Once An Alien Page 9

  ‘Is there something wrong?’

  Rion must have picked up my vibe. We were so close he could almost read my thoughts. And in the beginning when we first met, he could, much to my annoyance. But that seemed so long ago. I wanted to tell him about Mum, but I couldn’t talk about it on the phone. It was too important.

  ‘I’m fine, especially now that things are okay between us again.’

  ‘And are they? Okay, I mean?’ His voice sounded anxious, as if he couldn’t quite believe it.

  ‘Yes, and they will be even better than okay when I see you again.’

  ‘I could come over now.’

  ‘No, it’s too late. I’ll see you in the morning.’ I didn’t want him waking up Mum.

  ‘I’ll come over early tomorrow, so we can walk to school.’

  I said goodbye and hung up, putting the phone on my bedside table. Closing my eyes, I tried to quiet the thoughts that were playing tag in my mind. Shut up, I told my brain, but it didn’t listen, and I spent the next few hours wrestling with my pillow and tangling my sheets. Finally, I must have fallen asleep, because when I heard the alarm the next morning, I had forgotten why I couldn’t sleep. All I thought about was why weren’t mornings banned and why couldn’t this be a Saturday when I could sleep in. Then, as I reluctantly tossed the sheet aside and swung my feet to the floor, I remembered about Mum, and my world became an uncertain place again.

  Chapter Eleven

  Any doubts I’d had about my decision to remain human had fled last night as soon as I’d heard Zoe’s voice. The distance that had opened between us had closed. She’d forgiven me for lying to her, and that was all that mattered to me now.

  But when I saw her in the morning, there were dark shadows under her eyes and I knew there was something wrong, something that had nothing to do with us. Mr Brennan came out the door just behind her, and he had the same look, but he smiled when he saw me.

  ‘Hi, Rion, you’re early this morning.’

  ‘Hi, Mr Brennan. Yes, Zoe and I are walking to school.’

  ‘Nice morning for it,’ he said and then bent down to give Zoe a kiss on her cheek. ‘See you tonight, sweetheart. And don’t forget, it’s my turn to cook.’

  I waited for her to make some light remark, as she usually did, about her father’s zero cooking skills, but she just nodded. Something was definitely up.

  As he got in the car and reversed down the driveway, I turned back to her. ‘Okay, I know something isn’t right. Tell me.’

  ‘Hug first.’ She put her arms around me. Feeling her need for comfort, I held her tightly. Her heartbeat kept time with mine, and I realised again how precious she was to me. What had happened to make her so unhappy? Whatever it was, I was determined to make it right for her.

  After a few moments, she pulled away. ‘Let’s walk,’ she said. ‘I’ll tell you on the way.’

  The morning was bright with just a few clouds in the sky, and there was a tinge of coolness to the early autumn air. I matched my stride to hers as we headed down the street. I waited for when she was ready to talk, not wanting to rush her. Her dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail, showing her pale face.

  We’d reached nearly the halfway point to school when she finally said, ‘It’s Mum.’

  ‘Your mum? What’s wrong?’ Mrs Brennan was one of my favourite humans. I would never forget how kind she’d been to me when I first materialised. She had accepted my flimsy story of why I had turned up on her doorstep with no belongings, no clothes, and no family, and she had treated me like one of her own. I couldn’t bear the thought that anything bad could happen to her, any more than I could bear it happening to Zoe.

  ‘The doctor wants her to have a procedure. It could be…’ Zoe’s eyes filled with tears. I stopped and put a hand on her arm, turning her to face me.

  ‘What is it? You know you can tell me.’

  She bit her lip and then said in a shaky voice, ‘ She might have breast cancer. She’s having an open biopsy to find out.’

  I took one look into her worried eyes and then pulled her into my arms again. I’d never known disease or even, up to this point, ageing, and still found it hard to comprehend an existence where such things happened. Of course, the many hosts I’d had over the millennia had suffered illnesses, injuries, and all the calamities of an organic existence. But though I had been saddened, it had never affected me. Not until now. I felt the cold, clammy hand of mortality, not on me but on someone I cared about. And, worse still, I had no idea how to stop it.

