Defy The Stars: Defy The Stars, #1

Chapter 2

My eyes snapped open, only to awaken to the smell of rotten eggs and a pair of beady bug eyes that stared right back at me. I bent my head back.

Holy—! Only then did I realize that I was lying on a small white hospital bed and my arms were covered in large purple welts.

It looks like she's coming to. A tiny orange fist poked my forehead.

I tried to swat the little orange bug away, but when my hand reached its arm all I ended up with was a palm full of clear goop.

What the...?

I tried to sit up, but my head spun. The last thing I remembered before blacking out was a pair of coal-black eyes. But now I was in a large, white room filled with hospital beds and blinking machines like I was in some sort of a spaceship hospital.

Are you doing okay, honey? I looked over to see my dad sitting at the edge of the bed, his eyes locked on me.

Magpie did a pretty good number on her neck and arms, but the bruises will wear off soon and she'll be just fine. The bug paced on the bed toward my dad. It couldn't have been more than a foot tall with orange scaly skin and a body like Mr. Potato Head.

I pinched myself to see if I was dreaming. Nope, definitely wasn't dreaming and it just made the marks on my arm sting.

Uh, Dad? I slowly looked around the room. I wasn't in a normal hospital ward, but more like something you'd see out of a science fiction movie. Creatures of all shapes and colors lay on different cots, with nurses taking their blood pressure and speaking in languages I had never heard. Where the hell was I?

I think that's my cue to leave you two alone. The bug patted my dad's arm before fixating those round little eyes on me. You'll be fine in no time. Have fun at orientation and welcome to Circe! The bug flashed a big gummy smile before pouncing off the bed and waddling toward another cot.

I'm glad you're doing okay, Alex, dad said as he scooted closer to me. That was quite a scare.

Dad, what the hell is this place? I sat up, my eyes darting all around. I was sure there had to be some sort of an explanation. Maybe I was just hallucinating or something.

I didn't know the best way to tell you this, but remember when I said that I wasn't exactly doing Air Force duties anymore? That I was doing more government work? His eyes shifted nervously. Well, Circe is actually an alien operations center. His eyes stopped and met mine, the wrinkles on his wide forehead creased as he waited for a response.

You're joking, right? I leaned in closer. I mean, aliens don't exist. That's a myth, like the tooth fairy.

As you can see, Alex. He stood up, reaching his arm out to me. I'm definitely not joking and you are definitely late for orientation.

I let him help me out of bed. I was too stunned to protest. All those years I had sat in science class listening to my teachers trying to debunk myths about life existing on other planets, and now my dad was telling me it was real. More importantly, I was going to spend my summer working at an alien operations center. I felt like I was going to faint again.

We walked out of the hospital room and into a large hallway. I tried not to stare, but it was hard to keep my eyes off all the things going on around me. There were small, spiderlike creatures crawling on the walls and yelling gibberish to the people walking by. In the real world there was some sort of professional etiquette about saying 'hi' to the people that one passed in the hallway, but when the person that I passed had three eyes, it was hard to say anything at all. Of course my dad acted like nothing was wrong, even high-fiving the spiders as we walked by.

Alex? I hadn't even realized that he was talking to me. It was as if I was walking in a daze, one of those hazy dreamlike states were I wondered if I would ever wake up.

Uh, what? I blinked hard, looking up at him and realizing that he stopped in front of a bulky metal door.

I just asked if you wanted me to walk you in. He leaned an arm against the door. I don't have to if you don't want me to. I can understand if you're embarrassed.

Uh, no that would actually be great if you walked me in. I smiled weakly, but I was actually happy, for once, to have my dad there. With everything that was going on I figured I needed someone there if I were to faint again, or if some lady tried to kill me...again.

He pushed open the door and led me into a room that was so dark my eyes had to rapidly adjust before I could see anything. I squinted as my dad put his hand on my back, guiding me into the room.

Vince, what a surprise to see you here! a lumberjack-looking guy with a beard like a schnauzer called from the front of the room.

After a few blinks I noticed that there were five people, maybe a few years older than me, sitting in a small circle in front of the lumberjack. All their eyes were locked on me as I entered the room and it wasn't a good stare, more like the kind you give to someone that interrupted you in the middle of a speech and made you lose your place.

Well, after Alex had her little scare I felt that I should walk her in. My dad patted my back, beaming from ear to ear. My little scare? A woman or alien or whatever she was tried to kill me and he calls it a little scare!

What the hell? A petite brunette popped up from her chair, pointing her thin finger in my direction. My bestie and I spent three years studying the effects of plant life on Three Mile Island and she doesn't get in, but some little military brat gets in because her daddy works here?

My eyes widened. I...uh...

Calm down, Riley, the lumberjack bellowed. Let's not make judgments of people before we get to know them.

Whatever. She rolled her eyes and plopped back down.

Are you going to be okay? my dad whispered and stepped behind me.

