(NOTE: The reason it took me this long to write a third part is because I
don't think anyone read this... I don't have any reviews. Please, if you
read this, just leave a review for me, whether it be good or bad. I'm
having fun on this story and something actually happens in this part! This
part is written in Birdie's point of view. Oh, and by the way, I'm a native-
born American, and I really don't know anything about Canadian high
schools, so... I've Americanized it. Slap if offended. Enjoy!)
"She's really gone."
"Yep," Papa said as Grandmother's taxi pulled out of the driveway.
"Where is she going to go?"
"Probably to your aunt's house."
"But Aunt Isabela lives in America."
"I know, darling." He sighed.
"Who's going to take care of me while you're gone?" I asked.
"I've been thinking about that," he said, smiling. He took me back into the house and we sat down on the couch. "You're sixteen now, almost an adult. So I am going to do something that Emma could never do.. I'm going to trust you." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the house key.
"By myself?" I cried out.
"Well, why not? You're responsible, and mature. And like I said, /trust/ you."
"Thanks," I said. I took the key from him. I was shaking, but I managed not to drop it.
"Anyway.. I was thinking, why don't I cook us a special dinner tonight and then we'll go out to see a movie?"
"Pizza in front of the TV it is," I said. We both burst into hyterical giggles.
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We hadn't had pizza in a very long time. In fact, Grandmother almost never let us have pizza. Once, when she was visiting my Uncle Carlos and Aunt Elaina, Papa and I had pizza every morning for breakfast. Luckily, Grandmother was only gone for four days, because it could have gotten old very quick.
Sliced tomato and black olive pizza was just what the doctor ordered. Accompanied by the chocolate sodas for dessert (my father's odd attempt to make those included a chocolate candy bar and a cherry coke), and the old movie "Rat Race", it was one of the best nights of my life. No one telling me how to dress (I got to wear a pair of blue jeans that I bought once and never got to wear, plus an old Starcademy shirt that my father accidentally stained up with bleach), or how to sit on the couch. I was comfortable in my own home. (And in case you were wondering, this is the house my mama and papa bought when they found out they were pregnant with me.) And afterward, Papa tucked me into bed, kissed me goodnight, and told me how much he loved me. He left the room, but then came back to remind me that I had band class tomorrow.
This was the best night of my life. I could get used to this.
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I almost slept through my alarm clock the next morning. I was so used to Grandmother pounding on my door (and the mark is still there) that I almost ignored the annoying buzzing sound.
At first, I wondered why Papa didn't come banging on my door. Then I remembered it was Monday and he had to catch his shuttle. Once again, I couldn't go, but this time it was because I couldn't drive myself home. I could have caught a taxi, but Papa hates those things. "You never know who is going to drive it and heaven knows what goes on in those backseats."
Going to school today was just going to suck. But I would make the most of it. I dressed in a light blue satin tee, and matching velvet pants. I wish I had high heels. I don't think I could even talk Papa into letting me wear those, so I just put on my regular boots.
Jesse met me at my locker after third period as usual. He looked great today. His mother had allowed him to play with the color of his hair. His blond hair was now cut spikey and had green tips.
"You look like a leprechaun," I said, chuckling.
"Ha ha," Jesse said. "But you look adorable as always."
"Thanks. I got to dress myself this morning."
"Your grandmother died?!" he cried out suddenly. I must have given him a weird look because he just stopped. "I'm sorry. It just seems so weird. Why would she let you do that?"
"She moved out. She moved to New York with my Aunt Isabela. She and Papa had a fight. She's gone."
"After fifteen years of her living with you, taking over your life." He shook his head. "So where are you staying? Traylor's?"
"No, here's the best part." I paused for dramatic purposes. "Papa's left me alone for the whole week. I've got the key."
"And.. he won't be back until Friday..."
"You want to come over?" I grinned. This could be a fun week...
"Hey," he said, ruining the mood, "can you help me with my Calculus--"
"Birdie Goddard, please report to the main office. You have a phone call. Birdie Goddard." The PA blared so loud you could probably hear it on Pluto.
"Who's calling you?" Jesse asked.
"I don't know," I replied honestly. "Maybe it's Grandmother."
"Well, I'll see you later, okay?"
"Later." We went our seperate ways.
I marched into the office and introduced myself to the secretary. She pointed to the phone and instructed me to hit the flashing light.
"Hi, this is Birdie Goddard...."
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I met Jesse after school. He always walked me down to the bus stop. But today I didn't feel like riding the bus. A good, long walk would do me good. Then I would tired when I got home. I was hoping after I'd fallen asleep, I'd wake up and realize that the last two days have just been a dream.
"Birdie.. are you all right?" Jesse cried out the moment he saw me.
I tried to answer him, but the more I tried to say the words, the more the tears took over.
"Tell me what I can do to help," Jesse said.
It took a minute or two, but I finally managed to say those three little words:
"My father's dead."
Jesse stared at my pants. "How?" he finally managed to squeak out.
"Apparently, someone saw an alien ship outside of the school," I said between sobs. "No one's sure what happened, but they think that my dad, along with the vice-principal and a few students, were kidnapped by those aliens. They've been gone for a few hours. Someone tried to communicate with that ship but they won't answer. They're waiting for a reply for ransom or something."
"I'm so sorry," Jesse said.
"Yeah. Thanks." I didn't really know what else to say. "Kidnapped."
Jesse started talking, but I wasn't listening to anything except my own thoughts pounding in my head. "Kidnapped. Kidnapped. Kidnapped--"
Suddenly, the pounding got to me. I turned around and punched a locker.
"Birdie!" He interupted his own speech. "Your hand!"
"Kidnapped," I whined again, not even noticing the bone sticking out of my wrist. "He's gone. My father is gone."
"Birdie, we have to get you to the hospital. Now."
