CHAPTER TWO

Monday morning came with the chirping of small birds and the pleasant smell of blooming flowers, Dad had already left for Asia before we woke up, but it felt as though he was still with us. We would no longer be having special weekends but special weeks.

Dad would now be with us from Monday through Sunday for two weeks in a month, this was a big change when compared to the special weekends he would come home on a Friday and leave on a Monday morning. Our hearts were greatly gladdened by this new advancement.

I was surprised to see Keith's SUV parked in his most preferred space in the garage. He wasn't supposed to be home until late evening. I reversed, took one swift turn and found my space next to Dad's Lamborghini.

"Cap!" I called out loud as my eyes searched the sitting room for Keith. Cap was short for captain, it was a nick name we fondly called each other, way before we became captains of our football teams.

I found him in his bedroom with a sad expression on his face. "We got into a fight, Aubree and I." Keith said the moment he saw me.

"Again? What is it this time?"

"She invited me to have dinner with her family Friday evening. I told her I couldn't make it because I have to prepare for Saturday's big game, she got mad and said I never really have time for her, she said I was self-centered and didn't want to have anything to do with me ever again."

Fights like this were not uncommon for Keith and Aubree, one time Aubree had gotten so jealous and insecure that she claimed Keith was seeing a new girl who recently got transferred to their college from New York. They didn't speak to each other for days but somehow they made up and got sweet again.

"Let's go on a long road trip just us boys, we'll leave tomorrow morning and return around night time, what you think cap?" I asked with a cheerful smile on my face.

Keith was an old soul who loved going on long road trips, I knew he would never say no to one.

"I'll pass on that one cap, I really don't feel like going on a road trip." Keith replied.

He almost never said no to any of my requests and it was unbelievable he said no to this. I was hurt but understood that he had probably become really affected by this particular fight with Aubree so I let it slide.

Disappointed but not letting it show I tried sounding as supportive as I possibly could.

"Take it easy cap! I'm sure everything would be fine and you guys would be good again."

Keith said thanks. I patted his shoulder and left his room.

At 3:30AM in the morning Keith woke me up, his exact words were. "Are you ready for that fun road trip?

"I thought you didn't want on go on a road trip." I said, rubbing off sleep from my eyes and trying to get up from bed.

"I didn't then, but I do now."

"Aubree and I are ok again."

"Really? How'd that happen?" I asked now fully awake.

"After many failed attempts to get in touch with her she finally took one of my calls, we got talking through the night and settled our differences.

"Great! Told you everything would be ok, we'll get Aubree first and then Kim after."

Keith laughed. "We're sticking with the original plan cap. It's just us boys on this one. We always go with the girls, besides I tried inviting Aubree but she said she felt a bit under the weather. Let's just see the girls when we get back.

We said goodbye to mom and Sophie, mom asked if the girls were coming with us, we told her it's just us boys, she said to drive safely and take care.

Keith's SUV was always road trip ready but he did his usual routine of double checking his car before we left.

"Car's in great shape." Keith said.

I got both our road trip kit and we were ready to leave.

We left the house at 5AM and began our road trip. We headed west, it took us 8 hours and 20 minutes to arrive at Davis Mountains. It was indeed one of the best road trips. We took turns driving, talked and laughed about tons of stuff.

Our worst nightmare began on our way back to Houston. It happened within 10 seconds everything seemed normal at first and then all of a sudden the car began speeding up, Keith tried hitting the brakes but his own car had stopped obeying him for some unknown reason, I was right beside him in front seat, the car refused to be steered, it picked up even more speed while the controls malfunctioned, it took us off the road, I couldn't count how many times we tumbled on huge hard rocks.

Had I lost consciousness? Blood flowed endlessly from all parts my body. I couldn't feel a thing. No pain, no nothing. I knew I was dead for I became as air, I saw Keith beside me he was unrecognizable. So we died together I thought to myself as whatever was left of me faded away.

Asahignom a planet located somewhere between Jupiter and mars, they've been invisible to us earthlings for millions of years, conquering one planet after another, unseen and undetected in our Solar system Asahignomians ruled all. They had saved the best for last, Planet Earth.

They saw the end of the Mesozoic era because they ended it. A feat they regretted forever, they sent the meteorite too early. They would have waited a while longer and send us humans into oblivion along with the dinosaurs. They feared that we would co-exist with the dinosaurs and become one with them, making the human race untouchable. Now there aren't as powerful as they used to be, because of us. Humans.

Not until 2 million years ago we were laughed at and mocked by them, our stupidity and lack of civilization greatly amused them. Ignored and completely forgotten we began evolving, the Homo group emerged and then gave birth to us, Homo sapiens.

Our brains were larger we could think, invent and create. We got their attention, not just because we now had larger brains, but because they feared our brains may become even larger than theirs. They couldn't use the meteorite anymore, they had become weaker so they made us fight ourselves instead. Tried wiping us out with World War 1 and World War 2, but they failed. Our offsprings became even more intelligent and unintentionally began harnessing wisdom from the same source they harnessed theirs.

What we called the black hole, a large round emptiness capable of sucking in planets amongst other things was actually a tiny round light to them, but with even greater power than we know it to possess. Only one existed but Asahignomians created fakes and made humans believe that there were billions of them, hiding the one true one that we had now unknowingly began harnessing from.

They called it the light ring, it was the source of their wisdom and power. Inside the light ring held all wisdom and all power of everything that existed in the universe. It was the core life force of the universe and it was theirs alone. For millions of years they conquered planets, destroyed worlds with the power gotten from the light ring.

Their hatred for the human race grew even more, with every human generation becoming more intelligent than the last. It was now a 60 and 40% usage of the light ring's power. Asahignomians used 60% and we used 40%.

"Is it done?" Mreadrim's voice thundered as his right hand man and commander of the Asahignomian army Krioss Ardran returned from earth. Vonel Mreadrim the King and Supreme ruler Asahignom didn't take no for an answer.

"Yes my King. It is done the life form is eliminated, there were two life forms I couldn't tell which one he was, both life forms had similar DNA so I destroyed both just before the portal closed."

"Excellent Krioss! How soon can we open the next portal and begin our invasion?"

"We'll be using the light ring's full power. In two hours the portal will be open my king."

"How much time is that for the earthlings?" Mreadrim asked.

"Precisely 3 years and 15 days my king."

King Vonel laughed manically. "None will stand in our way with that life form destroyed. We shall crush earth to nothingness this time."