I don't own As Told by Ginger. Viacom and Klasky-Csupo do. But that doesn't stop me from writing this fan-fiction which has no intention whatsoever of stomping on any copyrights. 11 October 2004

Chapter 1: The New Spacecraft

Ginger Foutley was very surprised when she was suddenly awakened from her slumber after a tough week of school. It took her a full second to realize that was a pinging on the window, and even longer to realize that someone was tossing pebbles at it. Oh, Jeez, who could that possibly be? Ginger turned over and took a gander at the clock. 3:30 in the morning.

It was too early for this.

She groggily got out of bed and went to the window. She couldn't see anyone at first, but soon she could make out the shape of the one who had been chucking pebbles at her window. It looked like Courtney Gripling, but that couldn't be right. She wouldn't sulk around in the shadows and toss objects at people's windows. She would call first to make an appointment before showing up. Not that we had choice in the matter, Ginger frowned. She opened the window and stuck her head out.

"What do you want?" she snapped. She wasn't feeling too forgiving just then.

"I need to talk to you." The figure down below was indeed Courtney.

"About what, Courtney?" This had better be important.

Courtney hesitated. "I can't here. Somebody might overhear us."

"You can use the awning to climb up into my room."

"Not in your house either, Ginger. Too many eyes and ears."

Ginger sighed. She suspected that Courtney wouldn't climb the awning in any circumstance anyway. "Oh right. Let me get my jacket first."

"Hurry, Ginger. I am on a timetable here. And don't tell your mother or brother."

Ginger's spine tingled. Whatever was going on, it had to be important. Courtney had never acted with so much secrecy before. Ginger wasn't so sure that she wanted to be involved, but Courtney seemed so nervous, she didn't want to abandon when she needed her. And Courtney helped her on many occasions even though she didn't like it such as informing Ginger of her best friends' betrayal. Ginger slipped on her shoes and grabbed her coat and went to the window.

"Courtney, what if Carl or Mom find me missing in the morning?"

"It won't matter."

Ginger swallowed. She was definitively getting over her head, but her curiosity was growing faster than her worry. She climbed onto the awning. Darren and Miranda both had made it look far easier than it was. She gingerly put her foot in the frame and very carefully put some of her weight on it. It held. This wasn't so bad after all, she realized. Her other four searched for another foothold. The foothold it had found held as well.

"Would you hurry up?" Courtney said with some fanaticism from somewhere behind her. Ginger refused to look in that direction.

"I'm going as fast as I can you know."

"Then why don't you jump?"

Ginger looked over her shoulder before she knew it and immediately regretted it. Looking down, she realized how precarious her position really was. It was worse than she had already suspected. "Are you insane?"

"No, I'm serious. A jump won't kill you."

"I might break a leg."

"Oh, I doubt that."

"It isn't your legs up here."

"That's it, young lady." Courtney reached to the ground, picked up what like to be some more pebbles. "Either you jump or I start throwing, Ginger."

"Alright," Ginger yelled. "I'll do it." She took a breath and simply let go. She marveled at her temerity as she fell to the ground. For about 2.3 seconds. When she landed, she thanked God that was too surprised to brace herself, which, in all probability, would have made the landing all that much harder. As it was, the landing knocked almost all of her breath out and she had to wait a minute to recover it.

Courtney hovered over her. "That wasn't so bad, now was it?"

Ginger, fully realizing it could had much worse, nodded as let Courtney help her up. Holding Ginger's hand, she led her into the deserted streets of Sheltered Shrubs to only God and Courtney knew. They stopped at the first intersection they came to. Courtney, with her hands in the pockets of jacket, turned to Ginger. "Do you promise not to reveal what you will see tonight?"

Ginger didn't think that she would be able to keep whatever Courtney's secret was to herself. When Ginger didn't answer her request, she studied her folded hands. Ginger felt obligated to explain herself.

"Courtney, I have no idea what it is. It might turn out that I will have to tell my mom."

Courtney appeared to be lost in thought. Then she nodded and answered. "Okay, you can tell her. But no one else."

Ginger nodded. "Very well. I will."

Courtney smiled. "I will keep you to that." Ginger shivered. She didn't like the way that Courtney had said that at all... Not at all.

Courtney led Ginger through the deserted streets to the edge of town and into the forests that surrounded Sheltered Shrubs. The trees looked like huge, lumbering beasts in the dark waiting for Ginger to turn her back so they could drag her to the liar. Ginger shivered, despite herself. She was even more ill at ease when Courtney led her deep into the forest.

After what seemed like miles and miles, Courtney had led Ginger to the edge of a clearing. "Wait here," Courtney said as she went into the clearing.

Ginger waited.

She began to wonder, just what was she doing out here deep in the woods in the middle of the night when she could be sleeping at home under warm covers on a nice, soft bed? And just what was Courtney hiding in that clearing?

Courtney reappeared. "Okay, Ginger. He's agreed to see you."

He? Ginger followed Courtney into the clearing. When she got past the line of trees, she had to stop. This was no mere clearing. It was the landing site of a flying saucer. Once that thought had sunken in, all the strength left her legs and she collapsed. She almost fainted, too.

The Earth had just got its first alien visitors.