The Alien Agenda (#Wattys2018)

[Chapter 4: A New Friend...?]

I quickened my pace as Uncle Elias' research building came into view. I did not know why, but I was extremely agitated to ask Uncle Elias about these symbols. I had the strangest feeling that the peculiar set of symbols had a deeper meaning to them, a meaning I so desperately needed to know. My instincts were telling me that I did not imagine them. Whatever the scenario that happened yesterday, felt too real to have been a dream. Therefore, it would not do any harm to believe in my instincts.

I reached the door and quickly keyed in the password. Upon entering the office, I immediately called out for Uncle Elias. However, I did not get a response. I wondered on where the old researcher might have gone off to.
He was not in the lobby, so I checked his study. He was not there either.
Finally, I checked the library and to my guess he was there, standing by his antique desk. The guy standing in front of him, chatting casually, caught my eye.

"Um... Uncle Elias? " I gave him a questioning look. Uncle Elias looked surprised at my arrival.

"Ah, Laila! I didn't expect you to drop by today," he said turning towards me. The guy with him turned towards me as well. I found myself unexpectedly staring at him.

He had this beautiful fair skin and even more captivating and striking green eyes. He had messy, dark hair that contrasted with his fair skin. To top it off, he was wonderfully tall, and well-built. You could not blame me for staring.

Uncle Elias cleared his throat and gave me an amused look. I guess he caught me staring too. I looked away, heat seeping into my cheeks.

"Uh... Uncle Elias, who is this?" I asked trying to avoid myself from stuttering.
He chuckled and replied, "Laila this is my nephew Axel. Axel this is Mr. Siddarth's daughter, Laila," he introduced.

"Mr. Siddarth's daughter...I remember you telling me about her a few times before," he said with a nod. His voice was deep, I could not help but blush even more.

I walked towards them, when I realized that I was standing in front of the elevator all this while.

"I see... Uh....Hi," I said feeling a little embarrassed. He just responded with a tiny smile and a nod.

Before I continued to gawk at the beautiful boy, I brought myself to my senses and remembered my true purpose of visiting Uncle Elias on a Sunday.

"Uncle Elias, I have something to ask you actually," I said as I pulled my notebook from my pocket. I flipped to the page where I drew the symbols.

"Have you ever seen these symbols before?" I asked, showing him the page. Uncle Elias pulled his glasses from his breast pocket and put them on before taking a closer look.

"Hmm... I don't really think I've seen them before," he said his expression portraying his unfamiliarity.

My heart dropped at his words. And to think I was not really dreaming.I knew the symbols made no sense. I let out a disappointed sigh.

"Where did you find these symbols?" He asked.

I hesitated at first. It would be ridiculous to tell him that the symbols simply appeared on a page after I woke up from a nap. It sounded like I was dreaming about them, which is definitely what I believed to have happened.

"I-I don't know...I guess I was just looking through a book the other day...and came across these symbols. You know what, nevermind! It's not that important anyway," I said quickly, brushing off the topic. It would make no sense to drag it on even further I would just get him and myself even more confused.

Uncle Elias shrugged,"Well, okay then."

He told Axel and I, that he had some work to do, so we could sit here and entertain each other. I glared at Uncle Elias, as he gave me an amused smile. Axel literally just had to stand there to entertain me. I mentally slapped myself. Get a hold of yourself, Laila! A little voice exclaimed in my head.

Axel went over to the bookshelves. I did the same,wanting to pick something out to read, since I had no idea what to actually say to him, thanks to my terrible social skills. As I was scanning the books on the shelves I felt a tap on my shoulder. I jerked in shock. I turned to see Axel standing behind me.

"Can I see those symbols you wrote on your book again?" He said flatly.

I shrugged and handed the book to him. He flipped to the page where the symbols were and walked over to one of the shelves at the other end of the room.

Although I tried to ignore it, I was curious on what he was doing. The symbols were still gnawing at the.back of my mind. Thus, I walked over to him.

"What are you up to?" I asked.

He responded by pointing at a book that was a good three feet above my head. I looked at the book but did not find anything out of place.

"What is it? Its just an ordinary book," I said.

He shook his head and picked the book from the shelf, then brought it over to the desk. He switched on the desk light and placed the side of the book directly underneath it.

He pointed at the three inch band that was just below the the brim of the book. "Look," he said.

I stared at it closely, then finally realized something. There was an engraving on the leather, as if it was scratched, but very precisely. And the shape that it resembled was very much like... The First Symbol!

I gasped, "T-that looks like-"

He nodded and placed my notebook next to the book. Without a doubt the symbols matched. It was a triangle with three diagonal lines within it. How on earth did Axel notice that?

I was about to ask him, when Axel removed the book from the light and turned it over revealing the front cover. The book had no title, so he flipped inside. I peered at the book and realized I knew what book it was.

"Oh, I know this book! It was Uncle Elias' father's journal," I told Axel.

He simply nodded and said, "Of course it is, I'd recognize that handwriting anywhere," he mumbled quietly but I heard it.

Realisation dawned upon me. If Axel was Uncle Elias's nephew, this book belonged to his grandfather!

"Were you and your grandfather very close?" I asked suddenly.

He was silent at first, but then a small smile appeared on his face, "Yeah. People even say I resemble him a lot. Especially my sense of curiosity," he said, a nostalgic expression playing on his face.

I smiled,"I see. Well why don't we sit and read this journal then. It can't possibly be a coincidence, that the journal has the first symbol etched onto its leather," I suggested. I was eager to know why the journal had a connection to the symbols.

He nodded. We both sat on the floor next to my beanbag and placed the book on the ground in front of us. The first page was a note to Uncle Elias.

Dear Elias,

I have decided that I will entrust all my knowledge regarding my research to you. Please continue this study and prepare for the things to come. My son things are going to get much complicated from here on and I apologise for not being by your side when the time comes.

I know you are a very logical man and do not believe in the countless of bizzare things I research on.

However now, I need you to believe me when I say, it is true. The ancient astronaut theory is no longer a theory. It is a fact.

Although mankind does not believe in it, I know a handful do. Humanity is about to face its biggest obstacle yet.Everything you need to know is in this journal. I know you will not fail me son. Goodbye.

Sincerely,
Your sci-fi loving dad