Starseed

by Gruder, Liz

  Lucius transformed to Cher, wearing a skin-tight black leather outfit with stilettos. Lucius and Viktor sang and danced along with Cher, who sang Welcome to Burlesque.

  Toby threw back his bald head, laughing uproariously. He swung Melissa around, who laughed till tears came down.

  “Wonderful!” Echidna cried. She transformed to Madonna, wearing a retro eighties dress.

  Lucius and Viktor danced behind her and trailed their hands all over Echidna’s Madonna body.

  “Feel me, touch me,” Echidna said, looking over her shoulder. “Let’s be sluts!”

  Viktor, as Lady Gaga, kicked Echidna, as Madonna, in her ass. She tumbled to the floor.

  Echidna transformed to her former long lean self in her silver bodysuit, black eyes ominous.

  “Hey,” she called from the floor. She lifted her long fingers, trying to concentrate on a mind-screen. She was so drunk she had to look at her hands, licking her thin lips, giving a few unsuccessful tries. “Why do people drink that poison fire?” she lamented. “We will never do this again. Oh, how it deadens the mind …”

  “That’s how we want humans,” Viktor said. “We need to encourage more distilleries for this world. Keep them stupid. We are as stupid as them now.”

  Kaila felt the alcohol washing through her veins and mind; she made a note not to do this again. She had to stay aware. But now, she barely cared as Jordyn’s arms cradled her body. She adored his strength and solidity, his stubbled cheek nestled against hers.

  Echidna clamped her eyelids shut and concentrated until a silver shining ball appeared in her hands. She flung it hard at Lucius and Viktor, who were knocked off balance and fell to the floor.

  On his back, Lucius transformed to his former self in his silver bodysuit and bushy brown hair, big nose, and sunglasses. He balanced the ball on the soles of his feet and sent it turning and spinning bright as a sparkler.

  The shining silver ball was tossed and kicked around to everyone, the ball hanging mid-air. They bumped the ball with their butts or batted it with their heads like a volleyball.

  “We used to play with this ball when we were kids on the ship,” Jordyn slurred, tossing the glowing ball to Kaila. “It was some of our only play. To teach us coordination and group bonding.”

  She threw it at his forehead, and he bounced it back at her. It hit her in the chest then lifted, suspended in air, spinning and glowing.

  Kaila snatched the ball, threw it at Pia.

  “Ping!” she shouted, laughing as the ball hit Pia in the head then spun in mid-air. Pia laughed and threw it back at her.

  Melissa and Toby had their arms about each other, kissing. Kaila threw the ball at them; it bounced off them in a shower of sparks.

  Things grew dimmer, blurrier. Somewhere, sometime, the hive created hundreds of balls of glowing light and they were laughing and throwing the balls at each other, getting hit, falling down, but it didn’t hurt. It was like a snowball fight but the balls had no weight or gravity. The balls were light, glowing, radiant.

  Everyone laughed and sang and hurled the balls. When they missed their intended target, the balls bounced off the wall emitting sparks, then spun, suspended mid-air.

  Jordyn put his arms around Kaila as the balls floated, illuminating the room with silver light. “I really like being on Earth and being with you.” His golden eyes blazed with drunken courage.

  “I’m glad you came,” Kaila said, kissing his neck. After that she didn’t remember anything.

  “What is this?” Nan shrieked.

  Kaila blearily opened her eyes. She had passed out on the couch, her head on Jordyn’s shoulder, who had his head back in sleep.

  Lucius and Viktor lay on the floor, Viktor’s arm across Lucius’s back. Antonia and Pia nestled together, asleep on the recliner. Toby and Melissa clung to each other in sleep on the floor. Echidna lay on her back on the floor, her thin lips parted, gently snoring.

  Shattered glass on the floor. The pictures fallen to the floor. The kitchen table littered with plates of food and empty liquor bottles. Kaila bolted upright.

  “What is going on?” Nan repeated, her wrinkled face going red in her pink nightgown and green felt hat.

  “Oh, shit!” Kaila blurted.

  What else is there to say when there are six hung over aliens passed out in the house?

  Chapter 8

  What is going on here, young lady?” Nan asked. Her lower lip trembled.

  “Uh,” Kaila couldn’t talk, her mouth was so dry. She had to get a drink of water or die. Plus, her head pounded. But she had to do something and quick. Even the dogs were awake, pushing their heads in her lap.

