Creatures Just Like Us

Outside the front of Frederick A. Smith High School, a car pulled up. The rear passenger door opened, and Connor and Brady stepped out, backpacks in hand. They looked around apprehensively, then waved goodbye to their mom as she pulled away. They headed towards the school, bracing for the start of the first day of freshman year.

As they approached the building, they looked at each other with light surprise. Usually someone had bullied them by now. Things seemed to be looking up. They each had on brand new outfits that their mom had bought for them for the school year. Khaki pants, a button down shirt in neutral colors, and white sneakers. They felt fresh and new.

As Brady pulled open the door, they were pushed apart from behind. “Out of the way, losers!” yelled the bully, rushing past them. They looked at each other in disappointment. So this year wouldn’t be so different.

Inside, they made their way to the gymnasium for the school year welcome from the principal. The bleachers were filling up already. Connor and Brady looked around for a spot next to the other freshmen. Finding none, they started walking up a set of stairs.

“Hey, these guys are back!” A girl yelled, and reached out to flick one of Connor’s antennae. Connor and Brady both flinched, and hurried past her up the stairs. Other kids looked over and watched them, laughing. One of them sarcastically called, “Nice outfit!” A few stairs up, a foot appeared just as Brady was stepping up, causing him to trip. He caught himself and rushed further up the stairs.

Near the top, they sat down and took off their backpacks. They exchanged nervous glances and looked down to the podium on the gym floor, anxious for the announcements to start. They wondered why they ever thought that high school would be any different.

Connor reached up to his antenna that had been flicked and ran his fingers along it to stop it from moving. He hated having antennae, they caused so much bullying and he wished that he could remove them. He also hated the color of his skin, a dull blue, and his height. He was shorter than everyone else in his year, a fact that he was constantly reminded of by everyone around him. Everyone except Brady. Brady was the same as him, except his skin was dull red.

Their parents had never explained, but Connor and Brady had been adopted when they were young. They were unlike anyone else in their town. Their skin color, their antennae, their short, round bodies all stood out no matter what they did. Over the years, they had done everything they could think of for a disguise. They had worn hats, which always fell off. They wore long sleeve shirts and pants, but summer always came around and the heat was unbearable.

Finally, the principal took the podium. He adjusted the microphone and then launched into his speech. He addressed the freshmen, welcoming them to the high school, and addressed the seniors, encouraging them for their future. Finally, he addressed all of the students.

“As we begin this new year, I want to remind you all that this school is a welcoming and inclusive place for all. We do not tolerate bullying of any kind, and there will be consequences for anyone found breaking this rule.”

Connor sighed. He’d heard this message so many times before, and knew that it meant nothing. People always said that they were inclusive, but it always had exceptions. He and Brady, for example.

Brady looked over and gave Connor an annoyed look. Here they were, another school year. Same stupidity.

---

After school, Connor and Brady headed to their favorite place, the diner. It was always full of adults, who were nicer, or at least didn’t care enough to say mean things. Inside, they headed to their usual booth, towards the back and around the corner. They threw their backpacks onto the seats and plunked down.

“You two having the usual today?” The waiter asked. She was an older woman, and had always served them.

“Yeah, it’s the usual today.” Brady replied. Connor nodded.

“Alright, coming right up.” She left, leaving them to talk.

“Today totally sucked,” Connor said.

“You can say that again.”

“Today totally sucked.”

Brady gave Connor a look of disappointment. “I didn’t mean literally.”

Connor smiled. “I know. Look, I have to joke around just to keep going.”

“I know, I know, me too. I still can’t believe that nothing changed. We’re in high school now. I thought it would be different. We’re all older now, we’re supposed to be more mature.”

“I’m starting to wonder if anyone ever matures. They just keep going on and on being bullies.”

“Yeah, me too. This sucks.”

“Totally sucks, you mean?”

“Yeah, that’s what I mean.”

“I wish we could get out of here somehow,” Connor said. “You know, just disappear, start our lives over somewhere else.”

