My first instinct was to scream. It turns out that was a very, bad idea. The moment I let the terror escape my lips, their strong thick arms were wrestling against me. I thrashed and kicked and did all I could to escape them, but it was no use. You cannot blame me for my idiotic behavior, it’s not every day you find out that you’ve been living with aliens.
6 HOURS EARLIER
The strong rays of the sun crashed against the outer shell of my pod. Hot steam radiated from my port screen. I was in deep trouble. It’s never good to fly a SEC ( space explorer craft ) into any kind of storm.
“This is SEC 1542,” I yelled into my intercom. “I am in need of immediate assistance. I repeat, immediate assistance. The solar flares have torn apart the right wing and the left wing is at 28% capacity.”
The door to my right started rattling violently, and the whole pod started shaking. There was static in my ear as a voice answered my prayers.
“Command deck to SEC 1542,” I heard. “You have t- minus 15 seconds until hyper  evacuation. Be prepared for a speedy launch home.”
I counted down the seconds. 4...3...2...1. I slammed on the hyper evac button and felt the air pin me to my seat as I was launched through space.
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“Eviana!”
I pulled my helmet from my head, letting my long charcoal black hair fall loose.
“Eviana!” the voice was growing louder and more harsh as I stomped on. “Turn around and face me. That is an order.” I clenched my fists and faced Captain Tally. He was an older man with a tired face and an old soul. I despised him.
“Yes, sir,”  I said cooly.
“You deliberately disobeyed me and went beyond the borders. This is too many times. You’re expelled.”
“I couldn’t help myself, I thought I could make it back…”  I stopped short. He wouldn’t understand. Instead of arguing I gritted my teeth and settled with a mocking, “Yes, sir.”
Captain Tally nodded and was turning around when I...saw something. One minute he was looking like his usual self, and then for a split second, his skin turned a purple maroon and his hair disappeared. But then the image vanished, and I brushed the brief moment off and went on my way.
As Captain Tally sauntered away, I bore holes into his head. But I wasn’t going to waste my anger on him. It wasn’t worth it.
On my way out I ordered a hover cab and waited on the steps of the Pilot Society Building. The cold air seeped through my thin pilot’s jacket, chilling me to the bone. The reflection of the sun on the tall metal skyscrapers made my eyes water. At least, I tried to make myself believe it was the sun. Honestly, I was hurt. My own father had expelled me. He had ruined my dream which I had shared with him since childhood.
I had called him Captain ever since he had adopted me at age five. It was never father or  dad. I was just another one of the soldiers that he needed to tame.

As I sat there waiting, I heard footsteps behind me. I turned around and immediately my spirits lifted. Standing behind me was Zander. He was the perfect image of tall, dark, and handsome. His shoulder length black hair was pulled into a low ponytail, and he was wearing a black suit and tie.
“Hey,” he said as he sat down next to me.
“Hey,” I sighed.
“You okay?”
“No.” I layed my head on his shoulder and let the silent tears run down my face.
“Why are you so dressed up?” I asked. Zander snickered and rubbed his hands together.
“I had an interview. It didn’t go as well as I had hoped, but that doesn’t matter. You should go home and get some rest.” Zander stood up and helped me to my feet just as my cab flew up. I’ll see you later.” He flashed me a pearly white smile and walked away, leaving me on my own.
As I looked out of the window of the cab I thought about how I had met Zander. A few years ago he had taught me how to fly my SEC. He would correct me harshly yet kindly, teaching me how to fly with the smoothest motions. From then on we had been best friends. He was the older brother I never had. I knew that I could always rely on him for comfort.
Being expelled brought back a distant memory of when Zander had gotten me out of a situation much like this one. A few months ago, I had run into a command craft, denting the delicate metal. It was fairly noticeable, and it just happened to be Captain Tally’s. The last person who had run into one of his crafts was suspended immediately. But Zander had jumped in just as Captain Tally’s wrath was unveiling.
“It was my fault sir.” He said. “I forgot to inform Eviana of the default break system.” His well-played lie saved me a month of suspension. But that was only one of the many times he had saved me from a gruesome talk with Captain Tally. I knew that I could always rely on Zander to rescued me.

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When I got home the first thing I did was change out of my uncomfortable skinny jeans, and into warm pajama bottoms. Then I went to the roof. The roof of our, over one hundred floor, apartment building, was my thinking place. I could see all of the skyscrapers and the scarce forests beyond them. Tonight the air was clear, which somehow seemed to help with my fogged mind.
In my lap was the one thing that my real parents had left me. It was a small black cube. There was nothing special about it, and I usually left it lying on the mantel, but tonight I felt unusually called to it. As I sat staring at the bright stars, my eyes began to droop and I dozed off.
Beep. Beep. Beep. I was jerked awake by the routine beeping. I looked around for its source, and was amazed to see the cube lighting up in my lap. A long stream of light appeared through the top, revealing a 2 dimensional man. He was standing with his hands behind his back and a grim expression on his face.
