DISSIMULATE

It was early in the morning when I heard my parents stumbling back and forth around the house. The bedside Garfield shaped alarm dad had got me said it was o’ four hundred. It wasn’t unusual for them to be up at this time, but the constant back and forth sounded unusual. I tried to ignore the sounds, but I couldn’t so I went downstairs. Still sleepy I rubbed at my eyes as I held the rails of the staircase. My father was on the phone as my mother watched him paced to and fro. Stopping on the steps I too watched as my father was partially clothed in his uniform attire.

“Yes sir I understand. Right away.” The ended shortly after and my father continued to piece together his uniform.

“Is everything okay Dave.”

“Yeah, just a possible intruder alert. Nothing to worry about.”

“Dave, I promised not to get involved with your work and you promised not to lie, so please don’t.” Sighing my father took her hand like he would always do with me, before he spoke.

“It’s nothing to worry about Eileen, I just need you and Zara to remain here until I get back okay. I will call if nothing changes.” Watching as they embraced each other, my dad’s eyes connected with mine. Ushering me towards him, I made the journey to the bottom of the staircase and over to him.

“You should be in bed Zara.”

“Too much noise.” He sighed again before embracing me as well. His words before leaving were to be obedient until he return. Stay inside and not to wander off from our home. With a kiss he left.

I was only seven at the time and didn’t understand the dread that marred my mother’s face as she looked after him. But soon I would come to know what intuition was and that it was really a powerful animalistic instinct we human, had almost completely ignored and cast aside after evolution.

I was bored inside, mommy said school was out today because of what business daddy was talking about this morning. Maurice could not come over under orders of his mother, and neither could Carmellia. I wasn’t allowed in the yard and the tv stopped working some time ago. Mommy didn’t pay much attention to me, as she looked out the window around the base. I wanted something to do and nothing inside interested me. Maybe I could go get by mall from the shed, mommy won’t know as I wouldn’t be too long.

Taking the back door to the garden, I ran as quickly as I could to the shed. Looking around to see if my mother had yet realized I snuck into the darkness of the shed. Looking around I tried to find the bright yellow ball with blue dog prints. Almost giving up I saw it in between the old furniture that dad had stored away. Reaching down I pulled at the ball trying to free it, but then heard noises behind the chairs. Stopping I looked at the area becoming scared. Joshua’s dog had gotten inside before and had bit me. I didn’t want another bite. Slowly I pulled away no longer wanting the ball, but to just get away.

Then I heard it again, stepping backwards I tripped on the old fire truck I used to play with. Scraping my elbow against the floor I cried out but not loud enough for the dog to attack me. Trying to stand on my feet again, I looked in the direction of the chairs again but this time I saw eyes nothing like Joshua’s dog. Looking harder I realized that it wasn’t a dog but a boy, walking back towards the pile of furniture I headed behind the pile. Curled in the corner was a boy, he looked older and a bit weird. His skin looked like Carmellia but with black spots of different sizes littering his body. His eyes look like the color of mommy’s special spoons and forks. The ones she used only uses on special occasions.

Looking at him, he stared at me also. He was crouched to the ground on all fours. His eyes glowed in the dark, but it was the sounds he made that had me pulling back.

“Are you okay?” He didn’t answer. He just kept staring. As silly as a child I was I wanted to help him, despite the way he looked and acted. Putting my hands in front of me like daddy taught me. I wanted him to see that I was friendly. Daddy said its used to show animals we are friendly, but it may work on a scared person too.

“My name is Zamara, what’s yours?” Again, he didn’t answer he just looked at me hard.

“Are you lost I could help you find your parents? Let me just call my mother, okay?” As soon as I tried to step away to get to my mother, I felt my movements halted. Startled I cried out but was stopped by a clawed hand. Looking at the boy, he was now before me, staring at me angrily.

“No.” He said and I shook my head. He was afraid, maybe of my parents or getting into trouble. A while later he removed his hand and just continued to watched me. My movement were limited as I was still restrained and it was then that I had realized it. If his hands were before me then what was it that held me in place?

He had a tail, not a fake one like the ones from my Halloween costumes, but a real one just like my cat Misty. I was fascinated. And as young as I was, I didn’t see the abnormality in that. Instead, I was intrigued by it all, my childish curiosity getting the better of me.

For days he had stayed in the shed, and I would bring him food to eat as he slowly became my friend. He never talked much but he would at times mimic the words I used. Then there were those times I wouldn’t understand the things he said.

The house shook as we heard the shouts of people outside. Our parents ran to the windows as they watched whatever was happening. I was at Mo’s house with my mom and his aunt. We were playing scrabble when the chaos began, trying to get a look outside we too tried to see what was happening. There houses on fire and people running about, my mother moved us away from the windows as she told us to get down. The sounds of loud booming and screams circulated as we tried to remain quiet like they told us to.

Soon a knock sounded on the door as Uncle Jeff entered looking upset. Taking a hold of my mother and I’s, hand he told us we needed to leave. My mother not wanting to leave behind Maurice and his Aunt Annie ushered them also, to follow. Stepping outside the place was chaos, nothing like it was before. A service car waited on us to enter before departing, I remembered the smell of smoke as we passed by burning houses, the cries of people over others that jut laid unmoving. But most of all I remembered the large spot in the sky that was completely covered by their ship. I remembered it all.