They Walk Among Us

They Walk Among Us copyright c. 2011 T.A. Chase

Part Nine-

Zach-

I watched Raven whirl around, his mouth hanging open, and fear shining in his eyes. I grab his arm before he could run, tugging him after me into the nearby diner. I waved at the waitress as I dragged Raven to a back booth. She nodded, and grabbed two mugs along with a coffee pot. Raven glared at me as I shoved him down onto the seat.

“Stay right there,” I ordered him. “Don’t say anything to her. I won’t hurt you, but we need to talk before you do something stupid.”

The derision filling his eyes brought a smile to my face. Of course, Raven wasn’t going to say anything to the waitress. He couldn’t talk, but I was sure he could have gotten his point across if he tried.

I ordered coffee for both of us, but Raven shook his head when I asked about breakfast. I waited until she returned with our mugs and filled them. I watched her walk away before turning to look at Raven.

His dark eyes stared at me with questions and a little bit of fear. I smiled, trying to reassure him. I really wasn’t trying to hurt him, or even keep him hostage. I simply wanted to talk to him, to figure out what he was doing in the city.

I sipped my coffee while I tried to order my mind. I needed to get things organized before I asked him anything.

“I know Jackson helped you out of the hospital. He told me you were gone when he went back up to check on you, but I’m not stupid. I know he escorted you out of the building, and helped set you up for whatever you’re doing now.”

Raven pursed his lips, and wrinkled his nose. I shifted in my seat as my cock hardened with the thought of those lips wrapped around it. Okay, now was not the time to think of all the ways I wanted to get Raven into bed.

He tapped his fingers on the top of the table impatiently. He didn’t have a pencil or paper, but it didn’t matter to me. I glanced over my shoulder to make sure no one was near us, and leaned in.

“I know what you are.”

Raven stiffened, and started to climb out of the booth. I held up my hand.

“Wait. I never told anyone who or what you are. The agents talked to me about the possibility of you being in the city. I told them I thought they were crazy. The aliens had been destroyed during the invasion all those years ago. None survived.” I stared at him. “Talk to me the way you would someone like you.”

::How do you know what I am?::

“I’m the leading non-governmental expert on the aliens. I should be able to notice all the signs and put them all together, right?”

Raven sipped his coffee, and grimaced. I laughed, and waved the waitress back over.

“Could he have some orange juice please? I don’t think he’s a coffee drinker.”

She nodded, and brought another glass. I thanked her when she refilled my mug. I stirred in the sugar and cream while thinking about the situation.

::You need to let me go, and don’t tell anyone about me. It’s more than just my life and yours at risk.::

“Your sister? I know the government has her. They wanted to take me to where they’re holding her.” I tilted my head in the direction of the alley. “She might have been there at one time, but they moved her, especially after they beat you up.”

::Is she still alive? They haven’t done anything to her, have they?::

“I doubt it. I think they’re afraid of doing something to harm her. They’ve never had a real Opalite,” I murmured, making sure to keep my voice low.

Opalites were monsters in most people’s minds, and I didn’t want them to get upset. To be honest, I doubted anyone would panic or even believe Raven was an Opalite, but the aliens were used as bogeymen to keep children in line.

::Really? The government has never found any of the other children left behind? That doesn’t make sense. I would have thought they would have found at least one of us. We were hidden by the humans, but not that well. We tend to be different from human children, no matter how hard we tried to be normal.::

I shrugged. “I guess they could have, but never contacted me about them. It could be they ended up killing them before they truly realized what they had, or they could just have killed them because they were Opalites.”

Tears welled in Raven’s eyes, and I didn’t even think about not touching him. I laid my hand over his, and squeezed slightly. He sighed, and I gave him a small smile.

“Like I said, your sister is still alive, but are they using her to get you? Or is she an Opalite as well? I’ve never heard of Opalite siblings.”

Eagerness filled me, and I fought the urge to bounce in my seat. I had never found the aliens to be scary or monsters. They were intriguing creatures that were so very different from us. Human nature tended to destroy what was different or what it didn’t understand, which was why we attacked them first instead of trying to find out if they were hostile or not.

Raven bit his lip, and I could see his worry. Calming myself down, I lifted my other hand solemnly.

“I promise I’m only asking because I’m curious. I didn’t tell the agents anything about you, Raven. They will be able to get the information from the hospital records, if they come to suspect you might be more than a usual human.” I narrowed my eyes and studied him. “You aren’t twins, are you?”

He shook his head. ::The government must have taken her because she looks more like our people than I do. I appear more human in many ways.:: Raven dipped his head, and breathed in deep. ::We are siblings, and I’m the oldest. It’s rare for Opalites to have more than one child. My parents were thrilled when my sister was born.::

“So more than likely they grabbed her because she looked like an Opalite, and they, for some reason, chose to attack you, instead of just warning you away.” I frowned, not grasping the reasoning behind the agents beating Raven as badly as they had.

::What should we do about getting her back?:: Raven looked at him with piteous eyes.

A stronger man might have been able to walk away, and let Raven and his sister struggle against the government. I never claimed to be strong.