Dating Father Time's Daughter (Book 1)

Chapter 27: The Worms that come from Space

Life after high school was certainly a mixed bag. Some students enrolled in college, which continued their educational journey. Other students searched for work as a means of supporting their family and acquiring independence. Then, there were those students who were just trying to figure things out. Life was far from a straight road.

Joe was located in the intersection of these paths. His education was in becoming a Time Keeper. He worked at Freedom Fries to support himself and his sister. And, he focused on understanding what shape his life was taking. He was always average at geometry.

Joe rested comfortably in his bed. His room was tidy and his electronic clock was set to awake him at any second. A number of fans blew in Joe's room. The recent heat wave required any sane person to sleep with them, unless they wanted to cook the entire night. Aside from that abnormality, life was predictable after his graduation.

And that's how Joe liked it.

While Joe snoozed, the roots of a tree pounded on his window. After a while, the roots gave up and pulled the window up from the outside. Autumn appeared in front of the open window and climbed inside of the room.

Wasting little time, Autumn brushed herself off and placed two warm hands on Joe shoulders, which were covered with a thick blanket.

"Joe, wake up" said Autumn.

"I don't have school anymore" mumbled Joe half-awake, "I graduated."

Autumn continued to shake Joe. The open window permitted the humidity from outside to slip into the room. With each passing second, Joe's room grew hotter. Sweat beads emerged on Joe's face and soon his cheeks darkened to a deep shade of red. Autumn was oblivious to Joe's rising body temperature.

Pools of sweat ran down Joe's face. When he opened his mouth to breath, a large droplet of sweat fell off his upper lip and splashed into his mouth, rolling down his throat. This caused Joe's eyes to fly open as he sat up and coughing and sputtering.

Autumn stepped back and observed Joe's wild reaction with worried eyes.

"What just happened?!" asked Joe. His throat was dry as he continued to wheeze.

"Joe, I need your help," said Autumn.

Surprised by Autumn's presence, Joe pushed himself back against the wall and gasped,

"Autumn!"

"Joe, this is urgent" continued Autumn.

The only clothing Joe wore while he slept were boxers. So, the presence of a woman in the room made him self-conscious. Salvaging his pride, Joe hid his scrawny body underneath the covers and held them up to his neck.

"How did you get into my room?" asked Joe.

Autumn pointed to the window.

"You have to go through the door," said Joe, "That's not the way people enter houses. That's how burglars enter houses. I thought you were trying to rob me."

Immediately after Joe finished his sentence, Pixie punched a hole just above Joe's bedroom door. She stuck her hand into the hole and unlocked Joe's door from the inside. Then, she opened his door and walked into his room.

"Oh, it was just Autumn. I thought you were in trouble" said Pixie.

Joe nearly had a hernia as he pointed to the damage Pixie caused,

"You can't just punch holes through doors! I have no privacy!"

Both Pixie and Autumn were staring at Joe's bed. He looked down and noticed a puddle of water soaking his mattress. Joe wiped his face and leaped out of his bed.