Gemini of Emreiana (12 page)

A few weeks had passed, but nothing had gotten better. The news was always covering the
alien
attack, and if there would be another one. The humans thought they knew everything, but they didn't. Astronomers were trying to pin point their origin. Of course, they were wrong. Leaders were discussing possible reasons behind the attack and ways to make peace. Even school was nothing but talk about the aliens. Teachers would drop assignments for the students to discuss this big change in Earth's history. Some students didn't even come to school. Some left to be with family in other cities or states. Everyone was afraid. No one knew what to expect. The Bremoir had not stirred since the Washington attack.

At home, I vigorously studied the Emréian language. I still had a way to go before I could have a conversation with my mother, but now I had a general idea of what people were saying. Well, most of the time. My aunt or Aaronmon would help with any translations that I did not understand at all. They would also help translate back what I couldn't. There were times I would attempt to speak in Emréian and fail miserably. I didn’t know what I really said, but they would giggle and my cheeks would turn shades of pink.

"You’re learning quickly," my mom said to me in Emréian as we enjoyed an Emréian breakfast.

I looked out the window, seeing Aunt Trish tend to her plants. I turned back to my mom.

"I want to be able to speak without her," I said as best as I could.

She reached her hand over and cupped it over mine.

Aaronmon entered through the archway.

"This looks good!" He sat down next to me to eat. He then repeated it in Emréian, or at least I guessed that was what he had said. Either that, or the mood was good.

I examined my plate. Today we were eating some sort of sweet crispy bread. It had a sweet runny filling inside and a taste I could not describe at all. It was actually decent.

I felt comfortable with Aaronmon in the room.

"So, when are we going to study Emréian today?" I asked him.

"Do you not want to take a break at all?"

I looked at my mother and Aaronmon sighed.

"I guess we can study after breakfast. I have some things I need to do today," Aaronmon said.

"What things? I thought your duties were to teach me, protect me, and make my life miserable," I muttered, taking a bite of my food.

My mother said something in Emréian. All I could make of it was preparing and leaving.

"Are we leaving?" I looked at the two of them. I could tell that my mother guessed what I was saying. She looked at Aaronmon.

"Not yet. We are leaving in a week. But we have to prepare to make it safe and ensure we aren’t seen, by humans or by the Bremoir. We know they are in the area. They may have even figured out who we are."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because the Borain warriors have disappeared. We figure the Bremoir must have picked them up to obtain any information gained. We don't know what they do and do not know, but we sent some trackers to track them down after the attack at Karlie's. It took a while, but they finally found where they were staying. They are not there anymore."

"So, they know who I am?"

"We don't know. The only time they were ever close to you was at Karlie's. They may know who you are, or they may end up not knowing a thing," Aaronmon replied.

My mom stood up and excused herself. She was fearful that they knew.

"Okay. I knew this day would be coming soon, anyway. Let's just get the preparations done right. Will the Bremoir leave Earth alone?"

Aaronmon sighed. "We honestly don't know. We can keep ships here to protect them, but Earth wouldn't know to trust us."

"So we tell them," I said.

"Maybe after we get you off the planet."

I nodded.

Phil came up. He paused for a second. I knew he was waiting on his dapler.

"There is an earth girl outside who says she knows the Lenai. We have to confirm it by you that she is safe to allow in."

Aaronmon and I looked at each other. I ran into the living room and glanced out the window. There, Meagan was waiting, irritated by the garnix around the house. Of course, she didn't know who they were.

I looked at Aaronmon.

"Oh come on? How could you not give them a list of safe people? Now what do I tell her?"

Aaronmon just looked at me and shrugged.

I rolled my eyes.

"She is okay," I told the garnix. Of course, I forgot that they didn't speak English. So I told them again in Emréian.

Meagan's eyes were wide and confused. She looked at their clothes that, of course, did not look like Earth’s. She heard the language.

I felt Meagan become suspicious and alert.

"Let's go up to my room." I grabbed her hand.

"What is this all about?" Meagan asked me, sitting in my rolling desk chair. She rolled back and forth.

"Oh, you know my aunt. She has all these weird friends. She became fearful of the alien attacks and asked them to keep us safe.”

It was probably the lamest excuse ever. I could only hope that she would believe it.

“What about their clothes and language?" She raised an eyebrow.

"They are from..." I thought carefully. "Africa."

She knew I was lying. I held my breath. I had to keep her safe. She couldn’t know.

"So, you haven't been picking up your phone." She changed the subject. I released my breath, glad that she let go.

"I'm sorry. It's just been overwhelming. You know the attack and Kyle."

"Yeah... It's weird. I'm sorry about you and Kyle. I think it sucks he chose to do it on the day of the attack." Meagan paused. "What do you think they want?"

