Date on Earth: Tuesday, October 10
I couldn't seem to get myself to move as I stared at the hideous creature that was straight out of a horror film. It almost looked like a terrifying shadow, considering how dark it was.
But as it got closer, it was clear it wasn't a trick of light.
Almost effortlessly, it stuck its body out of the air, gazing down on its next big meal.
With as little movement as I could, I tried to see where Diana was. She stood in the water, frozen. Her eyes were unblinking and her face was a shade lighter than usual.
The serpent-monster thing wasn't paying Diana any attention, though. Instead, it kept its eyes pinned on me, Asher, and Tesha.
It let out a deafening screech and revealed its sharp teeth with what looked like a malicious grin. The creature seemed to be toying with us as he watched us on the boat, not making any attempt to come after us.
"What's it doing?" Asher said under his breath as he tightened his grip on the oar in his hand. "Is it going to attack us or not?"
As if to answer, it ducked back into the lake, disappearing into dark water.
It took a few seconds to process.
"Diana, get on the boat quickly!" Tesha shouted, holding her hand out. "It can come back any second!"
Diana didn't respond. She just stood still, shaking her head.
"It can't be alive," she said to herself. "It's dead. I killed it. I killed it."
"Wait, you've seen it before?" Asher asked. The redhead didn't answer.
"Now is not the time to ask questions," Tesha stated. "Diana, you have to get out of the water."
"Diana?" I called out, but she was still unresponsive.
My heart rate sped up as I scanned the water for the monster, not sure if the fact that I couldn't see it was a good thing or a terrible thing.
We continued to call out Diana's name, but no matter how many times we did, she didn't show any sign that she was hearing. It became clear that she wasn't going to move by herself.
I made eye contact with Asher and Tesha. They both came to the same conclusion: someone had to go after her.
"I will go," Tesha said, giving her alien gun to me. "Here. Use this if the Krail comes back."
I pushed the weapon back to her. "I don't know how to use this. We need you to be the one to fight off the monster."
"Then who will go?"
I looked back at Diana, standing in the water in shock. My stomach twisted tightly as I took a deep breath.
"I'll go."
Before I could change my mind, I dived into the water.
Adrenaline rushed through my body. I pushed through the lake. The water wasn't deep, only reaching my mid-thigh, but when you're running through it at top-speed, every step you take uses up all your energy. And no matter how hard you push, it still feels like you are moving in slow motion. Like running in a dream.
"Diana," I said breathlessly once I had reached her. I put my hands on her shoulders and shook her slightly. "Diana, we need to go."
"It's dead," she said to herself again, not even meeting my eyes.
I opened my mouth to speak when there was a splash. Snapping my head back, I caught sight of the creature's terrifying fin sticking out of the water.
Heading straight towards us.
"Diana, listen!" I yelled in her face. "You have to snap out of it!"
The sound of blasting came from behind me and I saw Tesha shooting the beast repeatedly. It stopped momentarily to ram its body into the boat, causing it to nearly flip over. Asher and Tesha screamed as they held on to the boat for dear life.
But it didn't stay sidetracked for long. After a few seconds, it turned around again and started swimming in a weird snake-like motion. Faster than I could ever manage to move in the water.
Luckily, the blasts from Tesha's gun managed to snap Diana out of her trance. She clung on to me tightly and wrapped her legs around my waist.
I tried running away from the beast, but I knew there was no way I could beat it with speed. If I wanted to survive, I'd have to outsmart it.
The monster lunged at me and Diana. At the last second I jumped to the side, catching it off guard. It continued moving forward before gathering itself and turning around.
I looked around frantically for anything that could be used against the monster. Tesha's blasts didn't seem to have had any effects on it, and there weren't any weapons besides the gun to fight with. Unless you counted the oars as weapons, but they were way too dull to cause the beast any harm.
Another screech knocked me out of my internal dialogue and I saw the monster raising its body out of the water once again. I was paralyzed in fear as it flashed its sharp fangs. And my vivid imagination couldn't help but picture them piercing through my skin.
