I.S.E.A.

Part 1

Sweat has completely soaked my tank top, broiled and leaking out of my skin from hard work and the hot sun. I'm panting hard and my lungs are heaving and rattling under my ribs. By the time I've stopped running I'm at the edge of the property line, that encases our small piece of heaven with the most gorgeous view, the front of my shirt is completely soaked with sweat. In early fall when the first frost has covered the wheat in the rolling fields just as the sun crests the hill it bathes the crops in golden light making it look like mounds of the precious metal. A familiar putter spat pattern of an overworked motor wheezes on the distance. I put my hands on top of my head and suck air quickly soothing my overworked lungs. I fold myself in half and touch my toes before walking my hands forward into a "downward dog" pose to hopefully easy my throbbing side stitch.

I glance down at the watch strapped to my tiny wrist that reads twelve thirty. Only twelve thirty. I turn on my heal and jog back up towards the old, decaying barn that sits st the back of the farm. A large 'junk pile', as my dad calls it, sits rippling from the heat at the back of the structure. As I pickup my pace, I catch a glimpse of a slender rope of green scales slither back into the safety between two old, overturned telephone poles. I shiver out of disgust, damn creatures aren't good for anything. 

Once I'm finally back closer to the house I hear a farmiliar "wirh" of a new side-by-side motor. As the blue mashine appears in the drive way I become quite self conscious about the sweat that has stained my shirt. In fact, I become self conscious about my shirt. It's one of my twin brothers old basketball state champs shirts from grade school that I cut the sides off of. My shorts weren't exactly the best either. There just black under armor athletic shorts, but they could be a size bigger. 

The youngest child of our only neighbors within a two mile radius is perched in the drivers seat blasting "Rain is a Good Thing" through the finicky radio. 

I approach the figure with flaming hair, long limbs, and eyes that are bluer than the sky on a clear day, sadly guarded by reflective silver aviator sunglasses. He's got his usual jeans and t-shirt that compliments his built upper body. Deep breath Emily, do NOT say or do anything stupid, I think. 

"What's up, Em?" The sound of his deep, rich voice made my breath catch in my throat.

"Nothing much, Jay," I managed to choke out without stuttering.

"It's a nice day, wanna go for a ride?" he asked gesturing to the Ranger still running. I kinda forgot about it because I can't hear the motor over the beating of my own heart.

"Umm... yea sure. Just let me grab my sunglasses." I duck Intro he garage and grab my round polarized  sunglasses that are camouflage on the top of the frames and gold on the bottoms of the lenses, legs, nose piece. The lenses fade from black at the top to grey at the bottom. (A courteous gift from my twin brother for my fifteenth birthday.) I also kick off my tennis shoes and trade them for my flip flops. (Don't want a sock line.)

I climbed into the ranger next to Jacob and grab his phone from the cup coaster. I log into his Spotify and change the song to Pompeii. 

"Really, this song?" he asks. 

"Yes," I reply. I sing along to the song, closing my eyes and getting lost in the music. 

"God you can sing," he says looking at me sideways. 

"Why don't you keep your eyes on the path in front of us," I say, but I could feel the heat creeping up the back of my neck. We drive around the farm for the next hour and a half. I jump when my phone rings and the picture of my brother doing cross-eyed crosses the screen. 

"Yea?" I bark into the phone. 

"Me and Dad are about to leave. He says to get home soon," Logan all but slurs into his end of the phone.

"K. I'm headed up to the house now." 

"K. Don't blow anything up or burn anything down while we're gone." 

"Don't worry I'm not like you." 

"Whatever I'll see you later," Logan snaps. 

"Yep," I say.

Jacob pulls back into my driveway to drop me off. I wave bye as I wander to the open garage door. I hear the ranger drive off across the road. Luna, our old bird dog, is waiting for me on the step. She's sweetest mountain cur around and I love her to the end of her days. 

I pull the screen door open then the actual door open. Luna trots to her bed in the living room and I start to sift through the mail on the table until my hand finds a thick letter and a thinner letter both sent from the International Space Explanation Academy. My heart starts to beat faster while fear and excitement fill my veins.