Not knowing what had just happened, we awoke to darkness. The world had become a broken place, people screaming and begging for help, but no one was coming. I did not hear any sirens or see any blinking lights. The sounds of children crying and women screaming, trying to find their children was all I could hear. Something had happened, but no one seemed to know. As I looked over at my boyfriend, Max, he had blood running down his face, a look of fear consumed him. Somehow, I knew that he would not be able to help me. His eyes were stone cold, never searching again. He was in shock and as I grew closer, I realized why. His body was in one place and his legs in another. I wanted to be sick, but I knew I had to be strong.
I sat down beside his torn body and stroked his hair, trying to keep him from giving up, but I knew in my heart it would not matter what I said or did, he was dying. I felt a coldness surrounding me as he stopped breathing. I wanted to cry, but I had to get out of there before the rest of my house came down on me. I looked around, seeing bodies scattered in the road, people screaming and children standing in one place, confused, injured, and afraid. I wanted to help all of them, but I knew I probably only had strength enough to carry one, maybe two.
As I approached a little girl standing close to where my mailbox once stood, I could see that she was bleeding from her right arm, still clinging to her little rag doll. I looked around, hoping to find some way to stop the bleeding, only to see more people in need of help. I looked back toward the tall pile of rubble that once was my home. I spotted some towels that had once been stacked neatly in a cabinet. I grabbed as many as I could and walked back toward the little girl. I placed one small towel around her arm, making sure it was tight enough, waiting to hear her cry, but I heard only the sound of her breathing. She collapsed in my arms, and as my hand braced her back, I realized she had a large hole. My stomach began to turn as I realized she had just died.
I tried to help a little boy on the ground, but he was also too far gone. I finally came upon a small little girl, only about two years old, crying in the very center of the road. As I moved closer to her, I saw that she was standing over what must have been her mother. Her twisted body lay lifeless as the little girl tried to awake her. I lifted her in my arms. She had only a few scratches, but it was obvious that she was terrified. I embraced this stranger as if she belonged to me. How awful she must feel right now, watching her mother die.
I thought about my own parents. Where could they be? I had arrived home a little late, but neither one of them were home. I remembered my parents telling me that they might be late, but I could not for the life of me recall where they went. I walked back to the pile of rubble and looked for anything that might be helpful. I spotted some food lying by the busted refrigerator and the broken cabinets. I knew it might come in handy, so I tried to find some kind of bags or anything that would carry any food I might find.
I managed to salvage quite a bit of foods that had been thrown from the cabinets and even found some bread that was still sitting in the breadbox. I put as much as I could carry into the large bags. I sat down on the ground near the house and put some clothes on the little girl that I happened to find. They were a little big, but she was all wet and cold. I managed to gather up a few other things and cram them into canvas bags I found. I put everything I could handle over my shoulders and neck to keep my arms free to carry this little lost girl. She never spoke and had stopped crying now. She seemed to know that I was trying to help her. I made my way down the street, trying desperately to find someone I knew. It was almost like something had blown one neighborhood into another. I did not see any familiar faces at first.
After walking for what seemed like an hour, I saw a familiar person ahead of me. I could not be sure until I saw their face, so I tried to catch up with them. I did not even know where I was headed. The debris made it hard to see the streets, so I had to follow my instincts. As I drew closer to that person, I realized it was not who I thought. It was a young woman, probably about my age, but not who I originally thought she was. She glanced at me and I realized that I had seen her before. It was a girl who had been in some of my classes at college. "Monica, isn't that your name?" I asked as I walked side by side with her.
"Yes, you were in school with me, Amy, right?"I nodded and as she turned to speak to me, I noticed the tiny baby she held in her arms. She had a few bruises and cuts on her arms, but she looked like she was okay.
"What is going on?"I asked, hoping she knew something.
"No one knows,"She replied. "Everyone was either asleep or who knows what. Some say its the end of the world. I do not think anyone really knows."
"This is crazy!"I felt panicked. I remembered Max, my boyfriend. I felt tears well up in my eyes, but I tried to choke them back. 'The end of the world?'I thought to myself. 'That just cannot be. I would not be here.'
