After everyone learned how helpful the Avernians were not only performing these miracles but helping out in the homes with cooking and cleaning. That drove the second wave of alien procurement.

What drove the third and final wave was how the Avernians healed relationships and prospered the people who had them. People who suffered from decades of addiction were no longer addicted. Spouses in abusive relationships were now the happiest and healthiest couples on the block. All throughout the world crime rates dropped over night, sicknesses dropped dramatically, economies began booming like never before.

    Police stations and hospitals began closing down to the decrease in crime and illnesses. Thousands of police officers, nurses, and doctors were laid off or budget's were cut by nearly fifty percent. You'd think that these professionals would've been outraged and protested in the streets night and day for the Avernians to go home. But as each officer, nurse and doctor was laid off they got their own personal alien to take home whom would help with getting them back on their feet.

    A shortage of Avernians was threatened due to the number of people going to the Centers to get one. When the Avernians landed there was 8.3 billion people on the planet and so at first they had to limit one alien per household. Luckily for us though the Avernians called in their bodies from their home planet, Avernus Terra, and millions more came and so almost every person has their own personal alien.

    My family never got one and neither did some of the members of the church we used to go to before the religion ban. Sometimes when we're at the store or at the mall we get weird looks from the people who have one but we just say, "oh we left ours at home to get some cleaning done." That usually gets people off of our backs about them, but lately the government has began a push for more homes to have Avernians in them.

    According to our politicians it's to as "not offend our heavenly visitors" and keep peace between us.

    Honk! Honk! I get knocked out of my thoughts and see that the light ahead of me has turned green and I press on the gas to turn into the road next to my parents store. I pull into the parking lot at eight and see my parents and Ethan's car already parked. We each take separate cars since I stay at the store until ten at night and my parents have to leave at six since they can't see too well at night and Ethan and Elaine go to the local college throughout the day.

    I park my car close to theirs and before getting out of the car I do a quick scan of the plaza. There are already other cars parked in the plaza some of the cars belong to the other owners of the businesses in the plaza. I spot the brand new red Toyota 4Runner of the bakery owner with her heavily tinted windows and her I am MDC sticker on the rear window.    

    I see the blue 1990 Honda Accord of the manager for the T-Mobile store. Then another car pulls into the plaza and I recognize it as the white Nissan Altima of the owner of the hair salon, Patty, between our store and the bakery. I get out of my car as she zooms past me and here the screech of her tires as she turns to get into her parking spot. I try to run across the parking lot as fast as I can before she flags me down to talk to me.

    Patty is a skinny 60 year-old chainsmoker with big hair and an even bigger story. Patty likes to give me dating advice that mostly consists of telling me don't get married to the man who charms your pants off, literally and metaphorically of course. While simultaneously spewing curses about her no-good-drunkard husband who doesn't contribute anything to rent or to her life. Just don't tell her to leave him, my brother made that mistake and boy did he never hear the end of that. 

    "Estah!" I heard Patty say.

    "Good morning Miss Patty how are you this morning?" I wince and look toward her direction.

    She begins closing the gap between us as she says, "oh hon not too good, my arthritis is acting up in my wrist and my knees are killin' me."

    "Oh no I'm so sorry to hear about that. I really should get going you know how my mom and dad get when we don't get to work on time..." I trailed off, hoping she'd get the hint.

    "Nonsense! I'll go in with ya so they know I was the one holding ya up from getting in on time." She winked at me and kept saying, "it's good for me to interact with another happily married couple so we can complain about our old age and talk about better times."

    She looped her overly tanned arm around my right arm and walked with me to the direction of my mom and dad's store.

    She pushes the door open and I hear the ring-a-ding of the store's bell and my sister Elaine says, "welcome to the Di Stefano's Mart and Convenience," as she flips through a magazine without looking up.

    My brother is stocking the chips shelves and my dad is in the back making a breakfast sandwich for a customer. My mom is nowhere in sight, probably in the office going over invoices and making purchases for the store.

    I feel Patty let go of my arm and say, "well good morning young lady, how's school?"

    I turn to face Elaine to see her face droop, her lips purse, and her brows smoosh together before apprehensively responding, "school is great, getting all good grades as always Miss Patty. But you know who you should really talk to about school is Ethan."

    As she's talking to Patty I make my escape to the back and I catch my brother doing the same thing while shouting over his shoulder, "good morning Miss Patty, I'll be back Miss Patty. I just need to grab another box to restock the shelves".

    I whisper to him, "nice save", while opening the door to the office.

    He responds, "she's just going to push her granddaughter on me like last time and I really really don't want to have an hour conversation about how amazing she is when I need to work."

    "One day she's just going to bring her into the store when you're working and try to get you to kiss her," I tease him while also making a kissy face and holding the door to the office. He huffs away into the back where we keep the extra stock and sits on a crate as the door shuts.

