Track 60

“The Last Day on Earth”

Present Day

From my car, I peer out at the McGraw house. There isn’t a single light on, not even over the fake-timber portico.

“Doesn’t look like anyone’s home,” I say, killing the engine. Even in the vacuum-sealed cabin of the Fiat, the silence of the neighborhood around us is palpable.

“Oh, they’re in there,” Hayden says. His lips are set in a hard, grim line. “Probably watching us.”

Twisting to face him, I ask, “Are you sure you have to go right now? Ask for a stay of extraction. What if we can keep you safe somewhere until we find Mom and nail the kidnapper?”

“What, like a bomb shelter? A submarine?” He lets out a joyless chuckle. “Maybe there’s time for me to commit a minor crime and get myself thrown in the county jail for a night.”

I bite my lip and think it over. “There are some merits to all of those options. I know a good lawyer who can get you out of jail when the coast is clear.”

He shakes his head. Dark bangs fall into his eyes. I want to reach out and brush them away, just to give me an excuse to touch him some more before he gets on that spaceship. “If I were still on Earth, I’d want to be there when you get your mom out. Kicking down doors and fighting with you, if that’s what it comes down to.”

“Then stall for more time,” I say, hating the whine in my voice. Leaving Earth is hard enough for Hayden; I cringe with the realization that I’m making it even harder. But I have to try. How am I going to do this without him? I mean, he can move things with his mind. An awesome skill like that would come in handy.

“I have my orders. I’d be letting my family down if I don’t follow them.” He gives me a desolate look before opening the passenger door.

My legs wobble under me as I get out and wait for him on the curb. I’m numb, and it’s got nothing to do with the icy air blowing around us.

He punches a fist into his palm. “It’s all my fault. If I’d kept my mouth shut and left the abductions out of my reports, then we wouldn’t be on the first ship back to Agua. Every choice I make seems to be the wrong one.”

“That’s not true. You’ve made some excellent decisions. You took me to a homecoming dance. Brought a dead laptop back to life when everyone else gave up on it.” Leaning against the car, I grab his hand and squeeze as hard as I can. “Most importantly, Hayden, you risked your life to show me who you really are. That took guts.”

Hayden kicks at the artificial turf. “Not really. I slipped a few times when my ego got in the way.”

“Oh yeah? When?”

Wiggling his long fingers, he says, “There were a few minutes during the flight when I wasn’t actually using my hands to control the plane. The landing was on alien autopilot.”

“Hayden!” I gasp and bump my hip against his. “I mean, obviously we survived, but…”

“But we were totally safe. I used my head.” He smiles coyly. “Also…I know you were super impressed with me hot-wiring my truck after homecoming, but it was—”

“Don’t tell me!” I butt in, laughing. “It was your beautiful mind!”

“If you ever go back to the lookout and find my keys, the truck’s yours.” He grows serious and slides his arm around me. “I hated hiding my true self from you. I get what Jake said about Angie. I didn’t want to lie to you anymore.”

I snuggle into him, wishing I could somehow weld us to the spot. At least until winter sets in. Softly, I ask, “What would happen if you disobeyed your parental unit? Stayed with me instead? I could ask my dad to give you a raise so you can support yourself.”

“That’s impossible. You’ve seen Star Trek, right? Where they teleport people from one place to another?”

“That’s actually a thing?” I say, amazed. Part of me wonders if that’s something I would miss if I were a sophisticated Aguan stuck on primitive Earth.

Hell yes, I would.

Am I being selfish for not letting him go, not letting him reach the safety of his planet?

Hell yes, I am.

But that’s not going to stop me from doing my best to convince him that heaven is a place on Earth. There has to be a way to keep his whole family protected.

He shrugs like teleportation is no big deal. “We are transported as a family unit. All for one, one for all.”

I wring my hands, twisting each finger till they burn. In no way does it take away the pain of saying goodbye to Hayden. Things between us have only just begun. I breathe faster as a brilliant idea pops into my head. “Okay… Okay, what about Trudy? And Yoda?”

He tilts his head. “Of course they’ll come with us. We have dogs there, you know. They’re not as smart as Earth dogs, but Yoda will feel at home.”

I spin and face him. “But they were born on Earth! They can’t go to a planet they’ve never seen before. That would be too cruel.”

My brilliant idea only seems to crush him more.

Burying his face in both palms, he says, “What have I done?”

I pull him as close as I can and hold him tight. His muscles coil and flex in my arms. “You just have to tell your parental unit you need more time. Tell them you’re about to find out who’s been stalking you. That you’re going to take them down so it never happens to another Aguan again.”

“Or another human,” he growls.

“Right.”

“You could…come with us?” Hayden holds his breath. My mouth moves soundlessly. Then he shifts, putting centimeters between us. “No, that was a stupid thing to say out loud. You have a life here. You’re going to save your mom and a president’s missing daughter. You’ll be world-famous.”

“I’m not chasing fame. I’m chasing Mom.” The more I look at our situations, the more I realize we both have to do what’s right for our families.

“You’ll find her, I know it.” Hayden’s hand snares mine. He squeezes so tightly I can feel our pulses throb.

“Oh? Are you psychic, too?” I sniffle quietly.

“No. I just have faith in you.” He lifts my hand to his mouth. My eyelids flutter shut as he kisses my jaw line, then my lips.

Slinking my hands around his neck, I kiss him deeply. Every bump and valley of his body fits perfectly to mine. My thoughts float away like stardust as his kisses get more intense. I just want to bottle this moment forever.

Hayden draws away, his fingers trailing down my arm till he reaches my hands. He holds me there, our gazes locked. Every inch between our bodies becomes a mile.

“Hayden.” Trudy’s girlish voice calls from the porch. Yoda’s on a leash at her side, wagging his little yellow tail, clueless about the journey ahead of him.

