Page 13 of Alien in the Attic

Maybe, just maybe, if they could be quick about it, then they could…

“Hey! Did you hear me, Carmen? I said I need Arccoo back in the living room!”

The two of them pulled apart instantly, making plenty of space before the kitchen door opened.

“Yeah, yeah. I heard you, Sofia,” Carmen said quickly before shaking her hand at the cabinet above the fridge. “It’s right up there. The punch bowl. If you could just get it down.”

Arccoo did so and set the bowl down on the table. He looked back at Carmen longingly before following Sofia through the door, seemingly with great reluctance.

Carmen sighed and, once they were gone, collapsed against the countertop. What had she gotten herself into? Even if the two of them agreed wholeheartedly that they were a perfect match, that didn’t mean anyone else would. What if her sisters judged her? What if Arccoo’s people really didn’t like it?

She gulped, not exactly looking forward to starring in alien Romeo and Juliet. And, once again, all of this worrying was predicated on the idea that he wouldn’t simply ditch them the moment his rescue squad arrived.

Carmen shook herself out and regained her composure. This situation had many unknowns and what ifs, sure. But it also had a lot of fun and passion. Arccoo made Carmen feel good about herself in a way she hadn’t since three boyfriends back.

Maybe that’s all they needed to be. A little bit of fun for now.

She sighed, trying to make that thought a happy one. Then, as she always had before, Carmen rolled up her sleeves and got back to work.

After taking inventory of the liquor and serving dishes, she returned to the living room to find a lot more candlesticks filling the room.

“Nice. Very spooky,” she said. “Let me make sure our insurance covers fire damage, though.”

“Oh! Arccoo, tell Carmen your amazing idea!” Elena cried. “Listen, listen, Carmen. He gets it!”

Carmen looked at Arccoo expectantly. He smiled back.

“If the point of the celebration is to prank and scare others, what if I used my cloaking device to cause a little mischief during the party?” he asked.

Carmen gasped, a whirlwind of devilish scenarios jumping through her mind. “You could blow out candles and make things move in the air!”

“He could pick people up and make them look like they’re flying!” Elena said.

“Play the piano!” Sofia yelped, pointing toward the dust covered instrument in the corner. “It doesn’t even have to be good. It’ll be scary no matter what.”

Carmen nodded, smiling widely. “This is genius. Girls, our party is going to rock this town completely!”

They cheered, surrounded by animatronic skeletons and hissing black cats. No way could anyone top what they had brewing.

“All right,” Carmen said, clapping her hands together. “Let’s get to carving some pumpkins. I’ve got a lot of seeds to roast before Saturday night.”

She looked over at Arccoo, who seemed to be equally delighting in the spirit of the season. Even if this couldn’t last forever, Carmen was more than happy that she could have him for now.

Chapter 6

Arccoo

“Everything’s in place,” Elena said, the light from her laptop turning her glasses into glowing mirrors. “There might be a flicker at first, but once this digital generator starts to purr, this place will put the haunted mansion to shame.”

“We’ve only got twenty minutes,” Carmen pointed out. “Are we going to be up and running by then?”

“We’re blending technologies here,” Elena countered. “Literally no one has ever done this before. Don’t rush me.”

Arccoo strode across the room. “The adapters are working and should be ready to make the connection.” He stood at Elena’s desk and watched her type so fast she might as well have had thirty fingers. A few engineers back home would envy her technological prowess.

A body brushed against his. He noticed how close he was to Carmen. She was looking up at him with a sweet smile. Something inside him demanded he put some distance between them. Not only for his duty but to avoid letting Carmen’s sisters know about their incredible connection. He still wasn’t sure how they’d react to their interspecies romance.

Seeing the sparkle in her eye kept him in place, however. He smiled back. To his shock, her hand found his and their fingers laced together like vines tangling themselves along the branch of a tree. It was natural and effortless.

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