  “What in hell is this?” Mike came into the kitchen. He strode into the living room, kicked Viktor. “Hey, boy, git up. And you too,” he said, giving Lucius a kick.

  “Get the hell away from me,” Viktor slurred, still half asleep.

  “What’d you say?” Mike was on Viktor in a second, jerking him upright from underneath his shoulders. Viktor’s fiery hair was a mess, sticking out. “Hey, boy, you better sober up.”

  Mike glanced at Kaila. He shook his head.

  Viktor rose to alertness. Whereas his blue eyes had been flat, the pupils became a vertical slit. “Hey, caveman,” he said. “It was your liquor we were drinking.”

  Jordyn was between them in an instant. “Damage control!” he shouted. His hazel eyes transformed to solid black buttons directed at Mike. “Look at me.” Mike took one look at Jordyn, and his face went slack.

  Nan screamed.

  Antonia shot up from the recliner, raced to Nan. “Hey, old lady,” she said with a raspy voice. “Chill out.”

  She stared dark eyes at Nan. Nan’s chin dropped to her chest.

  Paw Paw ambled into the kitchen. Weak, he took one look and sunk into the kitchen chair.

  “Don’t touch him!” Kaila cried. She put her arm about Paw Paw.

  Paw Paw laughed. “Looks like you had one hell of a party here, Goosy.”

  “I’m sorry,” Kaila said.

  “Glad to see you’re finally havin’ some fun.”

  Paw Paw then noticed that Nan and Mike were still as stone. “What?” he asked.

  “I’m sorry, Paw Paw,” Kaila said. She leaned close to her grandfather. Felt her eyelids open wide, her eyes changing.

  “What?” Paw Paw said, leaning back in his chair, seeing her eyes.

  “Don’t worry,” Kaila said softly. “Sleep.”

  Paw Paw’s chin lowered, his eyes went blank. She caressed his cheek. “I’m sorry, Paw Paw, truly I am. But you will remember none of this.”

  Kaila went to Nan and said, “You will remember none of this. We watched the news, had popcorn, went to bed, and that is all.”

  She went to Mike, still inanimate, standing in the middle of the living room. “And you will remember the same.” She stared at Mike, embedding the false screen memory into his mind.

  “What is going on?” Lee shouted in her bathrobe.

  Kaila ran to her mother, grabbed her by her wrists.

  “Where’s your wig?” Lee demanded.

  “Look at me,” Kaila implored, feeling her mind energy pour out of her eyes. Her mother’s expression went blank.

  “Help me,” Kaila called to Jordyn, seeing her zombie-like mother. “How do I turn time back?”

  Jordyn spoke with his mind. I’m downloading now, he said wordlessly.

  Kaila nodded. “Got it.”

  The kitchen clock spun backward from dawn to ten o’clock the evening prior. Mike, Nan, Lee, and Paw Paw stood frozen in the kitchen and living room.

  Melissa snored from the floor, her arms wrapped around Toby.

  Kaila went to Toby, nudged his stocky body with her toe.

  “Hmmm,” he sighed, wrapping his arms more firmly around Melissa.

  Kaila kicked Toby. “Get up!”

  Toby opened his eyes, snorted. He looked around; his little mouth fell open. If he had eyebrows, they wou
ld have shot up.

  “Put Melissa back home, no memory at all,” Kaila commanded, not sure if she were making the right decisions. She felt bad that she wouldn’t be able to share this with Melissa and Pia, but as Jordyn decreed, this was damage control.

  Toby clutched Melissa as they disappeared.

  Antonia put her arms around the sleeping Pia. “Gotcha,” she said, nodding at Kaila. Antonia and Pia vanished.

  Viktor pinched Kaila’s cheek. “Good job, little alien in training.”

  “Shut up. My head hurts. Just get the hell out.”

  Viktor raised his middle finger to Kaila. Looked at Lucius, jerked his head. The two evaporated into thin air.

  “Oh,” Echidna moaned from the floor. “This sucks.”

  “No,” Kaila retorted. “You suck. Get out of my house.”

  Echidna stood, looking down at Kaila with obsidian eyes.

  Power surged up from Kaila’s mind out through her eyes. “You have no power over me,” Kaila said. “Get out.”

