Part 2
Sensing she'd have some explaining to do, the girl connected with Tess again. But this time she seemed to be talking through her.
"I know you're all probably wondering a lot of things right now..." she said through Tess, "So here it is..." She took a breath, then went on. "I have no idea how I got here. All I know about my arrival is that I woke up in my bed one morning, but before that... nothing. That was ten years ago, in the summer..."
"That's when we came out of our pods," said Max. "Then there has to be something that connects her being here, with us..."
"Yes," the girl continued.
"So what is it?" asked Michael.
"I don't know."
"What?" exclaimed Michael.
"I have no idea why, I just don't know yet... I do know that one event should trigger the knowledge... it just hasn't happened yet."
"So what DO you know about us?" asked Isabel.
"I know... we're the same... our 'alien side'... it's the same."
"Makes sense," said Max.
"But how come you still look so young?" asked Liz.
"I don't really understand that part either... I haven't aged, grown,... my hair hasn't gained any length in ten years..."
"Why wouldn't you grow?" asked Maria.
"I don't know... I awakened knowing a lot of things, but those subjects weren't part of it."
"What DO you know?" asked Max.
"Well... I know about the crash in 1947... I knew about the 'no changing, no talking, food not necessary', and other things like that... I knew what I was, what my powers and my purpose were. I knew the name for things I'd never seen. I've never seen... a firetruck. But I could draw you one... you see where I'm going with this?"
"I'm starting to," said Isabel. "But wait... if you're not supposed to talk to us, then..."
"It's simple..." she assured, "To talk to you like this... it requires for me to think the words through. That prevents me from saying the things I shouldn't, to the ones I'm allowed to 'speak' to, and to say anything to the people I shouldn't talk to." She stopped, then laughed a bit. "I'm sorry, this is probably confusing."
"It's fine," Max assured her.
"So, uh... what's in all those boxes?" asked Liz, pointing to them.
"Hold on," she said before breaking the connection. Tess gasped shortly and looked slightly dizzy. Kyle stood and went up to her.
"Are you okay?" he asked her.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, still a bit out of breath, "That was just... wow." She looked back to the girl. "Thank you for sharing that with me." The girl smiled.
"Share what?" asked Kyle.
"Everything... everything she did for the ten years she's been here... Or most anyway..."
The girl hopped down to the ground and went to the boxes. She picked up one and put it on the ground. She sat on her knees and opened the box. She put her hand in and pulled out a stack of paper. She handed it to the bunch on the couch. Liz took them and started leafing through them while the others watched from the sides. It didn't take long for them to realize something.
"It's us..." Liz whispered. She looked to the girl and she was nodding in confirmation.
"She said she knew we'd come..." said Tess from her seat. The girl nodded to this as well.
"Are there drawings in ALL those boxes?" asked Max. The girl shook her head to say "No". She pointed to one box and Michael stood to go get it. She gave him a nod to tell him to open it. Inside he found many used pencils. Some were colors and some weren't. He picked up a few color ones and observed them. He looked to the girl and she nodded again.
"What?" asked Alex. The girl stood and went to Michael. She took his hand and connected with him. Once she'd shown him what he needed to see, she let go and smiled. All eyes were on Michael, so finally he explained.
"She can make people think some stuff... kind of like Tess can. She had people bring paper and pencils to her from time to time. They never really remembered." Maria observed him.
"There's more," she declared. Michael looked to the girl. She went to Liz, who still held the drawing pile, and began looking through it. Finally, she held up one sheet. It featured a car, a woman, and a little boy. The woman held a pad of paper and a box of color pencils. The boy was inside the car, looking at his mom as she walked towards something that wasn't on the picture. Liz, Maria, and the others on the couch looked to the girl. She pointed to the boy on the drawing, then turned and pointed to Michael. "Are you saying..." started Maria. The girl nodded.
"She did it a couple times before I knew anything. Mom would just leave for a couple hours and when she came back, it was like she hadn't gone anywhere. Dad never knew anything about it. Then one day, I went with her. We ended up here. Mom got out of the car with a paperpad and pencils she'd just bought. She went to the door, put them in front of it, then she came back to the car and we left. When we got home, it didn't take long to figure out she didn't remember any of it happening. So I didn't say anything to her about it. I didn't tell you guys either because I didn't think there was anything to do about it. After that time I was with her, it never happened to her again."
