I WAS UTTERLY TRANSFIXED ON the three glowing figures that stood out from within the Starship. The first thing I noticed was how they looked very much like Louis had when I'd found him - except they were surrounded by a crimson glare, not blue. I glanced over at Louis as he continued to watch them closely, like a hawk eyeing up it's prey. Casting my mind back to when he had been a mysterious, blue figure, I realised that I much preferred the azure aura as opposed to the red. It was softer, more magical. But what confused me was how they looked exactly like humans (apart from their glowing bodies) and not quite how Louis had described his species to be when in their true forms. Hadn't he said they were smaller, with long fingers and large eyes?

"My crew is still on board," Louis said suddenly.

"The green ones?" I asked, squinting at the rounded windows of the ship. There were colourful figures of various shades and tones walking in every direction, and I found myself muttering in awe. They looked beautiful. "The yellow ones? Blue one-"

"All the ones who are not red," he told me, cutting me off unexpectedly. "The red Junites are Council members. The others, those are my people."

The way he worded it almost made it seem like he were royalty as opposed to a scientist with acquaintances. I looked forward and focused my attention on the three Councillors who were marching out of the ship. All of them were muscular, and carrying themselves confidently. I noticed that they held spears of some sort, with what looked like lightning sparking from the heads.

"What sort of weapons are those?" I asked.

"Striking blades," Louis said. "Can cause fatal damage and also imminent death if you're hit at full power. Usually they are only used to stun the enemy."

My eyes widened as I watched the wielders observe the surrounding woodland. From a distance, I could still make out the glowing spheres they had for eyes - the blood red menacing and striking at the same time. I looked closer. I could make out the faint swirls of markings on their nude bodies, very much like that which had been inked on Louis. But these symbols were different and similar, almost like a cult signature. 

"So these are men who cast you out of the mother-ship?" I asked, pointing at the three.

Louis nodded. "Yes. Those exact men. There were only the three as far as I could tell, so thankfully it shouldn't be too much of a bother to get back on the vessel."

My eyes widened suddenly, not quite sure if I'd heard him correctly. What? I thought to myself as I turned to look at him, mouth agape.  "Huh?"

He just turned to me and grinned wickedly. "You seriously didn't think that I'd get us back to Junito on the capsule, did you? Especially when that thing is sitting right before us."

I knew he was right - what would be the point of taking the smaller ship? However, there were many faults in his plan - one being that the Starship was clearly being controlled by the Councillors and getting on board would be a problem.

"We can't do it tonight," Louis said. "However, if we return to your living quarters and devise some sort of plan, we can return and work out how to capture the Starship soon after."

I just nodded, unable to do much more.

The three figures stopped about halfway up the ditch, directly between the Starship and where Louis and I were hiding. They looked to be observing their surroundings, glowing fingers pointing here and there, and mouths moving in conversation. At such a distance I could only make out faint mumbles of their speech - and even then, all I could make out was the fact they were talking in another language - Junite language.

Louis seemed to be straining to hear too, for he just looked at me and shrugged as if to say, 'I don't know.' 

When the three of them took a few steps closer, my heart jumped into my throat. What if they found us hiding among the shrubbery? Would they recognise Louis in his human form and kill us both on the spot? Would they think we were nothing but hikers and kill us anyway for having seen too much?

I reached out to Louis, shaking him urgently by the shoulder. He simply took hold of my wrist - his grip was fairly tight, surprising for his lanky build - and lowered it. He just shook his head and gestured toward the Junites before us.

They took a few more steps forward, and my heart was racing. I was starting to break a sweat, and I wondered if my erratic breathing was loud enough to be heard. I hoped not. Louis rubbed my back soothingly and shushed me before I heard the Junites begin to talk again.

"Can you translate?" I asked.

With a curt nod, he said, "They're talking about me. The one pointing at the ditch knows it's an area where a ship crash-landed. He knows I'm on the planet, and most likely alive."

"What do we do?" I asked worriedly.