I backed away slowly, Diana still in my arms. She was shaking and all I wanted to do was hold and reassure her that she would be okay.
But frankly, I didn't think that would be true.
I shielded my eyes as the sun peeked out from the clouds, reflecting off of the surface of the lake.
The monster seemed to get distracted momentarily. It turned its head away from us, staring at the sun's reflection with its undivided attention. It was like it had forgotten about us as it moved towards the light.
Another cloud covered up the sun again, and suddenly the monster refocused, placing its gaze back on me and Diana.
But an idea was starting to form in my head.
A crazy idea, with a high likelihood of failure.
But an idea nonetheless.
I felt my pockets, searching to see if I still had the object that would allow my plan to work. I felt a strange mixture of hope and terror as I felt it with my fingers.
"Diana," I said, taking her off of me. "You gotta swim to the boat."
"Are you crazy?" She spat. "There's no way I'm fast enough to reach it before the monster reaches me!"
"I'll cover you," I responded, hating the way my voice shook.
"And how do you plan on doing that?"
"I got a plan," I told her. She gave me a skeptical look. Another screech caused me to jump. "You gotta trust me."
She bit her lip. It was obvious that trusting me was the last thing she wanted to do. But as she scanned my face, she must've found some form of sincerity that made her decide to listen to my words.
"Don't die," she said simply before diving into the water.
I watched as she kicked her legs and swam as fast as she could. At the movement, the beast sunk below the water again, moving with terrifying grace.
I felt a wave of nausea as I pulled out the object from my pocket. I felt doubt creep into my mind. Who was I kidding? I wasn't brave enough to do this. I couldn't even stand up to school bullies. Did I really expect myself to stand up to a 20-foot serpent?
But it was too late to back out now. If I didn't do this, then the monster would catch up to Diana. And I wouldn't be able to live with myself if she got hurt and I could've done something about it.
I lifted up the coin in my hand, letting the light hit it. It was shiny, but it was small. Would it even be enough to distract the monster?
The beast was catching up to Diana, who was still a few feet from the boat. I took a deep breath. It was now or never.
"HEY, OVER HERE!" I yelled, slapping the water with my hands to make splashes. It stopped to look at where the noise was coming from and made eye contact with me.
Legs feeling like jelly, I revealed the coin, holding it above my head. For a second, I was terrified that the monster hadn't seen it, but then it crept closer, eyes glued to the shiny object.
I slowly backed up, not turning my back on the beast.
It lifted its body out of the water like a snake. I continued walking backwards as more of the monster surfaced above the water.
Just a little more...
I took one more step back before stopping. I stood frozen and stared at the serpent. It towered over me until it was double my height, blocking out the sun and looking down on me as if I was a mouse, and it was a cat. Its eyes were still glued to the coin in my hand.
But now it was in position.
"SHOOT IT TESHA!" I yelled, throwing the coin into the air. I ducked away as the creature let out a screech. Without a second of hesitation, Tesha aimed for its throat and blasted it three times.
The monster screamed and started to sink back into the water. But before it disappeared into the lake, she shot it again one last time.
Its scream was cut short as the blast passed through its neck. It's white pupils rolled back as its head rolled off its body, splashing into the lake. Black inky blood leaked from the wound, turning the water dark.
I couldn't help it; I puked.
Trying my best to avoid the deceased creature, I headed back to the boat. Tesha and Asher helped pull me up and I collapsed.
"Tristen! Are you okay?" Asher exclaimed, grabbing my arms.
I groaned. "Sure."
I used the little energy I had left to turn to Diana and asked her, "You okay?"
She stayed uncharacteristically silent and looked away.
"What you did was reckless," Tesha said. "But brave. You have proved that you are worthy to be the Jh'ai's host."
At any other moment, I would've been glowing with pride. But I couldn't get myself to feel anything except relief that I was alive.
Asher huffed. "You guys didn't say that when I risked my life for you guys," he muttered with a joking seriousness.
