Secrets Beyond the Moon: Strangers from the sky

by NB Blackbell

  Jake reached over and rubbed Jasper's shoulder. "Feel better?" She nodded, "Yeah, I actually do. I just had a lot of emotions trapped inside, and so much has happened. I couldn't hold it in any longer, seeing that man earlier really bothered me. He had to be so scared. Has anyone filled John in on what we saw today?" Jake sat up. "No, I don't think so. We should go see him now and fill him in." The two jumped up and headed down to John's room. When he opened the door, out popped the puppy. "Buddy, what are you doing here?" Jasper could hear Faith in the background. "He was visiting me. Come in, you two."

  They headed over and sat down with Faith. John came out of the bathroom, "Oh, hi. Have you two come to brief me on today?" John sat down on the bed. "So, what happened today?" Jake leaned back in his chair. He shook his head, then looked at John. "It's not good, those creatures are out there, and there are a lot of them. They're mostly outside the city limit, but the hovercrafts scan the city, looking for humans. The green fog is actually a gas released to help them see better. It's toxic to humans, causing them to hallucinate. I thought at first that the aliens were committing the murders, but it's panic killing them. Whatever they see is how they die. Today a man died after believing he was being chased by a killer clown with a chainsaw, and a woman was running with spiderwebs on her, believing she was being chased by giant spiders. We couldn't see anything, but the people who were yelling about it sure did. In our part of the city, it isn't too hard to hide, but the closer you get to the outskirts of the city, it gets quite difficult. We have an advantage by being here; those hovercrafts are really loud so we can hear them coming. When you're closer to all the action, you can't tell where they are cause that's all you can hear." John let out a sigh of relief. "Well, at least we have that going for us. So, are you telling me the guy Faith saw in the green fog or gas, whatever you want to call it, could have actually killed her?" Jake nodded. "Yes, he very well could have." John looked over at his wife. "Thank God, you're all right. Good thing, Jasper, you were with her and got her back in here safely. I don't know what I would've done if I'd lost her." Jake nodded as he looked over at the two girls chatting. "I know what you mean. Have you seen Billy today?" John nodded. "He's with Loretta at the moment. She's changing the dressing for his wounds. He's healing really well and should be up on his feet within the next day or two." Jake sat up quickly."Great, that's such good news. Did you hear that, Jasper?"

  Jasper looked over at Jake. "No, what?" Jake smiled at her, "Billy's healing great." Jasper's eyes widened, "That's great news." Faith stretched. "Yeah, he and Loretta have been hanging out together a lot." She smiled. "She may be his doctor, but I think there's more to it." Jasper grinned. "That's good, he's not so lonely up there in his room." Jasper turned to Jake. "I've had this feeling that someone has been watching me today. I just got that feeling again, and I don't know why." Getting up, she headed to the window. "I think there's someone out there, or am I now being affected by the gas?" Faith jumped up and looked out the window and exclaimed, "There's someone out there! As a matter of fact, there are two people out there." All four of them ran down the hall, then down the stairs towards the door. Jasper pressed her face against the glass. I can barely see them. She opened the door, and looking back at them, took a deep breath. "I'll be right back. There's only one way to find out who it is." She walked out into the green fog. "Who's there?" The two figures stepped forward towards her and out of the mist. It was Isabel, and with her stood a child. Jasper's mouth fell open as she ran towards her friend. "Oh my God, girl, where have you been?" Isabel looked tired and hungry. "I've been here, Jasper. The problem is you guys were not here. You were all gone."

  Jasper grabbed Isabel's arm. "Come, you need to get inside." When Jasper entered the door, everyone's eyes widened when they saw Isabel with her. Jake nearly fell over himself. "Isabel, you're okay?" His eyes filled with tears as he reached over and wrapped his arms around her. "I was so worried about you." He took a deep breath and whispered in her ear, "I love you, and I thought I lost you." Her body felt a little limp like she was weakened from the struggle. "We need to get you upstairs to lie down." it was apparent she was exhausted from being out there and that she was in rough shape. He turned to Faith. "Can you get Isabel and her young friend something to eat? I'm going to take them upstairs and put them to bed. They're exhausted and require some serious sleep. Come on, Girls. You can fill us in tomorrow about what happened." Wrapping his arm around Isabel, he picked up the young girl and helped them to their room.

