I was painting when there was a knock on my door. I found Rich outside. “Whatever it was, it wasn’t me,” I claimed. He chuckled. “I wasn’t accusing you of anything. A few of us were going to The Blue Rose on Friday. We were wondering if you’d like to join us.” I raised an eyebrow. My neighbors were civil, but none had made any attempts at being social. “We go out twice a year. Last time we barely knew you,” he explained. “You still barely know me.” “That’s because you keep to yourself.” “Getting greeted by hostile stares doesn’t make for a warm welcome.” “You came in escorted by an army colonel. You lived in an empty apartment for three days with nothing but the clothes you walked in wearing. We had no idea what was going on.” “They’d just released me, and I wasn’t going back, not even to wait for my things.” “We figured your things had been delayed. We just didn’t know for sure and didn’t know how to ask.” “You all thought I was a freak abomination and were afraid of me.” “Some did. Some still do. Some thought you were a vagrant squatting in the place, and some thought you were part of some military sting operation. “Sean, we got off to a bad start. Are you going to hold it against us forever? The building has long prided itself on being neighborly. We’d like to include you. Will you join us?” I nodded. “I’d like that.” *** We went to The Blue Rose. I volunteered to drive since I couldn’t get drunk. I’d worn my hat and glasses out of habit. The bar was too dark for sunglasses. I noticed the looks I got. “Do you think I should grow my hair out to cover my ears?” I asked. “No.” Rich’s answer was quick. Maybe he’d had some similar desire. He never spoke of it, but I’m sure he’d dealt with some racism growing up one of a few blacks in a primarily white community. “Don’t hide what you are,” Dylan added. Tyler and Martin nodded. I glanced at the group. Rich was black. Martin was Hispanic. Dylan and Tyler were white. So was I, technically. People just chose to look at my species instead. “Would you get contacts too?” Tyler asked as we sat. “I can’t use them because of the shape of my pupils.” “Can you use regular contacts?” “I don’t know. I’ve never needed them. Vision trouble is rare among elves.” “Lucky you,” Martin muttered. He wore rather strong glasses. “You have benefits too.” “Like what?” Rich asked. “You heal faster than us, you’re bigger, and you don’t get sick.” “I sunburn easier than any of you.” “But you won’t get skin cancer.” “I still peel something awful, and most sunscreen doesn’t do anything for me. The sunglasses aren’t only to hide my eyes. They’re more sensitive to light. “And sterility is a problem. Elves don’t marry, but because my dad got my mom pregnant the first time, when she wanted more children, she came back to him even though they weren’t together any longer.” “How many siblings do you have?” Tyler asked. “I had two older brothers. One was fifty years older, the other was more than two hundred years older. I can’t remember how much.” “You don’t know how old your brother was?” “I don’t know how old I am. I think I was born on the eighth day of Alinar.” “And when is Alinar?” Martin asked. “In the spring. The calendar has changed too many times for me to be able to know how they correspond.” “What do you put on forms?” “June first. That’s the date they used when I first immigrated here. It’s the year that causes all the problems. Since I don’t know how old I am, I can’t figure out when I was born. The government decided 1010 was close enough, but computers don’t like it.”