Asleep

Chapter 1

Suburbia. He saw white picket fences out of the corner of his eye but mostly he saw the hole forming in the centre of the road, how the concrete rose like a pie crust in the oven before it parted and a swollen peach-like body thrust upwards.

Did it use to be a slug? Rex wondered, activating his smackhands. He could feel rather than see that Six was a foot behind him, his katanas undoubtedly at the ready.

"I'll take it." He was confident.

"Fine." Six took a step back, watching him, ever ready to step in.

Rex took a run as the slug EVO paused to concentrate on pulling itself up out of the road. Its bulk made it clearly difficult.

Then it opened its mouth, a spiky thing, and released a sound like Circe suffering PMT.

Rex swore and his smackhands deactivated so he could clamp his hands to his ears, as the scream continued.

He felt something wet against his hands but he couldn't look as long as the sound was coming out.

Then the slug whipped the tail end of its body around and slammed it into Rex, sweeping him into the air.

Like a dream, Rex saw the droplets trickle from his arms. How can it scream while moving? he thought, saw the flash of white but not what they meant. Felt his body bow with impact. Something—

"Breakfast, Rex!" Holiday's voice called from downstairs.

Rex felt himself roll over startled and off a bed way higher off his own…he hit the floor with a yelp, then looked down at it, astonished. Carpet? It was a medium green carpet.

His hands started to tremble. His room did not have a carpet.

There was a knock on the bedroom door: it wasn't even the same kind of door as the door to Rex's room: it was wooden, a normal wooden door, not a sliding door, no key pad or anything…

Rex stared around. This isn't anything like my room. "What the hell?" he whispered.

The furniture was wooden, and it was actual furniture, not just metal built-in cupboards and bunk bed. A wooden chest of drawers, a wooden bedstead with a thick mattress, a wooden desk. There was even a rug by his bed.

There was a window, and even curtains, only half-drawn. On shaky legs, he went to the window and looked out.

Suburbia…a street. White picket fence. A garden…

Pain rushed through him for a split second, his mouth was already opening to scream, and then the pain was gone before he could have even sunk to his knees. He sat down on the bed anyway, feeling lightheaded enough to put his head between his knees for a whole minute.

"Rex, you're late to breakfast," Six yelled from outside the door.

Holiday…Six, they'll explain, Rex thought, immediately relieved and ran to the door. Already reasons were forming in his mind. Maybe the Keep and the Base had been attacked and needed repairs. Maybe they were undercover, having to hide in suburbia. Maybe someone had drugged the water, maybe it was April Fool's Day…

He stepped out feeling curiously battle-ready, into a distinctly…cute…hallway. Framed photos on the hallway, a vase of fake flowers on the windowsill, a fluffy beige carpet. Feeling trepidation he looked at one of the framed photos. There was Holiday, Six…and Rex. He and Six were bare-chested, in actual swimming trunks, and the beach glittered behind them. Holiday actually wore a swimsuit. Oh my god, he felt weak at the knees. In the photo, he was grinning at the camera in that I-can't-believe-they-made-me-pose-for-this, while Six's hand was on his shoulder and Holiday was smiling in the way she didn't do for work ID photos.

Amazing, photo manipulation, Rex figured out finally and went down the stairs, following his nose to where the kitchen must be.

It smelled…good. I guess someone else must be cooking, Rex figured, remembering the last time Holiday had tried baking a cake.

Nope…Holiday was at the cooker, stirring something. Plates were already on the table, loaded with toast.

"So, this is…different," Rex said. Six looked up from the table and put his newspaper down. "Morning, sleepyhead," he said.

I have never heard him say that word, ever. Rex clamped down on the instinct to stare at the agent.

"Have you done your homework?" Holiday said. "You'd better not have been lying about it, you missed out on a good movie night."

"Uh, I had…homework?" Rex said faintly. "Wait, why would I have homework?"

Okay, if this is something undercover, wouldn't I have had a cover to actually read? Wouldn't I know what part I'm playing? Rex took a deep breath.

"Well then, you're grounded," Six said calmly. "For lying to your mother."

"WHAT?" Rex couldn't help sounding freaked out.

"Don't take that tone, Rex," Holiday said.

"Okay, whoa, whoa!" Rex put his hands up. "Six? Holiday?"

Now both of them stared at him. "What did you just call us?"

"I'm sorry, this is too much. What is it?" he whirled on his heel and stormed to the calendar hanging on the corkboard by the door. Okay, it was on the August page, that didn't mean anything.

"Honey, are you okay?" Holiday came to him and reached to touch his forehead. "Have you got a fever?"

"Have you got a pop quiz or something today?" Six queried, exchanging a worried look with Holiday.

"Pop quiz?" Rex vaguely remembered how Noah used to shudder about those things. "Um, I think I'd better….phone Noah," he said, pulling free from Holiday's palm on his forehead. Somehow, her thinking she was his mother made her way less of a hottie than usual.

"Breakfast," Six tossed a piece of toast at him. He barely caught it, while reaching up to his ear where his earpiece usually was. Nothing…his ear was empty. Feeling a bit of déjà vu, he reached into his jacket pocket and found a small mobile phone there. Fumbling with it, he opened its address book and found Noah's number as one of the few there.

Noah picked up on the fourth ring. "Hey."

"Hey, can we meet? Please?" there was a tinge of desperation in his voice.

"Well, we were gonna be meeting in exactly three, two, one…" the doorbell rang and Noah hung up. Rex walked out to the hallway and opened the front door: his best friend stood there, his school bag hanging from his shoulder.

Rex stuffed the toast into his mouth, chewed maybe once then swallowed. "Okay, let's go." He made to leave but Noah raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

"Huh?"

"That," Noah pointed behind Rex, at the satchel hanging from the coat hooks. "Or are you gonna let Mrs Farrowsky give you another detention?"

"A what? Oh, right…sure," Rex grabbed the bag to stop his head exploding.

He slammed the front door behind himself and followed Noah.

"You seem kinda…freaked," Noah offered as they walked.

"You have no idea," Rex said.