“So, what am I looking at here?” Scout asked.
He squinted down at Anna’s phone with his back to the sun. Fiona and Lula took turns invading his space as they jockeyed to get a better look. The four sat on the rusted bleachers overlooking the school’s baseball diamond. It was lunchtime, and a group of kids were in the middle of a pickup game of baseball. There were loud shouts, the crack of a bat, and clouds of dust kicked up as someone ran the base path, but Anna barely noticed.
“Gaaah, back off, will ya? You’re steaming up my glasses,” Scout said, pushing back against Fiona while crouching over the phone to block her view.
“So, what do you think?” Anna asked nervously.
Scout scrubbed the video back and forth trying to make sense of what he was seeing. He squinted, then opened his eyes wide. He swiveled his head back and forth in sync with the direction of the video.
“I don’t know, Anna.” Scout shook his head and handed the phone back. “It’s weird. I’ll give you that. But it’s also a little fuzzy. I have no idea what I’m looking at.”
“That’s pretty much what my uncle said. He also said it wasn’t a drone—at least not one of his. So no one has a clue.” Anna’s voice trailed off.
Someone whistled sharply from the baseball diamond, enough to catch everyone’s attention. It was the kind of effortless whistle that Anna had always wished she could do. The boy named Del, the one who made Anna mildly hyperventilate the day before, smiled brightly from third base and raised two fingers.
“Fiona! You’re up in two,” Del shouted then looked directly at Anna. “Hey, new girl. You play?”
Anna froze. Of course she played. She knew she could hit as well as anyone on the field, except maybe for that moose named Max. She searched for the perfect words—the confident, charming string of words she would say in reply. The words that would make Del remember her past lunchtime, through the afternoon, and for the remainder of the year.
But the best she could muster was a half-hearted smile and something that sounded like a cross between a grunt and “Yeah,” more of an expulsion of air than spoken word. Del shrugged and returned his attention back to the game. Opportunity lost.
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll be right there,” Fiona said, waving her hand dismissively. She looked back at Anna. “Can I see your phone again?”
Anna, still mortified, handed over the phone. Fiona and Lula leaned up against each other to replay the video again. Lula shook her head in amazement. Fiona’s grin spread as her eyes widened.
“This. Is. Awesome!” Lula said. “I think you have aliens, Anna.”
Fiona handed the phone back. “So you’ve seen this light two nights in a row now, right?”
Anna nodded yes.
“So there’s a chance we can see it again tonight,” Fiona said, grinning. “Maybe we can head on over to the lake and look around. I know it’s last-minute, but are you up for a sleepover?”
“I’d love to, but what would the neighbors think?” Scout didn’t miss a beat.
Fiona worked hard to ignore him. Lula just closed her eyes and shook her head. But Anna hadn’t heard a word Scout said. She’d never had a sleepover. Dog sitting didn’t count. This would be another first in a week filled with firsts.
“Yeah, that would be great.” Anna smiled, the dull ache from earlier already starting to fade. “I’m sure my uncle won’t mind.”
“Sweet. Shoot me your address,” Fiona said. “I’ll text you before we head on over.”
Scout looked back and forth between Anna and Fiona.
“Wait. Is this a bring-your-own-sleeping-bag kind of deal, or will accommodations be provided?”