Alone Together

A:

I hear a mixture of voices as I close the door. I think Alieen is saying I can stay, but Lafayette is saying she is glad I am gone. Meanwhile, Matt and Alfred are still asking what is happening. I cannot answer them, nor do I want to cause Alieen and Lafayette to fight, so as much as it pains me, I shut the door.

Hearing footsteps approaching, I wrap myself in a black mist before teleporting away. I drop back onto the roof of my gas station home.

"Home sweet home," I say, walking to the ledge of the roof where I drop down. Sitting on the ledge, my legs dangling, I let out a sigh before using my power to grab some rocks. The rocks floating into my hand, I juggle them before throwing them far, far away. I watch as the rock, now only a dot, falls into the horizon.

"What was I expecting," I think to myself. The only reply is the sound of the rocks banging against each other as I juggle them. "What was I expecting? Huh! To finally have answers? To finally know who I am after two years? To know where I came from? Where my home is? I guess that is too much to ask."

I stop playing with the rocks and let them fall into my hand. Without any effort, without even breaking a sweat, I crush them into dust, the dust filtering out of my hands.

"There is something special about Alieen. And Matt. There may even be something special about Alfred and Lafayette. But I do not want to bother them anymore. They have shown me kindness. They offered me food and clothing. They even offered me help, and I bring nothing but chaos to their lives."

I cover my eyes and slam my fist into the roof. As I lower my head, I think about Lafayette.

Alieen:

"Will you please stop staring at me like that," Leia asks, putting down her piece of toast. "You're making it hard to eat, and I have to go to work soon. I don't want my growling stomach to draw attention."

"I'm sorry," I say, putting down my spoon on the rim of the bowl. "But I can't help it. I'm still mad at you."

"I'm not sorry," Leia says, "I'm sorry Alieen, but I am not sorry in the slightest. I regret nothing. A is a stranger, and I think there's an old saying. What is it? What is it? Oh yeah, stranger danger."

"A is not a stranger," I say.

"He is a stranger," Leia says. "I mean, come on, he wouldn't even tell us what his name is."

"His name is A," Matt says, joining in. He stops eating his peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

"A? Really? Guys, no one on this Earth is just named A. Come on Alfred, help me out here. You didn't get any strange feeling from 'A'?"

"I'm still trying to figure out what happening this morning," Alfred replies, "Please, give me a few more minutes to process what I saw."

"I don't get it, Leia," I start, "You're normally a kind person. You and I do volunteer work all the time. We picked up trash. We feed the homeless. We cleaned pets at the animal shelter. I just don't get it. Why were you so mean to A?"

"Because A seems like bad news," Leia replies. "That's probably not the answer you were expecting, but that's just it. A seems like really, really bad news, and I didn't want anything bad to happen to us."

I sigh before shaking my head. I don't have much of an appetite left but I also don't want to waste food. I eat the last of my cereal and drink the milk before putting everything into the bowl.

"I'll wash," Leia says with some toast in her mouth.

"Thank you," I say. I walk out of the kitchen and toward the front door. "I'm going to head out for a bit, okay? I'll see you guys later."

"Don't you have work soon," Matt asks.

"Yeah, but it's not for a few hours."

"Alieen," Leia says, "Please, don't go looking for trouble."

"I'm not looking for trouble," I say, nodding my head before heading out. Walking up the sidewalk for a bit, I reach into my pocket and pull out my cellphone.

"Hello, Diana. Can I borrow your car for a bit?"

A:

With my power, I twirl some sand in the air, drawing a circle with my finger. After a few laps, I then draw a few irregular shapes with the sand. I make some bumps, some spirals, and even a few zig-zag. As I keep on drawing with the sand, I stop when I hear another familiar sound. It is a sound I have come to hear quite often, given my recent city visit.

The sand falling, I stand up and look around. Placing my hand over my eyes, I see a car driving not too far away. The car looks strangely familiar, and it only takes a few more seconds before I recognize it.

"Diana," I think. The black mist wrapping around me, I disappear and reappear on top of the approaching car. Landing right on it, I'm about to peek inside but before I can, the car comes to a stop and the door opens. Still crouching on the roof, I am a little embarrassed to see Alieen gets out.

"Uhh," she says when she sees me. "You know, you really do need to stop doing that. Landing on top of cars. It's kind of annoying."

"I am sorry," I say, climbing down. Alieen steps back as I climb down. Once my feet are on the sand, I smile and nod my head.

"Alieen," I say, "Hello."

"Hey A," Alieen says, smiling back. "How are you?"

"I am fine," I answer. "But wait, Alieen, what are you doing all the way out here?"

"I came here," Alieen stutters, "Because I guess I was worried about you. I mean, you didn't exactly look the best when you left."

"Again, I am fine. Alieen, please listen to me. Go back. Go back home. Go back to your peaceful life. Forget about me. I am just some stranger."

"What is it with you and Leia," Alieen shouts, "A, you're not a stranger."

"I am a stranger," I say. "You do not know anything about me."

"You don't know anything about yourself either. Besides the fact that you have powers and woke up two years ago. Listen A, you're right. I don't really know anything about you, and you barely know anything about yourself, but I'm guessing the reason you want to know more about yourself is to learn who you are. Right?"

"Of course Alieen," I say, "I mean, what am I without a past? What am I if I do not know what my name is? My real name?"

"You are who you choose to be," Alieen answers. "The past is important, yes, but it doesn't determine the future. A, you have these amazing powers. You don't why or how, but you have them, and even if you didn't, that doesn't mean you can't make a future for yourself. I mean, what was the plan? Just camp all the way out here and hope to stumble upon the answers?"

"Not exactly," I say with a shrug. "My plan was to camp here until something came."

"What," Alieen asks.

"Okay. Yes, that was basically my plan, but Alieen, I cannot just make a future for myself. I can do a lot of things, but that is one thing I cannot do."

"What not? What's stopping you from, I don't know, leaving the gas station?"

"For one," I say, "I like the gas station. Despite the rust and the sand, I have made it my home. It is actually quite comfortable inside. There is a bed and a chair and even a small fridge."

"Okay. Still, A, give it a thought. You can't remember your past, but that doesn't mean you can't make a new future for yourself."

Alieen smiles as she places her hand on my shoulder. I feel her warm hand on my shoulder. I smile as I place my hand on her hand.

"I will try," I say, "I will give it a shot."

As Alieen and I stare at each other, we begin to feel the sand shake. The shaking sand knocks Alieen around, she almost falls but I catch her in time and hold onto her.

"What's going on," she yells, "Are you doing this?"

"No," I reply before the sand erupts and someone flies out.