*WHO INVITED HER?*
As the vision of the looming witch-like figure drew nearer, Izzian's first instinct was to find a bed to hide under, but Eliza wasn't moving. Izzian tried to pull her into the house, but she stood transfixed, watching the figure weave through the underbrush.
"Izzian, I think that's a girl and I think someone is chasing her," she said, gazing into the dark backyard.
They couldn’t see the stumbling girl's face, but could hear her trying to speak. She was breathless from running, staggering aimlessly, ready to collapse. Her dark hair was a large mass of tangles, twigs and leaves and her face was covered in mud.
Her features were unidentifiable, but Izzian could finally tell it was a female and that she was in trouble. He felt very foolish when he realized the figure was not Black Winny, but a scared girl running from an unseen foe.
"Oh help me!" the staggering girl screamed breathlessly. "They're coming!"
Izzian and Eliza rushed towards the figure as she tripped, stumbled and skidded to a stop, face planted on the ground.
Eliza kneeled, placing a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder, and asked, "Who are you running from? What's happened to you?"
Moaning, the mysterious girl pulled herself up, half standing on wobbling knees. Tearfully, she cried, "Those Simbiots were trying to kill me. We have to run!" Eliza looked to Izzian, confused.
Izzian studied the face of the frightened girl. Underneath the massive head of dark, scruffy hair and beneath the mud covered skin, was a face he easily recognized. The girl had obviously transformed to human, but Izzian knew those eyes. There before him, scared witless, sat his old pal from Klesia, Thilillian Yangsley.
"Thil, is it really you?" asked Izzian as his eyes scanned the girl's face. "It can't be true."
"Izzian?" the dirt covered girl responded in bewilderment.
"Thilillian, you're on earth. What…how…when?" his voice trailed.
Suddenly, with a new burst of energy upon the realization that she had found her old friend Izzian, Thilillian jumped to her feet and planted a big, sloppy, muddy kiss right on the stunned boy's lips.
The two Klesians hugged and cried for what seemed like ages to Eliza. They pulled apart, eying each other; each making sure the other was real.
"Oh it's really you! It's really you," Thilillian cried with joy.
Finally, having seen enough and remembering that the girl was being chased, Eliza interrupted the joyful reunion. "Um, excuse me, but weren't you running from something? Didn't you say something about being chased by Simbiots? How can you be chased by something Izzian supposedly invented?"
Eliza would normally assume the crazy girl was an escaped mental patient, but she already knew the truth. This girl had come to earth. That meant only one thing. She wasn't from earth to begin with.
"Oh gleestix, she's right. We have to leave, now!' Thilillian scrambled towards Eliza's house.
"Who is chasing you, Thil?" Izzian asked.
"I told you, Simbiots…or what do they call them on earth? Twins. Yes, two identical boys are chasing me and if they catch me, who knows what they will do to me," Thil said, looking stronger than before, but still quite frightened.
"Lucas and Link," Eliza and Izzian answered simultaneously, easily recognizing the identity of the Simbiots chasing Thilillian.
"Come on! There's no time. We have to hide! There's an odobo right there. Come on, let's go," Thil was trying to pull at Izzian's hand, urging him to escape into Eliza's house. Izzian remained on the edge of the woods, resolute in his decision.
"No. I'm not running. They have to be stopped," Izzian stated.
Another loud crashing sound arose near the edge of the forest. The group screamed in unison upon hearing the sounds of breaking branches and crunching leaves. Like deer caught in headlights, Izzian and Eliza stood riveted, staring into the dark sinister woods. Thilillian kept trying to drag the two away from the woods to the safety of the house, but they stubbornly remained, too curious to run yet.
Slowly, a dark form emerged from the trees and made its way through the thick underbrush. Thilillian stopped fighting and stood trembling as the form approached.
Paksha suddenly burst forth from the trees, straightening his glasses and dusting old leaves from his t-shirt.
"Why are you screaming at me?" he asked, as if they were all crazy for screeching at a dark figure unexpectedly charging from the sinister forest.