"Are you okay?"She stopped as I did. I had to think a moment. "Amy, are you okay?"
"Yeah, I guess so,"The tears were coming with no way of stopping them. "I lost my boyfriend. He died in the rubble at my house."
"I am so so sorry,"She half-way hugged me, her own lips trembling. "I lost my dad, I think. I am not really sure. When it all happened, I was in the basement doing laundry. I was glad I took the baby with me. After I heard the noise, I tried to get up the stairs, but they were blocked. I finally managed to get out through an opening. I think it use to be where the window use to be. I don't know. All I know is I just started walking down the road."
"You were probably in shock,"I said. My nurse training had helped me recognize injuries and also learn what a few symptoms meant, but I still had a long way to go. "I do not know where my parents are, either. They were suppose to be home. We had just arrived and barely sat down on the sofa when it happened. I was luckier than Max. When I came to, the only thing on top of me was the sofa."
"I guess that sofa saved your life,"She gave a half smile. "Monica, what if it is the end of the world?"
"It is not,"I said, abruptly. "I got saved at church two years ago. When the preacher preached about the end, Christians are not here at the end. We are already up in Heaven when all this happens."
"But, what if the preacher is wrong,"She began to cry.
"He's not. If it was the end, your arms would be empty right now,"I motioned toward the baby. "I did not know who I was trying to convince, her or me. "It has to be some form of terrorism or something."
"Oh, my gosh, I am so scared,"She cried on my shoulder for a moment, but then we continued to walk down what we thought was the street. We both slowed down as we saw there was no way past the rubble that lay ahead. We both just stood there staring at the tall pile that lay before us. I felt so helpless and tired. I told Monica we should rest and try another way. I gave her and the little girl some bread and cheese. I opened one bottle of water and told them to take only a few sips. We needed to conserve. We sat on a broken fender of an old car for about twenty minutes, discussing which way we should try next. We felt desperate and unsure at the same time. "We could go through those trees. They seem to be the only ones standing."
She had a good idea, but I was a little afraid of the woods. I was not even sure if it was the woods. I usually had good direction, but for some reason, I was confused. I knew I had to get my bearings, so I thought about which way I walked and where the rubble of my house was. I just was not sure if it was in the right place. I knew it had to be close, because I came out with only scratches. Max entered my thoughts as I remembered looking into his eyes and the stillness they had when he died. I wondered if he suffered. He was a very good person and was the one who took me to church. My parents had never went to church very much, but they believed in God and even said prayers with me all of my life. My dad would say the blessing at every meal. Sometimes my mother would read the Bible to me, but I could not get them to go to church with me. They had been hurt very deeply by a few preachers and church members in the past, but they never went into any detail.
We decided to try the trees. I managed to get the little girl on my back and wrapped the straps of the bag around her back to keep her from falling. I explained to Monica where I found the little girl, and told her that she seemed too young to speak. Monica tried to get her to talk, but she would hide her face. We passed a few of the thick trees and found ourselves joined by others. There were fires burning in the distance, but the trees were untouched. I noticed small animals running and hiding as we passed. I even saw a few household pets running in the same direction that we were walking. I lead us through the trees towards an area that looked clearer. There did not seem to be any smoke on that particular side. I judged it to be toward the country. Most of the city seemed to be on fire or left in piles of rubble.
Monica was a very sweet girl and we grew very close in those hours of walking together. We stopped to rest another time within the trees to eat a small snack and take another sip of water. We rested and she nursed her baby. I was curious about who she had hooked up with and had a baby, but I did not pry. She seemed to be more private than myself, so I did not want her to think I was being nosy. It was as if she read my mind when she spoke up while she was nursing the baby.
"Do you remember Joey Patterson in our Literature class?" She spoke up suddenly. "We started dating during the third year of college. We fell in love at a Sweetheart Dance. He and I were sitting on the sidelines watching everybody else. I could not figure out why he was alone, but he later told me that he was stood up. You remember Gina Davis?"
