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The first thing I notice as I get out of my car is how clear and radiant the stars seem. They are scattered across the velvety night sky like faintly twinkling diamonds.
We’re far from the light pollution of the city out here. Far from everything. I have to admit, this is a perfect spot for admiring the night sky.
But will it be good for spotting aliens? Lucy told me that I could find Pearl at a gathering of alien enthusiasts.
I grin to myself. Lucy also told me to keep an open mind. But in truth, my mind is about as open as an old metal trap that rusted closed. That’s not really the point, anyway.
I’m just here to see Pearl.
I put on my black and red Atlanta Kings jacket to guard against the cool night air. Two older women are unpacking heavy looking telescopes from the back of a yellow hatchback car. Both women wear neon green hoodies that say I SURVIVED THE ALIEN INVASION. I nod at them as I walk toward the steep slope that leads up to the bluff.
The wind grows stronger as I reach the top. The grass is high and thick up here, whipping wildly, beaten back to form a path to the farthest end of the bluff. There’s a wide, clear-cut swath of land here.
I walk down to the end facing the ocean. There are about twenty people loosely gathered around five pretty impressive telescope setups. They all wear the same bright green hoodies as the women in the yellow hatchback. A tall, stooped man faces away from me and points at something in the night sky. I read the back of his jacket. The totally incomprehensible letters GCUFOE are emblazoned across the back of it, in black block letters.
GCUFOE? What is this, an eye doctor’s appointment?
I sweep my gaze over the gathering, furrowing my brow. I spot Pearl at the furthest tip of the land. Bingo. She’s standing by one of the telescopes, grinning at an older man who is telling her a very animated story.
I make my way over to her, noting just how close the telescopes are to the edge of the bluff. It seems dangerous. Peeking over the edge, I’m relieved to see that it’s only a six-foot drop down to the red clay ground below.
Pearl’s laugh floats to me from a few feet away.
It’s a throaty sound, the timbre medium-deep. For some reason, it causes a strange prickle at the nape of my neck. It’s certainly distinctive.
Pearl’s laugh rings in my ears as I step into her line of sight. My intention is to neatly skirt past the expensive telescope that stands between us.
But I knock the telescope’s dark tripod leg, and the whole thing wobbles precariously.
Pearl’s tawny face has the perfect look of sheer alarm. She stumbles as she tries to steady the telescope and begins to fall forward, her mahogany eyes widening. She lets out a low moan. “No!”
Moving quickly, I grab her by the waist and drag her body against mine. Catching her and dipping her backward probably looks more dramatic than it actually is, BUT my heart is in my throat anyway.
She clutches at the telescope, and it takes a few seconds of balancing for her to make sure it stays upright. Meanwhile I’m staring down into Pearl’s luminous face. Pearl is an absolute knockout. When she steadies the telescope and looks at me, she flushes and two dusky red spots appear in her cheeks. Her full lips twitch.
I think she is going to be upset. But instead, she does the oddest thing. She grins at me, her wide nose wrinkling. “Hey there. I didn’t expect to see you here.”
The cadence of Pearl’s voice sends a thrill racing up my spine. I smirk down at her, unable to resist her invitation for humor. “Hello, Pearl.”
“Hey, River.” She chuckles. “Would you be a darling and set me upright?”
I hold her for a second longer, looking in her eyes to judge her reaction. Her hitched breath is the reaction that I want. I swing her upright and step back. She plucks at the brown corduroy skirt that she wears with her oversized neon green GCUFOS hoodie. Then she runs her hand over her long hair.
It’s only now that I realize she is wearing a headband with a pair of bright green springs attached to it like antennae.
What the hell is this girl into?
A young man in a stylish black wool jacket and jeans walks over. He has chestnut skin, dark brown eyes, and reddish-black hair that’s shaved on the sides with curls on the top. There is no mistaking him for anyone other than a relative of Pearl’s.
“Everything okay over here?” he asks Pearl.
Pearl is busy resettling the tripod legs. “Yep. All good. Malik, this is River. River, this is my little brother, Malik.”
I stick out my hand to shake. Malik gives me a cool look and offers me a fist bump. I immediately switch over and tap his fist with my own.
“What’s up, River. You’re Rex Bennett’s brother, right?”
A lot of people know me as Rex’s brother. He’s a famous baseball player, so I’m not even fazed. Instead, I shove my hands into my pockets and nod. “That’s me. And like four other guys. We come from a big family.”
