This Alien Soul

Part 2 Chapter 4

Lindsey

Winter break had come and gone with no signs of Amber.

When she failed to appear for the last couple days of school before break, Kelly and I had just shrugged it off. She was probably just feeling bad from her treatments, or avoiding Alek. I mean we had all seen them in the snow together, though we had pretended not to at the time.

But then she had missed our annual tree decorating, a night Kelly, Amber and I looked forward to every year. We would all get together at Kelly's house and decorate a massive fur tree in her parents din. We would listen to Christmas music, drink spiked hot chocolate and stay up all night watching Christmas movies. Amber loved it and would never just miss, especially without calling.

Then, as Homecoming queen she was expected to ride on the homecoming float that represented our school. Kelly had to stand in for her at a worried Brad's side. Afterward the three of us had gone to Amber's house to demand to see her, only to find it completely dark, closed up with no one home.

Now it's the first day of Spring term and no sign of her anywhere.

"She's okay right?" Kelly was wringing her hands together as we waited outside, hoping against logic that her red car would come barreling into her parking spot. "I mean someone would have told us if she's..."

"If she's dead?" Brad voiced the possibility that Kelly couldn't.

"Yeah, if she's dead." Kelly's voice was small, holding in tears at the thought that Amber was no longer with us. "They wouldn't just pack up and leave town and say nothing, would they?"

"No, I'm sure she's fine." I lied. While I didn't think she was dead, something was definitely wrong. They were hiding something.

Amber had seemed off since going back to her parents. I had known she was hiding something but hadn't wanted to push. We all had our secrets and I knew whatever it was she would eventually come to me if she needed anything. Now I wished I had said something, anything...

The bus that brought the Zionians to and from arrived later than it normally did. Bumping up to the curb right in front of the school and blocking our view of Amber's parking spot. It was the second of two buses from the alien compound, this one arriving later than the first bus that dropped off before most of the student body arrived. So only a few Zionians came spilling out.

My eyes were drawn to the last dark figure to emerge. Why did he have to look so good?

Dressed in distressed blue jeans and a white t-shirt with a green jacket over top and a black beanie over his shaved head, he threw a knowing smirk my way when he caught me checking him out. But really, how could I help myself?

"Where's the Zionian?" Brad grudgingly asked. I hadn't been the only one to see that snowball fight. "I'm sure he knows where she's at."

Only then did I realize that Alek hadn't come off the bus. "He probably came on the earlier bus."

"No doubt so he could stalk Amber." Brad huffed, giving up, he turned to head to his first period class.

Kelly and I waited another minute as the Zionian bus left revealing the still empty park spot. "Do you think Alek would really know where she is?" Kelly asked as we turned away, forced by the warning bell to give up.

"I hope so." Now that I thought about it he had been missing that last week before break as well. Maybe he had been with Amber, wherever that was. "Those two can't stay apart long."

"Well if we don't get answers by the end of the day, I'm going to stake out her parents place." Kelly who normally wasn't the worrier in our threesome, was sounding as freaked out as I was. "I'm not going to leave without knowing where she is. Because this is bullshit."