Black-Eyed Kids: The Complete Series

by Miranda Hardy

  I mentally tell her, Wait here. I’ll be back.

  When I leave the bathroom, I decide to push my dresser over the broken window. I’m careful to avoid the glass shards on the floor. The stupid heavy thing screeches across the wood floor. I know Mom is going to wake up now.

  Your mom is in a deep sleep.

  Astid’s words make me jump a little. Okay, so maybe having someone in my head is more creepy than cool.

  I go to Mom’s room to check on her again. Her face looks peaceful, and she’s breathing deeply. Maybe it’s a good thing that she’s able to get some decent sleep.

  I run to the kitchen and gather the supplies I think I’ll need. I take them back to my room and place them on the sink. Astid does an about face, and I notice the dried blood splotches on her back.

  Without thinking, I begin to lift her shirt up, but then drop it back down. “Do you mind?”

  No.

  When I pull her sweatshirt up, a few pieces of glass fall to the floor. Her wounds aren’t nearly as bad as I thought they’d be. I dab some antiseptic ointment and pick out small glass fragments with tweezers. She doesn’t flinch the entire time. I know it’s got to sting.

  It’s painful, but I’m fine.

  I almost speak out loud, but I remember to think my question. They wanted to kill you because of me, didn’t they?

  Astid nods.

  Because you let me go?

  She nods again.

  I almost feel sorry for her, but then I remind myself that it’s because of the black-eyed kids that my best friend is dead. Astid might not have done it, and I’m pretty sure she’s innocent. But she’s one of them…whatever them is.

  Astid turns around and pulls her shirt down. She looks up at me, and her black eyes give her otherwise normal face an otherworldly look. I know you hate me, and yet you still help me. Why?

  I start dabbing the medicine on a cotton ball on her arms and face. It’s hard to avoid staring at her eyes, but I try to concentrate on tending to her wounds instead. I guess I couldn’t let you stay out there. You looked pretty scared.

  A burning question comes to mind, and I decide to go ahead and ask it. If you can control minds, why didn’t you just force me to open the window?

  I couldn’t make you let me in. I had to be allowed into your home. By choosing to open the window for me, you also open your will to me.

  I shrug, as I don’t really understand what she just said. A thousand more questions roam through my mind, and I wonder if she hears all of them.

  What is she? Who were those two other black-eyed guys? Why do they kill us? How many are there? Will they come back?

  She closes her eyes and sighs. Maverick, I’m exhausted. I haven’t slept for three days. I know you have many questions, and some of them I can’t answer.

  I fight the urge to argue with her. After all I’ve been through, I deserve the truth. Can’t or won’t?

  Both.

  “There.” I finish with her face. Without thinking, I ask her, “Do you want to take a shower?”

  Her dirty, battered clothes cling to her body. I just can’t believe I asked this black-eyed girl to hop into my shower. What is wrong with me? I have to keep reminding myself that she’s not normal. Maybe they don’t shower at whatever planet she’s from.

  I would like to, if you’d allow me.

  Astid looks so pitiful right now. She might just pass out at any moment, and she’s all bloody and bruised. Mom always accused me of always wanting to take care of wounded animals. I guess she’s right.

  I go into the room and rummage through my drawers. I hand her a t-shirt and elastic shorts that I think will fit her. She’s so skinny. I turn on the shower, and I make it warm but not too hot.

  Astid manages a weak grin. Thank you.

  I close the bathroom door behind me and I decide to sit on my bed until she finishes. Am I crazy for helping this black-eyed girl like this? I feel like I’m in way over my head, but at the same time, she seems so helpless. It sounds stupid, since I know she can control my mind whenever she wants. For an instant, I panic at the thought that maybe I’m under her influence at this very second. I pinch myself, and sure enough, it hurts. I don’t think I’m being controlled by her.

  Astid emerges. When she walks by me, she throws me a scolding look. I have to remind myself that she can read my mind, and I’m pretty sure she knew what I was thinking while she was in the shower. Out of embarrassment, I hop off and go turn off the running water in my bathroom.

