"What is that?" I ask myself while inching toward it.
The front part of Kyle's spaceship slides open and he climbs out with a grin stretching from dimple to dimple. As he strolls over to me, I realize he's not wearing the breather mask over his mouth anymore. He was afraid that Earth's air wouldn't agree with his system, since his species has never actually landed on our planet. His short hair is a beautiful mixture of brown, black, and blond strands. His piercing blue eyes become partially hidden as his smile widens when I move closer, but then it falters.
"Wait," he says quickly, holding his hands up. His deep voice mesmerizes me. It's odd, but I've never felt this kind of instant connection with anyone. Maybe it's like one of his alien abilities or something.
"Okay," I reply, feeling confused by his request.
"I had to deploy my ship's force field because the mask malfunctioned. If you were to cross over, you'd be deprived of oxygen," he explains. "I had to wait in my ship until the surrounding area was detoxified."
"Oh," I reply, analyzing the field he was talking about more critically. I can see a slight reflection of myself in the glossy bubble, and instinctively reach my hand out to touch it. The moment my index finger grazes the surface it sends a bright neon blue ripple across the section I touch while distorting my reflection in the process.
"Neat, huh?" he asks, moving to stand right in front of me.
"Yeah," I answer in a daze, fascinated by the light trail my finger is creating on the force field. Even though I can see right through it, it feels solid when I press my fingertip against it.
"You were gone so long that I didn't think you'd return." Kyle's voice brings my attention back to his face, and I drop my hand to my side. "I thought maybe I scared you off or something."
"I was only gone about half an hour," I reply, seeing his forehead furrow at my response.
"It seemed like sectors to me," Kyle says seriously.
"Sectors? Is that your version of time? Ours are seconds, minutes, and hours." I wait for his answer, as he seems to be mulling it over.
"Yeah, time. I remember reading about that. Our time is essentially no different except for the names. On our planet, we don't waste any of, what you call time, and we must account for it or be … I can't seem to find a word in your language to explain it."
I begin to miss seeing his smile, and I don't want to know what he was about to say, because it didn't sound like it was going to be good. To lighten the mood I begin to pull out the items from my coat pockets and take a seat on the ground. Kyle mimics my sitting position on the other side of the "bubble." I notice his eyes are intently focused on each item as I place them on the ground in front of me, one by one. A light breeze swirls a trail of snow around the objects after I've laid them all out. The iridescent snow pieces inside the snow globe are sent into frenzied motion when I shake it up to show Kyle what it does before setting it down again.
When I gaze up at the top crest of the bubble, I notice a mound of snowflakes have gathered there in a sizeable clump. A sudden gust of wind sends the snow showering down on where I'm sitting. It's like a reverse snow globe, I say to myself, watching the delicate snow slipping down the side of the force field.
"I see you brought back some interesting gifts with you. Is that what you call them? I also hear they're referred to as presents."
"What do you mean 'hear'?" I say, looking for an earpiece or something that might be helping him gain this intel.
"Hear? Oh yes, sorry. I forgot to tell you that there's what you'd call a microchip stamped into my earlobe. It translates my thoughts into your language so I can communicate with you. It also allows me to understand what you're saying. Sometimes it's, what you call, 'a little off.'" He laughs, and oh my goodness, his laughter is so warm. It sounds so deep and genuine. It's almost like he's human … almost.
I wish I could get nearer to him. Where did that come from? Could I be somehow attracted to an alien? Of course he's beautiful, but he's also something more, sincere maybe? Or real?
"What are you thinking?" Kyle's voice startles me, and I'm so glad he can't read minds … or at least I hope he can't.
I begin to feel a blush creeping up my cheeks. I know for a fact my face has completely turned thirty shades of red, and I just hope he thinks it's because of the cold weather.
