Date on Earth: Sunday, October 8
A beeping noise woke me up, and I rubbed my eyes tiredly. The day before had been exhausting, and I may or may not have reached my breaking point. I passed out the moment my head had hit the ground, thankfully managing to get some much needed sleep.
It took a moment for my vision to adjust. The rest of the group was already awake, Diana and Asher watching Tesha in apprehensiveness. I sat up and widened my eyes as a small hologram appeared above her sleeve.
Scooting closer, I tried to get a better look at it. Recognition came across me as its face came into view.
It was the Axone that had helped us rescue Diana, Lyzel.
The Axone looked fidgety, constantly looking away from whatever he was using to record.
"Tesha and her friends," Lyzel said. "I do not have a lot of time, but I hope this warning will reach you."
Warning?
"General Inugio has been creating multiple plans from the start," he continued. "His original idea was to lure the Chosen ones in with the captured girl, and trap them there. However, he knew that there was a possibility that the mission w-would f-f-fail s-"
The projection glitched and froze before disappearing.
"What happened?" I said, voice hitching at the end.
"We do not have good connection here on Earth," Tesha responded, popping the lower arm part of her armor off.
Diana groaned loudly. "So bad WiFi is a problem for aliens now too?"
"I do not know what 'WiFi' is," Tesha said, "but thankfully this is an easy fix. If I remember correctly, there is a button somewhere on the communication device that acts as backup, in case the other person is out of range. It uses a different method to send urgent messages."
She flipped over the armor piece and traced her finger along it.
"You know what button it is?" I asked her as she stared at it for a while. There were at least ten buttons situated on the back. Tesha frowned and shook her head.
"Why don't you just press all the buttons?" Asher pitched in. "One is bound to be right."
"That will not work," Tesha said. "If I press the wrong button, I might delete the message. But thank you for the idea."
"No problem," said Asher, but he sighed in frustration and sat down. Useless ideas were not going to solve the problem at hand.
I laid back down on my makeshift bed and closed my eyes, feeling the urge to fall back into the peacefulness of sleep.
While I was asleep, there were no aliens. No creepy ancient artifacts that I was apparently the host for.
There was no fear, something that I had way too much of for the last couple of days. Or weeks. I couldn't keep track anymore.
It was a miracle I hadn't had a panic attack yet, something that always seemed to sneak up on me at the least expected times. I had learned methods and tricks to keep myself calm, and it actually helped prevent them.
But with everything that had been happening recently, I didn't know how much longer my streak would last.
Especially with how close I was to breaking down yesterday. It was strange how running away from the cops had affected me more than running away from aliens, but I had to do breathing exercises the whole time I drove to keep myself from hyperventilating.
In all honesty, I didn't care about breaking rules. I did it all the time, whether it was bad-mouthing a teacher or ditching class entirely.
But breaking rules was different than breaking laws.
You break a rule, then you get thrown in detention and grounded for a week.
But if you break a law, you face real punishment. If it's minor, you still have to pay a fee. And if it's major, you could get thrown in jail for months, years, or even your life.
And I was pretty sure yesterday fell into the major category.
Maybe running from the cops was scarier because it felt more real. I knew deep down that I was still in denial. In just a day, I had been thrust into a world that felt like a sci-fi movie. It was like I was watching it happen to someone else that wasn't me. I was disconnected.
But with the police, that was something you expected to find in the real world. It was comprehensible, while at the same time terrifying. If they had caught us, we would have been in a juvenile prison for who knows how long. Forget the Axones, we'd anyway be losing years of our lives.
And I didn't want family history to repeat itself.
I took a long deep breath. If I wanted to survive, I'd have to put the events of yesterday behind me. Fretting about it would only make everything worse.
"Hey, Tristen," someone said next to me. I opened my eyes and Asher stood next to me.
I sighed. "Yes?"
Asher tilted his head. "Hey, you okay? You took a really deep breath, like you were preparing to blow us away or something." I smiled slightly at that.
"Do we have a plan yet?" I asked Tesha, and Asher gave me a side eye at the way I avoided the question.
Tesha sighed softly. "I'm not sure. We might just have to take a risk and hope for the best."
"Oh yeah, because the odds are so high," Diana said sarcastically. "I mean we got, what, a 10% chance of choosing the right button?"
Asher gasped. "Oh my goodness guys, I can't believe it! Diana can do math!" She slapped him.
"Unless anyone has any other ideas?" Tesha gazed around expectantly, clearly hoping there was an alternative. She frowned again when no one came up with anything else.
"I'll do it if you don't want to," I offered, and she smiled at me, handing over the messaging device.
I turned it around, and bit my cheek as I looked at each button, instantly regretting volunteering. I subconsciously gripped the necklace I forgot I was wearing; a gold chain with a cross at the end. It was strange to find my mind going there. Despite being dragged to church every Sunday, I wasn't the religious type, at least compared to Ma. But I found myself desperately hoping that there was someone to make sure the button I pressed was the right one.
