Alien Summer #1

CHAPTER ONE

“KEEP GOING! DON’T LOOK BACK!”

Vivian Harlow wanted to stop and find a place to hide, but the sound of explosions mixing with her mom’s commanding voice told her to keep moving. Around her, the few humans still standing attempted to hold off the horde of alien creatures that had overtaken the world’s most top-secret military base—Area 51.

Vivian nervously scanned the room; it was massive, and she couldn’t remember the way out. Viv ran as fast as her legs could carry her, looking for a door or an exit sign . . . anything that could lead her to safety and out of this chaos. But someone—or something—rushed up behind her. Before she could react, whatever had been chasing her grabbed ahold of her shoulder and pushed her against the wall.

Viv’s head whipped back, and she saw her mom’s face. A wave of relief washed over her, and all she wanted was to jump into her mother’s arms and hug her, but she knew there wasn’t time.

She watched as her mom frantically punched a code into the control panel on a low air vent along the back wall. The door to the airshaft unlocked with a clunk, and the metal gate flung open.

“Quick! Get in and start crawling!” she shouted at Viv, fighting to be heard over the roaring booms and explosions. She lifted Viv into the open airshaft.

“But what about you? You can’t fit in here! I’m not leaving you!” Viv cried out as her body tumbled into the tight air duct. The icy metal of the vent burned against Viv’s skin as she tried to climb back up. The lights from the hall bounced off the platinum walls that now surrounded her.

Viv squinted up at her mom, and their eyes locked. “I’ll be okay,” her mom said. “Your friends are already in the airshaft. Go look after them.” For the first time in her life, Viv could see her mother was frightened. Viv’s jaw trembled, but before she could choke a few last words out, her mom’s body was wrenched backward by some unseen force.

“NOOO!” Viv screamed, struggling to climb back out of the airshaft.

She froze in horror as she saw her mom levitating over a pile of unconscious bodies. Her arms dangled by her sides, and her whole body went limp.

Nearby, Viv could see one of the creatures with its arm extended, using its mind to hold her mom in the air telekinetically.

Viv took in the creatures, the aliens, in their true form. Standing three times the size of any human, they were utterly terrifying. And there were dozens of them.

Viv didn’t know what to do. She desperately wanted to climb out of the air vent and save her mom, but how could one kid stop all these aliens?

Around the room, the aliens began to rise toward the ceiling, their eyes scanning for any remaining humans. One turned in her direction. Viv couldn’t tell if it saw her or not, but a frightened squeak escaped her throat as she ducked back into the vent. The creature floated past without stopping.

Close call.

The others were already in the airshaft, and she had to find them. Scurrying farther along the metal floor, she found her two friends huddling and terrified. Charlotte and Ray sat motionless. Their eyes filled with tears as they looked to Viv.

“What do we do, Viv?” Charlotte asked, her voice low and trembling.

They’re waiting for me to take charge . . .

But I’m just as scared as they are!
 

CHAPTER TWO 

One day earlier . . .

Viv stared into her locker for the last time. All around her, she could hear the other students of Groom Lake Middle School celebrating, throwing pencil cases into the air and tearing up essays. She pulled off the Marvel comic book covers that lined the sides of her locker like wallpaper. Her vintage postcard of computer scientist Alan Turing had faded over the past year, but she stashed it in her backpack, anyway. Finally, one by one, she peeled off the dozens of astronomy stickers that covered the locker door.

A photo of Albert Einstein sticking his tongue out came loose and fluttered past her.

As she bent down to pick it up, her locker door slammed shut just above her head.

“BOO!”

“AH!”

Viv clutched her heart and looked up to see a familiar wave of snowy-blond hair.

“HAH!” Charlotte cackled, her icy-blue eyes sparkling. “You should’ve seen your face! You look like you peed your pants!”

“Geez, Charlotte! Don’t scare me like that!” Viv shouted.

“Wait. Did you pee your pants?”

“What? No!” Viv replied, though she couldn’t help her cheeks getting red with embarrassment.