“This isn’t goodbye,” he says, bracketing my face in his hands. Tears glimmer, and I bet he’s willing them not to fall. Meanwhile, I can’t stop thick tears falling hard and fast.

Lindsay walks out. She gives me a taut smile and puts a hand on her son’s arm. “It’s time, sweetie. They’re nearly here. We have to get to the rendezvous point.”

Straightening his shoulders, Hayden draws himself up to full height. “You should go now.”

“But I want to stay. Wipe my memory of it later. You can do that, right?”

“No, that’s one of the Grays’ special talents.”

“Okay, order them to erase my memories.”

“They don’t take directives from family units when it comes to mind-altering tactics.” He can’t look at me. Tension and chaos radiate from every muscle fiber. “Please…just go. It’s better this way. For both of us.”

Lights begin to flash on and off. Not just the streetlights, but every house on the street. My Fiat jumps up and down on its suspension, every light going like a fit-inducing strobe.

My gaze darts to the sky, searching for a UFO, but all I see is a blanket of bulbous storm clouds.

Then just as suddenly as the light show began, it stops.

My car door opens. Without me putting a hand on it. This is an invitation I would like to decline.

I gaze at each of the aliens and their oh-so-human faces. Trudy’s sobs are quiet. Yoda licks her tears away.

Lindsay orders her family into the house but waits by my car door. She faces me, authority dripping from her square shoulders and determined jaw. Gone is the absentminded mom who worried about ruining dinner. With a single index finger, she beckons me forward. She doesn’t say a word, but I can feel disapproval in her gaze. My muscles tighten in response, but somehow I put one foot in front of the other.

Once inside the car, I swivel and say, “I-I’m sorry, Mrs. Mc—”

The door shuts in my face with a brutal thump.

We stare at each other through the tinted window. Hayden said Aguans can read minds. Well, if she won’t let me speak out loud, I’ll broadcast my thoughts to her.

I tell her everything that’s in my heart, everything I told Hayden just now.

Please let him stay, Mrs. McGraw! I’m so close to finding out who’s behind the kidnappings. I’ll nail ’em, and you’ll never have to worry about being exposed again. You can just live your lives in peace. Observe us all you want! Let those Grays erase my memory of Hayden when I’m done, but please just let him continue his mission on Earth.

Whether she hears my silent pleas or not, there isn’t even a hint of emotion on her face. She turns ever so slowly and stalks toward the house.

The ignition turns without human intervention, making me jump. The Fiat’s engine roars. Immediately, I put my hands on the wheel and jam my feet on the brake and clutch to thwart further alien intervention.

The engine revs again.

“Okay, I can take a hint,” I growl.

I peek over my shoulder just in time to see Hayden looking out from the shadows of the portico. Despair pulses between us. He backs away and disappears into the darkness.

And right then, my heart shatters into a trillion little pieces. There’ll be no putting it back together again. Not in quite the same way it was during my happiest times with Hayden.

My phone buzzes.

Alondra: Sending you and Hayden all the hugs. Jake drove me to your house. If you still want to go ahead with the plan, we’re in. We’ll wait for your go.

I thump my head backward and sigh deeply.

The plan.

Yes, I have to pull myself together and get Operation Mom back on track. I failed to convince Hayden to stay, but there’s simply no time to wallow.

Hands trembling, I do a U-turn and travel uphill, past darkened, uninhabited homes that seem to be calling out for people to come and live in them. Going well under the speed limit, I take the same route over Saddleback Ridge that I’d taken after my first fateful visit to the McGraws’.

When I lost hours of my life.

My hands squeeze the steering wheel. I push aside that last image of Hayden and check the time. Eight o’clock. If I’m not home by 8:20, I’ll know I’ve been abducted.

I slam my palm against the wheel. Why didn’t I find time to buy a dash cam?

“Wait,” I mutter to myself. “I can use my phone. Duh.”

At the border between Sinkhole City and Saddleback Ridge, I stop in the middle of the road. As I reposition the phone holder on my dash, the storm clouds light up intermittently. They’re closer now. More voluminous.

By the time I roll video, the lightning is much more intense. I wind down the window, waiting for the first crack of thunder.

But there’s no thunder. Not even a chirp of a cricket or a hoot from an all-seeing owl.

The air feels thick. Getting out of the car is a laborious task, like I’m wearing shoes of lead. I cling to the door and look around, unable to take another step. The woods lining the road light up with every streak of lightning. The hackles of my neck have hackles. They stand at attention.

A mammoth triangular shape moves just above the tree line, casting a shadow over the woods and blocking out the storm clouds above. It stalks silently. Slowly. Ominously.

“A U-fucking-O,” I gasp. But there’s nothing unidentified about it. To me, anyway. It’s an Aguan flying object.

Scrutinizing the coal-black undercarriage, I make out three gray bubbles on each corner. Windows? I squint harder. No. They’re lights, I realize. Throbbing, it seems, to the beat of my racing heart. The tops of the trees ruffle as the ship breezes overhead. Burnt pine needles rain down on me, their pungent scent stinging my nostrils.

My hand trembles violently as I raise a palm to the sky, hoping in some way, Hayden can sense me down here.

This isn’t goodbye, I vow. We’ll find each other again.

The circular lights swirl in shades of purple, blue, and red. Churning faster and faster, brighter and brighter. Then, without warning, the ship shoots straight up at warp speed, burying itself in a flashing nimbus cloud.

In an instant, the woods become alive again. Insects scream. Bats swoop from trees, their wings flapping wildly. The storm clouds thin, leaving a full spectrum of sparkling constellations. Feet scrambling, I climb onto the roof of my car and search desperately for those purple lights.

But it’s no use. Hayden is already far, far away and out of my reach. Forever.