Kim backed away slowly from her-mother-while the pod put on a "concerned"
look. "Honey? You all right?"
"Umm...yeah, Mom," Kim said swallowing. "I just...left some popcorn in the microwave. Gotta go!"
She raced away as the pod smiled slowly. Kim dashed up the stairs, ignoring her dad's calls. She burst into her room, and locked the door.
"Hey, Kim, where's the-"Ron started, then he saw Kim's red eyes. "Kim? KP? You okay?"
Ron could see tears burning in her eyes, then they dried up like dust as her eyes narrowed in anger.
"We got a problem, Ron," she said, and contacted Wade on the Kimmunicator. "Wade!" she said harshly. "Hey, Kim!" Wade smiled, then it faded when he saw Kim's tight lips and narrow eyes. "Something wrong?"
"I've found a live specimen of the flowers," she said tightly. "Great!" Wade said. "So what's the problem?"
"The flower got to my mom first," Kim said. "Oh, Kim," Ron said. "Let me be the first to say I'm sorry," Wade said sincerely.
"Let's not dwell on this," Kim said sharply. "We have to analyze the flowers and the pod, like pronto."
"Right," Wade said. "Just show me the evidence." "I think I'll stay here," Ron said, looking stricken. Kim nodded, and put her hand on his shoulder. "Sorry I snapped at you," she said. "No prob, KP," he said. "You...you needed to." Kim smiled, and took Wade downstairs.
She snuck by her pod-mom who was talking monotonously with her dad, who was frowning uncertainly, into the bedroom. "Okay, Wade, here's the pod," she said, her eyes burning when she saw her mom's stuff-now invaded by this creature.
Wade scanned the pod quickly, and said, "No luck. Once they're out, the real person is..." Kim swallowed, and said, "Don't tell me. Please." "Okay. Anyway, at least ten people have been affected by the pods already, and it's spreading quickly-especially towards the high school."
"I'll look for pods tomorrow," Kim said. "Look, Wade...if one of us turns into a pod, how will we know it?" "You got a point," Wade said thoughtfully. "Okay, when we sign on, you say "Firebird" and I'll say "Violin." Sound good?"
"Sounds great," Kim said. "Thanks for your help, Wade." And she signed off and went upstairs to her room.
She opened the door, and saw a pod in her room. "Kim!" Ron shrieked in terror. "That flower in your desk just bloomed!"
"I didn't have a flower in my desk," Kim said. "Who cares?" Ron screamed at her. "KILL IT!" Kim grabbed her history book and smashed it onto the pod four times before it broke.
She caught her breath and nearly fainted. An embryo screeched in pain and stared up at her. It looked almost exactly like herself!
"Oh, now that is sick and wrong!" Ron yelled. The embryo reached up for her with its long, white hairy tendrils to smother her and kill her.
Kim leaped aside and yelled, "Ron! Throw me the scissors!" By now, even her voice was sounding frightened and scared.
Ron threw her the scissors, and Kim slashed at the embryo's white tendrils, and then smashed her history book down several times until the embryo stared up, eyes blank and unseeing.
Kim breathed in deeply, trying to catch her breath and calm her heart-rate. "We aren't safe here," she realized.
"Kim," came a voice at the door. Kim turned around quickly and saw her little brothers, Jim and Tim standing at the door.
"Ew, what is that thing?" Jim asked. "Remember that movie, Invasion of the Body Snatchers?" Kim asked.
"No way!" Tim and Jim said in unison. "Is that why Mom's acting so weird?" Tim asked. Kim nodded heavily. "Yeah. She's a pod."
"What should we do?" Jim asked. "Stay away from vibrant pink flowers," Kim instructed them. "Don't sniff them, don't touch them, and if you see a pod like this-"she waved at the thing on the floor-"destroy it."
"At the end of the movie," Tim said slowly. "Everyone was a pod. Will that happen here?" "Not if I can help it," Kim said. "Oh-stay away from Mom, okay? If it gets too dangerous, we''l get away. Just you wait and see, tweebs. Now beat it!"
The twins ran from the room, and Ron stared at Kim, trembling. "Kim, I-I don't know. But I can't help feeling that this will end in catastrophe." She turned to Ron and said, "Me, too."