"Oh, yeah," They were dating for a while,"I remembered when those two dated. I never thought it was a good match. However, when I looked into Monica's eyes, I could see them being paired off together. They were probably perfect. "So what happened? Well, I mean other than the obvious?"
"We fell in love,"She repeated. "Then, we decided to run off and get married. So, we stayed away for a few days and when we finally came back, his parents had thrown his stuff out. I mean they literally threw it out. It was all over the yard. Most of his things were ruined, so he was left with very few clothes and it really upset him. We went to my parents house and they said we could stay there. We have been there ever since."
"It sounds like you have nice parents,"I said, getting up to leave. "But, we need to move on. You can finish your story on the way." She did finish her story. She told me about when she found out that she was pregnant. Her mother and dad were very happy about the baby. She seemed really close to them. I wondered why she had only mentioned that she could not find her dad. I finally asked her and she told me that her mother was suppose to be at the grocery store. She was not sure if her dad went with her.
We made it through to the end of the woods only to find more rubble. I became even more desperate. I wanted to cry, but I held it back. I felt lost and confused and so did everyone who had followed us. I decided to stay close to the edge and follow it to see if there was some kind of opening. Sure enough, we found a path. It appeared to be a road, but it was too dark to tell anything. It was like all the stars had disappeared. We all walked down the dark, quiet road. For some reason, we could not hear anymore loud noises or sounds like before. It was as if we had entered a Twilight Zone. We continued until we had to rest.
I noticed Monica seemed weaker than myself. I helped her to a big boulder that was laying beside the road. We sat there and took another sip of water and I asked if she wanted a piece of bread or cheese. She said she was okay. As she lay a blanket on the grass, she placed the baby onto it. I realized that she still had a little pooch in her belly which I assumed was from having her baby. That was when it hit me that she had never told me what had happened to Joey. I finally decided to ask. She was rubbing her stomach as if it hurt, so I decided I would ask about that first which only led to where Joey was.
"You see, I am pregnant again,"She shocked me. "My baby is small for his age. He is really five months old. I know he only looks like a month or two old, but it is because he was premature. I almost lost him. Now, I am pregnant again. I am about four months which really shocks people. But, it is true. Joey and I only got together when we could. It felt so strange in my parent's house that we felt uncomfortable having sex with them in the next room. Then, he joined the Marines. He is in Boot Camp right now in another part of Texas, I think. He told me he would write soon, but I have not heard anything yet."
"Well, maybe after this you will,"I tried to be positive. "Look, what is that?"
We all stared into the sky as lights zoomed over our heads. There was only a swooshing sound so we feared the worst. We thought they were bombs about to strike. They seemed so close, but as I stared longer, I realized they were getting closer. I could not make out what they were, but they looked like some kind of spaceship or jet airplane. The sound became louder, but then a louder sound interrupted my thoughts. It was a helicopter. It was right above us, shining a light bright enough to show each one of us. It began to descend, slowly getting closer to the ground in front of us. I wondered who they were, but was relieved to see an American Red Cross Symbol on the side. Another helicopter landed just behind them and I felt a little better knowing that we would find out what happened.
When I approached the men who jumped down, something still did not feel right. They were soldiers, but I was not sure anymore. They ushered us and a few others onto the first helicopter and signaled for the others to go to the next one. They would not talk to me, ignoring every question I asked. It was as if they were robots instead of men. I found myself yelling because of the noise of the propellers. The man just continued to strap us in and would not speak. I took hold of his arm, but he shrugged away and stared at me, or so I thought. It was hard to tell with those masks on. I was beginning to get more nervous as we lifted off the ground.
We flew for what seemed like hours, finally falling asleep from exhaustion. When I awoke, I could hear the pilot and co-pilot talking. I tried to listen without being noticed, so I pretended to still be asleep. They were talking about some preparation place. I wondered what they were preparing. They sounded strange and did not even sound like people to me. But, I assumed that was because of the loud noises around. I tried to think, but continued to listen, hoping to learn the truth about what was going on.
