If You Love Me, You'll Do It

I met Jason when I was five years old. I could say that I loved him from the moment I saw him. He was so handsome to me and I felt in awe by his presence. When they introduced him as the new kid in school, I wanted to be his friend right away. I remember it like it was yesterday. I remember his smile and how he didn't seem shy. He appeared confident and ready to learn. I waved at him and said "hello," before anyone else could even say a word. He sat next to me, and I asked him if he wanted to be friends. He looked so happy as he said, "Yes!"

My town, Celare, California, is not the typical town for newcomers to move to. It's a small town and out of the way. So, when someone new arrives in town, people take notice. Jason and I quickly became inseparable, and people were talking about it. They said they had never seen such "youngsters" so tightly bonded. They all thought it was adorable and, in my opinion, a distraction from what happened in the summer.

It was late at night when people saw lights and something hurdling from the sky. "There was never a call for a meteor shower," as my father puts it. Whatever it was, it also didn't hit the town directly, but rather somewhere nearby. I remember my father waking us up from bed and telling us to lie low, just in case something fell on us. My father was a single man and would do anything to protect us. I was so scared during that time, but I recall looking up and being in awe of the lights in the sky.

The town went crazy after that time. Local News was coming around and interviewing people about what they witnessed. Everyone thought it could have been a surprise meteor shower, "maybe we just missed it." They would say. However, no stations ever reported a sign of anything of the sort headed toward Earth. When investigators checked the woods and surrounding areas, there was no debris.

For a while, the town was shrouded in mystery and fear. However, after a bit of time, everyone dismissed it. Some even came to the idea that maybe it never happened. People also said it could have been the military testing missiles. Many people didn't discuss it, and it was unwelcome. A few people began discussing conspiracy theories. One outlandish person said that whatever it was may have had some sort of armor, like an invisibility cloak. The town shooed them and began mistreating this person to the point that they moved away.

After my mother's death, this was the second thing that changed my father. He became a bit harsher. He brought up passive comments about this for a little while. He always showed disdain toward the town, but he never moved. His response was always because our mother would never leave, and he loved my mother.

I am actually glad we didn't leave. Dealing with my mother's death was challenging, and I am often left to help my father with my siblings. But my family is here. My friends are here. Jason is here. I have grown to love Jason almost more than anything. I feel like he understands me more than anyone ever could. Especially because his childhood was almost similar to mine.

He, his aunt, and Uncle moved to our town after the devastation of his parents. He told me they died in a car crash somewhere near Sacramento. His aunt and uncle, who never had children, became his guardians. They lived in a small apartment and decided it was better to move to a different place and own a house. I am glad he moved away and that I met him despite the pain we both had to endure.

It's been twelve years since we first met. We are now seniors in High school, and we have so many wonderful memories together. Even though we dealt with trauma, it feels far behind us. I see the benefit of staying in one place for the child's life. But now I am almost grown up. I wouldn't mind taking a break to see the world for a bit. I've also been receiving numerous emails and letters from universities in the mail, inviting me to apply. I am really interested in psychology. However, there's something else that's bothering me, though... I don't see myself living that life with Jason.

I never told him that, but I feel like I am in a weird place. I want to experience life like this, but I also don't want to leave him. Living life without him feels scary. I think I am feeling this way because all I know are the same people, and I want something different from the norm. Maybe I'm just bored or something.

Jason usually takes the bus back home, while my friend, Mercedes and I walk back to our neighborhood. We talked excitedly about prom. When we got to my house, my father was standing in the doorway watching. I waved at him, he smiled and opened the door for me. "Hey Mads, how was it today?" He had dark hair and a thick mustache that covered most of his upper lip. His eyes looked tired, but I could tell he was happy to see me. "It was great dad, as always. Prom is coming soon, it's been on my mind." "Oh, the prom, your mother and I had a ball that day. I think I have a picture somewhere. I'll have to find it later and show you." I smiled and put my backpack on the chair by the table.

