Chapter 2: For a second by your side, my beloved

—We must leave this city or town, wherever we are, we have to get out of here. First, they'll search the streets, then the houses, but sooner or later they'll move on to the forest.— She says.

—What you want is for us to go with you..Henrietta?.— I ask.

—Not everyone, just you, Razar.— She replies.

Go with her?, what am I supposed to think?, what am I supposed to say?. Upon hearing Henrietta's words, Judy grabs one end of my shirt, I know what it means.

—This is madness, you know that?.— I say calmly.

—No matter what we do, they will come after me. I need to stay with you, and for you to come with me, can you understand that, my Razar?, we must leave this town.— Henrietta says with distress.

—Razar won't go with you.— IA says, standing right beside us, her expression serious.

—If they're searching for you, they might have their reasons. You appear out of nowhere, claim to know Razar, but he doesn't remember you. And you want him to go with you while foreign soldiers, according to your words, "special forces" are after you?.—

—Judy, can you hand me that stone?.— Henrietta says.

She also looks sideways as if trying to hear if anyone might be nearby.

—Mmh?.— Judy is surprised and looks behind her.

—This one?.— She asks, picking it up from the ground, pulling it out from the dirt.

—Thank you.— Henrietta responds, taking it with her hand.

—To you, to Razar, if I wanted to harm you, don't you think I would have done so already?. If I wanted to kill those men, don't you think I would have done so?.— Henrietta asks, closing her fist gently, the stone cracks and splits into small fragments...

She appeared floating in the sky, it could be true that she knows me from somewhere, somehow. And she assures she can't confuse me with anyone else.

If she's an extraterrestrial life form, an escaped experiment, she must be scared. Alone, on an entire planet, completely alone.

All I see in her brown eyes is a scared little girl asking for help..

—IA.— I say, gently taking her arm and stepping away a few meters.

—Razar, you don't have to go, it might be dangerous for you.— IA says, distressed.

I close my eyes, resting my forehead against hers, and hold her hands.

—IA, what should I do?.—

—I would have preferred not to have gone in there.— IA says.

—I can't ignore her.— I say.

—Are you leaving?.— IA asks..

—Seeing her...I see myself. You know I've lived on the streets, been cold, hungry. I've been alone, scared, I wanted someone to help me, and no one did. I don't want her to feel the same..— It hurts to leave them.

—IA, what do you like most about me?.— I open my eyes, and IA is crying..

—..That you're a gentleman..— Her tears don't stop.

—And what should I do as a gentleman?..— I ask, unable to stop my tears from flowing as well, seeing her so vulnerable..

—Help her!….— IA says, raising her voice and closing her eyes tightly..

—Mmmh..— I express in agreement, separating my forehead from hers.

How many times have we imagined stories like this with IA and Judy?, how many times have we thought about how everything could change in a blink?, but reality is terrifying.

I wipe my tears with my hands, kneeling in front of Judy, I know she's sad and biting her lips to hold back.

—Can I go with you?.— She asks, her eyes glassy.

—How sweet you are.— I respond with a smile, caressing her head.

—I'll be back, kay?, on a train, and you will tell me about a girl who was throughout history looking for me.—

Judy clings to my neck tightly. I know I meant a lot to her, as she is a part of my world.

After a few seconds, she lets go, and wipes her tears.

—I'm not crying!...it's the wind.— Judy says, even though there's barely a light breeze moving the treetops and IA's long hair.

—Haha, can you lead us to my house, pretty?.— I ask, she knows this forest better than anyone.

—Mmh.— Judy says in affirmation.

IA looks at me, as if to say "it's okay" deep down I know it's not.

Among the trees, we resume our path down the hill.

—I'm sorry.— Henrietta says, looking sad.

—I think you picked the wrong person.— I jokingly tell her, and when she doesn't move, I walk towards her and put my hand on her head.

—Let's go.— I say calmly.

—Yes.— She responds.

***

—This is sparrow to bigfoot, do you read?.— The helicopter pilot says.

—Copy sparrow.— The ground vehicle unit leader responds within the zone.

—There was an impact on a house in the northern area, turn around, over.—

—Roger.—

—We're back, weapons ready, it's our subject. The first unit will surround the area, and we'll go from the south to have two covered flanks.— The leader says.

Inside each vehicle are 10 men seated, plus the driver and co-pilot. A digital clock reads 6:30 PM, and the vehicles split into different streets.

—Don't hesitate to shoot, even if she looks like a girl, a few bullets won't do significant damage. According to control, the subject blocks satellites, so we're on our own.—

—Move out!.— The platoon leader says upon reaching a few meters from the damaged property, the message comes through the radio, and both divisions move out simultaneously.

Opening the rear doors, they quickly exit one after the other, most carrying M4A1 assault rifles with silencers, except for two with sniper rifles. They move in sync, and some kneel to visually secure the perimeter, using their transports as shields.

—Clear.— One of the men says.

—Don't take your eyes off the roofs and walls.—

Moving as one and closing in on their target, they reach the debris on the ground.

—It impacted that house and hit the ground here.— One of the armed men points, leaning where Henrietta was lying.

—And she walked out as if nothing happened?, maybe the high command didn't exaggerate her description.— One of his comrades says.

—What I don't understand are these marks.— He adds, walking towards the wall, while the others scan the area for any movement.