"Shh," he muttered. "They ... they say I'm now considered a fugitive, making it seem like I fled my responsibilities. They'll stop at nothing until I'm gone and out of the way once and for all. The Head of Council wishes for me never to share information of inhabitants on Earth, saying it will disrupt the balance of peace and trust on Junito. That's why he wants me dead..."

I just frowned. What a horrid way of thinking, especially for a planet full of beings who were apparently all for peace and loyalty. But here, where was the trust? Where was the kindness? Before me were three of the most dangerous Junites I'd probably ever meet. 

Suddenly, they began to change. Just like Loudrix, their sparkling skin diminished all shine, and their remaining red skin slowly lightened in colour, for two of them anyway. One of them had a darker skin tone. Soon, they stood like regular human beings, with normal complexions and all. Their striking blades had also died down in brightness, a faint, throbbing aura of colour and electric currents flashing every few seconds.

They still looked dangerous. 

"We'll have to keep a close observation on the surrounding area. The space-capsule has landed within the watery depths before us, so he must be around here somewhere. We shall seize him whether he be deceased or living."

Their dated speech brought back memories of how Loudrix had once spoke, and I had to fight the urge to giggle. But the fear coursing through my body was the only thing able to diminish the humour. I was frightened, and I wasn't going to lie about it.

The male who had spoken - the darker of the three - frowned and touched his finger-tips to his mouth in confusion. He cleared his throat and announced, "English."

"Human language," said the one with black, spiky hair. "One of the several languages known to be spoken on this planet."

"Indeed," said the third, his hands running through his platinum blonde hair. 

They looked out of place, not necessarily because of their nudity, weapons in hand or the way they spoke - but because of their very ancient look. The way they carried themselves seemed as if they were of great importance - which they were - and the almost snootiness on their faces showed that they were no doubt used to the best of everything. No-one did that on Earth any more, we were simply grateful for our lot.

The black man took another step forward. "There is one problem, gentlemen," he started, slowly turning to face his men, "and that is disguise. As it is structured within our DNA to camouflage ourselves in threatening, dangerous or frightening situations, I fear seeking out the boy shall not be as easy."

"Can we not track him in some way?" the blonde one asked. He looked particularly vicious, an evil glint trapped within his blue eyes.

"No," the first man spoke again, shaking his head. "Unfortunately that will not be possible. Here, he is completely mortal. We must use our intellect to find him."

The wind had picked up drastically since we'd left the house that afternoon. The leaves that concealed us rustled and my heart stopped for a moment when the blonde alien looked in our direction. His eyes narrowed and he squinted at our hiding spot.

My heart was racing, a layer of perspiration covering me head-to-toe. Louis seemed to be holding his breath, his eyes squeezed shut like he was hoping for us to go unnoticed. 

"C'mon," said the first Junite, tilting his head toward the Starship. "We do not want to be here for too long. The longer we stay on this planet the more I feel the need to vomit. That little imbecile was right."

"About human life?" asked the one with spiky hair. He'd not said much, simply ogled at the scenery before them.

"Yes," spoke the coloured gentlemen. "This planet is teeming with mortals."

"Tomorrow, our search begins," said the black-haired one. He grinned maliciously. "No matter how long it takes."

With that, they turned and began to walked back down the ditch, where the ship sat, hovering above the lake. The blonde alien kept glancing over his shoulder, right at us. Every time his piercing eyes landed on us, I felt sick. He looked crazed; you could see it simply by looking in his eyes.

Louis waited until they were well out of earshot before he exhaled loudly. Grasping my hand tightly, he wasted no time when pulled me backwards and away from the lake. I quickly cast a look over my shoulder to see the Starship fall into camouflage mode, disappearing from my human sight.

"We need to move," Louis gasped as he jumped over branches and pushed twigs from our path. I ran behind him, my heart still racing. "We need to get as far away from here as possible."

"What are we going to do?" I asked. "And how the hell do you suppose we're going to be able to board the ship without them noticing?"

"I don't know yet, but I'll think of something," Louis said. The worry in his voice was evident. He was afraid too.

