Earth Under Attack (Chapter 2)

Guardian Angel

The hours seemed to tick by with such slowness that Joseph was afraid he would die of boredom as his teacher droned on and on about some type of mathematical formula that was supposed to make sense but really just didn’t. Joseph cast an annoyed look at his friend Brad who faked a yawn and placed his head down on the desk. Joseph looked back at the clock and sagged in his seat five more long minutes and he’d be free.
Finally the bell rang and Joseph jumped up so fast he nearly knocked over the girl at the desk in front of him. But he didn’t care he had to get out of that room, out of that school before he exploded. He burst out of the classroom followed closely by Brad. The two made a dash for the exit bowling through a group of 6th grade girls and grabbing a hat off of one of them. “MY HAT!” The girl screamed catching the attention of one of the teachers.
“Bradley Hickman you get back her with that hat!”
But the boys ignored them and kept running straight out of the building, across the lawn and down an alley not stopping until they were a safe distance from the school. Both boys fell up against the wall gasping for breath in between their laughs. “Did you see her face?” Brad jeered, “It was priceless!”
“Definitely a Kodak moment.” Joey said slumping to the ground and snagging the hat from his friend. Brad reached for it but Joey jumped up keeping it out of his reach.
“Give it back Joey it’s mine.”
“It’s not yours its Sarah’s”
“Well it’s mine now, give it back.”
Joey stopped holding the hat above his head and just out of Brad’s reach. I knew it you do like her.”
“I do not, now give it back.”
“Then why do you want her hat?”
Brad stopped and shrugged his shoulders. “Never mind you can keep it.” He said leaning up against the wall like it was no big deal.
Joey smiled and tossed the hat to Brad and leaned against the opposite wall. “well then if you don’t like her I guess you don’t really care that it’s her birthday this weekend and that her and a bunch of girls are camping out in her backyard.”
Brad’s eyes widened. “I just got a great idea.”
Joey smiled, “I knew you would.”
“Let’s go scare them.”
“That’s what I was thinking.”
“So we’ll meet there 10 Saturday night.” Joey just nodded a slight smile planted on his face.


It was beautiful the most beautiful thing she had ever laid eyes on and it was because of her that this beauty would spread throughout Imaginess. Brit reached down and pulled the flower out of the soft ground and lifted it up to her nose to smell it. The sweet smell of the lilac filled her nose causing her to release a sigh of contentment.
“You’ve done such a wonderful job Brit!” Dr Jent exclaimed as she entered the room where Brit stood. She reached down and picked a red tulip and ran her finger along the smooth petals. “I never thought that Imaginess could ever grow something so beautiful. But because of you we did.”
Brit smiled at the little woman beside her. Dr. Jent had been shorter than Brit pretty much from the beginning but now that Brit was 20 and the older woman close to 40 Brit nearly towered over the scientist. Like usual the woman’s midnight black hair was pulled back into a long ponytail that reached nearly to her waist.
Dr. Jent reached up and tucked the red tulip behind Brit’s ear, the color contrasting her curly, shoulder length, blond hair nicely. Brit smiled her eyes sparkling as she reached up and pulled the tulip out of her hair and grabbed her black hat off the ground. “The serums all ready,” she announced as she placed the hat firmly on her head, “it should be ready to ship to Pookum by the end of the week. Soon all of Imaginess will be as beautiful as this city has become.”
Dr. Jent smiled. “And we have you to thank for it!” Brit blushed her already rosy cheeks becoming darker at the compliment. “Your grandmother would have been so proud of you.”
Brit nodded sadly as she took another look around the palace garden. “I wish she could have seen this. She would have loved it here.”
“Have you told your grandfather yet?”
“No, I called him last night but he was so worried about Joseph it just didn’t seem like the right time.”
“When was the last time you went and visited them?”
“It’s been five years. It was just easier for Joseph.”
“You should go visit again.”
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because Joseph doesn’t remember me. He was seven the last time I saw him.”
“That’s all the more reason why you should go.”
Brit shook her head. “We’ve had this conversation before Doctor I can go but I can’t visit. I’m his guardian angel nothing more and nothing less.”

