"It's not that I don't believe you," Blair said slowly. "It's just, I don't want to believe…" She looked at my aghast face in apology as we drove home.

"I can't believe you're like this too," I said darkly, glowering out the window. The one person in my life who I thought would understand turned out to be just as blind as everyone else. "I thought you trusted me."

Blair looked hurt at this, and I immediately regretted adding that. "I do trust you, Grey," she said softly, almost pleadingly. "But it's a hard idea to wrap my head around, you know? It's not like I want the world to end tomorrow." By now we had arrived at the apartment, so I suspended the conversation in case one or both of my parents were home.

To my surprise, they actually were. "Didn't you guys have work today?" I asked warily, eyeing the couple seated at our kitchen table. Usually my parents weren't home for a good hour or so.

"We thought we would take off early today," my mom said, embracing me in an unexpected hug. My eyes were wide as saucers from surprise as she released me. "With Blair visiting I thought we could have dinner as a family!"

"Aw, Aunt Marie, you shouldn't have," said Blair with a smile. I was still standing, dumbfounded, with my backpack in my hands. Since when did we operate as a normal family?

"I'm gonna go drop my backpack in my room," I mumbled, shuffling towards the hallway. Getting into my room I shut the door and took a deep breath. My brain was so overloaded by thoughts of the approaching events that I could hardly process anything else.

Throwing my backpack to the side I opened the closet door; but I had hardly touched my survival bag before my mom knocked on the door. "Grey," she said, "if you're done putting away your backpack I would appreciate you spending time with the family."

"Okay, I'll be out in a sec," I replied, but inwardly I was cursing my luck. I had so much preparation to do, I didn't have time for dumb family stuff! But I paused as a thought struck me, my hand frozen over the door handle. After tomorrow, my life with my family as I knew it would be a thing of the past. I should probably enjoy the normalcy while it lasted.

Family time and dinner lasted forever, but I ended up enjoying it regardless of my stress. For one night, we were truly a happy family. Blair felt more like my sister than my cousin, to the loneliness I was used to feeling seemed to slip away. As far as "last meals" go, it was definitely the best. It was as if we all knew that something life-changing was going to happen tomorrow, so we had better make the night count.

After we had cleared the dishes, however, the adults fell to talking and I excused myself to my room. Throwing open the closet door I grabbed the correct survival bag and began double-checking it. I also grabbed my wallet and phone, sealing them in a waterproof bag before throwing it in with the rest. For a second I glanced over at the other three bags, wondering if anything in them would be useful. Eventually I decided that, given the Martian advance, the other scenarios were highly unlikely. Better to focus on the supplies at hand.

"Grey?" a voice asked from the hallway. The door proceeded to open, meaning the question didn't come from one of my parents. Sure enough, it was Blair who made her way past the caution tape and into my room. I stood up to talk to her. "I'm going back to my hotel," she said softly, her eyes showing that she still felt bad about our argument earlier. "I just wanted to say good night."

"Here," I said, shoving a bundle into her arms. She looked surprised and confused, so I explained. "I made a survival bag for you. It has all the essentials." I had taken one of the other duffel bags and removed my clothing and the special equipment, leaving only the basics. My parents wouldn't take one, but Blair might.

"Grey… I don't know what to say…" Blair replied, her expression unfathomable.

I smiled at her, repairing the bond between us with one easy motion. "Say you'll pack your stuff in it and meet me at Starbucks tomorrow morning. The one on the corner, 9 o'clock." I had no intention of going to school tomorrow, and it wouldn't help us to be scattered.

Blair looked at me warily. "Don't you have class?" she asked.

"I have a free period," I quickly lied. Whatever got her to agree.

She gave me a calculating look, but in the end said, "All right, I'll be there."

"Great!" I exclaimed, practically pushing her out the door. "Now do get some sleep. And don't forget to pack!"

"Okay, okay!" Blair said, laughing her way out the door. "Good night, Grey."

"Night!" I replied with a grin, waving to her as she walked down the hall. I said good night to my parents as well and closed my bedroom door.

With a sigh I leaned against the wall and slid down to the floor. I wasn't completely worried about tomorrow; after all, I was more prepared than anybody. Regardless, the difficulties of balancing two lives at once were quickly becoming apparent. A part of me hoped that I was wrong, that no cylinders would crash to the Earth tomorrow.

But as I fell asleep that night, I knew what the coming day would bring. And as the sun set, I pondered the setting sun of mankind.

I woke up to my alarm like usual the next morning, and for a good minute was confused as to why I felt a sense of urgency. My eyes soon landed on my packed duffel bag, however, and it all came back with a rush. Today was the day. The Martians were coming.

Feeling infinitely more awake, I slipped out of bed and into the shower. After getting ready for the day, I packed up my toiletries into my already full duffel bag. I took one last look at myself in the mirror, remembering how I looked with straightened hair; there was no reason to waste space with my straightener, and I doubted I would have the time or the electrical access to do it anyways. And frankly, my hair would probably be the least of my worries.

Slinging my school backpack over my shoulders I strode out into the kitchen to grab breakfast. It was imperative that I pretend to go to school and wait for my parents to leave before grabbing my real supplies. Otherwise, nothing I had planned would work. "Morning," I said to my parents as I entered the kitchen. I went to go make some toast.

"Morning!" my mother replied in surprise, unused to me making my own food (or waking up on my own, for that matter). She herself was standing in the kitchen, seasoning a plate of scrambled eggs.

I sat down at the table with a thud, the freshly toasted bread sliding on my plate. With a yawn I twisted open the jar of strawberry jam, spreading a liberal amount atop my breakfast. "Exciting day of school ahead of you?" my father asked, eyes still glued to the morning paper.

"Should be," I muttered, thinking about the approaching aliens. After a few moments I had cleared my plate, and got up to go to the door.

"Well, have a nice day sweetheart," my mom said from the table while my father stayed reading his news. I turned to go and an unfamiliar thought came to me, one that started my heart thumping.

"Mom," I said quickly, pausing to turn back.

Naturally she looked mildly puzzled as she replied, "Hm?"

"I just… you know I love you guys, right?" I said curtly, flushing but not looking away. No room for unsaid words at the end of the world.

Mom smiled at me, unusually affectionate, and not in the nagging sort of way either. "We love you too," she said softly. And with that I closed the door.

I walked down the hall and down the stairs as usual, just like any other day. Once I reached the lobby of our apartment building I slipped into a conveniently hidden corner; from here I could see my parents leave for work without being noticed myself, and consequently know I was free to grab my bug-out bag from the room. Feeling secure in my plan I settled in. I hadn't long to wait: within a quarter hour they passed, my dad looking formal as usual with his tie and briefcase and my mother not much different. She was a secretary at the office building in which he worked; an office romance, they always told me. Not that I ever cared before, it was always awkward to think of your parents being passionately in love.

Once I was certain they had left and had not forgotten anything to come back for, I dashed back up the stairs. Quickly unlocking the recently locked door to the apartment I ran inside. I dropped my backpack on the floor without a thought; I wouldn't be needing it anytime remotely soon. Without pause I ran into my bedroom, slinging the duffel bag over my back and strapping it on tight. A flash of light caught the corner of my eye, drawing me to the window.

Streaking across the open blue sky was a trail of green, a strangely colored comet tearing the atmosphere as it descended. "So it begins," I whispered.

I bolted out the door without a backwards glance.