Counting Stars

Chapter 3

When he was a child, his mother had always told him not to take candy from strangers. If there was a teenage equivalent for such a warning it would be, "don't follow strangers to their spaceship."

He was probably making a huge mistake. They were the only two people walking down the dimly lit streets. The area was unfamiliar to him, but August recognized the direction. Mal was leading him towards the upper east side, where families and old women with dogs lived in their ritzy apartments.

There should have been more people around them. And there was absolutely no way a spaceship was located here without someone noticing it. 

Not for the first time, he considered that this was a mistake, but a stubborn part of him refused to admit that to Mal. He wanted to prove that he wasn't afraid of anything to this space boy.

Mal stopped suddenly and looked around the street, making sure no one else was around. He fished out a set of keys and turned up the stoop of a nearby apartment. The door opened with the gentle turn of the lock and Mal urged him to head inside.

August took a deep breath. No turning back. He followed the other boy inside.

A stairway and elevator laid against the left side of the wall. On the right sat a small mailbox for the inhabitants of the building. August gapped at the normalcy of it all, "This is nice..."

Mal laughed, moving to the elevator. "This isn't it. The ship is on the roof."

"On the roof?" August repeated in shock. The elevator doors opened and he followed the other boy inside. Mal selected the top floor.

"Well yeah, we wouldn't land it in the middle of the street. Plus, no one lives in this building. So we don't have to worry about anyone finding it."

"How do you know no one lives here?"

Mal shrugged easily, "That is a space secret."

August frowned at the answer, but the elevator doors opened before he could pry. Mal led the way out, turning and taking the stairs that lead to the roof. The metal door opened with a slam and together they stepped out onto the roof.

A lot of images had floated to the top of his mind when Mal mentioned his ship. A large circular structure seen in black and white photos. The Enterprise from Star Trek, even the Millennium Falcon. But this ship didn't look like any of those.

It looked like a giant metal teepee. From the distance, people might just think it was a new addition to the apartment complex. a strange shaped greenhouse or rooftop cover.  The metal outside gleamed like dark glass, helping it to blend it with it's surrounding. No wonder no one called to report a strange looking UFO. 

Intrigued August rushed up to get a closer look. The structure stood propped on three sturdy legs, ensuring the bottom never touched the top of the building. He ducked his head under and saw what could only be the booster for the ship. His hand touched the outside of it, feeling the cold metal. 

He stepped back and noticed a  large decorative M marking the outside of the ship. August could already guess what it stood for. The Megarians.

This was real.

The ground shifted under him at the realization. When the news had been revealed earlier it was easy to believe it was some strange joke his family was playing on him. But now, the reality of it was crashing down. Mal was an alien. His father was an alien. He was an alien.

The ship suddenly rumbled to life. A low purr growled from the booster, causing August to startle. A long panel fell from one side of the ship, lowering slowly to the ground and revealing the dark insides.