"That's 'cause what you did was unnecessary," I responded.
"Oh, so acting as bait for the aliens while you guys sneak into the spaceship is unnecessary?"
"Very," Tesha said.
Asher sighed. "The thanks I get for what I do. Oh well. One day you'll appreciate me."
I sat up and leaned my head back. My hands were still trembling, but I managed to slow down my heartbeat before another panic attack could arouse.
With a tired smile, I realized with consolation that we had done it. We had killed the monster plaguing the town's fishermen. Now, when we went back to the town, we could bring reassurance to the people. They didn't have to live in fear anymore.
We succeeded.
Something that seemed impossible to wrap my head around.
Tesha reached into the water and pulled out something long and slimy. When I saw what it was, I threw up again.
"Why're you carrying its head?" I screeched, backing away. Its white pupils were rolled back and its tongue hung limply out of its mouth.
"We need proof that we actually completed the feat," she pointed out. Even after multiple complaints from me, Diana, and Asher, she still placed the monster's head inside the boat.
"We should head back," Tesha said, changing the topic. "I am sure the people of the village are waiting eagerly for our return."
"And now we can tell them that they're safe!" Asher exclaimed, instantly forgetting about the decapitated monster situation. "Nothing will be eating their fishermen now, all thanks to this awesome team. But they better welcome us back with plates full of food, 'cause I'm starving!"
Nausea caused my stomach to twist up. No matter how hungry I previously was, the decapitated head made any thought of eating food a nightmare.
Eyes shifting to Diana, I suddenly remembered the odd statement she had been muttering.
"Where did you see that monster before?" I asked her. Diana snapped her head up at my question and took a shaky breath.
"It looked like the same creature that had tried to eat me the day all this crap started," she said quietly. "Except that one had wings instead of a snake-like body."
"A Krail found you the first day you merged with the Jh'ai?" Tesha said in disbelief. "But how could it have found you so soon? The Krails live multiple solar systems away. Even if they managed to pinpoint exactly where the Jh'ai signal was coming from, it still would take them days to travel so far. Unless..."
The dark-haired girl trailed off, putting a hand on her chin thoughtfully. She furrowed her eyebrows and turned around.
"Uh, Tesh? Are you okay?" Asher asked.
Tesha seemed to shake herself off. "Yes, yes. I am alright. I am just wondering if maybe there was someone in my mother's rebel group that was revealing our plans. If that were the case, then it could explain how the Krails found us. It may even be the reason the Jh'ai Protectors knew where to ambush us on our mission."
Her eyes seemed misty and she balled up her fists.
"It's only noon, but it's already been a long day," Asher said as a change of subject, placing an oar in the water. "Let's go to the town and get some lunch, shall we?"
...
To say we were overwhelmed by swarms of people would be an understatement.
As our boat neared the shore, what looked like the whole town was waiting for us, watching in anticipation. They were pointing and shouting at our boat like we were celebrities.
Tesha shifted to the front of the boat with impressive grace and stood up tall. I looked away as she held up her arm, the alien's head dangling from her hand.
At the sight, the crowd exploded.
A few people turned their kids away or puked themselves, but the majority rushed onto the dock, pumping their arms in the air and cheering.
"Okay folks, let's give our new heroes some space!" Teddy's voice echoed over the townspeople. He pushed forward as the crowd thinned out.
"Whole buncha vultures, I'm telling ya," he shook his head to himself before throwing us a rope. I caught it and tied it around the dock.
Another round of cheering ensued as we stepped out of the boat one by one. The boat rocked when I attempted to get out, but I managed to maintain my balance by grasping onto the docking pole.
"Y'all really did it." Teddy stood in front of us in awe, a bright smile on his face. He walked up to us and gave us a tight embrace, somehow managing to grab a hold of all of us at once. After a few seconds he released us, eyes glossy.
"Couple o' my friends were eaten by that monster," he said thickly. "They were friends to everyone in this town. But y'all have avenged them. We're forever in your debt."
