Leaving was hard. An alien was in my house with no one to watch out for him. Something could happen. He could run away, be kidnapped... I needed the chance to help him find his way. I checked three times to make sure the front door was locked and got into Kallen’s truck.
“Early signs of OCD?” Kallen joked.
“Yeah, I guess ...” I said.
Being that Millsee was a small town, it took a few minutes of mile long, empty fields to reach downtown where all of the offices stood. To an outsider it was as though a string of little houses and parking spots lined the road. No office had more than one floor. No hospital cared for patients in our town. Just a little make shift clinic that Dr. Telason put together. For problems of greater proportion, we traveled over to a town named Greele, about twenty minutes away. All we were missing were little tumbleweeds that were supposed to blow around deserted towns.
As I sat in Dr. Telason’s waiting room, I stared into a magazine and reflected. I was told there were changes in the habitat. Dr. Stevenson didn’t care if we were fresh out of school or seasoned ecologists; he needed more bodies. Five of us were hired. I was the last to join the team. And after happening to join that team to live in the middle of nowhere for a month, I came into contact with an alien.
“Marli,” Janene said, calling me out of the waiting room.
Kallen stood up. Why did he want to go with me?
“Kallen, I appreciate your help, but I can see her myself.”
“I need to talk to her,” Kallen said.
There was no use in fighting him.
—-
We both sat, staring at the door of a treatment room for a few minutes until Dr. Telason came in.
“Hey, Marli,” she said as she shook my hand. “Kallen.” She turned to give Kallen a hug before refocusing on me.
“Kallen tells me you have a headache,” she said. “One that kept you from work.”
Pretending to be groggy, I slightly nodded and closed my eyes. I was “too sensitive” to the light.
After Dr. Telason performed an exam, discussed the migraine that I “had,” and gave me some medicine to cure it, Kallen spoke up.
“Alana, the other reason why I had to come with Marli was to ask you...”
Alana studied Kallen with raised eyebrows. I glanced in his general direction. Kallen was about to go off on one of his strange rants again. Correction, previously strange. I hoped it wasn’t going to be about Lalo. Maybe he had to run the meteorite story by her.
The funny part was somehow I became part of Kallen’s insider group quickly. Kallen shared the details of his alien ideas and strange happenings exclusively with Alana, Ren, Dr. Stevenson, and me. Well, Dr. Stevenson received the watered down version, spiked with a few details here and there. The rest of the town just got the water but enough to know he was a little “different” as they told me, aka crazy.
“Go on,” Alana said.
“It’s no secret that strange things have been happening with the animals and plants lately,” Kallen said. “And we are late as usual, picking up on strange occurrences. But last night a meteorite landed in Marli’s yard. Now she has a migraine. Is there any coincidence?”
“Uh...” Alana began. “The meteorite isn’t causing her headache, no. At least I wouldn’t think so. Did you get a headache all of a sudden last night?”
“No, I said. “It happened this morning.”
“And you have a history of migraines?” Alana said.
“Yes,” I said.
“So it’s more likely to not be related,” Alana said.
“Have there been any other strange illnesses?” Kallen asked.
“No, not that I’ve seen,” Alana said.
“Strange people?”
“Everyone I’ve treated I knew. Are you suggesting there is something out there?”
Kallen nodded slowly. “I thought I saw one last night. An alien.”
Oh no. He saw Lalo. Wait, didn’t he just tell me he didn’t see anything?
A faint smile lifted the corner of Alana’s lips. “Kallen.”
“It was late night,” Kallen continued. “Around 2 a.m. I couldn’t sleep. So I dragged myself into my kitchen and...” His eyes drifted as if he was there again. “And a light made me look outside. It was only a reflection of the meteorite on the ground, but someone was hovering over it. I was about to go outside and ask them what they were doing, but they started sniffing as if they were a dog, following a scent. It sniffed the air and picked up a few pieces of the meteorite to inspect it too.”
