Ben Archer and the Moon Paradox by Rae Knightly

Author:Rae Knightly [Knightly, Rae]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781790176847
Published: 2019-01-31T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Treason

The elevator to Bob’s apartment pinged, and the doors slid open. Ben found his dad pacing along the kitchen counter with a plastic water bottle in his hand.

“Ben!” he said with some surprise as if he hadn’t been expecting him. He stepped forward, but his face fell as soon as Mesmo exited the elevator. Bob licked his lips and drew back.

Ben decided to ignore his father’s unwelcome reaction to the alien but felt reluctant to enter the apartment further. His parents’ lie loomed like an insurmountable wall before him. “I need to talk to you,” he said in a dull voice.

Bob placed the bottle on the counter, then pulled at his collar. “Yes, I need to talk to you, too.” His eyes were fixed on Mesmo while avoiding Bens’.

“There’s no need. I already know the truth,” Ben said glumly. “You’re my dad. Mom told me.” The words sounded foreign to his ears.

Bob cleared his throat. “I know, she called and told me what happened. She’s looking all over for you.” He rubbed at the middle of his forehead with his eyes closed. “Look, she made me promise not to say anything. It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. We were going to go out, the three of us, have a nice dinner, then talk about it–together. But then, this happened.” He made a gesture that seemed aimed at Mesmo.

Frustration surged within Ben.

Why’s he on Mesmo’s back?

Bob’s eyes darted across the apartment. He waved the boy over. “Can you come on over here?” he said.

Ben and Mesmo took a step forward.

“Not you,” Bob snapped at Mesmo.

Heat flushed through Ben’s body. “Will you stop that? Mesmo’s my friend. He came to help.”

“Just, come on over here, squirt!” Bob demanded irritably, his voice calling for obedience.

Ben approached him, a little apprehensive. He noticed small pearls of sweat on Bob’s forehead.

What’s up with him?

A reflection on the kitchen fridge moved, making him spin towards the living room. But too late.

From behind a wall, Connelly stepped out with a gun in his hand.

Ben yelped, shrinking into Bob in fright.

“Sh! It’s ok! This is a police officer,” Bob said, wrapping his arm around the boy’s chest.

“No, wait!” Ben shouted, struggling to free himself from Bob’s restraining grip.

“Calm down!” Bob urged. “He’s here to protect us.”

“Are you crazy?”

“Listen to me!” Bob insisted as Ben squirmed. “This Mesmo is a dangerous felon. The police have been chasing him all across the country.”

“So you went and called them?” Ben shouted in disbelief, lunging from Bob’s grasp and whirling to face him.

“Relax, will you? I recognized this criminal the minute I laid eyes on him in the park. You can’t hang out with people like that! Trust me, I know what I’m talking about. They’re dangerous!”

Ben was on the verge of a breakdown. “You have no idea what you did!” His skin crawled at the shapeshifter’s proximity. “He’s going to kill us!”

“Don’t be stupid. Let the man do his jo…”

Connelly bellowed, “That’s enough!”

Ben whimpered.

The shapeshifter hadn’t taken his eyes off of Mesmo for a second.

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