"Oh my head..."
Rubbing his head, 10-year-old Jacob Thomas' eyes fluttered open. Slowly raising himself to his knees, he grabed the sides of his head to make the world stop spinning. Once his eyes could focas, he turned around to see where he was. Directly in front of him he saw...black; A large black bettle.
"Wah!" He screamed and fell backwards.
The bettle continued crawling up the trunk of a giant oak tree. Jacob glared at it and shot his leg out to pound the creature into mush with his sneaker. When it had been reduced to a smudge, Jacob relaxed his leg and realized their were tears in his eyes. How did he end up here? Where was here? He looked around him; More trees, a few bushes and a lot of nothing. His head was still pounding and the rest of him felt weak. He wasn't sure where he was or how long he had been lying there, but he did know one thing; They had done this too him. What had he ever done to them? Sure, he had always played aliens with his friends, like any other 10-year-old boy, but did that really give them the right to kidnap him? He quickly wipped his eyes and stood up. They had said his head would hurt, but they hadn't mentioned anything about the dizzyness.
He stumbled his way around the trees till he found a gravle path. He followed that for a few years until he saw a sign:
This way to public fountian --------->
He was in a park.
Not just any park...
"McGreggor Park...." He muttered.
The appartment he shared with his parents was across the street! This thought gave the boy renewed strength and he broke out into a run. Now that he had his barrings he knew just where to go. Down the path to the fountian. Then a sharp right turn, past his favorite hotdog vendor and straight on through the playground. There is was; Number 222 Richter Lane; Apartment D4. Jacob smiled. He was almost out of this nightmere. He ran across the empty street and straight into the apartment complex, knocking an older couple out of the way as he went.
"Mom! Dad!" He yelled as he ran up the stairs.
Up to the forth florr her ran. He stopped in front of his door and started banging on it as if his life depended on it.
"I'm coming! I'm coming!!" A voice from within shouted, but Jacob didn't quite. He wanted to badly just to be in his parents arms.
A few minutes later a large man with a thick brown mustach and greying hair opened the door.
"Jacob, what-" The man was cut off as Jacob threw himself against his father in a tight embrace.
"I'm home now, Dad, it's okay. I'm home." Jacob was saying into his fathers stomach.
"What is it, Herman?" A slender woman with long black hair walked forward.
"It's Jacob. He keeps saying he's home." Herman explained to his wife.
"But I am home, Dad!" Jacob pulled back and looked up at his father. "I was gone but now I'm back!"
"What do you mean you were gone?" His mother asked.
"Just what I said! I was gone!! They took me from my bed!"
"Who took you?" Herman kneeled to look his son in the eyes.
"The aliens." He replied.
His father signed and the woman rubbed her temples. Jacob always had a kack for making up stories, and aliens are his favorite.
"Jacob, what have we told you about-"
"But I'm not telling stories this time! I promise! They did experements on me! Really, look!" He pulled his sleeve up to reveil a large bruse where his aptors had drawn blood. His mother gasped and took hold of his arm causing Jacob to wince.
"Jacob, what happened?"
"I told you." Jacob said exsasperated. "The aliens did it!"
His mother turned to Heroamn.
"Mabye he's telling the truth this time Herman."
Herman sighned and looked at his son.
"Go and get ready for school, Son."
"But-"
"Just go."
Jacob started to argue but felt it was useless. He quietly turned and walked back to his bedroom. As soon as he was inside he could hear his parents start their discussion.
"He could have caught something, Heroman. We should take him to the doctor."
"Come on Sylvia. He's done things like this before."
There was a long pause.
"We'll just have to take him to Doctor Edwards."
Jacob gasped and slambed his door shut. They were taking him to a shrink? They couldn't! He wasn't crazy! He stauked over to his dresser and pulled out a fresh shirt. As he dressed his thoughts went back to the night before. Right behind him, in his bed, was where it started.
His mom and dad had just left the room after tucking him in, like they did every night; and he, just like every night, had crawled under his blankets to read his favorite comic book for the hundredth time; Spider Man. Spider Man was just about to slam his fist into his arch-enemy, Venom�s, face when he felt the rumbling. It came from just outside of his window.
�But I�m on the forth floor�� He muttered.
He poked his head out from under the blankets and there they were. He didn�t even have time to scream before they had him. They had covered his mouth with something that had a funny smell. Then everything went black. When he had opened his eyes again the first thing he saw was a pair of violet eyes.
�Wah!� He yelled, but when he tried to move he found that his arms and legs were bound to whatever he was laying on.
The eyes moved back, giving Jacob the first real look at his captors. They looked human, save the strange eye color and the pale blue skin. From then on Jacob had been used for their experiments. Some things weren�t so bad, but most hurt or made him sick. They hadn�t let up all night. They finally told him they were finished and promised to let him go.
Jacob shuttered in remembrance. And now they thought he was crazy!
�There�s gotta be someone who will believe me�� He told his reflection in the mirror.
But at school he received the same response his parents gave him. There he sat in the secretary office staring at his shoes while the principal spoke with his parents.
�Yes, I think your right.�
Jacob looked up to see his parents walking out of the office with his principal. They all looked over at him and his mother sat in the chair next to him.
�Jacob, Principal Jackson thinks that you should start seeing Doctor Edwards regularly. Your father and I agree so you�ll be going to see him once a week�every Saturday. Okay?�
Okay? How could he be okay when his parents thought he was crazy? He refused to speak to his parents for the rest of the day or night. That next Saturday his father got him up at 8 o�clock and they drove down to the psychiatrists� office. Herman sat his son down and walked to the receptionist. Jacob crossed his arms over his chest in a pout as he was crazy now; His friends, his teachers, even his own parents thought he was insane. He sighed and leaned back. But�
�Ow!� The back of his head hit something hard.