I managed to glance down, with daylight appearing, I could see everything below. It was as though we had been hovering over the same spot. I could see the rubble of my neighborhood and the trees that we had walked through. This was very strange. Then, I glanced further north and spotted something very strange. There was something on the ground that looked like a huge dome. It was round and had lights reflecting on all sides. I knew I had to make a dangerous decision when we landed. I tried to get Monica's attention. I knew she would not be able to hear me, so it had to be done quickly and carefully.
I evaluated the surroundings as the helicopter began to get closer to the ground. I noticed there were some wooded areas surrounding this strange dome. I determined which ones would be the closest. As the helicopter landed, they would not let us off until the propellers stopped turning. They were talking again and became silent as soon as the noise stopped. I passed a whispering message from one to another. There were five people to tell. As we stepped down and all of us were standing there, we took off into the woods before they even noticed us moving. I had told everybody not to stop until I signaled them. We finally came to a stop behind a huge rock which I recognized from a visit to this area. It was a part of the zoo.
I looked around and realized we were in the middle of the zoo. I could see some animals in their domains, but some of them were empty. Everyone stayed behind the rock to see if we were followed, but I decided to have a look around. I sat my little rescued girl by Monica and told her to watch her. I ventured out into the zoo and found that there were others hiding. I also noticed the elephants I had ridden several times when my boyfriend and I had visited with the church. We had brought some of the children's classes to visit and had a picnic. I noticed the snack bars were full and the little restaurant still smelled of something cooking. This was when I discovered that there was a young man feeding the people inside.
"Come in, join us,"He spoke, kindly.
"I have to go and get my friends,"I replied. "They are hiding behind that big rock."
"No need to hide here,"He reassured. I felt so strange, but the food smelled so good. I ran back to the rock and told everyone to follow me. I informed them of the other people. It seemed to comfort everyone that there were others. This young man sat us down and served us a hot meal and iced tea. He glanced down at Monica and noticed how pale she was. He began to examine her as if he were a doctor as well as a chef. He began to explain to me that he was in fact a doctor.
I realized that Monica was very sick. She was spotting and her body was threatening to lose the baby that she was carrying. After she ate, he led us to the back where there were cots set up. He laid her down on a bed that was in the corner of the room so she would be more comfortable. As I covered her infant in a laundry basket he had fixed for him, I glanced out of the back window. I noticed there were trucks and even helicopters parked in the big parking lot just across the grass. There was some damage here and there, but nothing like my area. He must have noticed me looking for he took hold of my arm.
"Yes, we are sailors,"He explained. A few of us banned together and brought supplies here when we discovered that they would not enter this area. You see, they are afraid of animals. I wondered how he had made this deduction in such a short time. It had only been a day since the attack on my house. "You got away? But, you entered their aircraft, did you not?"
"Yes, but how could you possibly know all of these details in only a day?"
"Hun, it has been four days since all of this started,"He showed me to a table in the back and I sat down, my little girl in my lap. I had began to think of her as mine. "You see, when you entered their aircraft, you fell asleep. Did you not awake very hungry and thirsty?"
"Yes, we all did,"I remembered now. "I could hardly speak at first because my throat was so dry. We were still close to where we started."
"This is because they put you in a deep sleep while they prepared for your arrival in their camps."He continued. "By the way, my name is Dean Lightfeather."
"I-I am Amy,"I stammered. "Camps! What camps? I am very confused."
"Confusion is one of the things that they thrive on,"He went on. "We are unsure who they are except we do not think they are aliens. Well, not the kind you might think of. They are from another country. They have prepared for this for years. Somehow they mastered this new helicopter. They managed to disguise them as Red Cross aircraft. They have some kind of gas or something that enters the cab and puts you to sleep for days. They give you some kind of injections to make sure you do not lose your fluids and get real sick. They have these camps they are building near the ruins which I think it is so that if anyone else wanders into the camps from the rubble, they can snatch them up and begin their so called "preparation". This preparation involves some very sophisticated drugs they have developed, mind-controlling drugs. They use them to brainwash everyone so that they can control them. They never show their faces so far. I think it is because if they did, it would be obvious where they were from. They distort their voices with these attachments to their masks. They use a different language which I am trying to decipher in my spare time of taking care of the sick and injured. It has been very difficult being the only doctor here. I rarely sleep and have not had but one meal a day since I last week. I am not complaining, mind you. This is what God would have me to do. I know it is my calling."
