Chapter 1

In loving memory of David Bowie. Rock on, starman!

There were only three things to do in a town like Hardy, Texas when it was after two AM: go home, get caught by the sheriff, or sit on the hood of a car and watch the stars crawl. For Jake Mercer, it was drinking beers with his friends, Daniel, Mark, Sal, and Violet. It was a Friday night, and their high school had had their annual football game. Not knowing what else to do, Daniel suggested they buy drinks and watch the stars. He sat in the back of Jake’s black F-150 with the guys. Jake sat on the hood, Violet by his side. He turned to look her in the eye.

“That was some game,” he said. “Can’t believe we won,”

“Yeah,” said Violet. “My brother says that our town hasn’t won anything since 2012,”

She brushed a strand of black hair behind Jake’s left ear. Violet’s hair was brown with lots of curls. Her black face was painted with colors of red and blue.

“I can’t wait to wash this face paint off when I get home,” she commented. “Acne, you know?”

“Yeah,” said Jake. “I hate it, too, but I guess it’s a part of life,”

Behind them, Mark let out a laugh, tossing an aluminum can with a resounding clink. Daniel walked around and turned on the radio. Ella Henderson’s “Ghosts” blared in everyone’s ears. Sal, meanwhile, leaned against the truck’s back window. Jake thanked God that they weren’t actually in town. In fact, they were right on the outskirts, surrounded by nothing but a desert. Jake was beyond grateful for that.

Hardy is located right on the border between Mexico and the United States. It is known for not only having the largest statue of their founder, Thomas Hardy, but also for its beauty. One could walk around and never get bored of everything, including the American and Mexican styles of the buildings downtown. But tonight, Jake preferred the quiet of the flats.

Of course, Jake Mercer had lived in Texas his whole life. He was born in Austin, but he and his parents, George and Reina, moved when he was nine. He remembered befriending Daniel on his first day of third grade. In turn, Daniel introduced him to the others. At first, Jake was understandably nervous, but he got over it. They have all stayed friends ever since. In spit of that, Violet later told him, that she wanted to move out as soon as she turned eighteen.

“You’re worried about face paint?” said Daniel. “I’m just worried I won’t be able to see! Egghead’s phone has been lighting the whole desert,”

“Egghead” was Daniel’s nickname for Mark.

“Shut up, Dan,” Mark retorted.

“You gotta learn to relax, dude,” Sal murmured. “These are what make life worth living,”

“I’m just worried that my parents are gonna notice,” said Mark.

“Your parents ain’t gonna do shit if they catch you,” said Daniel.

“What about yours?”

“What about Jake’s?” said Sal. “He’s drinking,”

Daniel took a swig and looked out, but not at the sky. He put his right hand above his eyes, trying to peek into the desert.

“Mark, please turn your brightness down,” he said.

“But-,”

“Just do it!”

“Ok, man, geez,” said Mark.

He turned his phone off.

Daniel later told me that he could have sworn he saw something in the distance. Neither Mark nor Sal saw it at first. Slowly, but surely, there was a shape, and that shape was getting larger.

"Sal, it's another one of your relatives," said Mark, half-jokingly.

Sal's parents were from Paraguay, and he had the dark skin as well as the culture and name to prove it: Salvatore Fernandez García. Despite not being on most maps, Hardy was- and probably still is- a hotspot for immigrants. It didn't matter if they were Mexican or not. Some were Italian, while others were from Canada or some other country. However, to Sal, this didn't look like one of his relatives. As a matter of fact, the figure did not look as if they belonged to a country at all.

Suddenly, the radio went off, and started to screech. Jake and Violet covered their ears. She turned and saw that the others had done the same.

"Jake, get your butt over here," Sal warned, urgently. To his shock, he saw that the truck's lights were flashing on and off.

Jake and Violet walked around to where the others sat. Sal had turned on his phone's flashlight to illuminate the pale, ghostly figure of a woman. Well, at least, Jake believed it was a woman judging by the boobs, which were just as big as Violet's. The girl held both of her hands in front of her face. Her long, strawberry blonde hair reached her shoulders, and she wore nothing but a hospital gown. Scars covered her arms, suggesting that she had had quite a journey.

"What the fuck?" said Daniel.

Please, God, don't let this be like "Stranger Things" season one episode one, Jake thought.

Sal lowered his flashlight. As he did, the girl's arms dropped to her side. Her eyes were a pale blue. To them, she seemed like she was on drugs. Hardy was no stranger to the occasional drifter. Jake approached her.

“Woof,” said Daniel. “She’s hot,”

“Can we help you?” Jake asked.

The girl didn’t respond. Instead, she glanced at everyone, nervously. The screeching sound had stopped and the lights ceased to flash. Violet grabbed her half-empty Ozarka plastic water bottle and gave it to the girl.

“Drink it,” she said. “You look thirsty,”

The girl grabbed the bottle, and after examining its contents, drank slowly. When she was done, she started to scrunch it, laughing as she did so.

“Can we help you?” Jake asked again.

No answer.

“Can we help you?” Mark said, a little louder.

“¿Tu hablas español?” Sal inquired. “¿Podemos ayudarle?”

Nothing.

“Yep, she’s lost it,” said Daniel. “Jake, how about we call the cops and let them sort this whole thing out?”

“Let’s try one more time, then we will,” said Jake.

“Home!” the girl exclaimed.

The others jumped in surprise.

“Home, home, home,” the girl repeated.