Invited

Twenty-Nine - Chevelle

The last thing I put in my bag was Steve, Wicken's bunny.

"Take him," Cleo had said right before I left. "He should stay with you."

I wanted to protest. After all, she was going to be joining me soon enough. Having a small piece of Wicken was wonderful. The selfish side of me was happy to take his treasure and hang onto it for him. I put my favorite childhood mementos into my bag as well. They would make for fond memories and things to share with the baby when it arrived. It gave me a small thing to look forward to about the whole childbearing adventure.

"Okay," I said to myself. "I'm ready."

Slinging my bag over my shoulder, I went upstairs to the main floor so I could give my parents one last hug and kiss before I left them again. Waiting in the kitchen was the whole family, my chihuahua Burrito included, and Paul.

Landon was all over Paul in the middle of asking a million questions. I couldn't hear them, but I could see Paul responding and nodding and then my brother spouting another thing from his mouth. His enthusiasm was refreshing.

I waved from the doorway. "Hey, I think I've got everything."

"Then let's go back. I will see the rest of you at the meeting point. You can read the map well?" Paul asked, nodding at my father.

Dad nodded back. "Yeah, I know where that is."

"Excellent, we will see you tonight." Paul stood and approached me. He pressed on my wrist and in the blink of an eye, we were back on Salvation in one of the holding rooms used specifically for teleportation.

On my wrist was a small black dot, a device that made the teleportation possible in the first place. I gazed out at space through the window. Still crazy that I was out there. I didn't like seeing the expanse of the universe before me. Some people got a kick out of it. Me? I'd rather be in my pretend bubble of the fake sky in the fake garden and enjoying my swanky apartment.

Paul brought me back to my apartment. I opened the door, curious to hear about everyone else's adventures from the past few days.

"Thanks," I said to Paul. "I'll see you in a little while."

"Yes, of course." He nodded and then left.

The door closed, I listened for any other signs of life and was satisfied with the sound of a flushing toilet. Timber's soft humming could be heard from back in the bedroom.

Lara's head popped up from the couch. "You're back!"

"I am," I said. "So are you. How'd everything go?" I waved my hand. "Wait, tell me when Timber gets back in here, then we don't have to repeat everything."

With a shrug, Lara disappeared behind the couch again and was quiet. Timber came back in and I could tell by the weak smile he gave me that things didn't go so stellar for him.

"I saw you on TV. My brother is excited to meet you. He practically got off the couch and started worshiping you on the screen," I teased, in an effort to lighten the mood. It got a chuckle out of him at least.

He shook his head. "He'll get over it once he sees how normal I am."

"I tried to tell him." I held my hands up. "Anyway, they're all coming up. I can tell my dad isn't thrilled with the idea, but he's coming. My mom is only coming because of this thing." I poked my stomach. "And Wicken's mom is coming too and she's...weird."

"How so?" he asked.

"I'm not sure how to explain it. She knew things, though," I said and sat down at the kitchen table. "Things about the aliens. She was not fazed by this whole thing in the slightest."