A Million Miles from Home

Prologue

Hi, my name is Cody, I’m 17 year old and I live in Morgan Hill, in California with my parents and my older brother. My relationship with my family has always been kind of difficult, especially for a transgender teen like me as my parents don’t accept my gender identity at all. my dad is obsessed with football and can completely break a nerve if his team loses, or in general I stopped counting how many things he broke while being angry. my mom doesn’t care about me at all, she’s always absent. I go to a small school where everyone bullies and makes fun of each other and I’m no exception, I never really had much friends except for one, Lore. He lives in a small cabin lost in the forest with his parents that always work at some giant tech company in the silicon valley. He is my source of escape from my overall pretty complicated life, I regularly go see him, and also sleep at his house. Well there was one night where everything changed.

Chapter 1: the beginning.

The bus opens his doors in front of my house. after a long and difficult week the weekend looks promising as I’m gonna spend the night at Lore’s house, I open the door to find my dad watching tv while eating peanuts and yelling at the television as usual, I pass next to him without saying anything, I go to my room and make my bag, I take everything i might need for the night, then I leave the house, passing my dad who still prefers to express all his rage to the other football team who seem to be winning from the scores.

I then go to the garage and grab my bike, then head to Lore’s house. It’s a long way to there, I have to leave the town, then head to Lore’s house, deep In the forest. Going there is around an hour by bike, but Lore is gonna come half way though with his truck and bring me to his house.

I start to feel some rain, I’m exhausted and I desperately look in the distance for Lore’s old truck, I see cars coming but never Lore. I continue to pedal and I’m now soaking wet from the rain that’s now pouring all it can. A car stops next to me and the window opens. 

• Hello young boy! You seem wet and cold. I can take you home if you need to! Says the lady in the car.
• I’m okay, Don’t worry about me. I respond In a tired voice.
• I feel bad letting you in the rain, are you sure you’ll be okay?
• Yes. 
• Okay! Good evening and be safe.

 The car accelerates and comes out of view, I’m now all alone again. 

 After a while I finally see Lore’s old truck. It’s an old blue ford truck from the 80’s that’s in rough shape., it’s got a dent in the front left side, crooked bumper, missing wheel covers and a bed cover made out of pure wooden planks. He stops at me. 

• • Hey you’re finally here! Says Lore. I put the bike on the back.
• Lore! I’m so happy to see you! I say.

Lore has brown fluffy hair, he’s pretty tall, and he’s older than me,  he’s around 19 and he usually wears a dark green hoodie, he’s not your typical school guy, he’s always calm and ready to help me he understands me more than anyone else here, i see him as my brother, not the one that bullied me for my gender 

I open the trunk and lift my bike inside, I then open the door and sit his dog is sitting next to him. Lore starts the truck and heads to the forest.

• So how was your day? Asks Lore.
• Meh. 
• School again? Asks Lore.
• Yeah. Also my parents.
• But now I’m with you at least. I respond.

Lore smiles, he then accelerates and heads straight in the forest, he goes faster than you usually would on those small forest roads, we see he’s used to it.

Chapter 2: A Second Home

The car stops on the pouring rain in front of Lore’s house, its a old cabin made out of wood, we get out of the truck, and Lore gets on the porch and opens the door, inside I am immediately blasted by that sweet firewood smell, as Lore’s house is heated by a fire heater situated in the basement. Lore’s house is relatively simple, an old tv, a couch, a table, and all the others essential commodities, his house is so calm, I always come here to do my homework and also just to escape my difficult life.

• I’m gonna prepare dinner! Do you need anything? Asks Lore.
• I’m good thanks, I’m gonna try to sleep a bit, I’m very tired.
• Okay sounds good! Says Lore.

I went to sleep pretty fast, I was then woken up by Lore a bit later, the dinner was ready and on the table it was a big creamy soup , Lore turns on the tv as usual to watch the news. It’s a very old tv, those big boxy ones, and I swear it’s been here ever since I know him.