  I kissed the top of Zoe’s head and said, ‘But they still don’t know for sure. Perhaps she will be all right.’

  Zoe moved away from me, wiping her eyes and shifting the school bag on her back. She shook her head. ‘My grandmother and my great aunt had it. It’s in the family. And besides, she and Dad wouldn’t have told me anything unless they thought it might be a possibility.’

  ‘But they don’t know for sure. She might be fine. And even if she does have it, they have excellent treatments for cancer now. There is so much they can do. And your grandmother is better, isn’t she?’

  ‘Yes, but my Aunt Hilda died of breast cancer when I was a little girl.’

  I tried to reassure her. ‘Your mum is still young, and she looks after herself. She has a really good chance of beating this.’ I corrected myself. ‘She will beat this.’

  ‘Yes, she will. I know it. But it sucks that she might have to try.’

  ‘You’re right, it does suck. But let’s wait and see first. They don’t know for sure yet.’ I took her hand. ‘I’m here for you, Zoe. You know that, no matter what happens.’ I bent down and kissed her softly. She kissed me back, and for just a moment, it seemed like we could conquer anything as long as we were together.

  Then she moved away and gave me a sad smile. ‘I know. That’s why I couldn’t stay mad at you anymore. You matter too much to me to argue over something that isn’t really important.’

  ‘You’re right. Pandora means nothing to me. I was only worried about the trouble she might cause. But I don’t care about that anymore. She can look after herself from now on. I only care about you.’

  ‘I don’t want to talk about her. It’s in the past. Come on. We should get going, otherwise we might be late for school.’

  We swung into step again, both quiet, both thoughtful. I knew it was possible Mrs Brennan might have cancer, but I also knew that I would do anything I could to help Zoe or her mother. Anything in my power.

  ‘Seriously, Zoe, you’re too good for him,’ Pandora said, flicking her hair over her shoulder in a familiar gesture that was starting to annoy me. ‘It’s not that I care zip about him, and there’s zero between us, but he should have told you where he was going.’

  We were in history class, one of the classes Rion and I didn’t share. Pandora had come over to me all friendly like and sat down in front of me, twisting around in her chair to talk. If we’d been anywhere else, I would have walked away. But I didn’t want to get a detention for skipping class, as much as I wanted to leave.

  ‘It’s really none of your business, Pandora,’ I said, trying to inject as much ice into my voice as possible.

  She looked at me. ‘I get it. You’re annoyed with me. But you shouldn’t be. Rion’s the one who lied to you. I’m on your side. I’m all for girl power. Guys on this planet have it way too easy.’

  I looked at her through narrowed eyes. She’d said, ‘on this planet.’ Did she realise I knew she was an alien or was it just a slip of the tongue? Hard to say, but I wasn’t going to admit to knowing anything about her.

  Jas came into the classroom looking like a thundercloud. Uh-oh, someone was in for it. She headed straight for Pandora and stopped in front of her, putting her hand on her hip. ‘I thought we were friends, Pandora. You sure had me fooled.’

  Pandora looked surprised. ‘Of course we’re friends.’

  ‘Is that so? Well, friends don’t try to make out with each other’s boyfriends. Or don’t they te
ach you that in France?’

  By now everyone’s attention was riveted to the scene playing out between them, especially the guys, and they looked like they were enjoying it.

  Pandora still looked like she wasn’t getting it. ‘We were just having fun, no harm intended. Jeez, chill out, Jas. I don’t want Chad. He could have been A, B, or C as far as I was concerned. He was just a guy, and I was just having fun.’

  ‘Fun, eh? Is that what you call it? Or maybe it was mouth-to-mouth resuscitation? Were you trying to save his life or something?’

  Pandora gave a light laugh and said, ‘Good one, Jas. Yes, let’s call it that. Anyway, it’s not me you should be angry with, it’s Chad. He was more than willing.’