When we made it out of the tree-line and back to the main road, my hands were shaking as I tried to unlock my car. Loudrix helped me, and made sure I was alright before I floored it and we took off back to Hoveton.

The Councillors had Lou's Starship situated right outside of town. Less than half-an-hour away from my home. That worried me deeply. If they were searching for him, they would start where the escape capsule had landed and then eventually they would branch out in search of him. From what I'd heard of their conversation, they were determined and in no way considering giving up on their mission.

A bead of sweat rolled down my forehead as I drove us home. The Welcome to Hoveton sign was passed and I exhaled loudly. Out of relief, fear and disbelief.

"There's an alien space-ship in my town," I said, unsure whether I was trying to convince myself or ask Louis if what we'd seen had been real. With a glance over at the alien and a solemn nod, I let out a faint chuckle. "Fantastic," I spoke sarcastically.

"We can figure out what to do," Louis assured me. "I promise."

I just nodded slowly.

By the time I'd pulled into my street, I was ready to pour myself a glass of wine. A full one. And maybe a second. I unlocked the door and allowed myself and Louis to enter, both of us dirty with the day's hike and shaking from the alien activity. Louis didn't look as afraid as I'd expected him to be. Instead, he seemed to be observing me, making sure I was alright.

"Flora?" he asked quietly, reaching out to rest a hand on my shoulder. "Are you OK?"

I just chuckled nervously and shook my head. "Not really. Honestly? I think I shít myself."

He seemed confused by my use of profanity and he just gave me a small smile before dropping his backpack to the floor and reaching out to pull me tightly against his chest. He was hugging me. I wrapped my arms around his waist and held him close, the need for human contact - in this case, alien contact - being the one thing I craved.

"You'll be fine," he said quietly into my hair. "We'll be fine."

We, he had said. We, as if we were a team. I knew deep down that we were, because who else did he have on this planet and who else would be as willing as myself to step up and help him? Yes, I told him I'd help find his ship and get him back home and now half of that was complete. The getting home wasn't so easy. But like he'd said, we were going to be OK, and we were going to fly ourselves into outer-space. 

I wouldn't give up on him.

"I'm fine," I said, smiling up at him. He continued to cradle me in his arms, his blue eyes lingering on my face. It looked as if he wanted to say something. "Are you?" I asked him. "Fine, I mean."

He smiled slowly and gave me a small nod before saying, "Yes. I'm trying to comfort you. And after all, hugs are powerful."

The repetition of my words from earlier made me laugh and it almost seemed like nothing odd had happened out in the woods at all. It made me wonder how the rest of our night would have gone had the Junites not decided to land on out planet. Would Louis have seen to his ship and shot the both of us toward Junito? Would he perhaps had wished to stay a little longer?

"You did a great job," I told him, giving him one last squeeze before taking a step back. My heart fluttered at the contact. He was learning so fast and it was amazing to behold. "Thank you."

"I should be the one thanking you," he said, surprising me.

I raised a brow. "You should?"

He nodded. "Yes. After all, you did help me find my ship. Granted, you may not have been able to help me get back home but we can work on that. But thank you, I am truly grateful for everything you've done for me, Flora Brannon."

The use of my full name startled me. I smiled in disbelief. "You remembered my last name," I commented.

"Of course I did," he said. "I may be a little clumsy and scared of new things but my memory has never faltered. You kind of need a good memory when scientific things are your key area of work."

I just nodded. "I guess you're right."

The majority of the evening was spent watching television and trying to think of a plan of action. Loudrix was exhausted, I could tell by his slightly slurred grumbles of speech and the bags under his eyes. I allowed him to sleep, moving myself from the couch to let him get comfortable. He didn't bother getting changed into his pyjamas; he'd passed out before he could even consider it. I just laughed and bent down to untie his shoes, placing them carefully on the floor beside the coffee table. He remained curled up in the blanket, completely oblivious.

"Sleep well, alien," I chuckled just before I turned and headed for bed. 

Thank you for reading! x
Space joke: Why didn't people like the restaurant on the moon? Because there was no atmosphere! 
Cazza