That evening Carmen and her family ate dinner and talked about Quartz University.
"Everything sounds great, fill scholarship, first-class professors," Her mom said.
"Don't you think it's weird, this place pops up out of nowhere with a once in a lifetime offer?" Carmen's dad said with a mouth full of mashed potatoes.
Resulting in a glare from his wife. "Yes, it is a once in a lifetime offer, that's why it's so hard to say no to."
"Carmen, what do you think?” Her dad asked.
Carmen picked at a piece of carrot.“I’m still figuring it out.”
"Carmen, this is your future, so whatever you decide we'll support you."
“Yeah, even though I think you should take it, if you don’t like it, we’ll find something, we just want the best for you.” Her mom flashing her usual warm smile.
“I know, thank you.”
Her dad could barely say with a full mouth. “You’re welcome.”
“Fred, stop that.”
Still with a full mouth. “Sorry.”
His wife just shook her head.
Carmen giggled at her parents. After she finished dinner she went up to her bedroom. When she opened the door, her animal poster covered room was the same minus the orange alien she met earlier, fast asleep on her bed. Orange(that was the easiest thing to call it), looked so cute, opening and closing its tiny mouth and moving its claws like its running.
While she had it easy, Pedro was chasing the red alien(he hasn’t even thought about naming), around his nut and bolts cluttered room.
“Come on, come on.”He waved it toward him but it ran the opposite direction.
It ran to the power outlet on the wall. A spark flew when it rubbed its face against it, then the lights went out.
Pedro's heart sank into his stomach. His parents will definitely wonder about the power and he definitely can't tell them the truth. Luckily another flew on the lights came back on.
"Pedro!" His mom said outside his door
There goes his heart again sinking.
"Is the power in your room, it turned off and on out here!"
"It's on, did the same in here."
"Must be a power surge!"
"Must be!" He looked at his alien guest, who looked back at him like nothing happened. Though the blackout wasn't the best, it gave Pedro an idea. He went into his drawer and pulled out two batteries. He laid them on the floor.
The alien rubbed where its nose should be(since it didn’t have nostrils) against the batteries, they sparked then it against on them again another spark. Then it ran to his desk jumped on the chair then, the desk and went to the lamp, rub, spark, light off, rub spark, light on.
And that’s when Pedro realized. He grabbed the bag off the bed(the one they gave him for the alien), he pulled out the manual, skimming through it until he found what he was looking for. “Red #1 consumes electricity and then emits, we usually use a hand crank generator to feed it”. He rummaged through the bag and found the small generator, and saw it to the alien. “Hey, look.”
The alien jumped off the desk and ran to the generator.
Pedro turned the crank and the alien nuzzled the generator. A few seconds later the alien burp a mini lightning bolt and struck the tin trash can by Pedro’s desk.
Pedro was a little scared but mostly in awe of it, living with an alien might but pretty cool. He tried to pat it but got a static shock. The alien nuzzled his leg, his a jolt through his leg causing him to shake for a sec. He jumped up and grabbed a glove and tried patting the alien, this time not getting shocked.
The next morning, Orange stretched its body and opened its eyes, and there was Carmen, passed out from reading the alien manual they gave her and trying to figure out what Earth animal category it belonged to.
Orange inhaled and blew a gust of wind at Carmen’s face.
Carmen put her hands in front of her face to block. When she opened her eyes, she saw a cute orange face. Her eyes widened. “Oh, hi.”
Orange made a whistling sound.
A fly started buzzing around Carmen’s head, she swatted at it but it kept bugging her.
Orange with its crystal eyes glared at the fly.
Carmen’s brows furrowed together confused, the more she saw Orange furiously chase the fly cuter she thought it was. When Orange blew it into the window, Carmen got up and opened it sent the fly on its way, then she closed it.
Orange whistled and bopped its head happily.
Carmen went to her closet, and Orange followed. As she flipped through her clothes, she saw Orange pull an orange dress with its mouth. She bent down. “ You like this?” she asked.
Orange made a high whistle sound.
“Okay, what about shoes?”
While Carmen and her alien stylist choice an outfit, at Quartz University, an analyst approached Commander Quint. “Commander, there’s another robbery in progress, it’s her.”
“Call the kids.”
“But sir, they haven’t given their decision yet,” The analyst said.
“Well, they’ll have to now.
After sneaking some lettuce without her parents noticing, Carmen sat on her bedroom floor feeding it to Orange when her phone beeped, she checked it. “Robbery in progress, you’re needed” She thought about it, still unsure. "What do you think?" She asked Orange.
Orange stared at her oblivious.
Carmen would like to help people and stop criminals, but she would talk someone down then punch them. Her thoughts were interrupted by her phone chiming. “Your answer?”
At the same time, Pedro was cranking the generator for the third time this morning, boy can his alien friend eat, when he got the same text as Carmen.
Pedro’s main problem was, he didn’t know if he could trust them.
After a minute Carmen realized maybe she didn't have to fight, maybe she could convince our bank robber to turn herself in. Would it likely work probably not, but it's worth a try.
Pedro knew it was now or never, he thought about Carmen doing this alone and all the people he could help. He didn’t trust the people giving him powers but he trusted himself, and maybe that was enough.
They made up their minds, and almost simultaneously they texted back. “Yes”
They got a text back. “There’s a black van outside waiting outside” Their parents off working or running errands, so they left their houses with no questions, with aliens in their backpacks(because that would be hard to explain to the neighbors). They got in the vans filled with soldiers and sped off.
They had no idea but the vans had been there all night, the commander had reservations about giving to dangerous aliens to teenagers.
They arrive at Quartz University, minutes later, and enter the lab, Quarry.
“We’re ready,” Pedro said.
“Us too,” Carmen said.
“Well, your service isn’t needed,” The commander said.
“What, you caught her!” Carmen said.
“No, we had the bank surround with armed forces but…”
“Eliot,” Jiro said.
On Eliot’s tablet was bodycam footage. Gem(though they didn’t know that was her name) was in her purple armor stepping out of the bank, the police told her to freeze then a high pitched buzz rung out. Giving her a chance to run off.
“What was that?” Carmen asked.
“It sounded like feedback,” Pedro said.
“That was the true power of a crystal form,” Jiro said.
“That’s what the armor’s called?” Pedro asked.
“Yes, it’s time you understand how powerful the aliens are,” Jiro said.
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