Jack took us to a roadhouse. We sat down at one of the tables. "I hope you do not plan to abandon us here against Rebecca's will, Jack Bruno. To leave and never look back" Sara pleaded.
"Over my dead body!" I hissed. Jack stared at her in shock.
"Sara can read the thoughts of those around her" Seth explained.
I tucked a hair behind my ear. Why did Seth and Sara come to us, of all the people in the world? Jack's a former convict and I'm a girl with alien-human blood. I thought as I tapped my fingers – a habit I have when nervous.
"Don't do that. You guys need NASA or the Air Force, not me and Becky" Jack said.
"That's pointless, Jack. They wouldn't know any more than we do" I warned.
"How could it be that a human so large in form can feel so small inside? And why does Rebecca doubt her potential, even if she won't abandon us out of empathy?" Sara asked.
Seth caught my hand in his which caused me to look up at him, our eyes locked together. "Maybe you two also need us" he concluded, his eyes softening to a gentle sky blue.
I blinked. He's completely different with me than with Jack. I guess it's because we're both teenagers and I'm the closest there is to an alien here. I'm the only one on Earth who understands him and Sara in a personal way.
"A wise human once said 'You are what you think you are'" Sara said kindly.
"Well, why don't you go and ask HIM to help you?" Jack asked.
"It was the Buddha. He's unavailable!" Seth almost snapped, his eyes turning a dark, royally pissed off thundercloud blue.
He had no right to snap at Jack. I'm the only one who gets to yell at Jack. "Seth, stop it before you attract any bad attention!" I hissed.
I began to withdraw my hand from underneath his but his hand suddenly tightened on mine. His eyes were gentle and apologetic again. "Forgive me, Becky. I didn't mean to snap" he stated.
A waitress, Tina offered to help us wash up. "Sorry for the trouble" I apologised.
"It's alright. You lot are from out of town, aren't you?" Tina asked in her western accent.
"I'm from L.A and they're from Europe, we ran into a little trouble on our trip" I lied.
Tina handed us flannels to clean our faces."What are your names?" she asked us.
"I'm Becky, this is Seth and Sara" I told her.
"You have such lovely names" Tina complimented.
"They do, I don't" I replied.
Sara giggled. "I've told you, Rebecca. You have a lovely name, be proud of it" she told me. She turned to Tina. "Thank you" she said.
"No problem" She replied then turned to Seth. "You're lucky to have a girlfriend like that" she whispered loudly.
I blushed. I'm not his girlfriend! He's way out of my league! Guys like him never date girls like me.
When we came back, Jack was taking a call. From the muffled voice, I had a feeling it was whoever was after my friends. Then he went to talk to the sheriff, the small band of police and The sheriff's wife; they created a diversion and we sneaked out so we were under the building, with Tina's help. Jack tried to push the hatch open. "It's no use. It's locked on the outside. We'll have to find another way out" he complained, climbing down.
Seth then climbed up. "Seth, what are you doing?" I asked when his hand went through. He unlocked the hatch and pushed it open, climbing out. I was halfway up when he pulled me out, his arms tight around my waist. He didn't let go of me until he was sure my feet were steady. "Thanks. Again" I said. He smiled, his eyes changed from silver to blue.
"Or we could do that" Jack gasped as this happened.
"My brother can control his molecular density. So he can phase through solid objects or be almost indestructible. That's how he saved Rebecca's life. She is partly the same as us" Sara explained as they climbed out. We got down from the roof, I slipped on a tile and fell but Seth caught me. Just as he put me down, a bull terrier saw us then ran to us. Sara petted him. "We appreciate your understanding, Junkyard" she said. He licked her, sniffing her hair.
"I'm in for a long night" Jack sighed. We managed to get to the cab in the garage. We clambered in and Jack drove. Sara made the Jeeps' engines explode using her powers, I secretly helped her by using mine. "Whatever you're doing, keep doing it" Jack told her. I noticed that the dog, Junkyard came. Jack saw him. "Absolutely, no" he grumbled. Sara petted him. The cab swerved dangerously out of Sonny Creek. Seth and I petted Junkyard, his fingers brushed over mine on purpose. "That's it. I'm dropping everyone back, except Becky. That means the dog" Jack grunted.
Junkyard whimpered. "I knew it! We can't trust humans! Especially this one!" Seth snapped.
"Hey! Some of my best friends are humans!" Jack snapped back, offended.
I flinched. Does he really not trust me? "Stop the cab" I choked out, finding it hard to control my feelings which I'm usually really good at. I'm just a human to him.
