CHAPTER 1
Lisa was staring out the window of her science classas usual. Just looking up at the moon, still very visible in thebrightening morning sky. She always did love the way it just sat upthere in the mornings, as though it were sleeping. Then when nightcame, it would awaken with its bright white light. She felt a littlelike the moon at the moment. Tired and not as bright.Someone poked her shoulder and passed a note underneath whereher elbow touched the table. She used her elbow to push it onto herlap quickly before the teacher saw. When the teacher turned backtoward the blackboard Lisa quickly unraveled the note and readsilently.
"Meet me at my locker after class. Got something to tellyou."
-D
* * *
"You're moving?" She forgot they were standing in themiddle of the hallway and suddenly noticed all the weird stareseveryone was giving her as they walked by.
So what? Let them look. It's none of their business anyway. Rightnow she was too upset to really care about what was going onaround them.
"Mom said after this year is over. She at least wants me tofinish high school." He wasn't looking at her, but she could stillhear the hurt and anger in his voice.
Lisa didn't know if she should be relieved his mother was givinghim more time or angry because she might be doing it on purpose.Lisa was going for the latter. When it came to her and Decker'srelationship, that woman was always right there to remind themthat she wouldn't make it easy. And here Lisa thought that wassupposed to be her parent's job.
"Where?" She asked him then, hoping he would saysomewhere in driving distance, or closer. But she caught hishesitation before he answered and braced herself. "Florida." Helooked down.
Her chest constricted. She turned quickly and startedwalking away, anywhere away from where they were, in themiddle of all these curious eyes. She didn't get far enough awayfrom the crowd when the tears started streaming down her face.Good thing they clouded her vision too because she couldn't standto see the looks on everyone's faces as she ran passed them. Theywere probably wondering what was wrong with her or something.How embarrassing. And with Decker chasing her, they're probablythinking they just had a fight. If only that was all it really was ...She wouldn't want to have to look at those faces the next day inschool and remember the looks they gave her while she ran downthe hall crying. So much for the plan of being inconspicuous atschool ...
He grabbed her wrist and spun her around to meet him. Shewanted to protest that they weren't far enough away yet, when hequickly grabbed his shades from his back jeans pocket and slippedthem over her eyes.
It hadn't registered in her mind what he did until he started pullingher toward the empty hallway just around the next corner. Theydidn't run this time, because she didn't have to, Lisa noticed.
Nobody was staring now.
Finally they rounded the corner to the long narrow hallway wherenobody really passed through.
Decker pulled her into his arms tightly and let his head fall downon her shoulder.
"Lisa ..." She heard his voice break. Forgetting what she wassupposed to be upset about, she wrapped her arms around him.
* * *
On the bus ride home, Lisa sat with Decker in the back.They held each other. Hands entwined. She inched closer so shecould lean her head against his chest. She would've closed her eyesand just lay there, her mind soothed by the sound of his heartbeat,all other sounds a dull murmur, when he kissed the top of herforehead and said, "I'm not gonna be there forever."
She's been telling herself that too. Anything to relieve herof the pain that was tearing at her heart. But how long could shereally go without him?
"I swear I'll come back to you, love. I promise.""You're not there yet." She said, trying to push it from her mind.They didn't need to think about it now, or talk about it. They stillhad time ...
Adam poked his head up from behind the seat in front oftheirs when the bus came to a stop. Him and Decker clapped handstogether like they usually did and Adam got off.She looked out and waved at him through the bus window, and hewaved back. His face was sad, but accepting.
Decker rested his head on top of hers for the rest of the ride home.She tried to pretend this was them leaving ... this was the two ofthem going somewhere far away.
* * *
Almost every night Lisa and her mom would sit in herparent's bedroom and watch late night news channels. Mom wasa big fan of crime news. She said she once thought about being aninvestigator, like solving crimes and mysteries and stuff like that.Lisa wasn't really big about the crime genre, especially when itincluded decapitated heads and dead children, but it was fun to sitand listen to the people on the live news shows go at each other'sthroats with different opinions. It was more like drama than crime.
"So, anything new happen in school?" Her mom asked, notlooking up from her handheld puzzle game. That was another thingmom loved, way more than the news. Video games.
"Nothing really. Oh, well besides Decker moving to Florida innine months." Lisa felt like she wanted to slap herself for soundingso casual about it. But she knew the more she dwelled on it theworse the pain would get. And she didn't feel like crying in frontof her mother because she would probably think Lisa was beingoverdramatic. And Lisa might believe her.
"He's moving?" Mom sounded shocked. "To Florida?""Yep." It was apparent that Lisa was angry about it, but hopefullythat was the only thing that was apparent.