  Crack. Jas’s hand slapped Pandora’s cheek. I think there was a collective intake of breath in the class. Pandora’s face reddened, and I was guessing it was more than because of the slap. She stood up next to Jas. Jas was tall, but Pandora was taller—and scarier. Her eyes were fiery, and she took a step closer to Jas. ‘Try that again and it’s you who’ll need life support.’ Somehow, I got the feeling she wasn’t joking. ‘Let’s make this perfectly clear. There is nothing you have, no friend, no boy, no success—nothing—that I couldn’t have if I wanted to with as much ease as snapping my fingers.’ She put her fingers in front of Jas’s face and clicked them together loudly. ‘Push me again, Jas, and you’ll find just how true that it.’

  They stood for what seemed an eternity, breathing hard and glaring at each other. Jas, for once, had nothing to say.

  Then Mr Parsons came into the class. ‘Sit down, girls, and get your books out. You can gossip on your time, not mine.’ He seemed oblivious to the drama that was going on, which just showed how clueless some teachers were.

  ‘So much for girl power,’ I said softly, and Pandora shot me a look that was far from friendly.

  After class, she was first out the door, and I noticed everyone gave her plenty of space.

  At break time, Rion and I went outside together. ‘How are you holding up?’ He grabbed my hand and gazed at me, concern in his eyes.

  ‘I’m okay. It’s hard not to worry, but you’re right about one thing. We don’t know anything for sure yet.’

  He nodded and gave my hand a squeeze. Then we walked over to join our friends. Lou took one glance at us and gave a relieved smile. Kerri looked up and nodded as we sat down. I didn’t think she had any idea that Rion and I had even fallen out yesterday. But that was Kerri. It was comforting in a way to know she was the same. Harry also smiled. I knew he cared about me as a friend, and he wanted to see me happy. I was lucky to have such good friends.

  ‘Did you hear about the drama between Jas and Pandora?’ Lou asked. She hadn’t been in my history class, but it didn’t surprise me that she knew about it. The news was spreading like wildfire.

  I shrugged. I couldn’t care less about those two girls and their fight over boys. Now that it was over, it seemed so trivial.

  Rion and Harry started talking about their homework in physics class, clearly not caring either.

  But, to my surprise, Kerri said, ‘I heard about it, and I think Jas was clearly in the wrong. People, boys included, find it easy to like Pandora because she is nice to everyone. The same can’t be said about Jas.’

  ‘I’m no fan of Jas, but to be fair, it does seem like Pandora was flirting with Chad,’ Lou said. ‘And she knew he was Jas’s boyfriend.’

  ‘If that’s true, then he isn’t much of a boyfriend,’ Kerri said, with irrefutable logic.

  ‘Let’s change the subject,’ I said. ‘How’re your driving lessons going, Lou?’

  She lifted her eyes and said, ‘Terrible. I do everything wrong when Mum is with me. Dad is much more patient.’

  I laughed and said, ‘It’s the opposite for me. Dad is the worst. I only went out for a lesson with him once, and that was enough for both of us. But Mum’s good, and she took me out a lot over Easter. I’m nearly there with my hours.’ I stopped as I realised Mum would probably not be taking me out on any more lessons soon. A lump formed in my throat.

  ‘You okay, Zoe?’ Lou asked.

  I nodded. ‘Of course.’ But I put down the sandwich I was about to eat. I wasn’t hungry anymore.

  Kerri had retreated to her chemistry book, clearly uninterested in our conversation.

  ‘Hey,’ Harry said, ‘you won’t believe it, but I actually managed to get tickets to that concert you and Rion are going to.’

  ‘Wow, really? I’m impressed. How did you do that?’ I wondered if he’d asked Pandora to help him out. It wouldn’t surprise me. Chad Everett wasn’t the only one who seemed to have a crush on her.

  But to my relief, he said, ‘No, it was Uncle Adrian. He was going to go with his girlfriend, but her sister’s engagement party is on the same night, and now they can’t go. So, he gave me two tickets. Lou, Kerri, do either of you want the other ticket?’ It was generous of him to offer and especially to ask Kerri as well, though no one seriously expected she would want to go. She confirmed that by saying, ‘A loud, noisy concert with overpriced tickets and too many people who are far too close to you? No thanks.’

  ‘Lou?’ He was looking at her as if he wanted her to say yes.

  She hesitated and said, ‘That’s a couple of months away. I’m not sure what’s happening then. Can I let you know?’