Joseph sat behind the bushes with Brad his heart racing wildly. They had been sitting there for the last hour waiting for Sarah’s parents to finally go inside and go to bed. Joseph yawned and turned with his back to the campers trying to find a comfortable way to sit.
“Hey now,” Brad said in his ear startling him out of his doze, “don’t fall asleep yet…we haven’t even gotten to the fun stuff yet.”
Joseph yawned again and turned back around
“Come on let’s go this is where the fun begins.”
The girls had finally climbed into their tent and were whispering and giggling about something completely unaware of the two boys who were sneaking up to their tent.
“So Sarah, truth or dare”
“Truth!”
“Do you like Bradley Hickman.” Bradley froze in his tracks and Joseph could see the look of hope on his face.
“Hey I’m not really for guys that steal the new hat my grandmother gave me. So I’d have to say no, I don’t like Bradley Hickman.”
Joseph shot Brad a look and Brad rolled his eyes then moved closer to the tent.
“How ‘bout you Lacey,” A girl named Paula asked, “Truth or dare”
“Wait its Sarah’s turn.” “Ok Paula,” Sarah said turning to her friend “Truth or dare
“Dare!”
The boys stopped interested to see what kind of things a bunch of girls would do with a dare. “It’ll probably be something lame.” Brad whispered to Joe.
There was a pause as Sarah obviously thought through what to dare Paula to do. “Um ok I dare you to…pour this cup of water over your head.”
“Are you kidding me? That’s the best you could come up with? You aren’t really good at this game are you?” There was a splash of water and a slight scream from a couple of the other girls and then Paula spoke again. “Alright Lacey truth or dare?”
“Dare.”
“Alright I dare you to go outside take 20 steps away from the tent and stand out there for 10 minutes.”
“But there are snakes and stuff out here.”
“Are you saying you’re chicken?”
“No, no I’ll do it.”
“And they better be decent steps none of those dumb baby steps.’
The boys froze as they heard the tent open and Lacey step out. They heard her walk the 20 steps from the tent and then stop. “Here’s our chance Brad whispered.” Joe watched as his friend disappeared in the direction Lacey was standing. A scream rent the air and Joseph knew that Brad had probably tapped her on the shoulder or poked her foot with a stick or some such nonsense.
“What is it?” Sarah’s voice came from the tent.
“Something touched me!”
“It’s only been 2 minutes you’ve still got 8 to go.” Paula Jeered.
“I can’t do it. It’s creepy out here.”
“Fine Chicken!”
“Ok wait I can do it.” It was quiet for a couple minutes then she screamed again. “I’m telling you there’s something out here.”
“Only your imagination playing tricks on you Lacey…come on 5 more minutes.” Two more minutes passed.
“Ok I can’t take it anymore.”
“Wait there’s just 3 more minutes…you don’t want people to think you’re a chicken do you?”
“Ok…OK”
“Two more minutes…one more minute, 10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1
At “one” three things happened at once. First Joe heard Lacey start running back toward the tent then fall with a scream. Second he felt Brad grab his arm and tell him run. And third the light of a flashlight stopped them cold before they could take more than 3 steps.
“What’s going on out here?” Sarah’s father was standing there, flashlight directed at the boys.
“I should have known it’d be you” stated Sarah hands on her hips.

“I just don’t know what to do with him anymore Brittney.”
Brittney sat opposite Chris a cup or warm tea in her hands. She had decided to come in person to tell her grandfather the wonderful news about the serum but he had been so stressed when she got there that her good news had been put on hold.
“I know it has to do with your parents.”
“What about them?”
“He found out a couple months ago how they died and he hasn’t been the same since. He started hanging out with that Bradley kid. He’s bad news and has been talking Joey into doing things that he knows are wrong.”
“Well I can keep an eye on him.”
“Oh I couldn’t ask you to do that Brittney you’re so involved with your work on Imaginess I don’t want to put more than your fair share of pressure on you.”
“Grampa Chris he’s my brother I can’t just ignore the fact that he’s struggling with our parent’s murder. I’ve struggled with it too you know.”
“I know but you’ve just got so many other things to worry about you don’t need a reckless brother on top of it all.”
Brittney paused and took a drink of her tea. “This wasn’t how I wanted this to go but I came to tell you that the serum I’ve been working on is finally bug-free. It’s being shipped out tomorrow.”
“That’s wonderful news Brittney. What are you going to do now? That serum had become your life.”
“Well for now I’m going to focus on that brother of mine and until he’s back in shape I’ll be close by.”
They heard voices coming from outside and Chris stood to look out the window. “It’s Joseph and Brad I guess they decided to come here to study.” He turned back to where Brittney had been sitting but she was gone. He sighed he was never going to get used to her sudden disappearing and reappearing. I swear that belt is going to be the death of me.

