There was a stillness in the air as Markus walked across the street. He tried to ignore the people who were staring at him as he walked. He felt exhausted by their constant gaze...

He looked far off into the distance, as if he were searching for something. He had never felt comfortable on the earth, despite living 25 years of his life on the planet. Somehow, he felt that if he could be somewhere else, he would be happier. In the year 2800, it was a rather overcrowded and desolate place anyhow.

There was a lot of commotion in the street this week, and Markus tried to avoid it. He needed to get home early so he could talk with his mother Angela about moving farther away from town. As he thought about this, he frowned.

He was trying to advance from his home and go out into the world, to make his own way and find some freedom. He had spent most of his life in the little town, with his mother's watchful eye monitoring his every move. By now, it was getting tiresome for him, and he had a curiosity about the outside world that never fully left him.

"Remember Markus," he heard his mother say, "you need to stay at home. There's a reason why I don't want you to go far away. Understand?"

And as a child, Markus always obediently said, "Yes, mama."

Markus frowned. He brushed away the flies that were beginning to gather around him. His town was right next to a terribly large swamp which was constantly sending bugs to the neighbors...

He felt annoyed by how many years he spent behind the closed doors of his mother's house. "She seems to be kind of obsessed with me," he thought. He wondered if this came from the years she spent as an orphan, losing her own parents at a very young age. Ever since that tragic experience, his mother seemed to cling onto her loved ones with tremendous force, desperately grasping them in an effort to never lose them.

"But she can't hold onto me forever," he thought. "I have to live."

He arrived home, shutting the door quietly behind him. His mother was sitting in the living room, rocking back and forth in her favorite chair. Despite the relaxing habit, she rarely seemed calm. She was already biting her lip nervously as Markus walked into the room.

"Hello, Markus," she muttered.

"Hello, mom," Markus replied softly.

"Well, where have you been all day?" his mom demanded.

Markus sighed. "I just took a walk," he said. "But I guess that is too far away for you, isn't it?"

He didn't mean to sound caustic. However, his mother instantly bristled.

"Markus, I am just worried about your well-being. Don't you understand that? All these years I spent taking care of you, and you just walk out the door without even telling me where you are going," she snapped.

"Mom, I'm sorry," Markus said, quickly capitulating to her to keep the peace. "I really don't want to get into a fight. Honestly!"

His mom sighed. "You need to appreciate me more," she said.

Markus shrugged. He was beginning to wonder if this was even a good time to bring up the important step he was about to take...

"But let me try," he thought. "I'd rather get it done now than postpone this for more years."

He took a deep breath. "Mother," he said, and he shivered a little out of anxiety. "Mother, I want to leave."

His mother stared at him in shock. She clutched the sides of the chair. Markus looked at her uneasily.

"Wh-what?" she cried. "Where are you going to go?"

"I just need to leave. I've lived in this town all my life. A friend of mine said he could set me up with a good job in another city. There's no reason for me to stay here any longer," Markus said.

His mother still looked stunned. She murmured, "But you can't do that, Markus."

Markus heaved a sigh. "Mom, I know it's going to be difficult for you. But I'll keep in touch with you by phone. I'll even visit you sometimes. You have to let me go, mom. You have to let me be free to leave. If I stay here forever, I'll never see the world. There aren't even many opportunities here. You should understand," he said.

Markus's mother repeated, "You can't do that, Markus." To Markus's surprise, she looked less angry and more worried.

Markus, on the other hand, was becoming annoyed. "Nothing can hold me back," he said sharply. "I'm going to take the bus and go."

He turned to leave, and his mom grabbed him by the arm. "You can't go!" she cried.

"Why?" Markus demanded.

She took a deep, deep breath. "You don't belong here," she whispered.

Markus was astonished. "What do you mean? Wait a minute..." he began.

And then he remembered. He remembered how his mother had been shunned by the neighbors in this town, but at the time, he did not know why. He remembered how people always commented on his piercing eyes, and how they almost looked otherworldly. He remembered how he felt he never belonged on the earth, and how he felt he belonged somewhere else.

His mother looked at him nervously. Similar thoughts were probably running through her mind, too.

She stood up and quietly got a key to unlock a safe deposit box. Markus gazed at the box in astonishment. It had been hidden under her chair and he had never noticed it before.

"I was trying to wait as long as possible to show you this," she said ruefully. "I really didn't know what else to do."

As she opened the box, Markus peered inside with deep curiosity.

She pulled out several photographs from the box. One of them showed a man Markus had never seen before. He looked very different somehow, different from anyone he had ever seen on the earth, but Markus was amazed to see this man shared his piercing brown eyes. The man's hair was jet black and he wore a silver outfit.

"This is your father, Markus. He was never born on this planet," his mother stated.

Markus looked at her with growing terror in his eyes. "You mean - I'm not entirely human?" he asked in a trembling voice.

His mother tried to assuage his anxiety. "You'll always be human to me, Markus!" she cried.

Markus tore away from the box. He was in a panic. "I'm not a human... I'm some kind of alien..." he said, almost sobbing.

His mother stared at him in petrified shock. She tried to rip up the photos, but Markus stopped her.

"It won't make a difference," he said bitterly. "You can rip up the photos, but you can't take out the part of me that isn't human."

"Can I at least explain some things?" his mom began, but Markus shook his head. He ran out into the street, desperate to find an escape from the knowledge that was sprung onto him.

At that moment, a car was speeding down the street. Markus ran straight along the road, not noticing the car until he heard the loud, blaring horn. He looked up and saw the car trying to swerve around him... And then for a long, long time, he was in the depths of unconsciousness.

Thanks for reading the beginning of this series! Any monetary contributions are deeply appreciated and help to make my life a little easier. 😁