Kallen laughed. “I saw its face, a woman’s face. Then it started moving fast around Marli’s yard—too fast for any human. It sprinted to different points to stop and sniff the areas. Before it left, it stared at Marli’s house for a few minutes. Seconds later, it was at her front porch. I guess it heard something and scrambled away.”
My eyes opened wide. This thing was trying to find Lalo. There was no way to tell if it was good or bad. Suddenly the FBI was the least of my worries.
Kallen locked his sight on me. “That’s why I was wondering if you were hiding something Marli. This thing, woman, whatever it was, circled your house a few times too. I was terrified even though it wasn’t hunting me. It basically gave me a really bad feeling you know.”
Hunting!?
“Oh Marli,” Alana said, putting her hand on my shoulder. “You can stay with me if you want. That doesn’t sound safe—being there by yourself.”
“I’d rather stay at home,” I said. Should I tell them? “This is weird and scary but...” I closed my eyes for a few seconds. “I should be alright shouldn’t I? It ran away. I have no idea why it came.”
“It’s looking for whatever came with that meteorite,” Kallen said. “There were pieces of meteorites in your yard, Marli. I think it was one big rock that broke apart. Whatever came is gone. But we need to find that thing, that woman I saw, before it comes back and tries to hurt someone, which would most likely be you Marli.”
“Yeah, I agree,” I said. “I just want to go lie down though. I can’t think about other stuff hurting me when this migraine is killing me.”
“But what are you going to do if it comes back today?” Alana said. “Marli—”
“I can watch out for her,” Kallen said. “I took off work today too. And I told one of my associates about the incident. With everything going down the way it has—he believed me. He is working on getting in contact with the government. Someone who deals with these things.”
I hope this is just one of Kallen’s delusions.
“There are people who do that?” Alana asked.
“Yeah,” Kallen said.
“Seems right up your alley,” Alana said.
“It is,” Kallen said. “That’s why I love my job.”
“You never told me what you do exactly,” I said, forgetting that I didn’t want to talk because of my pretend headache. If he worked with the government, I needed to know.
“Remember I told you,” Kallen said. “Contract work. You know. Writing. Most are scientific and medical papers. Sometimes I do technical...”
Why does he meet with his team once a month then?
“Alright, enough stalling,” Kallen said. “Let’s get you home to rest.”
Stalling? Was this was his way of getting me out of the way to check my house when I wasn’t there? Something wasn’t right. Either he was crazy or he had some deep connections. The type to get me in trouble and put Lalo in danger.
The secretary, Janene, knocked on the door, quietly but nonstop.
“My head,” I said.
“Yes Janene,” Alana said, opening the door.
“You have to come and see this,” Janene said. “There are some more homeless people missing. They lived close to the outskirts of Dallas. These kidnappings are getting closer to Millsee.”
We hurried into the waiting room to catch the last bit of news. The newscasters were finishing talking about a string of disappearances of homeless people. Shelters slowly saw less and less people show up at night and during the times they gave out meals.
Things became more serious that morning when the police were called. A large group of homeless people, who all congregated in the same area, didn’t show up for a free breakfast. To make things worse, a previous missing homeless person was found wandering the streets the night before. The person was brought into the station for questioning but was oblivious to their own kidnapping. They claimed they never were missing. This alerted the police to investigate further. They were now looking for kidnapping, cult leader, and murder suspects.
No reports of meteor sightings made it to the news. Not even on the running ticker. At least that was some good news.
After being stunned for a few minutes, we said our goodbyes, and Kallen led me outside. He opened the door and helped me get back into his black truck.
“Can you believe it?” Kallen said. “Our world is falling apart.”
“It’s always falling apart,” I said, slumping in the seat.
“But not like this,” Kallen said. He gently closed the door and strolled over to his side.
Kallen’s words stuck with me, making me question what was next. I didn’t think Kallen knew about Lalo, but even if he did, Lalo did nothing to destroy our world. But were these unreported meteor crashes becoming more normal? Were there many more Lalos out there? Was that woman one? And were these aliens dangerous?