I looked at the mail on the table, which was neatly piled. A lot of them were sent by universities addressed to me. "You got a lot of prospects, my dear," he said. "You've been thinking about that at all?" I turned my face toward him. "Kind of," I said quietly. I walked toward the stairs. "Don't be like me, do what makes you happy," he said. I paused for a moment and nodded. I went upstairs and changed my clothes to meet up with Jason. I went back down to make some dinner for my brother and sister, who, honestly, are old enough now to make their own dinner... Then the doorbell rang.

"Hey Jason!" My dad said as he opened the door, and he gave him a handshake. I looked behind me and saw him standing there, glowing and smiling like always. Every time I look at him, my heart melts. "Becca, Robby, your dinner is ready!" They both came down, rushing to get to the table. Becca looked at me and exchanged glances with Robby, who started giggling. "Hot date again, Maddy?" She said. "Yeah, so what?" I said, starting to blush and get annoyed. "We never eat together," she said. "Well, Becca, maybe when you get a boyfriend you'll understand," I said. "Enough!" said Dad. Jason walked closer to me, and we looked at each other. I felt his eyes piercing through me as he took my hand. "Have fun, you two," said Dad, and he smiled as we walked out the door, but I could tell there was an aching pain that I wished would go away.

Jason opened the Jeep door, and I got inside. He got on the driver's side, saying, "I can't wait to get my own vehicle." "With time, my love," I said. He smiled coolly when he looked at me. "Where do you want to go?" He asked. "My favorite place in the whole world," I said. He nodded and turned on the car. I noticed something special about our relationship: we don't talk a lot. Yet, somehow, being around him feels amazing, as if he understands every part of me without having to ask or wonder.

We stopped at my favorite playground. We have been coming here since we were children. I still play on the swings, but what I love to do is lie on the grass and watch the sky. Jason and I do this a lot. Again, no talking required, just being beside each other and enjoying the clouds. We never used a blanket; we just connected with the Earth on our skin.

We were next to each other on the ground, feeling the sun against our faces. The thoughts of earlier felt like they were behind me. I was solely focused on him and the feeling. How could I ever give this up? Why would I put this at stake? Going away from him and never being able to do this again? But I still felt that other dream was there, just hidden beneath my blanketed mind. "You're so beautiful," he said to me. I looked over at him, his eyes catching the sunlight. A different feeling came over me.

I reached out my hand, and he pulled me closer to him. There were butterflies fluttering in my stomach, and I started to feel a wetness. Without thinking, I got on top of him and pulled his hand to caress my body. My body was grinding gently against his as he put his hands on my hips. My legs were squeezing tighter as my body moved faster and more intensely. I felt heat in my face. But then he let go. "Not now," he said calmly. Feeling slightly frustrated, I got off and lay back next to him.

"Maddy," He said. "I think we should talk about our future." I looked up at the sky, nodding my head. "Look at me," he said in a gentle tone. I looked at him, again engulfed with feeling. "I love you, Maddy, you know that... I want our first time to be special." "I do too, I just got caught away there for a moment. I agree; we should discuss our future. I've been thinking about it a lot." There was an awkward pause.

"You talk a lot about how schools send you stuff... Are you thinking about going?" I paused again and began to feel guilty. "To be honest, I do, but I would feel really sad leaving you. I also feel like long distance isn't any better. I don't want to leave what we have behind, but there is a part of me longing to get out of this town." My words felt like vomit was pouring from my mouth. "We don't have to be in this town. I was thinking we could move to a different town. You know how much I want to start a family, I know you want to go to school, but you even said yourself it would be hard to leave." I nodded, feeling a wave of sadness in my heart again. "I want you to be happy, so the choice is up to you, but what is travel and adventure to missing out on being with someone you love?"

As we drove back in the car, it was quiet. I felt sad about now facing a reality I didn't want to face. Choices are hard to make, and you never truly know the outcome until it's been made. "Mercedes was asking me about prom," I said, breaking the silence. "She said her and Ryan are wearing green... I was thinking we could wear blue." Jason chuckled. "You know how much I love blue." I smiled, "So blue it is then?" "We'll see," he said plainly.

