The Alien Mind (free)

Confrontation

EARLY THE NEXT MORNING, RIVI SET off for Dan's house. She inspected her surroundings as she turned down the street adjacent to Oak Street. The houses were all clean but cold-looking, almost foreboding. Rivi turned onto Oak Street and walked down to the last house, which bore the number Miss Tate had given her.

To Rivi's relief, after seeing all the unnerving houses nearby, Dan's house looked friendly and lived in. It was a bit scruffy-looking, and its red, slatboard sides needed a new coat of paint, but to Rivi, those were only signs that the house had people who lived, played, ate, and slept in it—that it was a family house.

Rivi walked up and knocked on the front door, and a woman answered.

"Hello," Rivi said. "My name is Rivinaig. Daniel and I are doing a school project together. I've come to meet him. I assume you are his mother?"

"Actually, this is a small group home that my husband and I run. Daniel's parents died when he was eight," the lady answered. "But come on in. Dan just finished breakfast and should be back downstairs in a minute. He doesn't normally have many friends visit."

"He doesn't know that I'm here," Rivi said, hoping the woman would understand that she wanted to surprise him.

"Sit down here," the woman said as she led Rivi into the kitchen and beckoned toward the table. "I won't tell him you're here," she said as she went upstairs.

Rivi sat in one of the chairs at the end of the long, wooden table. She set her backpack beside her and looked around at the kitchen. The friendly design of the kitchen reminded Rivi of her Aunantet family's section in the complex on Aun. The open, spacious room with its light, yellow tones made the space a warm welcoming area. Appliances were arranged neatly on the kitchen's white countertop that ran the length of the room. As soon as she noticed the appliances, her mind filled with the various instructions they were implementing.

Heat to 365˚ for fifteen minutes.

Boil water and percolate.

Keep temperature at ten degrees.

Rivi shook her head and blocked all of the appliances from her mind. She seemed to have to do this more often every day as her mind began to realize the presence of more varied types of electronics on this planet. Rivi was just starting to get used to this wildly unordered society and its many electronic devices vying for her attention.

As Rivi regained her focus, Dan came down the stairs into the kitchen. He froze on the bottom step as he noticed her sitting at the table. She looked over at him and smiled.

"Good morning," she said.

Daniel blanched as he struggled to find something to say.

"How about, 'Good morning,' 'How is the weather outside,' or, 'What are you doing here?'" Rivi smiled half joking and trying to be helpful. "Take your pick."

"How did you know I live here?" Daniel asked, still looking a bit shocked as he went to stand behind the chair opposite from Rivi at the end of the long table.

"Daniel! Is that how you should welcome a guest?" the woman who met Rivi at the door asked, as she came down the stairs in front of three younger children.

"That's all right, ma'am. It was a perfectly valid question," Rivi answered with a smile, as she turned back to Dan at the other end of the table. "I didn't think you would pick one of the questions I suggested. Anyway, Miss Tate told me where you live."

"Oh," Daniel responded.

"Daniel, are you going to introduce your friend to us?" the woman asked.

"Oh, yeah. Rivi, this is my foster mother, Mrs. Erica Broughten. The other three are my younger foster brother and sisters." Dan said, as he motioned toward the three children, who shook Rivi's hand politely in turns.

"What are your names?" Rivi asked with a smile, watching as the children took seats at the long, wooden table.

"I'm Ester," answered a young girl in pigtails.

"My name is Beth," the other girl said shyly, pushing a long, blond curl back over her shoulder.

"I'm Tom," the boy answered with a mature nod.

"I'm glad to meet you," Rivi said, holding her smile in place, even though she began remembering the 149 other children and wondering if they were safe.

"Okay, children, I've got to get you to school. Come on," Mrs. Erica exclaimed, as the children ran off to get their backpacks from various corners of the house. "Daniel, you and Miss Rivinaig should get going too. You don't want to be late."

"Yes, ma'am," Dan answered politely, as he jumped up to get his backpack.

Rivi picked up her backpack from beside her chair and followed Mrs. Erica and the three kids out the front door. Mrs. Erica had just gotten the kids into her car and driven off when Daniel came out of the house carrying his backpack over his shoulder by one strap. With not a word spoken between them, Rivi and Dan started down the street. Dan stared down at the road in front of his feet, leaving Rivi feeling anxious. After few moments, Rivi glanced over at Dan out of the corner of her eye.

"Where's your foster father?" Rivi asked.

"He's at work," Dan answered dryly.

"They seem nice enough. Why didn't you want me to come yesterday?"

"I was afraid you might think ... I mean ... I don't have what you might call a normal home. I have been in and out of orphanages and group homes since I was eight. I've only been here for a year."

"Which is probably one of the reasons Bill and his 'Bouncers' make fun of you?"

"Yes," Dan answered with a dry chuckle, still interested in his shoes.

"I'm your friend, Dan. I wouldn't make fun of you. Besides, I haven't seen my parents since I was young, either. I was raised by a foster family, too. At least you were old enough to have many more memories of your parents than I do of mine. I'm sure they cared a lot for you." Dan still didn't look up so Rivi continued, "Look at it this way: you may not have had a stable home, but you have been to a lot of places, and have learned quite a lot in the process."

"I guess so. Thanks, Rivi," Dan said, as he took a deep breath and lifted his head with a slight smile.

His smile faded, however, when he saw that they were coming to a crossroad.

"What's wrong?" Rivi asked, looking at the three streets from which they had to choose.

To her left was the location of the cold and dreary houses Rivi saw on her way to Dan's house.

"Right heads toward the center of town, straight is the long way to school, and left is the short way," Dan said with a sigh as though the choice bothered him.

Rivi closed her eyes briefly to consult her computer in her pocket for the time.

"We don't have very much time, so short way it is, then," Rivi said, turning to the left.

"That's the street where Bill and his friends live," Daniel said, sounding uncertain.

"Don't worry about them. That is what they want you to do. Besides, we don't want to be late for school."

"Okay," Dan gave in.

All was quiet. Each house looked the same. Every yard looked like they were just daring a single w**d to grow or a leaf to fall on it. Even the metal doorknockers looked cold and foreboding on the cool, early-summer morning.

"This place doesn't look like it is much fun to live in. It reminds me of the Aruk's secret facility. Perhaps the only way Bill and his friends find fun is to bully people. Their homes certainly don't look like places I'd be happy in," Rivi commented.

"I've never thought of that before. I thought they looked foreboding because I was afraid."

"I bet this place would crumble to the ground if we were to accidentally tell a joke!" Rivi exclaimed. She and Dan broke into peals of laughter.

"Knock, knock," Dan said.

"Who's there?" Rivi asked, still laughing.

"Two trespassers who have been warned to stay off this street!" a boy called as he stormed out of his house.

"This is a public street, free for use by any traveler," Rivi called, as they continued walking.

Dan went back to staring at his shoelaces.

"Oh, still need the girl to defend you, Danny boy?" the boy asked, as he crossed the grass in his yard to approach Rivi and Dan.

Dan stopped walking and turned to look at him. "No."

A few steps ahead, Rivi stopped and turned her head to look over her shoulder.

"Mmm-hmm, this from an orphan boy with no friends."

Rivi bit her bottom lip and held her breath, praying for Dan to find wisdom.

Dan's face became void of expression and he answered evenly, "My parents live on in my memories and I do have a friend ... Rivi."

"Yeah, sure, but for how long?" Bill challenged.

Knowing that Bill had cut Dan in more ways than one with just those six words, Rivi hung her head as Dan turned to catch up with her, albeit very slowly.

As they neared the school, Rivi decided to break the silence.

"No matter what comes to pass, Dan, if you need a friend, I will be here."

"Thank you, Rivi. I don't normally hear from old friends again after I move. What you just said means a lot to me," Dan said with a slight smile.

"I mean it," Rivi said, smiling and giving him a nod as they entered the school.

#

After school, Rivi sat next to a large pile of boulders she had just brought into the back yard of Miss Tate's house.

Daniel entered the back yard through the gate that opened into the front yard. He smiled in surprise at all the rocks and boulders.

"How did you get all of these back here?" he asked with a chuckle.

"I started with a wheelbarrow, but that was inefficient, so I just changed their size and composition and brought them here in my backpack."

"Well, that should've made it easier," Dan laughed.

"In some ways, yes. In others, no."

"What do you mean?" Dan asked, confused.

"Well, you see, moving that much material in that way served as a test for my mental abilities. I haven't been able to use them as much because I don't want to be too conspicuous. The mental exercise was as refreshing as it was tiring," Rivi explained with a slight sigh and a smile.

"So, what are the rocks for?" Dan asked.

"We're going to use them to build a wall in less than one hour."

