Falling Skies 1. PROLOGUE

FALLING SKIES:

Fanfiction

PROLOGUE

**Summary: **This is a story of a good girl that lost it all during the invasion; her family, her love, and her hope. She loses all faith in ever being happy again. She swore that she would never forget what the invasion did to her and the rest of her family. Now, she is apart of the 2nd mass and she must learn to accept help, overcome grudges, and most all restore hope and love in her life. This is life in the adventurous 2nd mass with all of the characters we all love from the show.

My life was normal before the invasion. I was a good kid. I went to school, got good grades, kept to myself...I never expected that my life was going to change like it did. I remember so clearly the day the aliens came. I was sitting in my room, on my bed, typing a paper for school that was due the next day. My brother, Kyle, and sister, Emily, were playing in the back yard with our neighbors. And my parents were in their bedroom, most likely arguing about something stupid.

When the sky grew dark my first thought was that the sun was only hiding behind a cloud. It was after I heard a scream coming from outside that I thought otherwise. Outside my window I saw a skyline covered with metal ships. They were landing all over the city, with big metal monsters stomping out of them. The metal monsters were huge, at least twelve feet tall, and were glowing from the inside. Thats all I stayed to see though. I ran to my parents' bedroom just in time to hear the sound of bullets firing. My parents ran past me towards the door to the backyard where my brother and sister were standing and staring at the sky in astonishment.

It is hard for me to talk about the next part because of what happened then to my family. However, to understand my story now, you must also grasp what happened to me then. My mom ran and scooped up my brother, and my dad did the same with my sister. As they were running back to the house, more gunfire exploded from a few blocks to my left. I knew that the giant metal death monsters were getting close. The sky was still dark and now the air was cold. I could almost see my breath. I opened the door and stretched out my hand for someone to grab. There was a BOOM! I watched my neighbor's house burn, as it was consumed almost entirely in red and orange tongues of fire. I had been so mesmerized by the aftermath of the explosion that I had almost forgotten about my family entirely. A hail of gunfire rained down upon the neighborhood. Creepy green things started skittering at us several blocks over. They were human sized, and had legs like a spider's. They were green and the closer they got, the scarier they looked.

Then there was another cracking BOOM! The floor boards rattled and there was a flash of red. Searing heat overcame me completely. I felt sick, twisted pain in my stomach as I fell to the ground hard, knocking the air out of me. Then I remember...nothing, blackness, the imminent sense of death creeping in me slowly. I remember gasping for air like a fish out of water, convulsing violently. I wanted the oxygen so badly, but no matter what I did, I couldn't get it. I couldn't reach it. Then there was unconciousness.

When I woke up, everything was like a dream. I couldn't distinguish what had happened and what hadn't. My vision was blurry, and my head was spinning. My ears were ringing, and that made me even more confused. I tried to get up, but when I shifted my weight onto my arm, I felt shocks run up and down my arm and back to my brain. It gave out underneath me, and I fell again. A burning, prickly heat sensation consumed my right arm. It felt like I was being branded with thousands of needles. I tried to let out a cry, but my tears had been dried up and my lungs burned and tightened. I wriggled on the floor, biting my lip hard as to stop me from screaming. I remember looking out the door, hopeful. I remember crawling, inching towards the yard. I felt the charred remains of what used to be grass under my palm. My mom and dad lay next to each other, still and silent. There were pools of blood in the ashy grass. My sister lay sprawled out, with burns all over her body. The cuts and burns were so bad they almost disfigured her face. She was so tiny, so frail..it was like she didn't even have a chance. She was only nine. My brother was also nine. They were twins. Kyle was in my mom's arms, his face buried in her chest. He was spared the disfiguration.

I couldn't move anymore, so I just stayed there. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that this was how it should have been. I should have died with them, but for some universal reason I had been spared.

Then when I was good and ready, I made myself get up. I walked to the kitchen, and got out the first aid kit. When I had fixed my arm the best I knew how, I walked outside and started collecting the rocks. It took me a while, but I had eventually made a separate grave for each of my family members. I stood there, looking down at the heaps of wood and stone covering their dead limp bodies and realized something. My life was going to change so much more than this. I knew then, that I might have to endure so much more pain than I ever had before. I would have to make tough choices, and most of all be strong. I would have to live independently, with no weaknesses, no pain, no sorrow. I would survive, and I would move on...


	2. LIFE IN THE SECOND MASS

LIFE IN THE SECOND MASS

"It's nice to meet you, Rachel." said a tall man with a semi scruffy beard. "I'm Tom Mason. Welcome to the second mass." He gestured to the man on his right. The man he gestured to looked like he was older, and had grey hair pulled into a ponytail. "This is Captain Weaver," He then proceeded to gesture to his left. "-and this is my son Hal." Hal looked about seventeen or eighteen years old with black hair. "I'll let him show you around." Hal looked reluctant, like the last thing he wanted to do was talk to a girl, much less spend time showing her around where he sleeps. I felt like an outsider. I felt like this look said it all. Who is she to me? Why should I care about someone I don't even know? The truth was that I didn't need his help anyway. I agreed with him. Who were these people to me?

"No offense to Hal, but I think that I can find my own way around." I saw that Hal was confused by this, but I didn't really care. I turned and walked towards what I only hoped was the campsite. It was an old school building with a rusty playground and everything. I hiked my backpack up and walked into the school. There were people everywhere, sprawled out in every corner. They lined the hallways with sleeping bags. There were old people, and young people with children. Most of them looked just sad, but some of them looked oddly hopeful.

I started down the hall, looking for a place to set up my stuff. The walls were plain and boring. I looked out the window in the hallway. It was bleak, cloudy and looked depressing, like the stormclouds were present, but it would not rain. I kept walking, taking various turns until there weren't anymore people. There was a board however, down the hall. It was a standard bulletin board that you would see in any normal school, but it had pictures all over it. The pictures were of people. There were moms, dads, grandparents, little kids, teenagers...

"I see you've noticed the board." said a girl about my age with brown hair and brown eyes. She looked about sixteen, maybe seventeen years old. She had an innocent, hopeful expression. "My name is Lourdes. I helped make the board." I stared at her intently, not knowing what to say in response. Was this statement supposed to impress me? She took my silence as an incentive to keep talking. "I thought it would be a nice way to remember all of the loved ones we have lost in these trying times." I just looked at her. What a stupid idea. Did she honestly think that this would benefit anyone? It's a constant reminder that everyone you hold close to your heart has been murdered by aliens. Great. Yeah, because I'm definately going to look at that and leave with a happy sentiment. I nodded at her politely, trying to not let my feelings get the best of me.

"It-um-was nice to meet you, Lourdes."

I found an empty classroom at the end of the hallway. Outside the door, there was a plaque that read "Psychology By Dr. Clark Freedman". That poor man, I thought. He probably worked his butt off trying to get a better job, out of this school. It seemed like he never got the chance. I opened the door and stepped inside. There was a whiteboard on the wall to my right with erasable markers next to it. There was a large teacher's desk in front of the board. Desks were lined in rows all the way to the back of the classroom. In the back there was an American flag hanging, along with some posters of the human brain. I walked to the back of the room, letting my hand trail across the desks. I remember just a few weeks ago, I was typing a paper for school...I guess I really wouldn't need it after all.

"I see you managed to find a place to stay." said a low voice from behind me. I spun around so quickly, it made me dizzy. Hal was leaning against the door frame, arms crossed over his semi-automatic weapon.

"I told you that I could find my own way around." I said defensively. I was new at this whole being independant thing. "I know that I look like an innocent little girl..." I said slowly. "-but you should know that I'm not. I am very capable of taking care of myself." A flash of my little sister's body sped through my head. Her disfigured face. I couldn't do anything to save them, but I would do everything to save myself. I bit my lip.

He wasn't smiling. "Have you had anything to eat?" I felt my hand absently go straight to my stomach. I looked him in the eye. I couldn't figure out what he was doing. His eyes were a deep brown color. They were oddly hypnotic, and beautiful.

"No," I said. "I haven't".

"Well, the cafeteria is down this hallway. This one, on the right. Go straight down the stairs."

"I could've found it on my own."

His lips turned up at the end. "I know". Then he left, leaving me all alone in an empty classroom.

I followed Hal's directions to get to the cafeteria. I went down the stairs and saw so many people. I recognized some of them from the hallway. Most of the people were eating on the floor, either by themselves or with their families. I picked up a plate from the end of the line. When it was finally my turn, I put my tray up and was served a small piece of bread and what looked like spaghetti-o's. The man that was serving me was fairly tall with tattoos on his arms. He also had greasy hair down to his shoulders, and a pissed off look on his face. This of course was obviously the last place on Earth he wanted to be.

