Chapter 5 - Tell All

You've got to be kidding me." Cassandra sat back into the computer chair with visible distress. She had been at the library just shy of three hours searching the name of the operative that had harassed her earlier that day. "How is there nothing?" She angrily scrolled down lists of search results to no avail. Sighing, she picked up the card. This plain white card was going to haunt her. What was she supposed to do?

Outside the building she paced back and forth in front of the public phone. Staring down at the quarters that had started to gather sweat she contemplated what she was about to do. She had no other choice; this was the only way she was going to get answers.

The quarters clunked into the metal box as she slid them into the payment slot. Her whole body shook as she dialed the numbers on the card, careful to not punch the wrong number. She didn't have the money to make a mistake.

"Ah Cassandra." She could hear shifting as if he were settling into a chair. "Have you come across some information for me?"

She hesitated "Maybe, but I want you to tell me if what I saw was real."

"I can assure you Miss Higgins that you are not crazy; but I do need whatever information you have to offer." He was calm, cool and collected; he had obviously done this before.

Cassandra sighed, what other option did she have. She summed up the events which led her to the sighting and what she saw. She made it as quick as possible, so others didn't hear.

"I see," a pen scratched as he wrote down her statement. "have you seen it since that day?"

"No."

"If you see it again you know how to reach me. Thank you, Cassandra, you have been very helpful in our investigation."

The phone clicked off in her ear. Relief and regret washed over her; hopefully she had done the right thing.

Cassandra rode her bike to the park to clear her mind. She grabbed her sketchpad from her backpack and perched herself on some of the playground equipment. No one was there to tell her to move so she sat down and started to sketch. Her mind drifted back to the poor robot she reported and what their plans for it were. It didn't seem like it wanted to harm anyone.

Again, she started to sketch what she could remember of the yellow robot. At this point she had an entire book of the main details she could remember. Its hand reaching towards her, its eyes, the expression as it studied her; she had yet to draw it in its full form, until now. She worked for hours scribbling and erasing to try and perfect the image. She blocked out the world around her; it was just her and the paper.

The popping of gravel and the low hum of an engine engrossed on the playground. Cassandra only looked up when the engine turned off. Through the cracks of the equipment she could see a bright yellow Camaro. It was covered in dirt and the paint was chipping in a few spots. The black stripes that hugged the curvature of the frame were faded from the sun; the car needed some love.

Cassandra started to gather her things. The sun was starting to set anyway; she needed to head home. Her bike was on the other side of the park; the driver probably didn't even know she was there. She dropped her pencil in her bag and closed her sketchpad. Gentle whips and whirs floated her direction; they were somewhat familiar. She peered over to the Camaro as its door opened, she'd better get going.

A metal clunk grabbed her attention. The other door had opened and now, lifted? Electrical whizzes filled the air; her hair stood up on end. Another loud clunk fully grabbed her attention as she watched with wide eyes. The car started to transform.

It stood well above her, just glancing around as a few bits and pieces clicked into place. Her heart raced as she sat up to get a better look. As she went to stand her notepad slipped from her lap. Trying to catch it caused her backpack to crash to a deck below her. The robot whipped around and readied a firearm seemingly out of nowhere; Cassandra's heart dropped. This robot was most definitely not as kind as she had thought. A glowing blue weapon and a bright yellow mask showed that it was ready to kill.

After what seemed like an eternity the robot cocked its head. The weapon transformed back into a hand as it dropped to its side. With a still racing heart Cassandra gathered her bag and started to descend. Her feet hesitated to touch the brown mulch. A mound of mulch moved her direction as the robot shifted.

Cassandra kept her head down as she walked into view. She dropped her things to the ground and raised her hands to show she was harmless. Her whole body shook as the robot shifted again and whirred. The whoosh of it descending caused Cassandra to whip her head up; the robot took a cautious step back. It removed its mask revealing the cautious eyes she knew. Slowly, she put her hands down.

"Hello." She greeted it. It whirred in response. She had been waiting for this moment, now what was she going to say? "What are you?" she yelled up to it. It blindly looked around, then pointed up. "Are-are you an alien?" It nodded once. She didn't know what to think at this point.

It kneeled before her and gently pointed a bulky grey finger at her sketchpad. Slowly she reached down and showed it what she had been working on. Its head turned to the side as it studied the page. It pointed at itself; its bulky finger clunked against its chest.

"Yes, it's you." She flipped a page and showed it more. "I didn't want to forget you."

Gently, it took the book from Cassandra and sat not so gently on the ground. She watched as it studied the page and then compared the image to its body. Whistles and beeps came from the robot; it was a very curious creature.

Her watched beeped "Oh no!" she gasped "Mom is going to kill me!" The robot cocked its head as she frantically grabbed her backpack and started towards her bike. The robot stood and followed her as she climbed onto her bike. "You can't follow me; people can't know you're here." The robot lowered its head with a low whir, it was sad. "I'll come back tomorrow; same time okay?" It nodded. "Okay." She consoled her racing heart.

She sped off. Curfew was soon and she was already going to be in trouble. Screeching to a halt she turned to watch the robot turn back into a beat-up Camaro and drive away; she had to draw that.

She was greeted with crossed arms. "Did you forget about curfew young lady?"

"I got distracted, I'm sorry." She parked her bike in the garage.

"I thought we talked about this?"

"I lost track of time. I was at the park drawing an-" She frantically grabbed her bag. "I left my sketchpad!"

"You can get it tomorrow; Lucas has left plenty of things there and he always gets them back."

"But mom! You don't-"

She cut her off "You're already past curfew, don't push your luck." She walked into the house. "Supper is in the fridge.