He turned around and saw another boy, about his age, rubbing the back of his head.
�Oh,� He said and smiled. �I�m sorry. Guess I wasn�t paying attention.�
Jacob shrugged.
�Doesn�t matter.�
�Okay,� The boy turned his body in his chair to face Jacob, �I�m Peter.�
�Jacob� The boys shook hands.
�So what are you here for?� Peter asked.
Jacob sighed and turned back around.
�You wouldn�t believe me.� He said sadly.
�Try me.�
Jacob looked over at the boy and opened his mouth to speak but when his father called his name. Jacob looked up and glared. Without a word, he stood up and walked into the room with his father. After the door had closed and Jacob and his father had settled themselves on the plush leather couch, Doctor Edwards turned his large desk chair around to face them. He looked like the typical shrink, with graying hair, a beard and thin framed glasses. He was holding a clipboard in his left hand and a pen in his right; he surveyed the man and his son for several minutes before uttering so much as a hello.
�So,� He said at last, �What is the problem? Seeing aliens, Jacob?�
The hint of sarcasm in his voice made Jacob want to hurl and he glared at him. He glanced up at his father and, after his nod of approval, Jacob began his tale.
It had been two months since Jacob started going to see Doctor Edwards, and each time he made Jacob feel more and more like a fool. He was even starting to doubt what he saw.
He was walking down the street on his way to his fifth meeting with the �good doctor.� His father had stopped coming with him. He had said it was because he knew that Jacob was becoming a man and could handle it himself. Jacob knew the truth; he was bored. Jacob was bored too, but he couldn�t quit like his father had; they wouldn�t let him. He entered the building, just like every other Saturday, but this time something new happened. Someone grabbed him and pulled him behind a large bush in the waiting room. When Jacob looked up, he saw Peter. The boy he had met on his first visit!
�I know how you feel. Meet me outside after you�re done.� The boy whispered and then he ran off.
Jacob blinked and stood up. He went into his appointment like normal but was distracted the whole time. Doctor Edwards felt it was because he was �emotionally disturbed� but Jacob didn�t care. As soon as he finished, Jacob ran outside to find Peter. When he found him, Peter was sitting on a bench with a math book upside down in his lap. It was clear the book was only for cover, since he dropped it the minute he saw Jacob.
�I�I over�over heard�� He panted as he stopped dead in front of Jacob. As soon as he caught his breath he continued. �I heard what you told Doctor Edwards last week, but before I could talk to you, you had left.�
The boys sat down on the bench Peter was waiting at.
�Yeah well, I told you it was crazy-� Before Jacob could finish his thought, Peter blurted out.
�I saw them too!�
Jacob froze and stared at the boy in front of him.
�You�you did?�
Peter nodded enthusiastically.
Jacobs face broke into a grin.
�I thought that I was crazy!� He said excited.
�So did I!�
Both boys laughed and hugged, glad to find someone like themselves.
�But�what do we do now?� Jacob asked letting go.
Peter shrugged.
�We�ve gotta get some one to believe us.�
�But�who?�
Peter looked thoughtful for a while, then his face melted into pure terror.
�What�s wrong?� Jacob asked just as a clammy hand reached around him and covered his mouth with a cloth; then the world went black.
When Jacob opened his eyes he saw a familiar, but terrifying sight. Those same violet eyes. He screamed and began to fight but realized he wasn�t strapped down this time.
Well, Jacob thought, maybe they haven�t been able to do it yet�
Jacob quickly rolled away from the eyes but felt something soft beneath him. He looked down and saw they had placed him on a bed. Now he was really confused. He looked up at the eyes and for the first time, noticed the face. It was smiling.
�Don�t be frightened.� It said. �I am Dyla, and will look after you.� It must have been a girl; or at least, it looked like a girl and sounded like a girl.
Jacob sat up and looked around. Peter was laying in a bed right next to him.
�Is Peter alright?� He asked.
Dyla nodded. �Yes, he is only sleeping and should awaken at any moment.�
Jacob nodded. He looked at Dyla, she looked young, maybe even his age.
�How old are you?� Jacob asked.
Dyla giggled. �I am 11 in Earth years.� She replied.
So, she is my age�
Peter began to stir and another girl, this one with turquoise eyes, went to his bedside.
�She is Romania.� Dyla whispered in Jacobs�s ear. �She is 9 in Earth years.� Jacob nodded and turned back to Dyla.
�Why did you bring me back here? Do you need more tests?�
Dyla shook her head. �No, the testing is done, and you have passed!� She smiled.
�Passed?� This just kept getting weirder.
�Yes. Our tests have proved that your body is capable to survive on our planet.�
�Your planet!?� Jacob jumped out of bed. �You�re taking me to your planet!?!� He shouted, causing Peter and Romania to jump.
Dyla nodded. �We are taking everyone from Earth to our planet.�
Jacob�s confused face made her continue.
�My people have been watching over Earth for centuries. Our sensors have detected that Earth is slowly drifting towards the sun. So we have slowly been collecting Earthlings to take to our planet. It is much larger than Earth and will accommodate you all nicely.�
�So�why all the tests?� Jacob asked sitting back down.
�Some humans ca not survive on Atopia on their own and need a special medicine. We must make sure before we take everyone.�
Jacob was still very confused, but at least things made more since.
�So�we will go to your planet, Jacob and I, and wait for everyone else to get their?� Peter piped up from behind.
Dyla nodded. Jacob stood up and walked over to the window.
�Oh! Peter, come here quick!!�
Peter jumped out of bed and ran to Jacob�s side. Outside the window was Earth. The boys watching in wonder as Earth floated right before their eyes. The girls soon joined them and together they all watched Earth slowly disappear from sight.
Well, Jacob thought, Maybe this won�t be to bad after all�
