The Last Invasion
Seeing Stars
An eagerly anticipated extended weekend had finally arrived, much to the enjoyment of the students. Casey exited the school happily, ignored by the teens busily planning how to spend their extra free time. The boy could have cared less how to spend his weekend, even though he knew it would be spent with his uncle as his parents left town, as long as he could escape the taunting and tormenting he usually faced at the end of the day. His sharp blue eyes focused on Delilah, surrounded by the rest of her squad, giving out last minute instructions before the night's game.
He sighed longingly, recalling the few months they had been together as he hopped down the last few steps. His feet hit the ground only to be knocked over by a large arm reaching out and slamming into his chest. He immediately broke into a fit of gasping coughs, desperately regaining the air that has been knocked from his lungs. Slowly, hesitantly, Casey lifted his gaze, not surprised to see Gabe glowering over him.
"Hey punk, you looking at my girl?" Gabe growled, wrapping a large fist around Casey's shirt, yanking him up so they were at eye level. The smaller of the two returned the glare, "You mean the bitchy one?" He regretted the words the moment they left his mouth, tensing his body as he waited for the first blow to fall. Gabe's fist was stopped by another's hand reaching out to grab his wrist firmly. "Hey, dude, lighten up."
Both Gabe and Casey looked to see Zeke standing there, giving them the half smirk he often wore. The football captain dropped Casey none to lightly, turning his glare to his fellow player. "You want to take me, Zeke?" He snarled, taking a threatening step towards him. Casey scrambled up, brushing his knees off, looking between the two glaring boys, as was the rest of the students in the schoolyard.
Zeke sighed loudly, rolling his eyes, "Gabe, man, get real. I just want you to lighten up; I mean, really, take a look at your girl. Does she not scream grade A bitch?" Casey stared at Zeke in shock, so did most of the student body, immediately focusing on Gabe and his reply. Gabe's dark eyes scanned the faces, settling on Delilah's momentarily before returning to Zeke. The head cheerleader frowned, placing an impatient hand on her hip, turning the full wrath of her glare onto Zeke. Gabe's hand curled into a fist, a sudden silence fell over the yard, as he raised his arm and suddenly dropped it heavily upon Zeke's shoulder while chuckling, "You know, you're right. Sometimes, she can be one."
The other students returned to their previous conversations, bored by the fact that no fight had ensued. Zeke and Gabe laughed for several moments, watching the said bitch storm off in a rage towards the parking lot. Casey released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, grabbing his dropped bag and swinging it over a shoulder when he once again felt Gabe's hand on his forearm. The grip tightened painfully, dragging him around face- to-face with the unhappy captain, "If I ever hear you call her any name again, you won't be so lucky to have your insane friends around. Next time, I'll make sure you never have kids, got it?"
Casey swallowed, his eyes drifting towards the flagpole and back to Gabe, "Yeah, I get it."
"Good," Gabe released him with a shove and a warning stare before stalking off after his girlfriend. Zeke looked at Casey from the corner of his eye with the slightest hint of a grin, "You sure get into a lot of shit." The blue-eyed boy sighed loudly, watching the spot where the football player had wandered off, "No shit."
- - - - -
IWantToBelieve: Saturn is really bright tonight, so is the moon
Case: I can't find it, even with my telescope
StarSearcher: It's near Mars, just a little to the left and up. See it?
Case: Brb, I'm going to check
Casey twirled in his chair away from the computer to his telescope, squinting into it. The moon was round and full, a spotlight with a backdrop of sparkling stars. Mars wasn't to far from it, the star with a tint of red to it. And, according to his chat room buddies, Saturn should be close be. Ah-ha, there it was, as bright as a headlight, dimming the other stars around it. "Is that where you came from?" He whispered to no one, moving the telescope back to Mars, "Or there?"
He sighed, leaning back in his chair to stare at the sky with his plain eyes. His thoughts drifted back to the day he cowered in the locker room, unbearably dizzy and terrified, having seen Zeke go sailing over the lockers. The queen alien, he still thought of her as Mary Beth, had told him about her planet, how it was nearly all water, a blue expanse as far as the eye could see. Of course, she had then tried to talk him into becoming one of her mindless slaves, controlled by one of her parasites.