Charlotte let out a big snort. It was so loud that other kids in the hallway turned their heads to stare. She had always been a bit of an oddball, and it didn’t help that she’d inherited a slight Australian accent from her dad that made her loud voice stand out even more. Nobody at school really appreciated Charlotte’s brashness. But to Viv, she was wonderfully weird and awkward in all the right ways.

“It’s summer vacation, baby! Are you stoked or what?” Charlotte exclaimed.

“Oh yeah! Totally!” Viv replied, smiling half-heartedly. As glad as she was to be done with classes and homework for the summer, she couldn’t deny that the thought of leaving middle school—and her friends—was freaking her out.

“Well, you better be excited,” Charlotte continued. “Because next year you’re going to that boring school for magnets.”

“It’s not a school for magnets, it’s a magnet school. As in, a specialized high school for kids that are good in math and science.”

“Is it called a magnet school because it pulls you away from all your friends?”

“No,” Viv replied. “Or . . . ugh . . . maybe.”

“Well, I know what I’m going to do this summer,” Charlotte said, twirling her hair between her fingers. “I’m finally gonna master playing guitar with my feet!”

Last week, when Viv was over at Charlotte’s house for dinner, she found a welcome pamphlet from Bartram School for the Arts, a school for musically talented students. It came as no surprise that Charlotte had been accepted. She was the best guitar player Viv had ever seen, and was already so good at playing regularly that strumming with her toes had become her latest obsession. Viv was happy her friend was following her dreams, but deep down Viv wondered if their friendship could survive four years apart.

“Plus, this summer we have to plan you the best thirteenth birthday party!” Charlotte pretended to wipe a tear. “You’re finally growing up!”

“Hey!” Viv said, “It’s not my fault I started kindergarten early! You know my mom—”

“STOP RIGHT THERE, YOUNG MAN!”

A high-pitched voice bounced off the metal lockers and clanged in Viv’s ears. A screech like thatcould only be coming from one source—Mrs. Agner, the crotchety old geography teacher.

Viv turned toward the commotion, and a disheveled young boy darted toward them in a whirlwind of flailing arms and ill-fitting clothes. “It wasn’t me, I swear!” the boy cried. “I’m an innocent man! I was framed!”

Viv quickly sidestepped as the boy brushed past her, sending her curly black hair fluttering.

“GET BACK HERE THIS INSTANT!” Mrs. Agner roared after him, clomping down the hallway in her bright green heels.

After a few moments of muffled shouting, Mrs. Agner walked back in their direction, with the young boy marching dejectedly by her side. He let out a heavy breath as his scruffy brown hair flopped over his fogged-up glasses.

At eleven years old, Ray Mond was the youngest kid in the entire eighth-grade class, but he was also the smartest. He was Viv’s next-door neighbor, and they had been traveling to school together every day since he had skipped a few grades in elementary school. Viv had hoped that Ray would be going to her magnet school, too, but her mom had hinted that his family couldn’t afford it, which Viv found strange, considering Ray’s dad and her mom both worked at the same place.

“I’m telling you, I’m a scapegoat! It’s all a setup!” Ray shouted, trying to reason with the infuriated Mrs. Agner. She finally let go of her vise grip and whipped around to face the shaking boy.

“Mr. Mond!” the fuming teacher said. “You’re lucky if I don’t suspend you right now!”

“Technically, since the bell already rang and it’s the last day of school, we’re all suspended until September,” Ray whispered under his breath.

Mrs. Agner turned cherry red. Viv braced for the explosion, but there was no arguing with Ray’s logic. She marched off with a huff that sort of sounded like a deflating koala bear.

“Ray!” Charlotte said. “What’d you do that made her so angry?”

Ray took a few deep breaths and tucked his wrinkled shirt into the waistband of his underpants, which were riding up a few inches higher than his pants.

“I was in the physics lab testing out the propulsion capabilities of my meatball catapult. It’s not my fault that she didn’t read the ‘Experiment in Progress’ sign!”

