Distant Lands
Uncle

I slap Ethan’s back a few times.

“Ethan, you’re crushing her to death,” Ivan says.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Elizabeth,” he says, letting go. I take a breath and laugh nervously.

“I’m just so happy you called me uncle. I’ve always dreamed of being an uncle,” he says.

“Alright, guys, have a safe trip. And Elizabeth, stay out of trouble,” Ivan says, giving Ethan and me a quick hug.

“Wait, what’s happening? Safe trip?” I ask.

“Yes, you will stay at your mother’s house for a little while. And Ethan is going with you,” Ivan says. I just look at both of them. That’s great. They didn’t even bother to ask me if I wanted to visit Emerald. I almost want to fight this, but I don’t want to complicate things further.

“Yes, it’s just you and me, niece. It’s going to be so much fun. Now go pack; I’ll meet you outside,” Ethan says, leaving the room. I turn to leave as well, but then I stop and face Ivan. Anything can happen while I am away, and I need him to know how I feel.

“Ivan, I know that we both didn’t ask for this, and I know I’ve made your life difficult; I’m sorry about that. I’m still alive right now because of you. You could have turned me into the council, but you didn’t. If I had to choose someone to be my Alien father, it would be you,” I say. Ivan looks at me fondly, his eyes water, and he hugs me very, very tightly, and I slap his back.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” he says, releasing me. I chuckle and give him another quick hug. I walk towards the door.

“It’s not a goodbye; it’s a see you later,” I say and walk out. I walk to my room to gather my things. I grab my backpack, and I stuff it with clothes and other things that I think I’ll need. I step outside, and Ethan is waiting for me outside. He’s carrying a bunch of bags.

“Ready?” he asks.

“As I’ll ever be, uncle,” I say, smiling. He laughs and begins walking towards the dirt road, and I follow him. As he walks, he hums a song I’ve never heard of. Then he looks at me.

“It was a clever idea to make a perimeter around the cabin. Who taught you that?” he asks. I look at him and shrug my shoulders.

“I don’t know. I just needed something to warn me if someone got too close,” I say.

“Well, you are human; humans are clever like that,” he says.

“Oh, I’m just curious, who was the one that got tripped by my roadblock? Was it you or Ivan?” I ask. Ethan gives a loud laugh.

“It was Ivan; he fell hard. He was so angry,” he says, and we both crack up laughing.

“Yes, that was the angriest I’ve seen him. I felt awful,” I say.

“I’m glad you felt awful; I hope you learned from this.”

“I sure did.”

We arrive at Ethan’s vehicle. The top of the car opens, and Ethan drops all his bags in the back seat, and I sit in the front with Ethan. He powers up the vehicle, and it hums loudly; it levitates up from the floor, and I feel the pressure holding me back in the seat.

Ethan leaves the top down, and we start to move forward fast, making my hair blow in the wind. Ethan drives for miles out in the countryside. There are no other cars around, and I have the urge to do something I’ve always wanted to try.

Ethan inputs something on the touch screen of the car. I see an option that shows an unbuckled seat belt, and I press it. The pressure holding us back releases us. Ethan looks at me, and he slows down.

I hold on to the top of the front window, and I stand up on the seat. I brace my legs firmly on the seat, raise my arms to my sides, and I look straight ahead- it feels like I’m flying, literally. It is such a freeing feeling, and It makes me feel like a kid; I smile from ear to ear.

Ethan looks up at me, laughing. He inputs some numbers on the screen, and the car drives itself. He quickly gets up as well and joins me. He raises his arms and has the same childish grin as me, our hair blowing in the wind.

Ethan lets out a loud happy yell, and I laugh.

A loud siren sounds, and Ethan looks at me wide-eyed. He grabs my arm and pulls me down, we sit back down on the seats, and he presses the seat belts to activate again. We hear the siren again, and Ethan brings the car to a complete stop on the side of the road.

I look back, and I see a car coming toward us. It parks behind us. "It came out of nowhere," I look behind us. An officer gets out and comes to Ethan’s side of the vehicle, carrying a tablet. The Officer glares at us. Ethan looks nervous, and I try not to laugh.

The cop then looks at the back seat of the car. I look back, and I see one of the bags Ethan brought is full of weapons. The Officer looks back at Ethan.

“Oh, I have a permit for those. I’m a self-defense Instructor,” Ethan says. The Officer checks something on his tablet.

“Yes, I see that. But why were you standing while the vehicle is in motion, endangering this young girl’s life?” he asks. I side-eye the Officer, but I keep my mouth shut. I know to never argue with an officer, especially an Alien one.

“I’m sorry, Officer. There’s no excuse for my actions. This is my niece, and I wanted… I was trying to... uh,” Ethan struggles to replace the words.

“To be a cool uncle,” I say. Ethan looks at the Officer, ashamed.