"We're just glad we could help you, sir," Asher said respectfully.
Teddy's smile widened even more. "And indeed ya have. Tonight we'll have a celebration for our heroes as a thank you! We hope y'all can stay till then."
Me, Asher, and Diana looked at Tesha expectantly. The dark-haired girl tapped her chin thoughtfully.
"Don't we have to get moving?" Asher said.
"We do," she started. "However, it is only respectable to attend our own celebration. We will have to leave before dusk, but we can stay until then."
"Great!" Teddy exclaimed. "I'll get a few folks to help me set up everything. See y'all in a bit!"
He left us standing on the dock, and Asher sighed not-so-subtly, obviously not pleased with the idea of staying even longer. He seemed to shake it off though and smiled at me.
"Okay Tristen, that was awesome," he told me. "The way you jumped in the water, distracted the monster with the coin-just, wow. How did you even know it would work?"
I shrugged. "Didn't know it would work. Just noticed earlier it got distracted by the water's reflection and prayed the coin would be enough."
"You are a legend," Asher stated, and I chuckled.
"Thanks Ash."
I looked at Diana to see her still avoiding eye contact with me. I swallowed and moved closer to her.
"Diana?" I said hesitantly. When she didn't respond, I continued. "Did I do something wrong?"
After a few seconds, Diana shook her head. "Just leave me alone," she mumbled, turning away. Without acknowledging any of us, she walked down the dock and into the town.
"Give her time," Tesha said to me, noticing my grim expression. "She must still be recovering. Krails are known for haunting the nightmares of its victims, but she will come around."
I couldn't get myself to agree. Before Diana could completely disappear from my sight, I followed her.
What are you doing? She said to leave her alone. I debated with myself as I walked. Yes, she did say she wanted to be by herself. But I had to make sure that I wasn't the reason she was so upset.
Diana stopped suddenly and I walked slower in case she turned around and pushed me away. She then ducked in between two buildings.
Hesitantly, I peered into the opening to see Diana sitting on the ground and leaning on one of the structures.
She ignored me as I walked up and slid down the wall next to her. I took a deep breath.
"Sup," I said, mentally slapping myself as the word flew out of my mouth. How did Asher do this so easily?
She once again said nothing in response, tempting me to pull on my hair in frustration.
"Please tell me what's wrong," I pleaded. "I wanna help."
"You saved me," Diana suddenly spoke. For the first time since the Krail incident, she met my eyes. "Why would you save me?"
"Why wouldn't I save you?"
She scoffed. "Seriously? Well, first off, I'm a jerk who hasn't been anything but mean to you since this whole thing started. Second, you're supposed to be a coward. And third-wait, why are you smiling?"
I looked down, trying to hide the grin on my face.
"It isn't funny!" She groaned.
I lifted my arms up. "Not laughing at you. I'm just surprised that I'm not the one you're calling a jerk."
She crossed her arms, mumbling, "Well, it's kind of hard to say that when you just saved my life."
I felt my face light up. "You don't think I'm a jerk anymore?"
Diana glared. "I never said-you know what? Never mind."
We sat for a moment in silence, waiting for the other to speak. A small brown bird landed a few feet in front of us, filling the void with its chirps.
Diana shifted her weight uncomfortably, sighing loudly. She then turned to face me, meeting my gaze.
"Okay look. I don't, uh, well, um..."
I waited patiently for her to continue.
"I just wanted to say that, I, uh, might have been a little..."
"A little..." I prompted.
She played with her hands and mumbled under her breath, "I might have been...wrong, and it-I, uh...
"I don't think that you...
"You don't suck, okay? There, I said it!" She looked away huffing and crossed her arms.
My eyes widened. "Really?"
Diana groaned and turned red, and I once again struggled to contain the grin spreading across my face.
"I've been thinking that maybe...I could try to be nicer to...you," she said softly under her breath.
"Oh shut up," she said as I couldn't contain myself anymore. My body vibrated as I chuckled. "Are you trying to make me take back what I just said?"
