Page 6 of Alien in the Attic

He grinned and moved around her, and she felt dizzy as she saw the cloaking device come on.

“I’ll never get used to that,” she griped. She was answered with a low chuckle that made her lips tilt up.

“Coffee, coffee, coffee, I need coffee right now!” Elena said as she stumbled into the kitchen. She slumped down on a chair and made grabby hands at the coffee pot behind Carmen. Carmen tried to hide her grin of excitement and gave Elena a stern stare.

“It’s still brewing. Be patient.”

“Where’s the coffee? I need coffee,” Sofia grumbled as she joined them. Carmen blocked her from getting to the coffee pot and directed her into a chair. With a quick glance over her shoulder, she signaled Arccoo and plopped down on a chair as well.

“So, what do we have planned for today?”

Elena groaned. “No life-juice, no thinking.”

Carmen laughed and leaned back smugly. “Watch this,” she said and reached her hand out. The coffee pot floated toward her, seemingly directed by her motions. Sofia’s eyes went wide, and Elena jumped up, cursing.

“What the…” Elena started.

“Iknewwe were witches! The three sisters! We’reCharmed!” Sofia excitedly rambled.

Carmen just laughed as she “directed” coffee to be poured into the cups she’d already laid out.

“It’s even better than that. I promise. Arccoo, you can show yourself now.”

The coffee pot placed itself down, and at the next moment, Arccoo appeared. Sofia gasped. Elena grabbed a spatula from next to the stove and pointed it at him.

Carmen couldn’t stop laughing. “What are you planning to do with that?” she managed to get out between giggles.

“Who are you?” Elena fiercely demanded, not seeming to notice her oldest sister’s amusement.

Carmen finally calmed down, standing to grab the spatula from Elena’s hand. She had to tug on it for her to release it, and her efforts were met with a glare.

“This is Arccoo. He’s an alien from a planet called Three-ell, and he’s been living here.” She glanced over at Arccoo, relieved as he nodded, confirming her pronunciation.

“It is my pleasure to meet you, siblings of Carmen,” he said, bowing his head slightly. Carmen glanced at Sofia and smothered a guffaw. Sofia was frozen, her eyes wide and mouth open, staring at Arccoo as if he were a ghost. She purposely decided not to remember her own reaction to him last night.

“No life-juice, no thinking,” Elena repeated with a mutter, grabbing her coffee and downing half of it despite the heat.

“Sofia? You okay there?” Carmen asked, not able to disguise the pleasure in her voice. It took a lot to shock Sofia, and she was going to enjoy the hell out of it.

Sofia shook herself, and after blinking rapidly a few times, she stood. She walked over to Arccoo, approaching him as if he were a wild animal.

“You’re an alien?” she asked, and Carmen rolled her eyes at the stupid question.

“Yes, he is, and his ship was stranded, so he’s staying here until he gets picked up.” Carmen left no room for negotiation in her statement.

“Okay. Okay. Okay. This is fine. No, this is good. Great. Wonderful. I need my notebook.” Sofia rushed out of the room with a last glance at Arccoo.

Carmen shared an amused glance with Arccoo, a warm rush filling her at the quick familiarity they had. When she’d asked him last night if he would help her scare her sisters one last time, he quickly agreed. He wore a smirk as he told her that he and his brother—his “first sibling,” whatever that meant—used to play tricks on each other all the time. When she tried to ask more about his brother, Arccoo clammed up, his eyes sad.

“So this is happening? It’s real?” Elena asked, her eyes locked on Arccoo, her second cup of coffee already half empty.

“Yep,” Carmen replied. “Wait until you hear how he’s been hiding.”

Elena perked up, raising a questioning eyebrow at Arccoo. He chuckled and then gestured to his wrist. He went on to explain how the light-wavering technology worked, demonstrating it to Elena. Carmen zoned it out, knowing she wouldn’t understand it anyway, and settled for staring at him.

The way he spoke with Elena made her feel proud. With every question she asked, he seemed more impressed. He was in the middle of a complex explanation when Sofia stormed back in.

“I’ve decided it’s a trick.” She walked straight up to Arccoo and poked him in the pectoral. “Hmm, not an illusion then. Paint?” She licked her finger and was about to rub it on his face when Carmen grabbed her hand.

---