There was no way the mass kidnappings could be the work of aliens, I argued. These odd things happened every once in a while. Humans did crazy things. But if this was the work of a group of aliens, it would make sense. A classic alien abduction—kidnapped and brought to their world. Or kidnapped and brought to another place on Earth. A place where more of them lived. A place where they were waiting to do something?
I really needed to find a way to communicate more efficiently with Lalo. He was kind. Perhaps he could ease the worry of an attack or help find out what was going on. Kallen was a heavy conspiracy theorist anyhow. I know I wouldn’t have been bothered by his words if an alien hadn’t fallen from the sky the night before. But the way he described that woman. She was scary. So why did I feel so calm? It was like she didn’t matter. The ocean waves? Did Lalo teach me to be calm when I subconsciously sensed another alien?
“What are you thinking about?” Kallen asked me.
I twitched, forgetting that he was in the car with me.
“Deep thoughts?” he asked.
“It’s nothing,” I said and peeped outside. I figured the medicine Alana gave me should have been working by then. The sunlight didn’t bother me as much anymore. The pill was still stuck under my tongue, partially melted away.
“You know we are lucky to have you,” Kallen said.
“What do you mean? I finished school not too long ago. You speak like I’m some kind of genius.”
“I just trust you will figure it out,” Kallen said. “You will discover what happened to those animals, and we will have greater insight to what is going on with our world.”
I slightly nodded. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought Kallen got hit with a piece of the meteorite. He became more protective and encouraging overnight.
Minutes later, Kallen parked on the dirt paved to be my driveway. My driveway leading to no garage.
“Thanks,” I said and reached for the door handle.
Kallen gently put his hand on my shoulder. “Marli, if you need any help, you know I’m here for you. And I’m not only talking about watching out for that woman.”
Why did he have to keep reminding me?
“Yes, thanks Kallen,” I said.
“You don’t have to keep secrets to yourself.”
“Kallen, is there something you want to say?” I asked. I should be probing him instead of running from his questions.
Over parted lips, slowly air escaped from Kallen. “Marli, things are changing. We won’t be that safe for long. I don’t have all the details, but I know. And I don’t want you to get hurt. We are vulnerable out here you know. Living far away from large groups of people. Living in between large uninhabited areas of space. I don’t want to scare you, but please. If anything happens—”
“I’ll tell you,” I said.
Kallen nodded.
We got out of the truck and strolled to the front door. I jiggled my keys a few times, stalling so Lalo could hide. I opened the door, and Kallen blocked my path with his arm.
“If you don’t mind could I take a peek inside your house?” Kallen asked. “It would help me stop worrying. I just...I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I couldn’t keep you safe.”
I hesitated for a few moments.
What was I supposed to do? I needed to protect Lalo from Kallen, but what if Kallen was right? What if Lalo was dangerous but holding back? It would be more comforting if someone else also knew about him. But would Kallen want to trap Lalo and give him over to the authorities?
“Marli,” Kallen said.
“Okay,” escaped from my lips.
Hide Lalo. Please hide.
I prepared myself to say that Lalo was one of my friends who was visiting, or a boyfriend, someone. If Kallen developed a strange feeling, in all probability, I would tell him Lalo’s true identity.
Stepping inside, I glanced around and noticed the house lights were still lit. Lalo wasn’t on the couch. My computer remained on my kitchen table, but closed. There was no trace of Lalo’s existence. Maybe he heard me.
After Kallen determined that the family room and kitchen area were secure, he explored the bathroom while I stood by the couch.
If Lalo attacked Kallen, how would Kallen defend himself?
I was sure Lalo was much stronger. Kallen was athletic too though. But Lalo could get infuriated and make an effort to kill Kallen for no reason. My legs got to work and rapidly put me into my bathroom. I spotted the area of the celling where Lalo positioned himself the night before.
“There’s no one in here,” Kallen said, staring at me as if he knew something was wrong.
Although I was glad Kallen had no evidence, I began to worry but for a different reason, Lalo.
What if Lalo left me? I couldn’t help him. He couldn’t help me. I couldn’t learn why he came. Did he even know the way back to my house if he got lost?
