Brightburn: Invasion

One More Thing

Valerie's heart skipped. She blinked and looked behind her and the other side of the street in search of anyone that could look suspect. The last time she received a card like this...

"We'll be keeping watch on the skies....and on you Ms. Puckett...we solemnly look forward to the future."

You'll never be normal Val. It's never going to go away.

Valerie tried to keep her breathing slow, but her emotions took over. She thrust open her car door and threw in her purse, fighting away upsetting tears and pushing a sob back down into her chest. Her butt hit the drivers seat and she rocked back in forth. Memories of Brightburn flooding her mind,

She could see her father's disgusting face and could smell burning wood, she could feel the bite of the winter cold on her knees and fingernails, she could feel Brandon's bloody lips on her neck. His mothers strands of hair sticking on his bloody shirt after he murdered her.

Brandon.

Valerie felt a tears slide down her cheek in her panic. She thought about him every day. She felt guilty. The weight of the world on her shoulders. His reddened and hateful face as the ship took him back into the cold darkness of space.

I did the right thing. She told herself. I. Did. The. Right. Thing.

And yet, the likelihood that he was dead, floating in the vacuum of space made her feel a deep guilt beyond measure. She betrayed her first love. For all the right reasons. Brandon was dangerous, he lost it. He couldn't control himself and couldn't be controlled by anyone else. He was invincible and she was the savior of the entire world.

6 years of therapy later and Valerie still had to justify to herself that betraying Brandon was the best thing shes ever done. For anyone.

This wasn't fair,
She saved the world damnit.

Harold crossed her mind, "I should go apologize to him." Valerie leaned back in her car seat and sighed miserably. She only yelled at him because Brandon had crossed her mind.

Valerie just couldn't date anyone. It wasn't like she didn't try, but every man came across as boring or flat out unappealing. It was just her rotten luck to fall in love with something completely inhuman instead of just going to homecoming with a normal person.

Valerie's eyes shot up towards Museum doors swinging open violently. Harold bursting forth with boxes and papers practically flying around him as he rushed to his car.

I think apologizing can wait...Valerie decided.

God she was still shaking. Valerie looked down at the blank black business card in her hand. She turned it over in her fingers, completely blank.

This was a message that needed no words.

We are still watching.

~/*\~

"The ship is ready my Prince." A Technocrat Zarthinian named Helian bowed before moving to show him the vessel in which he'd be transported. "The ship is equipped with a small commons, entertainment, bedroom and other more private matters." Helian explained as he busily typed on a holographic pad.

"How long are we expecting this flight to be?" Brandon asked with somewhat excitement. The ship was beautiful, more ornate and bigger than any of the basic travel ships he'd been forced to travel on for small military missions.

"Three Earth Days, or seventy-two hours, give or take a few hours." Helian looked towards his Prince, who was staring at the ship with bright interest, "my Prince..." Brandon glanced at him, "may I speak freely?"