"Why?" Dan asked, feeling a bit confused.

"I thought it would be a good way to see how much you've learned and if you're ready for tomorrow," Rivi answered.

"What are we doing tomorrow?" Dan asked, picking up a rock.

"You are going to walk into the front door of the school and go to class," Rivi answered.

Dan put the rock down and, kneeling beside it, looked up at her, confused. Then all expression melted from his face as he looked up at the sky.

"I see. Bill and his pals will be in their same old 'guard station' and you want me to stand up to them if they decide to bully me."

"Yes," Rivi answered, hope in her voice.

"I can't," Dan answered, standing and turning away from her.

Rivi thought for a moment, trying to figure out what to do. She remembered a similar situation between her and Ankh. She decided to follow Ankh's example and just give up.

"You're right," Rivi answered, her voice sounding dead.

"What?" Dan asked, turning back around.

"You are right," Rivi continued with no emotion apparent in her voice or face. "You can't do it. It was foolish of me to get my hopes up. I should've known all along that you couldn't do it."

"What? Some friend you turned out to be!" Dan spat. "All this time you've been trying to convince me that I could, and then when my confidence slips, you just give up?"

Rivi shrugged and pursed her lips, a knot building in her throat threatened to take away her voice. Dan stamped back in disgust.

"I don't know how they do things on Aun, but here, real friends don't do things like this! You know what? I don't even care! Goodbye, Rivinaig!" Dan shouted, as he stomped through the gate and headed home.

"Wow! That was some hurricane out there. Level 5 on the CAT scale, I think," Miss Tate said, opening the screen door.

"You heard, I guess?" Rivi asked quietly.

"Your friends on Aun probably heard that."

Rivi glanced toward the darkening evening sky, and then looked at the ground.

"Sorry. That wasn't funny. Feeling homesick, huh?"

"A little. I feel so confined here. Making the one person I can be myself with mad at me doesn't help, either."

"Hey! Who am I?" Miss Tate exclaimed, in mocked shock.

"You know what I meant!" Rivi said, rolling her eyes and letting a small smile through.

"Yes, I knew what you meant, but I have a feeling that you made him mad on purpose."

"He already knows that he can convince himself to do it. Now it is up to him to decide to do it." Rivi picked up two pebble-sized rocks and stared up into the night sky. "I'll get the rest of these rocks out of here tomorrow."

#

Rivi walked to school alone for the first time in three days. She was on a mission, so she went early. Finding only a few people outside the school, she walked quietly through the school's front doors. She missed Dan's friendly presence on the way to school. If the previous day's argument had not been necessary, she would be waiting in the front of the school right now to apologize to him. But just as the argument was necessary, so was it necessary that Rivi not apologize. Not just yet anyway. Rivi slowed as she neared the first intersection in the school's hallways that branched out from the large, front entrance hall. She saw a fake bush at the corner of the hallway to her right and ducked out of sight behind it.

The hallway led to Dan's first class. It was also the hallway where Bill and his accomplices normally hung out before school. Over her shoulder, Rivi could see the front doors to the school. She could not have asked for a more strategic location.

Rivi waited for what seemed like an hour even though her computer told her it had only been ten minutes. Finally, Bill and his compatriots sauntered into the hallway, pointing and snickering at various pieces of student artwork displayed on the walls. Rivi remembered being taught on Aun that they were better people not acting like this. The Aruk were their bullies. Rivi and the other children grew up not wanting to emulate them.

Dan should be here soon.

Rivi looked over her left shoulder. Time seemed to hang like a dense fog on a lake. She smiled ever so slightly as she saw Dan enter the school. On most days, he would go the long way to his first class, which was through the school's back door, in order to avoid confrontation with the bullies.

Dan strolled calmly enough up the main hallway, but stopped short before entering Bill's domain. Rivi's smile melted as she watched him closely.

Come on, Dan, you have come this far. Remember what I taught you, Rivi thought.

Dan took a deep breath and turned into the hallway to face Bill. Rivi watched carefully from behind the bush.

"Ah! Ed, Kurt, look what we have here," Bill jeered as he turned to look at Dan coming toward them.

Bill stepped into Dan's path as he neared the trio.

"I thought we told you to go in through the back door!" Bill yelled as he looked down his nose at Dan.

Dan seemed to consider his answer for a few seconds.

"Why should I have to use the back door?"

"Because orphans aren't good enough to use the front door," Bill answered.

