Terrestrial Alien ✔

Chapter 53: An Impromptu Intervention

Joshua

    Stepping out of that library, leaving Sundo behind and facing the unknown... It takes more courage than I ever thought possible. Anything could be out here... The moment is a held breath, the creak of the door, the glare of light as it swings open.

    Outside, the sun is shining brightly, blindingly so, and even under the shade of the brick awning behind the pillars, I have to squint against the light.

    At first, I don't see anyone out waiting for us.

Relief floods through me. I don't know what I would have done if Perkins or the cops were out here anyway. Run? Back into the library or down the street? Knowing myself, whichever I ended up doing would probably have been the wrong choice anyway.

I don't want to make any hasty decisions though, so before I allow myself to relax, I step out past the pillars, searching my surroundings again just to be sure. I don't want to go and tell Sundo the coast is clear only to come back and find I missed something glaringly obvious.

I guess it's the right thing to do, because that's when I spot her.

    In all fairness though, I think she spotted me first.

    There Maggie stands, phone in hand, brought to a jarring hault across the pavilion and staring right at me. Despite everything and despite the time that's passed, she looks no different than she would on any other day. Except for maybe the distracted, messy way she's pulled her hair out of her face in a ponytail that's utterly unremarkable, and unlike her. She looks ruffled, to say the least, and the shock upon seeing me... that's definitely new.

    "Joshua?" She asks, gaping at me.

    I freeze, caught in place by her look. What should I do? Approach her? Run? What would Sundo suggest, if he were here?

    Seeing her brings on a wave of painful nostalgia. I miss her so much, I want to talk to her. I'm glad to see her. But I'm also terrified to find out what she thinks of everything I've done since we last spoke.

The longer we stand here, the more I think I might find out. Trepidation flip-flops in my stomach as a hurricane of emotions tumbles over my friend's features: first shock, then disbelief, then rushing relief, and then something else. Something grim, and definitely not good.

Maggie crosses the space between us with stalking strides, and I feel suddenly very tiny as she glares up at me. I have a split second to recognise the emotion she settles on before she's rounding on me. It's anger.

She cracks her hand across my face, hard. I stumble, gasping.

    "Ow!" I cry, reeling. "What?! What the hell was that for, Maggie!?"

My hands fly to my cheek, and I stare at her through the tears pricking in my eyes. It stings like hell, and it's already radiating heat.

    "For everything you've put us through! Especially Ethan! God, Joshua, you're such a shallow asshole! Do you think of anyone but yourself?" Maggie cries right back, waving her hand again in front of her and making me flinch away.

    "I do!" I protest, offended. "I have been! What the hell, Maggie, I—"

    "No, shut up, Joshua! You don't get to talk! You lost the right to talk when you threw the entire town into a panic with your goddamn sci-fi romantic shitshow. Yeah, Ethan told me everything! Where's your alien? What are you doing here, I thought you two would be long gone by now."

    "He's—" I begin, but then I stop before the word is even halfway out of my mouth. I gaze at Maggie with building bewilderment. "Wait, did you say... Ethan?"