This Alien Soul

Chapter 35

Amber

The next morning I woke up with a slight hangover and sandwiched between a snoring Kelly, and cover hog Lindsey. I managed to extract myself from the pile without waking anyone.

We had been up late into the night, drinking and watching as the ship carrying Alek's Zionian mate, got steadily larger in the night sky.

The pain in my chest at loosing Alek never managed to fade. But I had gotten used to it as Kelly and Lindsey distracted me with gossip that I had missed over the week.

As I brushed my teeth, the image in the mirror startled me. I didn't look like myself. My skin looked blotchy and pale, eyes puffy and rimmed in red.

This was largely due to my house arrest and not getting outside like my body was used to. But it was also because of him.

I had become the girl who allowed herself to become so invested in a guy that it physical hurt her. But no more.

No more tears. No more thinking of him. I would ignore that pain in my chest just like I had the pains of chemotherapy. I would ignore it and push through. I was too strong to let some guy get me down, no matter how deeply I had fallen for him in such a short time.

Pulling out my make up case I went to work on my appearance. Ten minutes later and I at least looked alive.

I pulled on a shirt that Lindsey's mom had provided for me the day before and a pair of jeans. It was still early when I left a still fast asleep Lindsey and Kelly. The gap I had left in the bed with my departure, was already filled by Kelly, who had managed to fling her body like a starfish, a hand resting right over Lindsey's sleeping face.

I paused only long enough to pull some covers over Kelly before leaving.

Lindsey's brother, Wes Long, was away serving as a medic in the army. So the Longs were also nice enough to let me borrow his truck until I could figure something out. With out a doubt, Wes would be flipping a lid over the thought of anyone but him driving his truck. But what he didn't know couldn't hurt him right?

Not wanting to be a complete charity case, I had begged the Longs to let me help out somehow. We had come to an agreement that I could help at the pharmacy one day a week. I had wanted to help more, but they had been adamant. I had helped ring out customers and stock shelves before so it was nothing new to me. And I knew it wouldn't be too hard of a work day.

I was stopped at a red light, my right turn signal flashing to turn into the downtown area when I first noticed the traffic.

Being a small town, there normally wasn't much cause for traffic, except those days there was church or a sporting event. So the line a vehicles that seemed to go on for miles, leading to the Northend of the lake, was shocking.

I knew why they were all here, where they were all going. As a line of media vans tried to push there way through the line of traffic, causing those being cut off to blare their horns. I refused to look up at the large craft that was filling the morning sky, almost drowning out the sun.

I refused to acknowledge it.

I knew what I could handle. So as I drove I kept my eyes trained ahead at my target.

I did wonder briefly what my parents thought of a second ship. Considering their hatred of the Zionians they couldn't be happy.

Lindsey had mentioned that they had been in contact with her parents, so they knew I was safe. I almost felt bad for running away the way I had. But then I would remember the conversation I had overhead. The anger in my father's voice.