uninvited

chapter nine

unease

"Aunt Sarah, are you sure you can handle this?"

"I am. I'm feeling much better, Jess. Even Mel's fever is gone. She just needs to regain her strength."

Her aunt was saying all the right things, but she didn't believe any of it. The woman looked one step away from a breakdown. Her hair a mess, eyes vacant and filled with unshed tears.

Near the door, Julian gave a nod.

Right. He thought giving Aunt Sarah someone else to concentrate on would be good for her. None of them had time for a breakdown.

Speaking of messy hair, when was the last time she looked in a mirror? Had a brush in her hand? Appearance hadn't been high on her list these days.

"No time, babe." Julian said seeing her pat her messy bun.

"He's right, Jess. Don't be late. We owe these people a lot." The last part was whispered on a sob as she turned away. "Go."

She went.

Julian caught her hand and drugged her to the elevators because she never moved fast enough to suit him.

"On a scale one to ten, how bad is my hair?"

"Ten."

That was her guy. He told it like it was. She waited for the good news. Julian never gave some bad without some good.

"You look healthier after getting some sleep last night. Your eyes are full of life." He looked at her. "Quite beautiful actually."

"You're the only one who thinks that. When someone asks my eye color, I have to say not blue, not green, not grey, not hazel, not brown."

"Next time someone asks you, tell them beautiful. Your eye color is beautiful."

"Oh sure, that's what I'll put on any forms they give me to fill out."

"And anyway, I think when your eyes are not blue, not grey, not green and not brown, then they are hazel."

Sadly, she had to look down to see what she was wearing. It could be worse. Black LSU sweats and a grey t-shirt that said Saturday's rock. "How long have I been wearing this?"

He took a step back. "Now that you mention it, two or three days."

Jess grimaced. "You sure there's no time to go back?"

"Positive. If you hadn't been so worried about all of us being poison to death, you could have gotten around to bathing."

"How are you not freaking out by all of this? Hello, little green men."

He sobered. "After everything we've been through, the little green men aren't so scary."

"Yet. Let's tack that on there. And by the way not so little." Two enormous ones walked by and tilt their heads in their direction. These wore black and didn't bother with the fake smile. Since they didn't seem concern with them, she decided not to concern herself with them.

Julian grabbed her hand and pulled her the rest of the way out the door and on to the sidewalk. It looked like any other day, except for the giant ass spaceship where the sky and clouds should be.

This morning was busy. She counted at least a dozen smaller aircraft, all shaped like the larger one, in the air. One landed right in front of them and opened.