Gathering Parts

When I woke up the next morning, I saw Reena, still asleep beside me. I put on my glasses and slowly slipped out from under the covers, trying not to wake her, but I accidently bumped her leg and woke her up anyway. She blinked and lifted her head.

"Wha - oh, hi, Roman. Good morning." She got out of bed on all fours and stretched, unfurling her wings and stretching them too. I put on my clothes and opened up my curtains. Sunlight streamed into the room.

I heard some voices from the living room: "Reena? Where are you? Reena!"

"It's okay!" she called. "I'm in here."

GT appeared in my doorway. "Oh. You were sleeping with Roman last night?"

"Yeah," I said. "She didn't feel good, so she asked to sleep with me, and I said yes."

GT looked confused. "Didn't feel good? Are you sick, Reena?"

"No," she replied. "I was just worried, that's all. About getting back to Varcanzoggle and all that. I was too tense to sleep alone."

"Oh."

I headed into the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" asked GT.

"To have my breakfast," I said.

"Oh, that's right!" said GT, snapping his fingers. He turned back to my doorway. "Reena, are you gonna have your breakfast?"

"Yes," came her reply. She padded out of my bedroom, looking quite happy.

Mom came up the stairs. She saw me and smiled. "Good morning, Roman," she said.

"Good morning," I replied as I started to get my breakfast prepared.

"Um... the stuff that you eat on your planet..." Mom asked casually, "... does Earth have it? Like, what do you eat?"

"Actually, the humans on Varcanzoggle don't eat," said GT. "Our bodies automatically provide the vitamins and nutrients we need."

"Racabats eat pretty much everything, except for fruits and vegetables," said Reena. She shuddered. "We hate fruits and vegetables."

"And so do I," I added.

Suddenly, the microwave began to sputter and shake. The light began flickering on and off, and the digital display changed from the current time to "Go:od Mo:rn in:g! Go:od Mo:rn in:g! Go:od Mo:rn in:g!"

"What the -" I started. "What's going on?"

The outlet on top of the stove sputtered with sparks, and Voltergeist jumped out of it.

"Good morning!" he said gleefully. "Didn't you read the message?"

"Voltergeist, that wasn't funny," I said. "I really thought there was something wrong with the microwave."

"Oh, lighten up, will you? I was only joking."

"What does he eat?" Mom asked GT.

"Ghosts don't need to eat," he replied.

"He's a ghost?" Mom asked.

"Duh!" replied Voltergeist. Poltergeist. Voltergeist. Does anyone not know that?"

"I knew that," said Spencer, coming into the kitchen.

I took my breakfast to the dining room table. GT sat opposite me and watched intently as I ate.

I looked up, confused. "Um..."

"Oh, sorry!" he said apologetically. "I don't mean to stare. It's just that I've never seen a human eat before."

"That's right," I said. "Because the humans where you come from don't eat because they don't need to."

"It's not that we don't need to," said Spencer. "It's that we can't. Humans on Varcanzoggle don't have stomaches."

"Oh," I said. "Fascinating!"

I heard a gasp, then a banging, as if a cat just went through the cat door. I turned around and saw Reena, her fur standing up on end."

"What happened?" I asked her.

"There was this... other cat... with orange fur and a white tip on his tail... who came in through that hole," she said, pointing to the cat door. "I've never seen him before."

"Oh, that's just Duke," I replied. "That's what we call him. He's a homeless cat who comes by from time to time to eat some cat food we put out for him. Mom does it usually."

"I think he looks a little afraid of me," said Reena.

"He was. He's afraid of everyone in the house. Mom thinks that he was permanently scarred somehow in his previous life," I said. "It makes sense."

"Did you want him to join your family?" Reena asked.

"Oh, yeah," I said. "Mom really wishes that he'd trust us mroe so that he'd live with us."

"I'm going to try to talk to him," said Reena.

"You can do that?" Mom asked. "You can talk to cats?"

"Yep," said Spencer. "Racabats are a crossbreed of three. Rats, cats, and bats, hence its name, racabat."

