The Quirky Tale of April Hale (Quirky Series #1)

2.2: Aliens, Alienation, and the Alternative

2. Aliens, Alienation, and the Alternative

The townhouse looked alien.

In fact, the whole neighborhood looked alien to me; every house looked identical, like there was a copy machine that would churn out houses once a day. My neighborhood was called Flamingo Valley, and I believed that the art students who lived here were the ones who gave it a name. Every house was polished off-white and every house looked old, much older than what I'd deem 'safe to live in'. It was no longer a mystery on why my parents chose this townhouse as my place to live. This place must be tonnes cheaper than living in the Greenville University of Art dormitory.

Ryder parked the car right in front of house number 145, the place in which I'd been mailed the key a few days ago.

"So," he didn't share any of my nervousness. "Here's the place."

I gulped and nearly gagged because I didn't like the taste of saliva. I gave the whole neighborhood a once-over. It was twelve in the afternoon, but the place looked empty, lifeless, as if it was a ghost-town. Nevertheless, I could see clothes hanging on the balconies of some house, the only sign that there were actual people here.

"Wanna knock?" Ryder offered.

"I'd rather stay here!" I tried to make my voice as cheery as possible, which, according Dr. Lecter, was just a matter of higher octave.

Ryder, unfortunately, didn't buy my veil of happiness.

"Or I'll knock. Either way, you're going in today."

"This is a big mistake." I shook my head. "This is a big, big, big mistake. I shouldn't have left home. I can't leave home. I just can't. I can't live here with four strangers-"

"Three," Ryder kindly reminded.

"Three strangers, all of whom are my age! I don't get along with people my age! I miss my mommy and daddy, I just wanna go home and meet all seventy five of my teddy bears! Right now I only bring Mr. Teddy number 45, and he won't be enough when I'm alone and cold and shaking from the loneliness."

Ryder chewed on his lower lip, and then he said, very quietly. "But you have me here. I'll be living nearby."

"But there'll be no mom."

"I'll come over whenever you feel lonely. The great thing about townhouses is there is no curfew or 'no-boys' bullshit.'

"But there'll be no dad."

"Um, but there's us!" a girly voice called out. Following her, hushed feminine voices started to rouse.

I froze.

"April," Ryder called out for me softly. "April, I think those girls are your housemates."

"I don't want to look up," I whispered to him. "I'm too embarrassed. I can't look up now."

"April," Ryder used that tone that he always used when he was being serious. "they're all looking at you and smiling."

"That's even worse." I closed my eyes and chanted my mantra for when things didn't seem to go right. After the third repetition, my heartbeat slowed into a normal rate, and I could finally look up. Facing me was three girls, all three looked pretty and confused.

I'd never introduced myself to three people all at once.

"You must be April!" the brunette was the most enthusiastic one. She swung both of her arms around, and I had the feeling that if Ryder wasn't around, she'd jump into the car and hug me breathless.