Chapter 11

Julie glared at herself in the mirror. “I still look like a little girl, no breast, curves, or anything.”

She brushed her long black hair, then threw down her hairbrush in disgust. She grabbed her book bag and rushed outside to wait for the bus.

The school bus drove up, and Julie stepped in.

While she walked to the back of the bus, some boy shouted, “Hey, pancake!”

When will these hormonal boys ever grow up? I’ve been hearing this for almost three years now. With relief she spotted her friend, Jaclyn, and joined her on the wide leatherette seat at the back of the bus.

“Hey, girl. I love that sweater. Is that cashmere?” Jaclyn asked.

“Yeah, I got it at the mall last weekend.”

“I wish I could wear just anything like you do. I have to make sure everything I wear doesn’t either make the girls look like they’re falling out or make my butt look bigger than it already is.” Jaclyn glanced at Julie with her big blue eyes.

“I would like to at least resemble a teenager. I still look like an eight year old.” She surveyed Jaclyn with her dark brown eyes.

“At least you don’t have to be armed with zit cream everywhere you go. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a pimple on your face.” Jaclyn held a compact and dabbed the cream on.

I would more than happy to endure some zits to look like you. I wish I had blond hair, blue eyes and a tan. I hate having moussy brown hair and eyes. It’s awful having sickeningly pale skin. Mom won’t let me go to the tanning bed like Jaclyn’s mom does. Mom keeps saying that a tanning bed would kill me if I were to enter one. She won’t say why though.

The bus pulled up, and everyone shuffled out. Julie and Jaclyn strolled to their lockers.

“Did you study for the quiz on Shakespeare?” Jaclyn asked.

“Yeah, even though Shakespeare’s totally boring. I don’t understand why it’s important to learn about dead writers who wrote such boring stuff that only geeks and Mrs. Barlet understand.”

“I know what you mean. We better get going, or we’ll get detention again.”

I hate coming in this room everyday looking at these posters of dead authors. I better get to the back of the room before Mrs. Bartlet’s brown nosers get here.

After she sat down, Mrs. Barlet walked into the room.

Why does she pile her hair on top of her hair like that and wear those old grandma clothes? Here come the quizzes.

She stared at the quiz. This looks like greek. I feel totally sick. I wonder why. My head hurts too. Taking a quiz has never done this to me before. She placed her hand on top of her head and felt two hard places on her head.

After the quizzes were handed in, her teacher lectured about Shakespeare. I’ve got a splitting headache! My clothes are suddenly tight for some reason. She laid her head on her desk and placed her hand on top of it. Something’s sticking up out of my head! It feels like two pieces of metal. I hope no one sees this!

When the bell rang, Julie ran out of the classroom not even stopping to talk to Jaclyn. She ran past the other students almost knocking them down. When she reached the bathroom, she gazed into the mirror. Two, small black stubs were sticking out of her head.

“What in the world’s happening to me? Do I have a tumor on my head?” She gasped staring into the mirror.

She opened her book bag. I’m so glad l left that cap in there. She put it on.

Julie glanced down at her chest, “Wow! I think I’m getting breast.”

She glanced behind her and observed a small curve to her behind.

“I have that body of a twelve year old now instead of an eight year old. I’ve done four years of growing up in an hour,” she whispered.

I feel so sick to my stomach. Someone’s coming. She dashed into one of the stalls. She bent over the toilet and vomited a purple liquid. I think I’m breaking out. She rolled up her sleeves and surveyed a green rash. Julie vomited two more times.

I feel something trickling down between my legs. Am I getting my first period?

Julie unzipped her pants and pushed them down. A blue liquid trickled down from her private area.

What’s happening to me? This isn’t like what I read in health class last year. I must have some disease. Am I dying?

Julie cleaned up and put some toilet paper in her panties. I’ve got to go home. Something bad’s happening to me. I need mom to take me to the doctor.

She pulled and zipped her jeans. She cracked the door to see if anyone was there. Julie crept out of the stall and ran out of the bathroom. She kept on running until she got to the principal’s office. She stopped for a moment to catch her breath before opening the door to go in.

“I need to call my mom. I’m very sick to my stomach. I’ve been vomiting and have a terrible headache.”

“What’s your name, dear?” the receptionist asked.

“Julie Rodan.”

“Just a minute, Julie.” She walked into the principal’s office.

After a few minutes, the receptionist walked out of the room and over to Julie.

“Mr. Mathews is calling your mother now.”

“Thanks.”

I think my clothes are getting a little tighter. She glanced down at her chest. I really need a training bra, maybe even a one a little bigger. She pushed up her sleeve. This green rash has spread all over my arm. I hope Mom comes soon, because I can feel more fluid coming, and I don’t know if these tissues are going to keep it from trickling down my legs. My head’s hurting, and I can feel the stubs growing out of my head even more.

