Chapter Twenty Six

Kaitlyn obliged, but not without a definite moment's hesitation. She couldn't help but suspect her mother had a trick up her sleeve. Was this just a ploy to get her home?

Still, if there was a chance her mother would finally tell her what the heck was going on, then it was worth it.

So Kaitlyn sat in the front seat and waited. It didn't take long; Erica seemed impatient to get this out of the way.

"Kaiti," Erica said, rubbing her eyes tiredly. "First and foremost, you have to understand I can't tell you everything-"

"That wasn't the deal!"

"Kaitlyn!" Erica raised her voice. "Look, my first priority is your's and Tyler's safety. That's more important to me than even your trust right now, okay? Trust me when I say I can't possibly tell you everything there is to know. It could be dangerous."

Kaitlyn's interest spiked; she knew something was up, but...danger?

"Wh-what do you mean?" Kaitlyn asked, suddenly feeling a sick feeling in her stomach; did she really want to know what was going on?

"I can't tell you the whole story, baby, but I can tell you the V's are not who they say they are." Erica sighed. "They aren't here to help us. They aren't even in their real forms. They're here for purposes far beyond just wanting to be our friend. They are dangerous, and they are vicious. They are not our friends."

Kaitlyn swallowed - she'd always been leery of the Visitors, but she always just settled on disliking them because of all the changes they were causing. But...dangerous?

"H-how do you know this?" Kaitlyn whispered.

"I can't tell you everything, Kaitlyn, but I have proof, and there are others like me who know. Ryan is our best ally, because he used to be a Visitor. We know more about who they are and what they want because he used to be a part of their race."

"Why isn't he anymore?" Kaitlyn wanted to know.

"Because he started to feel human emotion." Erica sighed. "They aren't human, Kaiti, they don't feel like we do, but they pretend to, and they are preying on us, pretending to love us, pretending to care."

Kaitlyn swallowed. "Y-you mean Lisa...Lisa can't really love Ty?"

"I don't know. Some Visitors have fallen into the trap of human emotion, but I don't trust her, Kaitlyn. She's the daughter of the queen, Anna, and Anna has already done..." Erica breathed in deeply. "Some really bad things."

"Like what?" Kaitlyn asked.

"You're too young, Kaitlyn, just trust me on that."

Kaitlyn exhaled. "How long have you known?"

"A while."

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"Because I had to be sure. Because I don't want to put you or Tyler in danger in any way. Even knowing the truth could draw attention to yourselves. I kept it to myself for your own good." Erica paused. "Kaitlyn, this is very serious stuff, okay? You have got to keep this a secret. You can't tell Freddie, you can't tell any friends, or your dad, and especially Tyler. If he finds out, he might distance himself from Lisa, and the rest of the Visitors, and if that happens, they may suspect he knows, and he might be in danger."

Kaitlyn wanted to curl up in a ball and cry. This was not what she expected was going on. Not at all.

"I won't tell him." Kaitlyn swallowed hard. "Mom? Are they really that dangerous? Could they really...hurt us?"

Erica hesitated, and that scared Kaitlyn more than anything else.

"I believe they can, Kaitlyn." Erica reached out and took her daughter's hand. "But I promise you, I will not let them hurt you or Tyler. I will keep you safe."

Kaitlyn swallowed, knowing in that moment that even though her mother was not superman, she trusted that her mother would do everything in her power to keep her children safe, whatever the cost.

"You said there were a bunch of you who knew about this." Kaitlyn pointed out, not wanting to let go of her mom's hand. 13 or not, she was terrified. "What are you all doing about the Visitors?"

Because she knew her mother well enough to know she would just sit back and do nothing if something this big was going on.

"There's a resistance called the Fifth Column," Erica explained. "I only know three right now, but there are more out there. We just haven't found them yet. Some of them are Visitors who've turned away, some are human, but they all know the truth about the Visitors, and are determined to stop them. Now, Kaiti, you know the truth too. You have to promise me you'll keep it to yourself. If it gets out to anybody, it could get to the V's. Any attention on us is not going to be good, okay?"

Kaitlyn nodded, sucking in a harsh breath. "Is...is that why you sent Tyler to dad's? Because Lisa's a Visitor?"

Erica nodded. "I know Tyler doesn't believe me, but I need you to, Kaiti. Joe is your dad, and Tyler's too. There was never anybody else. I wouldn't lie to you."

She seemed desperate, pleading almost. Kaitlyn could only nod slowly.

"I believe you, mom."

And she did.

Erica reached out and engulfed her daughter in an awkward hug over the stick shift. Kaitlyn bit her lip to keep herself from crying like a baby. To think there was an alien race in their city, above their city, lying to everybody, set on destruction, well, Kaitlyn was sure she would never sleep again.

"Mom, I wanna help with the resistance," Kaitlyn said strongly when her mother let go. "I wanna join the Fifth Column!"

"No!" Erica said sternly.

"Why not?"

"Because, Kaitlyn, you're still a kid, I don't care how smart you are-"

"But mom, that's-"

"Kaitlyn, this is non-negotiable, I don't care what you say!" Erica was raising her voice. "My priority is protecting you and Tyler, and that means keeping you out."

Kaitlyn crossed her arms. She didn't argue, because deep down, she knew her mother was right, but she wasn't about to admit that.

"The best you can do for me, Kaitlyn, for the Fifth Column, is to stay away from the Visitors. I'm having enough trouble trying to keep Ty away. If I know I don't have to worry about you, it will make me rest a little easier," Erica said with a small smile.

Kaitlyn sighed, met her mother's eye, and nodded. "I promise."

What else was there to do?