  I point to my bed. It’s okay. You can rest there.

  She climbs into it. Without a word, Astid hides below the covers.

  I watch her sleep from my makeshift beanbag bed across from her. Now what? My mind runs through a million different scenarios, from calling the police to somehow forcing her to answer all my questions. But I’m too tired to come to a decision.

  I MUST HAVE DOZED off sometime in the middle of the night, because I wake at the sound of the front door shutting. Dread grips me, and I run out of the room to look out the front door. My mom pulls out of the driveway, and I realize she’s on her way to work.

  She left a note on the table:

  Maverick, have some breakfast, and try to stay in today. You want to rest up for your first day of school tomorrow. Love you, Mom

  I GO BACK to my room and find that Astid remains asleep in my bed. The closer I get to her pale face, the more she looks dead. Her chest isn’t moving up and down and I start to freak out.

  I may have a dead alien-girl in my bed.

  14

  MAVERICK

  “ASTID? ASTID?” I shake her and put my ear to her chest, listening for her heartbeat. Nothing. I’m about to blow into her mouth when her eyes pop open. “Holy Hell.” I fall on my ass next to the bed.

  Maverick, is something wrong?

  “I thought…you were.” My breathing starts to slow. “Never mind.”

  You thought I was dead. Astid sits up and arches her back. She holds her side as if she’s in pain.

  “I was obviously wrong.” I get back up and head toward the door. “Are you hungry?”

  She nods.

  “Do you…um, eat food like us?” It felt like a stupid question to ask, but I can’t assume anything at this point.

  Astid opens her mouth and says, “Yes.”

  I’m so used to hearing her mental words in my head, that it’s shocking to hear her speak. Her voice has a musical quality to it, like it belongs to a petite choir girl.

  “What do you eat?” I ask her.

  She’s right behind me, and I find myself hurrying down the hall toward the kitchen. It’s stupid, since she slept on my bed all night. If she wanted to suck my blood, I’d be dead by now. I’m still wondering about why she wasn’t breathing and why she lacked a heartbeat. Is she a vampire or something?

  Fruits and vegetables.

  A vegan vampire? “Do you like eggs?” I pull out the carton from the fridge.

  She shakes her head. I don’t eat meat.

  Astid sits at the table, and I pull out the mixed fruit my mom likes to take to work. It’s got melons, grapes, pineapple, and strawberries in it. I place it on the table and turn to get a bowl and fork. When I turn back around, she’s gobbling it all up with her hands.

  “Hungry?”

  Very. I told you that.

  Seeing her eat and hearing her thoughts at the same time sends shivers down my spine. “You haven’t eaten in a while, have you?”

  It has been a few days.

  The phone rings and I jump. The house phone rarely rings here. I grab the cordless receiver. “Hello?”

  “Mav, you’re not picking up your cell phone.”

  It’s Marcus. He never calls my home number. “I guess I forgot it in my room. Sorry.”

  “Man, you have trouble.”

  I’m not used to hearing him sound so serious, so I know this is legit. “What?” The last thing I need is more problems. “What’s wrong?”

  “Man, ther
e’s a black car with tinted windows watching your house. I don’t think it’s the cops.”

  I rush to the living room window and peer out. At first, everything looks normal. I look further down the street and see the dark car he’s talking about. The windows are too dark for me to see who’s inside.

  “How long has it been there?” I ask Marcus.

  “Dude, I don’t know. I think it pulled up this morning when I went out to walk the dog.”

  Marcus isn’t known for his I.Q., but I agree with him that it doesn’t look like a cop car. It could be one of those unmarked ones. What if it’s the CIA or FBI? Or hell, the Men in Black?

  I shut the blinds. “What am I supposed to do about it?”

  “What if it’s the aliens, man? Maybe they came back for you. I saw on TV how aliens can make themselves look human.” Marcus can’t help but let me know exactly what he’s thinking. “They gonna finish the job, man. You’re toast. Want me to take down your last will and toaster-mint? You totally gonna leave me the Xbox, right?”

