Terror By Night

Chapter 9

I will never again take for granted the simple pleasure of having clean teeth. After all the girls rushed the hygiene table and jostled for a sink in the locker room, we have all emerged more human than we were an hour previously. There is noticeable improvement in the overall smell around the room as well. I'm lined up with Zoe waiting to get our breakfast. It's been donated to the school by a local Mom and Pop place that makes the best biscuits in town. Finally, a bright spot to the day.

"Do you think we're going to be leaving today?" Zoe asks while we make tiny steps toward the food.

"I don't think so. They seem to be prepping to get us ready to go though."

Zoe raises a quizzical brow. "What do you mean?"

"Well, they're handing out items in travel size, along with dragging out the announcements throughout the day. That means they want us to be prepared to leave but aren't quite there yet. So my guess is it'll be tomorrow."

Zoe ponders this. "You're probably right. Unless it takes longer to get us moved. Where do you think we're headed? Somewhere close?"

We inch closer to the table. "I'm not sure. Principal Mooreland said they needed to reconfigure existing structures. That means they have the buildings, they just need to prep for all the incoming people. It'll have to be somewhere big enough to hold and house a bunch of us. I'm thinking one of the colleges. They have dorms and cafeteria's and such."

"Oh, that almost sounds fun." Zoe's trying to hide her smile. Given the circumstances, she doesn't want to appear excited. But when a person hasn't hardly ever left their small town, any change of scenery can be considered an adventure.

"You know what Zo? I think you're right. We can view it as an early college tour. A preview of life on campus." I can back this idea. Whatever it takes to keep our spirits up. They're going to ship us somewhere. There's no point in being miserable. Staying positive will help the transition go smoother.

Zoe holds in a squeal of excitement. "Layken, you're a genius!"

"It was actually your idea," I tell her.

She lightly smacks my arm. "It wasn't but I'll take credit if you insist. I hope it's the campus at FSU. I've been wanting to see it forever." She drags the last word out to emphasize.

I have to laugh a little along with her. It's good to see a smile on her face again. Besides, I've had my eye on FSU as one of my possible choices, in case I decided to stay closer to home. If I don't completely abandon my dreams of a college education, I too can imagine this is just a typical college recruiting trip. 

I squeeze her arm. "We're going to be fine Zoe. You, me, and Nolan are going to stick together and ride out whatever this is." I wave my hand in a circle to encompass the whole scene, even beyond. "At some point, our lives will get back on track and we'll move forward. This is just a speed bump."

Zoe and I both know it's more than that. But, I can tell she appreciates my effort at keeping us positive. She gives me a patronizing smile. "Of course Layken. If I had to be stuck in the middle of an alien invasion, you'd be my first pick for cheerleader."

"Ugh," I groan. "Couldn't I be Captain?"

Zoe watches me for a second and says, "Nope. I'm voting Xavier in as Captain." She waits for my reaction.

My mouth turns down in a frown. "Since when did he join our group? I don't recall him being invited or asking to be included."

"He didn't have to. In case you failed to notice, he's inserted himself into our trio and you practically begged him to stay."