I crossed my legs on the bed and picked at the fabric. I hated talking about opinions on the attack. I hated that I had to lie. Paws jumped up on the bed and nuzzled my arm. She felt so relaxed. I used her feelings to comfort me.

"I don't know. Maybe they are looking for something?" I suggested.

"What could they possibly want here on Earth?" she asked with a small laugh.

I shrugged.

"Anyway, no one could get a hold of you the past two days. You didn't come to school either."

I used paws comfort again. I felt bad for ditching, but it wasn't like I was the only one. I couldn't stand to listen to them talk about the attack.

"We wanted to make sure the valedictorian would be coming to the graduation tomorrow," she finished.

Was graduation already here? I had completely forgotten about it.

"We are still having the graduation?" I asked.

"Of course. Just because we’re under a world crisis doesn't mean we can't have some sort of enjoyment."

"Meagan, the last thing that has been on my mind is coming up with a speech," I pointed out.

Meagan became silent, and then said, "I know. And it doesn't have to be great. But, we kind of need this. Please come," she begged.

I ran my fingers through my hair. I nodded. She was right. Everyone needed this. It was the least I could do since this was my fault anyway.

A month ago, I would have been overjoyed to share the graduation festivities with my friends. A month ago, I didn't want to leave them at all. But now, I felt like I had put them in danger.
I'll be leaving in a week anyway,
I told myself. This would be my opportunity to tell everyone goodbye.

Almost as if Meagan read my mind, she said, "Besides, this might be the last time we see most of everyone."

I looked up at her confused.

"The army may be doing some drafting here soon. Boys 18 and over were asked to go to get evaluated in the next few weeks," she informed me.

"Why?" I asked, as if I didn't already know the answer.

"Carson, everyone is too afraid to say it, but everyone knows it. There is a war coming. That attack was a message for it."

I felt my stomach drop. I knew it, too. It was only a matter of time, and it was all my fault.

After Meagan left, I had to discuss graduation with everyone else. I knew Aaronmon had promised me before that I could go, but things were different now. Before, Earth had not been attacked. Before, the threat level was not so high.

To my surprise everyone was okay with it. A promise was a promise to Emréians. My mother was even overjoyed to see me have such an honor on Earth, being valedictorian.

That night, we celebrated my graduation. We ate earth food and listened Earth music. We listened to jokes, and I laughed at the ones I could understand.

Even though things had gone wrong, I was happy. I was happy to be here with my mother. I was happy to have such a good friend as Aaronmon. I was happy to have Trish, who protected me my whole life. Tomorrow, I would say goodbye, one last time, to all of my friends here on Earth. My stomach still clenched in sorrow over it, but the sorrow was eased by the love of the family I would leave with.

"I am so proud of you," Mom said in Emréian. She didn't speak much, because we were at the school theater. No one would understand what she said, and it could give us away. She said it in a hushed tone in my ear as she hugged me.

The garnix stayed close. I honestly didn't know how to explain any of them to people. Luckily, they at least looked normal. Some wore black t-shirts. The others wore white t-shirts. It was way better than their Emréian outfits. They stood around us with tight postures and kept silent. Even Phil didn't know what to say to people if they accidentally bumped into him. He only knew a handful of English words.

Everyone was with their families. They would turn and see their friends and start to tear up. They would hug each other and laugh. Even the guys were a little bit sentimental.

I saw Kyle a few aisles down. He stood with his family. His dad didn't even look the least bit happy. Even worse it looked like him and Kyle had been fighting again.
Should I go over there? Would it be awkward to hug him goodbye? 
Before I could even make a decision, his eyes caught mine. He gave a half-smile, but even from here, I could feel a slight sense of fear.
Was he afraid I would actually come over there?
I decided it would be best not to. His dad didn’t like me anyway. I smiled in return.

When I turned back to my family, I saw Meagan and Karlie running towards me.

"Carson!" Karlie said with a big grin on her face. As they got closer, I noticed that her eyes looked like two pools of water ready to spill out.

A lump formed in my throat. I knew I would miss them. Even if I wasn't going light-years away, I would be upset.

"Guys!" I said, noticing a crack in my voice. When they reached me, I threw my arms around them.

The Emréians and my family slowly backed away.

"We are going to go get seats," Aunt Trish said to me.

I nodded back at her.

"Can you believe we are actually here?" Meagan asked. Even though she had no tears falling, I knew, by the sound of her voice and my empathy, that she felt like crying.

"I know!" I said. "Just a few years ago we were playing on the swings at the playground."

"Remember that time Meagan snorted spaghetti noodles out her nose when we made her laugh?" Karlie giggled.

"Hey, I thought we would never mention that again. But if all is fair, then what about those ugly belly button high pants you wore in the seventh grade."