My throat felt like it had completely dried up. I swallowed and nodded, taking the seat in front of me. The eyes of the other people in the circle stared me down. They all seemed comfortable, like it was perfectly normal to be sitting in the middle of an alien operations center. I avoided their eyes and pretended like my chewed up fingernails were the most interesting thing in the world, instead of wondering if they were thinking the same thing that Riley had yelled.—That I didn't belong.

Okay then. My dad patted the back of the chair. Ody, I'll see you at squash later?

Oh, you'd better be ready for a little Martian versus human action! He chuckled.

I'll count on it. My dad shut the door, leaving only the echo of his laugh behind.

Well, Alex. The lumberjack's eyes drilled into me, like he was really looking inside my head instead of at my face. And since he was an alien, I was pretty sure that he could. Welcome to the intern program.

He plopped a large white packet labeled Intern Program on my lap before walking toward a small, silver podium just outside the circle. From what I've heard, you've already been acquainted with the infirmary and some of the locals.

He came back toward the circle with a large steel box that he dropped on the floor in the middle of us. Now, before you all start getting to know the ins and outs of our operations center, get suited up. This would be an excellent time to become acquainted with your fellow interns.

He pushed a small red button on the side of the box and it flew open. A cloud of smoke billowed from inside. We all inched closer as the smoke started to fade away.

These, Ody said, reaching into the box, are going to be your uniforms. He pulled out a silver wetsuit-looking outfit with black patches on the shoulders and a large black belt circling the garment's waist. He tossed one to a guy with a coffee-colored complexion and a button-down shirt. The guy grabbed it, feeling the material between his fingers.

These are temperature controlled so you can deal with the different environments that humans and aliens work in. This way we can keep everyone at their normal body temperature. He passed around the uniforms, throwing one to each of us from the box.

Um are these supposed to be like one-size-fits-all or something? Because I'm a size zero and I'm not sure that this will fit me. Riley held up the uniform in front of her, snarling her upper lip.

Who really just announces they are a size zero? You never heard girls like me just announcing their pant size. Oh, excuse me, do you think that these skimpy things will fit my big Italian ass? No, I definitely wouldn't be saying that, especially when I noticed Mister Tight-jeans-and-side-swept-bangs peering at me from across the circle. Okay, maybe the internship wouldn't be so bad. I wondered if he was the guy who had pulled the woman off me, but when his eyes met mine there was no mistake that they weren't the same. I wondered if I would ever see the guy who saved me again. I also kept thinking why he needed to save me in the first place.

Is everything okay, Alex? Ody questioned, snapping me back to reality.

Are we going to have to stop everything for this girl? Riley huffed.

Oh, give it a rest already, Riley, a blond girl with a Chicago accent clucked.

I bit my lip, trying to hide my smile. I could already tell that Riley was like the granola-chewing hipsters at my high school. The ones who claimed to be very eco-friendly, but carried leather purses and wore really expensive clogs. I looked back over at the blonde, who gave me a quick wink. It was good to know that not everyone at Circe thought I was a problem.

Well on that note, let's suit up and meet back in here for your tour. Ody motioned his arms to either side. Boys' rooms are on the left and girls are on the right.

We all stood up and started heading in our separate directions. The three boys were already talking and joking around like they were best friends. The third boy with a red crew cut swatted the other guys with his uniform.

The girls and I were a different story.

So, you're Alex? the blonde piped up. She towered over me as we walked to the bathroom. Riley sulked behind us.

Yeah, Alex Bianchi. I smiled, looking up at her. And you are?

Jen Davis, bio chemistry major at UCLA. Where do you go to school? She didn't take her eyes off me as we walked into the cleanest, whitest bathroom I had ever seen.

Uh, well I'm going to be a senior, applied at Columbia for its English program. I stared down at my internship packet, wondering if the giant stack of paper would count as my summer reading, or if I'd even have time to read it.

Riley stormed past us, turning back around and holding her arms up. Whoa, whoa did you just say that you're only going to be a senior in high school? And an English major wannabe?

Well, when you put it that way... I shoved my hands into the front pockets of my jeans.

Riley shook her head before pushing open a stall door. Great, I get to spend my summer babysitting some high school writing chick.

Oh I don't think you're going to have to babysit this one. Jen laughed as she pushed open the next stall. I heard she already survived a Cephalopod attack.

Seriously? Riley yelled as I slunk into my stall. The suit was thicker than I thought and felt like rubber sliding up my legs.

Well, that's what I heard, a Cephalopod started choking her and it took like ten guys and a Caltian to pull her off. Is that true, Alex?

Jen was tall enough to see over the top of my stall. I had to zip up my suit as fast as I could before she could see anything.

That's what they tell me. I stepped out of the stall to meet the girls.

Is it true that you gave the thumbs up? Jen looked at me, the suit molded to her body and made her look like space Barbie.