I hugged him goodbye as he let me out of the car, and he kissed me on the cheek. I felt torn within and wanted to cry, but that thought of following my dreams still lingered over me. I went up to my room and looked at my desk. There was a picture of my mom and dad at prom. She looked so beautiful, and my dad looked so happy. On the back, it read "Remember what I said-Dad." I went to my bed and clutched the photo against my chest.

In the days that followed at school, things remained quieter than usual between Jason and me. I didn't have too much to say as I was still contemplating what to do. Today, when we saw each other in the hall, he handed me a note that read: "Meet me at the forest near the school tonight, if you love me, you'll do it." This was so different than the Jason I knew. The spontaneity gave me a glimmer of hope.

When I went home, I paced back and forth thinking of whether to meet up with him. After making this choice, there was no going back. I looked at the picture my father gave me. His happiness of my mother and the juxtaposition of him now without her made me realize the pain I'd feel without Jason. And it felt unbearable. I snuck out of my window and decided it was time to make my final decision.

I walked to the forest near the school, the moon glowing and full. There he was at the edge waiting for me. We ran toward each other and embraced, locking lips fiercely, his tongue whirling in my mouth. He pulled me deeper into the forest, caressing me as I touched him. I began to pull off his clothes. But then he stopped me. I froze up, feeling disappointed again. "Why did you stop what's wrong?" I asked. My heart was racing. "There's something I want to show you first, it's a special place," he said, walking deeper into the forest. I started to feel uneasy.

I turned on my phone flashlight while he carried an even bigger flashlight. "Why are we out here, Jason?" I asked, feeling so confused. "Maddy, when we first met, I couldn't take my eyes off of you... You were so kind, so beautiful. Your smile made me, and it still makes me feel whole. I am so happy you feel the same." I felt a wave of calm. Thinking about our love made the panic leave for a moment. He continued to recall our best memories together. "Stop here," he said calmly.

I looked around and noticed we were in a random clearing. "Do you remember that crash that happened in the forest all of those years ago?" His tone sounded eerie. I started to feel nervous again. I whimpered, "Yes." He then shone his flashlight on a large object that resembled some sort of spacecraft. I immediately yelped in fear and stepped back. "Jason... Jason what is that... Oh my... what is that! We need to... we need to tell someone right now, oh my...," I was gulping, hardly able to swallow.

My gaze was not on him for a moment as I was trying to process everything at once. "No need to contact anyone, it's mine." "Jason, what do you mean it's yours? Are you some kind of rocket scientist or something?" I said, chuckling fearfully. He looked at me, touching the craft with his bare hand. "Don't touch that!" I exclaimed. But as he touched it, the craft vanished. I froze in place. "Maddy, it's time I told you the truth," he said, his voice sounded gurgled and robotic.

"Many moons ago, my family and I came here on a mission. We used to come to this planet, scavenging for minerals for our dying planet. We discovered gold hidden beneath these grounds, and we found that it was sustainable to keep our planet alive. Now we are under attack. It has been many millennia, and our planet is in desperate need again. When we were here before, we helped humankind to develop, giving you all our life force, and now you have finally grown."

His head became elongated, his eyes large and black, and his skin was a bluish tone with an odd texture beneath the moonlight. "This planet is still just as rich with minerals, and your species has become altruistic. We are ready to take you and others like you, Maddy. What you have is needed at home." I was stuck to the ground and unable to move, and I saw he was not using his mouth to speak to me.

"I said if you love me, you'll do it. You will come with me. Help us survive. I know this is all a shock to you. I'm not who you know me as. But those memories are real. I have learned that love is not on the outside, but the inside." He began to flood me with memories of our life together, and it was flashing before my eyes. My heart was flooding with a love I had never felt so strongly before. He then let me go. I clutched my chest, panting, looking at the ground, grasping for breath. "Will you come with me?" He said. I looked up and said, "Yes." His tongue flew out of his mouth, grabbed my body, and swallowed me whole.