He pointed toward Mrs. Agner, who was still stomping down the hallway. Sure enough, caught in a chunk of her frizzy red locks on the back of her head was a fair amount of marinara sauce and chopped meat.

“Oh, I forgot to mention,” Ray continued. “The catapult works! First meatball to break the sound barrier.”

“Good on ya, mate!” Charlotte exclaimed.

“My next experiment—to see if a meatball can break the speed of light!” Ray said. “I swear, sometimes the teachers in this school just don’t understand genius when they see it.”

“Says the boy who thinks time travel is real,” Charlotte teased.

“It is!” Ray declared. “It’s 10:30 p.m. in London right now. That’s the future!”

“Time zones and time travel aren’t the same thing, Ray!”

Ray blinked at Charlotte.

“Just you wait until I finish building my time portal this summer,” Ray said. “Then I’ll be the one laughing when I’m having a cup of tea with Leonardo da Vinci!”

Viv couldn’t help but smile. As smart as Ray was, sometimes he could get a little carried away.

“Anyway, you guys excited for tomorrow or what?!” Ray asked.

Viv looked back at him with a raised brow.

Huh? What’s happening tomorrow?

“Hey, over there! You three!”

Viv spun on her heels to see some of the baseball team calling out to the trio. She recognized the faces of Will, Gabe, and Colin as they motioned toward her and her friends from the nearby water fountain.

But it was another face in the team huddle that made Viv’s heart flutter.

Elijah Padilla. Viv’s ultimate crush since third grade. To Viv, he was Clark Kent, Peter Parker, and Bruce Wayne combined into one boy. Except without any of the superpowers, spiderwebs, and billions of dollars. But still. He was perfect to her.

“You guys coming to the lake tomorrow?” Will asked. “Everyone’s gonna be there!” Viv couldn’t believe her ears. She and Charlotte rarely got invited to hang out after school. And Ray? Viv wasn’t sure if he’d ever been to a party in his entire life. Especially not parties at the lake.

Viv felt her knees start to go weak. She imagined spending the whole day with Elijah, his jet-black hair wet and sandy. Watching the sunset on the shore as the waves washed over their feet . . .

“Ahh, sorry. We can’t go tomorrow!” Charlotte answered.

“Yeah,” Ray butted in, “we get to go with our parents to Take Your Kids to Work Day!”

Viv’s daydream evaporated.

Aw, man. I completely forgot about that. Mom’s been talking about it for weeks.

The baseball boys down the hall scoffed among themselves, except for Elijah, who just turned away to open his locker, adjusting the collar on his signature leather Air Force jacket.

“Oh, right. Have fun at that crummy theme park!” Will mocked.

Ray retreated behind Charlotte, but still managed to shout back, “It’s not a theme park—it’s Area 51! One of the top science facilities in the country!”

“Really? Then explain the busloads of tourists, the gift shop, and the food carts?” Colin asked. “Sounds like a theme park to me.”

“Yeah! Don’t forget your pointy alien ears,” Gabe added. “And bring me back a churro!”
 

CHAPTER THREE

The next day . . .

“Surprise!”

Cassandra Harlow slid a full plate of breakfast in front of her daughter, cheery despite the ungodly hour. It was 5:30 a.m. on Saturday, earlier than Viv ever had to be up for school. She was utterly exhausted, rubbing at her eyes like she was trying to erase them.

Viv stared at the mess on the dish, taking a few seconds to realize the food clumsily spelled out 51. The number 1 looked right: a long strip of bacon. Hard to mess that up. But the number 5 looked like a half-eaten pancake with a few microwavable sausages around it. Viv had dissected frogs in biology class that looked more appetizing.

“What do you think? Do you like it?” Cassandra asked cheerily.

“It, uh . . . looks great, Mom.” Viv murmured.

Viv’s mom had never been a great cook, but Viv knew she did the best she could, considering she was a single parent who worked a high-stress job. From time to time, Viv would daydream about the father she had never met. She wondered what the breakfasts he cooked looked like. She decided he liked to make cheesy egg omelets that melted in your mouth with a side of grapefruit topped with sugar.

