When Evelyn found an alien metal panel in the ground, her world was changed forever. Now, she has to fight for the freedom of an entire robotic race. ////
On a day like any other, 12 year old Evelyn Pall was in the desert near her home when she fo...
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Evelyn Pall had no clue that soon there would be giant, evil alien robots demanding to have her bike.
She was just sitting on a large rock, doodling in her notebook. Surrounded by cliffs of reddish brown stone and a couple miles away from her home. A couple miles away from any civilization, really. But Evelyn liked it that way. This time after school was her time.
It had taken a while to convince her Dad to let her come out here every day. He'd worried about a thousand things happening to her, half of which probably never would! She followed all the safety rules. She never went into tunnels or caves or ever even close to them. And she had a cell phone in case of emergencies.
Luckily with a lot of convincing, her Dad had given permission. Now she spent her afternoons sitting in the sun, listening to the wind, and doing whatever she wanted to. She'd found the perfect spot away from people, her town, and far away from the observatory where her Dad worked.
She didn't understand how she could hate that building so much. It was just a building. But somehow, she resented it for taking more of her Dad's time than she could. That was probably stupid, but it was true. She'd loved it when she was little with all the people and the cool instruments that her Dad got to use. But now, it only represented everything that frustrated her in her life. Everyone's expectations, Dad's busyness, Mom's absence, and people who expected her to be more than she was and were disappointed when she wasn't.
She sighed, doodling a silly face on the notepad and giggling a little. For right now, she could do anything she felt like.
Minutes passed until, eventually, she checked her watch and groaned inwardly. This time just passed by so quickly. It wasn't time to head back yet, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Dad got really upset when she got home late. (Even though most nights he did too.)
Scribbling in the notebook, she debated whether to stay here later just to see what he'd do. She shook her head. That wouldn't be fair. And it wouldn't be worth it if she couldn't come out here anymore.
She stood, enjoying the feeling of the wind and staring out onto a vast expanse of cliff sides and stone and ground and blue sky. Standing on her favorite spot on a tall ridge, she could see all of it. Everything was grayish-brown, and when Evelyn was honest with herself, she knew it wasn't very pretty. But it seemed beautiful to her anyway. It was a place she could escape to, but more importantly, it felt like hers. And when you think about that kind of belonging, anything can feel beautiful.
The wind whipped a few strands of dark brown hair in her face, and she absentmindedly brushed them away. Her hair was cut short under her chin with bangs, and the front ends were pulled back behind her head. She was an Indian girl who was just a bit chubby and short for her age. She loved the outdoors, and with hiking boots and a short-sleeved shirt but a jacket tied around her waist, she felt ready for anything that could be thrown at her out here.
