I Remember Area 51

Chapter 6

There was another almost deafening bell that awoke me. I sat up and stretched as I walked to the door, I finger combed my hair so that I would at least look decent. The door was open. I spotted Blake, then Kim next to him, and Joan next to her. Blake was tall enough to spot without to much trouble.

"...I'm just saying it doesn't make sense. They always come in sets of two, so, why would they be alone together?" Blake said.

"Alone together, is an oxymoron. Who came alone together and why is that weird?" I joined the conversation, trying to find a way to cross to the other side of Blake to stand by Kim, without it seeming like I was cutting out Joan or avoiding anyone in the group. It was strange standing by a boy, even if my cousin trusted him, I was still doubtful because I had never really talked to a boy besides being forced to in group projects at school, even then I didn't talk to them much. They just confuse me, and I prefer to pretend they don't exist.

"You and your friend, you came together. But, at the same time, alone, neither of you have test partners, where is she? Everyone comes here for breakfast. Do you see anyone you don't know, Kim? Joan? Do you see her, Aspen?" Blake asked looking around, I glanced around to no avail. "What does she look like?" He looked at me.

"She has red hair, she's about my height actually, she's a inch or two shorter than me. What if she is my test partner? I mean, what if you guys are wrong? Why would she be over in the area by the exit, is she ok?" I asked.

"I was thinking about that, did she seem different when she went into the room they placed her in?" Blake asked thoughtfully. We walked into the cafeteria, still no sign of Rachel.

I thought for a moment. "She has always been kind of a go with the flow type of person, but she seemed almost like she knew what was going to happen, when she stopped to open the door, Rachel just stepped in, like she had done it before."

"When you first met her, did she seem to fit in well?" He asked.

"In a way, everyone wanted to be her friend, but she chose to be my friend, she didn't get how things worked in Rhode Island, like, at all. I didn't realize we were that different." I said.

"That's the thing, you aren't that different in Rhode Island from most of the US, you're quite similar to Illinois." Kim said, apparently catching on to what Blake was saying. I was still lost.

"Where did she move from?" Blake asked.

"Wyoming. Midwest, Wyoming." I said after a pause. "She never talked about it really."

"I don't think she actually lived there." Blake said as he accepted his chicken salad sandwich. I took my food before asking a question.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I demanded.

"I think... I think she might have been here before. She might have been from Wyoming when she was small, but, when she was brought here, they might have gotten her to their side, bringing kids here. Who was in the car first, you or her?" He set his food on the table. I sat between him and Kim.

"She was." I admitted, "She wouldn't do anything like that? Why would she?"

"If she came here when she was really young, she might not know any better." He explained. "Did she have a way to get out of the car?"

"No, I mean, our hands were tied to the doors."

"How did the driver tie your hands to the door?"

"She didn't, Rachel did." I realized Blake had a point, with a flaw. "Why would her hands be tied if she was an accomplice?"

"Maybe to hide she was an accomplice, or to make you trust her more. How did she tie your hands? Why didn't you resist?"

"Well, she had a rag with the stuff that makes people pass out on it."