Fear spread through my body as we withdrew from my bathroom to analyze the final room—my bedroom. The door was closed, not as I left it, but Kallen didn’t know that.
Kallen’s hand slipped into his back pocket to pull out a gun.
“Kallen?” I whispered.
“Precautions,” he said. “Get behind me.”
Kallen definitely couldn’t be who he said he was, so I did as he said. Kallen opened the door then promptly re-grasped the gun. He checked what he could see from the doorframe prior to entering. The area was clear.
Kallen used the same procedure to open my closet. Lalo didn’t leap out at us. There was nothing there other than my clothes. We spent more time in my bedroom investigating yet found nothing.
“This kind of solidifies that I’m wacky,” Kallen said when he finally declared my home was safe. “But I have these premonitions, visions. I saw you Marli. I sensed danger. And not from that woman from someone or something else.”
“Danger?” I said.
“Yes. Marli, I can stay with you.”
“I’m fine for now Kallen. You checked, and now I feel safe. I’m just going to sleep all day anyway.”
“Alright, I’ll be at my house,” he said. “I hope you’ll feel better soon.”
“Thank you,” I said.
Kallen took one more sweeping scan of my home before he left. The idea that he was lingering outside, waiting for something to happen, stayed with me. My suspicion was confirmed when the engine of his car didn’t make a sound until five minutes later.
When I was sure Kallen left, I called out for Lalo, but there was no answer.
“Lalo, please,” I begged. “Come out.”
I generally combed through the house, checking for Lalo once again. I began to panic as the thought of him leaving crept back to the front of my mind. I rushed to reexamine my closet, dropped to my knees to look under my bed, and then ran to the kitchen to tear through the cabinets.
Heaving, I deliberated about the places he might have run to. With an idea, I rummaged through my purse and found my keys. My hand was on the doorknob when I was tugged backwards with a cold hand. The air in my throat zapped. He caught me unexpectedly. At least I hoped it was him.
Turning around frightened me even more. No one was there. I touched the area of my skin where I felt the frigid sensation. An almost silent and unrestrained, “Lalo,” came from my mouth.
Then I saw an outline of a person preceding Lalo’s reappearance. “He’s nice. He’s nice.” I repeated in my head. I had to convince myself that he wasn’t a threat to me because that trick let me know what any future with him would hold. Danger. Kallen was right.
Lalo soothed me again by rubbing my cheek. I became calm but upset that he showed me that side. I wasn’t sure I had the ability to cover up continuous lies. I was the good girl. I had always been factual, only telling the truth.
I would have been better off not knowing about some of his skills. It was a matter of time before the government would find out. Too many people were indirectly connected including me. What would I say then? How could I lie to the government if I didn’t know what Lalo was capable of and what he wanted to do? Lying could give his species a vast advantage. What if they came to Earth to destroy us?
I backed away from Lalo, giving myself an extra six inches of space. He squinted and shot his head to the side then brought up his hand under his chin. “Marli, why are you scared now?” a deeper voice, Lalo’s voice, said.
I gasped. He spoke in complete English sentences and his voice changed. This could have been someone else. It had to be someone else. What if Lalo left and was replaced by a replica? Everyone in his species could look the same for all I knew. What if this was some sort of leader, a commander?
“I learned,” Lalo said, “while you were gone. Marli, I didn’t come to hurt you. If I did, I would have done that already. And no, I’m not a different being. I’m the same ‘alien,’ as you would say.”
He took a step forward.
My leg jiggled. Not willing to be outdone, my hand joined in with its shaking. “W-Why? Why—”
Lalo grasped my head until the shaking stopped. “Marli, I don’t know why I came. I can’t remember. The one thing I know, the one thing I feel, is that I have to keep you safe.”
“You don’t know anything?” I said.
“I’m afraid not,” he said. “And when I say afraid, I mean afraid. There could be others out there who are planning to attack me or you. We, my species for a better word, are most likely planning something. The thing is I don’t know what. All I remember was one day I would come here and Earth would become home to me as well.”
“You as in you alone?” I asked.
“I...” He shrugged.
