What will they do to me?
Jeff pushed open the door. The bottom of the door bumped against my sneakers and bounced back at Jeff.
He peeked around the door.
He saw me.
I was trapped.
23
I smiled meekly and gave him a little wave.
He wasn’t happy to see me.
“Ben!” he growled. He grabbed me by the arm and dragged me out of the bathroom.
“He’s been spying on us!” Jeff cried.
Rikki glared at me. “You pain! I warned you to stay away! What are you doing here?”
“Summer!” I cried. “You’re not really one of them—are you?”
Summer nodded. “Don’t be afraid. It is your fate.”
I tried to back away, but there was no room.
“Don’t be afraid,” Ms. Crenshaw repeated. “It doesn’t take long.”
“One day, all earthlings will host our kind,” Rikkisaid. “You are powerless against me.”
“You’ll never get away with this!” I cried. “I’ll do whatever I have to do to stop you!”
“Oh, no, you won’t,” Rikki said. “Because you’re next.”
I started to run for the door.
Rikki and Jeff grabbed me. Rikki pushed me into a chair. She, Jeff, and Ms. Crenshaw kept me pinned there while I squirmed.
Summer opened one of the cages. She carefully took out a round, furry alien.
“What are you doing?” I screamed, struggling to get away. “Let me go! Let me out of here!”
Summer carried the alien to me.
“How can you do this?” I wailed. “Summer—it’s me! Ben! You’ve known me since first grade! Remember? Remember how we met? At lunchtime?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Summer said. “Now be quiet!”
She lifted the furry egg toward me.
It isn’t really Summer, I realized. An alien has taken over her mind and body.
Jeff reached for my mouth. “Noooo!” I screamed. He pried my jaw open.
“Okay,” Rikki said to Summer. “Shove it in.”
I tried to scream. I tried to pull away.
But they held me tightly in place.
Summer held the furry egg in front of my face.
I stared at the green drool running down the creature’s furry front. Its three eyes stared at me, not blinking, not moving.
The whole creature throbbed excitedly. Its thick fur bristled.
Then Summer shoved it into my mouth.
24
I struggled and squirmed, trying to escape. I tried to clamp my mouth shut, but Jeff held it firmly open.
I shot my tongue forward, trying to push the horrible creature away.
But Summer pushed hard and crammed it farther into my mouth.
I gagged as the fur bristled in my mouth. Summer pushed it deeper.
I gagged again. The fur scratched the back of my throat.
Summer gave it another shove. My mouth was filled now.
The egg squirmed. I choked. I couldn’t breathe. A sour slime trickled down my throat.
Summer gave the alien one final push.
“HUNNNNNNNNNNGGGH!” I gagged as it slid down my throat.
Jeff let go of me. I swallowed.
I could taste the sour slime on my throat. Could still feel the bristly fur filling my mouth.
The alien slid down to my stomach.
It was inside me.
I coughed and gagged again.
Ms. Crenshaw walked to the bathroom and returned with a paper cup of water. “Drink this,” she ordered. “It will help.”
I drank the water. It helped clear my mouth and throat a little.
Rikki let go of me. I jumped to my feet, dazed and frightened. I could feel the alien inside me, moving in my stomach.
I’ve got to get rid of it, I thought. I’ve got to get it out of me as soon as possible!
I stuck my fingers down my throat and tried to vomit the alien up. Nothing happened.
Rikki laughed. “Once we are inside of you, you can’t get rid of us.”
“That can’t be true,” I said, and tried to vomit it up again. It wouldn’t budge.
Instead, a strange feeling surged through my body. It felt like electric waves rising from my stomach—to my brain.
“You will feel strange at first,” Summer told me. “But you’ll get used to it.”
“The alien inside you connects you to the leader,” Jeff explained, pointing to the
Jeff pushed open the door. The bottom of the door bumped against my sneakers and bounced back at Jeff.
He peeked around the door.
He saw me.
I was trapped.
23
I smiled meekly and gave him a little wave.
He wasn’t happy to see me.
“Ben!” he growled. He grabbed me by the arm and dragged me out of the bathroom.
“He’s been spying on us!” Jeff cried.
Rikki glared at me. “You pain! I warned you to stay away! What are you doing here?”
“Summer!” I cried. “You’re not really one of them—are you?”
Summer nodded. “Don’t be afraid. It is your fate.”
I tried to back away, but there was no room.
“Don’t be afraid,” Ms. Crenshaw repeated. “It doesn’t take long.”
“One day, all earthlings will host our kind,” Rikkisaid. “You are powerless against me.”
“You’ll never get away with this!” I cried. “I’ll do whatever I have to do to stop you!”
“Oh, no, you won’t,” Rikki said. “Because you’re next.”
I started to run for the door.
Rikki and Jeff grabbed me. Rikki pushed me into a chair. She, Jeff, and Ms. Crenshaw kept me pinned there while I squirmed.
Summer opened one of the cages. She carefully took out a round, furry alien.
“What are you doing?” I screamed, struggling to get away. “Let me go! Let me out of here!”
Summer carried the alien to me.
“How can you do this?” I wailed. “Summer—it’s me! Ben! You’ve known me since first grade! Remember? Remember how we met? At lunchtime?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Summer said. “Now be quiet!”
She lifted the furry egg toward me.
It isn’t really Summer, I realized. An alien has taken over her mind and body.
Jeff reached for my mouth. “Noooo!” I screamed. He pried my jaw open.
“Okay,” Rikki said to Summer. “Shove it in.”
I tried to scream. I tried to pull away.
But they held me tightly in place.
Summer held the furry egg in front of my face.
I stared at the green drool running down the creature’s furry front. Its three eyes stared at me, not blinking, not moving.
The whole creature throbbed excitedly. Its thick fur bristled.
Then Summer shoved it into my mouth.
24
I struggled and squirmed, trying to escape. I tried to clamp my mouth shut, but Jeff held it firmly open.
I shot my tongue forward, trying to push the horrible creature away.
But Summer pushed hard and crammed it farther into my mouth.
I gagged as the fur bristled in my mouth. Summer pushed it deeper.
I gagged again. The fur scratched the back of my throat.
Summer gave it another shove. My mouth was filled now.
The egg squirmed. I choked. I couldn’t breathe. A sour slime trickled down my throat.
Summer gave the alien one final push.
“HUNNNNNNNNNNGGGH!” I gagged as it slid down my throat.
Jeff let go of me. I swallowed.
I could taste the sour slime on my throat. Could still feel the bristly fur filling my mouth.
The alien slid down to my stomach.
It was inside me.
I coughed and gagged again.
Ms. Crenshaw walked to the bathroom and returned with a paper cup of water. “Drink this,” she ordered. “It will help.”
I drank the water. It helped clear my mouth and throat a little.
Rikki let go of me. I jumped to my feet, dazed and frightened. I could feel the alien inside me, moving in my stomach.
I’ve got to get rid of it, I thought. I’ve got to get it out of me as soon as possible!
I stuck my fingers down my throat and tried to vomit the alien up. Nothing happened.
Rikki laughed. “Once we are inside of you, you can’t get rid of us.”
“That can’t be true,” I said, and tried to vomit it up again. It wouldn’t budge.
Instead, a strange feeling surged through my body. It felt like electric waves rising from my stomach—to my brain.
“You will feel strange at first,” Summer told me. “But you’ll get used to it.”
“The alien inside you connects you to the leader,” Jeff explained, pointing to the
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