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Hello friends and welcome to Sleep Tight Stories.
Red cannot believe what Blue has done.
How will they ever keep things quiet now?
Red goes down for breakfast, and Blue calls her Agent Red.
And she knows that this could be trouble.
The Transfer Student, Volume 2, Part 12 Red woke up to the smell of something that smelled different, yet delicious, coming from the kitchen.
A minor miracle in their household, considering the main staple was either honey cakes or roasted root vegetables.
After getting dressed, she stumbled downstairs to find Blue standing at the stove, carefully monitoring what appeared to be perfectly normal scrambled eggs.
Red tended toward not eating anything from an animal, but this morning her stomach was giving her a pass.
Good morning, Agent Red, Blue whispered dramatically, sliding the eggs onto a plate.
I've prepared sustenance for our mission briefing.
Why was he so enthusiastic this morning?
Blue, Red groaned, rubbing her eyes.
We talked about this.
No spy talk where Mom can hear.
Right, sorry. Blue cleared his throat and spoke in an exaggeratedly normal voice.
Good morning, Sister.
I have prepared breakfast for you because I am a helpful and responsible family member.
Red stared at him. Somehow, his attempt at acting normal was more suspicious than his spy voice.
Blue, what are you doing?
their mother asked, appearing in the kitchen doorway with a look of amused bewilderment.
Making breakfast, Blue announced proudly, then immediately knocked over the salt shaker while trying to put on sunglasses.
Just being helpful like a normal kid who definitely isn't involved in any secret missions.
Their mother raised an eyebrow.
Secret missions? He means making video games, Red said quickly, shooting Blue a look that could have melted titanium.
ah their mother nodded as if this explained everything well thank you for cooking blue though you might want to take off the sunglasses you're indoors sunglasses are cool blue said then immediately walked into the refrigerator door red buried her face in her hands if this was blue trying to prove he could handle secret agent work They were doomed.
I think they're prescription, their mother said, diplomatically helping Blue up from where he'd bounced off the fridge.
Perhaps save them for outdoor activities?
Good idea, Blue said, rubbing his nose and finally removing the sunglasses.
He caught Red's eye and gave her what he probably thought was a subtle wink.
but it looked more like he had something stuck in his eye.
After breakfast, Red and Blue found themselves in the backyard, ostensibly helping their mother with the garden, though Red still wasn't convinced that letting plants grow wherever they wanted really qualified as gardening.
On Mars, everything grew in neat, organized rows, in climate -controlled environments.
Blue flopped down on the grass and stared up at the pale blue sky.
Do you ever miss the red sunsets?
he asked quietly. Red sat beside him, automatically scanning the chaotic green mess of their yard. A year ago, all this uncontrolled plant life would have made her stomach turn.
Now, she had to admit, there was something oddly peaceful about it.
Every day, she said honestly, and the way you could see both moons at the same time, remember?
Phobos racing across the sky while Deimos just hung there like it was thinking about something.
I miss the habitat domes, Blue said, pulling up grass with his fingers.
Everything made sense there.
If you needed something, you knew exactly where to find it.
If something broke, there were protocols to fix it.
He paused. Here? Mom's been trying to fix the kitchen faucet for three weeks with a manual that's apparently written in some kind of code.
Code. Red laughed despite herself.
I think it's called poorly translated instructions.
I still dream about the observation deck sometimes, Blue continued.
Looking out at the Martian landscape, all that beautiful red stretching to the horizon.
No messy green stuff everywhere.
No random weather, no...
no chaos. Chaos. But, Red said slowly, surprising herself, I kind of like some of the chaos now.
Like how every Earth day is different.
On Mars, you always knew what to expect.
Blue rolled over to look at her.
You mean you actually enjoy not knowing if it's going to rain on your plans?
Not enjoy, exactly, Red said, thinking about it, but it's interesting And the colors aren't as awful as I thought they'd be Green is actually kind of pretty when it's not everywhere at once I learned to like pizza, Blue offered, even though it makes no logical sense as a food delivery system And ice cream, Red added.
Frozen animal milk products should not taste that good.
They lay quietly for a moment, watching Earth's single moon fade in the daytime sky.
It still looked lonely to Red, but less strange than it used to.
Do you think we'll ever go back?
Blue asked. I don't know, Red said, but maybe that's okay.
maybe we can be from two places.
