by NB Blackbell
Jake leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees. "A lot has happened since that night. As you notice, we lost power, and there are no phones that work anymore. The creatures we saw are out there, and they're not hiding anymore. Hovercrafts are flying around our city, which is covered in a green fog and is toxic to humans. There are a few that are immune to it, but it causes hallucinations that literally kill you if you see them. They have some sort of camps out there, filled with human slaves. It's not a good situation out there, but we did manage to get Isabel back and find a new guy named Nick."
Billy's face filled with shock. "Holy shit! And I slept through this? How did this go from a simple assassination to this?" Jake shook his head. "I'm not sure. I've asked myself the same question. Nick is like us. He's immune to the green fog and can talk to others inside his head." Billy nodded. "Yeah, but is he trustworthy?" Jake got up and got ready to leave, "Yeah. I believe so. Jasper trusts him, so why shouldn't I?" As Jake opened the door, Loretta walked in, "Oh, hi, Jake. I'm just coming to check on my favourite patient. He's doing great… should be back on his feet tomorrow as long as there's no heavy lifting." Jake smiled, "That's great. Talk to you both later."
Jake headed back to his room. He thought about the events that had led to this day. 'Why has this happened to us? I wish I could understand what led to this, then perhaps I could figure out how to end this.' He opened his door and walked over towards the window. He noticed his candle was starting to get low too. I better remember to ask for more candles, or we'll all be sitting in the dark, he thought. As he stood and watched the fog crawl across the window, suddenly was a knock at the door. It was from Isabel. She walked in and sat on the edge of the bed. "Jasper and I spoke earlier. She told me about all the changes you both have been going through." Jake sat next to her and listened quietly. She continued, "My daughter Christie is half-alien and has another name for it, but I can't remember at this moment. She told both Jasper and me that she was like Aunt Jasper. Chances are if she's half-alien, then so are you, since you have similar experiences. I don't know how this is even possible, and perhaps that's because this is as new to me as it is to you, but I don't care if you are fully human or not. I love you guys, and I will help you learn more as time goes on. For your safety and my daughter's safety, I absolutely believe we need to keep this a secret for now from anyone who doesn't need to know." Jake was taken back for a second with the thought of being half-alien. "How is your daughter, half-alien?" Isabel sighed. "Well, apparently, nine years ago, I was taken and put in the breeding camp. After I had her, I was sent back to the human world without her." Jake gasped.
"What do you mean back to the human world? I know it's different out there, but are we not in the human world anymore?" Isabel reached over and tried to calm him. "No, we're not. The two worlds were somehow connected, but I'm not sure how. Tomorrow I'll get a few of us together, and Christie will tell us everything she knows. She has been taught the alien history and what they are capable of. She's a good girl, Jake, and I don't want her thrown under the bus because she's half-alien." He shook his head to assure her. "I won't tell anyone, whoever you trust is as far as it will go." Jake let out a light moan.
"Has anyone told you about Billy and Beth?" Isabel shook her head, no. He continued, "Billy has been in bed dealing with huge gashes in his side due to these creatures. Beth never stood a chance; she died the night we went to assassinate them. One of the creature's large tails crashed into her head." Isabel shut her eyes and bit her lip. "Oh, my God! I can't even imagine how awful that was. I have to get back to my daughter. Don't panic over this, Jake. Our world, their world, either way, we are all together, and we'll deal with it." Isabel got up and headed back to her room. Before heading out, she glanced back, "Oh, by the way. I love you too." She smiled and left. Jake sat with a huge grin upon his face, but at the same time, was in shock over the news. He never even imagined they were anywhere but in the human world. 'How the hell were they going to fix this now?' He thought.
