“Oh, my God,” she hissed, fear and doubt gripping her heart. “Oh, my God. He knew them all this time. He’d been stalking me?!”
At that instant, a sound from the doorway made her turn around. Kale was standing there with a serious expression on his face that she could not decipher.
“Let me explain, Erin,” he started.
But she exploded right then and there. “All this time, you’d been lying to me! What’s the meaning of all this? Are you some crazed stalker?”
“No, Erin, listen…” He tried to reach out to her but she stepped back quickly.
“I can’t believe it, Kale! I trusted you!” she cried, her heart breaking terribly. She knew she was becoming hysterical but she didn’t really care at that moment. “Did you and Winston plan all this?!”
Suddenly, her mom was standing behind Kale. She’d probably awoken because of all the commotion. Beside her, Winston simply looked apologetic and worried.
“Mom, did you know about these?” Erin demanded, throwing the photos and other items onto the bed.
Jillian looked down on them and then looked up again with a remorseful face. “I’m so sorry, Erin. I think we all have to sit down and explain to you the truth about Winston and Kale. You two were so close when we got here, I assumed he’d told you…”
“Told me what?” Erin almost screamed, looking from her mother to Kale. “What’s going on??”
Her mother led her out to the living room where they all sat together and waited for her to calm down. Winston prepared tea as they gathered round the table.
Jillian took a deep breath then plunged into the story. “I met Winston online because he was working for the government. He and Kale are… helping the space research department.” She paused, looking at the two men who were giving her encouraging looks. “We fell in love even before we had seen each other face to face. But when we finally got to spend time together, I noticed some strange things happening. He could heal fast, he could vanish and reappear whenever he wanted to…”
Erin gasped. “Kale too…” she murmured with dread.
“Yes, Erin,” Jillian said, nodding and holding her daughter’s hands. “You see, they’re not like us. They are from… far away…”
“From where?” Erin wanted to know.
Kale spoke up then. “I’ve been meaning to tell you for a long time, Erin. Winston and I are from a community of guardians or what some also call protectors. Each one of us is assigned to a human being on Earth, sort of like a ‘guardian angel’…”
Erin was shaking her head in disbelief. Her mom did not seem shocked by the story at all. Did she really buy this?
“Erin, I have pictures of you because… I… I’m your protector,” Kale finally finished. He was breathing heavily, obviously worried about her reaction.
Erin’s eyes widened, but she could not think of anything to say at that moment.
“It’s true, Erin,” her mom said, sitting beside her and placing a comforting arm around her shoulders. “Kale is the one who saved your life during the accident.”
“But… but… what about Dad?” Erin asked, her voice barely a whisper. Tears began forming in her eyes as she recalled the traumatic accident. “If this is all true, why wasn’t Dad saved like me?”
“It was my fault, Erin,” Winston said in a grieving tone. All eyes were on him now. “Your father’s protector was my… former wife… We’d had an argument right before the accident. She was very distracted and was not alert enough. It was too late… And because of that…” He paused, trying to speak clearly despite beginning to choke on his words. “She… she… she had felt so guilty and so bad that she went away and never showed herself again. Many believe that she’d banished herself from our community because of her great shame.”
Tears began to fall down Jillian’s cheeks. Erin too could not help crying. She felt his sincerity and his deep remorse. But more than that, the memory of her father was making her heart constrict. These revelations were also making her feel so lost and confused.
“I vowed to protect your mother, Jillian, with all my life for the rest of my life,” Winston continued. “I left my post as senior trainer of the guardians because I knew it was the right thing to do.”
“So… what are you guys, really?” Erin whispered, dreading the answer but needing to hear it once and for all.
Kale was the one who faced her and said it. “We’re aliens.”
*****
It was one thing to fall in love with her stepbrother. It was an entirely different ballgame to love a stepbrother from outer space.
Yes, that was how it turned out to be for Erin as her summer vacation came to an end. She’d wanted to run away after that night of revelation. She’d wanted to hide in the city and never be part of that family again. But she couldn’t. She just couldn’t turn her back on her mother and on the man who had made her feel loved again.
As a favor to her mother, she stuck it out. Anyway, there was only a week left of summer before she had to get back to her reality.
At times, they were like any other blended family trying to adjust to one another and to the new situation. But more often than not, it was plain awkward for her to mingle with these aliens whom she must now learn to accept.
At least she and her mom did not have to worry about being in danger ever again. They had protectors to make sure they were always safe and secure.
And on the brighter side, at least she did not have to worry about having an actual relationship with her stepbrother. As far as she was concerned, their summer affair was long over. It was good while it lasted, and she was thankful for that.
A few times Kale had tried to reach out to her, but she had simply brushed him off. Soon he stopped trying. Perhaps she wasn’t that important to him, after all. And it was all for the best, anyway.
After saying goodbye to the beautiful lake house she would never, ever forget for the rest of her life, Erin forced herself to drive away and go back to the city where her life was waiting. But as she was heading down a steep road, she somehow lost control, causing the car to skid fast towards a huge tree on the side of the road.
Erin screamed, hitting the brakes just in time before she hit the tree. She sat there, breathing heavily, scared out of her wits.
“Glad to know you saved yourself,” somebody said from the passenger’s seat.
Kale had suddenly appeared inside the car. He was gazing at her so intensely that she felt like she was going to melt. Despite her resolve to forget about him, she could not keep her heart from soaring into high heavens upon seeing his ruggedly handsome face and deep, beautiful green eyes.
“As I’ve told you, I don’t need any saving,” Erin responded, trying to keep calm. “You can go find someone else to protect. I’m not a damsel in distress.”
“I know,” Kale said, his lips turning up in a slight smile. “You’re very strong, Erin. You’re the knight in shining armor, and I’m the damsel in distress.”
“Are you playing with me?” Erin said irritably.
“Oh, no, no…” he quickly replied. “I’m serious, Erin. I need saving. You see, there’s this woman who captured my heart and no matter how hard I try, I just can’t seem to get her out of my mind.” He paused, leaning closer and making Erin’s heart race wildly. “I’ve fallen hard,” he whispered sincerely.
Erin’s heart seemed to skip a beat. “But Kale…”
“My dad and Jillian have already approved,” he quickly said.
“You told them?!” Erin exclaimed incredulously.
“I told them that I’ve fallen hard for my stepsister, but that I’m not sure if she’s willing to pick me up and face the future with me…Will you help your stepbrother?” he asked hopefully.
“How?” she whispered. “How can I help you when I’ve fallen hard too?”
Kale gazed into her brown eyes, smiling and lifting his hand to caress her cheek. “Tell me you love me, Erin. Save me… because I am so damn in love with you.”
Tears welled up in Erin’s eyes. “Oh, Kale… I do love you!”
He leaned down to kiss her on the lips. She kissed him back eagerly, her heart overflowing with joy and relief.
She understood then that what they had for each other was more than just a momentary affair. It was something worth fighting for, something worth saving. It was love, for sure, for real.
THE END
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