"Umm...yeah, Mom," Kim said swallowing. "I just...left some popcorn in the microwave. Gotta go!"
She raced away as the pod smiled slowly. Kim dashed up the stairs, ignoring her dad's calls. She burst into her room, and locked the door.
"Hey, Kim, where's the-"Ron started, then he saw Kim's red eyes. "Kim? KP? You okay?"
Ron could see tears burning in her eyes, then they dried up like dust as her eyes narrowed in anger.
"We got a problem, Ron," she said, and contacted Wade on the Kimmunicator. "Wade!" she said harshly. "Hey, Kim!" Wade smiled, then it faded when he saw Kim's tight lips and narrow eyes. "Something wrong?"
"I've found a live specimen of the flowers," she said tightly. "Great!" Wade said. "So what's the problem?"
"The flower got to my mom first," Kim said. "Oh, Kim," Ron said. "Let me be the first to say I'm sorry," Wade said sincerely.
"Let's not dwell on this," Kim said sharply. "We have to analyze the flowers and the pod, like pronto."
"Right," Wade said. "Just show me the evidence." "I think I'll stay here," Ron said, looking stricken. Kim nodded, and put her hand on his shoulder. "Sorry I snapped at you," she said. "No prob, KP," he said. "You...you needed to." Kim smiled, and took Wade downstairs.
She snuck by her pod-mom who was talking monotonously with her dad, who was frowning uncertainly, into the bedroom. "Okay, Wade, here's the pod," she said, her eyes burning when she saw her mom's stuff-now invaded by this creature.
Wade scanned the pod quickly, and said, "No luck. Once they're out, the real person is..." Kim swallowed, and said, "Don't tell me. Please." "Okay. Anyway, at least ten people have been affected by the pods already, and it's spreading quickly-especially towards the high school."
"I'll look for pods tomorrow," Kim said. "Look, Wade...if one of us turns into a pod, how will we know it?" "You got a point," Wade said thoughtfully. "Okay, when we sign on, you say "Firebird" and I'll say "Violin." Sound good?"
"Sounds great," Kim said. "Thanks for your help, Wade." And she signed off and went upstairs to her room.
She opened the door, and saw a pod in her room. "Kim!" Ron shrieked in terror. "That flower in your desk just bloomed!"
"I didn't have a flower in my desk," Kim said. "Who cares?" Ron screamed at her. "KILL IT!" Kim grabbed her history book and smashed it onto the pod four times before it broke.
She caught her breath and nearly fainted. An embryo screeched in pain and stared up at her. It looked almost exactly like herself!
"Oh, now that is sick and wrong!" Ron yelled. The embryo reached up for her with its long, white hairy tendrils to smother her and kill her.
Kim leaped aside and yelled, "Ron! Throw me the scissors!" By now, even her voice was sounding frightened and scared.
Ron threw her the scissors, and Kim slashed at the embryo's white tendrils, and then smashed her history book down several times until the embryo stared up, eyes blank and unseeing.
Kim breathed in deeply, trying to catch her breath and calm her heart-rate. "We aren't safe here," she realized.
"Kim," came a voice at the door. Kim turned around quickly and saw her little brothers, Jim and Tim standing at the door.
"Ew, what is that thing?" Jim asked. "Remember that movie, Invasion of the Body Snatchers?" Kim asked.
"No way!" Tim and Jim said in unison. "Is that why Mom's acting so weird?" Tim asked. Kim nodded heavily. "Yeah. She's a pod."
"What should we do?" Jim asked. "Stay away from vibrant pink flowers," Kim instructed them. "Don't sniff them, don't touch them, and if you see a pod like this-"she waved at the thing on the floor-"destroy it."
"At the end of the movie," Tim said slowly. "Everyone was a pod. Will that happen here?" "Not if I can help it," Kim said. "Oh-stay away from Mom, okay? If it gets too dangerous, we''l get away. Just you wait and see, tweebs. Now beat it!"
The twins ran from the room, and Ron stared at Kim, trembling. "Kim, I-I don't know. But I can't help feeling that this will end in catastrophe." She turned to Ron and said, "Me, too."