Abduction

Wind rustled through their hair. The teacher and chaperones were shepherding the Elkwood High Astronomy Club in different directions, each impossible to please. Mary Anne Sloane's mother thought it was a tornado and was pushing the group down away from the bus to lie on the ground; while Mr. Dowd, their astronomy teacher, was not at all convinced of the tornado and felt the bus would be the safest place to corral the students.

“It’s a tornado, you’re going to kill them kids Derrick!” Matilda screamed as she snatched wrists and reoriented the young teens towards the ditch by the side of the road. “Come with me, come on, get down now.”

Mrs. Sloan was a force to be reckoned with, and Mr. Dowd must have figured then that there was no way he could be heard over the noise and that they’d be better together than apart. His combover flapped comically in the gale, but no one was laughing.

Mr. Dowd changed his shouted orders, grabbed for her hand and helped Sierra down from the bus, pointing to the ditch. She ran to Mrs. Sloan and crouched down by Mary Anne, whose eyes were wide with fear. Jack slammed into her, she suspected intentionally, and she noticed that his eyes—also wide—were sparkling with excitement. His untidy hair was short enough—and gelled enough—not to be moving with the wind, which gave him a curious frozen quality. Sierra let her eyes drift over his face in the chaos, but he noticed. Throwing an arm around her he pulled her close, and shouted “It’s gonna be fine,” in her ear. Her nerves were bad enough that she didn’t push him away.

In the commotion that followed the adults distributed themselves among the kids, trying to count them, keep them calm, still, and low to the ground—all with varying degrees of success. It quickly became clear that the wind was not caused by any tornado when light began to shine on them from the sky. Blue light, reminding Sierra of a little LED book-light she kept on her nightstand, radiated over them all as the wind increased. The light made it even harder to see what was happening in the night sky.

Dirt was flying in their faces now, and Sierra ducked her head into Jack’s shoulder, trying to get a mouthful of air that wasn’t also full of sand. Eyes clenched tight, it was a moment or two before she realized the wind, the roar, had stopped. Her ears rang as she bared her face back to the open air.

Before them, ridiculously close to their dwarfed bus, was an impossible scene.

A great metal form, so large that it took up the entire horizon from their shallow vantage point, soared over a hundred yards into the air with a smooth curve.

Sierra breathed in the silence which seemed to have become solid around them. No one said a word. She was reminded of a cruise ship as she stared at its steep outward slope, though she could find no imperfection, no paneling, no painted namesake on its hull.

There was a figure then, coming from the craft, though they hadn’t seen anyone emerge. For a brief moment Sierra thought it was cruise ship after all, spun here by some freak storm, depositing its crew and passengers in the Nevada dessert. 

Then the figure walked into the light that still illuminated all of them, and there was a collective gasp. Jack let go of her shoulder and they both leaned forward to get a better look.

He's the wrong color, she thought first. Green in varying striations, with large nostrils and even larger shining golden eyes. Ridges formed above either ear that wrapped around to the back of his head. There was no hair, and the skin was not smooth. Though alien, he walked on two feet, boasted two arms, even wore a suit—possibly a uniform of some kind. He continued to move towards them, slowly, until the tension amidst their small group had risen nearly to breaking. Mr. Dowd looked as though he were going to get up and confront the creature if it took one more step. Mrs. Sloan had Mary Anne pressed to her breast in terror.

When he stopped there was a brief and unthreatening hiss, like air being let out of a tire. Then-

“I am Latroian.” The voice was majestic. Amplified, it washed over them in musical waves, pulling forth emotion from his audience. It was too much for Mrs. Sloan, who sobbed and bent double, releasing her daughter. On her knees, it almost looked as though she had bowed to the creature.

The rest of them, eyes dream filled and gleaming, stared spellbound at Latroian. He slowly looked at each of them in turn. It was a feeling unlike any Sierra had ever felt. It was a good feeling. It was at once an invitation and an approval, and filled her with a desire to see things no human had ever seen, to know secrets that no one on earth knew. It was a promise that he had those things, knew those things.

“Come with me,” he whispered, and he didn't have to say anything else. It was not a command, it was delicate and sweet and completely, utterly trustworthy. He lifted his arms, beckoning them.  They stood as one and walked to him on shaky legs. Latroian turned and slowly led them all away.

All except Mrs. Sloan, who knelt, weeping, in the dirt on the side of the road.