"Can we stop them?"I asked, noticing that he was right. There were needle marks all over my arms. I silently wondered if these injections were just for that. Perhaps they could be the mind controlling process already started. I shrugged it off. "Wait, if they are human, then why are they afraid of the animals?"
"That is the weird one,"He tried to explain. "You see, I think that they are from some remote Island, but the odd thing is, where they came from there were no animals. I mean, you should have seen the one we almost captured when he spotted our dogs and saw some of the zoo animals. He freaked out. I guess it is just a theory."
"So what you are saying is..."I hesitated. "You are not really sure that they are not aliens from another planet?"
"They cannot be from another planet,"He stopped for a moment. "Okay, the truth is, I do not know that part. I just don't think they are from another planet. I was also captured on one of their helicopters, along with several of my sailors. You see, they hit our base. We were in the barracks sleeping when we heard the loud boom. It felt like the earth moved under our beds. Some of the barracks were crushed, but ours and others were spared. I think they minimized our base so they could capture some of us. They meant for some of us to survive."
"Wow,"I shook my head. "Is this going on everywhere?"
"Okay, brace yourself for the weirdest part,"He made a weird face as he said this. "We are floating now. Texas is floating."
"What!"I thought I was talking to a crazy person. "Texas cannot be floating."
"Well, it is,"He stated. "Somehow they planned this for years. No one knows how they did it, but no one discovered that we were floating right away until the reports of cars going over a cliff and into the water. It was as if it broke away within seconds and floated hundreds of miles away before anyone knew it."
"That is impossible,"I stood up and placed my little girl in the chair. "You have lost your mind or something. They must have gotten to you."
"No, calm down,"He put his hands on my shoulders. "It is the truth, darlin'. What reason would I have to lie? They have been working on this for years as I said, and evidentially they somehow detached Texas and then attacked us. The thing we cannot figure out is how they got past the radar. The bases never had a clue that this was going on."
"You are stationed here in Fort Worth?"I asked. "My dad use to be there until he retired."
"Yep, but now there is a lot of damage there,"He was still holding my shoulders. He was looking into my eyes and I became lost in his. "You okay?"
"Oh, yes, I am fine,"I could not believe I was feeling this way in the middle of this crisis. I pulled away and stared at him. "I just don't understand all of this."
"Well, none of us do understand everything, but I just know we are now an Island. I do not even know how we are still above water. They did something. I do not think we will ever understand how they did it."
"So we are doomed,"I swallowed hard. "We all are going to be under their control?"
"Come here,"Dean took my hand and I pulled back, noticing that my little girl had fallen asleep in the chair. I placed her on one of the cots and covered her up. It was getting unusually chilly for this time of year. I was beginning to believe what he had told me. Maybe at least that would explain why it was getting cooler. He took my hand again and led me into what appeared to be set up as a radio room. I could hear people talking and wondered where their voices were coming from. I realized that some of them were coming from different areas of the United States. We still had communication. My insides felt a little better, but my mind was going faster than ever.
I sat with Dean as he talked in code on the radio. He was very smart. I was falling for this guy and felt guilty about it. I kept thinking of Max. I was beginning to feel something for this man and I felt like it was because I was desperate to have someone in my life. I was feeling alone without Max and my parents. I loved my parents so much and I really cared for Max. Our parents had put us together, but we got along real well. I felt so bad for him. He was so full of life one minute and now he was gone. I felt tears stinging my eyes. It was hitting me hard now that I may have lost everyone I loved. I ran into the bathroom and slammed the door. I felt as if I was dying inside. This was just too much to grasp. I wanted to scream and never stop. The desperation I was feeling inside seemed like too much to bear. "Amy, are you okay?" I heard Dean outside the door. "Amy, if you don't answer me, I will break this door down!"