Cassandra was already dressed in a full pantsuit, clearly energized. Viv, on the other hand, felt like a potato that just got run over by a monster truck.

“Ugh,” Viv groaned. “How long do I have to be there?” She stabbed one of the breakfast sausages with her fork.

“Well, honey, it is Take Your Kids to Work Day. So I imagine that we’ll be there all day!” her mom declared, scrubbing her own dish in the sink.

“But everybody else is going to the lake today . . . ,” Viv complained, chewing on a half-hearted bite of pancake. It tasted like a wet napkin.

“I know, baby. But today you get to walk a mile in my shoes, see what I do for a living. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience!”

“Going to a party at the lake is a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Viv replied. “I can watch you give tours to a bunch of alien conspiracy theorists any day.”

“Oh, Viv. You know that’s not what I do. Your mom works at one of the coolest places in the world! And once I step onto that base, it’s like a whirlwind. Remember, Viv, I am the director of futur—”

“Director of future technology. Whatever that means. I just don’t know why it had to be today, and not, you know, in the future . . .”

Cassandra took a seat at the table. “I’m sorry, Viv,” she said, leaning in to give her a kiss on the forehead. “Let’s just get to the base, and then we’ll see how it goes.”

Viv sighed and then pasted on a smile. Even if she was annoyed to miss going to the lake, she knew how important today was for her mom.

Cassandra brushed some hair behind her daughter’s ear. Then in one quick motion, she pulled her car key from her pocket and pressed the Unlock button.

From the driveway, the loud car horn broke the silence of the morning. Neighborhood dogs barked and howled in a chorus.

“Ready to roll?”

“What?! I’m not even dressed!”

“Don’t worry, Viv,” her mom replied. “Just messing with you. Today the US government waits for us.” Her mother laughed, flashing Viv a huge smile. “Meet me outside when you’re ready.”

Viv choked down the rest of the papery pancake before heading to her room to throw on a navy blue T-shirt and some ripped jeans. She laced up her sneakers and bounded out the door, ready to weather whatever the day had to offer.

*****

The Area 51 compound was a run-down collection of old buildings, dusty launchpads, overgrown landing fields, and rusted plane hangars. Outside the main gates was a mini village of gift shops, food trucks, and parking lots filled with tour buses. A sign on the side of the road read “Future Site of Chipotle.” A huge green plastic alien waved at passersby, with a cheesy “Welcome Earthlings!” banner above its head.

The kids at school were right. It was like someone had built a crummy Disney World in the desert for space geeks.

Viv peeked out the window. A line of tourists already stood there, snapping photos of the fake miniature flying saucer “crashed” into the ground. One of the photo takers accidentally backed up into a hot dog stand, sending a tray of corn dogs careening into the dirt. Before anyone noticed, the clumsy tourist sneakily picked one up and took a big, sandy bite.

Viv slouched down in her seat, praying that no one could see her, not that she thought any of the kids from school would be caught dead anywhere near this place.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Cassandra said as they approached the main gate. “But it’s a lot more impressive on the inside.”

They stopped at a security checkpoint, and Viv watched as her mom exchanged pleasantries with two soldiers—it was still a government building, after all. It was weird seeing her mom at work. Viv knew her mom had a life outside their home, but it felt strange to see her in business mode instead of breakfast mode.

Viv peered at what she thought was the main building: a stacked multiplex of disc-like buildings. But something else farther in the distance caught her eye.

What’s that huge dome?

“Oh, look who’s here!” her mother said excitedly as they rounded the final turn toward the front gate.

Leaning against a familiar beaten-up sedan parked out front, Ray struggled to hold up a big beach umbrella. He had splotches of sunscreen applied sloppily all over his face, like his head was a pizza made out of whipped cream.

“Why does Ray look like that?” Viv asked.