Later that day, Jasper stood, knocking at Jake's door. "Are you there, Jake?" After hearing him say come in, she headed into his room. "I have some candles for you. I just finished dropping some off to Billy." Laying them on the table, she turned and looked at Jake. "So, did you and Isabel get to talk?" Jake placed his crossword book on the table and took a seat. "Yeah, we talked earlier. She told me that her daughter says we are half-alien. That sounds a little weird. Don't you think? Well, at least she's not too freaked out by it, a lot less than I am." Jasper gave him a half-smile. "I was going to come talk to you, but I knew she wanted to, so I went and talked to Nick about it. Did you know he has the same tattoo as we do? It's on his back, right in the same spot as yours." Jake grinned.,"Oh, yeah. How do you know?"
Jasper swatted his arm. "Oh, stop! He was putting his shirt on when I got there. Yes, I find him attractive, but it's not like I need a distraction with everything going on. God, I wish I had some apple pie right about now, with a big gob of ice cream on the side. Nothing better than pie to help you think. I've been thinking about the lady who called us. How does she know us? Does she know we are half-aliens?" Jake cleared his throat to get her attention and motioned for her to look at the table. There sat a plate with apple pie on it, and on the side was a serving of ice cream. Jasper felt confused. "Where did this come from?" Jake looked as puzzled as she did. "I'm not sure. It just kind of showed up after you wished for it." Jasper reached over and pushed it away. "I have no idea where that came from." She stood up and looked out the window. "Do you think it's a trick from those aliens?" Jake raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, they must be sitting out there saying, We'll trick her, give her some ice cream and pie; that'll teach her. We are half-aliens. Perhaps you get what you really want by wishing for it." Jasper shook her head. "No matter how it happened, back to the topic on hand. Do you think that the lady knows who we are for real? She knew too much to be a stranger; she revealed stuff we didn't even know. How can we not know who she is? I can think back." Jasper paused. "Wait. My memories are different." Jasper sat back down. "Jake, why are my memories different?" Jake took a second to answer. His mind was sorting through his own memories. "Mine is not the same either. I don't know why they're different or how it's possible. I think I've been living a lie." Jasper got up. "I need to go think for a bit. This has gotten to a whole different level of crazy, and I'm not sure how to handle it." After opening the door, she turned to ask Jake, "What if these are our real memories? That means someone didn't want us to know."
Jasper headed down the hall and into her room. She flopped down onto the bed and rolled over to rub Buddy, who patiently lay there, waiting for his belly to be stroked. "At least your life is real, my little friend. I don't even know who I am anymore. I wish life were simple again, and you and I were headed to the park". She thought about the pie that appeared in front of her. Could she really have done that? There was no one else there, so it must have been her, or possibly it was Jake. The lady who called, could she be the woman in her new memories? Jasper felt frustrated. She thought about her family out east. Her stomach felt sick as she realized they were not even real. Jake was now in her memories. Holy shit! We're related, she thought. There was so much going on in her head. She was glad to be alone, to have time to sort through it all.
Meanwhile, Isabel and her daughter sat at the table in the kitchen. Christie was on her second sandwich as John entered the room. "Oh, there you are. How are the sandwiches, Christie?" Christie smiled.,"Good." Isabel looked up. "I'm so glad to be back here and safe once again." John pulled out a chair and took a seat. "It had to have been hard out there. What happened while you were out there?" Isabel looked over at the little girl and said, "Take your sandwich up to the room. I'll be up in a few minutes." She whispered to John, "I saw a lot of people die for no reason at all. Women were screaming while being assaulted by the aliens. They were put into a breeding camp where they would be impregnated by them and then sent back to the human world with wiped memories. Some wo
men have been there for a very long time and have become permanent residents of that camp. The other camp is for the slaves, the men who build their city and do all the grunt work for those bastards. I don't think those men ever get to go home. They work them and then shove them back into their cages till they need them again. Those creatures let off such a gruesome screech. I don't think I'll ever forget it. Every time I shut my eyes, it's all I hear and all I see. We are in serious trouble, and I don't think anyone truly understands that this will completely eliminate humans if we don't reverse this fast." Isabel got up. "I need to go be with my daughter. We need to find a way to get rid of them and fast." John nodded as Isabel headed up to her room.
