Chapter Four

"Save me?! As if, you liar!"

Quinn struggled to leave the chair, but DeMartino held her down firmly. Tears spilled out of her eyes.

"You are an alien," she gasped. "You're the one Mr. Phelps wants! You tried to kill me, and then you killed my best friend!"

She tried to scream as loudly as before, but fatigue reduced it to little more than a moan. Even so, DeMartino glanced nervously at the sealed door behind him.

"Ms. Morgendorffer," he said more calmly than she was used to hearing, "I ASSURE you that I did neither of those things."

"What, you think I just dreamt that your eye was chasing me?! I wasn't hit that hard this morning!"

"And why do you think that is?" DeMartino returned. "That you were hit so HARD, yet came away with just a few cuts and bruises?"

Quinn frowned with confusion. "I don't know... but quit changing the subject! You're an alien, and as soon as I get out of here, I'm telling Mr. Phelps, and then I'll map a way back to your galaxy and you'll get what you deserve! If I don't give it to you first!"

DeMartino's eyes grew fiery red. "And that is PRECISELY the reason why you'll stay AWAY from him, even if I have to keep you DOWN here for the REST OF YOUR LIFE!"

Quinn choked on her retort and began sobbing in earnest. She had no doubt he would do exactly that, and, if he chose, could make the rest of her life very short. She buried her face in her arms and whimpered for her mother, not noticing when the red faded from DeMartino's eyes.

"Quinn Morgendorffer," he said, "there are things I must tell you. The first is that I was SENT to get you by your father."

This caused Quinn to pause mid-sob. "D-dad?"

"He wanted me to keep you and your sister safe. But you've been such a HANDFUL, I haven't had time to collect her."

Quinn sat up straighter and wiped the tears off of her smeared bloody cheeks. "W-why would --"

"The SECOND is that you should NEVER believe what that Mr. Phelps tells you."

His insistent tone sent shock waves through Quinn. She felt a wave of dizziness and had to lay her head back against the chair to stay alert. "You're lying," she mumbled.

"I assure you, I am PERFECTLY serious."

"I saw your eye... you're an alien!"

"Yes," DeMartino acknowledged. "As is he. But did he tell you he was some kind of LAW man?"

Quinn gazed at him stonily, then allowed herself to nod a little. "He said he was a constable."

"He IS a hunter, but not of the law kind. Your Mr. Phelps is a BOUNTY hunter."

"A what?"

"He delivers bodies to the highest bidder, Ms. Morgendorffer."

Quinn stared at DeMartino, dumbfounded. "Why should I believe you?"

"Because it's the TRUTH." DeMartino began to pace back and forth. "Let me tell you a little story about our planet Xulfanex. It was a planet of great BEAUTY and power, with a DEEP tradition of spiritual folklore. But over time, it fell under the sway of greedy WARLORDS, who wanted total control. ONE warlord grew more powerful than all of the rest combined, and he virtually ENSLAVED the entire population. Then one day, a male of our species was born, with powers GREATER than any our people had ever known. The warlord found out about him, and wanted to USE his powers to obtain greater control. But the male, called Norlek, soon REALIZED that he would be bringing the people into more MISERY. So he RESISTED the warlord's persuasions, and sought to UNDO what this evil man had done."

"Okay," said Quinn, feeling a bit bored. "But what does this have to do with Mr. Phelps? Or you?"

"The warlord KNEW he had to be stopped. So he mounted a great ARMY and sent every bounty hunter after Norlek that there ever WAS. Including his most skillful bounty hunter, whose name is so terrible, I will not utter it here. Although Norlek had power, he could not fight off EVERYONE. So he hid in the home of his oldest friend, Gobsnotter. And they --" Quinn burst out laughing. "What IS it?!"

"Gobsnotter? God, who would have a geeky name like that?"

"I happen to think that Gobsnotter is a perfectly FINE name. On my planet, there are many worse," said DeMartino stonily. "And --" More laughing from Quinn.

"I'm sorry!" she gasped. "I'm just... releasing... stress!"

"If you WON'T sit still for my story, then we can just FORGET THIS WHOLE THING AND GO HOME! I mean..."

Quinn took a deep breath and calmed down. "So Gob-something came up with the idea to leave the planet?"

DeMartino nodded. "It was the only way Norlek could be safe. Space technology was a little unPREDICTable on our planet, but not so much as on earth. One night they boarded a space ship, and Gobsnotter charted a very round-about course, thinking it would be far too difficult for any BOUNTY hunter to stay on their trail. ReGRETtably, he underestimated the persistence of the bounty hunter you know as Phelps. He followed the two friends... but on the last leg of the journey, BOTH ships were hit by stray PARTICLES of an old space station, which sent them hurling into earth's atmosphere. Norlek and Gobsnotter crashed in Maine, while your Phelps crashed somewhere in Wales. Both SHIPS were destroyed, their calculations ERASED."

"And that's why Mr. Phelps can't map his way home?" said Quinn skeptically.

