Monday began as normally as possible. I lay in bed, awake earlier than I expected, and didn't budge to get up. Instead, my mind replayed the recurring dreams I had of David--again, some being nightmares and others sweet dreams. But now the universe of my subconscious included the Infinites, who I dreamed were bringing destruction to the human race within five years. I would only learn about it when it was too late. Other dreams played with the memory of holding David's hand, teasing me with the possibilities. But I only closed my eyes, sighed, and shook my head at the unrealism of the idea. Nothing was going to happen between us.

Then the phone rang. I jumped, as it jolted me out of my thoughts. Springing out of bed, I cursed under my breath and ran to pick up the phone. Even though Mom had likely gotten to bed earlier, I knew she was still sleeping on her work schedule.

"Hello?" I said, quietly.

"Hi, Jamie." It was Kyle. And I knew why he was calling. Yet, as I recalled the way he had dissed Nancy and I the previous night, I decided it was better to play dumb.

"Kyle," I said. "Why are you calling so early? Mom's still sleeping."

"Oh, sorry." His voice was flat.

I sighed. "What are you calling about?"

"What do you mean what am I calling about?" he said. "You know why. I just wanted to commend you for the greatest prank of the year. I'll give you this: you even had me freaked out for a minute."

"Kyle." I glanced towards my mom's bedroom door. Then I stepped outside onto the porch, closing the front door just enough so the phone cord could reach through. "Nancy and I weren't playing a joke on you."

He scoffed. "When is this going to stop? I'm never going to believe you. You know, it wasn't enough for you to play a joke on us out there. No, you guys had to take it to the radio station. Well, I've had enough of your dumb Starman. Would you just leave me alone already?"

"How many times do I have to try to convince you? Plus, you and the gang left us last night and we felt like idiots. Do you think we would have continued to play a joke on you?"

"I don't know." He paused. "It just freaked me out. It was exactly as you described. Then it said my name and I figured you had something to do with it."

"Kyle, when I first heard him, I thought someone was playing a joke on me, too. But it isn't and you just have to believe that. What did he say to you?"

"Well, he said the Starman wants to meet me and that he's 'waiting in the sky.'" I could almost hear the sarcastic air quotes in his voice. "And supposedly, something is worthwhile. That's a bunch of bull. There's nothing worthwhile about any of this. This is just some play off a David Bowie song to get people to listen to the station. Who knows--he's probably in on it himself for promotion or something."

I snickered before I could stop myself.

"What's so funny?" he said. "So this is a joke."

I stifled my laughter. "No, it's not. It's just...you're closer to the truth than you realize."

"Well," he continued. "Whatever this is, I think there's something weird about you lately. I can't figure you out. No offense."

"Yeah, I'm sure you meant no offense last night." I rolled my eyes before continuing. "Look--you can believe whatever you want. You don't have to come out to the woods again. I won't make you."

"Alright," he replied in a conclusive tone. "I'll take your word for it. I got to go, I'm late enough for work. Hey, no hard feelings, huh?"

"No hard feelings."

"Good. Catch you later."

The phone clicked and that was that. I took a deep breath as I leaned against the house. Sometimes Kyle's argumentative personality made me anxious, especially about something as important as David. Trying to convince someone who refused to believe was turning out to be exhausting.

I stepped back inside the house, where I found Mom sitting at the table with a cup of coffee and the newspaper. She furrowed her eyebrows when I placed the phone back in its holder.

"Who was that?" she asked.

"Kyle. He was just," I paused, searching for a lie, "making plans for tonight."

"Oh," Mom said with a smile. "That's good. How was last night?"

"Oh, fine." I turned away and retrieved the cereal box from the cupboard. "It was just Nancy and I last night, though."

"Well, I hope you're on good terms with your friends again after what happened yesterday."

I paused as she spoke, holding the cereal box above my bowl. "Yeah, me too," I mumbled.

The conversation lulled and my thoughts turned to my friends. Remembering the previous night and Kyle's phone call, I wondered if we were doing the right thing. I trusted that David knew what he was doing and it was his idea to contact them, but he only did so because of our mistakes. And I couldn't help but wish I could go back in time to fix things.

Then I had a realization. As we continued to try convincing our friends that the Starman was real, the more I felt protective of him. Of course, I wanted my friends to meet him, especially since they thought we were crazy, but I wanted David to be Nancy's and mine even more. What would happen if our friends came to know him? What if they decided to share our discovery with others, turning it into a sightseeing spectacle? David wouldn't be ours anymore.

Suddenly, the phone rang, its piercing shrill jolting the bowl from my hands. As I recovered from my startle, I ran to pick it up.

"Hello?"

"Jamie?" the voice replied, making my heart flutter. It was Josh.

"Hi," I replied, taking the liberty to step outside again.

"Is your mom asleep?"

At least someone remembers. "No, thank you, though. I'm outside, anyway."

"Oh good." He paused. "I wanted to talk to you alone. I would have called last night, but I didn't want to bother you. I heard that voice...on the radio. I'm sorry."

"Sorry about what?"

"About not believing you. I wanted to, but I felt pressured not to. You know how Kyle is."

"Yes, I do."

"Well, I found it hard to believe myself," he continued. "But I know you don't make things up. I'm not sure how to explain what happened, but I trust that you know what you're talking about. So I'm willing to have an open mind."

I sighed. "You can't imagine what a relief it is to hear that. What'd the voice say?"

