biting into their first fried bologna sandwich.
“Well?” Emily and John asked.
“It… is better than it smelled.” Skylar chewed another bite slowly, the soft bread and crispy edges contrasting nicely in their mouth. “I would eat it again.”
Word Count: 500
