Strangers

1. A day in the life of Noah Harstrum

"Noah, would you please shut your computer down. I'm going over very important information about our new students that will be arriving tomorrow," my teacher says. I nod and power down my computer even though my father is the one that wrote out this information. I've heard it word for word at least twenty times, as he was afraid it wouldn't be interesting enough for high school students. Which he was right, no one is truly paying attention even after his multiple edits. "Now students, tomorrow is a day for the history book. You are expected to be on your best behavior as there will be many important people coming to the school and there will be more security as well. One slip up and you could very well end up dead." My dad isn't nearly as funny as he thinks he is. The bell rings signalling us it's time to go home, or at the very least leave school grounds. Excited to not be in this public hell hole, I try to not notice any one who might distract me from my mission to reach the front doors without having to stop. Upon exiting the school, I pull my cycle keys out of my backpack. Cycles are basically motorcycles except they don't run on gasoline. They redirect air current kind of like indoor skydiving tanks. Basically they are hover bikes that are too expensive for normal people to own.

My dad works for the government, so we are well off. We live in a big house that over looks the lake on one side and the rest of the town on the other. Part of town but not really. It's the kind of house that people throw parties in, in the movies except I'm an outcast. No one would come to a party if I was hosting it. I get off the forest road and start up the hill/ dune road my house is on. I don't usually brag too much about how we actually have money at me house. It's easier to pretend to be homeless and poor like everyone else. People tend to go easier on you. Dad had offered me a private education, but I turned him down. Public school at the time was smarter socially. That was before I grew I brain and everyone else didn't.

As far as I understand it, people don't actually believe in equality as much as they say they do. As it turns out, you make one comment about Alasworvian being just like everyone else only better, and you turn into an outcast. Once I pull into the garage, my dad's housekeeper meets me at the door.

"Good afternoon Noah, would you like a cookie?" She's shorter than me by almost a full foot. Her name is Wanda, and ever since my dad started working for the government she has been working for us. I tell her no thanks, and start heading down to my mom's room. Wanda tries to follow me telling me that I should go up and start on my school work, even though we both know it's already done. At the bottom of the stairs she stops trying. I walk down the hallway to the last door on the left. I leave my backpack in the hallway and quietly open the door.

The lights are barely on. The dimness of the room adds to the stillness of the room though. Where the bed should be a giant canister like thing. When you have money, you can throw it about trying to keep you love ones alive. I run a sleeve over the little window to look inside. It's cold to the touch. Inside my mother is frozen in time, peacefully sleeping the world away. If I was to open the canister, I would be able to see the wires and tubes keeping her alive. I'd be able to see the slow healing scars and bruises all over her body. I can't open it though, which is good. All I can see is the unchanging face of my sleeping mother, still just the same as the day she shipped out to fight the alien invaders. The invaders that turned out to be harmless. Everyday I do this. I come home and sit staring at my sleeping mother in a wanna be tanning bed that had been keeping her alive for the last fourteen year.

"They are finally letting the Alasworvians into our world mom. It's kind of crazy to think space aliens will be going to my school tomorrow." I say playing with the edge of my shirt. "Dad is so excited. Everything he's been working for since you ended up here is so close within reach." She hasn't moved an inch in fourteen years. My mom is the best listener I've ever known. I tell her everything. My watch beeps to tell me it's five o'clock and will be home in a half hour. I say my goodbyes to mom, and run upstairs to my room.

Dad is never late. At five thirty sharp I hear him open the backdoor. Wanda, I'm sure, has dinner on the dining room table ready to be dished onto plates and taken where ever it is we will be eating tonight. My phone buzzes and as every other night it's a text from my dad.

Dinner is on. Eating in study. Hope you had a great day.

I'll see him in two hours. He will get too tired to work and come find me. I walk down stairs and find Wanda siting the dining room table. I ask her if I can join her. Eyes full of joy she agrees to let me sit.

"Of course I love your company Noah." Wanda is the closest thing to a mother that I've had. People know that she isn't my mom, though. In all honest, she's the closest thing to a parent in general to me. Tonight she's made chicken and rice. I can hear dad talking on his phone. Tomorrow is going to be huge for his department. It wouldn't surprise me if he is on the phone all night. Wanda must see something in my face. "How do you feel about tomorrow?" She asks getting up to grab a carton of ice cream out of the freezer.

"I think it's going to work better on paper. It's a necessary move, but it's not going to good," I say shoving the last of my rice in my mouth. She nods. She knows that I like the Alasworvians, and if I had been given the choice, I would have interacted with them much earlier in life. Laws prevent that however. "They are basically humans with superpowers from what dad tells me. I don't see why it's such a big deal. If we just treated them like humans, then life would just go on." Wanda squinches her face.

"I don't think that would help anything. It comes down to they aren't human, no matter how alike we are, Noah. They have different customs and rules and we have to respect their rules like they already do us. I'm surprised that they don't try to blow us up yet. Humans have treated Alasworvians awful, and it's just going to continue and get worse." I understand where she's coming from. History just speaks for itself.

Dad walks into my room, flipping on all the lights, waking me up from sleeping. I'm momentarily blinded, but dad doesn't notice. He's wound up on energy drinks. I moan to get his attention.

"Sorry bud, I just wanted to tell you good night and you know talk to you before tomorrow," dad says pacing. I yawn and feel around for a pants on my floor. Dad isn't paying attention, which I'm glad about because he hates it when I don't wear pajamas. He claims that if there was any sort of emergency that I would die because I would have to put on pants.

"What about tomorrow?" He stops pacing. He's forgotten why he's come up here.

"Are you excited?" Dad is practically glowing. This day has been his baby project. I nod. "I saw you weren't on the list of welcoming students. I thought for sure you would sign up." I chuckle a little.

"Dad, I don't do school activities," I smile, "I'm excited about the Alasworvians joining the school too, but I'm not about to compromise my fragile front." It's like I'm speaking chinese. Dad can't see why anyone wouldn't want to be a part of this welcoming team. I know a hundred reasons a person like me wouldn't want join a committee like that. "Can I go back to sleep now? It's going to be a long day tomorrow." He nods and start to leave. I'm almost back asleep when he pokes his head in again.

"I hope your fragile front isn't too fragile because I put your name on the list. It makes me look better," dad spits out before slamming my door shut. I flop back down on my bed. It truly is going to be a long day tomorrow.