With a silent prayer, I moved my finger to a blue button that was slightly smaller than the others. I squeezed my eyes shut as I pressed it.
There was a loud beep and I opened my eyes. The armpiece started flashing again, green this time. With every passing second, I felt my hope evaporate.
Wrong button.
I let out a string of curses when the hologram didn't pop up, feeling the urge to chuck the stupid alien technology at the tree.
"Calm down," Tesha told me, placing a hand on my back. "It may have not been the right button, but there's no reason to worry. All it did was allow us to send our own messages. You still have another chance."
I let out a sigh of relief as I looked at the buttons again, but still went back to biting the inside of my cheek. I was back in the same previous position.
"At least you have a better chance at picking the right button now," Asher said, trying to lighten up the mood.
"It also means you have a better chance at picking the wrong button," Diana also felt the need to say. I felt my annoyance rise as she walked over and patted me. "Good luck."
Barely refraining from commenting back, I forced myself to focus, as well as to not get my hopes up like I had the previous time.
Don't mess this up, Tristen.
Summoning the little bit of courage I had, I jabbed the purple button and held my breath.
A loading sign appeared. I didn't dare move as the bar slowly filled up. Every second felt like a year before the bar disappeared.
I released my breath when the hologram appeared again, barely refraining from crying in relief.
The message repeated from the beginning.
"Tesha and her friends, I do not have a lot of time, but I hope this warning will reach you. General Inugio has been creating multiple plans from the start. His original plan was to lure the Chosen ones in with the captured girl, and trap them there. However, he knew that there was a possibility that the mission would fail.
"So he made a backup plan. He would use the captured girl's family to-"
"What did he say?" Diana interrupted. "He said something about my family didn't they?"
"Shh!" Asher told her. "I can't hear the message!"
Diana either didn't hear him, or ignored him. "What do they have to do with anything? They wouldn't kill them, right? I mean, they need the leverage!"
I strained to hear the message, but it had ended.
"We missed it," I mumbled.
"We can replay it," Tesha assured me, before turning to Diana. She was pacing back and forth, rubbing her arms. "Diana, you must calm down. We didn't get to hear the whole message, so maybe it will tell us more."
"Fine, but I'm watching it first." She suddenly reached out and grabbed the armor piece from my hands, pulling it towards her. I held on tight, not letting it out of my grip.
"What are you doing?" I exclaimed at her as she pulled again.
She huffed. "Just give me the message thing Tristen!"
"Not until you're calm enough to think straight!"
"I am thinking straight!"
"You two shouldn't fight," Tesha interjected, but it was barely heard.
"You even know which button to press?" I asked Diana, trying to reason with her.
"I'll figure it out!"
"What difference does it make if you hold the message or if I hold the message?"
"I could ask you the same thing!"
"Ana, listen-"
"DON'T CALL ME ANA!" She yanked the arm piece as hard as she could, ripping it out of my hands.
I watched in horror as the message device fell out of her grasp. Time seemed to slow as gravity pulled it to the ground. There was a loud clink as it collided with a rock, causing sparks to erupt from it.
"No, no, no!" Diana rushed to where the device had fallen and picked it up. The light from it had vanished, and she clicked all the buttons in a frenzy.
But no matter what she pressed, the messaging device stayed off.
"It's broken," she mumbled, and I caught her lip trembling. Her hands balled up into fists and she stalked over to me.
"This is all your fault!!" She shoved me hard, causing me to fall back.
I regained my balance, recoiling at her accusation. "My fault? How's this my fault?"
"If you would've just given me the stupid device, none of this would've ever happened!"
"If you weren't acting crazy, then I would've!"
Then she punched me. Hard. Even with my tougher skin, I could still feel it.
"YOU HAVEN'T CHANGED AT ALL!" she screamed. "YOU MAY HAVE BEEN ABLE TO FOOL EVERYONE ELSE, BUT NOT ME. YOU'RE STILL THAT STUPID KID WHO BULLIED ME FOR FUN! YOU'LL NEVER CHANGE!"
Tears leaked from her eyes as she snarled. "I hope the Axones torture you with your mom next. Then you'll know how it feels."
With that statement, Asher and Tesha jumped in the argument, but I didn't hear or see what they were doing. The world had become fuzzy, and everything felt detached. My head spun and I fell to the ground, pulling my knees up to my chest.
Suddenly I had forgotten how to breathe, oxygen not reaching my lungs. I closed my eyes and tried counting down, but that just made it worse. My breathing sped up, and I was vaguely aware of someone lifting me off the ground.
My brain and lungs screamed for air, but it wouldn't come.
I was choking. Or was it drowning?
I had no idea.
All I wanted was for it to stop.
"Hey, it's okay," A muffled and distant voice whispered. "Deep breaths."