"Hello. My name is Darius Gold, and your, real, name is Eviana Gold. I am your father." My heart stopped. "Your mother and I were residents of the planet earth before it was invaded by the Pazalor extraterrestrial. They are the aliens which you are living with now. The Pazalor are a cursed race. Their appearance changes to match other beings around them, but they see everyone else as their own kind. Once you gain that knowledge, your vision will be cleared, and you will see them as they truly are. But you must beware, for they will also see you as your true self."
"We left you on earth for a purpose. You must come and find the rest of your kind. Now that you have grown into their strategies and customs, we will have a greater advantage at defeating them. Good luck my child, we will be waiting for your return."
The image blinked away, leaving my throat dry and my mind filled with new thoughts and perspectives. What? This is ridiculous! This was probably just some joke someone was pulling on me. I tried to put aside the odd message, but it had made my heart stir. So I decided to go downstairs and investigate. If this was real, then that meant that Captain Tally was an alien.
I was walking down the stairs when I heard voices. I don't know why I stopped walking. They're normal. Still, I crept down the stairs as quietly as I could. I was almost to the bottom when all three of them started walking out of the kitchen and in front of the staircase.
My first instinct was to scream. It turns out that was a very, bad idea. The moment I let the terror escape my lips, their strong thick arms were wrestling against me. I thrashed and kicked and did all that I couldn't go escape them. But it was no use. You cannot blame me for my idiotic behavior, it's not everyday that you find out you've been living with aliens.
Their skin was a maroon purple, and it was covered in a gooey substance. Their hair was a transparent white; they had black spikes protruding out of their skin. I was frightened enough by their unfamiliar bodies, but the moment I looked into their pitch black eyes, I knew that they were a race I should fear.
"Who are you?" the one wearing Captain Tally's pilot jacket said.
"Captain? It's me!" his expression didn't change,but then I remembered. The Pazalor were cursed, all these years they had thought I was one of them.
"What should we do with it?" one of them asked.
"Lock it in the closet. Then I'm going to call the Chief.”
They were dragging me to the closet when the front door burst open. In the doorway stood Zander. I had hoped maybe he would be the same, but he looked like the others. The only way I could recognize him was his long black hair.
"Zander! Help!" He looked confused, and for a split second I didn't think he was going to help me. I had almost lost hope when he pounced on the Captain’s two friends. Captain Tally let go of my arms in shock, so I grabbed the vase on the table next to me and broke it over his head. Without hesitating I ran. On my way out I sketched out a plan in my head. I needed to get to Pilot Society Building unseen, then I was going to steal my SEC and escape. But it was easier said than done.
Everything had changed. The buildings were a rustic orange color and they had glass vines running up them. Everywhere I looked there were aliens, nothing was familiar. I felt lost and alone. But I was on a mission, so I trudged on.
"Attention." The big announcement TVs blared to life. On the screen was an alien wearing the chief robes. "We have a code red. There is an unidentified species roaming the streets.” I could see the surprised looks on their faces as he said this. “Do not be alarmed. I am sending recruits to scour every inch of this city until we find the creature. If you have any evidence about where it is or where it is going, please report it immediately. Thank you.”
As soon as the screen blackened, the streets were thrown into chaos. Everyone started screaming and running inside buildings. I threw my hood over my head and ran through the chaos. At first nobody noticed me, but then I heard:
“There it is!” Behind me, someone was pointing directly at my head. I sprinted full speed, dodging in and out of their mangled bodies.
I was merely ten feet away from the steps of the Pilot Society Building, when a bright light encircled me. A hovercraft was levitating above me; ropes repelled from the open door, bringing what looked like Pazalor bodybuilders with them. I darted up the steps, narrowly missing their landing.
I tore through the front doors, each step of my sore feet drawing me closer to my freedom. The guards were a few feet behind me, giving me a lucky head start. I reached the SpaceCraft garage, and climbed in my SEC. The engine sputtered, and rattled, but refused to turn on. The battery needed to be replaced. I quietly climbed out just as the guards burst through the door. I fell to the ground, hoping they hadn’t seen me.
“Find it!” Their feet shuffled around the garage. I had less than a minute before they found me. I grabbed the spare battery and slipped underneath the craft. It took about fifteen seconds to replace it, but I had taken too long. When I stood up, I felt the point of a gun against my back.
“Turn around, slowly.”
I put my hands up and slowly faced the guard. His face showed no sign of mercy or emotion, which made my imminent death even more intolerable.
“Orders to shoot Chief?” he said into his intercom.
“Granted.”
I closed my eyes and waited. Unannounced, somebody pushed themselves in between me and the barrel just as I heard the gunfire. Warm blood sprayed onto my face as I opened my eyes. Standing in front of me, his black eyes filled with tears, was Zander. It felt as though the floor had disappeared beneath me, and I had fallen a great distance.
“Go.” He uttered. Then he collapsed on the floor, dead.
What happened next was a blur. I shakily climbed into my SEC and slammed the door behind me. The guard shot at the bullet proof glass, not even scratching it. I forcefully hit the exceleration and flew off, leaving the guard slamming his fist on the floor in anguish.
I flew far ahead of the hovercrafts chasing me, leaving them in the dust. The moment I broke into space the tears erupted. My only friend had died to save me, and all because of some mission that I had blindly taken on. I had to avenge him. My new goal was to find my people and come back kicking. I was going to avenge my alien comrade.