No Aliens Allowed

- Two -

There was still so much light when I woke up. I shifted, something soft and thin underneath me. Where was I?

I thought really hard, recalling the party, the streak of light, the ship --

The ship.

Damn it.

This thought sent my flying to my feet but since I couldn't see anything I crashed into something very hard and very warm and not an inanimate object but a human.

I screamed, the light from the being searing through my eyelids. I stumbled around some more. I'm sure if Penn was here he would be laughing his ass of. He often said I was terrible at things. So then I hit him a little bit in the arm but he's not fazed because he's Penn and then he gets all snarky and I cancel him from my area.

I found the smooth, cool wall of the ship and dropped to my knees, pressing my hands to it as I pretty much cowered in the corner.

"Language locked: American English. Gathering data." The voice was mechanical and unhinged, and totally not human.

"What?" I asked, then sealed my lips. Maybe this thing wanted to kill me. Maybe it didn't like talking.

But besides, gathering data? What the hell was that supposed mean?

I found out a second later when the light dimmed. I breathed a sigh of relief.

Then froze up again when the voice sounded again.

But this time it was human.

"Physical adaptation triggered and complete. Data collected from one subject. Current state: seventeen years. Time since landing: twenty-one minutes and fifteen seconds."

I couldn't help but think that this alien had the most amazing voice I'd ever heard.

Then I mentally punched myself.

"Mental adaptation triggered."

There was silence. Then, "mental adaptation eighty percent complete. Missing argot from ages beyond forty-five. Commencing final stage: emotional adaptation."

I finally got it, pressed up against the wall with my eyes still shut. This alien, somehow, was taking data from my mind in order to...adapt. I didn't know how, or why, all I knew was that my brain was being combed through so he could blend in.

Now all I had to do was work up the courage to stand up and yell at him. But I couldn't. Icy cold fear had frozen my limbs, breath just hissing past my lips. My fingers hurt from being balled up and I was starting to get cold from the chilly, strange metal.

"Emotional data sixty percent complete. Filling in based on research," the alien said. "Done. Activating adapted form."

There was an earth-shattering bang and the ship heaved underneath me, bucking me away from the wall. I went flying into something hard and hit my head. I cried out in pain as black spots blotted out my sight. I fell to the ground, cradling my head in my hands and protecting my bruised chest.

The ship stopped freaking out and making me hurt. I sat up, the wreckage of a table falling on top of me.

I opened my eyes, and gasped at the destruction. Odd glass tablets with flickering blue writing on them were scattered around, broken and cracked. Bunk beds hung off the wall, and cabinets were distorted and broken. The alien was nowhere to be seen.

I knew better. One time Penn and Catelin were pretty drunk and they roped me into a game of hide and seek. I think Penn might've been high, too. Catelin didn't like drugs. Catelin was wearing white so I caught her pretty quick. Penn, on the other hand, was wearing black because that was all his closet had in it so it took a while. At the end, Catelin was tired and she'd puked in a bush. I wanted to take her home and assumed Penn was gone but as we were walking away he jumped out and I screamed and then I pretty much --