"I-I am o-okay,"I stuttered through my sobbing. He insisted that I let him see me, but I convinced him that I was just a little upset and was using the bathroom. He respected that and left the door. I was feeling really sick on my stomach and finally threw up. I had never felt this kind of sick. I wondered if those aliens had given me something to kill me in those injections. I began to pray. I prayed so hard and felt so much better when I was done. I knew with God's help, we could figure out how to get through this.
As I walked out of the bathroom, I noticed Dean and Monica were both around my little lost girl. I could hear her screaming. I ran to her side and she grabbed me around the neck and would not let go. She was crying "mommy, mommy, mommy" as she held tight to me. I stared at everyone knowing that they probably thought I had been lying. I explained through her screams that she was just scared and that I did not even know her name. She stopped crying and looked into my eyes with her big brown sad eyes and said,"Tammy". I knew she was telling me her name, finally. I held her close and she mumbled a few more words that I could not understand. I just knew she could speak and I felt better knowing her name.
"Well, Tammy,"I whispered to her after everyone walked away. "I am glad you finally told me your name. I just wish I could understand everything you are saying." She continued to ramble in baby talk. I realized that she probably was no more than two years old and felt like she was younger. She knew two words, "Mommy" and "Tammy". Those were like golden words to me at this time. I felt as if she was my child now even more so. I fed her a nice meal and she seemed tired, so I laid her back down. She fell asleep right away. I watched her sleep for a few minutes, feeling compassion for her knowing she had no mother. I was in deep thought when Monica interrupted me. "Amy, something is happening."
We felt a sudden rumble under our feet. I was not as afraid as I had been. My greatest fear right now was for this child, my child for now. I covered her with my own body, waiting for the building to collapse around us. Nothing else happened. I saw Dean run to the radio room and followed him. I stood in the doorway and listened. I was picking up on some of the codes as he wrote down what they were saying. I was always good at deciphering codes. My dad use to make up games with codes and let me figure them out. I wondered now if he had known something. It was like he was preparing me for something like this.
Dean finished his conversation and looked up at me. He had a very worried look on his face. I waited for him to say something, but he just stared at me as if he could not speak. I finally placed my hand on his shoulder, hoping to encourage him. "We are sinking."
"Oh, no,"I heard the words come out of my mouth, but felt numb. "How did you find...never mind, I know how you found out. How long before we completely sink? Do they know?"
"Not really,"He replied, jotting something down. "They said it would take a long time for the complete state to sink, but it was definitely sinking. I am taking their figures and trying to determine how much time we have. Try not to panic. I feel like God will take care of us."
Once again, he mentioned God. I could tell he had a lot of faith and I felt stronger just knowing this. He sat there for hours writing and drawing diagrams as we all watched some videos and DVD's that had been furnished by different sailors and soldiers. Some of them were classic movies, oldies and even a few romances. They had cartoons, too. We put them on for the children and it kept them satisfied for a while.
Another rumble came and we wondered where it was coming from. I looked out to see two elephants who had broken free somehow. I pointed out the window and Dean got on his walkie talkie and announced their escape. Moments later, I saw three men trying to round the elephants up and put them back, but they were being stubborn. It was obvious that they were very nervous. There were strange noises coming from outside the zoo. Some of the men reported to Dean that it sounded like herd of elephants coming toward the zoo. They lined up behind their man-made barricades and waited.
I could hear one of them talking to Dean on the radio. All of a sudden, he became panicked. His voice was trembling and it was obvious that something strange was happening. Other calls kept coming through the radio, each one sounding more panicked. I said another prayer to myself and realized that prayer had to be my strength right now. Dean was trying even harder to maintain, but it was becoming obvious to me that he wanted to panic himself.
