"Gir!"
Gir flew in, knocking Zim over. He didn't seem to care and straightened his wig as he sat up.
"The scare tactics with Zita seem to be going well so far. I don't think she will fight or try to join the Dib human in pestering my plans for world domination. Today we had a test and I could taste her fear seeping from the other side of my chair as she wrote her answers…it was delicious! I can't wait to see what other torture I can do to bring about her submission and total denial of ever seeing the amazing Zim in his true form!"
"You were seen without a disguise?"
"Eh…yes, Gir but only-"
"INFILTRATION! INFILTRATION! MISSION COMPROMISED MISSION COMPROMISED!" Gir's eyes flashed red and he continued to make a siren noise that flooded through the neighborhood.
"Gir! Gir! What are you doing? Stop that horrible noise!" Zim kicked Gir across the room and slammed the front door shut.
Suddenly the Tallest came up on the screen.
"We heard there's been a mission malfunction!"
"Yes! Ah! I mean no!" Zim was still trying to get Gir to shut up.
"Zim! Have you been spotted?"
"What? No! Of course not My Tallest!"
"Your SIR unit states otherwise!"
"My SIR unit says a lot of things!" Zim was now wrestling with gir to try and find the speaker or button and Gir was now rolling around, laughing, the siren still going off.
"That IS true…hmm." Tallest Red and Tallest Purple look at each other. "But maybe we have decided to terminate your mission anyway. The risk of infecting the Irken race is too great! G'bye Zim!"
"Oh and uh…don't call us again!" Purple shouts as the transmission ended, but Zim was too preoccupied with Gir to notice the termination of his mission.
"Only a minor setback!" Zim shouts "My tallest? My Tallest!" Continuing to wrestle Gir. "Gir Don't get me fired!"
"Aw honey, he just likes you." My mother said over a pile of dishes.
"I dunno mom, I think he's trying to kill me…or something."
"That's just his way of expressing his looooove."
"I…don't like it." I paused. "and I don't think I should accept his behavior as normal, nor really should you.."
"Tell him that. But, I bet if you tell him he just likes you he probably won't admit his feelings and run away screaming, just like your father and I!" She grabbed my dad and pulled him close.
"Okay…? Mom, I'm going to bed, I'm not feeling well."
"Alright dear. I'll bring you some soup in a little bit."
"Thanks Mom." I said as my dad passed me, running screaming up the stairs.
I went up the stairs and into my room.
I looked out the window and saw a dog on the street. It wasn't any particularly familiar dog I'd seen but somehow it reminded me of that weird field trip we took a long while back and how there was a repeating dog in the window. I remember Dib screeching in the driver's room for what we could only decide was from him just being weird. I wondered what really went beyond that door and I could remember Dib screaming something about a worm-hole and how it was headed straight to a room with a...cow? I couldn't really recall and so I rolled over in my bed.
I had an empty desk in front of me. Class was about to start but there was someone standing at the front of the classroom. I couldn't see the figure but Ms. Bitters said something about a new student joining the class.
"Class, I'd like you to meet the newest, most hopeless appendage to the student body. His name is Zim and he will sit in front of you... Zita!" She points to me and her finger extends, long and wide and down slides Zim, except he looks like an alien, like the way I saw him in the cafeteria.
"But Ms. Bitters, please don't make him sit here." I pleaded with her. I tried to look away, towards the window, where Dib sat but I couldn't break myself from his evil stare. His blood red eyes, only staring at me.
"He will. And he will kill you."
I woke up from my nightmare in a cold sweat.
Looking back, I remember covering for Zim, the new kid, because I felt bad that he was brand new to the school. I know he tried to throw his voice to sound like Dib to say "to prove that...I'm crazy." But I could see that he was trying to stand up for himself by fighting fire with fire. I had no idea however that he was actually trying to cover up something else. I felt bad for Dib suddenly.
There was a steaming hot bowl of soup near my bed, and I was grateful that my mom had come by. Maybe I could fake being sick tomorrow and not have to deal with all of this, the thought crossed my mind, and I think that it would give me some time off to prepare.
My mind shuddered at the thought of me being home alone for such a long time. What if the alien tries to show up at my house and attack me? I would be totally defenseless, my mom and dad would be at work, totally unaware that their daughter was going to be alien chow if she didn't think fast.
