{If you want to read ahead go to my https://www.(p)-(a)-(t)-(r)-(e)-(o)-(n).com/easyread}
~~~(POV: Nicole Deymer)~~~
~~~(Location: Oregon State University, Dorm Room C12, Corvallis, Oregon)~~~
~~~(Date, Time, Year: April 27th, 7:23 AM PST, 2022)~~~
~~~(Current Age: 20 Years)~~~
My heart pounds in my chest as I watch the YouTube videos again and again. No matter how much I look... How long I look... It doesn't change what I know... After all this time, I finally understand why he's different.
Why he pushed me away...
When the videos of the Alien saving people in Australia spread, it took the campus by storm. The whole planet by storm... Some of the people I went to high school with who are here at OSU have been texting me.
The people WE went to high school with...
Asking me if I think the same thing they do. All I can do is stare at the TV as the clips play. Never in my life did I think he'd be capable of... Things... Like this... How different he really was. I knew he was special, but I couldn't imagine something like this.
KNOCK! KNOCK!
All my thoughts and feelings are interrupted as I hear a knocking at the door. I'm half tempted to ignore it. I'm not really in the mood to deal with anyone right now.
"Nicole... Can you please let me in..."
The elevated voice from behind the door is feminine. Soft and silky even as she's raising her voice. It's a voice I'm used to hearing every day. A breath enters me as I stand up and make my way over to the door.
After I turn the doorknob and open the door, the figure of my best friend is waiting for me. She has a concerned look on her. Instead of saying anything, she moves to me and wraps her arms around me in support.
"How are you doing..."
She's gentle as she speaks. Trying to help ease what I'm feeling. After a few seconds, we pull apart, and she walks to the couch. I close the door behind her.
"To be honest, Cassie... I don't know... I want to be mad at him... I want to call him and scream at him..."
I sit down next to her on the couch. Her arm wraps around my shoulders. Cassie and I knew him in high school. He was our friend.
Until one day, he wasn't...
"So what's stopping you."
I honestly don't know...
Maybe it's because it's Dannon...
"Because now I know why he pushed everyone away... Freshman year, he shut everyone out... It hurt me so much when he stopped talking to me... Stopped spending time with me..."
How can I be mad at him?
The secret he's carried isn't one you share with a high school girl. In his shoes, I don't think I could've done anything different...
"Yeah... I know..."
Cassie leans her head against mine as we're sitting side by side and looking at the TV; the compilations on YouTube continue.
A clip of him floating with a man in his arms comes up. He slowly lands on the ground and enters a calm walk. Making his way to the wife of the man he's saved.
People surround him. Some are reaching out their hands to touch him. Others have their phones out. Recording him.
"Does this change anything with Oliver..."
Oliver... Wow... I actually forgot about him... Some girlfriend I am...
"He doesn't know about Dannon... But since there are people here that will recognize him, I don't think it'll be long before someone tells Oliver that I used to know Dannon."
I've been dating Oliver since I arrived at OSU...
"Is there anything you need from me?"
The genuine concern in Cassie's voice shows how great of a friend she is. All I can do is shake my head and lift the remote. Turning off the TV and standing up.
"I could use some breakfast. Want to join me?"
She smiles with perfectly straight and white teeth. Cassie is a beautiful girl, and I know I am too. We've been best friends since elementary school.
Dannon was our best friend...
"That sounds perfect."
She stands up and secures her purse at her side. We make our way for the door and leave. It's not long before we're at the end of the hall and in the elevator.
As we walk on the stone pathway to the coffee shop, my mind drifts to my feelings. It's been a long time since I've felt this way... In so much turmoil... The high school girl in me wants to unleash the emotions, but I'm not a kid anymore.
A part of me wants to scream that he should've told me... That he could've trusted me with the truth of who he was... But I also know that no one else in the world was going through what Dannon was.
In hindsight, everything is clear to me... How could I possibly be mad at him... He's literally from another planet... He's not from Earth...
We were kids.
"I know that look."
Cassie pulls me from my thoughts with a soft voice that's easy and calm.
"Am I really that transparent?"
I'm half serious as I ask her. If someone can know what I'm thinking just by looking at me, it's cause for concern.
"Only to me."