"Hey, Pope." A large dark man said from my left. "How you liking kitchen duty?"

"Get off my ass, Anthony." Pope grumbled. I knew that it would be unstealthy of me to eavesdrop while standing right next to them. So I stepped aside and sat next to a family near a corner.

"Hey. Watch your mouth. I was going to say that if you're good...we may have another job for you." Anthony lowered his voice to a soft murmur. I could barely hear him. "...the bikes...so we need you...rescue...Tom's boy...". I had absolutely no idea what any of that meant. Oddly enough, however, just knowing secrets of the second mass made me feel better, like I was in the loop without actually being in the loop.

I looked down at my spaghetti-o's and started thinking how long it had been since I ate. Before I knew it, I was scarfing it down. I crammed the bread in my mouth and tasted it. Mmm...crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle. It tasted so good.

When I was done, I put my tray on the pile with all of the other trays. I then got up and walked back to my classroom. I pulled my sleeping bag out, and put it on the far side of the room in the opposite corner. The further I was from people, the better. I didn't need them. I would be just fine on my own. I pulled out a picture of my family that I had crammed in my backpack before I left my house. It was a picture of us in our backyard. Our neighbors took it, after we had moved into our house. Kyle and Emily were wearing matching shirts and were holding hands. My mom and dad were standing in back. My dad had his arm around my mom's waist, and she had her head on his shoulder. They looked perfect. I was on the end, smiling into the camera. My fiery, red hair danced around my shoulders. My blue eyes sparkled in the sunlight. We were so happy...I was so happy. I was so good before the invasion. I was happy, I was really smart, and I was athletic. I had it made. Life was pleasant.

I flashed back to a month ago, when the invasion occured. I had been so petrified, so horrified of those metal machines, and creepy green monsters. Then I thought of the twins, their cuts, their burns...their limp frail bodies. They didn't even have a chance. NOT EVEN A CHANCE. It made me sick. Sick with myself, sick with people, sick with the world. That's when I promised myself that I didn't need anyone. That was when I promised myself that I would be independent. Those other people can pretend as much as they want. They can pretend to be happy and okay with their silly boards, and hospitality, but who were we kidding? This wasn't home...This wasn't family.

I took a couple deep breaths to calm myself down.I put my picture back in my bag, and put my backpack under my head for a pillow. Then I remembered Hal's eyes. They were so brown, so hypnotic. I curled into my sleeping bag, and fell asleep...thinking about those beautiful, beautiful brown eyes.

**UPCOMING** ON WHEN YOUR SKY IS FALLING: Thank you so much for reading my story. I really appreciate it. It would also be great to review :) Thanks!

In the future, on When Your Sky is Falling, Rachel is going to learn what her role is in the second mass. She is going to need to learn to appreciate others more, and possibly ask for help. With the big mission coming up, can Tom, Weaver and the gang trust her enough to be apart of it? Also, will she let Hal into her life, or shut him out like everyone else?


	3. HOPE

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HOPE

"Seventy". My breathing was heavy, a steady stream of hot air as I concentrated on my push ups. "Seventy-One", I muttered to myself as I felt my arms go down burning. No pain, no gain. "Seventy-Two" I had been working out for weeks now. I needed something to do instead of socializing with people. I figured why not get toned? Survival of the fittest, right? "Seventy-Three" I whispered to myself. My arms and core burned. Droplets of sweat rolled off my nose and splashed onto the floor. I concentrated on my breathing.. "Someone's looking good", said a voice from the doorway. I dropped to the ground, half annoyed that someone would interrupt my workout, half thankful that I had an excuse to stop. I got up and looked at where the voice had come from. Sure enough, there stood Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome. His brown hair, brown eyes, winning smile... "What are you doing here?" I asked directly. I hadn't seen Hal since the first day I got here. "I..." He paused. "just thought I should check in. You know...see if you were settled". I looked at him. He kept a straight poker-face.

"Alright, well I am plenty settled." I said.

"Right...Well now that I got that out of the way, I need to go see Weaver." he straightened himself. He looked me in the eye, then left. It was very strange of him to stop by like that, even stranger the way he acted.

