Take Me To Your Reader: An Otherworld Anthology (26 page)

"
Kyle, what's that?" I ask, and he looks up at me with a smile, but his eyes look bleak.

"
I have communicated with the main scouting vessel, and they informed me that Earth is on high alert after I hit one of your satellites. There will be no rescue. I am to be what you call terminated. This device will destroy all evidence of me being here, including me. My craft is unable to travel, and I'm deemed an accepted loss."

"
What? How can they just leave you here? Our military has a code: no man left behind," I say, wondering what kind of monsters would leave him here to die like this.

"
I told you, our species do not have the same emotions as you. There are so many of us that our military sees us entry-level soldiers as nothing but expendable. There's always someone right there to take our place." He shakes his head while his shoulders are slightly slumped, like he has accepted his fate.

"
That's stupid. Really stupid. We have people on Earth that think like that, but to have everyone be so callous about life, that just sucks." I'm so angry I could scream.

"
Sucks?" he says with a ghost of a smile.

"
Stinks, rotten, unfair, not right, and I can't think of anymore words, but yeah, sucks."

"
Ah, now I understand," he replies before going silent for a moment. "I have my orders though, and I must obey them. No one can know I was here. I could put my whole entire race in danger." His somber tone makes me think that maybe he's different from the rest of his species. Maybe he can feel emotion, which only makes this whole scenario worse.

"
You don't have to obey this order. You can tell them to go shove it, and that I know and am not afraid to tell the world, so they'll have to rescue you." I know my face is red with anger, but it begins to fade when I see his beautiful smile return.

"
You care about me. No one has ever cared for me. I've always been an outcast on my planet. I'm different, and I've always struggled to fit in. But I must obey these commands. I must die, and leave no trace of my existence behind. It's for the common good."

I feel the tears begin to roll down my cheeks, mixing with the fragile snowflakes collecting on my face. In this moment my heart feels like it
's going to snap in half. I've just met this wonderful alien being and he's going to die because his people told him he has to. I have to stop him. I'm not going to let him do this. No one should be forced to do this to themselves, it's barbaric.

"
No, I won't let you. You will stay here with me. My parents can help you. Nobody will know the truth." I swipe away the tears of frustration and shoot up to my feet. My legs feel stiff from sitting on the cold ground for so long.

"
I don't believe that will be possible. I have to follow orders. If I disobey, I might not be able to survive in your atmosphere anyway. I was only supposed to observe Earth from afar. My death is the only way to protect the rest of my race from discovery. Why are you crying?" I again angrily wipe away a few stray tears.

"
I'm crying because I don't want you to die. I want you to stay here and live. We can do this together," I choke out.

I want Kyle to stay here. My emotions are so intense right now that I feel like I
'm going to burst. Freaking hell, he looks human, so surely he can adapt to our atmosphere. Fate can't be this cruel.

"
I wish I could touch your crying—wait, tears. I'm being told they are salty. I wish I could disobey my orders, but I cannot. Please stop crying … You are sad, and it's because of me. I'm honored at the emotions you are expending because of my imminent termination. Nobody will miss me when I cease to exist. Meeting you will make this bearable for me. We have only a short while, so can you sit back down and talk to me a little longer? Keep me company in my final hours? I want as much knowledge about you before I, well, you know. Oh, and I'm told your tears could freeze from the cold temperature, so please stop since I don't want you to be a frozen human."

Between my sobbing fits I feel the need to giggle, and a little one seeps out at his comment. I love the way he talks, looks, and makes me feel. Could I be having feelings for him? I so don
't believe in insta-feelings, but my emotions are raw at the thought of losing him. Maybe it's because he's an alien, and I'm just overwhelmed by the fact that they are actually real. Maybe my strong link to my nana and the thought of how I miss her so much and wish she was here to meet Kyle are increasing the intensity of my feelings.

"
I find that your giggles make me feel … happy." Kyle's voice interrupts my thoughts, and I give him a watery smile.

"
You feel happy?" I ask, smiling wider.

"
Yeah, I guess I do. Well, at least I think this is what happy feels like," he replies, answering my smile with a grin of his very own.

"
So, what do you want to know?" I ask, trying to reign in my emotions and gain some self-control. The least I can do is give him what he wants. The ticking noise draws my attention to the hateful red demon, I mean sphere, attached to the force field.

"
You mentioned parents earlier, explain. All I can hear is that they are related to you."

"
My mom and dad? Well, they made me and my sister." I'm not sure what else to say about them, or how else to explain it. I don't think this is the most appropriate time for a sex ed lesson.

"
I'm told you are made through sexual reproduction. Do you partake in this sex?"

He didn
't just ask me that question, did he?

"
Hmm. Well, no, I don't. I mean, I've kissed boys and have made out with a few here and there, but never went all the way." Yeah, I definitely would've so regretted losing my virginity to Bradley Majors, aka the Jackass. In typical jackass fashion, when I wouldn't put out, he moved on to someone who would, and did.

"
What exactly is love? I'm told it's a feeling. I've seen many of your human feelings in action, but I'm told love is one that you all seek."

My eyes meet his and I swear I
'm experiencing the stirrings of some deep emotions, or maybe it could be frostbite of the brain or something.

"
Love is indeed a feeling, but it has many meanings to many people. There's the love for your family. There's the love for someone you have an intimate connection to who's not related to you. There's also a love for an animal or pet that shares your life. You know, it's actually really hard to explain what love is exactly. I've never really thought about it in detail before, but I can tell you that it's a very complicated emotion." I see his smile slip as frown lines appear on his perfectly smooth forehead like he's thinking really hard.