“That would explain the being Kallen saw running around my house last night,” I said. “The woman he keeps talking about.”
“I saw it too,” Lalo said. “I think it was a female from my species. It found nothing, so we are in the clear for now. I made sure of that. The one thing I do know is that I need to find out what happened.”
“Why don’t you start with last night?” I said. “It seemed like your meteor chased me.”
“It’s possible,” he said. “I am linked to you in a way.”
“What do you mean?”
Lalo smiled. “It’s the reason why I can feel when you’re upset, know where you are, sometimes hear what you’re thinking.”
“You can do this to everyone? All of your species can?”
“No and no. Only a few were born like me. I do remember that so at least the amnesia hasn’t entirely destroyed my ability to recall information. Hopefully it’s temporary. Anyway, our few can link with certain human individuals. We are connected on the same wavelength, as you might say. It’s determined by your DNA.”
Lalo paused to lead me to sit on the couch. Sitting close by, he faced me. “It’s the reason I had to find you first—you are like a key to my power.”
Lalo’s words began to pour out as if they were being revealed to him as he spoke. “Power that could be used. If all of us found the keys to our power. But why would a human matter? Keep talking Marli. It helps me remember.”
“If you can connect with humans, can you connect, in the same way, with others of your species?”
“No,” Lalo said. “But some humans can connect with more than one of us.”
“What if that...” I struggled to find a word. What would I call him without offending him?
“Don’t waste your time worrying about making me angry,” Lalo said. “It’s unclear how much time we have to throw away. I might be bad luck. Something bad might happen because I’m here.”
“What if an individual—” I said.
“Just say alien,” Lalo said.
“Okay. What if an alien could connect with high level human officials?” I said. “And intend to do evil things like take over our country or planet?”
I couldn’t help but revert to the alien invasion idea.
“This question isn’t helping me recall anything, so my answer is it could happen.”
“And why is your demeanor different now Lalo?” I continued. “Yesterday you were like a child.”
“By learning how to speak,” Lalo said, “well, most likely by remembering how to speak your language, my thoughts and memories were exercised and awakened.
“Yesterday, I didn’t know what you were capable of either. Young earthling species tended to be cute and harmless, as far as I could remember, so I played that hand. I pretended to be young, and when I saw that it worked, I continued the behavior.
“I was a little confused too because I also felt our connection at times. And you were uneasy, especially when I went into your room. I didn’t want to scare you. So being a child helped in that way as well.”
“That makes sense,” I said. “So can people, I mean aliens like you, disappear?” I asked.
“As far as I can remember I’m the only one,” he said.
Oh no. What if he was escaped his home to come to Earth to hide? What if they were in the middle of a war? Or what if the leaders simply wanted to murder him because he was different; his power outmaneuvered theirs.
“It’s all possible,” Lalo said.
I flinched. Getting accustomed to the mind reading was going to take some time.
“We have to get Kallen’s help,” I said.
“No!” Lalo’s eyes alternated to some sort of fierce, warrior mode. “I don’t trust him.”
“Okay,” I said. My voice was barely above a whisper.
“He will not know anything about me,” Lalo said.
“He won’t,” I said and tensed up.
“I’m sorry,” Lalo said and relaxed his eyes. He placed his hand on my thigh. “My instincts tell me not to trust him because he knows something. He’s lying to you about some—” Lalo grabbed my remote and switched on the TV but instead of watching it, whipped his head to watch the door.
I wanted to speak, but didn’t. My mouth was open for a while before I tried to see what Lalo was staring at.
About five minutes later the threat was over when Lalo said, “How about we relax?”
I nodded and listened to the TV. The news reporters further about the missing people in the city. Lalo’s relaxation period lasted all of a few seconds. He clutched his fist as he focused in on the story.
By the way Lalo was on guard for the rest of the night I could tell that we were not safe. I wanted to know what was going on but figured it was best that I didn’t know. I had no extra information to accidently give out. If I happened to find myself in the company of trouble, I could possibly slip away because I would think everything was fine. But what if trouble could also read my mind? What if trouble had a connection to me?