something.
They slid open the back door and came inside. “We’ll have dinner in about an hour,” Mom told me.
“Uh…okay,” I said. I stared at them. They looked the same. But I knew they weren’t.
I have to reach Zandor, I thought. I have to tell Zandor what is happening here.
“I’m going up to my room now,” I said.
I grabbed a soda and hurried upstairs. My bedroom door was closed. I opened it—and gasped in horror.
My room had been completely trashed.
The bed was torn apart. Clothes had been pulled out of my drawers and tossed over the floor. The closet door stood open, clothes, shoes, and games spilling out of it. Someone had pulled all the books off my shelves and tossed them everywhere.
“I don’t believe this!” I groaned.
I stepped inside the room and gazed around. My posters had been torn from the walls. They lay in shreds on the floor.
The floor was so littered with stuff, I couldn’t walk through my room without stepping on something. I spotted something metal on the floor next to thecomputer. I stepped over and picked it up.
My alien antenna! Someone had completely wrecked it! It was twisted, broken, and bent all out of shape.
Then I noticed something. The computer screen was glowing. My computer was on. When I’d left to go skating, I’d turned it off.
I stared at the monitor. Someone had left a message on the screen.
Just two sentences.
Two sentences…
We don’t want to be discovered. This is your only warning.
16
My heart pounded as I stared at the message on my computer screen.
I read the words over and over.
Who could have done this?
Trembling, I tore through my things until I found my digital camera. I tried to take a photo of the screen. But all that came out were wiggly lines.
“Ben?” I heard Mom and Dad coming down the hall toward my room. They stopped in the doorway and cried out in shock.
“Oh, my goodness!” Mom shrieked.
“What on earth happened in here?” Dad cried.
“I—I’m not sure,” I told them.
As they stepped into the room, the message onmy monitor fizzled. Then it disappeared.
Dad crossed the room and stood in front of the window. “Ben—did you leave this window open all day?”
“Uh…yeah,” I replied. “Do you think…a burglar did this?”
“Is anything missing?” Mom asked.
Dad didn’t give me a chance to answer. “I’m calling the police,” he said.
“Is anything missing?” Officer Fleming, a tall, skinny young policeman, repeated Mom’s question. He was kicking through all the stuff on the floor of my room, investigating the break-in.
“No,” I said. “I don’t think so.”
“Ben, why would someone do this to you?” Dad demanded. “Could it have been one of the kids you know at school? Maybe some kind of prank?”
Finally, I couldn’t hold it in any longer. “This wasn’t a burglary,” I said. “This was a warning. There was a warning on my computer screen when I walked in here.”
Officer Fleming stared at the screen, which was blank. “What kind of warning?” he asked.
“It said, ‘We don’t want to be discovered. This is your only warning.’”
Officer Fleming squinted at me. “Do you know who left the message?”
“No, not really,” I admitted, “but—”
“Do you use your computer a lot?” the officer asked me. “I mean, do you talk with strangers in chat rooms and such?”
I glanced at my parents, who were glaring at me.
“Well…” I began. “Yes. You see, there have been warning signs about an alien invasion.”
I stared at Mom and Dad. Would they react to that?
They stared back at me sternly. Dad frowned and shook his head.
Officer Fleming raised his eyebrows and turned to my parents. “So you talk to people in those UFO chat rooms, Ben? How many times a week?”
“Every day,” I admitted.
“Ben!” Dad shouted. “You promised us you had stopped that!”
“What kind of people have you been talking to?” Mom asked. “Ben, did you ever give anyone
They slid open the back door and came inside. “We’ll have dinner in about an hour,” Mom told me.
“Uh…okay,” I said. I stared at them. They looked the same. But I knew they weren’t.
I have to reach Zandor, I thought. I have to tell Zandor what is happening here.
“I’m going up to my room now,” I said.
I grabbed a soda and hurried upstairs. My bedroom door was closed. I opened it—and gasped in horror.
My room had been completely trashed.
The bed was torn apart. Clothes had been pulled out of my drawers and tossed over the floor. The closet door stood open, clothes, shoes, and games spilling out of it. Someone had pulled all the books off my shelves and tossed them everywhere.
“I don’t believe this!” I groaned.
I stepped inside the room and gazed around. My posters had been torn from the walls. They lay in shreds on the floor.
The floor was so littered with stuff, I couldn’t walk through my room without stepping on something. I spotted something metal on the floor next to thecomputer. I stepped over and picked it up.
My alien antenna! Someone had completely wrecked it! It was twisted, broken, and bent all out of shape.
Then I noticed something. The computer screen was glowing. My computer was on. When I’d left to go skating, I’d turned it off.
I stared at the monitor. Someone had left a message on the screen.
Just two sentences.
Two sentences…
We don’t want to be discovered. This is your only warning.
16
My heart pounded as I stared at the message on my computer screen.
I read the words over and over.
Who could have done this?
Trembling, I tore through my things until I found my digital camera. I tried to take a photo of the screen. But all that came out were wiggly lines.
“Ben?” I heard Mom and Dad coming down the hall toward my room. They stopped in the doorway and cried out in shock.
“Oh, my goodness!” Mom shrieked.
“What on earth happened in here?” Dad cried.
“I—I’m not sure,” I told them.
As they stepped into the room, the message onmy monitor fizzled. Then it disappeared.
Dad crossed the room and stood in front of the window. “Ben—did you leave this window open all day?”
“Uh…yeah,” I replied. “Do you think…a burglar did this?”
“Is anything missing?” Mom asked.
Dad didn’t give me a chance to answer. “I’m calling the police,” he said.
“Is anything missing?” Officer Fleming, a tall, skinny young policeman, repeated Mom’s question. He was kicking through all the stuff on the floor of my room, investigating the break-in.
“No,” I said. “I don’t think so.”
“Ben, why would someone do this to you?” Dad demanded. “Could it have been one of the kids you know at school? Maybe some kind of prank?”
Finally, I couldn’t hold it in any longer. “This wasn’t a burglary,” I said. “This was a warning. There was a warning on my computer screen when I walked in here.”
Officer Fleming stared at the screen, which was blank. “What kind of warning?” he asked.
“It said, ‘We don’t want to be discovered. This is your only warning.’”
Officer Fleming squinted at me. “Do you know who left the message?”
“No, not really,” I admitted, “but—”
“Do you use your computer a lot?” the officer asked me. “I mean, do you talk with strangers in chat rooms and such?”
I glanced at my parents, who were glaring at me.
“Well…” I began. “Yes. You see, there have been warning signs about an alien invasion.”
I stared at Mom and Dad. Would they react to that?
They stared back at me sternly. Dad frowned and shook his head.
Officer Fleming raised his eyebrows and turned to my parents. “So you talk to people in those UFO chat rooms, Ben? How many times a week?”
“Every day,” I admitted.
“Ben!” Dad shouted. “You promised us you had stopped that!”
“What kind of people have you been talking to?” Mom asked. “Ben, did you ever give anyone
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