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Chapter 2
Jessie lay on the chaise-lounge and stared up at the stars. Despite what many people thought, Southern California nights could get cold, but as long as he stayed bundled in his sleeping bag, it was nicer than looking up at a boring ceiling. The night sky always gave him something to think about, which was a hundred times better than dwelling on that afternoon's game.
"Are you still worried about it?" Ryder asked from his own sleeping bag.
Jessie sighed. He couldn't see his breath yet, but he guessed that was only an hour or two away. "I'm always last."
"It just takes practice. Keep making those running catches like you did today and the others will notice."
Jessie watched a shooting star zip through the atmosphere. "But Milton always gets picked ahead of me. Even by you. He doesn't even pay attention half the time."
Jessie couldn't see Ryder's face, but he could tell his friend was doing his best to tread carefully on the subject. "Yeah, but Milton's not afraid of the ball."
That's what it came down to. Jessie could make running catches, but he'd jump out of the way of any hit right at him. And that, as anyone who played baseball knew, was no way to catch a pop fly.
"Don't be mad," Ryder said. "It's just . . . well . . ."
"It's the truth," Jessie finished for him. "Yeah, I know."
"You have to get out of that mindset. You wear a glove for a reason, and you're pretty good with it. You make enough ESPN grabs."
Jessie snorted and giggled. Another shooting star blazed across the sky, but in the middle of its descent, it stopped for a split second before continuing. No, that was just his imagination. It had to be.
"Well, you do. If you're not thinking about it, you're good. Heck, you're fine when we play catch, so I know you can use your glove."
Jessie didn't answer. What Ryder said made sense, but that didn't mean he'd magically go out there and be able to catch everything. He glanced back to where he saw the shooting star. But he hadn't actually seen it stop, right? Because that was impossible.
Ryder rustled around in his sleeping bag. "What are you doing?" Jessie asked. "Did a moth fly in your bag again?"
"No, I have to go to the bathroom, but the zipper on this thing is stuck. Wait, wait, I got it."
"My mom said to use the one in the back hallway. I think the sliding glass door is unlocked."
Ryder bounded towards the house. Jessie laughed. Ryder looked like he was doing a dance to stay warm. Once Ryder was inside, Jessie turned his attention back to the night sky.
A plane flew towards him from the horizon, its lights blinking in a rhythmic pattern. It stopped, started up again, moved to the left, back to the right, and then continued on its way, all in the span of a few seconds.
Wait. Planes couldn't move like that.
The lights stopped and hovered in the air. He wanted to climb out of his sleeping bag and sprint to the house, but his muscles wouldn’t obey. His fingers twitched towards the zipper, but that was as far as he got.
The UFO moved again, this time much slower than before. Its path took it right towards his backyard. He had no problem calling whatever it was a UFO because as Mr. Sanchez, his science teacher, liked to remind his class, UFO's weren't spaceships, but merely flying objects that couldn't be identified. And Jessie had no problem saying he couldn't identify this flying object.
In a blink of an eye, the UFO swooped down and hung in the air above him. This was an honest to goodness flying saucer, not some weather balloon or secret Air Force jet. The whole town had to see it. It took up the entire sky above his backyard.
He had no clue how long it floated above him, but it was probably no more than a few seconds. In his mind, though, it might have stayed there forever. He saw every blinking light, every armored panel, every nook, every cranny of the spaceship. The white outer layer looked slightly charred, probably from entry into the earth's atmosphere, but maybe from other planets, too. Who knew how many places this thing had traveled to?
Jessie scanned for an opening that would drop down a ladder or some stairs. Or maybe a mini-tractor beam would draw him up. Everything happened so fast that fear didn't have a chance to worm its way into his brain.
Until it was gone.
He expected it to retreat the same it had arrived--to grow smaller until it was nothing but a set of blinking lights high in the heavens. Instead it vanished. Simple as that. He thought he might have glimpsed it among the stars, but that was probably his eyes playing tricks on him. He listened for sounds of panic in the neighborhood, but didn't hear any. It happened too fast for anyone but him to notice.
Jessie glanced over at the sliding glass door to see if Ryder was coming back, but all was still. He started shaking. What if it had taken him? He'd have been apart from Mom and Dad, from Ryder and his other friends, from everyone he knew. He'd have been all alone. He took deep breaths, but the shakes got worse. When the back door slid open, he gained control of his nerves. He planned to tell Ryder all about the space ship, but before he could open his mouth, he felt more tired than he ever had in his life. He closed his eyes to gather his thoughts and energy, but when he opened them again, it was morning.
Click here to read Ch. 3
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