"I was thinking it's a little chilly out here, and was wondering if it's warm in there with you," I reply, but then immediately feel silly for asking such a stupid sounding question. It's painfully obvious the cold is not bothering him since he's not wearing a coat, and his spacesuit, if you can call his body-hugging—and oh what a body it is—onesie, a spacesuit. Could my face feel any hotter right now?
"Yes, this field of energy maintains a comfortable body temperature for me. You must be really cold out there. Your face is becoming a deeper red color as we speak. My translator is saying you're blushing, but that doesn't seem right. Oh, okay, now it says human skin can become red from cold temperatures."
Whew, I could hug that translator of his. A couple of seconds ago I could've strangled it, but it's redeemed itself.
"Aren't you curious about the stuff I brought to show you?" I ask, desperately wanting to change the subject and switch his focus from my bright scarlet face to the items displayed in front of me.
"Actually, I'm very intrigued by these gifts you have here. Please explain them to me," he says, looking down at the row of items.
"Okay, so first up is a Reece's Peanut Butter Cup. It's a chocolate candy with peanut butter inside. See?" I explain while taking the single cup out of the wrapper and breaking it apart. "It's so delicious and sweet, along with being very addicting. In fact, my dad can't resist them. My mom won't let him have them anymore because he's on a diet, so he mopes around the house a lot." I find myself rambling because Kyle is sitting there staring at me while hanging on every one of my words. I can't explain the emotions that are starting to bubble up within me at this moment. I'm suddenly feeling warm all over, when I should be shivering from the freezing cold temperature.
"Umm, so, up next is a Coke. It's also sweet, and is quite a popular drink here on Earth. It can be quite addicting as well. I also have a fork and a spoon here. These are what we eat with. We also use knives, which are sharp, to cut things with. Am I boring you?" I see him glance down quickly as I point out the items, but then his stunning blue eyes return to mine.
"Never … You could never bore me," he says, shocking the heck out of me. His smile is so sincere, and I wish I could touch his face and feel his arms around me. I shiver again, but it's still most definitely not from the cold.
"Ahem, and this is a snow globe. My nana brought this back to me from Roswell, New Mexico, which is a place where many people have claimed to see aliens. When you shake it up, it looks like it's snowing inside, like it is out here right now." I shake the globe and watch as his eyes seem to fixate on the glistening white flakes while they swirl around.
"What's the green thing?" He points at the cliché-looking green plastic alien inside the globe.
"Well, this is what most people think your kind looks like."
Kyle chuckles and gestures to himself. "Could we be twins?" I have to try and fight back the laugh bubbling up in my throat, but fail epically. The moment I begin to laugh at his question, Kyle sends me a cheeky smile.
"Maybe you're not the only beings out there?" I say after my little laughing fit subsides.
"Your assumption would be correct. There are others out there, but I've never seen them with my own eyes, only images. This is my first mission, remember. On our planet, we're what you'd call regimented. We obey every order, and never ask questions. It's not what you might refer to as a happy place." He dips his head, avoiding my gaze, and shakes it back and forth.
When he pans back up to me, I see sadness reflected in his eyes, and wish he'd laugh or smile again. What a miserable place his home must be. I mean, we have to obey laws and our parents, but I'd absolutely hate it if I couldn
't feel happiness. I wish this bubble would disappear so I could wrap him up in a hug. I'm sure he doesn't get anything like that where he's from. He seems so lonely.
I bring my hand up and rest it flat against the bubble and watch as the neon blue color begins to outline my fingers. Kyle raises his hand and places it opposite mine. Mine is dwarfed by his, which shouldn't surprise me since he has to be at least a foot taller than I am. When I initially saw him, his height was the first thing I noticed. Okay, so I also noticed how perfect he appears to be—otherworldly. He resembles many of the models that grace the pages of magazines or are on TV. I wish Nana was here with me. She'd be so excited to meet Kyle, and would probably ask him a million and one questions. I hope she's watching right now and sees that we were right all these years.
"Before I became a scout, I watched your planet, and when they sent me on my first mission, I knew this is where I wanted to go first. You humans are such wonderful and fascinating creatures. Each and every one of you is unique in your own way. Through observing your kind, I've learned about happiness and love. Like I said before, these feelings are lacking on my planet."
A loud buzzing sound erupts from the downed silver spacecraft behind him. "Excuse me," he says quickly before springing to his feet and moving toward his ship. When he reaches the front part of the spacecraft, a door slides open and he disappears inside.
The snow is still drifting down lightly around me, and I watch as another wave of flakes cascade down the bubble to the ground. As the snow touches the surface of the force field, it causes a myriad of blue hues to ripple across it. If this is a dream, I most definitely do not want to wake up.
I can't believe it's only been two hours since I decided to sneak out of the house and take a walk in the woods after having a little tiff with my mom. The argument was over a party I wanted to go to next weekend. The moment I slipped up and told her there wouldn't be any adults around, she nixed the idea. I reminded her I'll be eighteen in two months, and I'm far from the typical wild teenager. In fact, I pride myself on being a good girl. I get good grades, and I'm freaking third in my senior class, what's not to trust?
So, there I was taking a stroll through the forest, away from my house to calm down, when I heard a thunderous bang, which shook the very ground beneath my feet. I did something that my parents would've deemed completely insane, and without thinking, I took off in the direction I thought the sound resonated from.
The first thing I noticed was the path of decimated trees leading up to a clearing with a huge metallic oval-shaped object lodged into the ground. It looked like an elongated, cylindrical egg with windows. I couldn't believe my eyes. I initially thought it was some kind of satellite that had fallen out of the sky. I've seen pictures of satellites, and though it didn't really look like any I had seen, I figured that maybe it was a top-secret one from the military or something. When I approached the large object, it was making this odd humming sound. I continued to creep through the trees toward it, but stayed in the shadows so not to be seen, just in case someone was out here.
While I was wondering if I should call NASA, the military, or Sheriff Johnson, which was a foolish idea since I'd definitely have no reception this far into the woods, the top front section of the cylinder slid open. I swear I was focused on the metallic object the whole time, and a door just freakin' appeared. I'm positive that if I looked in a mirror at that moment, I would've been met with the most shocked look that's ever graced my face. Every single thought left my mind the moment a figure began to emerge from the opening. I was surprised to see the figure was actually a male dressed in some kind of jumpsuit with something covering his nose and mouth. He had a small gold stick in his hand, and his eyes, which I swear were glowing deep neon blue, scanned the area and then fixated on me. The one thought that did cross my mind in that instant was I must be seeing an alien. At least that's what I was hoping he'd be. Even though he looked human, I just couldn't let go of the thought of him being a real-life extraterrestrial.
Pulling myself away from my musings, I glance over to the opening at the front of the large metallic spacecraft, wondering what's keeping Kyle. It seems like forever since he scampered off. Maybe he's getting ready to leave. I suddenly feel a sense of panic because I don't want this first encounter to end. I don't want him to go, but if he stays, there's a chance he could be found and stuck on a slab somewhere to be dissected and analyzed. The world isn't prepared for this kind of revelation, and I know for a fact that my small town is definitely not ready for this.
I sigh with relief when he emerges from his ship, and I see a pulsating red sphere in his hand. He looks up at me and then back down at the object he's holding. I get this feeling it's not a good thing. When he moves to stand right in front of me, he lifts his hand and places the sphere up to the wall of the neon blue field of energy. He removes his hand, but the ball stays there like it's stuck to it. I hear a slight ticking chime resonate from the small red orb, and it sounds like a synthesized version of the grandfather clock in our foyer.
"Kyle, what's that?" I ask, and he looks up at me with a smile, but his eyes look bleak.
"I have communicated with the main scouting vessel, and they informed me that Earth is on high alert after I hit one of your satellites. There will be no rescue. I am to be what you call terminated. This device will destroy all evidence of me being here, including me. My craft is unable to travel, and I'm deemed an accepted loss."
