He Comes in Peace

With her arms spread wide, and a half-nervous, half anxious smile on her face, Skye Cedona frantically backed up, trying to keep her mother at bay.

"Er Mom, I think we'll get thirsty on the rest of the way home. We should go back and buy a drink, dont'cha think?"

Mrs. Cedona locked a scrutinizing gaze on her daughter. "All right, honey. Here-" She handed a five dollar bill to Skye and smiled. "-You go ahead and buy what you want. I'll wait for you in the car."

Skye stared at the money her mother was holding and sighed. Her feeble plan was not working.

She had returned with a packet of headache pills, and popped one into her mouth, gulping down water after. Her head felt fine though, of course. Skye suspected that Tay was the one who had sent the mental jab at her, and now that Kartayon was out roaming the forest, doing God knows what, she should be fine.

After glancing out the window a few times, she concluded that Kartayon was not back yet. Her anxiety began to rise, and when her mother stood to throw out their garbage, she jumped like she was electrocuted.

How was it going to work? If Skye could just get her mother to stay at the rest stop while she went out and opened the trunk, everything would be fine. But afterward, Skye met several road blocks.

I'm sure Tay would want to keep his promise, but he might get caught up; after all, he doesn't have a watch with him. If I could just contact him...Or maybe I'll go out early before we leave and unlock the trunk. But no, that wouldn't be safe. Oh Jesus, what can I do?

"Er, uh, actually, that's okay. We can always stop again, right?" Skye said in a small voice.

A brief puzzling expression appeared on Karen's face before she returned the money to her purse and continued walking. Her high heels sounded like a set of marbles on the cement, and the steady clack clack clack increased Skye's already high nervousness.

She raised herself on her toes, and tried to look across the vast expanse of cars in the parking lot to the other side of the road. The lot was one hundred percent full, so they had had to park on the other side of the road, near the forest.

"What's the matter, Skye? It's not like the sky will rip open and UFOs are going to come flying," Mrs. Cedona said with a smile.

She had no idea how big of an impact her joke was.

"I...Mom, please, can we just wait a bit?" Skye pleaded.

Karen huffed, turning sharply to her daughter. "Skye Cedona, you have been behaving very oddly today. What on Earth is the matter?!"

"Nothing on Earth, if we're being specific," she muttered, not loudly enough for her mother to hear.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"Skye Evangelina Cedona. You tell me this instance, what is wrong." Mrs. Cedona stopped completely and placed both hands on her daughter's shoulders.

"Mom, I-I mean, I don't want to go home yet."

Which in truth was a lie. She wanted to get home, as fast as possible. She felt an ache in her conscience, not unlike another headache. Something about Tay Zakin made her want to get him home quickly. It wasn't that she couldn't stand him, but something that she couldn't place her finger on wanted to help him out.

"I have a feeling that that isn't the reason, Skye." A quick eyebrow raise made Skye nervous. She blanched and looked away quickly. "But I won't press you. Let's just go, all right honey? Is there really such a big difference about one day?"

"I guess not," Skye mumbled, careful not to say it too quickly.

They started to cross the road together when a kind lady in a car stopped for them. Mrs. Cedona lifted a hand in thanks, and hurried across the road to their car.

No sign of Skye's extraterrestrial friend. Skye blinked rapidly as she had no choice but to climb into the back seat. She crossed her fingers and hoped that Kartayon had somehow magicked himself into the car trunk.

Skye was silent as her mother eased the battered Honda Civic onto the road, and she pressed her forehead against the window facing the forest, and closed her eyes.

I'm sorry.

-x-

Skye eventually fell asleep, her forehead almost sticking to the glass of the window.

A bang broke the easy silence in the car, and Mrs. Cedona screeched to a stop, almost careening into the next lane. They were driving past a particularly empty part of the city, maybe a mile or two away from their home. It was a good thing, too. If there had been cars behind their Honda, something horrible would've happened.

Skye jerked awake, eyes wide. Her mother had both hands clasped on the steering wheel, gripping on so tightly it seemed like she wanted to snap it in two.

"Mom! Are you all right?" Skye gasped, looking out the window.

"I-I'm fine, honey. Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah. Just a little shock. What was that?" she mumbled.

"I don't know. Stay in the car, I'm going to go check."

Skye paled again, the second time in the day, and tried to stop her mother. Mrs. Cedona brushed away the hand on her shoulder, swiveling the wheel and putting their car into Park at the side of the road.

She opened the door and closed it with another bang. Skye followed her mother with her eyes as she went and checked the trunk, where the impact had taken place.

Just then, a second round of piercing pain speared Skye's head, and she yelled, but not loud enough for her mother to notice.

Then, a millisecond later, her car door started to crackle. Crackle.

Skye unbuckled her seat belt and crawled over to the other side, eyes wide. Her mother was currently observing the huge indent on the back of their car, and didn't notice.

"Oh my God, please don't be an ax murderer, please," Skye whispered. She watched as the door glowed the colour of bluebells, electric currents cascading down the edges of the door. A moment later, a small click was heard when the door unlocked itself and opened.

Skye sucked in a sharp breath and grabbed her bag, ready to throw it at whoever was there and make a run for it.

A face appeared at the very bottom of the car, as if the person were clinging onto the bottom.

Skye swore loudly, and even though it was a familiar face, started bashing him with her duffel bag, screeching in a whisper (if that were possible),

"Bastard! Creep! You - scared - the - shit - out - of - me!" she said furiously, hitting Kartayon between each word.

He cast a quick look at Mrs. Cedona, who was examining the inside of the trunk. He opened the door a tiny bit wider, and slipped inside the car.

"What are you doing?! She'll see you, God damn it!" Skye yanked down on his head as her mother straightened. She pulled on his hair and kept his face out of view.

Kartayon disengaged her arm and looked at her in annoyance. "Do you think I am unaware of that?"

Sighing, Skye shook her head. "She'll see you anyway when she gets in."

"Perhaps not," Kartayon said lightly.

Skye's eyes lit up. "You have the power of invisibility?!" she said excitedly.

"I do have powers unknown to the human race, but Skye Cedona, I am not a comical superhero. I shall simply hide." Words spoken, he promptly dropped onto the floor of the car and scrunched himself into a fetal position.

No sooner had he hid himself, did Karen Cedona open the door of the car. Shaking her head, she said to her daughter, "I really wonder what made that dent. There are five holes punched into the trunk! Like...Like a balding, horse-sized porcupine!"

Skye covered her hand and stifled a giggle at the look on Kartayon's face. "We can get it fixed though, right?"

Her mother nodded tiredly. "I suppose. All right. No more interruptions. We are getting home without any further distraction. Buckle your seat belt, missy!"

She started driving again, and was soon concentrated fully on the road.

Skye pretended to scratch her head, her arm hiding her face. She grinned at Tay.

"Hear that, Tay? You're a balding porcupine! No wait, a balding porcupine hitch-hiker!"