2 Where all began

The sun had risen to the top of the sky a few hours ago. It was in the perfect position to let its light filter directly through the window of an empty and boring room on the second floor of a completely ordinary house. The typical room of a teenager, with the difference that there were only the most basic things necessary to live.

There wasn't much to tell about it. A desk near the window, with four badly thrown books and a laptop. On one side of the room, a built-in closet with the door ajar, where black sweatpants were about to fall from one of the shelves. On the other side, a bed from where a young man just got up because of the sun's rays hitting him directly in the face: me.

It was Saturday and I didn't really want to get up. However, it seemed to be noon and my body was starting to ache a little from spending so many hours lying down. Still half asleep, after stretching while yawning loudly, I decided to get out of the bed.

I went straight to the closet and pushed the door wide open, dropping my black sweatpants to the floor. I didn't pay much attention to what to wear. I just picked up the pants and put them on next to the first sweater I found.

After putting on my clothes, I walked towards the bathroom, dragging the jacket of the same tracksuit with me. As soon as I entered, a mirror greeted me, in which my reflection appeared cleanly: an 18-years-old boy approximately 183 centimeters tall. His hair and eyes, which stared back at me sleepy and carefree, were exactly the same color and hue, light brown.

I turned the tap on and washed my face to clear my head, but before I finished I heard someone's footsteps. A girl with similar characteristics to mine was soon reflected behind me in the mirror.

"Hey, living dead, are you still sleeping at this hour?"

A sigh went out of my mouth while turning off the tap. I turned to the girl, my big sister.

"I have to get up early every day… Today is Saturday, Saturdays and Sundays are to sleep all you want, isn't it?"

"I also get up early on Saturdays and Sundays. I have a life, not like you, a zombie infiltrated between the living."

"Honestly, I wouldn't call getting up early to come home drunk at six in the morning… At those times you also look like a zombie… and stink like one."

"That's because I have friends with whom I can go out and have fun at night, not like you."

She answered me trying to sound calm, although she was unable to completely hide that she had been a bit annoyed by my comment. Like a good brother, I had to solve that problem.

"Nonsense, of course I have friends. I just don't want to let them meet a disastrous sister I have… I don't know what you could spread them."

"Asshole!"

"That your mother."

"My mother is also yours."

"Yeah, that should be true," I murmured, feeling a bit sorry.

"Definitively you are a shitty brother."

Although we usually looked like we can't stand each other, my sister and I didn't really have a bad relationship, but we always ended up with some silly fights that were soon forgotten. I don't know if it's normal between siblings or not… but there were still times when I really would rather not have her as a sister.

And about my mother, despite being a woman of a few words who seemed to always be upset about something, was a kind person who almost never got mad at anyone. She had never treated me badly or done anything to make me feel like that, but I felt that, unlike my sister, she treated me with a little distance. As if I was a stranger to her. She maybe didn't want to, but I always noticed, and that hurt me a bit. Is possible that this also slightly influences the relationship between my sister and me.

"Come on, get out of here right now, I want to use the toilet. And change that face at once!"

She took my jacket, which I had left hanging on the bath door, and threw it in my face before chasing me out of the bathroom cursing in a low voice.

"Ok, ok, as you wish… Anyway, I'm done."

I went to the living room. Speaking of my mother, apparently, she had gone out a few hours ago and still had not come back yet. Instead, my father was sprawled on the couch, calmly watching television. Since I had nothing better to do, I walked over to his side and sat in a corner.

"Something interesting?"

"The news has just started. There is nothing better at this time."

My father was a fifty-year-old man who had already grown the typical belly of that age. His hair was starting to turn gray and even had noticeable recesses. Unlike my mother, he treated me with complete normality. It could even be said that he treated me better than my sister since she always ended up giving him quite a few headaches… especially on Saturday nights and Sunday mornings.

"And what do they say?"

"Nothing good, as always."

I leaned back, ready to spend some time watching TV. The news started some time ago, so I could not catch all the reports. However, the content immediately caught my attention.

"... that event occurred at 4:38 AM. Witnesses claim it was like a shooting star. However, it remained suspended in the sky for almost five minutes before falling directly to the ground, disappearing in just one second..."

"What the hell are they talking about?", I immediately asked my father.

"Apparently a luminous object was seen in the sky this morning. As you can see, they are already creating a scandal."

"A luminous object?"

"Yes, a strange light in the middle of the night that could have been anything."

