The Alien Next Door 2: Aliens for Dinner?! Page 2
and instead pointed at the label on
Harris’s T-shirt.
“What is the purpose of this?” Xad
asked.
That’s really strange, Harris thought.
Who doesn’t know what a shirt label is?
“Um, it tells you the
size and fabric, and
how to clean it,”
Harris explained.
“Fascinating,” said
Xad, making notes on
a tablet.
A panel in the
hallway wall slid
open. Out popped
Harris’s and Roxy’s
jackets.
“Thanks again!” said Roxy.
“Bye, Zeke!” said Harris as they
headed out the door and walked back
to Harris’s house.
“What a cool house and family! He’s
a really nice kid, isn’t he?” said Roxy.
She got on her bike and rode away.
Harris couldn’t believe she didn’t
comment on everything weird that
happened there. Yeah, it was fun, but
based on the way-too-advanced tech, the
crazy food, and Zeke’s strange parents,
he’s definitely a nice alien kid!
ZEKE JOINED HIS PARENTS
in the living room. All three floated
upside down in the air, up near the
ceiling.
“I’m not certain it was wise to
show your friends all that Tragas
technology,” said Xad.
“You’re the one who was so obvious
when you inspected their clothes!”
Quar said.
“I think it’s all okay,” said Zeke.
“Harris may still be a little suspicious,
but he’s the only one.”
“Well, just be careful, Zeke,” said
Xad.
Zeke rolled his eyes. “It’s fine, Xad.”
Meanwhile at Harris’s house, his
parents wanted to hear all about his
visit to Zeke’s.
“I hope you were nice to Zeke,” said
his mom.
“Yeah, no more alien talk,” added
his dad.
“No, no, we just played some games,
that’s all,” said Harris. Games from
another planet! he thought. Even if they
were kind of fun . . .
“Did Zeke’s parents tell you anything
about Tragas?” asked his dad. “I’m still
surprised no one has ever heard of it.”
“It’s true. They’re our new next-
door neighbors, but we know so little
about them,” said his mom.
Harris saw a familiar expression
coming across his mom’s face. Uh-oh,
he thought.
“Why don’t we invite Zeke and his
parents here for dinner?” asked his
mom.
“What a great idea!” said his dad.
Harris was shocked. The aliens . . .
here?! Zeke is one thing, but the parents
with their odd food and their strange
questions? I can’t
believe Mom is
serious!
“Roxy can come, too,” his mom added.
Hmm, Harris thought. Maybe this
isn’t a bad thing after all. Maybe seeing
Zeke and his parents doing weird stuff
at my house, in front of my parents, will
be the proof I need to get everyone to
realize that Zeke really is an alien.
“Sounds good, Mom,” said Harris.
HARRIS WAS LOOKING
forward to having Zeke’s family over
for dinner. This would be his big chance
to prove to his parents and Roxy that
Zeke was an alien. The dinner was set
for the following Saturday.
At school that week, Zeke almost
seemed to be showing off.
In gym class, everyone had to climb
up a rope. Harris struggled to pull
himself even halfway up.
He glanced to his left and saw Zeke
scurrying up his rope—with his hands
behind his back!
“Wow! That kid sure has strong
legs!” said the boy who was climbing
the rope to Harris’s right. Zeke smiled
at Harris on his way down the rope
after touching the ceiling.
Is he showing off? Harris wondered.
Could he be getting too confident now
that I’ve been in his house, met his
parents, and seen his Tragas technology?
Later, during arts and crafts, Harris
worked on building a birdhouse. He
started gluing Popsicle sticks together.
As he waited for some of them to
dry, he looked over at Zeke and saw
that he had already completed a big
birdhouse. It had a hole cut in the
front, a perch, and a completed roof.
Harris had barely begun, and Zeke
was already finished.
How did he do that so quickly? Harris
wondered.
The next day, Harris was sitting in
math class.
“Okay, class, here’s your brain-
buster problem for the day,” said Ms.
Milton, their teacher.
She proceeded to write a long list
of four-digit numbers on the board.
Then she wrote a five-digit number
right below it.
“I’d like you to add this list of
numbers together, then divide the
result by the number on the bottom,”
said Ms. Milton.