"Ah come on! No fair! My parents have the worst punishments. That was my punishment for not doing the laundry," she argued.

"I still say you looked like a munchkin from munchkin land in them." I chuckled, then retreated when I saw her hand fly at me. "Hey!"

"We all thought you were going to marry Kyle," Karlie said with a weak smile.

Kyle was still a touchy subject for me, especially thinking about what could have been. After some thought, I figured if we were going to break up he was going to do it anyway. It was better that I was leaving.

"Sorry," she said.

"Don't be. We all thought that." I smiled.

"Why isn't Aaron graduating with us?" Meagan asked me.

"He came, but he said he didn't want to walk," I replied. Really, Aaronmon wanted to make sure everything was secure.

"Yeah, some students didn't even come. They left out of state," Meagan said.

I nodded. I knew they were hiding out for the next attack, and I didn't blame them.

Finally, the time came when the teachers ushered us backstage. They were ready to line us up and begin the ceremony. I made sure I had my paper in hand for the valedictorian speech. Everyone was still hugging one another and tearing up. Everyone was in alphabetical order. The music started and we walked out on the stage. There were seats available for everyone to sit in.

Then, Principal Wilken started to speak. She introduced our class and gave a speech. It was short and simple. She talked about how proud she was whenever a new class graduated. She discussed our future. I thought she mentioned something small about our careers later on in life, but in all honesty, I wasn't paying attention. For some reason, I started getting a really bad vibe. I looked into the crowd. I saw my mom, my aunt, Aaronmon, and all the other garnix sitting close to the front. I scanned the rest of the crowd. Everything seemed normal. I shrugged it off as nerves.

Then, Principal Wilken introduced the valedictorian. Everyone went silent. There was a cough. They were waiting on me.

I stood up and walked to the wooden podium. I found the paper where I had written a thrown together speech, but I didn't open it. This class needed encouragement.

"We are a strong special class,” I started. “We all grew up together here in Alice, a small, and almost unknown, town. Yet, when the rest of the world is falling apart, we stand as one. We will all remember this year. Not only for the attack on our country and our planet, but also for the year we became adults and recognized it."

I had only begun the speech, when my gut started to turn. There were a few misplaced feelings in the room, aimed towards humans and the Emréians. I looked into the crowd, but there was nothing. I realized I had stopped talking.

"We are not only classmates, but childhood friends-" Before anything else could be said, the ground started to shake slightly, but then became more heavy as if the Earth was shifting out of place. Then, there was a loud sonic boom, followed by more shaking. The theater crumbled only slightly.

Everyone started screaming. Most covered their heads and dove underneath the seats. I fell to my knees and used my hands as support. I looked up at Aaronmon. He knew it, and my family knew it. The Bremoir were attacking. Many guards surrounded my mother and Trish, while Aaronmon, Phil, and a few others ran over to the stage.

"Everyone needs to find a place to hide and shelter!" Aaronmon yelled as he reached the podium. Everyone was already in a panic.

The doors busted open. Borian warriors stormed in. My heart dropped. This was not good at all. If they sent Borian warriors, they didn't plan on just destroying Alice like they did D.C., they planned on torturing everyone!

"Run!" I screamed. Aaronmon grabbed my hand and led me to the back of the stage.

"No we have to help them!" I yanked my hand away.

"We will, but I have to get you to safety first!" Aaronmon growled.

I heard a woman shriek loudly. My stomach churned. I wasn't sure what was going on out there. Most people were heading towards the stage. Then I heard a charge.

"Let's go!" Aaronmon yelled.

A loud boom. There were thuds behind me on the stage. I turned around and became sick to my stomach. Two students I had classes with, Jenna and Mark, and a toddler were thrown onto the stage by the Urex. Their bodies were bruised, blood stained their noses, and their bodies looked crushed and beaten.

I felt tears in my eyes. Aaronmon pulled me harder and led the way below the stage.

"What about my mom! Where is she? Where is Aunt Trish?" I started to cry.

"There is a safe place down here that we mapped out, just in case." Aaronmon lead me through the hallway. We passed all the changing rooms and arrived at the shelter the school had built during the cold war.

He opened the door and pushed me inside. My mother and a few guards were already there. My mother rushed over and embraced me. She started sobbing in Emréian. Even if I could understand the language, I doubted I would have understood her.

"Are we going to be safe here?" I asked.

"We should. This room was built for a nuclear war," Aaronmon said.

I pulled away from my mother. I could feel her heart tearing. I looked at her confused, and then realized that something wasn’t right. Someone wasn't in the room with us.

"Where is Trish?" I asked.

Aaronmon paused and looked at me. He asked my mother's garnix in Emréian. When the guard replied, Aaronmon had a sense of panic wash over him.

"Trish?" I asked him. My throat formed a lump and my stomach churned.