Jasper was heading out as Christie got there, "Hi, Aunt Jasper." Jasper glanced down, "Hey, you. Is that a good sandwich?" The little girl nodded. "I really like it. Daddy never let me have stuff like this. He always said it was ridiculous human food. He genuinely hurt my feelings and didn't seem to care that I was half-human. Mommy says he was an insensitive jerk, and that I'm perfect just like I am." Christie smiled as she entered the room. "Now, I can eat these all the time." Jasper smiled as she exited the room. "Your mommy is a wise woman."
Faith was coming up the stairs as Jasper was heading down. "I'm off to bring our little princess some cookies." She smiled as she headed towards the room. Faith knocked as she entered the room. "Look what I have for you. Fresh out of the oven! They may be a little warm, so be careful." Christie smiled. "Cookies! Yay!" Faith stood back and looked at the little girl. "I used to dream of having a little girl. Every night as I fell asleep, there she was. Some nights I still dream of her. Silly, really, as I can't have kids. Now I have you to spoil, and it makes me so happy." Christie looked up at her. "You never know. Perhaps you'll have a daughter after all." Christie grinned as she grabbed a cookie and started eating it. Isabel smiled as she entered the room and saw Faith "I'm so glad to see you. With everything going on, I never really had a chance to tell you how happy I am to be back with you and the rest." Faith reached over and hugged her friend, "I missed you like crazy. You have a beautiful little girl, and I'm going to spoil her." She laughed as she headed out of the room. "Talk to you later."
Jasper stood by the front door of the hotel. She watched the green fog roll around and across the windows. She knew the lady was out there, and she suspected that she could be her mother. A hand touched her shoulder. "What are you looking at?" asked Nick. Jasper gazed over at him, "Just thinking. All my memories are messed up. None of them feel real anymore. What I thought was the truth is a lie. I have to figure out who I am all over again." Nick took a deep breath. "I've had some weird memories myself. My parents in my head don't exist anymore. How weird is that?" Jasper nodded, "Yeah, mine either. I have to find my mother. I think she's out there. I remember a house I grew up in, so perhaps I'll start there." Nick reached over and grabbed her hand. "Well, you're not doing it alone. I'll help you find all the answers you need." Jasper smiled as she laid her head on his shoulder, "Not only do I need answers, but we need a solution on how to get rid of those bad aliens. Any ideas?" Nick turned and looked her in the eyes. "None at the moment, but if there's a way, I'm sure we'll find it. I want life back again, where the sun shines, and the moon represents the end of the day. I want to go to restaurants and walk through a park filled with flowers. There's so much I want to do again. I'm not about to give up without a fight." Jasper smiled at him. "Good, because I feel the same way." The two stood there for a while before they went their separate ways. The night dissipated slowly, as the whole group had a lot on their minds.
Chapter Eleven
"Jasper was up early, she fed and cleaned up after her furry crew. "I have a lot to do today, guys. You'll have to entertain yourselves. I can't take any chances, Buddy, on taking you out there. I don't know how you will react to the green fog." As she headed out of the room, she left the door open a smidge so that both Buddy and Nookers could get out if they wanted too. She wasn't sure where she wanted to start, but Jasper had it in her mind that today that she was going to find her mother and get some answers. Jasper stood at Nick's door. The thought of him made her smile; she wished they met under different circumstances. The world may be ending, but at least I got to smile again, Jasper thought as she envisioned him without his shirt. Before she lifted her hand to knock, the door opened. "I'm ready," said Nick. "I knew what you were up to before you even said it. Let's go find your mom." Jasper smiled as she turned and headed for the stairs. "We have to walk. I don't drive. It isn't far from here, though.
As long as we're careful not to be seen by the aliens, we're fine. I have a flashlight in my purse just in case we need it." The two of them headed out the door and into the green fog. "I don't know if I can ever get used to this," said Jasper. Nick glanced over at her. "Stay close, so we don't get separated. There's nothing about this world that I could ever get used to." They walked down Main Street and towards the park. Nothing looked at all like it used too. "I used to walk my puppy through this park; only, it was pretty then, and it didn't contain any alien statues. Bunnies and squirrels used to run through the park. I loved feeding them all.
