Jelly Cooper: Alien
Chapter 4

I’m a master of fright and a demon of light and Ill scare you right out of your pants.

It starts in total blackness.

Gradually the gloom lifts and I see trillions of stars. One of the stars gets big real quick. Oh, it’s a planet and I’m heading straight for it. Really, really fast.

I throw my hands in front of my face and everything kind of judders.

I fall through green-grey clouds. I should be freezing, but I’m snug and warm. I spread out my arms and let the moisture of the clouds coat my fingers. I like this world. I start to spin in the air.

Everything kind of shudders.

The sky is buttercup yellow and I’m lying on my back. Freaky! I giggle and run my hands through the grass. It’s purple. I think I’m in Wonka Land.

I get up and look around.

A brook gurgles at the base of a nearby hill. I can hear it though it’s too far away, really. The water is green, like the ocean before a storm. I see trees in the distance. Not sure if they’re normal or made of candy, or maybe pipe cleaners. Trees made out of pipe cleaners would be cool.

Here comes the shudder.

I walk with my face turned up to the sun. Everything is different here, but in a good way; a familiar way. The mountains in the distance look blue. I should go to them; climb them. I think I like those mountains.

Someone speaks to me.

“He’s close now.”

There’s a voice is in my head. Nifty! The voice sounds scared though. Not so nifty.

“Run, Kamile. He’s coming for you.”

I shudder.

Someone is after me. He’s been looking for me since the day I was born and he’s tired of waiting. Time to come get me.

My legs start moving. I run and run and can’t stop. I fly across the grass until it gives way under my feet to brick red soil. I keep going. I run faster than I ever thought I’d be able to and stop only when the ground disappears into a canyon torn out of purple rock. I bend at the waist and struggle to catch my breath.

I hear a different voice, right behind me.

I freeze. I don’t turn around; I don’t need to. I already know it’s him.

The Hunter.

He grabs me by the shoulders and leans closer and I feel his hot breath on my neck. He whispers against my skin.

“Kamile, I have waited for your return.”

I try to turn to look at his face, but he’s too strong. His grip on my shoulders is solid. He digs his fingers into my flesh and starts to giggle. It makes me angry and I struggle.

He laughs louder and, with enormous strength, grabs my ankle, tips me upside down and dangles me over the canyon.

I scream.

He shakes me once, hard. Then he speaks in a cracked, fractured voice that sounds like two people talking at once.

“I have waited long enough. Time to die, little one. Time to die.”

He drops me head first into the canyon.

I jerk awake, a dry sob caught in my throat. The dryness dissolves and I roll onto my side, tuck my knees up to my chin and cry.

This isn’t interesting anymore.