"
If I was human, would it be possible for you to love me?" His eyes—I swear they change to a different shade of blue—stare attentively into mine like he's willing me to say yes.

"
Maybe, but I don't think you'd have to be human for me to love you," I say honestly, and I really mean it.

"
That makes me happy. The definition of happy seems appropriate for this moment." He grins widely like he has just figured out some complex problem and is bursting with pride. "Will you do something for me? It's maybe a small thing for you, but I want one question answered before I … go. I want to know how it feels to kiss someone."

I
'm struck speechless. He wants a kiss. A beautiful alien guy wants a kiss from me. I nod my head and then I realize to do this, the bubble must disappear. He might die before my eyes from exposure to our air. I don't think I can handle that.

"
I'm sorry, was it inappropriate for me to ask this of you?" He looks at me intently, and I pull myself together.

"
You'll have to remove the barrier for me to give you a kiss. What if you die? I don't want you to die," I say, my voice laced with desperation.

"
At least I'll die happy. I'm told that kissing is an enjoyable experience, and I would like to feel true joy at least once in my life." He sounds like he's almost pleading with me, and I abruptly stand up before placing my hand onto the bubble. Kyle does the same.

"
Yes, I will," I say boldly, even though I'm breaking apart inside at the thought of these being my last moments with him.

"
I'll be back right back, don't leave, and please don't change your mind." He scrambles back to his ship, and within seconds he returns.

"
I've made it so that the barrier will disappear in one minute, your time. Are you ready?"

No, I yell to myself, I
'm not ready. I don't want this kiss to be my last memory of him. This isn't fair.

I nod, answering his question, and move closer to the bubble as it begins to flicker and pulsate a neon blue. My emotions are all over the place, and I find myself torn between wanting to experience my first kiss with an alien, and the fact it will most likely be the last.

The force field fades away and Kyle rushes forward, wrapping his firm arms around my frame, and pulls me close. His head almost immediately moves down to mine and our lips meet, causing my legs to feel like jelly. Swinging my arms around his neck, I wish I wasn't wearing my thick jacket, because I'd love to actually feel his body next to mine. With the tip of my tongue, I boldly push my way into his mouth, and swear this is turning out to be the most amazing kiss I've ever had. He pulls me in closer, and I feel my heart pounding so loudly that I swear it's going to explode. His tongue is thoroughly exploring every inch of my mouth, and I feel like I've died and gone to heaven. I'm freaking making out with an alien, and I'm loving it. Then it hits me, he's taken a breath, I'm sure of it because I felt his warm breath against my lips. He's still alive, I want to jump up and down, but I don't want this kiss to end.

My hands comb through his soft hair, and I shiver as he reciprocates the gesture. When I open my eyes for the first time since our lips met, I see a bright red glow encompassing us, and reality sets in. When will that damn thing go off? I gently pull away from Kyle, which is almost impossible, because he immediately groans and tries to pull me close again.

"Kyle, that red thingy," I say breathlessly, wanting his lips on mine again, but someone has to face the problem lying at our feet.

"
We must leave before it detonates." I see him glance down at the glowing ball, and then his eyes meet mine again. "That kiss was more than I ever could have imagined it could be. Happy doesn't even begin to describe what one feels during a kiss—that kiss in particular. As much as I want to continue, you must leave before …"

"
Don't say it," I say, grabbing for his hand. "We're leaving together. You're still alive, Kyle. You're breathing our air. Please come with me. I don't want to lose you." I watch him bite his lip as if he's grappling with what he's supposed to do, and what I know he wants to do.

After what seems like an eternity, I feel my nerves stretch tight because of his hesitation, but then relax when he nods his head. OMG, he nods his head. My heart leaps. He
's coming with me.

Kyle squeezes my hand as I lead him and his gorgeous grin away from his death sentence. As we hurry quickly through the woods, away from the crash site, a bright red light fills the surrounding area. I hear a high-pitched screeching sound behind us followed by a loud bang, and we
're suddenly pushed forward by what feels like an intense wind. Kyle wraps me up in his arms as we tumble to the ground, taking the brunt of the impact himself. When I gaze up into his beautiful eyes, a smile grows on my lips and on his as well. He pulls me to my feet and we both begin to dust ourselves off.

"
Thank you," I say while looking at him intently.

"
It is I who should be thanking you," he answers with a thoughtful gaze. "So, have you given any thought to how you are going to explain me to your parents?"

I pause for a moment while letting his question sink in.
"Well, I really haven't thought that far ahead yet, but I do know one thing."

"
And what is that?" he asks while slightly titling his head to the side.

I sigh.
"Life is most definitely going to get interesting around here."

By Sarah M Ross

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's website:
http://www.sarahmross.com/

Krissy

"Oh come on! Don't do this to me, not now." I pressed harder on the gas, but the truck only slowed.  "No no no no…"  I whined. My old Ford pickup sputtered to a stop before it gave one final clunk and died. "Damnit!"

I pounded on the steering wheel not that it would do any good, but it did make me feel better. The 1963 Ford F100 pickup truck had been on its last leg—or wheel as the case may be—for a while now, but I was deep in denial. It had belonged to my grandfather before he passed. I tried hard to maintain it, but without access to the proper parts or funds for a great mechanic, I knew it was only a matter of time before it went to the great junk yard in the sky. I had really hoped the truck would last me through senior year because I couldn
't afford anything new and wasn't looking forward to riding the bus with the freshman.