A guy appears on the stage and enumerates the news plot of the day: an extraterrestrial spaceship is spotted approaching earth, he says it’s the discover of a century.

• Lore that means that aliens are real? I ask.
• I don’t know Cody, Maybe, I don’t really trust the news 100% on those things. Says Lore.

The man on the tv starts talking about a missing kid, I do not pay much attention to it and start to eat this yummy soup. 

• “It’s time for the greatest discovery humankind made in centuries” says the man on the tv.¨
• “A extraterrestrial made spaceship has been spotted approaching earth.”

A picture is shown on screen, it’s just a blurry yellow and gray shape. It looks more like abstract art than an actual spaceship.

• “we do not know their intentions so if you live on the east coast of America, please stay home tonight. We are doing everything so that this historical moment happens the best way possible!”
• I’m gonna go to bed, all this tv mess is tiring me up. Says Lore. 
• Don’t worry Lore. Everything is going to stay normal.
• It’s not about the spaceship, I just had a long day, I’m going to prepare your bed.

Lore then goes upstairs, enters his room, it’s a very simple room with a bed, a desk, a small wardrobe, a bookcase, a little table and a little red bed for Lore’s dog, everything is made out of wood, he said that it’s his great-grandparents that built this house and that his dad slept on this bed when he was his age.

He pulls a big drawer under the bed, to reveal a mattress, then he opens a drawer of his wardrobe and gets a cushion and a blanket.

• You should sleep, you had a long day. Says Lore.
• Yeah true, good night Lore.
• Good night.

Chapter 3: Unusual meeting.

I get woken up by a loud noise coming form outside. I check my phone, it’s 3 in the morning.

• What was that? I say.
• I don’t know, we should check. It might be something important. Says Lore getting up from his bed.
• At 3 am?
• If somebody’s In danger, I’m the only one that’s close enough to help. Says Lore while putting on his iconic green hoodie.

Lore’s dog was woken up as well, we all go outside and enter Lore’s pickup, he slams the gas pedal and heads straight in the forest, avoiding all trees, he lived in here since he’s a kid and he knows the forest so well.

We finally arrive at the location of the sound, and honestly I couldn’t believe my eyes, it’s a spaceship, like the one on the news. It’s a big futuristic one with v-shaped wings, that crashed in the forest. Lore rushes outside to check it closer.

• There’s someone inside! Come and help me! Yells Lore.

I slowly get out of the truck, terrorized. Lore picks up the creature, they have bright pink hair and reusables a human.

• Are we really doing this? I ask.
• Yes, they deserve to be safe, lift their legs and help me put it in the truck.

We slowly walk towards the truck with our extraterrestrial friend, and put it on the back of the truck, Lore starts the truck and does a u-turn, and leave the spaceship in place.

• Are you crazy Lore? What if we get arrested? I say.
• We won’t. I will bring him to the police tomorrow, but if the earth needs a first contact it better be a good one.
• You’re true Lore, there’s no one better than you for that matter.

When we arrive at Lore’s house I hear helicopters in the sky, this worries me a lot.

• Lore, I feel like we’re making a mistake.
• No don’t say that. It’s gonna be okay. Says Lore while putting the alien on the couch.
• You should go to bed, you need rest and it’s late.
• Yes true.
• Good night Cody. Says Lore.

Chapter 4: Our Extraterrestrial Friend.

I wake up, only to find pink eyes looking right at me. The alien has his face right on top of my head.

• AAAAAAAH! I yell in fear.
• Sorry, me not want to scare you! Says the alien.
• Wait how do you know English? I ask, confused.
• He learns fast. it only took a few minutes for him to speak like that, he also likes my clothes a lot. Says Lore in front of the door.

I look at the alien, he’s pretty short, he has bright pink hair as well as pink eyes, his skin is also more pink, he wears a gray hoodie with a star, it’s way too big for him.

To be continued…