Takes what she gives

You don't feel sorry for her

When you fell out of the starlight inn

You were too hurt to walk to bad to begin

I looked at the sign but I couldn't feel sad for you

Takes what she gives

You don't cry when you kiss her…

– from Poor Girl by X

About a month went by, more of less… preferably the former.

At first, no one believed them… the police saw the facts: a group of kids, the scat they'd taken, a gun with their finger prints all over it, a missing student and several missing faculty members, and a story too far out of this world to just say "Okay, I'll believe that" to. There were countless questions and accusations, everyone in a separate room, but they all told the same story, before they let them go home… it wasn't until more people began coming forwards – mostly people that Delilah had talked in to admitting to remembering, because she couldn't stand the thought of not being believed and maybe even believed to be a Sci-Fi nut case… that's when word began to spread, and people who didn't remember began to want to hear the story, and the reporters started showing up… and people started to believe.

Most people didn't remember what they did while being controlled… some did, though. Sam remembered, but Delilah didn't… Stokely remembered, but Stan didn't… it was totally hit or miss… and the fact of the matter was; almost no one did.

Stokely and Stan started dating less then a week after that night in the gym, and Stokely went normal (therefore making her so much less cool in Sam's eyes), and Stan really did stay off the team and tried to get good grades… tried… and Sam decided right away that she would never tell Stokely about that day in the Gym with Stan… of course, she had made one wise comment when they very first started dating about how Stan "sure does like his freaks"… It wasn't until after about a week or two, that they'd already fallen madly in love with each other, that Stan asked her not to tell Stokely… and she agreed saying she wouldn't dream of it.

Anyway… Zeke, surprisingly, decided to join the team, gave in to statutory rape by dating Ms. Burke (a teacher), and stopped dealing drugs (which made him cool to hang out with in Sam's eyes), mostly because of Delilah smashing all his shit and such… Mr. Connor changed his mind, and decided it was okay for Sam and Casey to hang out again… Delilah started dating Casey, no doubt because of all the attention he got over the month, people wanting to hear his story, reporters and TV crews, all sorts of things… Delilah digged the attention, and seemed to enjoy being known as the hero's girlfriend… though it seemed that only Sam could see this.

She tried to let Casey be delusionally happy, though. She smiled and didn't say a word when he told her about Delilah, and how much he liked her, and the things they did together… and whenever Delilah and Casey would hang out together; she would come up with some excuse why she had to go, and avoid them as a couple.

… Which didn't leave nearly as much time to hang out with Casey as it used to…

Though, as five weeks passed, people began to forget, or not care anymore, and things began to get as close to normal as they could… Casey got beat up again, and of course Sam would hear about it, find him, comfort him, and then kick the living shit out of the offender. She would always be his guardian, no matter what happened with Delilah.

By the sixth week Sam had people fearing again, but that didn't stop them from beating on and verbally harassing Casey, it never would… infact, the whole "geeky alien obsessed" sort of cliché seemed to make the shit heads even more into it.

Sam had thought Delilah would have broken up with Casey as soon as she heard about him getting beat up again, but she didn't… maybe even Delilah had half a brain, and learned after she had got to know him that he really was a spectacular guy… or, maybe, she had some other vein and stereo-typical reason up her sleeve; Sam didn't know. She didn't care, either, as long as Delilah didn't hurt Casey.

But again, he became the class wuss… and again, Sam became his protectorate against the morons.

Sam's soul felt deeper and darker and more full of despair then ever then… but all in a numb sort of way she would have never confided in anyone else… except for one person; except for Casey. But he was not there… and that was really the cause of this emptiness – not the changes in everything else – which she would never even have admitted to herself. She was so lonely…

… But the next important part of our story doesn't begin until seven weeks had passed, a week short of two months, since the horror of Marybeth.