The girl looked up to Tess, as if to ask if she felt strong enough to reconnect. Tess nodded that she was. Kyle lifted the girl to where she'd been sitting before and she reconnected to Tess.
"What made you come here other than the picture..." she asked the other aliens. Max and Michael turned to Isabel. She reached for the chain around her neck and the pendant attached to it.
"We found this... in Atherton's dome," she explained.
"Do you know anything about it?" asked Max. As they were connected, the girl's surprise showed on Tess' face.
"Michael..." she said, "Go to the entrance, wave your hand above the frame." He didn't question her and did as she asked. The moment he'd waved his hand over it, the frame evaporated and a small pouch fell to the ground. He bent to retrieve it. "Open it," she instructed. He did so, turning it over above his hand to catch the contents. What dropped into his hand was a small piece of metal. He didn't really understand, but he showed it to the others.
"Michael, wait... give it to me," said Isabel suddenly. Michael gave it to her, not understanding what SHE was now starting to. Isabel held up the small piece from the puch up to the broken end of the pendant around her neck. The two pieces interlocked perfectly. 'Tess' smiled.
"Then it's official... it really IS you I've been waiting for all these years..."
"How could you have known we'd find the necklace, that we'd take it with us before we left?" asked Max.
"I just did..." she explained slowly.
"But what does it mean?" asked Isabel.
"Honestly... nothing," the girl explained, "Nothing other than the fact that YOU'RE the ones I've been waiting for. You're the ones I'm supposed to help out." The room was silent for a while. Everyone looked to the other people in the room, especially the girl. "We need to discuss some things, here," the girl finally spoke out.
"You're right," Max said.
"But I'll need to do it through someone else... she's getting too tired..."
"I'll take over," Max announced.
"Okay," the girl agreed, "Kyle, come here. You need to be ready to catch her." He nodded and crouched before Tess. The girl nodded and broke the connection. Tess let out a small whimper as she slumped forward into Kyle's arms.
*
Sensing she'd have some explaining to do, the girl connected with Tess again. But this time she seemed to be talking through her.
"I know you're all probably wondering a lot of things right now..." she said through Tess, "So here it is..." She took a breath, then went on. "I have no idea how I got here. All I know about my arrival is that I woke up in my bed one morning, but before that... nothing. That was ten years ago, in the summer..."
"That's when we came out of our pods," said Max. "Then there has to be something that connects her being here, with us..."
"Yes," the girl continued.
"So what is it?" asked Michael.
"I don't know."
"What?" exclaimed Michael.
"I have no idea why, I just don't know yet... I do know that one event should trigger the knowledge... it just hasn't happened yet."
"So what DO you know about us?" asked Isabel.
"I know... we're the same... our 'alien side'... it's the same."
"Makes sense," said Max.
"But how come you still look so young?" asked Liz.
"I don't really understand that part either... I haven't aged, grown,... my hair hasn't gained any length in ten years..."
"Why wouldn't you grow?" asked Maria.
"I don't know... I awakened knowing a lot of things, but those subjects weren't part of it."
"What DO you know?" asked Max.
"Well... I know about the crash in 1947... I knew about the 'no changing, no talking, food not necessary', and other things like that... I knew what I was, what my powers and my purpose were. I knew the name for things I'd never seen. I've never seen... a firetruck. But I could draw you one... you see where I'm going with this?"
"I'm starting to," said Isabel. "But wait... if you're not supposed to talk to us, then..."
"It's simple..." she assured, "To talk to you like this... it requires for me to think the words through. That prevents me from saying the things I shouldn't, to the ones I'm allowed to 'speak' to, and to say anything to the people I shouldn't talk to." She stopped, then laughed a bit. "I'm sorry, this is probably confusing."
"It's fine," Max assured her.
"So, uh... what's in all those boxes?" asked Liz, pointing to them.
"Hold on," she said before breaking the connection. Tess gasped shortly and looked slightly dizzy. Kyle stood and went up to her.
"Are you okay?" he asked her.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, still a bit out of breath, "That was just... wow." She looked back to the girl. "Thank you for sharing that with me." The girl smiled.