"Well, that doesn't make sense. The teachers don't mind who uses the front door," Dan challenged with a steady voice.

"I couldn't care less what the teachers 'mind,'" Bill answered.

"Oh, I see. It's only you who minds who uses the front door," Dan said.

"Yeah! Wanna make somethin' of it?"

"The last time I checked, Bill, you don't own the school or make up the rules around here," Daniel replied.

"Why should that matter, when I could wallop you any day?" Bill crowed, as he pushed Dan back a step with both hands.

"I'm not so certain about that anymore," Dan answered.

"Oh, yeah?" Bill exclaimed, as he swung his fist at Daniel.

Daniel ducked to avoid the punch and blocked the next one with the side of his arm. Bill tried to grab Daniel's forearm, but Dan stomped hard onto Bill's right foot, causing him to yelp and hop backward. Then, Bill's cronies came forward and roughly pinned Dan to the wall, their hands gripping his shoulders firmly. Dan's back was bent uncomfortably over his backpack. Bill stepped forward, intending to punch Dan.

Rivi frowned and hoped Daniel was thinking fast.

Dan reached up and grabbed the shoulders of the two boys holding him, while simultaneously kicking out at Bill's shin, causing him to wince. All three boys backed off a few steps, and then the school bell rang.

Bill, Ed, and Kurt made sour faces at Dan, then ran off to get to class. Dan looked down at the floor, allowing himself a small smile before he, too, headed off.

Rivi sighed in relief, not realizing she had been holding her breath. She took a few moments to record her memories in her computer in her pocket, then went on to her own classes, knowing that everything would be all right now.

#

As Rivi entered health class, she noticed Daniel out of the corner of her eye. Although she chose not to turn and look at him, she noticed that he was staring at the surface of his desk rather hard. She set her books down at her desk and took a smooth, gray pebble out of her pocket that she kept from the bunch of rocks she had brought into Miss Tate's yard the night before. She walked over to Dan's desk and placed the pebble on his desktop. He looked up.

Rivi smiled and nodded, and Dan managed a small smile that grew as he suddenly understood both what had happened last night and the small rock signifying the large rocks that Rivi was trying to challenge him to move. Without saying a word, Rivi walked back to her desk as the teacher entered the room.

#

"How come I didn't see you at lunch?" Dan asked, as he and Rivi walked home after school.

Rivi smiled and rolled her eyes.

"The librarian was having problems with the library computers. Since I'm a comp amalgamator, the computers' obvious confusion was really starting to bother my mind. I could've just shut them out, but I had nothing better to do, so I went to help her."

"What was the problem?" Dan asked curiously.

"The computers had some unnecessary file commands stored in their memory that were cluttering the systems. That happens sometimes if an upgrade isn't performed correctly. Unnecessary files and commands won't be deleted."

"What did the librarian say?"

"She seemed shocked, but I just told her that computers are my specialty," Rivi replied with a mischievous smile, as they turned down the next road. "Which isn't really untrue."

Daniel smiled and shook his head.

"Well, you couldn't exactly say, 'I can talk directly to the computer, ma'am.'" Dan said, chuckling.

"No, she probably wouldn't have believed me anyway," Rivi said with a shake of her head that made her long, wavy, brown hair sway along her back.

"You didn't go eat lunch then?" Dan asked.

"I don't need to eat, Dan," Rivi answered.

"What?"

"Well, technically, I still eat, but I can do it differently. I absorb the energy made by the plants around me."

"I think you lost me there," Dan grinned, though he was shocked.

Suddenly, Dan's expression changed.

"Hey, Rivi, listen. About last night ..."

"It's okay. It's called 'reverse psychology.'"

"So, you knew I'd take the bait, even though I didn't know it was bait?" Dan asked in surprise.

"Well, I hoped you would. I saw everything that happened this morning."

Dan turned his head and gaped at her in surprise.

"I was hiding behind the bush on the corner so I could see everything and record it in my computer. I must say that you have, indeed, finished the project."

Daniel laughed and shook his head. "So what are we doing today? We've got to write the report up or something, right?" Dan asked.

"We need to put together the video presentation."

"Oh, yeah, I remember."

"With your help, I should be able to put it into a computer. Then we could edit it and put it onto a digital video disk," Rivi answered.

"Okay. How about you come over to my house after six? We can work on the computer at my house," Dan replied.

"Sure, see you then," Rivi called as they parted ways.