"Oh thank goodness, it's you. What are you doing here Paksha?" Eliza asked.
She thumped Paksha on the head, but was visibly relieved to see her friend rather than Lucas or Link, or especially Black Winny.
"What am I doing here? Ask her," said Paksha as he pointed at Thilillian.
"More importantly, Thilillian what are you doing here?" Izzian asked.
"It's a long story, and those…Simbiot twins are still after me," Thilillian said.
Paksha chimed in, "No, I saw Lucas and Link. They aren't chasing you. They aren't in very good shape, those boys, and they stopped chasing you a while ago. They're hiding in the woods, waiting for you to go back to their tree house."
Eliza, Izzian and Thilillian exhaled upon hearing that the twins wouldn't burst forth from the trees in a killing rage. They would finally be able to relax and take stock of the situation.
"However," Paksha continued, "there is something else out in those woods. Something far more worrisome than a couple of twin bullies. Izzian, Eliza, we need to talk."
"Come on," Eliza directed everyone to a set of lawn chairs in her backyard. "It's time for some answers. I'm totally confused."
Thilillian found her chair and burst into sudden tears. "We need to leave. Why are we all sitting here like bait?"
"Oh, Thil, it's okay now. You're safe. You're among friends," said Izzian, patting the crying girl's hand. Izzian had never seen Thil so scared and unsure.
"Speak for yourself," said Eliza. "What did you mean when you asked this girl why she was on earth? Where could she possibly have come from? What the heck is going on?" Eliza challenged.
"I came from…Izzian's home," Thil said, looking at her fellow Klesian with confusion.
"Las Vegas?" Paksha offered, recalling that Izzian claimed he was originally from Vegas.
Izzian moaned, hearing the sarcastic sound of Paksha's voice. The boy with glasses knew something was askew, other than his glasses. Izzian had a feeling his cover story had been completely blown. Eliza and Paksha needed a full and total explanation.
"You better fess up, green boy. Unless you want me to call the cops, or Homeland Security, or the CIA; whoever handles these types of…situations, you had better start talking. I expect the truth Izzian," Paksha demanded.
He was normally the life of the party type, but Paksha's tone of voice was unsettling. Izzian had never heard his new friend sound so serious. The alien in him grew uncomfortable under the boy's piercing gaze and newfound authority.
Paksha made a show of holding his phone high in the air. Nine-one-one appeared on the backlit screen and Paksha held his finger near the 'dial' button, ready to press it.
He spoke again. "Izzian, you had better think long and hard before you answer. I may not have been born in this country, but I am a citizen. I will protect my people until my dying breath. I will allow you to explain your situation and I may even ask a few questions." Paksha got close to Izzian's face with a dreadfully intimidating expression.
He continued, "But when you are done, I may or may not press this button. If I sense for one second that you are trying to destroy my home or hurt my people, I will not hesitate to turn you in. Izzian Klowosky, do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?"
Izzian nodded. He was ready to be honest. He actually had little choice in the matter.
"Good," said Paksha, lowering his phone, but not switching it off quite yet. "Now, let's start with the creature in the woods. Remember. You have one chance to convince me, Izzian Klowosky. Did you and yo
ur alien friend bring a monster from outer space to earth with the intention of killing humans?"
Izzian gulped at the accusation. He had no idea of any such creature, but would Paksha even believe him if he told the truth?
This confession is not going as planned, he thought.
Izzian looked to Eliza for help. She knew him the best, knew he was no killer, no threat. But Eliza's face looked just as suspicious as Paksha's. Izzian realized he'd find no compassion with Eliza. He'd lied to the girl for way too long.
Izzian took a deep breath and considered his options. He had planned on confessing for a while, but not like this. For once, his fear ran deeper than simply being an undercover alien.
Paksha was ready to call the authorities. Izzian had one chance to explain himself, and if he failed to prove his innocence, he might find himself strapped to an operating table, sliced open and catalogued for the prosperity of the human race.
Better not screw his up, Klowosky.
***