Casey shuttered at the memory, putting his back to the stars and facing the computer. A few others had joined the chat room; he recognized most of them, as most of them recognized him from the Time magazine atricle. The majority of the people in the chat room were crazy folks, talking about aliens, witches and monsters that lived under their beds. An ironic smile crossed the boy's features, more and more he had been called crazy at school, teased and taunted for his story of aliens. One can only be called crazy so many times before they begin to question their sanity.
But there were others that believed him, that told the same story he did. Stan, Stokely, Zeke, and at one point, Delilah, had all claimed that aliens had taken over the school and the rag-tag group had stopped the invaders. There were also some Internet buddies he had begun to correspond with that completely believed him, and were now on a desperate quest to find proof.
The boy's fingers hovered over the keyboard, about to let the room know he had found Saturn, when he heard footsteps on the stairs. His father's footsteps by the sound of it, about to check up on his progress. Casey cast an eye on his bed where to large suitcases laid sprawled open, half pack with his clothes. He sprang from his chair; grabbing a shirt to make himself look busy folding it just as there was a soft knock on the door. "How's it going, son?" Greg Conner asked, peeking his head into the bedroom, glancing around. There was a creak as he pushed the door open and stepped in, looking at the half-filled suitcases disapproving, before staring at the computer screen.
Casey flinched, mentally kicking himself for not closing the "Aliens Exist!" chat room. He knew his father often regretted allowing him to have his privileges back, especially use of the Internet. He also knew his parents kept vigorous tabs on which sites he visited, particularly those having anything to do with aliens. His parents no longer believed he took drugs (though they worried about his hanging around Zeke) but refused to have faith in aliens. His father would often threaten to send him to a shrink if he continued to talk about insanities such as extraterrestrial life.
The boy cleared his throat uncertainly, tossing the shirt into the suitcase and quickly closing the chat window, "It's, uh, going fine, Dad." Greg looked at his son, unconvinced, moving around the bedroom to start folding some clothes as he spoke, "Listen, Case, I know you're upset about us leaving you."
"No, really, I understand. Your job requires that you move around for a few months, and I have to stay here with Uncle Matt so I can finish school. See? I get it."
"Are you sure, son? I'm worried about leaving you, honestly, with your talk of UFOs and aliens." The man finished folding some pants, placing them in the suitcase and beginning to rearrange the sloppily thrown-in items. Casey frowned as he watched him, remaining silent and still, allowing his father to take over packing. In a few short moments, most of the teen's wardrobe was neatly placed within the two bags, yet Greg did not leave, stooping in front of his son, eye-to-eye. "Listen good, Casey. Just because your Uncle is somewhat. . . unorganized, doesn't mean you can stretch the rules. No drugs, no aliens, no staying out until two in the morning doing God knows what, understand?"
"Yes, sir."
"That's my boy, now get ready for bed. We'll be dropping you off early in the morning." He patted his son's head, smiled, and left the room without another word. Casey waited until he heard retreating steps down the stairs before shutting down his computer. He proceeded to get ready for bed, tossing the rest of his essentials into the suitcases that he had hauled onto the floor. The bedroom lights were off, the room lit only by the brightness of the moon and stars. Quietly, the boy crept back to his telescope, peering at Mars and Saturn. They were exactly as he had left them, shining bright against the darkness, unique from the stars surrounding them.
Casey was about to retire to bed when movement in the sky caught his attention, drawing him to watch it closely. It looked like a shooting star, streaking across the sky, leaving a pale orange trail behind it. "Might as well make a wish," Casey murmured aloud, leaning against the window for a better look, "I wish people would believe me. I wish they'd stop calling Zeke, Stan, Stokely and I crazy." Seeing that the star had not yet vanished beneath the horizon, he looked at it through his telescope, surprised at how bright it shone, brighter than Saturn. It headed for Earth, and seemed to hit it with a huge blast of light. He frowned, peering into the lens, and rolling his eyes when he realized it must have been a firework from the football game going on not to far away. The boy chuckled at himself as he stood, clambering onto his bed, not realizing how wrong he'd been about the shooting firework.