—They're at the same height and size.— He continues.

—Did she hit the wall for fun?.— The leader asks.

—Maybe there was someone else.— The man examining the area suggests.

—She could be hiding or...the safest way out is that forest. But our freedom in this country is limited...— The leader says, continuing.

—We'll inform the Japanese to search the houses in this area and the forest. They don't know we're looking for a girl, just an alien life form, but they might be of some use.— He concludes and signals to regroup and return since there are no more traces or clues.

***

The light is about to disappear, it will help us, but if we don't get out of this place quickly, it will be very difficult to walk, none of us has a flashlight.

—Did you fall from the sky just like that?.— IA asks as we approach the other end of the hill, the east side of the school.

We won't exit through the street we originally entered, we'll take a quick detour that leads a few blocks from my house.

—I appeared in space, not on Earth, what I don't know is why there.— Henrietta responds, holding my hand, although I doubt she needs it with her physical ability, she does it for something more emotional and sentimental. For her part, IA holds Judy's hand, who is once again leading us.

—The last time I was on Earth was 15 years ago, on January 27th, that day everything went dark as usual, and I appeared in space, a few seconds later I fell asleep, and a few minutes ago, for a moment, I woke up near the moon.— Henrietta continues.

January 27th...it's IA's birthday, we always celebrate birthdays together.

—..It's fascinating to have something like this in front of me.— IA says, the outlines of her eyes are still red, I think she's trying to empathize with Henrietta.

—Is that why they're chasing you?.— She asks, looking her in the eyes, without stopping her pace.

—It should be weird just for you, not for me. If they think I'm an extraterrestrial life form and traced my trajectory, they would try to make contact, not react hostilely unless another species does, and this seemed like the opposite.— Henrietta says, stopping at the edge of the forest, now almost dark.

—Razar's house is a few streets from here.— Judy says.

Finally, we see the first people as we approach the sidewalk. Until a moment ago, I still felt like there was no one else on Earth since we entered that place. There are some soldiers directing people not to leave their homes, and a few police officers, everything looks much calmer, normal.

—The biggest mystery is why the Japanese government isn't acting alone. What we saw a few minutes ago, the black special forces, must be here without the whole truth being known.— Henrietta continues.

—Do you think we can pass without any problem?, I heard the Japanese soldiers referring to the special units we saw as "scientists".— I say.

—That makes sense, the largest space tracking and monitoring system is owned by the United States, they must have shared information with Japan to enter the country, but only half of what they know, the other half is that their "alien" is just a girl. Basically, for Japan, I don't exist.— Henrietta replies, looking at me.

—Of course, all of this is speculation, but I insist, if something unknown were to come to Earth, would you send undercover soldiers or try to dialogue with whatever appears?. The same with the helicopter, it shouldn't just be waiting for me, it should be monitoring the Japanese, those must be requirements the U.S. government asked for in exchange for giving them a part.— Henrietta adds.

—Most likely, we'll be fine. Razar, come with me, we'll walk towards that soldier to see his reaction, depending on what he does, just stay still.— Henrietta says.

—Alright, I'll be back..— I agree with Henrietta, and I tell IA and Judy.

—Razar, how old are you?.— Henrietta asks as we naturally walk along the sidewalk, her question must be related to what I can invent when they see us.

—18, I have my ID with me.— I reply.

—Okay my beloved, tell him I'm a distant relative who came from Europe...and...sorry, but I have to let go of your hand for a moment, depending on how he reacts, I'll need them.— Henrietta says.

….Could she kill him with her bare hands?..

—Hey, you can't be here!, how old is this girl?.— Says the soldier upon seeing us.

—I am of legal age, sir, she is visiting my house, she doesn't speak Japanese and doesn't have documentation similar to people her age in Japan.— I reply, showing him my identification, he probably won't want to deal with a foreigner, and since I'm older, he might see it as my own responsibility.

—Where do you live?.— The soldier asks, holding his assault rifle, but his finger is not on the trigger. It's true that Henrietta's face suggest she's younger, but she's taller than this man.

—A few blocks from here.— My address is on my ID, but on the back. I thought it was better if he didn't know much and put it away after he read my date of birth

—Until further notice, you can't leave. It's better if you go soon.— The soldier says.

While he was talking to me, Henrietta subtly turned her body to indicate to IA that they can leave. If Henrietta wasn't right and the soldier shot, it would be harder to have to take care of 3 people than just 1.

—We can't leave the house, we have to go back!.— IA says, who appears behind me and puts her hands on my back, pushing me. Basic psychology, she's very smart.

—I'm sorry, sir soldier, we're leaving now.— IA adds.

—Quick, quick!.— Judy says, holding Henrietta's hand.

—Buona notte, faccia attenzione a non ferirsi con la sua arma.— Henrietta tells the soldier seriously.

I didn't understand what she said, but she probably did it on purpose to avoid him asking more questions. With her height and in another language, it seems to have worked.

We walk freely and turn at the next intersection.

—I hope we don't have to do that again...— IA says.

—Did you see how he looked at me?, it was just like the other one. I could report him for harassment.— Judy says..

—Haha..— I laugh. It's true that he saw her, but it was involuntary when she appeared among us.

Henrietta takes my hand again as we're close to my house.

The lights are off, these days my guardian Kanna hasn't been here due to work.

—Here we are.— I say.