"What? How can they just leave you here? Our military has a code: no man left behind," I say, wondering what kind of monsters would leave him here to die like this.
"I told you, our species do not have the same emotions as you. There are so many of us that our military sees us entry-level soldiers as nothing but expendable. There's always someone right there to take our place." He shakes his head while his shoulders are slightly slumped, like he has accepted his fate.
"That's stupid. Really stupid. We have people on Earth that think like that, but to have everyone be so callous about life, that just sucks." I'm so angry I could scream.
"Sucks?" he says with a ghost of a smile.
"Stinks, rotten, unfair, not right, and I can't think of anymore words, but yeah, sucks."
"Ah, now I understand," he replies before going silent for a moment. "I have my orders though, and I must obey them. No one can know I was here. I could put my whole entire race in danger." His somber tone makes me think that maybe he's different from the rest of his species. Maybe he can feel emotion, which only makes this whole scenario worse.
"You don't have to obey this order. You can tell them to go shove it, and that I know and am not afraid to tell the world, so they'll have to rescue you." I know my face is red with anger, but it begins to fade when I see his beautiful smile return.
"You care about me. No one has ever cared for me. I've always been an outcast on my planet. I'm different, and I've always struggled to fit in. But I must obey these commands. I must die, and leave no trace of my existence behind. It's for the common good."
I feel the tears begin to roll down my cheeks, mixing with the fragile snowflakes collecting on my face. In this moment my heart feels like it's going to snap in half. I've just met this wonderful alien being and he's going to die because his people told him he has to. I have to stop him. I'm not going to let him do this. No one should be forced to do this to themselves, it's barbaric.
"No, I won't let you. You will stay here with me. My parents can help you. Nobody will know the truth." I swipe away the tears of frustration and shoot up to my feet. My legs feel stiff from sitting on the cold ground for so long.
"I don't believe that will be possible. I have to follow orders. If I disobey, I might not be able to survive in your atmosphere anyway. I was only supposed to observe Earth from afar. My death is the only way to protect the rest of my race from discovery. Why are you crying?" I again angrily wipe away a few stray tears.
"I'm crying because I don't want you to die. I want you to stay here and live
. We can do this together," I choke out.
I want Kyle to stay here. My emotions are so intense right now that I feel like I'm going to burst. Freaking hell, he looks human, so surely he can adapt to our atmosphere. Fate can't be this cruel.
"I wish I could touch your crying—wait, tears. I'm being told they are salty. I wish I could disobey my orders, but I cannot. Please stop crying … You are sad, and it's because of me. I'm honored at the emotions you are expending because of my imminent termination. Nobody will miss me when I cease to exist. Meeting you will make this bearable for me. We have only a short while, so can you sit back down and talk to me a little longer? Keep me company in my final hours? I want as much knowledge about you before I, well, you know. Oh, and I'm told your tears could freeze from the cold temperature, so please stop since I don't want you to be a frozen human."
Between my sobbing fits I feel the need to giggle, and a little one seeps out at his comment. I love the way he talks, looks, and makes me feel. Could I be having feelings for him? I so don't believe in insta-feelings, but my emotions are raw at the thought of losing him. Maybe it's because he's an alien, and I'm just overwhelmed by the fact that they are actually real. Maybe my strong link to my nana and the thought of how I miss her so much and wish she was here to meet Kyle are increasing the intensity of my feelings.
"I find that your giggles make me feel … happy." Kyle's voice interrupts my thoughts, and I give him a watery smile.
"You feel happy?" I ask, smiling wider.
"Yeah, I guess I do. Well, at least I think this is what happy feels like," he replies, answering my smile with a grin of his very own.
"So, what do you want to know?" I ask, trying to reign in my emotions and gain some self-control. The least I can do is give him what he wants. The ticking noise draws my attention to the hateful red demon, I mean sphere, attached to the force field.
Take Me To Your Reader: An Otherworld Anthology Page 17