"What made them decide to up and move again?"Lisa didn't know, but she believed it had something to do with hismother not liking Lisa one bit. When Decker's family moved hereseven years ago from Philidelphia, it turned out to be a much moredifferent scene here than over in the bustling city.
Decker had never been allowed to leave the house whenhe was little, not even to ride his trike out on the sidewalk. Hismother's paranoia over keeping her son safe had her believing thewhole world was dangerous. He told her the straw that broke thecamel's back was when he was five and his mother actually lethim go out front for a few minutes to kick his soccer ball around.Suddenly bullets started flying past his little head and his motherwas screaming from the front door for him to come back inside.So when they moved here to New Jersey and Decker startedmaking new friends, his mother became a lunatic about his safety.Eventually he met Lisa and didn't even bother begging his momto go outside anymore, he would just walk out. His mother blamedLisa for Decker's "strange behavior." And at first, Lisa tried tounderstand. Any good mother would want their child to be safe. Itwasn't until Lisa saw for herself that Decker's home life was a lotmore complicated than she first thought ...
"Well maybe it's for the best Lisa. Maybe his father willhelp him out a little and get him on his feet ..."
Lisa didn't believe that for one second.
Decker's father left when Decker was only an infant, so he neverhad that kind of male role model to follow by. His mother wassixteen when she had him. Their relationship took a crashing soonafter, and his father promised he would never bother her again aslong as she stayed away from him and his family. This was justafter the crazy woman smeared peanut butter all over his truckand the guy almost died from an allergic reaction. Lisa never metDecker's father, but from what she was told, his father hadn't evenwanted to be a part of Decker's life to begin with. There is only somuch Lisa might believe from his mother, so she takes what thewoman says with a grain of salt. Still, Lisa couldn't help but feela kind of hatred for his father for leaving his teen girlfriend with anewborn to raise on her own, and leave Decker without a father.Decker and Lisa met seven years ago, right after he moved to NewJersey. She was fourteen and he was fifteen. They were friends atfirst, though Lisa dreamed of it becoming something more. Sheonly dreamed because she never thought it would actually happen.He was a handsome blonde. Tall, cool and a real goodskateboarder, while she was just a plain -looking girl. Shy,awkward, and a real geek when it came to Japanese animation.Lisa never thought in a million years that a boy as good-looking asDecker would ever go out with a plain girl like her. Go figure.
Another year passed, and Decker was walking her homefrom a fun night at a friend's house. Before they got to the mainroad across the street from her house, he stopped her and asked ifshe would consider going out with him. A lightning bolt wouldn'tsum up to the amount of shock she felt at that moment. Caught offguard she hesitated and started blinking her eyes as though tryingto wake up from a dream. He smiled down at her. That was thenight Lisa got her first kiss.
She sighed, remembering how it had felt. His lips werewarm and soft, his hands reached up to cup her face. If the worldwas ending she wouldn't have known it. She was deaf to everyoutside sound, numb to the breezy night air and sounds of carspassing. All she knew right then was Decker, the boy she had had acrush on for months, was kissing her.
He changed her life. Soon she was out of the baggy blackclothes, and started wearing lighter t-shirts and capri jeans. Shestill wore some of her black shirts every once in a while, butDecker never minded, he always told her that he loved her inwhatever she wore. She started talking more in school. The panicattacks she had suffered from since she was five didn't happen asoften. She moved her bangs out of her face so they would grow offthe sides of her forehead, instead of hanging in front of her eyes.She became more confident in herself. They would spend everyday together.
Seven years.Sometimes to Lisa, it felt like they had known each other longer.
The blanket in-between Lisa and her mom started to movea little and Gustav, their pet dachshund, popped his head out fromunderneath.
"Hey pup." Lisa leaned down and kissed his big brown flappy ear.But Gustav didn't give her a lick back like he usually did.Something had his attention. He woofed out little barks and hisears perked up. Lisa muted the tv for a second to listen for anynoise outside that he might be hearing.
Probably kids or a car or something, Lisa thought, and un-mutedthe tv.
Then Gustav waddled his way out of the blanket and toward theedge of the bed.
"Does he have to go maybe? Hey Gustav wait a second!" Momyelled, thinking he was going to fall off the bed. Lisa and her dadalways assured mom that he would never fall off, but she worriedanyway. He was a little clumsy sometimes.
Lisa helped him down and he raced out of the room. Shechuckled, amazed he could still run like that despite him being sooverweight.
She slipped on her robe and sneakers.
"I'll go stand out front, I guess. Just in case he decides to wanderoff."