Brady sighed and looked out the window. Cars passed by on the street outside. “Yeah, that would be magical. I can’t wait to have a car.”

“At least one good thing is going to happen in high school.”

Soon, their food arrived and they scarfed it down. Connor always got a burger and fries, and Brady got a club sandwich and chips. They loved the familiarity of the diner food, and they couldn’t count the number of times that they had ordered that meal.

---

That night, Connor and Brady were at home in their bedroom, finishing up their homework. They sat at a wide two-person desk under a window, their textbooks and notebooks spread out under two desk lamps.

The day was weighing on them. There was something about it that had felt heavier than usual, and the punishment of homework had seemed harsher than ever.

“Someday we won’t have homework anymore,” Brady said.

“Keep on dreaming, that feels impossibly far away from now.”

Sarcastically, Brady replied, “It’s good to have dreams.”

Connor chuckled and reached down to pick up his backpack. He closed his science textbook and opened the bag to slide it in. He stopped when he noticed a red envelope at the bottom of the bag. He pulled it out.

Brady looked over when he noticed that Connor was sitting frozen, staring at the envelope. “What’s that?” he asked.

“I don’t know, I just found it in my bag.” Connor flipped it over. “It’s not addressed to anyone, and it’s sealed. I wonder where it came from.”

“Open it.”

Connor looked at Brady. “What? Should I?”

“Yeah, what’s the big deal?”

“I don’t know, I don’t know where it came from. What if there’s something bad in here?” He stared for a moment, then continued, “Forget it, let’s see what it is.” Connor ripped open the envelope and pulled out a letter.

Brady looked over Connor’s shoulder and read the letter with him.

Dear Connor and Brady,

My name is Oobly and I am delighted to inform you that you have been identified as candidates to move to Apollo. Here, we are all creatures just like you, so we think that you will find our planet quite welcoming. We look forward to meeting you!

Oobly Apollo Resident Concierge

Connor looked at Brady in astonishment. Brady furrowed his brow.

“Our planet…?” Connor asked.

“…creatures just like you?” Brady asked.

They each looked back down at the letter again.

“Is this even real?” Connor asked, and looked at the back of the letter and inside of the envelope. “Maybe we’re being pranked.”

Brady considered this for a moment. “Probably, but this is really clearly written, I don’t think anyone we know could prank us this good.”

“Yeah, that’s true, everyone’s too stupid to say things like ‘identified as candidates.’ Speaking of that, how do they know who we are?” Connor wondered.

“I have no idea. Also, by ‘creatures,’ do they mean people who are red and blue? Are they talking about a place where everyone is red or blue?”

Connor stared at Brady, attempting to understand what he was saying. “Could there really be others?”

“Apparently so? I thought that we were the only ones.”

“I did too. This place sounds amazing.” Connor stared down at the letter, still stunned.

After a moment, Brady spoke up. “How are we supposed to get to a different planet though?”

“Oh yeah, there aren’t any instructions.” Connor looked in his backpack, hoping to find a second note, but found nothing.

“Do we have to figure that out on our own then?” Brady wondered.

“Look, I know that I love space, but this sounds kind of terrifying.”

At that moment, the bedroom door opened and their parents came in. Connor tried to slip the letter under his desk as nonchalantly as possible.

“Hey guys, we’re just saying goodnight!” their dad exclaimed. They each got up to hug their parents, told them they loved them, and said goodnight.

As they left the room, their mom said, “Sleep tight!” and closed the door.

As quickly as they appeared, their parents were gone. Their visit snapped them back into their usual bedtime routine, and Connor changed into his pajamas as Brady finished putting away his homework. Soon, they were each in their own beds, trying to process the letter again.

“How are we going to figure out what it means?” Connor asked.

Brady looked over at Connor. “Let’s go to the computer lab tomorrow. Meet me during third period?”

“Okay, yeah,” Connor replied. “The internet will know.”

After staring at the ceiling for a while, they each drifted off to sleep, unaware how dramatically their lives were about to change forever.