[GTS] To devour is to survive, that is the way of life for all those who transcend the confines of the Insignificant things called planets, who break the laws of mortality and go beyond the sanity of reason, that is the way of a Devourer of worlds...
Conrad sat at his desk, eyes half-focused on the whiteboard while Mr. Halbrook went on and on about parabolas and quadratic equations like the universe wasn't on the verge of tearing open. Like Conrad himself hadn't been launched through space just days ago, almost vaporized between two cosmic titans, only to be told he was now invited to attend some sort of grand intergalactic family dinner that might decide the fate of Earth.
And now he was here. In school. For what he was pretty sure would be the last time.
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His chin rested in his hand as he stared blankly out the window, barely hearing anything being said. Everyone else around him was going on like it was just another Thursday. But for him? It was his final 24 hours as a normal human being.
Great, he thought, I'm basically becoming an astronaut and I'm stuck here trying to remember how to factor a damn polynomial.
His gaze drifted to the sidewalk outside the school gate. That's when he saw her.
A girl. Blonde hair. Pale skin. She wore what looked like a school uniform, though it fit her about as naturally as a bedsheet wrapped around a lamp post. She walked stiffly, like she didn't quite know how her legs worked, glancing around at everything like a tourist on a new planet.
Conrad squinted. His stomach twisted.
"...No way."
The girl turned her head. And their eyes met.
Conrad bolted upright, his chair scraping loudly. "Uh, Mr. Halbrook? Can I use the restroom?"
Mr. Halbrook barely glanced up. "Fine, just take the pass."
Conrad was already halfway out the door before the pass even landed in his hand. He sprinted down the hall, burst out the school entrance, and made a beeline for the gates. He didn't stop until he was right in front of her.
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"W–what are you doing here?!" he practically shouted, breathless.
The girl—no, the Devourer—turned her head toward him, blinking slowly.
"Oh," she said, tilting her head. "There you are."
Conrad blinked. "You... you can't just show up here! You're not supposed to be on Earth! This is a school! People will see you!"
