Terrestrial Alien ✔

Chapter 50: The Cat's Out

Ethan

Perkins stands in the doorway and looks amongst the four of us, his eyebrows slowly rising. We're probably three more kids than he expected to see here. And he's one more adult than I wanted to see here today.

"Dude, why are you always here." I complain, flopping back onto the pillows.

I scowl at him, and his look of surprise settles into something closer to a frown.

"Pardon me for caring about the wellbeing of my partner, Mr. Huggins. You'll have to just forgive me for checking up on her often. It's more than I can say of a certain friend of yours, anyway."

There's a touch of bitterness to his words, and as I realise who he's referring to, warmth rushes to my face. I avert my gaze from the crowd in my room.

Perkins must notice my discomfort, because he sighs.

"I'm sorry," he says. "That was uncalled for. Though I am surprised he hasn't come to see you. You haven't heard from him at all?"

I eye him for a moment, searching for any of his FBI-interrogation, mind-trickery tactics, but I don't find any. Perkins just seems tired, really.

He's leaning back against the door he closed behind him, hands in his pockets, and to be honest, he looks like shit. His hair hasn't been slicked back at all today, and instead it's a wild mess of curls atop his head. He isn't even wearing a suit: just jeans and a faded t-shirt saying something-something "save the elephants".

I decide, for once, to cut him a break, and I cut the bullshit. I shake my head "no".

Perkins looks just as disappointed as I've felt the last half week.

"Not to be intrusive or anything..." Maggie says, cutting through the silence that's settled over the room like a particularly smelly cheese. "But if you two are done, I'd like to talk to my friend like I climbed all those stairs to do."

Maggie points to me as she says this, and Perkins frowns at her impertinence.

"Well, as a matter of fact—" He begins in a way that I've come to learn means he's not going to back the hell off for hours.

"As a matter of fact," I say, talking over him and stopping him before he can get started. He turns his scowl on me, but I've had enough practice with the disapproval of adults to ignore it. "We wanted to ask you some questions this time, FBI-Man."

"Me?" Perkins asks, his brows shooting up again.

"We do?" Maggie asks at the same time, a similar expression gracing her face. God, if I could take a picture of it, I would, and I'd laugh at it for hours.

"Yes." I say, nodding and just barely able to conceal my grin.

Maggie exchanges a look with Ying and Connor, who have been sitting in their chairs, observing the current proceedings like it's a particularly unnerving telenovela. When her companions don't seem to know what I'm up to any more than than she does, Maggie turns back to me skeptically.

"What did you want to ask?" Perkins questions.

He's settling his dark gaze on me, and I feel my heart jumpstart. He's taking me seriously. I didn't think he'd actually allow me to ask him questions—this was partly way to mess with him.

But he's waiting for me to ask, and I know I have questions that I really do want to pose. There's no way I'll give up this chance.

"What has your investigation turned up so far?" I ask without a moment's hesitation.