Aaronmon didn't say anything, but I noticed the way his jaw was clenched, the way he didn't look me in the eye. Whatever had happened was bad. Then I thought back to the classmates. I thought about Jenna and Mark.

"What about everyone else?" I asked, but my voice was stern as tears stained my cheek.

Aaronmon didn't say anything. My mother looked blank with the other garnix. They had no idea what I was saying.

"We must keep you safe," Phil finally said.

"To hell with keeping me safe when everyone I know and love is dying!" I screamed. "I only agreed to all of this to keep them safe, and now, they’re getting hurt anyway."

There was silence for a split second before Aaronmon stepped in.

"Rae(she/her) a mour, eu a nou(we/our) repoble(fault). Nou(we/our) sole medi(help)." I wasn't sure what all he said, other than a few words.

Everyone nodded. I felt mom grab my hand. Aaronmon turned towards me.

"We will go out and help people get here to the shelter. You and Krea Mannannala stay here. Philocalundra will stay with you."

"I need to go," I said.

"Carson-" Aaronmon started to argue.

"I need to make sure my friends get here safe." I shoved everything I felt onto him. All the anger, loss, and pain flowed from me to him, and his face tightened as he took it in.

"Okay," he said tightly.

When the door opened, there were still screams going on upstairs. Aaronmon and Phil stayed in front of me, while three others stayed behind me. I clutched the Urex Aaronmon had given me. We walked into the darkness of the hall.

I noticed a lump in the darkness ahead. As we got closer, Aaronmon stepped around it and pulled me over with him. I glanced as we passed it. I held in a scream when I saw Professor Deville, neck twisted and a blank face.

I covered my mouth and released a sob.

"Shh," Aaronmon whispered.

I noticed two figures approaching us up ahead and fast. It was a
Borain Warrior. Aaronmon shot his urex, sending it to the floor.

We made it up the stairs and gazed at the stage. I sucked in air at the sight. One warrior had Mrs. Debriv. He was grasping her arms and pulling them all the way back, while his foot pinned her head to the ground.

The screams and sounds that came out of her mouth made my ears bleed. I heard a cracking sound and felt my stomach churn. I quickly buried my face into Aaronmon's chest, being sure to muffle out any sob that escaped me.

Finally, I heard a loud pop and her screams came out like a lynched cat. Aaronmon tore me from him and pulled out his urex. I heard a charge. Then he let go of the trigger releasing a blast towards the warrior.

I watched as the warrior fell to the ground. Aaronmon ran over to the warrior, who was still alive, and this time fired at his head.

Mrs. Debriv continued to shriek, and I had to tear my eyes away from her mangled body. Aaronmon then aimed his gun towards her.
Was he about to shoot her?
My question was answered as the blast quieted her.

A warrior bowled Aaronmon over. The other garnix shoved passed me to help him. Phil stayed next to me. I stood there motionless as I watched them kill the warrior. I turned to Phil.

"I have to find my friends," I said to him. It took him a second to respond, but he nodded his head.

When we reached the curtain, I poked my head out scanning the auditorium.

Bodies were strewn across the floor and seats. I spotted some people hiding. The doors were blocked by other warriors. I cringed as I saw warriors seeking out the people who were hiding. Everyone else was in a mob trying to reach the stairs to the balcony. A warrior came up behind them and blasted a urex, sending a lot of people to the ground. Even though Phil was a bit anxious his feelings were calmer than mine, so I fed off his feelings to control my anxiety.

A pinch of guilt came when I looked for my closest friends first. I shouldn't have been so selfish, but I was. I didn't see any of them: not Meagan, not Karlie... not Kyle.

Even though it worried me, I was relieved that I didn’t see their bodies.

I noticed debris moving, no not debris, metal. Metal object started moving. A small cover area had been made to block Aaronmon from being blasted. I realized it was Phil using his powers. Aaronmon then activated his puer, a sheild made to block sonic blasts.

I heard a cry coming from down the right aisle. I noticed Karlie's mom being dragged out from the bathroom by her hair, screaming and struggling. I knew I’d come out there for a reason. I scanned the area for a good opening and tightened my grip on the urex. I ran, with Phil close behind me, aiming at the warrior and pulled the trigger. The urex charged, and I released. The weapon slammed into my chest knocking me off balance. Phil grabbed me quickly by the arm, picking me up. I gasped for air, and I looked up to see the warrior on the floor. He wasn't dead. Beth, Karlie's mom, scrambled to her feet and ran towards us.

Phil grabbed my arm and started running back towards the stage. I looked around and noted a handful of warriors heading for us. They knew who I was, and they wanted me. I saw Aaronmon ahead of us. He picked up a urex off the stage floor and blasted at the warriors behind me. I didn't turn back to see if he hit them.