The Visitors Read Free Page A

whole new world. Let’s leave the teen drama back on Earth. I want us to be us again. No weirdness.”
    He nodded. “Sure. Let’s try to pretend that it never happened.”
    I’ve been trying to pretend that for days , I thought, but I didn’t say it out loud. “Definitely,” I agreed instead.
    I could see that he was not finished with the discussion, and I grew nervous. This was an issue I really did not want to consider any further. I racked my brain for a new topic so that I could quickly change the subject, but my mind was, of course, empty. Luke spoke before I could. “Could we maybe discuss it when we return? I just have a few more things to say about the whole…you know.”
    I nodded slowly. “I guess. But I think I already made my feelings clear, Luke. You’re my best friend. Please don’t mess that up.”
    He nodded and turned his head to look away, but I could see that he was not going to give up. I rolled my eyes inwardly and got out of my seat, pretending to make sure my things were packed. In my head, I replayed the conversation between us that had taken place only a week ago. Luke had confessed that his feelings for me were more than platonic – something I had long suspected but hoped would never come to the surface. As gently as I could, I had tried to explain that I didn’t want to ruin the wonderful relationship we had, and that the thought of something going wrong and losing him was something I could not handle. I remembered the pained expression on his face when he tried to kiss me, and I had turned my head quickly to avoid it. He was hurt, I knew, but I was sure it was for the best.
    Luckily, the awkward moment ended abruptly when the captain began the countdown for landing. Luke grabbed my arm excitedly, and just like that, he was my best friend again. Wannabe-boyfriend Luke was gone for now. We quickly grabbed our things and braced ourselves for the rough landing we knew was coming.
    The landing was not as difficult as we had been prepared for. Training had left me with pulled muscles in my neck because of the jerky, hard landings we were expected to face when landing on this planet. I did feel a slight thud and my head jerked forward just a bit, but that was all. Luke and I looked at each other, both of us wondering the same thing…Was that actually the landing? Were we on Verdant?
    Just then, Dad popped his head into the room. “We’re here,” he said seriously. “Arrival procedures begin now.”
    I automatically picked up my things and followed him out of the room, with Luke right behind me. Once all eight of us were gathered at the door of the spaceship, Luke’s dad double-checked everyone to be sure we had everything we needed, particularly the special protective lotion. When he was sure everyone was prepared, we walked slowly out of our ship and into the new world.
    The dense humidity took my breath for a moment, but I felt the cream on and in my body, tingling as it kicked in to do its job. My eyes quickly adjusted to the brightness, and my body immediately began to cool in response to the heat. Once I could gather my bearings and felt comfortable, I looked around.
    I absolutely could not believe my eyes. For a moment, I was convinced I was in a dream. The first thing that stood out to me was the canopy of beautiful green. It provided an almost impenetrable barrier for the members of this society, which was part of the reason our earlier technology did not detect their existence. All our satellites could see without closer inspection was a sea of green vegetation – hence the name, Planet Verdant. But the name, which meant lush , green , and fertile , could not possibly give an idea of what it looked like. Plants and trees grew everywhere, as far as the eye could see. The trees towered over our heads like skyscrapers, their thick branches and large, layering leaves providing a nice layer of shade. The