The Mars Project by Julie Steimle (i can read with my eyes shut TXT) 📕

The couple nodded, but then they turned their eyes toward Jeff. The father pointed at him. “But what about him? He is a criminal. Shouldn’t he be restrained?”

“Jafarr has been keeping the law,” Zormna replied with a well-defined smirk. “Besides, I’ve caught him seven times already. If the P.M.s can’t keep hold of him, then I don’t care if he is free. All power to him as long as he keeps his mouth shut. Besides, he’s been very helpful.”

Jeff nodded as if saying he would.

Pivoting on her heel, she marched back to the door and pulled it open. Stepping to the said, she nodded to Jeff, “Shall we go?”

He nodded again with a smile. “After you.”

The parents gaped at them as both Zormna and Jafarr marched outside.

Agent Sicamore desperately followed the two teenagers to the door. “Wait a second! I know you can’t actually do that! I have it on good authority that your leader ordered you to not call him at all.”

His parents stared at him, panic on their face as they realized that their son had messed with an important Surface Patrol officer.

Zormna turned around. A dangerous smile was on her face that chilled him to his very cells. “What you don’t know is that regardless of what you think, there are operatives here who answer to me, no matter what. ‘Officially’ I’m here on special projects, which gives me freedom to act as I like.”

Sicamore shook his head. It didn’t sound right. He knew from the recording that her being on special projects was just a story that was told to her inferiors. And yet, a thread of truth held it together. Her operatives around his nation might not know that she was in fact in hiding. She probably could have them take his parents away at a moment’s notice.

“But you didn’t want to come,” he blurted in panic, hoping it was true.

She stared at him darkly. “No, I didn’t. I love my home. I didn’t want to leave it, but I will defend my people. You can count on that.”

The FBI agent watched her walk to the white convertible on the curb—that car, which she did not have a license for. Jeff climbed in the driver’s seat. It earned a quick scowl from her. Yet, without argument, both young Martians rolled off into the neighborhood.

Shaking on the front stoop, Agent Sicamore understood one thing from their visit. His parents would be harmed if he went forward with his presentation in Washington.

The lights were dimming. Agent Sicamore turned back toward the house, going inside. His entire body ached.

His parents stared on him with equally mournful looks, though they also seemed resentful. They were blaming him. For finding out the truth. For exposing them to their own military spies. For getting entangle with a…whatever it was…Zeldar?

He lifted his eyes to his mother, thinking on that. “Why did you ask if he could sing?”

Blinking at her son, still trembling, his mother shook her head. “Oh…nothing. Uh. Zeldars are famous for two things. Rebels and musicians.”

Agent Sicamore stared.

“The most famous of the Zeldars was both,” she murmured, shaking her head. “He had the most beautiful voice.”

Agent Sicamore pressed a hand to his forehead, massaging it.

“He wore this silver jacket on stage,” she continued to murmur.

“He looks like him, except for his hair,” murmured the father sullenly. He glared up at his son. “What are we going to do now? That Zeldar aside, a Surface Patrol Alea is bad news. How could you do this, son?”

Looking at them after a few pensive moments, Agent Sicamore then spoke. “I’m going to move you.”

They stared at him with a daze.

“But the Surface Patrol will find us,” his mother said whimpering as she shook. “They have their ways.”

Sicamore shook his head. “We can get you into the witness protection program. We’ll get you out of this.”

The doorbell rang.

All three immediately stiffened.

It was too early for those Martians to come back. Agent Sicamore doubted they had bugged the place, though he started to wonder if maybe they had. He slowly walked to the front door as the bell rang again. He peeked out of the peephole.

Sighing, he opened the door, to his parents’ grief.

“Trick or treat!” the children on the front step cried out simultaneously, holding up plastic bags to be filled with candy. Two of them were dressed at little green men.

Old Mr. Sicamore looked at his son and nodded grumpily. He stumped into the kitchen for the candy.

“Diligence is a good thing—but taking it easy is much more—restful.”—Mark Twain—

November. A lot of things happened at the start of that month. The Henderson family held their annual Halloween party that Monday, November first, inviting in friends to their Family Night. They put on costumes, planning to bob for apples and have a piñata. They also intended to tell ghost stories until late. Both Jeff and Zormna had come, as it was the perfect time for Jeff to explain to Brian why he had ditched his sister at Homecoming. As Brian didn’t quite believe him at school that morning.

“Are you kidding me? Sam? An undercover agent?” Brian stared at Jeff incredulously, dressed as a cyborg…so he really could only squint at him with one eye.

Joy could hardly meet Jeff’s apologetic gaze, though she looked really cute in her teal and silver Roswell Crashdown waitress costume.

Zormna who stood earnestly next to Jeff nodded. “He’s not lying, Brian. Darren figured it out.”

But that only made Brian eye her with doubt, as Darren (in his view) wasn’t considered a reliable source.

“Sam wasn’t at school today,” Zormna said. “And he won’t be at school tomorrow either. Trust me.”

Jeff nodded. “Sam was a spy for the FBI.”