  Chapter Ten

  The hotel was in a buzz when morning came. Everyone was thrilled that Isabel was back. Jasper sat up in bed and leaned against the back wall, with Buddy on her lap, getting his morning rub. She couldn't help but stare at her best friend, sleeping. After all this time, Isabel was back. Who was this little girl she had lying next to her? Whoever she was, she was a cute little girl.

  Glancing up, she watched the green fog roll across the window. It was a quick reminder that none of this was a dream. The events of the previous days replayed in her mind. The picture of the man lying on the ground after being murdered was stuck in her thoughts. Shaking her head, she envisioned Nick. He was much more pleasant for the mind. Who are you, Nick? She thought as she turned quickly to look at Isabel, after hearing a light moan. "Morning, Jasper," She tilted forward to take a better look at Isabel, but she wasn't awake. Then she heard it again, this time with a slight giggle behind it. "What? No good morning?" She sat up, and inside her mind, she whispered, "Who is this?" She filled with curiosity; up to now, it had only been Jake and Billy in her head. Seconds later, she heard the voice once more. "It's Nick. I felt you thinking about me, so I thought I would say hi." Jasper leaned back. "Could you hear my thoughts?" She said with a curious look. "No," said Nick. "Just felt you thinking about me." Jasper felt relieved. It could be awkward if anyone could listen to her thoughts. "Morning," she said. "I forgot you can speak this way." She could hear him as if she was sitting right next to him. "Thanks for trusting me enough to bring me back here with you. I had a great sleep, and I feel so much better." Jasper smiled to herself. "Good, I'm glad you feel better. I'll come visit you later. I'm just waiting for Isabel to wake up. I'll fill you in then." Nick whispered, "Okay. I'll be here."

  Jasper got out of bed and walked over to the window. She missed the days when she could look out the window and see the water in the distance and have the sun beaming down on her face. She let out a loud sigh as she turned and went to find an elastic for her hair. Isabel opened her eyes, "Morning, Jasper." Jasper whipped around. "You're awake." She ran over and sat on the edge of the bed. "I've sat here all morning, making sure this is real, and that you don't just disappear again." Isabel sat up. "I won't, I promise. I'm so glad to be back. You have no idea what I've been through." Jasper looked at Isabel. "What have you been through? Where did you disappear to?" Isabel looked over at the little girl then back at Jasper. "It was all very confusing. One minute I was down at the police station waiting to have them look at the car. The next minute Officer Johnson grabbed me by my shoulders, blew something into my face, and then I landed on the ground. I looked around, but the police were gone, and so was the station. I got up and looked for my car; it was nowhere to be found. It was very confusing. My cell phone quit working, and the sun was withdrawn. I had no idea what to do. I attempted to get back to the hotel, but nothing was the same. Do you know how far that hotel is without a car? When I finally made it to the hotel, there was no one there. It was as if none of you were ever there. So, I wandered through the city, alone and clueless about what was happening." Jasper's eyes teared up. "You must've been so frightened out there all by yourself. I was so worried about you, and poor Jake blamed himself for what happened. If it weren't for the dreams we've been having, he would've driven himself nuts." Isabel looked at her. "What do you mean, dreams?" Jasper continued, "Dreams telling us to be careful and warning us of danger." Isabel's forehead wrinkled up. "Those were real? I thought I was daydreaming when I saw you g
uys. I would warn you in my dreams, about the danger you were in. That's crazy that you were really in the dreams" Letting out a deep sigh, "I found it hard to get sleep since that day. There was nowhere really safe enough to close my eyes. I found a few places, I could get a nap. If I lay back against the buildings, I could close my eyes and meditate just a little. You and Jake were always there with me. It made me feel safe." Isabel got up and sat next to Jasper. She leaned over and laid her head on her shoulders. "I'm so glad to be back. I was really frightened out there." A few seconds later, there was a knock at the door. Both girls turned towards the door. So as not to wake the little girl, Jasper whispered, "Come in."