  “Toaster-mint? Marcus, you’re an idiot.”

  He gives a hearty laugh. “I’ve been called worse.”

  “I’m sure you have.”

  “So, whatcha gonna do?” Marcus asks.

  “What am I supposed to do? If the cops are following me, so be it. I’m not surprised.”

  “I think we should draw him out,” Marcus says.

  “That’s actually a pretty good idea.” If it’s a cop, I want him to know I’m not stupid. “Okay. I’m with you.”

  We’re both silent on the phone until Marcus says, “Ride your bike towards my house and take the path towards town. He can’t follow you in his car there.”

  “That means I’m going to have to go right past the black car,” I say.

  Marcus laughs again. “Make sure you pedal your ass off."

  “Okay. And then what?”

  “When he gets out of his car to follow you, I’ll sneak up behind him and scare the living shiitake out of him. Pig crap. Get it…bacon…oink oink?”

  Incredibly, his plan is way better than anything I had come up with. I seriously doubt it’s a cop, though. It’s probably a reporter or something.

  “Yeah, yeah, I get it. Let’s do this. Give me ten.”

  I hang up the phone and turn to Astid. She stares at me from the kitchen doorway with a quizzical look on her face.

  “Do your people drive cars?” I ask her.

  Some do. But Kren or the others are not nearby. A man is sitting in that black car you and Marcus were looking at. And he’s thinking about how spying on you is such a waste of his time.

  “How do you know?” I ask.

  I’m reaching out and touching his mind right now.

  “Is it a police officer?”

  She shrugs. I don’t know. He’s only thinking about having to watch you.

  “Stay in the house.” I rush back to the hallway. “I’ll be back soon.”

  I rush to my room and grab my baseball bat, but I realize how ridiculous that is. I can’t hide my baseball bat while I’m on my bike. I grab my backpack off the chair and run out of the house.

  What will you do? Astid mentally asks.

  “That’s a dumb question. You can read my mind, right?” I say out loud.

  I’m in my backyard, but I’ve forgotten what I came out here for. Apparently I’m not good at telepathy and looking for stuff at the same time.

  Yes, but if the man in the black car is with law enforcement, you will get in trouble.

  “Will you stay in the house?” I’m scanning the yard and I see the shed. What I need is in there. “Don’t try to stop me, okay?”

  I can’t go out there.

  “Why?”

  Because they would come for me.

  I feel myself freaking out. Is some cop spying on me the least of my worries? “Are the others with black eyes out here now?”

  I can’t feel them, but I know they will be back.

  That doesn’t sound so reassuring, but I know Marcus is waiting for me. I slide the shed door open and grab the crowbar. It fits perfectly into my backpack. I swing it over my shoulder and get on my bike.

  The car still sits there, and I make a point to look away from it as I pedal my bike right past him. I go right by Marcus’ house towards the entrance to the development, and the car turns to follow.

  This guy is pretty stupid. Even cops aren’t this stupid. He’s not even trying to be stealthy. I jump the curb and cruise towards the dirt path. Once the trees conceal me, I throw down my bike and hide behind a tree. I unzip my backpack and pull out my crowbar. I’m starting to believe that this whole scare tactic might be a bad idea.

  I hear a car door shut, followed by the sound of rushed footsteps on the pine needles. He’s running and he’s coming right for me. I step out from behind the tree and raise my crowbar high in the air, and I’m staring into a barrel of a gun pointed straight at me.

  15

  ASTID

  THE FURTHER MAVERICK peddles, the less able I am to hear his thoughts, which worries me. I watch the black car turn in a driveway and follow him. Maverick’s emotions are all over the place, with excitement and anger being the main focus. Once he hits the woods, I lose him entirely.

  I reach out to the man in the car, and I feel his frustration. He’s hostile, and he wants his assignment to be over. My mind reaches deeper. He’s wondering if Maverick really did survive a BEK attack. BEK... Black-Eyed Kid. That’s what he calls us.

  This man knows about me. He knows about us. Maverick?

