An Alienating Secret

A Tragic Visit

--Alana—

I was just coming to the kitchen for meal prep, when I heard sharp knocking on our back door. Who could that be? I peeked sideways through the nearest window and saw Conner. He looked out of breath, holding his chest tightly. His hair was all disheveled and sweaty. Still, he wore a sweatshirt- and is he holding bread? I stood there thinking for a few moments, and he rapped the door again, tears streaming down his eyes as he muttered to himself. Why was I hesitating? I had to do something for my little friend!

"Conner, what is it? What are you doing here?" I asked, opening the door.

Without waiting, he came inside and shut the door behind him.

"Listen, Alana, I'm sorry, but you're all in danger! We're all in deep trouble, and it's my fault! I- I..." Conner broke down in tears. Confused but sympathetic, I put a hand on his shoulder.

"Conner, please, in danger of what? Did your fake parents find out that you revealed your alien form to me?"

"No, no! They're dead. There's no hope! I saw it, Alana. It was awful. Soldiers, and guns, and screaming! And begging, so much begging, but only I ran away. Only I escaped! And there's nothing left. But I wasn't followed, I swear!"

I didn't know how to react. Conner hugged me tightly, and made my shirt wet with his tears. I waited for him to calm down before gently pulling him out to arm's length.

"Conner, I need you to explain everything that happened, from the very beginning."

He took a couple deep breaths and wiped his eyes. Then he met my gaze with a determination I found strange. "Listen, both of my guardians came home in a hurry early this afternoon. I think it was three o'clock or so, maybe. They were stressed, packing up food in bags and throwing clothes together. I tried to ask what was wrong, but they wouldn't answer. Then, all of a sudden, these people burst into our apartment. I thought they were just crazies at first, but then they took off their human disguises and I knew they were Achi-Pimientyens. More than that, they were soldiers from the empire! They had the royal logo on their clothes. And so...." Here Conner looked down in pain. "Well, we're rebels and they're elite soldiers from the empire. I don't know how they tracked us down, but they had only one mission. To torture and to kill. In the struggle, their eyes were so focused on my guardians that I was able to run out. And I booked it, Alana. All I managed to grab was this." Conner showed me the bread. "I don't even have my phone anymore."

I breathed shallowly and nodded. "Is there any chance that your parents may have survived?"

"If so, they're captured and nothing good awaits them."

I sniffed and wiped my eyes. "Conner, that's so awful. I'll do anything I can to help you. Is there any way the soldiers might have tracked you here?"

"I don't think so. The rebel society got rid of all government-issued trackers on me before I left my home planet. And I don't have any electronic devices with me either."

"So hopefully they won't find you like they found your guardians." I paused in thought. Should I offer him a place to stay, or is that too dangerous?

I made up my mind and told him, "Look, Conner, there's a lot of risk involved for my family if you stay here. That's why I'll need to talk to my family about this. My husband will be coming home from work within the hour. If he agrees, you'll have a place here for however long you need it. If not, I'll still help you whatever other way I can. But we'll have to wait to see."

While we waited for Abram, I got Conner cleaned up and fed him well (while he ate, I did the meal prep for my own family's dinner). My mind was racing the whole time, and I constantly checked the clock. Meanwhile, Conner sat at the living room table with his eyes kept down. He went between crying and hyper-ventilating. His hands frequently clasped around the center of his chest. Poor kid. Oh, dear Lord, let us help him somehow.