Zeke’s hand shot into
the air.
“Yes, Zeke. Do you
have a question?”
asked Ms. Milton.
“No, Ms. Milton. I have the answer,”
Zeke said.
His fellow students giggled. Zeke
looked around, puzzled. Then he told
Ms. Milton the answer.
“Why . . . that’s correct, Zeke,” she
said. “Very good! You certainly have a
flair for math.”
Should I be surprised that an alien’s
brain works faster than a human’s?
Harris thought. I can’t wait for Saturday
night. Then everyone will finally know.
SATURDAY FINALLY CAME.
Harris was excited, but nervous. His
parents would finally see for themselves
how strange Zeke’s family was.
He spent most of the day helping
his parents clean the house and set up
for dinner.
Roxy came over early to help.
“Now remember, Harris, you need
to be on your best behavior,” said his
mom. “We want Zeke’s family to feel
welcome in the neighborhood.”
“Nothing to worry about, Mom,”
said Harris, smiling.
Just then, a whistling sound came
from outside their front door.
“What in the world is that?” asked
Mr. Walker.
Harris remembered Zeke’s first
day at school. Zeke had whistled
outside the classroom door instead of
knocking.
“That’s Zeke and his parents,”
Harris explained. “That’s how people
knock in Tragas!”
Harris opened the door.
“Come in,” he said to the three of
them as he suspiciously eyed the food
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they were carrying.
Harris introduced everyone.
“Zeke, these are my parents,” Harris
said.
“Welcome,” said Harris’s mom,
extending her hand. “Rita and Felix
Walker. Nice to meet you.”
Zeke’s father stared at Mrs. Walker’s
outstretched hand. “I am Xad, and
this is my wife, Quar,” he said.
Xad extended his elbow toward
Mrs. Walker.
“Um, Dad? People here don’t touch
elbows as a greeting,” Zeke explained.
“They shake hands.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” said Xad, reaching
out and grasping Mrs. Walker’s hand
firmly before shaking it.
“I kind of like the elbow thing,” said
Mr. Walker. He extended his elbow
and touched Quar’s elbow. They both
smiled.
“Why don’t we have some appetizers
in the living room?” said Mr. Walker.
The whole group settled into the
living room.
Harris’s dad picked up a cracker
and placed a slice of cheese on it.
“Cheese and cracker?” he offered
Quar.
She took the appetizer and stared
at it. When she saw Mr. Walker take
a bite, she did the same.
“It tastes kind of sweet and crunchy,”
said Quar. “I like it. Oh, we brought
a delicacy from Tragas to share with
you. These are called kreslars.”
Xad took the lid off of a platter,
revealing what looked like glowing
purple slugs.
“Are they raw?” Harris asked, a
little grossed out by the slugs’ slimy
appearance.
“They are, but they don’t have to
be,” replied Xad. “Try one, Harris.”
Harris picked up a slug and noticed
that steam was now coming off of it.
It was warm to the touch.
How did they do that? he wondered.
How did they make it hot?
“Interesting; they taste kind of like
warm fruit,” said Mr. Walker.
After trying one, Roxy smiled and
looked at Harris. “Not bad, right?”
A buzzer rang in the kitchen, and
Harris quickly put his slug back.
“Okay, everybody,” Mrs. Walker
announced. “Dinner is ready!”
THE DINNER GUESTS SAT
down around the dining room table.
Roxy and Harris carried steaming
platters of food from the kitchen.
Zeke got up to help.
As Harris put down a platter of
fish, he saw Zeke returning from the
kitchen. Zeke balanced two bowls,
three plates, and a pitcher of water
on his arms, shoulders, and head—all
quite easily. Harris’s parents clapped.
“That’s pretty impressive!” said
Mr. Walker. Harris put his face in his
hands.
“Zeke told us you move around
a lot. You must have lived in some
interesting places for your work,” said
Mrs. Walker.
“Oh, yes,” said Quar. “In Plaxima,
the weather was so severe that we had
to walk backward so the wind didn’t
blow us over. In Jerstik, people could
eat their clothing.”