  Nothing. He cannot hear my thoughts.

  I feel the presence of someone else. It’s Maverick’s friend. Marcus runs out of his house with a black tie wrapped around his head. He thinks all of this is a joke. He carries a wooden bat and he’s excited about putting a fright into the man in the black car.

  Marcus gallops towards the trees, and I can no longer touch the mind of the man following Maverick. Soon, even Marcus is out of range. I’m tempted to leave the house and go after them.

  That’s when I hear Maverick’s voice inside my head, and the terror shoots into me so strongly, I lose my breath.

  He’s got a gun!

  16

  MAVERICK

  I DROP THE crowbar and back away. I’m glad I didn’t have a full bladder, because I’m pretty sure I would have wet myself when I saw the man point his pistol at my face.

  “Jesus, kid!” He lowers his gun and slides it back into a holster. “Don’t you know not to jump out at somebody like that? I could have shot you.”

  With his gun put away, my courage returns. “Who are you and why are you following me?”

  I immediately study his face and examine his eyes. There’s white around his brown eyes, so he’s a human. Gray hair streaks his mostly black hair, and my guess is that he’s maybe a little older than my own father. He looks shaken up, and I notice beads of sweat on his forehead.

  “You should never have mentioned the black-eyed kids to the cops, kid. You made a big mistake and it may cost you your life.”

  I’m thrown off by what he just said. Did I just hear him right? “What are you talking about? How do you know what I told the cops?”

  “I apologize.” His left hand stops clutching his chest. “My name is Ronald.”

  “Are you a government agent or something? And what do you care about the black-eyed kids?”

  I see Marcus attempting to hide behind a tree, and then he jumps to another one. Ronald turns his back to me. “Seriously, kid, give it up.”

  Marcus peeks out and he’s got a stupid tie wrapped around his head.

  I tell him, “Dude, you’re an idiot.”

  “What’s your prob, Mav? I’m trying to help you out.” He holds the bat high in his hand. “So, is he a cop or something?”

  Ronald turns his attention back to me. “Let’s cut the crap, kid. You’re of special interest to us.”

  “Us? Who is us? And why are you following me?”
/>   If he’s some kind of government agent, I know he could shoot me and get away with it, but I don’t care. I don’t like the idea of anybody watching and following me.

  “Maverick Ashe, you’re the one who survived a face to face encounter with a BEK, and I guarantee we are not the only people interested in that fact.”

  Marcus emerges from his hiding place. “Dude, you need to lighten up. So uptight and everything.”

  Ronald swivels around and says, “Can you leave us alone here, Rambo? We’re trying to have a conversation. One that requires a few more brain cells than you currently possess,” he says to Marcus.

  I wave Marcus away. “It’s cool. You can go home.”

  Marcus looks lost. “Who’s Rambo?”

  “Never mind.” Ronald puts his hands on his hips. “Can Maverick and I have just a minute here?”

  “Whatev. Catch ya later, bro.” He waves at me and leaves me and Ronald alone in the woods.

  I forgot about Astid. She’s probably freaking out right now. I try to send her a mental message. If you can hear me, I’m fine. I’ll be back soon…I think.

  Ronald seems to know all about me, and I’m sick and tired of being in the dark. I press him further. “Who are you people? Are you a government lackey?” I look at the black sedan with dark tinted windows. “You look like a government whack-job. If you’re supposed to be following me, you’re doing a horrible job of being secret about it.”

  Ronald wags his head back and forth. “Me? No, not likely. Kid, the government are the bad guys. I’m one of the good guys, and I’m your friend, actually. I’m the only one around here who is willing to listen to you. I’m the only one who believes you.”

  “Whatever.” I start toward my bike. He’s not law enforcement. It’s time to get home.

  Ronald raises his hands, as if his open palms can block me with shear willpower. “Wait.”

  “Just leave me alone,” I say.

  Friends don’t follow you around in dark cars or point guns at you. Ronald is no friend. I just want to get out of here. Away from Ronald, who apparently knows too much.