  Harry looked disappointed. ‘Sure, but if you definitely don’t want it, let me know soon so I can offer it to someone else.’

  Lou looked uncomfortable, but she just nodded and said, ‘Yeah, I will.’

  I looked at her wondering. Even a week or so ago, she would have jumped at the chance to go to a concert with Harry. I hadn’t really believed her when she said she was getting over him, despite the fact that she was going on a date with Mike. But I guess she’d meant what she said.

  Rion stood up and brushed the crumbs off his trousers. ‘See you guys later.’

  ‘I’m going too,’ I said, getting up.

  As we walked past the old fig tree where Jas’s group usually sat, I noticed something different. All the usual people were there, except for one—Jas. But even more unusual was the person who was there—Pandora, and sitting next to her was Chad Everett. I had no idea what she did or how she did it, but jeez, she was a fast mover. This day was beyond weird.

  Chapter Twelve

  Mum’s procedure was scheduled for next week. We were all trying to act totally normally, but it was like everything was put on hold, until we found out. In the meantime, Mum still went to her teaching job, Dad still went to work, and I still went to school. Nothing changed, yet the days seemed to drag.

  Rion and I had never been closer and yet… we loved each other but couldn’t say the words. It was like there was this invisible barrier, and I wasn’t sure why. For me, well, maybe I just needed for him to say it first. And as for Rion, he showed he cared in so many little ways, but he never said it. Maybe it was because he was an alien and aliens didn’t do that. But I had to correct myself there, once he was an alien, and now he was… human. Anyway, that was another thing I put on hold. But I always wore my necklace.

  School was a distraction, but one I needed. Jas and Pandora seemed to have come to an uneasy truce. I knew Jas could never win against Pandora, and maybe she knew it too. Also, there were just too many kids in her group that didn’t want to choose between them. Pandora had obviously decided that fighting with Jas just wasn’t worth her while. Chad seemed to have pulled his head in and had been forgiven. He was back with Jas. So, everything was back to normal, almost. But she and Pandora were still wary of each other. They were like two prize fighters circling each other in the ring, waiting to see who would make the first move.

  So, when Pandora came up to me while I was getting some books from my locker, I wasn’t totally surprised when she said, ‘Hey, Zoe, I’m having a party at my place on Friday night. You and Rion should come.’ She was leaning against the locker next to mine with her arms folded and looking
mega confident. She had obviously decided to make the first move in this popularity battle.

  ‘So, it’s okay with Maude?’ That was the lady Pandora had persuaded to ‘adopt’ her and give her a home. She was a quiet, ultra conservative woman, and I just couldn’t imagine what she and Pandora had in common. It also seemed hard to believe that she would want a noisy party of teens at her house.

  Pandora shrugged. ‘I haven’t asked her yet, but she’ll be cool with it. I might even persuade her to go out for the night ‘cause it would be so much more… convenient.’

  Pandora must have greater powers of persuasion than I gave her credit for. I didn’t doubt for a moment that she was using some of her alien ‘powers.’ But it wasn’t of great interest to me, and going to a party with some of the people who would be there, wasn’t my scene. Luckily, I had a good excuse.

  ‘Sorry, I can’t. I’m babysitting that night.’

  ‘So? Blow them off. My party will be so much more fun than looking after someone’s little kid.’

  I shook my head. ‘No, they’re counting on me. Besides, I need the money. It’s my only source of income.’

  Pandora looked at me as if she couldn’t quite believe my words. ‘But your parents give you money, don’t they? I mean, they’re supposed to look after you?’

  ‘Yeah, they look after me, but I need my own money for doing things. A lot of kids have jobs, but Mum and Dad won’t let me because I’m still at school. So, babysitting gives me pocket money.’

  Pandora still looked confused. Obviously, the thought that people actually had to work for money never even occurred to her. Maude must be more generous than I realised, or else Pandora had another source of income. I didn’t want to think about it. No wonder Rion was worried about her.

  She shook her head. ‘Whatever. But you know something, Zoe? You’re sixteen, right? And you’re only going to be sixteen once. You should make the most of it and have some fun. Sometimes, I wonder if you’re quite normal.’