Terrestrial Alien ✔

Chapter 3: Truth

His expression grows suddenly pained and he allows his sentence to trail off. He can still feel Joshua's eyes on him, and he glances to him before giving a shaky shrug.

"I ran away." He finishes simply, though it doesn't seem like the full answer.

Joshua stays silent for an uncharacteristically long moment. He's connecting the dots in his mind, thinking of every sci-fi comic and movie he'd ever read or seen. When Sundo said he'd fallen from the sky in a rock, did he mean a meteor? That must mean he came from space. And if he came from space...

Sundo is growing concerned at the other's silence, and is about to pipe up when Joshua loudly speaks up again.

"Are you an alien?!?" Joshua exclaims astonishedly.

Sundo's eyes widen at the outburst, and he doesn't know how to reply. This doesn't faze Joshua though, as he starts excitedly hopping around on the bed, jostling Sundo in the process.

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my goooosh, Sundooooo!" He seems about to burst from his excitement, much to Sundo's confusion.

He doesn't really understand what Joshua means by 'alien', but if Joshua is so excited then it must be something good?

"Am I?" Sundo asks befuddledly as he struggles to sit up on the bed next to Joshua.

Joshua beams at him, nodding enthusiastically. "You must be! That'd explain everything! Oh my gosh, Sundo, this is so-"

"Joshua?"

Both boys instantly stiffen at the sound of the woman's voice from downstairs, and they both share a wide eyed look.

"Who are you talking to?" His mother calls up curiously, having heard her son's outburst.

Joshua's expression grows pained, and his gaze frantically darts between a fearful Sundo and the door to his room. "U-uh... No one!" He finally calls back.

"Are you sure?" She sounds suspicious, and they can already hear her coming up the stairs.

Panicking, Sundo scrambles to get off the bed, but Joshua catches him quickly by latching onto his arm. "Wait!" He exclaims. "Please, please, don't leave again! Just stay and meet my mom, she's not scary!"

As Sundo looks back to him, Joshua can see the indecisiveness flashing in his eyes, and he tightens his hold on the alien's arm. "Please." He pleads again quietly.

Slowly Sundo relaxes his tense posture. Joshua can still see the unease in the way he sits, but as the raven haired boy gazes back into the other's imploring chocolate eyes, Joshua can see him finally relax fully.

"Joshua Malone Gonzalo. I can hear that you are speaking to someone, so you either introduce them to me now or you lose your TV privileges until next week. Do you understand, young man?" His mother's stern voice comes from directly behind the door, and Joshua cringes.

"Yes, Momma. You- you can come in and meet him..." Joshua speaks up with a slight tremble in his voice from nervousness. What if she doesn't like Sundo?

He moves his hand down from Sundo's forearm to his hand, intertwining their fingers in a gesture that seems a comfort for Sundo, though it's for Joshua's consolment just as much.

Joshua sits still for a tense long moment as the doorknob turns, holding his breath as the door is swings open. Mrs. Gonzalo is about to step into the room when she does a double take, her eyes finally falling upon Sundo. The small boy is still trembling, now practically plastered to Joshua's side as he clings to him, eyeing the woman like a bristling animal.