Yet Another "I've Been Captured by Aliens!" story

The Truth about Blaise

By Thelma Mary Caroline

"I'm talking Hai to the mall," Sheila will announce, early Saturday afternoon.

You'll look up at her, disbelief across your face.  "I thought we were done with this.  You were at the bar with us last night.  There's no secrets anymore!"

"It's just that I don't know her very well," Sheila will say.  "It's just a chance to bond.  A girl's day out."

And you'll roll your eyes.  But ulitimitly, you'll agree.  All you do on Saturday is watch sports anyway.  You won't miss me.

So we'll go to the mall, me and Sheila.  It won't be like I've never been to a mall before, just not in a long time.  And I'll marvel at everything.  The crowds, the stores, and lights and noise and smells.

We'll go to Hollar for a Dollar, and Small Mart, and Lemon Aid (a fashionable hat store).  All stores you would never go to.  Probably you've never even been to a mall, even on the day after Thanksgiving.

Sheila and I, we'll talk about a lot of stuff.  Where we grew up, what we like to do.  Small talk, I expect.  But sooner or later, by her fault or mine, the subject will become you.

Sheila might say,  "I met Blaise at an office Christmas party.  Kyle's best friend, you know."

"Yeah, same here," I'll say.  "Christmas party.  We didn't really have Christmas, of course, but every few months someone would want to celebrate Christmas ... homesick I guess."

Sheila will stay quiet.  She knows the best moments to pick.

You weren't always like that, and that's what I'll tell her.  The truth.  How, when I was with Nathan, you swept me off my feet.  How he was such a jerk and took advantage of everything and everyone, but especially me.  And you came along and made me feel like I was someone.  Like you loved me.

And you did, I expect, though I only pretended to love you.  I saw a oppertunity to get away from him, and you were it.  You knew that too.  You know I was just pretending, only you ignored it.

I begged you to save me from him.  Rules were rules -- I belonged to him.  But you challanged him, and he accepted.  I'd belong to you if you won, but if you lost -- well, I never really knew what was at stake.

It was a spelling bee.  Why that, out of all things, I'll never know.  He knew you didn't spell well, and it showed.

A man who slightly resembled a jack o lantern called the words.  Nathan was quick and sure, you were slow and obviously guessing.  But every word was right.

Then came the word 'surprise.'

S U P R I S E, Nathan spelt, as quick and sure as ever.

No, sorry, that's not right.  Blaise, if you can spell surprise correctly, you'll win.

S U R P R I S E

And you won.  Nathan was furiously, but a deal's a deal.  But he beat you up bad.  All of his friends, too, would join in.  Everytime he got angry, he took it out on you.

"I wouldn't have minded so much," you told me once, "I wouldn't have minded if you really wanted to be with me."

I didn't.  And so you made my life miserable for it.  Everything Nathan had done to you, you now do to me.  Justace for all.

Still, you protected me from him; you never failed in your duty.

And Sheila won't understand, you see.  That how you treat me is normal for us.  The reason, that's what's not normal.