But Brian only moaned, shaking his head with the grief that Jeff was making what he believed was a bald-faced lie.  

The Henderson twins chased around them, one dressed like Marty McFly and the other like Doc Brown. Their little sisters were running after them in witch and fairy costumes, pretending to cast curses on them. Their other brother Daniel sat at the table dipping candy apples with his mother and Jonathan Baker who came dressed as a vampire. Jennifer McLenna was also there, no costume, but officially keeping an eye on Zormna as her parents were still angry that Zormna had spent a night at a boy’s house—regardless of who Jeff really was. The parents were keeping out of the argument, watching it carefully, though.

But Joy said, biting her lip, “I’ll forgive you…”

Jeff lifted his head in hope.

“…if you promise to make it up to me,” she said.

“Sounds fair,” Zormna said, glancing to him.

Jeff nodded. He peeked to Brian again who didn’t seem so sure.

“Anything,” Jeff said.

But Joy shook her head. “I need to think about it some more.” Then she peeked to Zormna. Zormna expected her to say something terse about stealing her date. Joy had always been battling a degree of jealousy towards her as she and Jeff had grown a lot more comfortable together than they used to be. Yet no retort came out. Instead, Joy said, taking hold of Zormna’s wrist, “You need a costume.”

Immediately Joy dragged Zormna to the stairs to take her up to her room. Zormna decided not to fight it. Maybe Joy just wanted a private word.

“He needs a costume too,” Ruth called at Jeff then cackled like a witch.

Jeff nodded, shrugging with a cautious glance to Brian who still looked annoyed.

Jennifer lifted up her hands to ward off any suggestion for her.

“Let’s turn you into a zombie,” Brian finally said with an eye on Jeff.

“Yay!” his little sisters cried out, running for their makeup kit.

Both Jeff and Zormna were patient with those friends who dressed them up. Both Brian and Joy whispered to them in their separate rooms. Brian simply said, “You really hurt her, you know.”

Jeff stared shame-faced at the floor, as Brian adjusted the last of the makeup on his face. “I didn’t mean to,” Jeff said. “I was trying for the opposite, actually.”

Pausing, Brian side-glanced at him. Remembering certain details about Jeff’s revealed past and the way his mind worked, Brian drew in a breath. “Did you think Sam would have a gun?”

Lifting his eyes, Jeff nodded. “He did. It was in his glove compartment. Zormna found it when he was putting the moves on her.”

Eyes widening, Brian stared. “Putting the moves on her? Why would an FBI agent do that?”

Shrugging weakly, Jeff chuckled, “Temporary insanity?”

“What?” Nonplussed, Brian pulled back.

Shaking his head with ‘duh’ intonation, Jeff explained, “Come on. You know what Zormna would do to any guy who dared—you know—touch her. He’d be lucky to call himself a male after that.”

Brian blinked as he imagined what Zormna would do.

“But she was trying for restraint, and found the gun while making escape,” Jeff said. He then leaned nearer. “Please, Brian. I know you are mad. But I didn’t want to see anybody else get hurt. So, I am sorry I had to ditch Joy. But I had to do it.”

“Ok! Candy apples are done!” Mrs. Henderson announced, lifting up the tray for them all to see.

“We’re gonna start the movie!” Mr. Henderson called out.

“What movie?” Jonathan Baker asked.

“Arsenic and Old Lace,” Ammon said, trying to impersonate Doc Brown’s voice. “Great Scott! Haven’t you ever heard of it?”

Both Jennifer and Jonathan shook their heads.

“It’s an old black-and-white film,” Moroni cut in with a smirk. “Really funny.”

Zormna came down with Joy, averting her gaze and looking equally zombified. When she saw Jeff, she chuckled. Brian had pronounced Jeff’s scars and made his pale skin look even sicker. Joy had messed up Zormna’s hair and had her sisters tangle it to the point of no return. Both of them looked equally dreadful.

Joy and Brian exchanged one look and said, “Great minds think alike.”

Then they dragged the pair of them to living room as if all had been forgiven.

Jennifer laughed when she saw the effect, glad no one got a hold of her. But the Hendersons took pictures.

*

In their new location, Agent Keane met with Agent Sicamore since the man briefed a group of agents in the bureau that Jeff’s organization had threatened his parents. He didn’t dare release more information than that. The FBI had his parents relocated under assumed names. They would not be harmed by a terrorist or his military associate.

But, despite his fear-driven responses to Jeff and Zormna on that Sunday evening, he did not end the project. Agent Sicamore had complete confidence in the Bureau’s capacity to find their moles and handle the few leaks that they had found. Wiretapping, being one. Changing his credit card number while paying in cash more at local places, being another. Besides, at this point Agent Sicamore was sure Jeff was merely bluffing. He was that kind of boy, after all. Agent Keane assured him that Jeff was a skillful liar. He had managed to ‘hustle’ the Streigle family, after all. Which put Agent Sicamore to mind that perhaps it was best that they help the Streigles break ties with Jeff as soon as possible—working with the uncle first. He figured Jeff was having the family spied on.

As for the activity of the two teens, they were observed going right back into their mundane routine.