I stared at the recording of what happened in complete silence. The place they showed seemed quite familiar… too familiar… to the point of being able to assure that almost every day I walk through these streets.

"... a lot of theories have already begun to spread through the web, including some about an alien ship. However, experts say that it was most likely a simple space rock that entered the atmosphere, bursting into flames and thus creating that light effect. The investigations will continue for a while, but so far nothing strange has been found in the vicinity..."

"And now they even talk about aliens. Reporters no longer know what to tell to get people's attention.", said my father.

My father lost interest as soon as he finished hearing the report, but I was silent with my eyes fixed on the television.

"A strange light in the middle of the night…"

I whispered inadvertently. For some reason, my mind was in the clouds. In my head, the images of that light in the night sky were repeated over and over again. I didn't really understand what was wrong with me, but I started to feel really uncomfortable.

"What's wrong with you, son? You seem worried."

Luckily, my father immediately brought me back to reality.

"Ah, nothing… I was just thinking that this happened very close… Are you not worried that it could be something dangerous?"

"Are you afraid that the aliens will abduct you? You are old enough to believe in those things. Besides, I doubt the aliens wanted you explicitly. Trust me, if I were an alien, you would be the last human I would take with me."

My father scoffed a bit. I guess my face must have been pretty funny at this moment, so I could only let out a wry laugh.

"No way, dad… It's not that…"

'Although I don't know if I should be happy or depressed about what you said…'

"Then?"

"I guess actually… No, nothing…"

I shrugged my shoulders. I wasn't really worried about aliens, but that uncomfortable feeling wasn't leaving me. It was impossible for me to stay still, so I jumped off the couch.

"I'm a little hungry, is there anything left over from yesterday?"

"I think some stew remains from yesterday, but your mother won't take long in coming back, can't you wait until then?"

"Well… there is something I want to do as soon as possible…"

I didn't really have anything to do, I just wanted to go out and clear my mind a bit, I just couldn't think of any good excuse to give.

"Don't tell me you want to go investigate on your own."

"Dad… don't take me for a madman…"

"Whatever, just don't do anything crazy and come back before dark."

My father was probably just kidding since he dropped the subject right away. Nor was it that neither he or my mother cared much where I went, as long as I didn't cause trouble. I suppose that I had to thank my sister for always doing what she wanted when she wanted...

"Yes, yes, don't worry… Besides, I'm not a kid anymore."

I went to the kitchen and gulped down the leftovers from the day before. Then I put on some sneakers and went out into the street. Obviously, I had no intention of investigating that light as my father said. I did not even believe in all that nonsense about aliens and the news didn't matter to me in the least. I just wanted to go out and relax a bit to get rid of that discomfort that still accompanied me.. and there was a perfect place for that purpose.

My house was on the outskirts of the town, a few minutes from a forest with a small lake in the middle. It was a little-known place that nobody normally approached. Since it was a quiet place, I used to visit it from time to time when I was in a bad mood or just wanted to get away from civilization.

Since one had to cross a forest to reach the spot, the only way to get there was on foot. Although my house was relatively close, there were still a couple of hours of travel and precisely because it was little known, there were no well-marked trails that led directly to the lake, but I knew the way like the back of my hand, so many times did not take that long for me to get there.

Just as I thought, even without running too much, in just an hour and a half I had already reached the clear part of the forest where the lake was. I took a quick look around, there was really no sign of people or animals.

"Perfect, it's a good thing there's never anyone."

I sat a few feet from the lake. The grass in that part was not too tall, but at the same time, it was tall enough that one could comfortably lie on top of it. The day was clear, with hardly any visible could in the sky.

"Today is a good day."

I flopped down on the grass and stared up at the blue sky. Before I knew it, I raised my arm with my hand open as if reaching for something I couldn't even see.

"A strange light in the sky..."

That phrase had been running through my head the entire way. I hadn't been able to get it out no matter how hard I tried. However, as soon as I got to this place, that annoying restlessness that had accompanied me all the time began to disappear.

It was neither cold nor too hot. There were no unpleasant noises either, that's probably why I liked this place so much. I closed my eyes and listened to the sound of the breeze moving the leaves and the song of the insects. Only then did I get that annoying phrase out of my head once and for all.

"I can finally relax..."

And perhaps I relaxed too much since I was immediately attacked by drowsiness, before which I soon fell completely imprisoned and fell into a deep sleep.