I took a moment to catch my breath. "Could've just said you're sorry," I teased.
"Well, I decided to put more effort into my apology. You're welcome."
I laughed again, and after a few seconds Diana joined me, failing to hold it in.
Her laugh was a strange noise between a giggle and a snort. It wasn't like the soft laughs other girls did to be cute, but a pure sound, floating through the air. She didn't attempt to change it in any way. She didn't care what the rest of the world thought. It was just...her. It showed how confident she was. A trait I envied greatly.
After a few moments we calmed down. A few people passing by stopped to see what was causing the commotion, but walked away with amused expressions when they saw us. Wearing the biggest smile I had in years, I asked, "So...friends?"
She rolled her eyes at the question, but still grinned. "Sure, Unicorn Boy."
My smile turned into a smirk. "That means I can call you Ana now?"
She shot me a glare. "Don't push it."
Laughter rose up in my chest again and I closed my eyes.
Friends.
Euphoria lifted me on top of the world. She didn't hate me. She felt bad about treating me the way she did, even though I deserved it. She wanted us to get along.
Sure, maybe I was just friendzoned. Maybe I still had a crush on Diana and desperately wished to be more. But I didn't deserve that. Not yet. A small act of heroism was not enough to make up for everything I had done to her. But I was determined to change, no matter what I had been told in the past.
So for now, I would be grateful for her friendship. I'd be the best person I could be. Make her glad she decided to put trust in me.
And maybe, just maybe, at the end of it all, I'd be something more than a friend to her.
A few snarky comments later, we eventually stood up and got out of the alleyway.
I looked up at the sky. Dark clouds started to roll in, creating a light drizzle.
Diana pulled her arms inside her large sweater, huffing. "Like I wasn't cold enough."
"We can search for Tesh and Ash," I suggested. "Maybe head back to the shed?"
She shrugged. "Why not?"
We headed back to the open area of the town where I had sung with the two older men just a day before. People everywhere were buzzing around, moving chairs and setting tables up. Some even carried balloons, the bright colors standing out drastically among the brown color scheme of the town.
"Y'all made it!" Teddy came out of nowhere, throwing an arm around us. "Almost done settin' everything up. I reckon we'll be ready in no more than an hour."
"Great," I said awkwardly. "Uh, have you seen our friends by any chance?"
"Been here the whole time," he responded. "Right over there." He pointed to a small stand to the right. Sure enough, the blond boy and dark-haired girl were conversing, plates in their hands.
"Thanks Teddy," I told him and waved goodbye before heading towards the rest of our group.
"Finally!" Asher exclaimed as he spotted us. "Where have you guys been?"
"We were worried," Tesha said.
"Please. We were fine," Diana spoke up, arms still inside her sweater. "Now enough about that. Where did you get the food? I'm starving."
"This lovely lady gave it to us," Asher stated, gesturing to a big lady inside the stand. "It turns out the only thing you need to do to get some food is save the village from an alien." The lady grumbled in response but didn't say anything.
"You two want something to eat?" she said, disinterested. My stomach growled.
"Yes please!" Diana exclaimed, and I nodded my head as well.
The big woman turned her back and grabbed a few things. A few minutes later she handed us each a plate of chicken and corn. The aroma filled my nostrils and I immediately dug into it.
"Really good," I told the woman, mouth full of food.
She rolled her eyes. "There's a reason I'm the best cook in this town, sonny."
"Are you sure you can't teach me the recipe?" Asher pleaded. "Maybe just a few tips?" The lady sighed.
"Why you wanna learn so bad?"
"Because cooking's fun," he said simply.
She sighed again, even louder. She seemed to regret it when she said, "Fine."
Asher's eyes lit up and he cheered. "Yes! Thank you ma'am!" She grunted.
"Tristen?"
A sudden voice behind me caused me to jerk my head back to see who said my name. My eyes widened as I saw who the person was.
"And Asher? What a nice surprise to find you here."
Confusion filled my mind.
It was Mrs. Jane. My science teacher.