Seeing Stars
An eagerly anticipated extended weekend had finally arrived, much to the enjoyment of the students. Casey exited the school happily, ignored by the teens busily planning how to spend their extra free time. The boy could have cared less how to spend his weekend, even though he knew it would be spent with his uncle as his parents left town, as long as he could escape the taunting and tormenting he usually faced at the end of the day. His sharp blue eyes focused on Delilah, surrounded by the rest of her squad, giving out last minute instructions before the night's game.
He sighed longingly, recalling the few months they had been together as he hopped down the last few steps. His feet hit the ground only to be knocked over by a large arm reaching out and slamming into his chest. He immediately broke into a fit of gasping coughs, desperately regaining the air that has been knocked from his lungs. Slowly, hesitantly, Casey lifted his gaze, not surprised to see Gabe glowering over him.
"Hey punk, you looking at my girl?" Gabe growled, wrapping a large fist around Casey's shirt, yanking him up so they were at eye level. The smaller of the two returned the glare, "You mean the bitchy one?" He regretted the words the moment they left his mouth, tensing his body as he waited for the first blow to fall. Gabe's fist was stopped by another's hand reaching out to grab his wrist firmly. "Hey, dude, lighten up."
Both Gabe and Casey looked to see Zeke standing there, giving them the half smirk he often wore. The football captain dropped Casey none to lightly, turning his glare to his fellow player. "You want to take me, Zeke?" He snarled, taking a threatening step towards him. Casey scrambled up, brushing his knees off, looking between the two glaring boys, as was the rest of the students in the schoolyard.
Zeke sighed loudly, rolling his eyes, "Gabe, man, get real. I just want you to lighten up; I mean, really, take a look at your girl. Does she not scream grade A bitch?" Casey stared at Zeke in shock, so did most of the student body, immediately focusing on Gabe and his reply. Gabe's dark eyes scanned the faces, settling on Delilah's momentarily before returning to Zeke. The head cheerleader frowned, placing an impatient hand on her hip, turning the full wrath of her glare onto Zeke. Gabe's hand curled into a fist, a sudden silence fell over the yard, as he raised his arm and suddenly dropped it heavily upon Zeke's shoulder while chuckling, "You know, you're right. Sometimes, she can be one."
The other students returned to their previous conversations, bored by the fact that no fight had ensued. Zeke and Gabe laughed for several moments, watching the said bitch storm off in a rage towards the parking lot. Casey released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, grabbing his dropped bag and swinging it over a shoulder when he once again felt Gabe's hand on his forearm. The grip tightened painfully, dragging him around face- to-face with the unhappy captain, "If I ever hear you call her any name again, you won't be so lucky to have your insane friends around. Next time, I'll make sure you never have kids, got it?"
Casey swallowed, his eyes drifting towards the flagpole and back to Gabe, "Yeah, I get it."
"Good," Gabe released him with a shove and a warning stare before stalking off after his girlfriend. Zeke looked at Casey from the corner of his eye with the slightest hint of a grin, "You sure get into a lot of shit." The blue-eyed boy sighed loudly, watching the spot where the football player had wandered off, "No shit."
- - - - -
IWantToBelieve: Saturn is really bright tonight, so is the moon
Case: I can't find it, even with my telescope
StarSearcher: It's near Mars, just a little to the left and up. See it?
Case: Brb, I'm going to check
Casey twirled in his chair away from the computer to his telescope, squinting into it. The moon was round and full, a spotlight with a backdrop of sparkling stars. Mars wasn't to far from it, the star with a tint of red to it. And, according to his chat room buddies, Saturn should be close be. Ah-ha, there it was, as bright as a headlight, dimming the other stars around it. "Is that where you came from?" He whispered to no one, moving the telescope back to Mars, "Or there?"
He sighed, leaning back in his chair to stare at the sky with his plain eyes. His thoughts drifted back to the day he cowered in the locker room, unbearably dizzy and terrified, having seen Zeke go sailing over the lockers. The queen alien, he still thought of her as Mary Beth, had told him about her planet, how it was nearly all water, a blue expanse as far as the eye could see. Of course, she had then tried to talk him into becoming one of her mindless slaves, controlled by one of her parasites.