"It said there's a Starman waiting in the sky. I figured that's what you were talking about last night. He also wants to meet me in the woods. I think I'm supposed to keep it secret, though, so I'm not sure if I should have told you."

I smiled. "Actually, he already told me he'd contact you, so I think it's okay. Will you be available tonight? We can all meet in the woods to see him."

"Sure, I can't wait to see you."

----------

The rest of my day was spent babysitting for Mrs. Turner and as the minutes ticked by, I found myself growing anxious for the evening. Thankfully, Nancy kept me busy on the phone while the kids took their naps. She had received phone calls from our friends, who told her about hearing the voice and apologized for treating us like we were crazy. Their curiosity and acceptance to see what this was all about led to Nancy coordinating plans to meet in the woods again.

"Hey, what about Kyle?" I said, lying on the couch with my legs dangling over the edge. I stared up at the fan circulating the stagnant air in the living room, as I held the phone lazily up to my ear.

"What do you mean?" Nancy replied.

"I got a call from him this morning. He was still convinced we were playing a joke on him. Then he got mad when I said we weren't."

"Oh, well he called me today, too. He didn't say anything about not believing us."

I sat up straight. "What?"

"Yeah. He told me about hearing Ziggy, exactly like everyone else. He even said he was sorry. Honestly, I was so excited, I made plans with him first to go to the woods."

"Really? Well, that's a different story than I got."

"Maybe he finally came to his senses."

"Maybe so."

----------

By the time evening arrived, I couldn't wait to see David again and introduce him to my friends. I frequently peered out the window for the Starman as the sky was darkening, but was met with disappointment every time. Where could he be? I thought, noticing the smaller stars beginning to peek out.

I sighed, casting my eyes down briefly before turning back, imagining he was there and could see me looking for him. As if on cue, the bright sparkle of light popped into the sky so suddenly I hardly saw it happen. I gasped and stared in awe at the star I had grown so accustomed to watching. It had become a comfort whenever I saw it. I wondered if he knew.

Nancy's truck horn sounded outside, coming abruptly through the open window. I peered out to see her wave excitedly and roll down the window. "Come on, Jamie!"

"Alright, just hold on!" I darted across the kitchen and into my room, checking my appearance in the mirror. Before I always wanted to look pretty for Josh, or any other boys I liked before taking an interest in him. But he didn't come to mind this time as I combed my fingers through my hair. I only thought of David.

Grabbing my bag of candles, I ran out of the house and climbed into Nancy's truck. We said quick hellos, before pulling out onto the street and heading to the forest.

The trees grew denser and the air cooler as we reached the dirt road. Pulling up to the campfire clearing, we were greeted by our friends who jumped out of Kyle's truck when they saw us arrive. I immediately noticed the bags they carried.

"Did you all bring candles?" I said as Nancy and I joined our friends.

"I told them to," Nancy said, smirking at me.

"We're happy to pitch in," Lisa added. "It's our apology to you guys, 'cause we weren't very nice last night. Plus, we need a bigger signal."

"Well, thanks, guys," I said with a laugh, watching my friends place the candles on the ground.

"Hey," Josh said. "If whoever we're meeting tonight already knows we're supposed to be here, why do we need these candles?"

"Well," I said. "I think he wants to see who cares. If we are willing to find a way to make contact, he is happy to meet us. But I don't think he meets just anyone--I mean, at least in this form." Josh furrowed his eyebrows. "I think you'll see what I mean. Plus, I think it's a signal for 'we're here and we're waiting.'"

After we had placed out our candles and lit them, we stood back. I think it was the first time we actually saw how large our circle was because a gasp went around among us. It was beautiful, the yellow flicker against the darkness. I could almost feel the warmth from it and it correlated with the excitement of what we were waiting for.

I turned my eyes away from the fire and up to the sky. "Look! The star is gone already."

"This isn't going to be like last night, is it?" Scott said.

"I can guarantee you it's not."

My heart fluttered at the sound of that voice. Simultaneously, we all turned to see David. My friends gasped but remained silent, gawking at the man dressed in a simple baby blue suit. The red, silver and blue of his tie shimmered in the moonlight as he stood closest to Nancy and me, glancing around at my friends before resting his eyes on me. I felt butterflies as we made eye contact and I couldn't help but feel he wanted to say something to me.

"Whoa," Kyle said, breaking the silence. "Is that--"

"What the heck is going on, man?" Scott said.

I turned to my friends while I stepped towards David. "Guys," I started. "I'd like you all to meet the man you came to see. This is the Starman."

"Hello," David said with a nod.

"Uh, this is Josh," I continued when no one attempted to speak. "And his brother, Gabe. Scott and Lisa--"

"Hi," Lisa squeaked, a broad smile on her face as she approached and extended her hand.

"And Kyle," I finished. As I said my introductions, each shook David's hand. But I could still feel apprehension in the air.

"I still don't understand what's going on," Kyle said.

"Right--" I began.

"I can answer this, Jamie," David interrupted, placing his hand on my arm with a smile. "There is one problem, though, I must address first."

"What is it?" I asked, worried by the shadow spreading across David's face.

"One of you leaked our secret."

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How could someone let the cat out of the bag already??

Thanks for reading as always! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, even if it's a filler (I admit it!) I apologize for the long wait again. Time seems to get away from me faster than I can edit. But I am very close to finishing the book and I'm excited to start focusing on sharing it here :)