Love Conquers All _The Sequel_

Chapter Twenty Eight - Alien

Michael's POV:

Mary's been gone for weeks. She hasn't given us anything to work with or attempted to make any contact with us. My fear that she would never return is gone now, because I have the sense that it's true. When she left, and she said "I'm leaving," that must've meant for good.

I'm currently with Tex, in the dream world, sitting with him on that dull hilly lawn, looking at the houses. The past few times I've been here, things have changed in time. There was one dream where I came and Tex freaked out, telling me how I was dead and asking if this world was real. So, I told him everything I knew, assuming that this version of him was a past version. But if it was, where was the real one? It's all jumbled up, but this time at least, it's the current versions of the both of us.

Not much is exchanged between us during our sitting, and we both know that I'm gonna wake up soon. The sun is rising behind the houses in front of us.

"See how the sun is actually rising?" Tex asks, pointing at the pink caramel sky.

"Yeah?"

"It never does that. Ever. Until you come. And then right when you're about to wake up, the sun starts to rise, and it's the most beautiful thing because the sun never rises for me, but it's also the most terrifying thing because you leave and it's so so long until you come back," Tex explains, and then he looks down.

I sigh. "You know, I would've loved this place long ago. Everything the same, always nighttime, and it seems like time never really passes, since you look the same. But since you're stuck here and I'm not and Mary's left us, it's not that great."

Tex and I both stay looking down, silent and solemn. Every time I come here I try to give him updates on whatever's going on.
"Mary's still gone."
"Nothing on Mary still."
"Nothing new is going on."

And it's usually the same thing every time. We sit, saying little, just looking around. I think nothing needs to be said, though. We just enjoy each other's company since, when I'm not asleep, we are both more alone than ever.

Then the sun breaks across the rooftops, exploding in golden bursts, and Tex looks at me with wide glossy eyes. I only have moments to capture the look on Tex's face, and the radiance of the sun, because it's fading away. Soon everything is gone, and all I can see is black. For a few seconds, I can barely hear Tex's pleas, begging for me to stay.

And then my eyes open to my room, dim in the morning light. Separated again, we both are forced to carry out our lonely, monotonous lives.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mary's POV:

I crouch. Peering over a tall bush, dewy with raindrops, I focus all my attention on a feathery red bird. It hops across the twiggy jungle floor. Little does it know its death is near.

To my right and left are jaguars, the ones I had been living with for the past few whatevers. I don't even know who or what I am anymore, besides a jaguar. This is where I belong.

Every now and then, I've thought of Tex or Michael, or Neverland. Every now and then, it depresses me. I tell myself I don't miss them, I'm finally with my real family, and that is what keeps me from returning.

Michael is momentarily on my mind as I look at the bird. It distracts me at the moment of attack. So I lurch forward towards the creature, a moment too late, and slash my claws outward. Claws? I've never had claws. I look down at my hand as it swipes at the bird, missing, and see my fleshy fingers, without claws.

I didn't catch the bird. I never catch any birds, because like I said, I don't have claws and I need them. It bothers me.

"Great. Way to go. Another hungry day, thanks to you. Let us do the hunting from now on," one of the jaguars says. He turns away from me, snarling with thick yellow teeth.

Him and the other big cat glare at me as they walk away, leaving me alone.
Aren't I always alone? Michael and Tex are, too, thanks to me.

There I go again, thinking of Michael and Tex and Neverland and feeling sorry about everything.

The weight of all this is overbearing; I take a seat. Looking down at my side, I lazily observe the rock I'm sitting on. I touch the cool surface of the slab and ruffle the moss growing on its side.

And then I almost immediately recognize it. This is the boulder I sat down on the day I came here, when I thought of the pioneers. This sends me over the edge.

I can't deny it any more. I miss them so, so much, and the jaguars don't even like me anyways. I want to go back, so bad. But what if they hate me now? What if Tex is dead? Was Michael ever able to bring him back? Probably not, without my help.

I stand and walk over to the waterfall. The way the water splashes over the thick mossy rocks and cascades smoothly into the river is peaceful but I am in no means at peace. The water further down the stream is smooth and still like a plate of glass, and nearing closer to it, I can almost see my reflection.

I know that, due to my life in the jungle sun, I've gotten really tan, but looking in the blurry water I had no idea I was this brown... I guess it's pretty cool though, I used to always be pale so this is new.

I'm also terribly skinny now, since I've barely eaten anything other than a few berries. I couldn't catch any birds, like I said. My ribs are bony and poking out, but my stomach is flab and round. My arms and hands look skeletal, and boy, I've lost a lot of hair.

I'm almost freaking bald! Now that I look at it more, I've turned so ugly! How did this happen?? Would I have ever turned this ragged if I hadn't left?

I spit at my reflection, I'm ugly. To top it off, I'm shrinking. I don't know how, but I feel really short, the jaguars look almost taller than me.

These days I'm out of breath. Waddling here and there, it's most likely due to my lack of meats and proteins.

As I turn to walk away from the waterfall the most terrifying, heart stopping, utterly winding realization slaps me in the face. I grasp my chest and try to keep my balance.

"No..." I say to myself, looking back into the water.

"No! No! It was all me!" I scream.

I let out a shriek at the top of my lungs, sobbing. I drop to my knees, clutching my bald head and wheezing out words. Even my voice sounds like his.

"It was always me!" I yell.

I look in the water and vomit. It's too much. This is too much.

I don't know how I couldn't have seen it earlier.

The face in he water is the face that I have always, always hated.

"It was me the whole time..." I whisper, my throat tightening until I start choking.

I hate myself so much. How did this happen?

I know how.

I left Michael.

And I can't go back.

I'm short. My skin is inhumanly brown and thick like a reptile. Im bony and hairless, my nose looks smashed flat into my face and I'm just plain ugly. Even the red glowing chest, back when Tex's gang members were trying to catch me and I blasted them back... I should've known.

I look exactly like....

I peer back into the water and my suspicions are confirmed.

I can't go back to Neverland because....

I am ET.