CHAPTER 8: "TAKE OFF MY SHIRT."

Carlos's Pov:

I'd returned home from school only to meet a strange lady in the sitting room, putting on my shirt!!

What the heck?

Mom didn't tell me she was getting a new maid. And even if she was a new maid, why would she be putting on my shirt??

And why's her hair this long and untidy?

"Don't you talk?" I snapped at her.

"Why're you putting on my shirt??? Who're you??"

"You… you're her son, right? You're the son?" She asked and I made a crumpled look.

What's she talking about?

Before I knew what was happening, she started coming towards me.

"You look so different." she mumbled and touched my face.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing? How dare you just touch me?"

Immediately, mom showed up.

Perfect. Just at the right time.

"Carlos??" She called and rushed to us.

*

Charlotte's Pov:

She was so beautiful but different. Why's she acting like she doesn't like me? Well, it's probably because I'm a stranger to her.

"Carlos?" I heard someone call and turned to see the woman.

Oh!

"Hey Charlotte , what're you doing here?? Why did you leave your room?" She asked and held my hand.

And I took my eyes back to the son.

"It's your son, right?" I asked.

"She looks so different from us. Where're her breasts? Where is her…"

"Mom, who the hell is this?" She cut me off with a spiteful look.

"First of all, what's she doing here? Secondly, why's she in my shirt? Thirdly, why's she referring to me as a *she* or whatever??"

"Calm down Carlos, please. I'll… I'll explain everything to you, okay? Just… go into your room, freshen up. And I'll be with you shortly." The woman said quickly and held my hand.

"You're beautiful." I said to the son before the woman finally dragged me away.

*

"Why did you leave your room, Charlotte? Why did you have to go out? I'm trying to figure out what's wrong with you." The woman queried as soon as we got into the room.

"I'm… I'm sorry. But when I woke up, I couldn't find anyone in the room. and I decided to search for you." I replied, feeling a little bad she was angry.

"Gosh! Anyway, that's my son. And you need to be careful around him, okay? He can be pesky at times."

Him? He?

"Why're you calling her that? Is that her name? He?" I asked with a bemused look and she gasped.

"Jesus! Are you for real?? Over here, you don't refer to him as *she*. He's a male, okay? Not a female." She enthused.

"Really? There's a difference, right?" I asked.

"Well, of course. There's a huge difference. He's a boy. And you're a girl!"

A boy, the word resounded in my head.

"Come on, come with me." She held my hand and took me to the bed, making us face each other.

"Now, I want you to tell me nothing but the truth. Okay?" She said and I just nodded perfunctorily.

"Where exactly do you come from?"

Huh??

My eyes itched at the mention of that.

Oh saviors! I knew she was going to ask about that. What should I do?

Really, I'm acting weird. I mean, everything is strange here. So, you wouldn't blame me. But what do I do? Do I really tell her the truth?

"Hey Charlotte, talk to me." She tapped me on the hand and I looked at her.

I gulped nervously and licked my lower lip.

"Actually…" I began.

"I come from a different place – a different planet. And this is actually my first time on earth."

Her eyes dimmed immediately.

"Whaaat??" She shrieked.

"You're an alien??"

What's alien?

"Woah! Hold on, what's the name of your planet? I mean, where are you from?" She asked, clearly dripping in curiosity.

"It's… It's called Marazona. I'm not so sure you've heard of it. But over there, only females exist."

"Females?? So....how do you reproduce? How do you give birth?"

"We don't. I mean..I haven't seen anyone give birth. We're just growing. There's… there's no new one among us."

"Whaaat??? This is just super crappy and amazing." She exclaimed and I wondered what she meant.

"So, you're trying to say… you're just like a community and you don't have any new ones amongst you? So, how did you come to be here in the first place? Did you guys just fall from the sky or what?"

Unfortunately, I didn't know the answer to that and I just shrugged.

"Okay, okay!" she took a deep breath.

"Okay, Charlotte, let's assume what you're saying is true. Why then did you leave your *planet*? What're you doing here on earth? Are you on a mission?" She asked and I bit my nail.

I can't tell her that, can I?

"Actually, I had to leave. My… my people no longer needed me there. They've been so cruel to me and I was forced to leave." I replied, hoping she'd understand.

She stared at the treasure on my neck and touched it.

"Did you get it from there?" She asked and I nodded and moved back a bit so she'd stop touching it.

"Gosh!" She muttered and sighed.

"So, what do you plan to do? Do you know someone here?" She asked and I shook my head vigorously.

I didn't even know a fly.

"So, what're your plans, then? When you were coming here, what did you plan to do?"

"Actually, I didn't even know I'd be coming to earth. I just needed to leave the planet as soon as possible and I grabbed the slightest opportunity I'd seen. You're the first person I'm meeting on earth." I added the last part in a whisper.

"Seriously?" She mumbled and touched her hair.

She didn't say a word for a while and finally stood up.

"I'll check up on you later. Okay?" She said and I nodded like a child.

Please, just tell me she's someone I can trust.

Well, she doesn't look harmful, does she?

I watched her as she opened the door and left the room.

*

Carlos's Pov:

I stood outside the door and listened to the unbelievable conversation between mom and the *alien*.

Hold on, is this woman kidding my a*s?? Where the hell did she get this lady?

Suddenly, the door opened and her jaws dropped when she found me there.

"Carlos?" She called in surprise.

"What're you… what're you doing here?"

"Seriously mom?" I scoffed.

"Are you asking me that? Who the heck is that lady?"

She looked at the closed door, then back at me.

"Come on, son. Let's talk in the room." She said tiredly.

"Yeah, hold on." I rolled my eyes and opened the door, going into the room.

"Carlos!" She called after me, but I ignored her.

I got in and met the strange lady on the bed who looked surprised.

Well, of course, she should be surprised.

Her bulgy eyes were bulging into mine.

"Hey, you!" I snapped.

"Take off my shirt".