“Be careful Brad don’t push you almost made me fall.” Joey was balancing precariously 50 feet as he tried to make his way to the other side of the railway bridge.
Brad gave him another nudge from behind “Hurry up Joe I want to see what’s on the other side of this bridge. Besides you don’t want to be on this bridge if a train comes do you.”
“Well I’m not going to get there any faster with you nudging me like that. If you wanted to get over so bad you should have gone first.”
Brad rolled his eyes and watched as Joe took another small, precarious step and stopped to catch his balance. “Come on!” Brad nudged him again right as Joseph was getting ready to take another step knocking him off balance and over the edge of the bridge. Luckily his shirt caught on a nail giving him time to grab onto a piece of wood that stuck out at an odd angle.
“Brad help me.” He called up to his friend who was now looking down at him with terrified eyes. Brad made his way down onto his knees and reached down just barely out of reach of his friend’s hand.
“Get down on your stomach.”
Brad did what he was told and was able to grab hold of one of Joe’s hands “I’m not strong enough.” He shouted down.
Suddenly the most dreadful sound Joe had ever heard rent the air. It was the sound of a train coming down the tracks toward them. Brad looked up horrified. “Quick Brad help me up.”
Brad pushed himself to his knees. “I can’t I got to get out of here.”
“Wait don’t leave me here.” Fear was beginning to really take hold of Joey now as the train got closer. He barely had a grip of the piece of wood anyway and he knew when the train crossed it would shake the wood right out of his grip. He winced as a splinter went into his hand and he let go with one hand. There was no way he could survive this.
“Give me your hand Joseph.” Joseph looked up to see a beautiful blonde woman leaning over the side of the bridge reaching her hand down to him. The train was only about 100 feet down the track but the woman didn’t seem to notice. He tried reaching his other arm up but couldn’t get it above his head.”
“I can’t do it, go save yourself.”
The woman glanced at the train nearly 50 feet away now. “Please Joseph the trains coming.”
“I know, no go before you die too.”
“I’m not leaving with out you.” The train was just over 10 feet away when to his horror the woman threw herself over the bridge grabbing on to Joseph as she fell and caused him to lose his grip.
He closed his eyes as they fell waiting for the moment when his body hit the earth, knowing it would be the last sensation he ever felt. Suddenly he realized he wasn’t falling anymore. He opened his eyes to see that he was standing in some bushes beneath the bridge the blonde woman standing behind him breathing hard. When he looked at her she smiled. “Well that was a close one eh? Let’s not do that again, alright?”
Joseph nodded and then asked the first question to enter his mind. “How do you know my name?”
She smiled again. “I know a lot about you Joseph.”
He looked at her for a moment. “Who are you?”
That same knowing smile. “I’m your guardian angel”
Footsteps behind him caused him to turn as he saw Brad running up behind him. “Dude, you’re alright.”
“Yeah.”
“How’d you make it?”
“This woman saved me.” He pointed in the direction of the woman but when he turned to look she was gone. ‘Where’d she go? She was just here she saved my life and said she was my guardian angel and she knew my name”
“Yeah sure, dude”
“And what’s even weirder is that I think I’ve seen her before.”

Brittney watched as the two boys walked in the opposite direction. That belt of hers had really come in handy when it came to Joseph and had given her the real feeling of being an angel. She was so glad that she had followed Joseph today she didn’t even want to think about what might have happened if she hadn’t. She would have to keep a closer eye on him. There was no way that she could go back to Imaginess for even a day. Joseph was now her number one priority.