Jack hit the brakes and looked at me. "Something's wrong, isn't it kiddo?" he asked.
I got out and ran into the woods. Away from Seth. "Rebecca!" Sara cried.
"Becky, get back here!" Jack shouted. Junkyard barked a warning.
As soon as I was alone, I started crying. I never cared about what others thought before and I was ok with it because that's how they are. Then I met Seth. Why do I care what he, an extraterrestrial, thinks? Damn, I love him! No one sees behind my 'I don't care' masquerade. No one does that. But Seth did. I leaned against the tree, crying heavily.
The last time I cried was when mom died at the doctor's during her check-up, thanks to a tumour, that day I got a dragon tattoo on my back. People, even a tattoo artist, know better than to mess with a crying 9 year old who lost her mother the way I did. Now I'm 16. My mask was finally down after 7 years of being as strong as I could. Because of a boy I fell in love with.
Seth's POV:
"Shit! Shit! Shit!" Jack Bruno uttered over and over again, hitting his head on the wheel repetitively.
"You owe Rebecca an apology, Seth. She assumes you don't trust her because of her human DNA" Sara hissed at me.
"That's ridiculous! Of course I trust her!" I protested.
"Then go find her and make amends with her before something happens! You promised Elder Ray you would help his granddaughter accept her alien heritage!" Sara ordered.
I got out of the cab, running in the direction Becky had gone. I heard sobbing and followed it. If she's hurt, I will rip the bastard's head off! Wait, I'm in love with Becky. That's why I want to protect her! I found her. Good, she's safe. Fresh tears glistened in her red-rimmed eyes. I felt guilty.
"What do you want? You don't realise how much it hurts when someone you want to help doesn't even..." she ranted, the tears fell down her face and trickled off her chin.
She stopped when I placed a hand on the side of her face. Did she really think I didn't trust her? How can I not? She's one of us. I do trust her. "What made you think that? You're the only human I trust. Becky, I'm sorry" I told her.
"It's okay, I took it the wrong way" she admitted as I caught the lingering tears with my fingers. I couldn't stand seeing her cry. I noticed her eyes were actually a soft warm hazel that burn brighter than the stars that illuminated her face. "You're the first to see my natural eye colour. I've worn grey contacts for a long time" she confessed when she caught me staring.
They're her natural eye colour? That's even better. Why should she hide this from me? Her eyes are so beautiful, she's amazing the way she is. "Keep them this colour. You're much more beautiful the way you are" I told her honestly, taking her hand.
She blushed. "N-no one's ever said that before. To everyone else, I'm a freak" she stammered.
"That's because they don't see you the way I do" I replied. Her porcelain skin was smooth and soft. Our hands moulded into each other. Like we're soul-mates. I don't really believe in that kind of thing but I feel like I should be with Becky. Now that I think about it, I always feel electricity between us.
We walked back to the cab and got in. "Who is Dr Alex Friedman?" Sara asked Jack Bruno.
"A scientist. She'll be able to help you. And by the way, she's human" he replied, driving. Becky fell asleep on my shoulder. I decided not to move her. To be honest, I liked this position. Junkyard rested his head on her lap. I patted him, smiling. I slipped my arm around her shoulders, her head lying on my chest. It seemed like she belonged there. "Seth, thanks for finding Becky" Jack Bruno said to me.
"I didn't do it for you, I did it for her" I told him truthfully. Sara fell asleep against a window. The scent of lavender and fruits, Becky's scent lingered as I fell asleep. We woke up around dawn. Junkyard was in the front, staring at Jack Bruno. He glared at Junkyard. Becky noticed this and let out a small laugh. I smiled. She's adorable when she laughs.
"He wants you to pull over so he can relieve himself" Sara translated.
"He should have gone before we left" he grumbled. We gave him odd looks. "I'm not having this conversation with a dog. So my answer is still no!" he groaned. He had to pull over eventually.
Becky leaned against the cab, shaking her head in amusement. "No point fighting a losing battle, Jack" she chuckled. I smiled at her, agreeing with her.
Junkyard leapt back into the cab when he was finished, barking. "Junkyard says 'thank you'" Sara told him briskly.
"Great. Anything else?" he asked in a sarcastic tone.
Sara leaned inside to ask Junkyard. "He says he wants a bone or a meaty treat for the trip" She replied. We got in, Sara first, then Becky, finally me.
"It's on my list" Jack Bruno grumbled as he got back into the driver's seat and started driving.