  “Oh.” Echidna licked her thin lips. “Power corrupts.” She pressed her tiny lips to Kaila’s. Kaila pushed her away.

  Echidna sneered. “You’ll get over it. You wanted an animal party. You got it.” She waved her hand. “See ya, slut.” Then she vanished.

  “Kaila,” Jordyn said. “I’m sorry.”

  “Look,” Kaila said. “You gotta go.”

  “Can I come visit you tomorrow night?”

  “I don’t know! Please. Go.”

  Jordyn scanned the kitchen and living room. He lowered his head, swallowed. Then, shot glass pieces flew back together to form a whole. The shot glasses flew through the air back to the liquor cabinet. Clean kitchen table. Dishes to the cabinets. Dishwasher door magically opening, followed by floating glasses onto the racks.

  Nan, Mike, Paw Paw, and Lee walked trance-like to their recliners in the living room. Jordyn placed Nan’s crochet in her hands. Nodded at the table. Popcorn filled a glass bowl. Then, he vanished.

  Holy crap, Kaila thought, everything spinning too fast. But before she could ponder too long, she saw that her family was sitting in the living room, watching television.

  “Quiet,” Mike said. “The news is on.”

  “They’re raising the taxes again?” Nan asked.

  “Idiots,” Paw Paw said. “Every one of them government folks should be run out of town.”

  “We gotta pay for their high falutin’ living, the bastards,” Mike drawled. “Work like a dog, they’ll take every dime. Liars and thieves, every last one of ’em.”

  Lucy rolled her eyes, thankful she was being fed popcorn.

  Kaila could barely breathe. Her head felt like it weighed fifty pounds. She was thankful she had the whole night to sleep this off. Plus, she knew that Nan would be up at the crack of dawn, knocking on her door to get to church.

  After a breakfast of grillades and grits and not one word at the table about the evening’s events, Kaila relaxed.

  Whereas Kaila was usually bored in church, she felt soothed sitting in the pew, listening to the monotony of the sermon and the singing of the hymns. The old wooden smell of the church was comforting.

  Paw Paw had been too tired from chemotherapy to come to church. It had to be the chemotherapy, not the mind-screen that had made him fatigued. Kaila fidgeted.

  Nan put her arm across Kaila’s shoulder. Kaila wanted to shrug her off. She always sat next to Paw Paw in church. Now, she was between Nan and her mother.

  Lee had her eyes closed. Kaila knew she went to church only to please Nan, that she found her solace through yoga and meditation.

  Kaila folded her hands, closed her eyes. Help me find my way. I don’t know who I am anymore. Everything has been going too fast. I shouldn’t have let them come and wreck the house. It doesn’t matter that Nan, Mom, Mike, and Paw Paw don’t remember. I really like Jordyn. Is that bad? Am I a bad person for liking him so much?

  She sighed. Deep down, she knew that their mission was not for the benefit of humans. But what could she do about that?

  And, Kaila prayed, I’m really sorry about Melissa and Pia. They should be able to remember. I’m not trying to play God or anything. It’s confusing. Please forgive me. Lastly, please protect us. I don’t know what we’re dealing with. Some of it feels good. And some of it feels bad. Please guide me. Give me answers.

  The organ played the hymn, “Holy, Holy, Holy.” Everyone stood and sang. Kaila looked around the church. There, across the aisle sat Priscilla Snowden. Her long white hair was unbound, hanging to the middle of her back. She wore a white blouse and black skirt and sang:

  Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore Thee. Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea; Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee; Who was, and is, and evermore shall be.

  As she sang, she glanced at Kaila and smiled, her blue eyes angelic. Kaila detected a light radiating from Priscilla. She blinked. The light disappeared. Was she seeing things?

  Kaila nodded to Priscilla. Was this a sign? Or was it coincidence that Priscilla Snowden was in church and she just hadn’t noticed her before? Idiot, ostrich, Kaila thought. Wake up!

  She kept her eyes on Priscilla during the rest of the service. Priscilla took communion, bowing her head. When the service ended, Kaila was determined to talk to her. But she was blocked by Nan.

  “Florence,” Nan was saying, taking the old lady’s hand in the pew in front of her. “So nice to see you. How’d Bob’s prostate surgery go?”

  Kaila was exasperated. Of course, Nan had to talk to everyone in the church.

  “Nan, move. I gotta pee.”

