The drive home was relaxing. Katelyn listened to her music on full volume while her windows were down for the world to hear. Though she had the sensibilities to only do that once she got out of town. To her, that long stretch of road to her farm home was the freedom she needed after a long day of work or school. She hoped that she could have the luxury once she moved out of town to study.

  While she pulled up on the farm, she noticed her little brother standing alongside Jackson near the old fence line across from the shed. In the reptile’s hands was a long chain with a meat hook welded at the end. He was also wearing a new pair of clothing. She figured her dad gave him some of his old clothes.

  Kate rolled her eyes, realising that her brother was showing off one of his weird experiments he made when he was bored during school. She remembered Tyler thought he could use it as a whip like some of his favourite video game characters.

  Her dad, meanwhile, stood on the porch observing the two with a cup of coffee in hand. He gave Kate a short wave to acknowledge her arrival, but it was clear he was more interested in seeing what Jackson and Tyler had planned.

  Without thinking much, she hopped out of her car and flinched at the crack of the metal chain. Somehow, Jackson managed to use the stainless steel chain like a whip. Using one end to knock down cans on the fence that her brother put up for the reptile to hit. Jackson readied the chain again to hit the last can, causing it to explode upon impact.

  Her father took a sip of his coffee nonchalantly. ‘So, how was school?’

  ‘Hey dad, all is good.’ She replied before pointing to Jackson and her brother. ‘What on earth are they doing?’

  ‘Tyler is showing Jackson his weird chain thing. I am just wondering how he is able to use it as a whip.’

  ‘I see.’ Kate replied before walking up to her father. ‘So, what else did Jackson do today?’

  ‘A few things, actually. He helped me around on the farm. To my surprise he was pretty good at herding livestock. He talked with your brother.’ As soon as he mentioned Tyler, he cracked a smile. ‘Though I doubt our guest had much of a choice. Tyler had a lot of questions on his mind a few hours ago. But overall, Jackson just helped whenever someone asked.’

  Kate felt easy knowing Jackson helped around and was being kind to her younger brother. Settling her doubts for a moment. She felt a bit of guilt that she had doubted the intentions of her reptilian saviour. Even when Tyler cheered while he set up more cans along the fence for Jackson to hit with his whip. Jackson played along, emotionless, but he didn’t seem to protest. From where she stood, Jackson seemed happy in his own alien way.

  ‘What did Tyler ask?’ Kate curiously said, now wanting to know more about the reptile and who he was.

  Her father paused for a moment. He curled the right of his lip while he raised his brow like someone was surprised. That expression caused Kate to have a sense of dread. People outside of her family or who didn’t know Bob would think that he was confused about something. Everyone in her family knew that look as if he was doubtful or worried, like there was something that made them deeply uncomfortable.

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  ‘Nothing much. Apparently, he came from Australia and isn’t an alien.’ Her dad replied in an unsure tone. ‘He went on about how he had a rare genetic disorder that caused him to look the way he does. Didn’t catch what it was, it is some sort of long name starting with a S or something like that.’

  Kate folded her arms while she observed Jackson again. Trying to determine if the reptile was lying or not revealing the entire truth. To her, it would explain how her grandma knew him. Yet at the same time, she couldn’t fathom how Jackson wasn’t moving or acting like someone his age. The dates were not adding up. Kate knew Jackson should be over a hundred years old. Yet he was far fitter and active than her 84-year-old grandmother.

  ‘I’m going to my room to study. Call me if you need anything.’ Kate said, as she walked off. Inside, she said her greetings to everyone else. However, at the back of her mind, she tried to rationalise who or what Jackson was. She doubted he was human, as there would be no way he could use a heavy chain as a whip or break a person’s ribs with a single punch. Though he won’t openly admit it, even her dad seemed unsure if Jackson was being truthful.

  All she had to figure out was why he would even lie. Kate couldn’t come up with a reasonable explanation, since she had nothing to go by. To her, there was nothing and no one like Jackson. Perhaps there wouldn’t be anything she could use to find the truth. However, not if she asked him in person.

  She booted up her laptop and opened her web-browser. Kate hoped she would find something interesting or at least figure out Jackson’s intentions from what he had searched over the internet.

  However, all she got was even more answers as every search result was a list of names of people she couldn’t even recognise. There were a few articles explaining ProTech and who the current CEOs were. Yet nothing concrete to figure out Jackson and his intentions. The strangest search was the location of the nearest funeral homes and their opening hours.

  Curious, she glanced at the few names. Only to be left frustrated with how vague they were. The only name that had any significance was a guy who was the CEO of ProTech’s energy department. Brian Leichenberg. She thought to herself as she turned off her laptop.

  Kate knew she had to voice her concerns to her family. Jackson was strange and possibly dangerous if they didn't figure out what his intentions were. He saved her from Butch and helped her dad around the farm. The reptile also seemed friendly with her grandmother as well as her brother.

  Yet behind the generosity, there was something wrong with him. Kate couldn’t figure out what it was or how to fully voice it. But she knew she needed to address it to her family.