  Jake and John both glared into the room. "Shh," said Isabel. "Don't wake Christie." Both guys peered over at the little girl and continued towards the girls quietly. Jake grabbed Isabel and hugged her. He didn't say anything, but she could sense that he felt guilty about her disappearance by the way he held her. "I'm all right," she whispered to him. "I'm really here, and I'm okay." Jake loosened up and looked at her. "I should've never let you go that day, I have been crazy since that day." Isabel laid her hand on his cheek. "Stop it. I'm fine. I'm here with you guys now, unharmed. You need to stop blaming yourself. By the way, what was that you said to me downstairs? She looked at him with a tiny grin upon her face." Jake smiles and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. "He bit his lip and whispered in her ear. "I said, I love you. I have since the first time I laid eyes on you, I need you to know in case anything happens. You make my heartbeat over time, Isabel." John stood there with a perplexed look on his face. "Who's the little girl?" Isabel got up and stood next to him. She glanced over at the sleeping child. "It's a long story, but that's my daughter, Christie." Isabel smiled. "She's the only good thing that came out of this entire experience." The three stood there, puzzled. Jasper gazed over at the little girl. "So, you had a child during the time you were missing? I bet it hurt giving birth to her. All fifty pounds!" Isabel started to laugh. "Smart ass. No, I told you it's a long story and a weird one at that.

  I was out there, not sure what I was dealing with. Christie sensed me, and without letting the aliens know, she found me. We found an excellent place to hide, and we talked. Somehow, she showed me the missing memories from nine years ago. They took me and placed me in the breeding camp, and after I gave birth, they wiped my mind clean and sent me back here. This is not our home; we're in theirs." Jasper sat down on the bed. "Wow!" she said. "This is so unexpected and good at the same time. She looks like you; that's for sure. So, she knows you're her mom?" Isabel nodded. "Yes, she helped me remember. I remember everything now. This is something that has been going on for a very long time. They have both a breeding camp and a slave camp for people who survive the gas. There are half aliens everywhere, and they probably don't even know that they are. Christie has been with them for eight years. She knows everything we need to know, including their history. When she's up to it, I'll have her fill you in on it. I don't want everyone looking at her like she's different, though, so please don't tell anyone about her being half-alien." John stood there, peering at the little girl. "She looks so sweet. We won't tell anyone that doesn't need to know. I promise." Jake sat down next to Isabel and wrapped his arm around her. "She'll be fine, half-alien or not. If she's a part of you, then she's a VIP to me." Isabel looked up at him and smiled. "Thanks, Jake. Finding her explained a lot. All those nightmares I had and that symbol I kept seeing." Jasper reached up and put her hand on the back of her neck, then looked over at Jake. Inside her head, she heard, "This is not the time." Both Jake and John headed towards the door. "We have some stuff to do." Jake smiled at Isabel, "I'll be back later."

  As the door shut, Christie's eyes opened. She looked around. "Is everything okay, Mommy?" Isabel reached over and moved her daughter's hair out of her face. "We're fine. I'm just talking to Aunt Jasper." Christie sat up and looked at Jasper. She leaned her head a little to the right. "Mommy, you didn't tell me that Aunt Jasper was like me." Isabel looked confused. "What do you mean like you?" The little girl looked up at her mom and smiled as she continued, "You know half-human and half-alien." Isabel looked at Jasper. "How is that even possible?" Jasper took a deep breath and sat down on her bed. "I don't know if what she said is true or not, but since you disappeared, a lot of eerie things have happened to me." She turned to show Isabel her tattoo. "This showed up first." Isabel moved over to where Jasper sat. Running her fingers over the symbol, she looked over at Christie. "Do you have one of these?" Christie nodded.