"Share what?" asked Kyle.
"Everything... everything she did for the ten years she's been here... Or most anyway..."
The girl hopped down to the ground and went to the boxes. She picked up one and put it on the ground. She sat on her knees and opened the box. She put her hand in and pulled out a stack of paper. She handed it to the bunch on the couch. Liz took them and started leafing through them while the others watched from the sides. It didn't take long for them to realize something.
"It's us..." Liz whispered. She looked to the girl and she was nodding in confirmation.
"She said she knew we'd come..." said Tess from her seat. The girl nodded to this as well.
"Are there drawings in ALL those boxes?" asked Max. The girl shook her head to say "No". She pointed to one box and Michael stood to go get it. She gave him a nod to tell him to open it. Inside he found many used pencils. Some were colors and some weren't. He picked up a few color ones and observed them. He looked to the girl and she nodded again.
"What?" asked Alex. The girl stood and went to Michael. She took his hand and connected with him. Once she'd shown him what he needed to see, she let go and smiled. All eyes were on Michael, so finally he explained.
"She can make people think some stuff... kind of like Tess can. She had people bring paper and pencils to her from time to time. They never really remembered." Maria observed him.
"There's more," she declared. Michael looked to the girl. She went to Liz, who still held the drawing pile, and began looking through it. Finally, she held up one sheet. It featured a car, a woman, and a little boy. The woman held a pad of paper and a box of color pencils. The boy was inside the car, looking at his mom as she walked towards something that wasn't on the picture. Liz, Maria, and the others on the couch looked to the girl. She pointed to the boy on the drawing, then turned and pointed to Michael. "Are you saying..." started Maria. The girl nodded.
"She did it a couple times before I knew anything. Mom would just leave for a couple hours and when she came back, it was like she hadn't gone anywhere. Dad never knew anything about it. Then one day, I went with her. We ended up here. Mom got out of the car with a paperpad and pencils she'd just bought. She went to the door, put them in front of it, then she came back to the car and we left. When we got home, it didn't take long to figure out she didn't remember any of it happening. So I didn't say anything to her about it. I didn't tell you guys either because I didn't think there was anything to do about it. After that time I was with her, it never happened to her again."
The girl looked up to Tess, as if to ask if she felt strong enough to reconnect. Tess nodded that she was. Kyle lifted the girl to where she'd been sitting before and she reconnected to Tess.
"What made you come here other than the picture..." she asked the other aliens. Max and Michael turned to Isabel. She reached for the chain around her neck and the pendant attached to it.
"We found this... in Atherton's dome," she explained.
"Do you know anything about it?" asked Max. As they were connected, the girl's surprise showed on Tess' face.
"Michael..." she said, "Go to the entrance, wave your hand above the frame." He didn't question her and did as she asked. The moment he'd waved his hand over it, the frame evaporated and a small pouch fell to the ground. He bent to retrieve it. "Open it," she instructed. He did so, turning it over above his hand to catch the contents. What dropped into his hand was a small piece of metal. He didn't really understand, but he showed it to the others.
"Michael, wait... give it to me," said Isabel suddenly. Michael gave it to her, not understanding what SHE was now starting to. Isabel held up the small piece from the puch up to the broken end of the pendant around her neck. The two pieces interlocked perfectly. 'Tess' smiled.
"Then it's official... it really IS you I've been waiting for all these years..."
"How could you have known we'd find the necklace, that we'd take it with us before we left?" asked Max.
"I just did..." she explained slowly.
"But what does it mean?" asked Isabel.
"Honestly... nothing," the girl explained, "Nothing other than the fact that YOU'RE the ones I've been waiting for. You're the ones I'm supposed to help out." The room was silent for a while. Everyone looked to the other people in the room, especially the girl. "We need to discuss some things, here," the girl finally spoke out.
"You're right," Max said.
"But I'll need to do it through someone else... she's getting too tired..."
"I'll take over," Max announced.
"Okay," the girl agreed, "Kyle, come here. You need to be ready to catch her." He nodded and crouched before Tess. The girl nodded and broke the connection. Tess let out a small whimper as she slumped forward into Kyle's arms.
*