"It doesn't matter." I suddenly felt as though someone had knocked the wind out of me. "Papa... Papa..."
Jesse started screaming, but I couldn't hear him anymore. My father was dead...
"She's really gone."
"Yep," Papa said as Grandmother's taxi pulled out of the driveway.
"Where is she going to go?"
"Probably to your aunt's house."
"But Aunt Isabela lives in America."
"I know, darling." He sighed.
"Who's going to take care of me while you're gone?" I asked.
"I've been thinking about that," he said, smiling. He took me back into the house and we sat down on the couch. "You're sixteen now, almost an adult. So I am going to do something that Emma could never do.. I'm going to trust you." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the house key.
"By myself?" I cried out.
"Well, why not? You're responsible, and mature. And like I said, /trust/ you."
"Thanks," I said. I took the key from him. I was shaking, but I managed not to drop it.
"Anyway.. I was thinking, why don't I cook us a special dinner tonight and then we'll go out to see a movie?"
"Pizza in front of the TV it is," I said. We both burst into hyterical giggles.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------
We hadn't had pizza in a very long time. In fact, Grandmother almost never let us have pizza. Once, when she was visiting my Uncle Carlos and Aunt Elaina, Papa and I had pizza every morning for breakfast. Luckily, Grandmother was only gone for four days, because it could have gotten old very quick.
Sliced tomato and black olive pizza was just what the doctor ordered. Accompanied by the chocolate sodas for dessert (my father's odd attempt to make those included a chocolate candy bar and a cherry coke), and the old movie "Rat Race", it was one of the best nights of my life. No one telling me how to dress (I got to wear a pair of blue jeans that I bought once and never got to wear, plus an old Starcademy shirt that my father accidentally stained up with bleach), or how to sit on the couch. I was comfortable in my own home. (And in case you were wondering, this is the house my mama and papa bought when they found out they were pregnant with me.) And afterward, Papa tucked me into bed, kissed me goodnight, and told me how much he loved me. He left the room, but then came back to remind me that I had band class tomorrow.
This was the best night of my life. I could get used to this.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------
I almost slept through my alarm clock the next morning. I was so used to Grandmother pounding on my door (and the mark is still there) that I almost ignored the annoying buzzing sound.
At first, I wondered why Papa didn't come banging on my door. Then I remembered it was Monday and he had to catch his shuttle. Once again, I couldn't go, but this time it was because I couldn't drive myself home. I could have caught a taxi, but Papa hates those things. "You never know who is going to drive it and heaven knows what goes on in those backseats."
Going to school today was just going to suck. But I would make the most of it. I dressed in a light blue satin tee, and matching velvet pants. I wish I had high heels. I don't think I could even talk Papa into letting me wear those, so I just put on my regular boots.
Jesse met me at my locker after third period as usual. He looked great today. His mother had allowed him to play with the color of his hair. His blond hair was now cut spikey and had green tips.
"You look like a leprechaun," I said, chuckling.
"Ha ha," Jesse said. "But you look adorable as always."
"Thanks. I got to dress myself this morning."
"Your grandmother died?!" he cried out suddenly. I must have given him a weird look because he just stopped. "I'm sorry. It just seems so weird. Why would she let you do that?"
"She moved out. She moved to New York with my Aunt Isabela. She and Papa had a fight. She's gone."
"After fifteen years of her living with you, taking over your life." He shook his head. "So where are you staying? Traylor's?"
"No, here's the best part." I paused for dramatic purposes. "Papa's left me alone for the whole week. I've got the key."
"And.. he won't be back until Friday..."
"You want to come over?" I grinned. This could be a fun week...
"Hey," he said, ruining the mood, "can you help me with my Calculus--"
"Birdie Goddard, please report to the main office. You have a phone call. Birdie Goddard." The PA blared so loud you could probably hear it on Pluto.
"Who's calling you?" Jesse asked.
"I don't know," I replied honestly. "Maybe it's Grandmother."
"Well, I'll see you later, okay?"
"Later." We went our seperate ways.
I marched into the office and introduced myself to the secretary. She pointed to the phone and instructed me to hit the flashing light.
"Hi, this is Birdie Goddard...."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------
I met Jesse after school. He always walked me down to the bus stop. But today I didn't feel like riding the bus. A good, long walk would do me good. Then I would tired when I got home. I was hoping after I'd fallen asleep, I'd wake up and realize that the last two days have just been a dream.
"Birdie.. are you all right?" Jesse cried out the moment he saw me.
I tried to answer him, but the more I tried to say the words, the more the tears took over.
"Tell me what I can do to help," Jesse said.
It took a minute or two, but I finally managed to say those three little words:
"My father's dead."
Jesse stared at my pants. "How?" he finally managed to squeak out.
"Apparently, someone saw an alien ship outside of the school," I said between sobs. "No one's sure what happened, but they think that my dad, along with the vice-principal and a few students, were kidnapped by those aliens. They've been gone for a few hours. Someone tried to communicate with that ship but they won't answer. They're waiting for a reply for ransom or something."
"I'm so sorry," Jesse said.
"Yeah. Thanks." I didn't really know what else to say. "Kidnapped."
Jesse started talking, but I wasn't listening to anything except my own thoughts pounding in my head. "Kidnapped. Kidnapped. Kidnapped--"
Suddenly, the pounding got to me. I turned around and punched a locker.
"Birdie!" He interupted his own speech. "Your hand!"
"Kidnapped," I whined again, not even noticing the bone sticking out of my wrist. "He's gone. My father is gone."
"Birdie, we have to get you to the hospital. Now."
"It doesn't matter." I suddenly felt as though someone had knocked the wind out of me. "Papa... Papa..."
Jesse started screaming, but I couldn't hear him anymore. My father was dead...