I wonder if it will ever look the same again." Just as she was about to continue, the powerful hum of a hovercraft got closer and closer. The two ran and took cover behind some bushes, "Damn! We should've worn red, I never thought they would be in this area. I wonder why they are." Nick looked at her. "What, why red?" She whispered, "They can't see through it. It prevents them from viewing stuff. It's why there's red all over our windows." They watched as the hovercraft passed them by. "I'm glad those things are loud," said Nick. "It makes it simpler for us to be out here. Imagine if they made no noise. We would be screwed. How much further to the house?" Jasper stopped and thought about it. Since she couldn't see very far ahead, she had to try to remember. "It's probably about forty feet from the park, then we'll take a left and go to the end of the street. The last time I was there, I was seven years younger, or at least I think I was. I don't know what's real anymore. Hopefully, this woman will have some answers for me, especially if she is my mother." They walked and talked for a bit till they came to the street the house was on. "It should be just down there," said Jasper. Nick grabbed her hand. "Are you ready for this?" She took a deep breath. "I don't know, but it isn't like we had a chance to be ready for any of it. This is going to get worse before it gets better if it gets better." He interrupted her for a second. "You need to remember, we're all in this together; you're not alone." He smiled at her and let out a quiet sigh. "I've got your back, Jasper." When they turned up at the residence, both remained there for a few minutes before heading towards the door.
As Jasper stood knocking at the door, she imagined what she would say when the woman who might be her mother opened it. After a few minutes, Jasper let out a deep sigh and said, "I don't think anyone is going to answer. Should we just go in?" Nick pushed open the door and peered around. "It doesn't look like anyone is here." The two strolled in a bit further. Jasper stopped and looked around. The house was inviting and lovely, not at all how she imagined it. On the walls, there were pictures. She walked along each one of them, taking a good look.
There were pictures of her when she was a little girl and next to her was Jake. "Oh my god! Jake really is my brother." She pulled the picture off the wall, took it out of the frame and placed it in her purse. "I need to show him this later. He'll want to see this." She kept peering at all the pictures. "I look like her, so she must be my mother." She turned to Nick. "This is where I grew up, I barely remember it, but all the memories are starting to coming back to me. I don't understand why I didn't have them all along. Why fake memories?" Nick shook his head. "I really don't know. I have screwed up memories too, but not like yours." He stood at a desk going through paperwork. While progressing through the pile, he came across a former letter with the names Sarah and Jasper on the envelope. "There's a letter here between your mom and you. Put it in your purse. It might help you get ans
wers." Jasper took it, gave it a quick look and put it in her purse. "I don't think we're going to get any more answers here other than what we already have. We should go." The two turned, and as they headed towards the door, a voice yelled out, "Jasper, wait! Don't go."
A woman paused in the doorway that led to the cellar. "I was in the basement. Your father had it evolved to keep me safe in case of a war. I never really have to go anywhere. I had hoped you would come. I figured your memories would start to come back to you after the worlds switched." She sauntered over and sat down in the living room, then motioned for the two of them to join her. Jasper sat down and stared at her. "So, you're truly my mother?" The woman smiled. "Yes, I am." Jasper leaned back in the chair.
"I don't get it. Why all the lies?" A look of guilt covered her mother's face. "Your father and I thought you would be safer if we cloaked your mind. Being out there with all the others and not having any worries about what's happening. Does your brother remember yet?" Jasper laid her face in her hands. "Yes, he knows a bit, but this all feels so weird. It's been seven years; how could you keep me away from family for so long? Living under the illusion that my family and I don't get along, and even worse, Jake believes he was in foster care." Her mother, Sarah, took a deep breath. "Your father had a hard enough time keeping me hidden when dealing with his own kind. The notion of having you both in danger is not something I wanted for you two. You and your brother are only out there in the human world because of me. If he would've had his own way, you would be working with the aliens. His affection for me is strong, but his alien traits are still there." Nick reached over and took Jaspers hand. He whispered, "It's all right" Jasper looked at her mother.