“I know how badly you wanted to go to the lake today, so I have a little surprise for you and your friends,” Viv’s mom replied.

“Howdy, Harlows!”

The booming voice clapped through the air as a sweaty man popped out of the sedan’s driver’s-side door. It was Ray’s dad, Mr. Al Mond, who stood at least a foot shorter than Director Harlow.

Viv had known him as her next-door neighbor practically her whole life. But today, he was wearing something different as he stepped out of the car, definitely not the usual T-shirt and cargo shorts he wore mowing his lawn.

Viv read the badge on Mr. Mond’s jumpsuit. “Chief Custodial Officer.”

Custodial? Like . . . mops?

Considering how inventive Ray was, Viv had always assumed his dad was a scientist of some kind. Only now did she realize she had never asked before.

“Hi, Al, good to see you,” Viv’s mom said. “Thank you so much for agreeing to take the kids out to the lake!”

“Oh, not a problem, Director! Always happy to help!” Mr. Mond eagerly replied.
Viv looked up at her mother in disbelief.

“So wait . . . I am going to the lake after all?” Viv asked.

“Surprise! I thought about what you said, and you’re right. I texted Al on our way over.” Her mom placed a loving hand on Viv’s shoulder. “You should spend the first day of summer with friends. So we’ll do a half day at the base today, and then Mr. Mond will drive you kids to the lake to have fun with your friends.”

“Really?” Viv asked, trying to contain her excitement.

“Yes, really,” her mom replied with a grin.

Viv’s daydream returned and flooded her senses. She imagined Elijah in a Hawaiian shirt, smiling and waving in her direction, the tides of the lake rolling in behind him. The desert breeze floated past, tossing his hair into a perfect mess.

A door slammed behind her, snapping Viv out of her trance. A tall man wearing a crisp business suit marched out of the base’s entrance and straight toward Director Harlow.

“Oh, Brooks! Perfect timing,” Viv’s mom said.

“Director Harlow, yes,” the mysterious man said, a bit flustered. “I hate to hurry you, but everyone is here, and the presentation—”

“Yes, yes, Brooks.” Director Harlow cut him off. “No need to rush on such a special day! Viv, Ray, this is Mr. Brooks Yates, assistant director of the compound and my trusty second-in-command. He’s one of our best. Young, brilliant, and full of ambition. Reminds me of myself when I was younger.”

Mr. Yates’s expression switched into a big smile. He swiveled to face the two kids.

“That’s so kind of you to say, Director. And speaking of, where are my manners? This must be the famous Vivian Harlow.”

He crouched down, coming face-to-face with Viv and staring at her with a piercing gaze. The peppermint smell was so strong on his breath that it almost burned Viv’s eyes.

“Your name is Brooks Yates?” Ray asked curiously. “Does everyone in your family have two plural names?”

“Ray!” Mr. Mond chuckled nervously, nudging his son in the shoulder.

Mr. Yates turned his gaze to the short, precocious boy with a face full of smudged sunblock and let out a perturbed huff.

“Well, kids,” Director Harlow cut in, hastily changing the subject, “regardless of his name, you have Mr. Yates to thank for today. Area 51’s first ever Take Your Kids to Work Day was his brilliant idea.”

“Yes, of course. Inspiring the future scientists of tomorrow!” Mr. Yates said quickly.

“Are your kids already inside, Brooks?” Director Harlow asked.

“Oh no, they couldn’t make it. Still a bit too young for any of this, I’m afraid. Shall we?” Mr. Yates proposed, motioning toward the door.

“After you!” Director Harlow motioned back.

“Ready to get our SCIENCE on?” Ray whispered, elbowing Viv and smiling at her with a mouth full of braces. Viv chuckled and punched him in the arm in return.

“Ow! What the heck was that for?!” Ray clutched his arm, dropping the heavy umbrella with a thud.

“Let’s go get our science on, dork!” Viv said.

With Mr. Yates leading the way, Viv and Ray followed their parents and entered through the gates of Area 51 for the first time in their lives.