After talking to Alaric that day, I went back out to the school parking lot where my car was parked as if it had never disappeared.

I tried asking Mom where she put it but she only avoided my interrogation.

"I brought it to the uh..." She started as she turned around with a tray of freshly baked cookies in hand. "Cookie?" Mom offered without showing any interest in finishing her answer to my question.

I couldn't just refuse hot,fresh ooey gooey cookies so that meant no answer for my weak soul.

One other question I asked Alaric was what set of digits I'd have to type into my cellular device in order to reach his cellular device.

Anyone would have looked back at me with a confused face if I said that sentence to them. Instead I asked "what's your number?"

My phone had just vibrated for the first time since I got it back yesterday. Alaric answered my "is this Alaric?" text with "No, it's Bill Gates."

I rolled my eyes and texted back "Ok then buy me a beach house."

"I....think... We're *static* ..breaking -" yes. He actually typed that. When did Alaric start taking idiot pills? Actually wait...

"Alaric, you're such an idiot." What can I say? I speak the truth.

"Noted" I don't understand his species but I think I get that more than this new Alaric that comes with a personality.

"See u @ school, Mr. Gates." I reply

He texted back a peace out sign.

***

I closed my journal in which I kept everything including the whole thing about Alaric. Now don't panic I used code words like instead of Draki I said musician. "I can't believe Alaric's a musician." "I wish I could 'play the guitar'" that was code for 'fly'. Even though my journal is secret, I still don't take those kinds of risks.

I've been camping out in Alaric's truck and in a tent for a little over a week so far. I'll tell you it's not very fun.

Reading my old writes in the journal from months before helps me grasp how much time has passed and how long I've actually been connected to this whole other world. How much I didn't know about the world and myself back then. Also just reading about my complaints of the New Mexico heat seems funny. In my hometown it's so dry and hot as compared to the humid heat of Tennessee in the Appalachian mountains right now.

I'm only now realizing how confusing everything I'm saying is sounding to you at the moment. You're probably thinking "why are you in Tennessee, Julie?" And stuff like "how many months has it been?", "is Alaric the only one with you?", "why are you sleeping in a car?", "is Alaric actually Bill Gates and Bill Gates is actually a draki who's evil and has kidnapped you?" Ok well that last one was pretty far-fetched.

All will be answered in time. Just give me some to explain.

Alaric arrived in February. "Great timing on his part." As Sarcastic Julie would say. So other than learning about the Draki world not an overwhelming amount of important stuff happened within that world. Or at least, not much that included moi. Alaric seemed to be having some trouble keeping all the personality I had now learned he had under wraps since he needed to keep a pretty low profile.

Important stuff did happen during the rest of the school year but I'll get to that later as it's irrelevant at the moment.

After school had finished, Alaric,who was now the third member of my friend group (Ravyn was pretty happy about that), called me and had asked for me to meet him in the woods behind the school. It seemed that spot was becoming a regular. Why can't our regular be a cafe or something norm- oh wait, none of this normal.

I need to stop getting off topic.

So I did. I met Alaric there where he told he was going back to Tennessee to try and straighten things out with the pride. Just for the summer.

You know what I told him? The truth. "You really think you can go back there and reason with them? That they'll let their only known source of protection just come right back into their grips and let it go again? They won't. You can't go back if you want to be able to come back to New Mexico."

"Julie, I have to go back home." 

"Why?" I asked.

He answered. My memory isn't all that great but to sum it up I believe he said something like "New Mexico is too dry and desert-like for me to live." He said some more stuff about how his draki side couldn't survive in such a desert-like place. Something about how while he is there regaining his strength he should try to straighten things out. Blah, blah, blah... I don't think anyone cares about his problems since it didn't go according to his plan anyway.

I ended up inviting myself even after Alaric warned me for probably the 20th time that it'd be dangerous for a human to get so close to a draki pride. Its so funny. It's like he thinks I care.

He wouldn't have let me come if he'd known I was coming. He wasn't going to drop it that evening so I lied and told him I'd stay and let him go.

What am I? Stupid?...Don't answer that.

I hid in the back seat of his truck along with my bag of clothes. The bag was very comfortable after a while and became a pillow.

I won't lie. I snore... A lot. Good thing Alaric didn't realize that the sound of dying walruses wasn't coming from any other source aside from yours truly until it was too late. He was annoyed, but at least he wasn't alone.