"Alright." Mom answered.
It wasn't exactly freezing cold out, but tonight's air felta little chilly. Lisa pulled her robe closer to her body and put herhands in the pockets. Gustav went to his usual spot over near thecorner where the driveway stopped near the sidewalk. Then heturned around, ears perked and tail up, and started barking madly.Lisa looked around but saw nothing. "What? What Gus?" She triedto call him back thinking he might run off after a cat or whatever itwas he was barking at.
"Come here! Come!"
She didn't want to have a repeat of a few years ago, when Gustavran after the neighbor's cat and almost got his face scratched off.
He stopped for a moment, his whole body still as a statue.Lisa heard his deep growling and backed up onto the porch, afraidthere might be someone near the side of the house. She waited withher breath held. Maybe it was a cat, she told herself, and braveda step down off her porch. Huffing little barks, Gustav trotted hisway up to her and nudged his head into her leg indicating that hewanted to go inside now. She lifted him up and carried him backinto her mother's bedroom.
"What was he barking at?" Her mom asked as she entered.
"I don't know. But hang on a sec." If it really is a catshe better shoo it away before it gets into the backyard and goesthrough their trash again. Lisa was about to close the bedroom doorwhen her mom warned, "Stay near the house alright?"
Lisa nodded.
She stepped out onto her porch again. The night air felt likeit was getting more frigid. She squinted her eyes against the dark,but there wasn't anything to be seen. It was quiet save for a fewpassing cars out on the main road. She stepped out further to lookaround the sides of the house but didn't see anything. It probablywould've been smart to bring a flashlight ... Suddenly she felt astrange "booming" noise wrack her body. It vibrated through herhead and down to her knees.
"Geez!" She mumbled, rubbing the sides of her templesas they throbbed. It was probably one of the neighbors revving uptheir car or blasting music again.
That must've been what Gustav was hearing. Relieved toknow it wasn't a sneaky burglar or a trash-killing cat, Lisa steppedback into the house.
She was about to close the front door when she noticed thebright moon sitting over the top of some trees. It was a full moontonight, her favorite to look at.
She stepped back out for a moment to get a better view.Lisa didn't know what it was about the moon that fascinated herso much. She just loved the way it glowed, not like the sun, whichwas so bright you couldn't look at it. The moon was beautiful,mystifying in its own way. And tonight it was a bright blue. Shesmirked remembering how mom always uses the saying, "Once ina blue moon." It meant something didn't happen very often.
Suddenly she was struck frozen by that loud vibrating noiseagain. This time it was much louder. Closer. Damn people and theirstupid cars! She walked out farther onto the lawn, looking aroundat whomever it was that was making all this noise so late at night.
Then for whatever reason, she looked up.
All she saw now was this ... thing. This huge thing ... Hergut dropped and her face went pale.
It floated out from behind the large tree next to her house.Moving silently through the air ... So silent that if she wereblind she wouldn't know it was there. She was paralyzed by itsintimidating size. It was huge, like a blimp, a metal blimp, fromthe way the moon's light shined on it. It sparkled red. Large sharpfins came into view from its back side. They looked so weird.Lisa felt herself want to fall back away from them, like they weremoving toward her. It was the oddest shape she had ever seen on ablimp ... or plane ... or ....
What scared her the most was that it was so deathly quiet.It moved across the trees so silently ... And before she could getout a squeak, it flew past her. Gone.
"What the—"
Lisa came bolting back into the bedroom and her mom jumped,almost throwing her game into the air. Gustav came racing outfrom underneath his blanket barking wildly at Lisa's frantic state."Lisa what the hell-?!"
"I saw a ..." She stopped to gasp for more breath, stillhyperventilating. "I saw a ...!"
CHAPTER 2
"A ufo?" Adam asked with a stupid grin on his face.Lisa nodded her head rapidly. "I'm dead serious that's what it was!It was just right there! Like right the hell there! Near my house!"Adam and Decker exchanged looks.
"Guys no lie, the thing was huge and red and shiny!"
"Shiny?" Adam chuckled. Decker punched him in the arm.
"Well what did your mom say? Did she see it?" Decker asked.
Actually, Lisa didn't know what to make of her mom's reaction lastnight. When she ran back into the house screaming, she was certainher mom would take her seriously when she started rambling onabout seeing something outside the house. But all her mom did wasgive her a confused and worried look. Hopefully the worried lookwasn't for Lisa's sake! That's the last thing she wanted was for hermom to think she was crazy ...
"Are you sure that's what it was?" Her mom asked afterLisa had calmed down a bit.
"YES! Unless somebody around here is flying a big, round metalplane!"