"Yes, EXACTly. So like Norlek and Gobsnotter, he was FORCED to put on a costume and exist in the human world. And to this DAY, all three have remained here on earth, with Norlek and his friend on the lookout for the bounty hunter, FEARFUL that he could one day chart a course back to Xulfanex and send Norlek to face UNDESCRIBABLE torture."

Quinn sat there, slumped against the back of her chair. "Yeah, great story," she said, her words laced with sarcasm. "It almost makes up for a morning full of unbelievable pain and horror. Can I go now?"

"I see that your attention span is woefully lacking, MUCH like it is in my history class." DeMartino scowled. "Do you not get any SIGNIFICANCE out of my story?"

"No," said Quinn, annoyed. "Not unless you're Norlek, and Gob-whatever's my dad, or whatever." She couldn't help snickering at the notion.

"Actually, you are CORRECT, Ms. Morgendorffer. Only I'm not Norlek."

Quinn stared at her history teacher.

"You mean... My dad is..."

"Your father is an extraterrestrial, Ms. Morgendorffer."

Heavy silence, as Quinn pondered the unthinkable. What shocked her was how much it made sense. Then she shook off her stupor, as rage reinvigorated her body. "That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard! You're just trying to trick me!"

DeMartino slapped his forehead and groaned. "For CRYIN' out..."

"First you come up with some lame story that's like a reject from Space Trek! Then you tell me my dad's the magical Chosen One!"

"Do you REALLY find that so hard to believe?"

"If my dad is really so great, why hasn't he ever used his magic powers at home, huh?"

"Your questions will be answered in time, Ms. Mor-"

"Which means you don't know, do you?" Quinn stormed. "You're just trying to stall 'til you can come up with a way to get me out of here without seeing Mr. Phelps! Well you're not gonna get away that easy!"

She bolted up out of the chair. Wordlessly, DeMartino thrust her back down again. Then, with a sigh, he reached up to his injured eye and unscrewed it. Quinn gaped with horror as he pulled it out of its socket with ease and began fiddling with the pupil. "Stupid thing... WORK, damn you..." The pupil twitched and fluttered, then emitted strange screeches like a radio transmitter. Just then, Quinn heard the foggy voice of her father.

"If this is Quinn... or Daria... I'm sorry I can't be there to tell you in person..." Sounds of static drowned out part of the message. "Just... trust the man you know as DeMartino. I will explain... everything... later..." The rest was lost in the static, as the pupil twitched one last time, then was still.

"STUPID thing is busted." DeMartino scowled at the stab mark through the center, then at Quinn and her offending nails.

Quinn returned his gaze with some revulsion... but her resistance was waning quickly. Taking a deep breath, she said, "If my dad is really the one Mr. Phelps is after, why wouldn't he have been caught by now? I mean they've even met face to face."

"You would have to ask HIM," said DeMartino, replacing his eye.

"He's been my math teacher for over a year," Quinn murmured, her eyes growing wider with concern. "We've worked together in a close setting. How could he not have known who I was?"

"Because you are part human," returned DeMartino, "and you have a sister."

Part human. "So?"

"He could sense that Norlek's ESSENCE was in Lawndale High, but it had never occurred to him that Norlek would settle down with an EARTH woman and breed. We find you earth people to be somewhat REPULsive, to be honest."

"So his essence kept shifting around 'cause it was split between two people?"

DeMartino nodded. "Every time he thought he had come CLOSE to finding Norlek, he would get a sense that he was in a different PLACE. Your human essence and your ignorance of the situation ALSO worked to your advantage. At least that is MY impression."

"So we're okay, then," said Quinn. "Phelps will never figure us out, so he won't come after us. So why even hide me?"

DeMartino's eyes shone with intensity. "Because recent events have CHANGED everything. The events from this morning... YOU catching on to our alien ruse. It's only a matter of TIME before the one called Phelps suspects. The fact that he is even PONDERING how to map his way back to Xulfanex means that he is confident he will find what he is AFTER very soon."

Quinn gazed at the sealed door, shivers running up her spine. "So what do we do?"

"I will take you and your SISTER to be with your parents, who will be HIDING in an undisclosed location. HowEVER, first that means I must get Daria. I will hide YOU-"

"Forget it!" said Quinn, stubbornly. "I won't let you get Daria alone. The minute you chase after her with your weirdo eye-thingy, she'll have you down on the floor with her boot on your neck. If I'm there, she won't resist as strongly."

"But you're already HERE, and I..." DeMartino's shoulders slumped with defeat, as he seemed to grasp the truth in what she was saying. "All right, FINE. We'll need to get her alone, because your GOD knows if too many students SEE you with me looking like THAT-"

"Wait a minute," Quinn cried out, remembering. "You haven't told me what happened to Stacy!"

"What?"

"My friend, Stacy! You told me you didn't kill her - well then who did?! Was it Mr. Phelps?!"

DeMartino frowned wearily.

"No, Ms. Morgendorffer. You did."