Links to earlier chapters down below this chapter!
Chapter 5: Stepping
Jack groaned and rubbed his back. He groaned as he tried to get out of the cramped, bar surrounded bed he was sleeping in. His legs were already hanging over the top. He arched his back and then lifted his head and shoulders up and flicked himself up so he could jump onto his feet. Standing on his feet now, he stretched and heard a few clicks emit from his body. He groaned and yawned.
‘That bed was not good’ he thought. He slowly walked out of the room. Even stepping seemed like a major effort. Every muscle in his body protested him forcing it to move. The backs of his legs had red marks on them from cuddling the bars of the bed all night. He walked to the place where nutrition is consumed and frowned. Bella, Liam and Maree were sitting at the table, but unfortunately, so was Max. Jack sighed and sat down with them. The baby monitor lay on the table.
“Hello, Bella, Liam, Maree” said Jack.
“Hi Jack” said Liam, playing with his foot.
“Hello Jack” said Maree.
“Jack, say hello to Max” said Bella.
“No” said Jack, “The likes of him don’t deserve hellos. They rejected our ways. They’re traitors”.
“Not all of us rejected the ways of the institute” said Max, “Though we all might as well have. They are a bunch of selfish gits.”
“The Banbazoidian way of life is brilliant” stated Jack.
“It’s a crock, Jack and someday you will realise that” said Max.
Jack frowned and his eyes went wide.
“Go to whichever room ended up being yours” he yelled. Max shrugged and walked off to the room with pink walls. Bella, Liam and Maree looked at Jack, accusingly.
“What?” exclaimed Jack, “They did reject our ways”.
“Jack” said Maree, “We don’t want to hear any more. We had ages last night with you and Max arguing. Insults flying back and forth. No one really making a decent point. Bloody this, bloody that, traitor, nut case, sell out, all these words ringing in the air. We have heard enough.”
“Yeah” said Liam, “Just shut up”. Liam blew a raspberry at Jack, then gasped.
“I didn’t know I could do that” he said, “Good noise to add insult though”. Liam blew a raspberry at Jack again.
“Oh” said Jack and he blew a raspberry. “To you too” he said.
Jack looked at his family and sighed. “Okay, I’ll stop it” said Jack.
“Good” said Bella. The baby monitor started to make a static noise. Bella picked it up.
“Privates” barked Parrot through the baby monitor.
“Yes Commanding Officer Parrot” answered Bella.
“How are you all settling in?” inquired Parrot.
“Good” said Bella, “We tried some nutrition last night and Jack choked on an infantile play thing”.
Parrot burst out laughing.
“Really? That’s one I have gotta tell the boys” said Parrot. Parrot’s tone grew panicky suddenly.
“Hold on” he said, “The medical professionals didn’t suspect anything did they? I mean, we haven’t given you fake medical files yet.”
“No” said Bella, “They didn’t check any files. They only got it out of him”.
“Good, good” said Parrot, distractedly, “Okay, we are opening a portal to send the documents through to you. Also, what I would like you to do is go and interact with the humans here today.”
“We will” said Bella.
“Is Jack around?” asked Parrot, “As the commanding officer, he should know all this.”
“Yes I’m here” said Jack.
“Good” said Parrot, “And Jack, be more careful. Seeing doctors without medical records could compromise the whole mission.”
“Okay Sir” said Jack.
“Okay, well your files will be on the table soon” said Parrot, “Go out and see the neighbourhood. Bye privates”.
“Bye Bye” said Liam. Parrot hung up and the baby monitor was just a baby monitor once more.
“Okay” said Bella, “We had better get Max and head out to see how to interact with humans.”
“Okay” sighed Jack. Jack went into Max’s room and screamed. Bella and Maree came running in. Liam was in Bella’s arms. “What’s wrong?” said Bella, as she came in. Jack flung his arm out in a gesture at the empty room.
“He’s gone” screamed Jack, “What do we do?”
“Oh my, oh my, oh my” said Liam and he burst out crying.
“What could have happened to him?” he bawled.
“What if a human found out he was an alien?” fretted Bella, rocking Liam as he screamed. Jack half-sighed, half-snorted.
“We will need to go find him” he said.
“Agreed” said Maree, who had managed to keep her cool. They all left the house and went out on the street. They looked around, looking for Max and also in a bit of awe at what they were seeing. People were walking around. Children were sitting on things that had only two wheels and were thinner than a spaceship and had no flying devices on them but somehow they were travelling on them. Some people were walking but they had a long thing attached to some furry creature that appeared to be taking them for a walk. They looked all around for Max.