I shrugged. Yeah, just letting my dad know I was fine.

Jen covered her mouth to stifle a giggle. You do know that giving the thumbs up in an alien operations center is like walking in and doing the Heil Hitler sign in a synagogue, right? She shook her head. I guess it's good that Caltian was there to save you.

I stared down at my feet, trying to hide my embarrassment. I had a million questions running through my brain, but felt like I should ask the obvious one first. Uh, what's a Caltian?

Riley groaned. Okay, seriously, I'm going back out with the guys. She stormed out, leaving Jen and I staring at each other before Jen approached the counter.

It's one of the planets that they conveniently leave out in astronomy. If people really studied it in school, then everyone would know that there is life on other planets. Just like Ranga or even Mars. No one ever tells students the whole truth, and they just go on believing what they want. Jen smiled at my reflection and I couldn't close my mouth fast enough to hide my gaping.

So what's the big deal with Caltians, if they're just from another inhabited planet? I stared back at Jen, who smiled at me like I was a simpleton.

You know how in high school you have your different cliques?

I nodded as Jen ran her fingers through her hair before putting it up into a ponytail.

Well, Earth is kind of the dumb jocks, the Martians are kind of the woodshop guys, and Calta would be like the queen bees. You know, the popular kids, the ones that ruled the school?

So what you’re telling me is that the universe is basically like one big high school?

I stared at Jen’s reflection, wondering if her blonde hair was actually real or if underneath that large blond mess was the same mousy brown hair that I had. I stared at my own hair and then realized that it smelled like alien goop and quickly put it up into a ponytail to get it away from my face.

She turned toward me. Exactly. She winked. Now come on, let’s get back out to meet everyone else so you can catch up. I have a feeling that you have a lot to learn.

I opened my mouth to ask her more about the Caltians, but just as I did she pushed open the door, letting a gust of air and laughter blow at us as we exited into the other room.

Oh, hey Alex. Riley looked at us smugly. I definitely wasn't going to ask any more questions with Riley in the room, especially when she had her little rat eyes narrowed right at me. I was just talking to Malcolm here, Air Force Academy honor student. She pointed at the boy with the coffee-colored skin. And Justin, University of Texas government major, she said, motioning toward the redhead. Oh and of course. She smiled slyly as she stepped in front of the boy with the side-swept bangs who tried not to meet her gaze. You already seem to be acquainted with Gavin, MIT honor student. She then slowly turned her whole body toward me, crossing her arms over her chest. And where was it that you said you went to school again?

I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks. Well...I’m kind of...

Is everyone ready to start the tour? Ody came barreling in, wearing the same uniform that we all had on. Despite the lightweight feel of the uniform, it still left something to the imagination. I was glad mine didn't reveal every one of my curves or my thunder thighs, and I was pretty happy that I couldn't make out all of Ody's burly, bear-like figure beneath his suit.

Let’s get this started, Gavin muttered as he looked right at me. I guess he didn’t seem to care that I was a high school student. I looked down, trying not to meet his gaze as Riley whispered something under her breath and fell in line behind Ody.

Ody clasped his hands together. Instead of going to your dorms I’m going to get all of you acquainted in your assigned zones before lunch, and then you can spend tonight getting to know your roommates.

Roommates? Just what I wanted, to share a room with a girl like Riley.

Ody threw open the door, letting even more light into the room. As my eyes adjusted to the brightness, I felt something at my side.

Please don’t be another alien trying to kill me. Please don’t be another alien trying to kill me.

Hey. Gavin’s shoulder bumped mine.

Oh. I adjusted my glasses, trying my best to keep a goofy smile off my face. I’d been at the base not even a day and I already had one guy save my life and another going out of his way to talk to me. I wasn't used to this much attention from members of the opposite sex. Okay, except for the first and last serious boyfriend I had sophomore year. He was one of those pretentious hipsters that thought he was God's gift to Starbucks and promptly dumped me when I refused to go to third base in the backseat of his mom's Honda.

Hey, Gavin said. He nodded his head in Riley’s direction, who was chatting with Malcolm. Don’t mind her. She just has some issues that involve too much ego and not enough of a filter.

I tried to do the cute little flirty giggle that I'd heard the girls do at school, but I wasn’t the giggling type and it just came out in a weird snort. I covered my mouth. Sorry.

He ran a hand through his shaggy brown hair. Don’t worry about it.

Ody stopped in front of a set of glass doors. Inside were a few tables cluttered with different tubes and machines that I had never seen before.

A stout green man, who looked like a giant frog in a wetsuit, stepped out. Ah, Jennifer, good to see you again, my dear. His English accent threw me off guard, and the way that Jen smiled at him made me wonder how I would ever get used to walking around with a bunch of aliens.

Before Jen even got inside the door, Ody started walking and we all had to pick up our pace to keep up with him. I tried not to stare at all the different creatures that walked past us as we headed down each long hallway, and I