“And in Nanstu, the language was
so complicated, just saying hello took
five minutes,” added Xad.
“I’ve never heard of any of these
places,” said Mrs. Walker.
“They are pretty far away, and very
small,” Zeke said quickly, shooting
his parents an annoyed look. After
all the warnings they gave him about
keeping the truth hidden, here they
were telling strange stories.
As he listened, Harris grew more
convinced than ever that Zeke and
his parents were aliens. He also
noticed that platter after platter of
food somehow appeared in front of
Zeke and his parents. But he never
saw anyone touch or pass anything
to anyone else.
I could have sworn those potatoes
were in front of Roxy a second ago, and
now they’re in front of Zeke!
Harris also saw that neither Zeke
nor his parents used their utensils.
He watched as the food subtly floated
up from their plates to their mouths
when no one else was looking.
Why doesn’t anyone else see this?
Harris wondered in frustration.
“What’s that?” Roxy asked, pointing
to a bottle of orange-and-green liquid
that Zeke’s parents brought.
“It is Saurlic, a popular beverage in
Tragas,” explained Xad. “Try some.”
Roxy poured herself a glass and
took a sip.
“Mmm . . . takes like a cross between
lemonade and orange juice,” she said.
“I like it.” Roxy quickly drank down
the whole glass.
Harris looked away for a second to
see what Zeke was up to. Zeke was
only looking back at him, smiling.
When he turned back to Roxy, her
empty glass was full again!
How did that happen? he thought.
The bottle is all the way across the room.
There is no way anyone could have
brought it over, refilled Roxy’s glass, then
put it back in just a few seconds!
When dinner ended, Mrs. Walker
stood up.
“Let’s move to the den for dessert
and coffee,” she suggested.
AS HIS PARENTS PREPARED
dessert and Harris was walking toward
the den, he spotted Zeke’s parents in
the front hallway. They were both
leaning into the coat closet.
“Are you looking for something?”
Harris asked.
Quar and Xad turned around
quickly. The both looked embarrassed.
In reality, they were researching the
clothes in the closet. But they couldn’t
say that to Harris.
Zeke walked in and spoke up. “My
parents left the dessert they brought
in the closet,” he said.
“That’s right,” said Quar. She
reached back into the closet and pulled
out a white cake with colorful frosting
in a pattern of square shapes.
“Uh, great,” said Harris. “You can
just bring that into the den.”
But Harris was suspicious. This
sounds fishy to me, he thought. They
never even wore coats and had no reason
to go into that closet! Why would they
have put a cake in there?
Harris joined the others in the den.
He picked up a knife to cut a piece of
the cake and noticed that the squares
in the frosting had changed into a
series of wavy lines.
Harris looked around. Everyone was
chatting, sipping coffee, and happily
eating dessert. Zeke and his parents
were even using utensils now. It would
have seemed perfectly normal if not
for everything else Harris had already
/>
seen.
Why does no one but me ever seem
to notice all the strange stuff that
happens around Zeke and his family? he
wondered. The appetizer that suddenly
cooked itself, the refilling glass, the
food appearing magically in front of
Zeke, Quar, and Xad, the changing cake
frosting, not to mention everything that
happened at Zeke’s house and also at
school. It’s all too much. And yet nobody
sees it but me!
“Well, we would like to thank you
for a lovely evening,” Quar said when
everyone had finished dessert. “But
we should be getting home.”
Quar, Xad, and Zeke all stood up.
This is it! Harris thought. My best
chance to prove that Zeke’s an alien is
about to end. I can’t take it anymore.
I have to convince them. They have
to have noticed something. It’s now or
never!
Harris stood up.
“That’s it! The game is over, Zeke,”
he announced. “I know that you and
your parents are aliens!”
Everyone looked horrified. Roxy
looked at Harris and shook her head.
Harris’s parents jumped up from their
seats. “Harris!!!” his mom said.
But Harris continued.
“With all the strange stuff that
happened tonight—the floating
trays of food, the refilling glass, the
steaming appetizer, the—”
Harris’s mother cut him off.
“THAT’S ENOUGH!” she shouted.
“Harris. You are grounded. Go to
your room right now!”
“But—”
“Now!” his dad said.