IN the meantime, Max was having fun. Max was talking to a girl on the big green thing that people run around and throw balls on down the street from their new house. They were sitting on the green stuff.
“Yeah” said Max, “I only moved here the other day. My father figure has been a bit of a pain though. He thinks the sun shines out of his waste removal hole.”
“Yeah dads can sometimes be pains” said the girl, “I’m sure he loves you though.”
“Loves me?!” scoffed Max, “He hates me and all that I stand for.”
“Gee that’s sad” said the girl, “I’m sure it’s not true either.”
“You don’t know my father figure” said Max.
“I guess that’s true” said the girl, “but you know what? It’s not forever. You’re not with him now are you?”
“No I’m not” said Max. He looked at this girl. Sara was her name. She looked different to Bella and different to Maree and Neptune knows she looked different to Jack, him or Liam. She somehow seemed a bit more perfect for Max. Was it that they were at the same stage between being infantile and being an adult or was it something else?
“What grade at school are you in?” asked Sara. Max looked at her.
“I don’t know” said Max. Sara stared at him.
“I mean, I don’t know because I did a few grades ahead of everyone but I’m not sure what it’s like here because I just moved here” explained Max. He felt sweat on his head and hoped that explanation made sense. Sara laughed.
“Oh you’re a smarty pants” she said, “That makes sense. Thought it was a bit odd you didn’t know your grade.”
“Yeah odd” said Max, “What grade are you in?”
“Year Ten” answered Sara, “I hope that’s what you are too. Do you know what school you’re going to?”
“No, not yet” said Max, “Where do you go?”
“West high school” said Sara, “The one just a couple of blocks away from here.”
“Cool” said Max.
Jack, Maree, Bella and Liam still could not find Max. Jack saw one of the furry things like the ones that were walking the humans with the long thing, but this one was not attached to a human. Jack approached it.
“Hello furry being” said Jack. Jack extended his hand for the furry thing to shake. The furry thing stuck out its tongue and licked Jack instead.
“Hey!” said Jack, pulling his hand back, “I’m just trying to find my son. Sorry, but I don’t do that sort of thing with strangers”.
Jack looked at the furry thing.
“Okay furry thing” said Jack, “Have you seen an annoying teenager around here? He answers to the name of Max and you would recognise him if you had seen him. He is annoying, subordinate, disrespectful and he looks somehow more awkward and uncomfortable than other people”. The furry thing looked at Jack and then made an unusual noise and jumped on Jack, so its front legs were on Jack’s chest. Jack screamed and the furry thing started to lick at Jack’s face. Jack screamed and run away. Jack ran along the path and then out onto the road. Jack bent over with his hands on his knees and caught his breath. Then he fell over and felt massive pain in his side. He looked up and though his view was blurry, saw what looked like a primitive spaceship with no flying ability. Then everything went black.
Max and Sara were talking. “Yeah so maybe you’re right. I have to reason with my father figure. Try to see his point of view” said Max. Then Sara screamed and pointed. Max looked where she pointed.
“That man has been hit by a car” she screamed. They ran up to there.
“Holy Neptune” said Max, “That’s Jack.”
“Who?” asked Sara.
“My father figure” said Max. Bella, Maree and Liam arrived there a second later.
Liam cried.
Bella whispered in Liam’s ear.
“I know you’re upset” she whispered, “But don’t say anything. There are humans around.” Tears welled in Bella’s eyes.
“I wonder how hurt he is” said Maree. Then an ambulance arrived and took Jack and the rest of the family in it. And that’s how they learned the hard way that you must look both ways before crossing the road.
PREVIOUS CHAPTERS:
Chapter 4: Stench: @birchmark/confusing-earth-chapter-4-stench
Confusing Earth - Chapter 3: Value: @birchmark/confusing-earth-chapter-3-value
Chapter 2: Launch: @birchmark/confusing-earth-chapter-2-launch
Chapter 1: Splash : @birchmark/confusing-earth-chapter-1-splash
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Thank you for reading. The word for this chapter was stepping. This story was started in a writer's group and every chapter already written has a word or phrase that had to be used in the chapter, and this story is not finished so eventually you the reader will get to suggest the word or phrase for future chapters.
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