I thought about how much I had learned the past couple weeks. I had gotten very good at eavesdropping, and made it a regular habit wherever I went. I learned that Pope, the guy I had seen in the kitchen on my first day, was a prisoner of war. He was extremely unpopular among everyone in the second mass, and was used for jobs involving engineering and kitchen duty. I also learned more about the aliens. The giant metal monsters that I had seen in the invasion were called mechs, and the slimy, green creepy crawlers were called skitters. I also found out that they took children and teenagers and harnessed them. These harnesses were other organisms that dug straight into the spine and central nervous system. They could be used to literally control your brain. That was also around the time I learned that one of Hal's brothers was taken by the skitters and was harnessed. His name was Ben. I also found out that Ben had been rescued by the fighters not too long ago.

I had been thinking a lot about the fighters recently. I thought about how they were who we depended on to get food, medicine and supplies. I admired them for fighting the mechs and skitters, but was also pissed that I had to rely on them for the things that I needed to was also the reason I started working out. If needed to defend myself, could I out run them? Could I out fight them? A few weeks ago, the answer would have been no.

So, back to the point. Fighters. I decided that I despised being dependent on them. And a wise person once said, "If you can't beat them, join them." That's right! I decided to become a fighter.

I walked several blocks down to a small pond where I overheard some individuals go to bathe. I rinsed off quickly, scrubbing sweat off my body. I looked over my shoulder to a couple of boys splashing each other in the water. One of them caught my eye and nudged the other. They both stood there, staring at me. They smiled and pointed at me. I ran out of the water, grabbed my clothes, and left to get back to the school. I walked fast, and flustered. I felt oddly exposed, embarressed, and naked. I shoved my jeans on and had just barely gotten my shirt over my head when I ran into something. I stumbled backwards and rubbed my head.

"Hey, watch yourself." said a deep voice.

I looked straight at Hal. He was covered with dirt, like he just finished with a scouting mission. "Uh-Can I help you, Rachel?"

"I...erm-"I focused, trying to compose my thoughts. "I was...umm...I was looking for you actually." I said finally.

"You were looking for me..."Hal started. "-at the pond."

He smiled.

"No." I said. "I was just..." I needed an excuse that didn't sound as pathetic as me running away from some boys.

"What do you want?" He asked. Then it hit me. I figured out an excuse and what I wanted.

"I want to be a fighter." I told him.

"You want to-"

"I WASN'T FINISHED." I said firmly."I can't be dependent on someone else. I can carry my own weight. I am smart and fast and strong. All I need is someone to teach me how to shoot." He looked surprised with a half smile on his face. "I have decided that you are going to teach me."

"What makes you think that I am going to teach you how to use a gun?" He asked mockingly. "ESPECIALLY when you interrupt me on my way to the pond." He gestured t his sweaty dirty body. "If you really want me to teach you...you are going to have to ask...nicely." His sheepish smile was a full out crooked grin now.

"I can't do that, Hal."

"You can't, or you won't?"

"Don't be so dramatic. If you won't help me, I can find someone else to."

"Rachel, the entire second mass is based on trust and dependence on one another. If you cannot ask for what you want, you won't get it." He looked so serious now. "It isn't always bad to ask for help."

"Fine. Whatever. Hal, will you teach me how to shoot a gun?" I said unwavering.

He took a deep breath through the nose, then let out a sigh.

"Well," He said. "It's a step. Come with me".

Hal led me through a thick forest to a clearing. In the distance, I saw a fallen tree lined with tin pop cans. He pulled a black, mid-size gun out of a makeshift holster on his pants. "This is a Glock 18." He showed me how to take it apart and put it back together, and the proper way to hold the gun. When it came right down to the shooting though, I took a deep breath and narrowed my eyes on the not-so-evenly spaced line of tin cans. Bang-Plink! Bang-Plink! Bang-Plink!

I exhaled through a cloud a smoky haze.

Hal let out a whistle. "I would've never guessed..."

"Guess what?"

"That you are a good shot." He smiled at me. I smiled, and looked at the cans. I hits all of them. Dead on. I felt a pang of sweet prickly goodness in my stomach. I felt my worries melt away. I looked Hal in the eyes and I felt the most amazing thing. Hope.


End file.

Falling Skies, Hurt-Comfort, Sci-Fi