Jake
"Please make me dead, please make me dead," I muttered under my breath as I opened my stinging eyes from a restless sleep.
I wanted to cry as I replayed the scenes of last night in my head. Marco seemed way too calm. Tobias showed no emotion. I didn't see Cassie shed a tear. Ax was emotionless as ever. Only Rachel seemed to care. Of course she was related to Tom. But would she care if she wasn't?
I got out of bed and had a quick shower, in which time I thought of maybe drowning myself and then dressed. I went down and found both my parents sitting at the table, sipping tea quietly.
"Good morning Jake," my dad said, quietly.
"Morning," I mumbled.
"How are you feeling today?" my mum asked, softly.
"Alright," I answered. A lie. A big, huge lie.
"Jake, the funeral is on Friday," my dad said, almost hesitantly as though I was going to burst.
"Alright," I answered.
"But Jake, there's something else," my mum looked at me worriedly. "You'd better sit down."
What could be more devastating than what had already happened?
I sat down on a chair opposite to my dad and looked at them uncertainly.
"Tom's body was stolen from the morgue yesterday evening," my mum sniffed, tears rolling down her cheek. "There's not going to be a body at the funeral."
I wanted to shout out to them, to scream to them that this wasn't true. That Tom had been eaten by an alien. But I couldn't.
"Can I go out?" I asked them, recovering from my shock.
"You haven't eaten," my dad said.
"I'm not hungry," I answered simply, although that was completely untrue.
"You haven't eaten in ages, Jake, when do you plan to eat?" my mum asked, raising her voice.
"Later," I said, turning towards the door.
"You need to eat Jake. Are you going to starve yourself to death?"
"Later," I shouted back, opening the front door and slamming it closed behind me.
I walked down the street wanting to just run away and never come back. I was out for quite a while. I stayed out walking past school times.
"Jake?" a voice called from behind me. I turned around to find Marco jogging up towards me. "What are you doing man?"
I shrugged and continued to walk.
"How are you man? That was rough last night," he had this expression on his face, I couldn't quite get.
"Don't worry about it Marco," I said, keeping my voice expressionless.
"Don't worry about it?" he echoed, sounding amazed. "Jake, you know it's all right to share your feelings on this."
"Share my feelings?" I asked. "When did you become Dr. Phil?"
"I'm just worried about you, man," he said. "We all are."
"Well you can stop worrying," I said. "I'm fine."
"Oh yeah?" Marco asked, almost angrily. "You didn't talk last night. Not once. You just watched your brother get killed and you're alright? Who are you fooling Jake?"
"Just drop it, Marco," I said, fiercely. "I'm sick of you thinking you're top."
"Hey, if it wasn't for me you wouldn't have gotten home last night," he shot back. "Look I know how you must be feeling right now…"
"How would you know how I'm feeling?" I yelled. I stopped in the middle of the street, glaring at him. "You and your perfect little world! You've got it made you know that Marco?"
"I've got it made?" he echoed again. "Jake, we're all in this together. You're not the only one who's lost someone."
"No, Marco, the difference between your loss and my loss is that your loss was only temporary. My loss is for real."
I turned around and started walking back down the street. I didn't know where I intended on going or what I intended to do, all I knew was that I needed to do something with myself before I would explode. I was aware that Marco was following me. The others probably decided to baby sit me so I wouldn't do anything rash. Probably a good idea.
Then suddenly I wasn't walking down the street anymore. I don't think I was even on Earth anymore. I was standing in some kind of oblivion. I turned around sharply. Marco was still standing behind me, looking surprised. But Marco and I weren't the only ones there. Rachel was standing next to a bewildered Cassie. Tobias and Ax, in their original selves.
"Great," Marco snapped. "Another warm visit. Who's this from now? Ellimist?"
"Surely you jest?" came a deep voice. I knew straight away who it was and it was no Ellimist.
In the centre of our tiny circle popped a huge red eyeball. Crayak.
"What do you want Crayak?" I asked, snapping into leader mode.
"You don't know?" Crayak sneered. "Big Jake doesn't know?"
"What do you want?" I repeated.
"Seeing though you are going through a hard time at the moment," he turned to me at that moment and smiled. "I thought I'd make it a bit easier for you."
"No," I said straight away, not even thinking about considering what he was offering.
"What, you won't hear me out?" Crayak asked, faking the hurt tone in his voice.
"What is it, if it will please you," Cassie said. I turned to look at her angrily. She shrugged.
"I will give you power among your wildest imagination. Power and freedom. Freedom for you and your family," he smiled. "For just one price."
((And what is that?)) Tobias asked.
"For the human race."
"No," I said as soon as he had finished his sentence.
"What so soon?" Crayak sneered. "Think about it. Rachel did."
I turned to Rachel angrily. Her face had grown hot, but she returned my glare.
"I said no," I repeated.
"You are a foolish being, Jake," Crayak hissed. "A perfect opportunity has arisen and you refuse to take it?"
I remained silent, staring at him with such hate.
"You have more potential than the others put together. Even Rachel," Crayak continued. "You are the most dangerous being on Earth. Your greatest threat fears you above everything and everyone else. Why waste all your energy on saving this pitiful planet. You could do so much for yourself and for your family."
"Are you finished?" I asked.
"What is your answer Great Jake?"
"Is it a habit of yours to ask the same question over again when you know what the answer is going to be?" I snapped. "For the last time, no. I am not giving up the Earth for my own benefit."
Crayak glared at me and I knew I was in for it.
"No one says no to me!" he shouted furious and before I had time to answer he had disappeared. I turned around to face the others and there he was standing behind me: Tom.
