our address?”
“No!” I insisted. “Nobody from a chat room broke in here. It was an alien! The aliens are here. They’re trying to scare me away!”
“Calm down, son,” Officer Fleming said.
“How can I be calm?” I cried. “The aliens have landed. I know they have. They’re going to take everybody over. We’ve got to stop them!”
Officer Fleming sighed as if he’d heard all this toomany times before. “You know, being so close to Roswell has this effect on some people,” he said to my parents. “I’ll keep an eye on the house. Let me know if any more evidence comes up.”
“Thank you, Officer,” Mom said. She led him downstairs.
Dad glared angrily at me. “Ben, you know how we feel about you and those chat rooms. I had no idea you were spending so much time on them.”
Mom returned. “I’m very disappointed in you,” she said.
“I’m afraid we’ll have to punish you,” Dad said. “You’re grounded for the rest of the weekend.”
“Dad!” I cried. “You can’t do that! I’ve got important things to do!”
“Sorry,” he muttered. He and Mom left the room. They shut the door behind them.
Grounded! My parents had never grounded me before.
This proves it, I thought.
This proves that aliens have possessed Mom and Dad.
Maybe the big alien invasion is this weekend. And that’s why they want to keep me in my room. So I can’t warn anyone about it.
I’m not staying in here, I decided.
I have to get out. I have to warn people. I have to let everyone know the danger we are all in.
Where should I start? Where could I get the proof I needed to show everyone that I was right?
Suddenly I knew. I knew who I had to see. The last person I’d ever go and visit.
Rikki Mosely.
17
I grabbed my camera and locked my bedroom door. Then I climbed out the window and onto the trellis.
Halfway down the trellis, I remembered Rikki’s frightening eyes and voice at the rink. I almost climbed right back into my room.
No, I told myself. Swallow your fear. You’ve got to do this. You’ve got to save the town. You’ve got to save your friends.
I jumped quietly onto the grass. Then I climbed on my bike and rode to Rikki’s house.
Rikki’s house was a small one-story ranch house at the edge of an older development. Her neighborhood had been built across the woods from mine. Itwas kind of run-down.
Luckily, there were a lot of trees and bushes around, and a lot of cars parked in the street, so I had plenty of places to hide. I left my bike behind a hedge and crouched beside a white van to watch Rikki’s house.
A man in a dirty white T-shirt came out of the house. He had long sideburns and his belly stuck out over the top of his jeans.
That must be her father, I thought.
He grabbed a garden hose and turned on the water. He stood in the yard for a few minutes, watering some plants near the house.
Then Rikki appeared. She wasn’t dressed as strangely as usual—just jeans, a flannel shirt, and white sneakers.
I watched her walk around to the side of the house. What’s she going to do back there? I wondered.
A few seconds later she returned, walking a girl’s bike with a banana seat. She jumped on her bike, waved to her father, and pedaled off down the street.
Perfect, I thought. Now I’ll see what she’s up to.
I hurried to my bike and followed after her, careful to keep a safe distance away. She headed toward town.
She pedaled down Main Street and stopped in front of a row of shops. She chained her bike to aparking meter and went inside the grocery store.
I locked my bike a block away. I crept up to the grocery store and stared through the window. What was she buying? What did aliens eat, anyway?
A few minutes later, she came out of the grocery store with a plastic bag in her hand. I pressed myself flat against the wall. She didn’t notice me.
She turned left and headed down the street. Very carefully, I followed her, keeping about a block behind her. She ducked into a plant
“No!” I insisted. “Nobody from a chat room broke in here. It was an alien! The aliens are here. They’re trying to scare me away!”
“Calm down, son,” Officer Fleming said.
“How can I be calm?” I cried. “The aliens have landed. I know they have. They’re going to take everybody over. We’ve got to stop them!”
Officer Fleming sighed as if he’d heard all this toomany times before. “You know, being so close to Roswell has this effect on some people,” he said to my parents. “I’ll keep an eye on the house. Let me know if any more evidence comes up.”
“Thank you, Officer,” Mom said. She led him downstairs.
Dad glared angrily at me. “Ben, you know how we feel about you and those chat rooms. I had no idea you were spending so much time on them.”
Mom returned. “I’m very disappointed in you,” she said.
“I’m afraid we’ll have to punish you,” Dad said. “You’re grounded for the rest of the weekend.”
“Dad!” I cried. “You can’t do that! I’ve got important things to do!”
“Sorry,” he muttered. He and Mom left the room. They shut the door behind them.
Grounded! My parents had never grounded me before.
This proves it, I thought.
This proves that aliens have possessed Mom and Dad.
Maybe the big alien invasion is this weekend. And that’s why they want to keep me in my room. So I can’t warn anyone about it.
I’m not staying in here, I decided.
I have to get out. I have to warn people. I have to let everyone know the danger we are all in.
Where should I start? Where could I get the proof I needed to show everyone that I was right?
Suddenly I knew. I knew who I had to see. The last person I’d ever go and visit.
Rikki Mosely.
17
I grabbed my camera and locked my bedroom door. Then I climbed out the window and onto the trellis.
Halfway down the trellis, I remembered Rikki’s frightening eyes and voice at the rink. I almost climbed right back into my room.
No, I told myself. Swallow your fear. You’ve got to do this. You’ve got to save the town. You’ve got to save your friends.
I jumped quietly onto the grass. Then I climbed on my bike and rode to Rikki’s house.
Rikki’s house was a small one-story ranch house at the edge of an older development. Her neighborhood had been built across the woods from mine. Itwas kind of run-down.
Luckily, there were a lot of trees and bushes around, and a lot of cars parked in the street, so I had plenty of places to hide. I left my bike behind a hedge and crouched beside a white van to watch Rikki’s house.
A man in a dirty white T-shirt came out of the house. He had long sideburns and his belly stuck out over the top of his jeans.
That must be her father, I thought.
He grabbed a garden hose and turned on the water. He stood in the yard for a few minutes, watering some plants near the house.
Then Rikki appeared. She wasn’t dressed as strangely as usual—just jeans, a flannel shirt, and white sneakers.
I watched her walk around to the side of the house. What’s she going to do back there? I wondered.
A few seconds later she returned, walking a girl’s bike with a banana seat. She jumped on her bike, waved to her father, and pedaled off down the street.
Perfect, I thought. Now I’ll see what she’s up to.
I hurried to my bike and followed after her, careful to keep a safe distance away. She headed toward town.
She pedaled down Main Street and stopped in front of a row of shops. She chained her bike to aparking meter and went inside the grocery store.
I locked my bike a block away. I crept up to the grocery store and stared through the window. What was she buying? What did aliens eat, anyway?
A few minutes later, she came out of the grocery store with a plastic bag in her hand. I pressed myself flat against the wall. She didn’t notice me.
She turned left and headed down the street. Very carefully, I followed her, keeping about a block behind her. She ducked into a plant
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