shop.
Interesting, I thought. What does she need from the plant store?
I crept up to the shop door. I could see her inside, talking to the clerk. The clerk nodded and walked into a room behind the shop.
Rikki waited until he was out of sight. Then she reached into a bag of fertilizer.
She grabbed a handful of it and stuffed it into her mouth.
Oh, wow! I thought. She’s eating fertilizer!
Is that what the aliens eat?
Hungrily, she reached into the bag for another handful.
I raised my camera to the window to snap a picture.
At that moment, she turned toward the window.
I tried to duck down. Too late.
Did she see me?
Her eyes flared, bright blue again. A blinding flash of blue, bright as laser light.
Did she see me?
Did she?
18
My heart thudding in my chest, I hurried around the corner and plastered myself against the wall of the building.
I heard the front door of the plant store open and shut. I peeked around the corner.
Rikki came out of the store carrying a small bag of fertilizer. She glanced to the left and the right. I shrank back against the wall.
And waited.
Waited holding my breath.
Finally, I let my breath out in a long whoosh. I peered around the corner again.
Rikki was unlocking her bike. She mounted it and rode away down the street.
Whew, I thought. That was a close one.
“What are you doing?” a voice called sharply.
I whirled around. Summer and Jeff were standing behind me, eating ice cream cones.
“Oh, wow. I’m so glad to see you two!” I cried breathlessly. “You guys—you have to listen to me. It’s not about warning signs and musical rocks anymore. This is real. The aliens are here! You’ve got to help me! They’re invading the planet. They’re going to take over everything!”
Jeff glanced at his sister. “Should we say something?”
Summer nodded. “You’re getting too weird, Ben,” she said. “I’m so sick of hearing about aliens, I could scream. I can’t take it anymore.”
“No, please—” I turned to Jeff.
“You’ll help me, right, Jeff?” I asked. “You believe me, don’t you?”
Jeff shook his head. “I’m sorry, Ben,” he said. “I’ve got to agree with Summer. I’m tired of talking about aliens. It’s not right. You need help. Really.”
“No!” I cried. “You don’t understand! If you’d only listen to me—”
Summer shook her head. “Give it a rest, Ben. Call us when you get over your alien thing.”
They turned and walked away down the street, licking their ice cream cones.
I couldn’t believe it. My last two friends. The onlytwo people who had stuck up for me all along. And now they were telling me to forget all about it.
What’s going on? I wondered. Everyone is abandoning me! Just when I need help the most.
Well, they’ll be sorry they ever doubted me, I thought. All I need is a picture of Rikki eating fertilizer or doing something weird. If I can show them that, they’ll change their minds. They’ve got to.
But for now I’m on my own. I’ve got to prove that aliens are here.
And I’ve got to do it alone.
I stared at the people I passed as I rode my bike home. If the aliens are invading, any one of them could be possessed, I realized. And I wouldn’t know it.
No one would know it.
I passed a man sitting in his yard, pulling up clumps of grass. Was he eating the grass?
I blinked.
Did I just see him eat a handful of grass?
A car pulled up next to me when I stopped for a red light. A little girl in the backseat pressed her face against the window and glared at me. Then her eyes changed just as Rikki’s had! They grew big and bright and flashed bright blue!
I almost fell off my bike. The girl laughed at me as the light changed and the car pulled away.
Did that just happen? I wondered. Was it real, or did I imagine it?
No. It was real.
These things I’m seeing—they’re all real.
The aliens are invading, I realized.
And they’re everywhere .
19
On Sunday, my parents took Will to a hockey
Interesting, I thought. What does she need from the plant store?
I crept up to the shop door. I could see her inside, talking to the clerk. The clerk nodded and walked into a room behind the shop.
Rikki waited until he was out of sight. Then she reached into a bag of fertilizer.
She grabbed a handful of it and stuffed it into her mouth.
Oh, wow! I thought. She’s eating fertilizer!
Is that what the aliens eat?
Hungrily, she reached into the bag for another handful.
I raised my camera to the window to snap a picture.
At that moment, she turned toward the window.
I tried to duck down. Too late.
Did she see me?
Her eyes flared, bright blue again. A blinding flash of blue, bright as laser light.
Did she see me?
Did she?
18
My heart thudding in my chest, I hurried around the corner and plastered myself against the wall of the building.
I heard the front door of the plant store open and shut. I peeked around the corner.
Rikki came out of the store carrying a small bag of fertilizer. She glanced to the left and the right. I shrank back against the wall.
And waited.
Waited holding my breath.
Finally, I let my breath out in a long whoosh. I peered around the corner again.
Rikki was unlocking her bike. She mounted it and rode away down the street.
Whew, I thought. That was a close one.
“What are you doing?” a voice called sharply.
I whirled around. Summer and Jeff were standing behind me, eating ice cream cones.
“Oh, wow. I’m so glad to see you two!” I cried breathlessly. “You guys—you have to listen to me. It’s not about warning signs and musical rocks anymore. This is real. The aliens are here! You’ve got to help me! They’re invading the planet. They’re going to take over everything!”
Jeff glanced at his sister. “Should we say something?”
Summer nodded. “You’re getting too weird, Ben,” she said. “I’m so sick of hearing about aliens, I could scream. I can’t take it anymore.”
“No, please—” I turned to Jeff.
“You’ll help me, right, Jeff?” I asked. “You believe me, don’t you?”
Jeff shook his head. “I’m sorry, Ben,” he said. “I’ve got to agree with Summer. I’m tired of talking about aliens. It’s not right. You need help. Really.”
“No!” I cried. “You don’t understand! If you’d only listen to me—”
Summer shook her head. “Give it a rest, Ben. Call us when you get over your alien thing.”
They turned and walked away down the street, licking their ice cream cones.
I couldn’t believe it. My last two friends. The onlytwo people who had stuck up for me all along. And now they were telling me to forget all about it.
What’s going on? I wondered. Everyone is abandoning me! Just when I need help the most.
Well, they’ll be sorry they ever doubted me, I thought. All I need is a picture of Rikki eating fertilizer or doing something weird. If I can show them that, they’ll change their minds. They’ve got to.
But for now I’m on my own. I’ve got to prove that aliens are here.
And I’ve got to do it alone.
I stared at the people I passed as I rode my bike home. If the aliens are invading, any one of them could be possessed, I realized. And I wouldn’t know it.
No one would know it.
I passed a man sitting in his yard, pulling up clumps of grass. Was he eating the grass?
I blinked.
Did I just see him eat a handful of grass?
A car pulled up next to me when I stopped for a red light. A little girl in the backseat pressed her face against the window and glared at me. Then her eyes changed just as Rikki’s had! They grew big and bright and flashed bright blue!
I almost fell off my bike. The girl laughed at me as the light changed and the car pulled away.
Did that just happen? I wondered. Was it real, or did I imagine it?
No. It was real.
These things I’m seeing—they’re all real.
The aliens are invading, I realized.
And they’re everywhere .
19
On Sunday, my parents took Will to a hockey
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