The Brain Invaders

Chapter 4

When I woke up the next morning, I was tangled in my bed sheet.

“How on earth did you manage that?” asked Mom, walking into my room. “That sheet’s wrapped around you like a python.”

I looked down at my legs. “Thanks, Mom, for that image. You know how I hate snakes.”

“OK, then. It’s wrapped around you like a piece of spaghetti on a fork. Better?”

“Sort of.”

 “Well, you certainly slept later than normal. I thought I’d better check on you. Cassie called about an hour ago and said you are supposed to call her when you get up. She said she called your cell first. I told her you were still in bed. She sounded upset. She asked if you were feeling better. I told her that I didn’t know you were sick. Are you?”

“What?”

“Sick.”

“My stomach hurt yesterday.”

“I didn’t know you weren’t feeling well,” Mom said.

“It was nothing, really. I feel better today.”

I grabbed one of the crème-filled donuts Mom brought home from the grocery store the night before and called Cassie.

“How are you?” Cassie asked.

“Better. Is everything OK? Mom said you sounded upset.”

“My parents had a major blowout last night,” Cassie said. “I’ve never seen my dad like that. He was so angry. His eyeballs were as big as basketballs and his face as red as Mrs. Snyder’s lipstick.”

“That red?”

“Maybe redder.” 

“Why was he so bent out of shape?”   

“Not sure,” Cassie said. “Mom and Dad have been fighting a lot lately. I think it had something to do with bingo. He’s been playing bingo at the fire hall on Friday nights. He wants mom to go with him but she refuses. She hates bingo. She thinks it’s boring. Dad goes ballistic. He acts like playing bingo is a matter of life and death.”

If only Cassie knew. If only I could tell her. But I couldn’t. What would she think if I told her that her dad had a disgusting sea slug stuffed in his head?

“Then, after his fight with Mom, he started in on me. He wants me to go. Like I really want to go to bingo with my dad on a Friday night. How embarrassing.”

“You’re not going, are you?”

“He’s making me go. Next Friday night. Can you believe it? My dad is making me go to a stupid bingo game. I don’t get it. Mom doesn’t either. But she finally agreed to play bingo if he’ll go to a therapist.

          “Why can’t I have a normal dad who likes to golf and fish? But noooo.

That’s too much to ask for. I get stuck with the dumpy dad who likes playing bingo. Seriously. It’s humiliating.”

I pictured Cassie and her mother slumped over onto the table and gnarly sea slugs squirming their way inside their mouths.

“Are we still on for tonight?” I asked, trying to change the subject.

“Yes. I’ll be over at 5. Maybe before if things get too hot around here. I just don’t understand what’s going on with my dad, Alex. He’s changed. He’s different.”

“Since when?” I asked.

“Since about two weeks ago. He went to play bingo with my Uncle Daryl and hasn’t been the same since.”

“Weird,” I said, trying to sound confused.

“Tell me about it. That must have been some bingo game.”

I bit my lower lip. Cassie was so close to the truth, and she didn’t even know it. My friends and I had seven days to figure out how to stop the invasion. Only seven days. Not much time. But we couldn’t fail. Mom, Cassie and Cassie’s mom were going to be at next week’s bingo game. I was determined that they weren’t going to be the next victims.