Page 11 of Alien in the Attic

Carmen

“For a race so terrified of death, you certainly love to celebrate it,” Arccoo said as he held out a long string of little ghosts. He inspected the small decorations closely, raising an interested eyebrow. “And you believe your bodies turn into these things when you die?”

Sofia laughed, shaking her head as she took the garland from him. “Some cultures believe we have a soul, or mystic energy, in our bodies that’s released when we die. This is a very goofy representation of that. It’s simplistic on purpose.”

Carmen nodded from her place sitting on the couch. In her lap sat a notebook full of tried-and-true party recipes, new ideas, and classic spooky treats. She went through it with a highlighter, trying to build the perfect menu for their big party.

“Somecultures believe, Sofia? Wasn’t very long ago you placed yourself among their ranks.” Carmen sighed as she crossed “artichoke dip” off her list. After that one Easter disaster, she didn’t think anyone could stomach a repeat. Even if the thought did fill her with a good amount of terror, somewhat appropriate for Halloween.

Sofia stood on a chair, balanced by Arccoo, and peeked behind her shoulder back at Carmen. “Rub it in, why don’t you?” she said playfully before turning back to hang up the garland.

“I’m just saying. It’s not too late to pick the paranormal investigating back up.” Carmen sighed and crossed off “mummy pigs in a blanket” for being too juvenile. But then, after a moment of thought, she reconsidered how easy to cook and delicious they were and wrote them back in.

“Well, I guess if we have proof that aliens exist, looking for proof that ghosts are real can’t be that crazy.” Sofia held out her hand to Arccoo, who took it and helped her step back down.

Carmen watched from the couch, feeling a blush of heat rush to her cheeks. He was so gentle in spite of his size. The way he showed such care to her and her sisters was remarkable. It was simply one of several reasons she was finding herself drawn further into him.

His gentleness was also one of the few not so shallow reasons she couldn’t keep her eyes off him.

The front door flew open, jolting Carmen out of the daydream threatening to take her over. Elena stormed in with a cardboard box held in her arms. She dropped it unceremoniously on the ground, a loud sound of crashing metal making everyone jump.

“Elena! What the hell?” Carmen asked as she jumped from the couch.

“Augh, I’m just so over this!” Elena kicked the box, sending a power cable over one of the sides. “I’ve been trying to make this homebrew hologram program work all day, and I don’t know why it won’t!”

Carmen shook her head, crossing her arms in her usual big sister stance. “Is that what you’ve been doing all day? You were supposed to be hanging up the fliers!”

Elena pushed her glasses up her nose in defiance. “I did! I hung them up this morning in all the important places. ‘Big Halloween Party at Wildridge Manor! 8 p.m., October 28th. Costume contest with prizes.’ Everyone’s going to see them, don’t worry. But I’m worried that those people will show up expecting an all-out haunted terror fest and leave disappointed because I can’t. Even. Make. A. Fake. Ghost!” Elena punctuated each word in the final sentence by giving the equipment box another kick.

Arccoo glided over to them before leaning down and inspecting the box’s contents. He held each piece close to his face, as if trying to discern what each component was for.

“You were trying to create holo tech using this?” he finally asked Elena.

Her face went red with embarrassment. “I mean, probably not like anything your species can pull off. It was just some basic little trick. Just an image of a ghost swaying back and forth.”

“Don’t sell yourself short,” Sofia commanded, pointing a finger in her little sister’s face. “If it could be done with human tech, you’d pull it off easily.”

Elena smiled sheepishly but looked back at Arccoo with wide, expectant eyes. He hummed to himself, pulling the projector box open.

“What’s up, Arccoo?” Carmen asked. She stopped herself from reaching out to touch his arm and only then realized she was standing a little too close to him to avoid suspicion. Casually, she stepped closer to Elena under the guise of offering her comfort.

“With a few adjustments, you might be able to make this work. I suppose the light source wasn’t bright enough?” he asked.

Elena sighed. “Bingo. I was tinkering with it in the shed. Even in pitch black, it looks too weak. In a well-lit party, it won’t even be worth the electricity to turn it on.”

Again, Arccoo dug around in the electronics. Carmen couldn’t help but smile at the sight. He looked so serious while investigating the problem. She wondered if he always tackled issues like this, fully engrossed in the mission.

The mission.

For a fleeting moment, Carmen recalled why Arccoo was here in the first place. What would he do when his rescue party arrived? Leave them behind without a second glance? Or…

She shook her head, leaving that thought to be dealt with later. Right now, her sisters needed her at her best.

Halloween was serious business in Hollowbrook. If they were going to impress the people of this town, this party had to be perfect. No cheap plastic spiders and rushed jack-o-lanterns here. Oh, no. Everything had to be authentically, perfectly spooky down to the last detail.

Elena was right to try and add a little extra tech to the mix. Even if Carmen was sure she only dropped one flier off at the local cafe before rushing off to tinker in the shed.

“I may be able to do something with this,” Arccoo said.

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