The door to the office opened. A tall black haired woman walked in the room.

“Are you Mrs. Rodan?” the receptionist asked.

“Yes, I’m here to take Julie home.”

“That’s fine. Julie, I need you to sign out before you leave.”

She stood and scribbled her named on the sign out sheet. Mrs. Rodan and Julie walked out of the office.

“Mom, you won’t believe what has happened to me today!”

“Calm down, and I believe I know exactly what has been happening.”

“No, you don’t. No one knows about anything like this.”

“We’ll talk about it when we get home.”

When they walked out of the school, their red mini van was parked in front of the school. They got in the van, and her mother drove off. How am I going to tell Mom about the weird things happening to me? This drive home seems to be the longest ever. Her mother drove up the driveway, and they got out of the van. Julie ambled behind her mother as they went into their house.

Her mother gazed at her. “Take off her cap.”

Julie took it off. Two black stems were sticking out of her head even more than when she was in the girl’s bathroom.

“You’ve gotten a start in getting your antennas!”

“This is a good thing? You’ve got to be kidding!”

“You’re growing up. It’s wonderful.”

“Is throwing up purple stuff, breaking out in a green rash, and your first period being blue a good thing? This can’t be normal!”

“This is what happens to all Nonglock girls right before they turn sixteen. It happened to me. Thank goodness the green rash stops by the time you turn twenty-five, but you are stuck with the monthly periods and vomiting until you’re sixty. The antennas, you’ll have for life. Would you like to see mine? You can control them. I can teach you.”

“Nonglock? What’s that? I can control these things on my head? I’m going to go through this strange kind of monthly until I’m sixty. Oh,crap!”

“Nonglock’s a planet east of Earth in the galaxy of Yonglock. Your father and I had to leave there before you were born, because the Wongtonglocks were trying to take over.” Mrs. Rodan pointed at Julie’s antennas. “Yes, you can control them. Just place your hands on your temples and concentrate.”

“You said my father died of cancer, so that wasn’t true at all?”

“No, a Wongatonglock killed him while we were trying to escape. I had you, four months after he died.”

“It must have been hard being a single parent all this time.”

Julie placed her hands on her temples and concentrated. Her antennas popped up a little more.

“I do have good news since the Wongtonglocks have finally given up their hold on Nonglock. We can return, and we’re leaving tonight. I received word early this morning.”

“How did you find out, Mom?”

“Did you see the bright light out in the back yard this morning?”

“No, I guess I was still asleep.”

“Your grandmother told me by a transport communication hologram.”

“Let me take this all in. You’re telling me that I’m an alien. All the aliens I’ve seen on TV have big heads with slits for eyes and are usually green. I’m totally not one of those. I like it here. The only friend I have is here. This can’t be happening!”

“Those are Wongtonglocks that Earthlings see. They try to take over every planet with life on it.” Mrs. Rodan put her arm around Julie. “I know you will miss Jaclyn, but you’ll make a lot of new friends when we land on Nonglock. Everything will be great. Now, go and clean yourself up, so you can start packing.”

Julie walked away from her mother. “No! I want to stay here! How do you know I can adapt to another planet? I was born here on Earth. I could die on Nonglock!”

“You won’t die there and will adapt just fine. I’m the one who has had an awful time trying to adapt. You know I get sick during the winter. You know I’m often hospitalized for pneumonia!”

“Yes, but I didn’t know it was from this. I still can’t deal with living on another planet. I have a friend here, not on Nonglock!”

“Your grandmother will come for us soon, so hurry up and get your things together. We’re still going, and that’s final!”

“Whatever! I still can’t believe there’s a place with a lame name like Nonglock, and that I’m going through this crap.”

Julie hurried upstairs to pack. I’ve never met my grandmother before. I wonder what she looks like. What’s her personality like?

Being deep in thought while packing, Julie heard a booming sound coming from downstairs. She grabbed her two bags and ran downstairs. At the bottom of the stairs, her mother and an older woman were hugging each other.

“Are you ready to leave?” asked the older woman with long black antennas on top of her head.

“I don’t have everything packed.”

“That’s okay. I’ll take my favorite granddaughter shopping for the latest Nong fashions.”

Her grandmother was holding a black and red remote.

“I need the two of you to hold on to me, so you can go home at last.”

Julie and her mother held on as her grandmother pressed the big red button on the pad. I’m being sucked up, and what’s this sea of fog. I can’t see my mother or grandmother.

Julie fell on her bottom by her mother and grandmother.

“Something went wrong. I think we’re still on Earth or another realm,” her grandmother said.

Mrs. Rodan glanced at the sign in front of them, and it said, “Welcome to Deacon, Mississippi”.