    I finish walking into the office to see my mom looking at me with an overarched brow and a quizzing expression. I wave her off and say, "Miss Patty cornered me in the parking lot and she came into the store and is talking to Elaine about school."

    My mom's expression changed into understanding while whispering, "esa vieja es loca", as she swiveled around and went back to invoices. I chuckled because as much as I hate to admit it she is a bit crazy. Patty once showed up into the store drunk wearing nothing but a string bikini harassing our customers asking them to dance with her to the store's music.

    My phone vibrates on the table as I get a couple of messages from my best friend Corinna and my boyfriend Mathias. I've been best friends with Corinna since fourth grade and I've been with Mathias since I was 18. Besides my family, they're honestly the only two people who truly know me.

    I read the messages that they sent me.

    Corinna at 7:30AM: Good morning sunshine! I'm going to forgive you this time for not             immediately answering my texts last night when I asked you what you wanted for your         birthday this year...

    Mathias at 6AM: Good morning mami hope you slept well. I'll swing by your store today     during my lunch break since I know you'll be working.

    Mathias at 8AM: Just texting you to let you know that I made at work. Be safe I love             you. TTYL

    Corinna at 8:05AM: Since you still haven't answered me I'm going to have to show up         at your store before going into work. Either way I'm going to show up though because I         am STARVINGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    I text Mathias back letting him know that I made it to work and that I'll see him later. Then I go to text Corinna back to warn her that Patty was still in the store when I hear Patty scream, "Corinnaaaa it's been such a long time since I've last seen you. You've grown so much!!"

    I get up from my chair to look out and I see Corinna get enveloped my Patty into a hug. Corinna stiff as a board at the involuntary hug from Patty responds with, "hey Miss Patty, yes it has been two weeks since you last saw me."

    I chuckle because the last time Patty saw Corinna was when she was in a bikini trying to get Corinna to dance with her.

    Patty breaks away from the hug and says, "really? I don't remember, anyways I got to open my salon. It was nice seeing you Corinna. Bye Elaine! Bye, Luis!"

    My dad and sister wave bye as she exits our store; Corinna and I walk towards each other laughing and we give each other a quick hug.

    Corinna pulls away saying, "I am STARVING. Can I please get my usual breakfast sandwich to go pronto and two cortaditos." She looks at my dad and my dad asks her, "why two cortaditos?"

    She responds with, "well one is for the people at work and the other one is for me. I barely got any sleep last night trying to come up with an amazing gift for my best friend who never even responded to my texts last night. Who I'm still mad at by the way."

"I'm sorry I fell asleep as soon as I came home from work. I didn't even text back Mathias last night until this morning." I responded back.

    At that moment the tv that overlooks the grill so that the customers can watch while they wait for their sandwiches turned into a concerned newscaster. "Breaking news people are mysteriously disappearing all throughout the country. Wait, actually I'm being told right now all over the world. Adults, young children and the elderly are disappearing all over the globe. There is footage coming in from people all over the internet uploading plane crashes, boats crashing into each other and cars crashing. The footage you're about to see is very graphic."

    The newscasters concerned face disappears and is replaced with planes flying into buildings. Cars on crowded city highways ramming into each other and fifteen plus pileups developing. There are even people on the highways looking dazed and confused calling people, probably loved ones, with tears in their eyes.

    Another scene replaces the two before with cruise ships ramming into ports and docks. With people jumping into the water around them trying desperately to move out of the way of the oncoming ships.

    The gruesome scenes then change into the president's wrinkled face, that seems to have wrinkled even more with the disappearances. "I am issuing a lockdown for the entire country and Marshall law is going into full affect. There will be a curfew of 10PM for every citizen in the United States. I currently have a team being set up as we speak to investigate these disappearances.

    At this time we have no reason to believe that our visitors have anything to do with this, I am in communication with their leaders right now to ensure that this is not the case. Until further notice, I am calling for a closing of all schools until further notice. All governmental buildings except for the Pentagon, FBI, CIA, and department of State and Interior will be closed until further notice. All flights and ships coming in and out of the country will be grounded and docked until further notice." The president said solemnly as his wrinkles deepened and his face dropped some more. "I suggest you call your loved ones and check in on them. Today is a dark day for America indeed."

    The screen turned black and in the reflection of the screen all I saw was my face, Corinna's, and Elaine's. When I turned to look at my dad he was gone.

    "Dad?" I asked, walking around to behind the grill where he just was not even five minutes ago. "DAD!" I shout with tears in my face as I remember my mom in the office. "MOM!" My sister and I scream rushing into the office. I slammed the door open and she was gone too. I slowly crept to where she just was and the chair was still warm but hadn't moved from the position that she was in when I left her.

    "What happened?" My brother asked hesitantly.

    I turn slowly around, realization creeping into my mind.

    "They're gone", I said to him.

    "Gone?" He repeated back to me, confused.

    "Gone", I confirm gravely, "mom and dad are gone."