A small giggle escapes from her as she says that.
"Don't worry so much, Nicole. Dannon isn't in your life anymore. If you want him in your life, that's a conversation that doesn't involve me. And you know exactly what I mean."
Yeah... I do know what you mean...
I stopped fighting for my friendship with Dannon when I thought he didn't want anything to do with me anymore. Now that I know the truth, it's changed...
Is it wrong I want to talk to him... To see him...
All these thoughts about Dannon are stopped as I see Oliver standing outside the coffee shop with some of his friends. They're laughing and smiling.
"Cassie... Am I a bad person..."
The moment the question leaves my lips, we stop and look at each other.
"That's a heavy question. We all think we're bad people at some point in our life. But just so you know. I wouldn't be your friend if you were a bad person."
Everyone should have a Cassie in their life. I don't know what I'd do without her sometimes. I'm glad there are times when I can be there for her, but right now. It's her turn to be there for me.
Oliver turns his head and looks directly at me with a smile. He waves Cassie and me over to him and his friends. Looks like someone hasn't told him yet.
It's only a matter of time before someone from our old high school steps forward.
Everyone will know who Dannon Mayer is...
And for some reason... That puts a pit in my stomach...
~~~(POV: Cassandra Freidman)~~~
~~~(Location: Oregon State University, Marketing Class, Corvallis, Oregon)~~~
~~~(Date, Time, Year: April 27th, 11:41 AM PST, 2022)~~~
~~~(Current Age: 21 Years)~~~
Everyone is closely listening to Prof. Willerson as he explains market volatility according to previous highs and lows.
Everyone except me.
Now that I've had some time to think, my thoughts are on Dannon, too. As close as Nicole and him were, he always treated me like I meant a lot to him. That I was special to him. That my friendship with Nicole played no part in ours.
That means so much to a girl at that age...
I've missed him a lot since we left for OSU. Some nights after a party and drinking, I almost text him... It's not something I'll ever tell Nicole, but before Dannon pushed everyone close to him away, I started to have feelings for him.
Now, knowing why Dannon pushed everyone away... It means it wasn't my fault... It wasn't Nicole's fault... It was because...
He wanted to protect us...
The feelings I had... Have... For him never left me after our Freshman year of high school. I never held it against him. I was never angry. I knew that Dannon wouldn't do something like that unless he had to.
"What am I gonna do..."
It's a terrible thing to do... A terrible thing to think about... But I can't stop it... Nicole has a boyfriend now... She loves Oliver...
Dannon and her won't be together...
"Is it so bad..."
To want to be with the boy that my best friend loved... The boy I loved... Nicole would never forgive me if I tried anything with Dannon now.
I don't think I'd forgive myself.
The vibration of my phone causes me to stop thinking about the situation, and as I look at the screensaver. It's something that pulls at my heart.
A picture of Nicole, Dannon, and me at our favorite fishing hole when we were kids. The notification from Snapchat pulls my eyes.
[I'm thinking about calling him.]
Nicole's been in her head since we parted at breakfast.
[What do you think I should do?]
A big part of me wants to say, no, don't do it. To keep her away from Dannon. To keep her with Oliver. But that's not me. That's not who I am. And I know that.
I pull up the reply window and think of a response. Nicole needs my support. Dannon is the only one in the world who could make her feel this way. Especially now that we know the truth about him.
[If that's what you want to do, Nicole, then you should.]
There are a lot of things I could say to deter her from trying. I could tell her he might not have the same phone number... We both know he doesn't have social media... He might not respond to her...
I can see that she's read my reply.
What happens next is entirely guided by my heart... By my feelings. Not my mind. Not my conscious actions.
No matter how hard I fight it, I can't stop it.
I open my contacts and click on Dannon's name. Opening the texts as I do. The conversations we had in Freshman year of high school pop up. A lump begins to form in my throat. My hands shake as I open the keyboard.
[Dannon, now that I know the truth. There are things I want to talk to you about. Can you text me back?]
[Dannon, now that I know the truth. There are things I want to talk to you about. Can you t-]
[Dannon, now that I know the truth. There are things I want to tal-]
[Dannon, now that I know the t-]
[Dan-]
After a few seconds of thinking about it, my finger moves away from the send button to the delete button. I erase the text before I let my feelings take over entirely.
