Leaving the classroom, Emma felt lighter. She wasn’t relieved exactly. At least she didn’t think so. She still had an interview with a psychologist to look forward to, and who knew what that would be like or when that would happen? But at least she had extra time for her project now. She wasn’t going to fail out of high school her freshman year.
Instead of being oppressively hot, now the sun kissed her skin. Birds chirped in the trees. Sweet smelling flowers filled the planters between classrooms. It would be a great day if her allergies didn’t hate her.
Nan was talking, her tone sharp, but Emma ignored her. It sucked that her teachers had suspected she was special needs before this screwup.
What sucked worse was that Nan had ignored them. Did that mean she didn’t love Emma anymore now that… others knew?
Emma rubbed her nose, trying to stave off a sneeze. Maybe she would figure out her stupid future project after all. Since it didn’t matter if she wanted the job, she’d just pick something.
On the football field and the track, a handful of shirtless guys practiced with the rest of the track team.
Emma grinned, then her stomach turned to ice. The track team was practicing right here, next to the special ed room that she had just walked out of with the principal, the special ed teacher, Nan, and the honors teachers.
Hannah was on the track team.
Where was she? And that awful friend of hers, Summer would be with her.
There, on the far straight part of the track. Summer and Hannah matched in a sick way. Both girls had their hair pulled up in chubby buns, Summer’s blonde and Hannah’s dark. They’d see her any moment now.
Anxious, Emma turned to Nan to tell her she needed to go, but Nan was chatting with Ms. Ngo and Mr. Attwood about setting up an alternate schedule. Emma looked for somewhere to hide.
Hannah and Summer reached the part of the track closest to them. Hannah pointed straight at Emma and said something to Summer.
If only Emma could fly away. That was the only way to escape them now.
Even in the middle of track practice, while their teammates were drenched in sweat, Hannah and Summer both looked pristine with perfect red lipstick. Sparkly eye shadow decorated their eyes along with streakless mascara.
“Nan, Emma,” Hannah called out in a tone Emma had learned to dread. “What are you doing here?”
Emma waited for Nan to answer for her as she always did. But, for once, Nan seemed as at a loss for words as Emma.
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“We had a meeting.” Ms. Range pitched her voice firm, but her mouth was smiling.
“What kind of meeting?” Hannah turned her shark-tooth grin on Emma.
“Don’t worry about it,” Nan said, moving slightly to stand between them.
Emma wouldn’t dare keep asking questions when Nan talked like that, but Hannah did what she wanted and always pushed for more.
The distant roar of an engine pulled Emma’s attention away from whatever humiliation her cousin was planning. It sounded wrong. The whining buzz hurt Emma’s ears.
“I do worry about my cousin. She cried this morning in geography.” Hannah reached towards Emma.
Face burning, Emma stepped back from Hannah’s mock sympathy.
“That’s not at all like her,” Hannah continued, ignoring Emma’s withdrawal.
A green glow started on the western horizon, but no one else seemed to notice. Emma tingled when she focused on the green light. Was that fear or something else? She sneezed. Snot flew out of her nose. She wiped it away with her shirt sleeve. She guessed the tingling was from all the dumb pollen in the air.
Summer scrunched up her face in a ‘oh gross’ expression and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Miss Perfect better lay off or Emma would sneeze on her for real. As soon as she figured out this green glow. She’d never seen anything like it before and it wasn’t fading away.
“Emma’s your cousin?” Ms. Ngo asked.
“That’s why I’m so worried about her.” Hannah worked whatever magic it was she used to twist people around her finger, but Emma could see right through her.
The engine sound intensified, making Emma’s stomach roil the way the TV did when it was on but not playing anything. It was like that feeling but times a million.
Summer tucked the same hair back into place.
“If you must know, we have a new program for orphans,” Ms. Range said. “Your cousin will work with others who have lost their parents.”
Emma winced, either from the lie or from the intensity of the buzzing from the weird engine, she wasn’t certain.
“Well, that’s boring,” Hannah said.
The roar grew louder.
Emma’s whole body vibrated with the sound.
Finally, the others turned towards the sound and the green light growing on the horizon. The engine roar shook Emma’s whole body. She clapped her hands over her ears to protect them. Still, the roar grew louder.
The teachers and the track team froze and stared up at the sky, looking for the source of the bone rattling pain.
In addition to the glow spreading through the sky, a nebulous green cloud appeared over of the horizon. In the center of the cloud, a thing rose over the tree-line.
It was shaped like an egg and a football mashed together, with the front end flatter and the back end flaring out before coming to a narrow point behind it. The thing had no wings.
A few track team kids pulled out their cell phones and started filming. The thing dominated half the sky and didn’t leave a contrail behind it like a rocket ship would.
She didn’t want to call it a UFO, but it was flying and she couldn’t identify it as a rocket, or a plane, or a helicopter, or anything else that should be in the sky. So, what else could it be, but an unidentified flying object?
Fascinated, Emma stared at this thing.
Even Nan and Hannah stopped talking, though she doubted their voices could have carried over the horrible noise. If she could escape back inside the classroom, it would be quieter. Eventually the roaring faded or else her ears were giving up on hearing. The thing grew smaller—it must have been traveling higher and higher into the atmosphere. Then, only the buzz remained.
What the heck was that thing?