I Remember Area 51

Chapter 1

"Aspen, what do you think?" The teacher asked. I jolted out of my day dream.

"What do I think what?" I asked, utterly confused. Behind her glasses the teacher rolled her brown eyes.

"Is the 'A' in measure 13 'A flat' or 'A natural' ?" Mrs Smith was clearly flustered. I skimmed over my music and found measure 13.

"A flat." I answered confidently.

"Correct, now will you please pay more attention next time? Everyone should have marked the concert A flat by now. So, let's start at measure 10." Suddenly, she was flailing her arms like we were supposed to know what that meant.

We all started playing, most of us missed the now marked A flat, but no one cared. 3 minutes until school got out. The teacher stopped us to mark another flat. And then the flailing began again. One minute later we were stopped. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw people packing up their instruments. I did too.

"Make sure you practice over the weekend, concert in a week, don't be late." Mrs. Smith made eye contact with me and walked towards me. As people left, Haley, Sam, I could even stand if Josh stayed, I knew any of them could help get me out of this situation. I shoved my trumpet in its case, clamped it shut, and was about to run for it when she was right next to me.

"Aspen, I noticed you have been distracted in class lately. Is there something wrong?" she asked, but didn't sound like she really cared. I know she was asking just to scare me into focusing better.

"No." I squeaked.

"If you keep on acting so distracted like this we'll have to call your parents." she said casually, but a threat is still a threat.

"Ok, fine. I'll tell you." I started. "But I don't want a pity party or anything. My closest cousin, Kimmy, disappeared two years ago. She was traveling without an adult. She was a few years younger than me, all the other cousins my age are too girly, so I hung out with her. She wasn't the type to run away, she's been gone for two years and we have no idea how or why." I'll admit I thought about lying, but I knew she was probably going to call my parents either way I figure the truth would work just fine. I had just shared one of my secrets with my teacher, who would undoubtedly share it with everyone she can. I looked at my teacher, she looked shell shocked.

"I...I'm so sorry, I never knew. Is there anything I could do to help? If the case isn't closed already?" She actually seemed concerned now. I was surprised at her question though. I used to carry around "Find Me" cards, but since the case closed, I had no use for them except as bookmarks.

"Um, yeah, sure. I don't have a picture of her with me, but I could email you one later, would that work?" I asked half hoping that she would say no so that I didn't have to email her.

"Yes, anything to help. Thank you for telling me, I hope Karry gets found." She was smiling now.

"Kimmy, and I do, too." I gave her a weak smile and left the band room. I climbed the stairs and when I got to my locker, my locker buddy was already standing there.

"Did something happen? It took you a while." Rachel asked, well, bombarded.

"Teacher asked too many questions. Found out about Kim." Rachel nodded understandingly. She was practically my cousin, though I only knew her for two years, she met me when I was an emotional mess, right after Kimmy disappeared.

"Well, I've got to go, you coming this way?" I asked, I could never know because of all of Rachel's after school activities.

"Nope, I've got book club. See ya' later!" she said as she turned and left, I waved. Sometimes I wondered why I was her friend. Don't get me wrong, I appreciated her kindness and support, but why me? She moved here and everyone was trying to talk to her and be her friend, and she chose to group with me? She could have been popular, she looked like she was a total popular girly girl, I got over that fairly fast. But instead of that amazing fantasy to most girls, she chose me? What on Earth was wrong with her? I did nothing interesting, I'm a dime a dozen kid. I was still evaluating my life when my mom pulled up to pick me up.

"How was your day, Aspen?" She asked as I climbed into the front seat. I shoved my backpack into the foot space, then pulled up my legs to sit criss-cross.

"Okay, I guess." I responded.

"Good, before we get to the elementary school, Alexandria got into your stuff and your room is a mess," I groaned, "Now, don't do that. You did the same thing to my stuff when you were her age. Plus, she got her punishment, no dessert for a week." I closed my eyes so that she wouldn't see me roll them, we got dessert once a month, if we were lucky. That's why it's a treat. It's not a threat. Added bonus, I knew my mom would probably make dessert tomorrow, and let Alexandria have some.

When we got to the elementary school, I jumped out of the car to find my siblings. The twins, Adian and Arika, were coming out of the building, so I signaled them over to where I was, and we walk to the car in silence. On the car ride home, I started some homework, due the next school day, of course. When we got home I went straight to my room, it was a disaster.

I was picking up when I realized that my picture of Kimmy was among the broken things in my room. I was shocked, how could this have happened? I had put it on the wall far beyond her reach, or at least her reach alone.

I looked at the place the picture was supposed to hang, and saw a chair, I sighed, then dumped the broken glass out of the frame into a small garbage can. I then took the scratched picture and put it on its proper place on the wall, kicking the chair in the process.

Half an hour later, I looked at the vacuumed floor, the made beds, and decided it was now safe to leave the room. I went down the hall to the office, got on the computer and searched the internet for conspiracy theories, instead of homework, that could be done on the weekend. The theories were unbelievable; aliens running the government, illuminati, and such, but one caught my eye. "Know someone who went miss..." I knew the rest of the word before clicking on the webpage. The cite told how many people went missing mysteriously in New Mexico, where Area 51 was supposed to be. That's where Kimmy was going she was in the airport and went missing. "This is ridiculous," I told myself, but I was too intrigued to stop reading. "Area 51 is in a disclosed location, only those who work there know where it is. It is said that the government has put alien specimens that scientists are now studying..." The site continued, but it was all trying to find Area 51. I leaned back in my chair to think about what I learned, people go missing in New Mexico, what if Kimmy was one of them? From my relatives I knew that she got off the plane, we saw her on the cameras, but then she was lost in the crowd. She was never seen again.

"Aspen! It's time for dinner! Eat now or don't eat!" my mom called using a constant threat that she would never go through with. I left my bedroom, closing my door behind me. I walked down the stairs to the dining room, when I entered the room, I saw my siblings, Alexandria, Adian, and Arika sitting around the table with my mother. But my father was missing.

"Where's dad?" I asked as I slid into my place at the table.

"He called and said he was on the verge of decoding the signal from last month and has to stay longer tonight." mom said as she dished out soup. We said a blessing on the food and started eating. My parents were both scientists, they took turns going to work and watching my siblings and I. I don't know the details of what they do,but it's all about finding extra-terrestrials, it's weird, but seeing that I connect aliens with my cousin's disappearance, they might not be very weird after all.

No one talked as we ate, which was strange. Mom seemed distant and worried and kept glancing at the door then her watch.

"How late exactly is dad staying after work?" I asked my mom tactically.

"Oh, I don't know, an hour or so probably." she said this to be reassuring, I wasn't sure if she was reassuring me or herself. Plus, neither of my parents ever stayed that late, it was already 9, he wouldn't get back until 10 or so. "Anyway, I'll be off to work in an hour. Kerstan will be here in the next hour to watch you. Well, don't let the house explode," she looked at Adian who was about to say something, "or implode." That summarizes babysitting, make sure no one dies or does something that could potentially harm them.