"I can't... Not until Nicole and him talk..."
Many would argue that Dannon is worth ruining a friendship over. I'd say they're right, but I'm not someone who'd betray my best friend. As much as I... Nicole has had her feelings for Dannon longer than me.
I push my phone back into my pocket and turn my eyes back to Prof. Willerson. My chance to talk to Dannon about what I feel may never come to pass, but I'll do this the right way if I get a chance too.
~~~(POV: Dannon Mayer)~~~
~~~(Location: Mayer Ranch, Umatilla County, Oregon)~~~
~~~(Date, Time, Year: April 27th, 3:12 PM PST, 2022)~~~
~~~(Current Age: 21 Years)~~~
Mom is enjoying the warmer afternoon this Wednesday. Yesterday will remain with me for the rest of my life. Saving people, revealing myself to the world, and speaking to people sent by the government.
They're still 25 miles away, talking and strategizing on how to open communications with me. Hearing them isn't an issue. A man named Julian D. Winters, a four-star army General, has taken over control of the situation.
I don't know the next time they'll come wanting to talk, but I doubt it'll be long before they'll be here again.
Some unmarked cars and vehicles are watching the property. They're making sure that civilians don't come knocking. Camera crews and media, for example.
Hearing everything they're saying helps a lot.
"Hey, sweetie! Can you help me get the box of knitting stuff from the top shelf!"
Mom's voice comes from upstairs. I stand up and make my way up there. I poke my head through the door, and she sees me. Her features show a smile as I make my way to the shelf. She looks up at the top shelf and tries to stretch for it.
Showing that she's indeed too short to reach it.
"See, I need my tall boy for this mission."
All I do is chuckle and lazily reach up and grab the box. Pulling it off the shelf and handing it to her.
"Need anything else?"
Instead of answering me, she throws the box on the bed and starts rummaging through it. Completely ignoring my question. Typical tunnel vision with her. When she sets her mind on something, it's hard to break its focus.
I turn and make my way out of the room. As I walk down the stairs, my phone vibrates in my pocket. It's the vibration for messages sent to me via my phone number.
I can't help worrying that someone I don't know got my phone number, but as I pull it out and open the screen. That's when I stop at the bottom of the stairs and stare at the message. It's from a person I haven't spoken to since Freshman year of high school.
[It's Nicole. Please, call me. We need to talk.]
As I read the words, memories of that time in my life come flooding back. Nicole and Cassie. My best friends. I still remember the day that I removed them from my life.
They probably resent me for how I treated them, but it was the only way I knew how to protect them.
From me.
My powers manifested at a young age, but in the later half of puberty, powers I didn't know I had appeared. Heat vision being among them.
Before puberty, I thought I only had super strength and invulnerability. That all changed in 8th grade.
Fueling my decision in high school to do what I did.
"Call her, huh..."
I don't know if that's a good idea. Nicole was very hurt after what I did. I figured she'd never forgive me, but she'd be among the people who'd recognize me from the videos. Cassie would know it's me too.
From what I remember, they went off to Oregon State University together.
Cassie didn't hold what I did to her against me like Nicole did. Now that they know the truth, it makes sense they'd want to talk.
Nicole would, anyway. I wonder if Cassie wants to talk to me, too.
[I know you've seen my text.]
A half grin forms on my lips as I see her next text.
Typical Nicole.
Now that the truth about me is almost totally out, I can have friends again. The people I knew before I revealed myself can be in my life. It's kinda surreal... I never thought I could have friends again.
[Yeah, I can call you.]
There might be something I can do that's better.
[But if you want, I can come see you. As you know by now, special ways of travel exist for me.]
It'd be nice to see Nicole and Cassie again. Besides, I've never seen a college campus before. I can't help wondering what it's like. I watch as the three little typing bubbles continue, and then they stop. A response comes a second later.
[Yeah, I'd like that.]
Looks like I'm seeing some old friends today.
[I'll be there soon.]
Going to see her in my Celaxian skinsuit would be a little much. Casual clothes when visiting friends seem reasonable.
"Hey, Mom! I'm heading out for a while; I don't know when I'll be back!"
Before she can respond, I exit the front door. Time for a trip.