Page 4 of Alien in the Attic

The sisters were fast asleep when Arccoo walked into the kitchen. He’d grown tired of the packaged meals that had been on his ship and the canned food he’d found in the house. He was hoping to find something fresher, or at least freshly prepared, to eat.

He knew he had to be careful about taking too much, or the sisters would notice, but he couldn’t resist the temptation. The food that Carmen had been cooking every evening had made his mouth water.

The light from the fridge blinked off of his cloaking device, creating a slight distortion. He squinted from the sudden brightness. A rush of triumph ran through him when he saw the neatly put-away leftovers of what the sisters had called “enchiladas.” He had no idea what it was, but the enticing scent of melted cheese had dragged him from his hiding spot.

He grabbed the plate, considering whether it was worth risking waking up his unknowing co-inhabitants to heat it up, when a floorboard creaked.

“Who’s there?” Carmen’s melodic voice rang through the kitchen. “I know you’re there. If you can, show yourself right now!” she stated assertively, though he could hear a slight nervous tremor in her voice. He sighed, placing the plate on the counter and closing the fridge.

Arccoo considered for a moment. He was well and truly caught, and he didn’t think he could get away with disappearing, even though he was still hidden with the cloaking device. He’d become somewhat enamored with this one, the first sibling.

“I will show myself now,” he said, keeping his voice low and calm.

She jumped but quickly nodded and raised her chin to hide the reaction. He admired her bravery.

Arccoo took a deep breath, reaching for his wrist to click off the cloaking device. Carmen’s eyes grew wide as he appeared in front of her, seemingly out of nowhere.

“How… what… what are you?” she finally got out. She studied him closely, marking his slightly luminescent gray skin and six-foot-five-inch muscular frame. Her brown eyes stuck on his violet ones, seeming to gaze deep into his soul. He felt a slight thrill from finally being seen after being stuck, invisible, on this planet for so long, though he had a feeling it was more than that with this woman.

“Shall we sit?” He gestured to the worn kitchen table and pulled out a chair for her. She collapsed into it, her eyes still wide and her face slightly pale. He knew he’d have to start explaining soon because it was clear she was freaking out.

“Are you a ghost?” she asked timidly. He strode around the table and sat down across from her.

“I am not. I do apologize for scaring you and your siblings.” He took a deep breath, his mind running over how much he should tell her. “My name is Arccoo, and I guess your kind would call me an alien. I am not from this planet,” he started.

Carmen’s jaw dropped. “Aliens are real? Oh god, Sofia is going to have a coronary!”

Arccoo smirked. He’d found the second sibling’s graphic T-shirts and obsession with the paranormal quite amusing.

“Yes,” he replied, “many planets lie beyond your solar system with endless different peoples and cultures. I am from a planet called Thryal. My father is the king.” He figured he could share this much with her. He felt a strange inclination to tell her anything she wanted to know, but he barely knew her, and she was from Earth. He had no idea how much he could trust her.

“Holy shit,” Carmen muttered, and Arccoo couldn’t help a light chuckle from escaping. She was equal parts adorable and sexy, her night clothes clinging to her curves and exposing a touch of cleavage that he had to work hard not to look at. He wasn’t hiding behind his device now, and it wasn’t polite to stare.At least, not when people could see you staring,he thought ironically.

“But wait, why are you here? And is this why things have been acting up around the house?”

“Ah, yes. Again, I apologize. It was not my intent to frighten you.” Arccoo waved at his wrist. “I have a cloaking device thatuses light-wavering technology. It makes me invisible, but I can still be heard and felt.”

“Oh, wow. Now Elena’s going to have a coronary,” she said with a laugh.

“Your third sibling is quite talented with technology, yes,” Arccoo agreed. Carmen frowned briefly at the way he described her youngest sister but clearly decided to let it pass as her other questions became more pressing.

“So, why are you here? And why in this house?”

Arccoo shifted uncomfortably, again debating how much to tell her. He decided to keep it simple. “My ship was stranded nearby, and I’m awaiting rescue.” He could tell Carmen wanted to ask more, so he steered the conversation to a more comfortable topic for him.

“This house was deserted, so I thought I could stay here for a while. I did not know you and your siblings were moving in until the day you arrived.” He raised an eyebrow in question, and Carmen sighed.

“My grandparents have been missing for five years, so the state has declared them dead.” She said it in a matter-of-fact way that had him believe she had gotten used to explaining this. “My parents are dead, too, so my sisters and I inherited this place.”

“My condolences,” Arccoo said softly, itching to reach out and touch her hand. Though she seemed less ill at ease, she was still clearly nervous around him. He couldn’t blame her.

Carmen shrugged, her strength shining through in that slight movement. “Thanks, but we’ve had some time to come to terms with it. We just want to focus on getting this place sorted out. There’s a lot to do.”

She looked around the kitchen. “It’s been weird being back here, to be honest. It feels kind of empty without my grandfather’s booming voice and my grandmother’s constant off-key singing.” She laughed softly. “I actually think your presence has been a good distraction for us, even though we were freaked out.”

Arccoo smiled. He had seen the sadness in each of the sisters’ eyes on occasions when they thought no one was looking, and he was glad to have distracted them from that.

His stomach grumbled, and Carmen’s eyes shot to the plate on the counter. “Oh, are you hungry? I can heat that up for you,” she said in a rush.

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