Reena stepped outside, and Duke ran down the steps and stared up wildly at her.

"Who are you?" he asked in terror. "Keep away from me!"

"No, wait!" said Reena. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"Yes you are!" Duke replied. "Just like the others!"

"they give you food!" said Reena. "You think that's hurting you?"

"No, I mean my previous owners," he said. "They mistreated me! They beat me! I couldn't stand it anymore, I left."

"Well, we're not going to hurt you," she said. "We want you to join our family. Wou won't have to brave the elements anymore and live out on the streets. You'll live in a nice warm house with all the food you can eat."

"But-" he started.

"Shhh... we're not going to hurt you," Reena whispered soothingly. "We're not going to hurt you." She crept up slowly to him. Duke looked a little calm for a minute, but the wild look returned in his eyes.

"You are," he said defiantly.

"No-"

Stay away from me!" Duke yelled. "You people are CRUEL!"

He ran into the bushes.

Reena returned inside, looking confused.

"Well?" I asked. "What happened?"

"He won't trust us," said Reena. "He think we're going to beat him and hurt him. I think he's mental." She shrugged, crouched by a tray of cat food, and started to eat it contently.

"He must be," I said. "We wouldn't hurt him. I hate animal cruelty." I finished my breakfast, so I carried the dishes to the dishwasher and placed them in there. Then he went to brush his teeth.

____________________________________________________________________________

Later that day, I was showing one of my Nintendo DS games to GT.

"Wow," said GT. "This game is intense. And really gory."

"I know," I replied. "But that's the way it was made. Dementium: The Ward will get easier once you've played it enough."

"I hope I don't offend you in any way," said GT, "but compared to Varcanzoggle's, your technology is very primitive."

"Really?" I asked in curiosity.

"Yep," was his reply. "Sorry, but I've got to... oh man... The Cleaver's Return. This is gonna be hard, I can sense it."

"Here he comes!" I cried. "Quickly, shoot him!"

GT shot at The Cleaver, but it just shook its head a few times and kept on coming.

"He won't die!" yelled GT. "He's too tough!"

"Just keep going," I murmured, "and you'll be fine."

GT was shaking. "Is he coming this way? What do I do? I hate that grunting wheeze he makes when he walks."

"Okay, pick up that ammo," I said, pointing, "and peek around the corner. If he's there, shoot him in the head if you can. Remember to wait until he stops flashing red before you fire again."

GT took aim with the shotgun, crept around the corner, and sure enough, The Cleaver was there, a little ways away. The Cleaver turned and started towards the screen, and GT screamed and shot him in the head.

"Good!" I said as GT retreated around the corner. "Just keep it up, and you shouldn't have a problem."

"I hope," GT muttered.

Mom poked her head in the room.

"Please keep it down, guys," she said. "I'm playing Apples to Apples with Ava, Spencer, and Mark. We can't focus very well."

"Okay," GT and I said in unison, and Mom left.

"All right," I said. "Now, herehecomesSHOOTHIMQUICK!!!"

"I'm trying!" GT yelled. "Damn! I hit the wrong button!" He pressed the pause button and looked over at me. "Excuse my language, please."

"It's alright," I said. "I'm about your age, and I'm not even allowed to say that word yet, you know that?"

GT chuckled.

"Yeah," GT replied. "I know the feeling. I wasn't either when I was twelve years old and under. But in Varcanzoggle, you're allowed to wear once you become a teenager."

"Well, I am jealous," I said.

"Mom mom says that it's okay to swear," said GT, "as long as you have a reason for it. Like, you can't just swear for no reason."

"Yeah, I understand that," I said. "My dad does that sometimes, though."

"I am going to die in exactly five seconds," said GT, staring intently at the screen.

"I doubt that highly," I said.

The Cleaver came around the corner and shot out an acid stream, killed the player.

"You were saying?" said GT with a grin.

"I dount that you'll survive highly." I laughed. "Yeah, that's what I meant."

"What other games do you have?" asked GT.