No. I was going to school tomorrow. I was going to face my fears and possibly do something about Zim attacking me. He had no right. Just because I saw him out of his disguise doesn't mean he gets to bully me for the rest of my life. I won't be a victim, I'll be a survivor.
"Dib! Report to the principal's office for technology tampering on recess!" A teacher shouted in our direction. Dib had some sort of weapon for Zim, he was trying to protect me from Zim who was inching closer. The day had been normal, with Zim only looking behind me a few times to scare the crap out of me, and he only made a face once, but it was obvious this was a day for recess 'Zita-torture'.
"But I was-"
"Now!"
Zim stood in his military stance, and then looked toward me, his body looking like he was ready to pounce. This was it. I sucked in my breath sharply.
"Y-You just like me! Don't you, ZIM!" I shouted, so all the kids could hear.
His eyes narrowed and I could hear him growl. Not the reaction I was expecting, but everyone was looking in his direction, and I knew he didn't like attention. The kids started to chant Zita and Zim sitting in a tree, but all I could hear was the pounding of my heartbeat.
The bell rang across the yard and the kids scattered into their respective classrooms.
I was thinking that the rest of the day would go on pretty normal, Zim had disappeared for a while and I was relieved.
Boy was I wrong.
Zim came into the room looking suspicious. I knew I was thinking just like Dib then, and not that it was not such a bad thing – it's just I never thought I would be suspicious of my own classmate other than the regular test cheating. I stared at the back of his head.
"Zita." He hissed. "See you after class." I could almost see the whole grin wrap around his head, as he didn't move. A chill ran down my spine.
I couldn't concentrate on the classwork Ms. Bitters had for us. There was only thirty minutes left in class, but I raised my hand anyway.
"Yes, Zita?"
"I'm not feeling well...can I go home early." I stated rather than asked.
"Go to the nurses office and state your case, see if they offer you any mercy." She hissed. I got up out of my seat.
Zim turned his head to look at me. This was not apart of his plan. I was happy until he whispered something as I reached for the door.
"Don't think this will get you out of what I have in store." He grinned at me. "In fact, this might actually work farther in my favor." I glanced to Dib, he was watching intently but obviously could not hear. He was practically gripping his desk.
I walked in the direction of the nurse's office but decided I would be sent home anyway so I ran out the door as fast as I could, hoping to get the quick way home and out of Zim's clutches.
I went to take my normal route home when I noticed a detour sign up ahead.
"This road is blocked due to radioactive sewage rats. They're running rampant lately in this part of town. You're going to have to go another way." The man looked oddly metal and strange and spoke in a raspy high pitched metal tone. "Pretty little girl." He looked like he wanted to touch me. I backed away slowly.
"Okay." I started to leave when I swore I heard the man say something overly zealous about slurpees and the bumblees eating the flowers while he's watching.
I continued to follow the signs. They lead me down the strangest way, in and out of alley ways and I think I circled a creepy dog twice. I thought I heard someone following me but when I turned to look, no one was there.
Turning and alleyway I found that I had been lead to a dead end. I turned around and saw a shadow throught the smoggy air.
"Dib?!" I shouted. "Why are you following me?"
"Don't worry Zita! My eyes are swollen, I'll be able to help you get home. I was trying to see what Zim was up to."
"…" I waited a minute. "You used me as bait?!"
"No! …Well, not exactly. You see—"
"Zita…" His breath was on the back of my neck. I screamed and turned.
"There he is! Zim, you won't get away with any of this! Zita! Catch!" Dib threw me something. It missed me by a mile. Zim just grinned since he knew I was doomed.
Well, there was nothing left to do.
I sucked in my breath. I turned and faced the monster on his spider legs, he looked at me curiously with my newfound courage.
"You like me, don't you Zim?!" I shouted as loud as I could, hoping that someone else would hear besides Dib.
"Hehehe…Hahaha….MUAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAH!"
I shifted my weight. This was not the reaction I was expecting. I turned to run but he leaped over me with his spider legs.
"Gir! Restrain the bystander!"
The robot man from before came out of nowhere and grabbed Dib by the head and lifted him into the air. Dib flailed his arms and screeched but it was no use.