Casey shuttered at the memory, putting his back to the stars and facing the computer. A few others had joined the chat room; he recognized most of them, as most of them recognized him from the Time magazine atricle. The majority of the people in the chat room were crazy folks, talking about aliens, witches and monsters that lived under their beds. An ironic smile crossed the boy's features, more and more he had been called crazy at school, teased and taunted for his story of aliens. One can only be called crazy so many times before they begin to question their sanity.
But there were others that believed him, that told the same story he did. Stan, Stokely, Zeke, and at one point, Delilah, had all claimed that aliens had taken over the school and the rag-tag group had stopped the invaders. There were also some Internet buddies he had begun to correspond with that completely believed him, and were now on a desperate quest to find proof.
The boy's fingers hovered over the keyboard, about to let the room know he had found Saturn, when he heard footsteps on the stairs. His father's footsteps by the sound of it, about to check up on his progress. Casey cast an eye on his bed where to large suitcases laid sprawled open, half pack with his clothes. He sprang from his chair; grabbing a shirt to make himself look busy folding it just as there was a soft knock on the door. "How's it going, son?" Greg Conner asked, peeking his head into the bedroom, glancing around. There was a creak as he pushed the door open and stepped in, looking at the half-filled suitcases disapproving, before staring at the computer screen.
Casey flinched, mentally kicking himself for not closing the "Aliens Exist!" chat room. He knew his father often regretted allowing him to have his privileges back, especially use of the Internet. He also knew his parents kept vigorous tabs on which sites he visited, particularly those having anything to do with aliens. His parents no longer believed he took drugs (though they worried about his hanging around Zeke) but refused to have faith in aliens. His father would often threaten to send him to a shrink if he continued to talk about insanities such as extraterrestrial life.
The boy cleared his throat uncertainly, tossing the shirt into the suitcase and quickly closing the chat window, "It's, uh, going fine, Dad." Greg looked at his son, unconvinced, moving around the bedroom to start folding some clothes as he spoke, "Listen, Case, I know you're upset about us leaving you."
"No, really, I understand. Your job requires that you move around for a few months, and I have to stay here with Uncle Matt so I can finish school. See? I get it."
"Are you sure, son? I'm worried about leaving you, honestly, with your talk of UFOs and aliens." The man finished folding some pants, placing them in the suitcase and beginning to rearrange the sloppily thrown-in items. Casey frowned as he watched him, remaining silent and still, allowing his father to take over packing. In a few short moments, most of the teen's wardrobe was neatly placed within the two bags, yet Greg did not leave, stooping in front of his son, eye-to-eye. "Listen good, Casey. Just because your Uncle is somewhat. . . unorganized, doesn't mean you can stretch the rules. No drugs, no aliens, no staying out until two in the morning doing God knows what, understand?"
"Yes, sir."
"That's my boy, now get ready for bed. We'll be dropping you off early in the morning." He patted his son's head, smiled, and left the room without another word. Casey waited until he heard retreating steps down the stairs before shutting down his computer. He proceeded to get ready for bed, tossing the rest of his essentials into the suitcases that he had hauled onto the floor. The bedroom lights were off, the room lit only by the brightness of the moon and stars. Quietly, the boy crept back to his telescope, peering at Mars and Saturn. They were exactly as he had left them, shining bright against the darkness, unique from the stars surrounding them.
Casey was about to retire to bed when movement in the sky caught his attention, drawing him to watch it closely. It looked like a shooting star, streaking across the sky, leaving a pale orange trail behind it. "Might as well make a wish," Casey murmured aloud, leaning against the window for a better look, "I wish people would believe me. I wish they'd stop calling Zeke, Stan, Stokely and I crazy." Seeing that the star had not yet vanished beneath the horizon, he looked at it through his telescope, surprised at how bright it shone, brighter than Saturn. It headed for Earth, and seemed to hit it with a huge blast of light. He frowned, peering into the lens, and rolling his eyes when he realized it must have been a firework from the football game going on not to far away. The boy chuckled at himself as he stood, clambering onto his bed, not realizing how wrong he'd been about the shooting firework.