Event Horizon

by jinnis

"If a particle passes the event horizon, there is no way it can escape the singularity's attraction."

Keira suppressed a yawn. Physics was not her favourite subject, and the last thing she needed to know about were black holes. She had her career all planned out. With the inside tip she got last night, her social media accounts were in for a blast of new followers. Soon, she would leave this town behind, headed for a glorious future. If only this stupid lesson—

"Keira Morrison." The teacher's voice was sharp and the frown on his forehead spelt trouble.

"Yes, Mister Barnes?" She gave the shrivelled old man her brightest smile, perfect whitened teeth and a beat of lush lashes. It always worked. Until it didn't. Her physics teacher seemed immune to her female assets. At least his frown deepened and there wasn't the slightest sight of an embarrassed blush on his hollow cheeks.

"I asked you why a particle can't escape once it passed the event horizon."

"Because—it's called the event horizon, right? The particle likes to party." Laughter shook the class, but Keira had only eyes for the new guy, Joshua. He sent her a brilliant smile, and she had to fight the heat about to flush her cheeks.

The happiness died off when the teacher slapped a book down on his desk. He was not amused, but the bell cut short his attempt to voice his displeasure, and Keira strutted first out of the classroom wearing a victorious smirk.

~

"Are you ready for the gig of your life?" Joshua's voice had an edge, but in the darkness, Keira couldn't make out if it was from excitement or—what, fear? No, this wasn't a possibility.

She giggled. "Sure am. Where do we meet your friend?"

"In the picnic area by the lake, as I told you. Come on, we don't want to be late." He climbed from the car and slammed the door.

Keira scrambled out of the passenger seat while she pulled out her phone to check if she had enough power left for a video recording. She wouldn't forgive herself if she missed this opportunity.

The access way from the parking lot to the picnic area led them through the forest, the darkness under the trees almost complete. Keira fell in step beside her classmate. If he was not afraid, she wouldn't complain, either.

She could hardly believe how much Joshua's appearance in town had affected her. With his good looks and amiable manners, he became the centre of attention within days of moving in. At first, she had observed the newcomer, afraid he might overshadow her own popularity. But soon enough, she realised she could only gain from bonding with the mysterious new kid in town.

And last week, when she got a first glimpse of why he was so secretive, her excitement bloomed into a flower of obsession.

Joshua stopped by a bench near the shore and sat down, his long legs sprawled as if he were enjoying the sun. Keira looked around. The moon stood low over the silent body of water, its reflection a silvery path towards the far shore. "And now?"

"Now, we wait for the others." He pulled a chocolate bar from his shirt pocket and tore the package.

Keira frowned. "The others?"

"Yes, there are several kids coming here today. Don't fret, the show will start soon enough. Want some?" He offered her the half-eaten bar, and she shuddered.

He grinned and took another bite. "Suit yourself. I'm sure I'll miss those the most."

"Why would you miss them? They are produced by the ton each day. Besides, chocolate is unhealthy and makes you fat."

Joshua snickered. "Most of the food you eat is unhealthy in someone's eyes. And still you have to eat something. So, why not pick the tasty stuff?"

"Whatever." Keira wasn't in a missionary mood tonight. Joshua had promised her a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, and sitting by the lake discussing the nutritional benefits of cheap chocolate didn't count in her eyes.

Before she could work up her anger, a group of four walked down the path towards the pond. A girl giggled and was hushed by her friend. Keira couldn't be sure, but thought she recognised the voice as one of the Miller twins. What were these annoying teenagers doing here?

A moment later, another group of teens arrived and stopped right beside the bench she occupied with Joshua. She didn't know the kids. A dark-skinned girl showed a row of white teeth in the faint moonlight. "Are you here for the revelation, too?"

Keira ignored her and sent Joshua an accusing glance. Not that he could read it in the darkness. Instead, he stood up to embrace the newcomer. "Nice you could make it, Tina. The show will start any minute now."

Speechless and fighting her growing irritation, Keira watched another group arrive, this time from her own class. She wondered if she should move over to greet them when a bright light above the trees made her crane her neck.

~

Zaren opened the shuttle door and smiled. Joshua had made good on his promise to assemble a group of youngsters from the nearby town in this out of the way place, and the dense forest surrounding the small lake covered the sound and lights well. It paid to have a human helper, as annoying as working with the local primates was.

He raised a tentacle disguised as a hand in a nonchalant wave and walked down the access ramp, hips swinging like a dancer, just the way he knew the kids would find attractive. He had learned a long time ago what worked with humans. A few dozen stops like this and he could return to the mother-ship, mission accomplished.

~

Keira forgot to close her mouth as she watched the glamorous figure sway down the ramp of the spaceship. The whispered rumours and the rare vids, taken in secrecy, didn't do this justice. The person in a sparkly garment had their hair styled into a glowing halo of light and four arms moving like snakes. Scales glinting gold and blue covered the stranger's skin. It must have taken hours to apply all the paint.

Mesmerised, Keira stared at the alien and followed the hypnotic movements while eerie music filled the chilly night air. The unspoken words of the unearthly song clawed at her sanity. She gasped when she realised she had forgotten to film the landing. How could she? This was her once-in-a-lifetime chance to outdo the amateurish recordings so popular amongst the kids and get famous.

She fumbled with her phone as blue and purple smoke billowed around the figure on the ramp and the smell of cinnamon and cotton candy wafted across the clearing. The other kids started dancing in slow, swaying motions, almost in unison, until the mist swallowed them. When a tendril of the smoke reached Keira, she filled her lungs with the exotic scents and let her thoughts drift away.

~

Joshua ran a hand through his sweaty hair. He longed to get a shower, but first, he had to finish his job. Tomorrow they would be gone, leaving this boring, nondescript town in his wake and starting all over again in a new, hopefully more interesting place. "Right. Have we tagged all of them ?"

"Just your sleepy friend on the bench. Let's finish with her."

Joshua studied Keira's face, a dark strand of hair across her cheek, her mouth half open, snoring very unladylike. Her phone had slipped from her fingers, the content of her purse scattered on the forest floor. He shrugged. "Another fly in the spider's web."

"An old-fashioned metaphor and rather inadequate, I fear. Unlike spiders, we don't eat our victims, nor do we let them rot." Zaren reloaded the injector.

Joshua nodded. "It's like passing the event horizon of a black hole, right? Once you're beyond that line, there is no way back."

"Exactly. Since when are you interested in physics?"

"It's your fault for sending me as a lure to this school."

Zaren chuckled, a throaty, humourless sound. "Well, you're good at it. Who knows, your snoring friend might take your place in the next town, if she proves malleable enough. Do you want to do the honours?"

Joshua picked up the offered injector, the alien technology no longer a cause for wonder. He knew he should resist, but what for? Humans hadn't done this world much good, had passed their species' event horizon years ago. If Zaren and his kind had their way, this would be the last human generation.

The visitors said they planned to save the planet. He didn't know if he could trust them, but he knew he had no choice. Perhaps it was for the best. His vision blurred as he sent the capsule with the sterilisation virus into Keira's bloodstream.