Photo by Jonatan Pie on Unsplash
Five months before the attack on Earth – KKT Academy, Earth
Emily shivered. It was 9 p.m. and already cold. Really cold. She had underestimated the fall at the KKT Academy. Her strategy of hiding in Miller Park until the streets were empty wouldn’t work for much longer. She had, at most, one more week before the evening temperature became unbearable.
Maybe she should tell one of the professors, she thought, like her parents suggested when the serious harassment started two weeks earlier. Or maybe she should tell David. She had heard some older students saying that David could beat anyone in his class without breaking a sweat. Maybe protecting the names of the bullies was not seen as bravery. Maybe she had to... rat them out. The thought made her shiver more than the cold did.
For today, she just needed to wait one more hour in Miller Park. One more hour and it would be safe to walk to W05. One more hour and the halls of the Ortiz Campus would be mostly empty.
The sudden sound of rustling leaves made her jump.
Fall was the best season for hiding; at least, Emily had believed so. The vibrant colors of the fallen leaves that surrounded her lifted her spirit during the day, but at night, they served as a warning. The warning that someone was approaching wasn’t as useful as she had thought. She had nowhere to hide, and leaf sounds - her only alarm – merely created suspense.
The muffled sound was very close. Even in the partial darkness, she should have seen one of the annoying students, or felt porridge smashing against her face again, or heard mocking laughter. But there was nothing. Whatever was making the noise was nearly invisible, and just three feet away from her.
Emily finally saw the white fox at the same time that it saw her. A furry puppy with large eyes and pointy ears. The fox stared at Emily, immobile.
“Hey! How did you get here, cute guy?”
The puppy raised its ears.
“I thought there were only birds and insects on this island.”
The fox tilted its head.
“You must be starving.” Emily took out a milk bottle from her backpack and poured some into the cap. “Here.”
The skinny fox approached slowly. It took a few steps, then stopped. A few more steps forward and then a few steps back. Finally, it reached the cap on the floor and smelled the milk. After the first sip, the fox seemed to forget its fear.
“Here, have some more.”
For several minutes, Emily kept pouring milk and the puppy kept drinking it. By the time it was satisfied, there were only a few drops left in the bottle.
Emily stretched out her hand and the fox, suspicious again, approached it slowly. It licked Emily’s hand a couple of times, and two minutes later, the exhausted puppy was sleeping in her lap.
“It must be dangerous here with the birds.” Emily stroked the fox. “I guess I will take you with me and hide you. I mean, what’s the worst that could happen?”