The vibrations and rumbles became louder and harder. I looked out to see the smoke coming up all around us. Dean took my hand and we all followed him. He took us out to the helicopter that held more people than the one the aliens had put us on. He helped each person onto it and then looked around as if to say good-bye one last time. I could see other helicopters rising up into the air around us. Evidentially, Dean had ordered his men to let the other animals out of their cages. As we lifted off the ground, I could see wild animals everywhere. We watched from above as Texas began to sink more and more. But, the other amazing thing was watching as the animals attacked the aliens. We could see people scattering and boarding more helicopters. It was as though our military had prepared for this day.
"You did not tell me everything, did you, Dean?"I snuggled closer to him. He nodded. I realized that those aliens were not the only ones who prepared for this catastrophe. Our men had been more prepared than what I could ever imagine. Helicopters were everywhere, rescuing people in every city, every state of Texas. There were a lot of people who had lost their lives and this stood out in my mind. I wondered if I would ever see my parents again. Monica was looking less pale since she rested, but she looked sadder than ever. I knew she was thinking of her parents just as I was.
We watched the aliens running in a panic as the animals were all attacking them. It was as though they did not know what to do. Dean was right. These aliens, people, whoever they were, had no idea how to handle animals. The fear they had of them was far greater than the fear we had of these strange aliens. As we flew toward our own homeland, the closer we got, the stranger things looked with Texas missing. We landed in Louisiana at a base I did not even know existed. Everyone was quiet and sad thinking about their loved ones who had probably died. Not too long after people were rescued, I heard a loud explosion. I knew by the look on Dean's face that Texas had been destroyed.
As people were dropped off in different states and cities of the United States, they were given the opportunities to call any loved ones who did not live in Texas. Some were trying to call even if they were still suppose to be in Texas, but no one answered. People could not accept the fact that Texas was gone. Everything that had taken place was amazing and unusual.
After several days, Dean and I became even closer. He became more busy with Inquiries and News conferences as time passed, as well. Tammy became my little girl without question as we were moved into homes that were furnished by the government. It could not have been easy with Texas being such a large state. I found myself watching the news every chance I would get. In my house, Dean and I lived with Tammy as our child. We did not live in the same room, but we planned to be married soon. We both realized how much we had in common and fell in love right away. We did not want to wait. Life was just too short.
Weeks passed and the news showed many families finding each other. I felt as if it was all closing in on me. Monica lived next door to me and she had finally found her parents. I was envious as I watched them embrace from my window. I went into the kitchen to fix breakfast for my new family. We were to be married in two days and I had a lot to do. Our little community had become friends and they were all invited to our Wedding. It was to be at our new community Baptist Church only a few blocks away.
The day came for my wedding and Dean was getting ready at Monica's house to keep with the tradition of not seeing the bride in her gown. Monica was at my house helping me get ready while her husband was helping Dean along with a few of his friends. I also had some new friends who were helping prepare the food and decorations. Everyone was pitching in to make a beautiful wedding for us. I longed for my mother and dad to see me walking down the aisle, but that was not going to happen. I thought about how my mom use to show me pictures of different gowns in hopes that Max and I would marry someday.
Now, as my friends helped me get ready, with Tammy as my flower girl and Monica as my Matron of honor, I choked back the tears I felt missing my parents. As we were standing at the door, Monica said she had a special gift for me. She had been so sweet and I did not expect her to buy me a gift. "It is a very special gift." She opened the door and there stood my parents, smiling from ear to ear. I held onto them for a long time before even noticing that the music had started. They both walked down the aisle with me. I must have been glowing as my eyes met Deans, for it looked as if he was. This was the most awesome day of my life and now I had the people I loved the most with me.
We all talk a lot about Texas and miss it terribly, but now we have new lives in new places. Dean had to lie to me that day because it was his job. They were aliens and no one really knew where they came from, but it was obvious that they had some weird powers. I think everyone will always be grateful for our animals even more now. Because, after all, it was them who ended up saving our lives. That day, the animals all started attacking those aliens. The weird part is, they never once tried to attack us. I will always believe that prayers had a lot to do with it. I mean, God did create all living creatures and it was very clear that day that there was someone controlling them.