"I miss your puppy head." The Robot Man said.
He had me cornered. His stare made me feel like an inch tall.
The brick was digging into my back. The long metal sharp rods were reaching out behind his back like a giant claw about to stab me. I was breathing hard.
"I can smell your fear, Zita."
The sound of my name made my stomach leap into my throat. I stopped breathing. His eyes were so red I would have thought they were luminescent.
"No little school children to save you now." His face peeled back to reveal his zipper teeth gleaming in the low light.
My mind was racing, I looked around for anything, anything to grab on to, to swing as a defense, nothing was in reach. I couldn't think of any moves to knock him out of those spider legs. There was nothing to do. His eyes burned holes in me, his outstretched claws loomed over my head. His mouth opened again.
"It's funny, I always wondered what a human would do cornered like this, I can see now that it would be pathetic-"
I lunged for him and did the only thing I could think of.
Our lips locked and I felt what alien skin felt like across mine. Cool and clammy, rubbery and thin. His lips were nonexistent; it was just a skin flap to those strange teeth.
I took him completely off guard. His mouth was open while he was speaking, and my tongue landed on his. It was slimy and his tongue felt like a mealworm's exoskeleton, his breath was cold and smelled like the inside of an aluminum balloon. If I didn't have adrenaline gushing through my veins, I probably would have gagged right into his mouth.
Dib was screeching.
Zim leapt backwards away from my grasp and I took this opportunity to run to Dib who was looking more shocked at me.
"WHAT IN ALL OF IRK?!" He was sputtering and spitting and scrubbing his mouth with his gloves. "DISGUISTING! WHAT WAS THAT?!"
"Now you know not to corner a girl!" I screamed as I helped Dib up and out of the contraption. Zim was turning to run out of the alleyway. "OH, I thought you liked me, Zim!" I spat.
He stopped on his heels and looked as if he was going to turn and say something, his fists clenching.
"Looks like you want some more!" I said in a moment of bravery. His running and screaming out of the alleyway and out of sight proved me right. I could hear him screaming all the way down the street.
"Why, why would you do that?" Dib said, looking me up and down.
"It just kind of happened." I shrugged. "People do strange things when they think they're about to die."
"I need to swab your mouth for alien DNA!" He was looking for his bag.
"Whatever, Dib." I began walking in the direction of my house. He ran up to me and was fidgety and looking like he wanted to say many things.
After a long silence and I was closer to my house I decided to speak.
"Yknow…that was my first kiss." I said, staring out into the streetlights.
"THAT!?" Dib snapped his head to look at mine. "That's...HORRIBLE Zita…"
"Yeah…I know." I looked to the ground. "But, at least I can say I'm the first person to kiss an alien."
Dib looked a little uneasy. Then he looked like he was about to say something.
"Aw, really? That's been done?"
"There's…documentation I've read that says otherwise…yes." He looked away and pushed his glasses up with his forefinger. I clamored on, seeing my house in the far off distance. I could go home, go home and sleep and rest full-heartedly knowing I was safer. Zim didn't look like he would be coming back for a while.
"Oh well." I looked towards my house.
"Zita?" I turned to see Dib had stopped walking.
"Yes, Dib?"
"Can I kiss you?" He was looking at something above my head.
I stared at him. The question caught me totally off guard, he looked to the ground shifting his weight and said,
"I mean, I know I can't top your first…but-"
I laughed, whole heartedly. He smiled at my laughter. It felt so good to laugh now, now that I didn't have a murderous alien after me. My eyes were watering and my shoulders shook as I about fell over under the streetlight and laughed down to the sidewalk. He reached out and put a hand out to me to help me steady.
My hand stayed in his, it felt warm, smooth and very human like. I smiled.
He leaned in closely, I could see my reflection in his glasses.
"Dib!" I shouted and pulled away. He backed away.
"What's the matter Zita?"
"I can't, Dib. This is all too much."
"...I understand..." But he looked severely crushed. I had only ever seen him spend time with his sister and I wonder if this is the longest time he's spent with a girl.
"Wait. Come on!" I pulled him by the hand I still had and drug him up to my room, I had something important to tell him.
A/n: Thank you all for being patient with me and reading my fiction. Please tell me what you think so far in the reviews.