come up at work."
"You have to
leave." I try to push my disappointment away.
"No. It's
something that can wait." He tries to smile again, but it
doesn't reach his eyes.
I don't want him to go.
Not yet. "You've only been here a few days and they've already
put you to work?" I joke.
"I put it on
myself." He takes a step back and the warmth between us slowly
starts to freeze.
"What do you
mean?"
"Trying to fix
some things I've done." Something about what he says hardens his
face. When he speaks again, he sounds flatter, more distant. "It's,
how do you say it? No big deal." His accent is as formal as his
tone. He takes another step back. The warmth I felt minutes ago is
disappearing with each inch he puts between us.
My walls come back up.
"Thank you."
My voice is stiff like his presence.
He hesitates as if he
wants to say something. He doesn't.
With a smile that
doesn't fool either of us, he turns and leaves. People rush by to
follow, but I'm rooted to the floor.
I wonder if I've just
imagined it all.
Chapter 4
When I leave Mr.
Bernard's class the hallway is crowded. School staff monitors traffic
flow in full force. A teacher is standing every few feet calling out
students, giving reminders, and trying as hard as the students not to
stare at the reporters, bodyguards and government officials that have
suddenly descended on Morrison High School.
Snap, snap, snap.
Everywhere I look
people are taking pictures. Some carry small cameras, and others are
pulling out their camera phones snapping pictures of things like the
chair Rhys had sat on and the pencil he'd left behind. Earlier a
bodyguard had come to get him five minutes before the dismissal bell
rang. We all pretended we hadn't noticed him leaving, but the second
he shut the door I heard a collective sigh like nervous tension being
released.
I walk to my locker to
exchange a book. Everywhere people are whispering and it sounds like
the chirping of birds. I hear Rhys's name, but I also hear another
name. Lenora. She's the other alien at our school. I overhear some
pompous jock joke overly loud about what other "parts" of
her might "glow".
I roll my eyes in
disgust. Really?
Opening my locker, I
search for my calculus book.
Snap, snap, snap.
Are those sounds going
to be the only sounds I hear all day?
Snap, snap, snap.
Apparently so.
"Uhm." A
throat is cleared.
Snap, snap, snap.
Seriously, that
clicking's going to haunt me in my sleep!
"Please excuse
me." The voice has a strange accent to it.
I freeze.
"Please excuse me.
Would you mind helping me with my locker?" His voice is formal
and polite.
For a second I tell
myself Rhys isn't talking to me. How had he even seen me? When no one
answers him, I turn around.
Rhys is standing less
than a foot away. His broad shoulders fill my vision, but not enough
that I don't notice the half circle crowd that's suddenly gathered
around us. People are pretending not to stare, but I can feel their
curiosity. Why is he talking to her?
It takes a few seconds,
but I manage an answer. "Sure. What do you need help with?"
He gestures to the
combination lock on the locker near mine. "I have the correct
numbers. I keep turning it, but nothing's happening."
"It can be kind of
a nuisance."
"New sense?"
He pronounces it slowly.
"Like annoying."
He smiles. "Yes,
it is."
He hands me a crumpled
piece of paper, and I take it. Our hands brush against each other. I
notice his skin is rough and hard. Leathery. Unable to stop myself, I
take a peek. His palms have calluses.
He notices my stare and
says, "We had a rough landing coming through your atmosphere."
I'd heard about that. Each move they've made since contacting Earth
four months earlier has been recorded and analyzed by every media
outlet in the world. Even the late night talk shows have joined in-
putting their own spin on stories, of course.
What do smart
blondes and UFO's have in common? You always hear about them but
never see them! Well folks, it looks like we'll
"You have to
leave." I try to push my disappointment away.
"No. It's
something that can wait." He tries to smile again, but it
doesn't reach his eyes.
I don't want him to go.
Not yet. "You've only been here a few days and they've already
put you to work?" I joke.
"I put it on
myself." He takes a step back and the warmth between us slowly
starts to freeze.
"What do you
mean?"
"Trying to fix
some things I've done." Something about what he says hardens his
face. When he speaks again, he sounds flatter, more distant. "It's,
how do you say it? No big deal." His accent is as formal as his
tone. He takes another step back. The warmth I felt minutes ago is
disappearing with each inch he puts between us.
My walls come back up.
"Thank you."
My voice is stiff like his presence.
He hesitates as if he
wants to say something. He doesn't.
With a smile that
doesn't fool either of us, he turns and leaves. People rush by to
follow, but I'm rooted to the floor.
I wonder if I've just
imagined it all.
Chapter 4
When I leave Mr.
Bernard's class the hallway is crowded. School staff monitors traffic
flow in full force. A teacher is standing every few feet calling out
students, giving reminders, and trying as hard as the students not to
stare at the reporters, bodyguards and government officials that have
suddenly descended on Morrison High School.
Snap, snap, snap.
Everywhere I look
people are taking pictures. Some carry small cameras, and others are
pulling out their camera phones snapping pictures of things like the
chair Rhys had sat on and the pencil he'd left behind. Earlier a
bodyguard had come to get him five minutes before the dismissal bell
rang. We all pretended we hadn't noticed him leaving, but the second
he shut the door I heard a collective sigh like nervous tension being
released.
I walk to my locker to
exchange a book. Everywhere people are whispering and it sounds like
the chirping of birds. I hear Rhys's name, but I also hear another
name. Lenora. She's the other alien at our school. I overhear some
pompous jock joke overly loud about what other "parts" of
her might "glow".
I roll my eyes in
disgust. Really?
Opening my locker, I
search for my calculus book.
Snap, snap, snap.
Are those sounds going
to be the only sounds I hear all day?
Snap, snap, snap.
Apparently so.
"Uhm." A
throat is cleared.
Snap, snap, snap.
Seriously, that
clicking's going to haunt me in my sleep!
"Please excuse
me." The voice has a strange accent to it.
I freeze.
"Please excuse me.
Would you mind helping me with my locker?" His voice is formal
and polite.
For a second I tell
myself Rhys isn't talking to me. How had he even seen me? When no one
answers him, I turn around.
Rhys is standing less
than a foot away. His broad shoulders fill my vision, but not enough
that I don't notice the half circle crowd that's suddenly gathered
around us. People are pretending not to stare, but I can feel their
curiosity. Why is he talking to her?
It takes a few seconds,
but I manage an answer. "Sure. What do you need help with?"
He gestures to the
combination lock on the locker near mine. "I have the correct
numbers. I keep turning it, but nothing's happening."
"It can be kind of
a nuisance."
"New sense?"
He pronounces it slowly.
"Like annoying."
He smiles. "Yes,
it is."
He hands me a crumpled
piece of paper, and I take it. Our hands brush against each other. I
notice his skin is rough and hard. Leathery. Unable to stop myself, I
take a peek. His palms have calluses.
He notices my stare and
says, "We had a rough landing coming through your atmosphere."
I'd heard about that. Each move they've made since contacting Earth
four months earlier has been recorded and analyzed by every media
outlet in the world. Even the late night talk shows have joined in-
putting their own spin on stories, of course.
What do smart
blondes and UFO's have in common? You always hear about them but
never see them! Well folks, it looks like we'll
Similar Books
