Read Decay for Free Online

an extension of her real self?
    I don't change personalities when I get into my alter ego. Not sure why she needs to. The only things I do are put on a mask and change my clothes. Whether he was Orlando or the Llama Kid, he never lost himself. Llama Kid. Can't believe JD branded me with such a stupid nickname. That's what I get for letting him be in charge of the group.
    Secretly he didn't mind. He'd gripe and complain about it a lot, but Orlando was glad to have the majority of the responsibilities fall on someone else's shoulders. Being an obedient lackey was easier. Besides, he was already donating his house as a headquarters for the whole operation. He had to let the others contribute as well.
    Two months had already passed since Alan first fell from the sky and crashed into Orlando's life – literally. In doing so, JD and Cadence, two teenagers from his old school that he otherwise wouldn't have spoken to, were also forced onto him. They had been at the mall when Alan, their fearless alien leader, had arrived.
    Crazy. It felt a lot longer than only a couple of months. Orlando was having a hard time imagining his new friends not being in his life. They had all gone to the same school, but ran with different crowds. Again, nothing he'd admit to. If they knew how much he actually cared about them, it might spoil his image as being the tough guy. I'm just a sap.
    He pushed his feelings aside and took a moment to listen to the lecture. Something about protons and neutrons. He already knew about those. In fact, the class was below Orlando's level of intelligence, so he went back to zoning out. But he couldn't think about his friends again or he might bring down his whole mood. He needed distraction, and that came in the form of Alan popping into the room by the door. It was one of the alien's many abilities. Orlando couldn't keep track of how many powers Alan had. Another gift he had, which was what prevented everyone else in the room from freaking out, was the ability to make himself invisible to those not chosen by his tribe.
    The real question, was why did Alan think in the middle of Orlando's class would be a good time for him to show up? They'd talked about that before. Orlando had made it clear it wasn't okay for Alan to show up in the middle of classrooms and public areas. While the guy was invisible, his body was still physical and interacted with the world around him. Students didn't need to walk into hidden walls.
    For an alien, Alan looked awfully human. All of the Alturans did. It sometimes made it difficult for Orlando to remember they were from different planets, but Alan's quirky behaviors always proved as a great reminder.
    Alan stood in front of the class. He was wearing more clothes than usual, though he started to pull on the buttons of his shirt, ready to strip it off on the spot. Orlando briefly made eye contact with him and shook his head, advising against it. No one could see Alan except him, but Orlando still didn't want to have the young man's washboard abdomen in front of his face. Usually the guy had on a vest and pants, enough to be covered, and let Alan be comfortable as well. Why is he dressed almost normal?
    â€œCan we speak a moment? Is there a way for you to leave?” Alan asked. Orlando gave a slight nod, letting the guy know he'd been heard. The nice thing about his Chemistry class was he could leave in the middle of the lecture to use the hall pass when needed. This was a convenient time to use the bathroom if there ever was one.
    Standing quietly, Orlando grabbed the wooden block that served as the pass, and stepped out of the room. He held the door long enough for Alan to follow him out, and they walked through the hallway silently. Orlando didn't dare talk until he knew they were safe from unwanted ears. No one could hear Alan, but they could Orlando. A reputation of being a bad boy he could handle, crazy, not so much. Being an outcast at yet another school did not appeal to him.