  Her grandmother was a large woman and getting around her was no easy task. Kaila squeezed into the aisle and went to where Priscilla had been seated. But of course, she was gone.

  “Go, go, go! Git him!” Mike sat in his living room recliner, screaming at the New Orleans Saints’ defensive team. For Mike, Saints’ football was Sunday religion.

  “The Falcon’s offense is off,” Paw Paw said, wringing his hands. His dark eyes were bright and he sat erect in his recliner, still in his pajamas.

  The New Orleans Saints’ archrival was the Atlanta Falcons. The two men wanted to see the “dirty birds” get whipped, and get whipped good.

  Nan sat in her armchair, crocheting. Lee practiced in her yoga studio. Kaila fluttered around the house, bored.

  She and Mike had fed and groomed the horses and taken them for a ride. She had helped Nan clean up the dishes after lunch. Had checked Facebook, posted her status as bored. She had a message from that Valdyr Lawless person.

  Glad you’re in our school now, he wrote.

  Who are you? she wrote back. This had to be Jordyn. But why was he playing a game?

  Melissa and Pia texted. They were bored too. Kaila could tell they didn’t remember anything, for the only references they made were to their sleep over, that they were a triad and bound in secrecy.

  They both added they had a headache and were exhausted.

  Kaila’s shoulders slumped in despair and guilt. A heaviness weighed upon her. It felt oppressive and dirty, like she needed a bath to cleanse it away.

  “Miss it, drop it!” Mike screamed, jumping up and down as the Falcon’s quarterback threw a long pass.

  The ball sailed through the air and a New Orleans defensive lineman jumped up and caught the ball.

  “Intercepted!” Paw Paw shouted. He shot up, jumping up and down.

  “Go, go, go!” Mike shouted jumping, his hands on his head. The defensive lineman ran down the field with the ball. “He’s gonna git it … the field’s wide open!”

  Mike hopped closer to the television but didn’t see Lucy on the floor.

  “Touchdown!” Mike screamed as he tripped over Lucy and tumbled to the floor. Lucy yelped and scrambled out of the way.

  Mike cried out in pain.

  “Touchdown!” Paw Paw yelled, putting his hand out to Mike. “Take that, you bastards!” He lo
oked at Mike. “You okay?”

  “Ugh. No.” Mike winced. “I think I broke something.”

  “Well, try and stand,” Paw Paw said.

  Mike tried to get to his knees. “Ugh. This hurts like hell.”

  So, with the whole family in the emergency room, Kaila furiously texted Melissa and Pia as they waited for Mike. Then as more time passed, she played Words with Friends with Pia.

  Finally, the doctor emerged and related that Mike had a fractured tibia. That he likely needed surgery and would be on crutches for at least six weeks. He gave them an orthopedist’s card.

  “I’ve heard of fanatic Saints’ fans,” the doctor said. “But this takes the cake.”

  Mike hobbled in the waiting room on crutches. “This pisses me off,” he said. “I gotta be able to work. And take care of the horses. Can’t do nothing no more.”

  Nan set down her crocheting. “I’ll get my church prayer group to pray for you.”

  Prayer. God. Aliens.

  Kaila didn’t know what to believe anymore. She typed in “BELIEVE” in her Words with Friends game with Pia on her iPhone. Seven-letter word. Ha. She won.

  She paused, biting her lip as she noted the word “LIE” that lay in the middle of the word “BELIEVE.”

  In advanced physics, Mrs. Bourg waited for Kaila. “Kaila,” she said, taking her by her arm. “I need a word with you privately.”

  Kaila freaked, thinking Mrs. Bourg knew about the hive getting drunk. She bet she’d be pissed.

  Mrs. Bourg’s nails dug into her forearm as she led her outside the modular unit to the rear of the unit, where the air conditioner expelled its exhaust.

  Mrs. Bourg wore a sky blue blouse and tight black skirt. Her nose was red, like she’d consumed too many cocktails the night prior.

  “I am very proud of you Kaila,” she whispered.

  “You are?” Kaila stepped back.

  Mrs. Bourg’s cologne was pungent. Kaila stuck her hand in the back pocket of her black jeans. She wore a black t-shirt, black jeans, and a black leather wrist band today with heavy black eyeliner. The blonde wig was pulled back in a long ponytail. A new look.

  “Yes, dear. I was informed that you did your first mind-screen.”