"Umm..." I ruffled through my Nintendo case, and found my R4 cartridge. "Here, browse through this."

"What's it got, a collection?" asked GT.

"You've hit the nail on the head," I replied. "I call it my arcade cartridge, too."

"Ooo, what's Brain Age?" GT wondered.

"That will kill you mentally. Don't play it."

_____________________________________________________________________________

They were just putting the Nintendo away when there was a crash from outside.

“What's that?” I asked.

“I don't know,” said GT. “But it could have come from Varcanzoggle. I'm gonna check. Stay here.”

He walked to the front door and opened it up. Outside, a huge capsule had crashed right in the center of the street, creating a huge crater. The capsule didn't have any doors, but the crash did cause a large hole to be ripped from the side of it. Dark figures moved from within the hole.

GT gulped. He stepped closer to the space pod. “Hey, who's in there? Step out now or I'll –”

A scaly monster burst out of the hole, follwed by four others, snarling menacingly. GT recognized them instantly. He's encountered them before.

“So, you've come back for more?” asked GT. “Bring it on.”

“More what? More Rehnches?” asked the nearest cransacol. “There's five of us, and we've only returned to destroy you.”

“You guys know you're no match for me.” GT clenched his fists tightly, pacing around them. “Go ahead! Hit me with your worst!”

The cransacols pulled out large guns and opened fire. The blasts rocketed through the air, but GT was able to avoid them easily. They were, however, ricocheting off anything they touched. When the cransacols stopped firing, GT stood motionless on the ground, unharmed, his arms folding in front of him.

“Cute,” he said. “My turn.”

In a flash, GT lunged at the nearest cransacol, knocking it down with a single blow. Before the adjacent cransacol could react, GT clasped his fists together and struck it across the jaw, then spun around and kicked it in the chest. Another cransacol pounced on his back, but GT flipped it right off, jumped, and landed on it with his elbow in its chest. He turned and rammed into the next cransacol, but the other one attacked GT as well, two on one. GT stuck his fists straight out on his sides, then spun, clubbing both the cransacols in the side of the head. GT grabbed the last standing cransacol, then headbutted him, knocking him down. It was all over in under 15 seconds.

“These creatures are pathetic,” muttered GT. I came out the front door and ran up to him.

“I saw the whole thing,” I said in amazement. “Are you okay? What were those things?”

“I'm fine, and they were cransacols,” said GT. “They're creatures from my planet. They had come and snatched the first wrench we got from us and left, and now the same ones have come back. They tried to kill me, but I was too quick for them.”

“Well, how are we gonna get this space capsule out of the street now?” I asked. “It's so big, no car can swerve around it. I bet it can block a big water flow.”

<p style="text-align: LEFT; margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none">“MARK!” GT called. In a few seconds, Mark came running out.

<p style="text-align: LEFT; margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none">“What's up?” he panted. He paused and looked at the cransacols and the space capsule. “Whoa, what happened here?”

<p style="text-align: LEFT; margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none">“The cransacols came back to kill me,” said GT. “I'm fine. In fact, I feel kind of sorry for them. They're just too weak. Anyways, can you help us get this space capsule out of the street?”

<p style="text-align: LEFT; margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none">“Sure,” said Mark. “In fact, I could dismantle it and it could be rebuilt into a new rocket. And then we could go home!”

<p style="text-align: LEFT; margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none">“You do know that it'll take, like, a really long time, right?” I asked.

<p style="text-align: LEFT; margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none">“Yep,” Mark replied. He walked up to the space pod and held out his hands. A dazzling display of arrows burst forth and smashed into the ship, ripping it apart into smaller pieces. Whe he was done, Mark gestured to the rubble. “Here you go.”

<p style="text-align: LEFT; margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none">“Wow,” I said. “Just like my story.”

<p style="text-align: LEFT; margin-bottom: 0in">  “Don't start with     that     again,” said Mark. “I got freaked out enough the first time I heard it.”

<p style="text-align: LEFT; margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none">“Sorry,” I said.