But how was I supposed to breathe when a heavy blanket of dread hung over me? The pressure was too much to escape from.
The voice continued to speak, but soon it was blocked out by the pounding in my ears.
I was numb, not even feeling the tears that streamed from my eyes.
Diana's words came back to me, wrapping around my neck tightly.
"You may have been able to fool everyone else, but not me."
"I hope the Axones torture you with your mom next."
"You'll never change."
Never.
A memory awakened, and no matter how hard I tried, it wouldn't subside.
"You want to know why I'm leaving?" Paps yelled, gripping me by my shirt. "It's because of you. I never wanted a son, especially one like you!"
"Paps, please!" Five-year-old me cried. "Don't go! I'll be stronger, I swear!"
Paps laughed darkly. "Trissy, let me teach you one last life lesson, okay? People don't change. Sure, they may pretend by acting differently, but it's not real. And you, Trissy? You'll never change."
And that was the last time I ever saw him.
After that, Ma had thrown away everything that ever belonged to him. Pictures. Furniture. For a few years, Ma didn't even sleep in their bed.
Then we were told he was given a jail sentence for fifteen years.
He had almost disappeared from memory.
But somehow he managed to creep back, even after all these years.
"You'll never change."
...
"So...how are you feeling?"
I leaned back on the oak I'd officially dubbed as the Sulking Tree. After I had managed to breathe again, Asher and Tesha helped to move me against the oak. Diana just watched for a while before storming off to do who knows what.
Asher sat next to me, playing with his walking stick. He looked at me, still waiting for a response.
I repressed a sigh. "Fine."
Asher snorted. "We both know that's not true."
I closed my eyes. The earlier events had sucked all the energy out of me. My head pounded and my chest hurt. I could still feel my heart thumping faster than normal.
But I was fine. Wasn't like there was anything Asher could do that would help me.
"She'll get over it soon," Asher reassured me, momentarily putting his stick down. "Diana's just scared right now. Heck, I would be too if the people I cared about were in danger. She just...doesn't know how to deal with what she's feeling, so she decided to put it all on you."
"Since when are you a therapist?" I mumbled bitterly. He just laughed it off.
"I also know that you're taking her words to heart," he added, and I refused to admit the truth in his statement. "But don't. She didn't mean it. I don't even know what she was talking about when she said you were still a bully. In all honesty, I'm still having a hard time picturing you as one."
"You didn't know me then," I said, picking at the grass.
"I didn't." Asher looked around, tapping his fingers. "But you must have changed a lot if you ever were like that."
But people never change.
I refrained from saying the statement out loud.
"That was pretty intense earlier," he said. "And scary. Do you get panic attacks a lot, or is that your first one?"
I sighed. "Ash, I appreciate it. Really. But I'm just not in the mood."
He nodded in understanding. "You're right, you're right. I'll leave."
I waited for him to get up and walk away, but he just stayed there, tapping his foot.
"Do you like Cheese or Pepperoni?" he asked me suddenly.
I turned to him. "What?"
"You heard me. Cheese or Pepperoni?"
Against my will, a smile formed across my face.
"Thought you said you were gonna leave?"
"Well, I was, but that would mean I have to go where Diana is. And have you seen her lately? She's scary. If I get too close to her, she might suck my soul out, no joke. Tesha went after her to try to calm her down, and I'm actually terrified for her." I could help it—I laughed.
"Fine," I yielded. "You can stay."
He let out a small cheer. "Okay, but you need to answer my question. It's very important."
I rolled my eyes. "Neither. I don't like pizza."
Asher looked at me like I had two heads. "Um, I'm sorry. Come again?"
"You heard me."
My answer seemed to physically hurt him. "You don't like pizza? Are you even human?" I shrugged.
He shook his head. "Man, this is even too hard for me! I'll have to find a professional therapist to fix you."
Chuckling, I asked him, "Well, what do you like?"
"Cheese," he said without hesitation.
"Basic," I mumbled under my breath.
"What did you just call me?"
I smirked. "You're basic."
He put his hand over his chest. "Excuse me? You have the audacity to call me basic? I'm sorry, but I think this friendship is ruined."
I made a mocking frown. "Oh, I'm so sorry. Forgive me for pointing out your flaws."
Asher gasped. "Flaws? Now I have flaws? Stop, please! Your meanness is too much for me to handle! I surrender! I surrender!"
I punched him lightly on the shoulder and laughed. "Thanks, Ash."
He smiled. "Anytime."
There were a few moments of silence before Tesha appeared. Diana stood a few feet behind her, avoiding our gazes. Her face was red and puffy, and I felt a twinge of heartbreak seeing her that way.
"We've been here for a while," Tesha said. "We need to start moving again. Tristen, are you up for that?"
Looking at Asher, I smiled. "Ready."
"Great!" Asher threw one of his arms around my shoulder. "Time for another day of endless walking!"