  "Yes, mine is on my neck too." She lifted her hair to show her mother, "See? All half-aliens have it. It's so they can recognize each other. Not everyone can recognize others as I do. It's a gift I have." Isabel bit her lips and took a deep breath. "What else has been happening?" Jasper thought for a second. "Well, I'm not affected by the green fog, and I can speak to others inside my head. Well, just some people, like Jake, Billy and Nick." Isabel stood up and looked at Jasper, surprisingly. "Jake? He has this too?" Jasper stood up and waved her hand in the air. "I don't know what this is or what's going on. This is new to me, but yes, he also has the same symptoms, but only John knows, and now you. Well, John doesn't know about us talking in our heads. We wanted to figure out what was going on first." Jasper turned and looked at Christie. "Are you sure I'm the same?" Christie nodded her head. "Yes, it's not a bad thing, though, so you don't need to be concerned. We're just different. Mommy says we need to keep it to ourselves, though, because it may alarm other people, and she doesn't want me to get hurt." Charlie smiled. "Your mommy is very wise." She gazed over at Isabel. "I would love it if you would help me figure all this out." Isabel's eyes teared up. "I'm not going anywhere. This half-alien thing is now part of my life." She stopped and paused for a moment. "Everyone in my life is half-alien." Her eyes widened as she gave a sarcastic giggle. She reached over and hugged Jasper. "Who's Nick?" Jasper smiled and slightly blushed. "It's the new guy we found yesterday. He's a really nice guy, and he's also going through what I am. Are you going to talk to Jake about all of this?" Isabel nodded her head. "Yeah, as soon as I feed this little one. He needs to know I'm okay with this, especially since we're dating. He told me he loved me, my heart skipped a beat." Jasper smiled, "You guys were meant to be. I'm so sorry I haven't been here for you both." Charlie hugged her. "I'm heading over to Nick's room. I need to talk to him. Will you tell me more about what you saw later?" Isabel nodded as she prepared her daughter for her day "Let's go get some breakfast."

  Jasper headed towards Nick's room. She knocked on the door before opening it. "Hey! Are you up? It's Jasper." Nick stood by the window pulling his shirt over his head. Raising a brow, she noticed as the shirt slid down over his muscular back, that he had the exact same symbol. Turning his head towards her, he answered, "Hey! I was just about to go find you." Jasper wandered over to his table and sat down. "I was just talking to Isabel. Up until now, did you know anything about the stuff happening to you?" Nick sat next to her.,"Not really. I wasn't affected by the gas, and now I know that I can speak to both you and Jake." Jasper reached down and lifted the back of his shirt. "What about the tattoo on your back?" Nick attempted to look at his back to see what she was doing. "What tattoo? I don't have one." Jasper pulled him over to the mirror and lifted the back end of his shirt. "Look in the mirror." Nick's jaw fell. "What the hell! Where did that come from?" Jasper ran her fingers over it. His skin was warm, and it sent butterflies to her stomach. "I saw it when I walked in." She said, taking a deep breath as she reached up and lifted her hair to show him hers. "Mine showed up not too long ago. I found out this morning why we're different from the rest. If I tell you, it has to stay between you and me. I'll fill in Billy and Jake later, but for now, just us."

  Nick took Jasper's hand and pulled her over to the edge of the bed, where they both sat down. "Tell me, I want to understand what's happening." Jasper hoped it wouldn't freak him out. "We're part alien." He started laughing. Jasper just stared at him unt
il he asked, "Oh, you're serious? How is that even possible?" Jasper took a deep breath and threw her hands in the air. "I have no clue how it's possible, but it is. I would've never thought it was conceivable before, but then who would've ever thought the world would be obtained by aliens." Nick took a second and thought about it. "You're right. It's still a lot to swallow, though." He reached over and wrapped his arms around her. "At least I'm not alone anymore."

  Jaspers's eyes widened as she felt his arms around her. Not only did it feel right, but he smelt really good. Pulling away, she gazed at Nick and stated, "I have a few tasks I need to do." She smiled at him as she got up, noticing how tight his shirt was against his chest muscles. "There's coffee and food in the kitchen if you want." Nick smiled back. "Thanks." She grinned as she headed out the door. While walking down the hall, she mused to herself, Remember, everyone is dealing with a crisis, Jasper. You don't want to get distracted by the new guy.

  Jake stood, knocking at Billy's door. "Come in," yelled Billy. Jake opened the door and wandered in. Billy laid down his magazine as he asked, "If you see Larzo today, can you get him to drop off more candles? This one is starting to get low." Jake sat down next to him. "Will do, how are you feeling?" Billy pulled himself up and leaned against the wall. "Much better. Loretta says tomorrow I can get out of bed. She's a great girl. Didn't you two used to date?" Jake smiled, "Yeah, for almost five years. We both just wanted different things out of life, so we went our separate ways. She's a very nice girl, though, and a great person." Billy grinned. "So, what's been going on out there? Have I missed anything? She won't tell me anything. She says I need to have stress free rest."