They sat in comfortable silence for a few more minutes, watching clouds drift across Earth's strange blue sky.
Finally, Blue sat up and brushed grass off his shirt.
So, he said, his voice shifting back to business mode, when do we start planning our mission to the quarry?
Red groaned, the peaceful moment broken by reality Right, the archive She stood up, resigned to the fact that their quiet reflection was over Come on, let's go inside and figure this out properly Back in her room, Red pulled out a notebook and tried to organize her thoughts Okay, she said, spreading the notebook across her desk We need to approach this systematically.
First, we research the quarry location.
Then we... I've already prepared our equipment, Blue announced, dumping a backpack onto her bed.
Behold, our spy kit.
Red stared as Blue began pulling out items. A magnifying glass that looked like it came from a detective costume.
costume, two walkie -talkies with cartoon character stickers, a handful of granola bars, and what appeared to be a periscope made from cardboard tubes and mirrors.
Blue, where did you get all this?
I've been collecting spy equipment for months, Blue said proudly.
Ever since I saw that movie about the kids' secret agents.
Oh, and I made these he held up two laminated cards with their photos and completely ridiculous fake names I'm agent blueberry pancake and your agent red velvet cupcake absolutely not come on red we need code names what if someone intercepts our communications what communications will be standing right right next to each other.
Blue looked deflated, but all the best spy teams have code names.
Fine, Red sighed. We'll be Red and Blue, very subtle.
That's not spy -like at all, Blue protested, then immediately perked up.
Oh, and I rigged these walkie -talkies with a special frequency so no one can listen in.
He demonstrated by pressing the button on one.
Static erupted from both devices so loudly that Red was sure their mother could hear it downstairs.
Blue, turn it down.
I can't. The volume control broke when I was improving the circuit.
Blue frantically mashed buttons while the static continued.
continued. What are you two doing up there, their mother called from the kitchen.
Science project, Red yelled back, wrestling one of the walkie -talkies away from Blue and finally finding the off switch. Science project, Blue whispered, that's your cover story?
It's better than secret spy mission, Red hissed back, trying her best to not call him a stinker.
But less exciting, Blue pointed out He pulled out his notebook, which Red noticed was labeled Top Secret Mission Plans in large red letters So, I was thinking we should stake out the quarry first Maybe use the periscope to, Blue, or perhaps Red Their mother's voice drifted up again Could you help me figure out why the washing machine is making that noise again?
Blue and Red looked at each other.
The washing machine makes lots of noises, Blue said thoughtfully.
Which one is she talking about?
A loud clunk echoed from the laundry room, followed by what sounded like metal grinding against metal. That one, Red said.
Mission postponed, Blue announced solemnly.
We have a domestic crisis to handle.
This is exactly why we need systematic planning Red muttered, following him downstairs After Blue had triumphantly diagnosed the washing machine's problem Mom, you can't just ignore the error codes They're trying to tell you the water pump filter is clogged and spent 20 minutes explaining to their bewildered mother exactly how he'd figured it out out, Red and Blue finally returned to mission planning.
You know, Blue said, settling back into Red's desk chair.
This would be a lot easier if we had more help.
Red looked up from her notebook where she'd been trying to sketch the quarry location.
What do you mean? I mean your friends, Blue said matter -of -factly.
Alexa's really good at organizing people, right?
And Charlie notices weird details that other people miss.
Plus, Rachel probably knows stuff about local history that could help us.
Red felt a familiar pang in her chest. She did miss working with the gang.
The library mystery had reminded her how much better everything was when they tackled problems together.
And Kurt's super athletic, Blue continued.
If we need to climb down into old mining shafts or whatever, she'd be way better at it than either of us.
Blue, we can't tell them, Red said, though her voice lacked conviction.
They're Earth kids.
They don't know about Mars, about the AID, about any of it.
So we tell them, Blue said with a shrug.
They're your friends, right?
Friends are supposed to help each other.
Red stared at her little brother.
Blue, we're talking about revealing that we're aliens.
That our entire family is from Mars.
That there's a secret government organization dealing with Martian refugees.
That's not exactly, hey, want to help me with my homework?
work? Charlie would think it's the coolest thing ever, Blue pointed out.
He's always reading those science fiction books.
And Alexa likes solving mysteries.
This is the biggest mystery ever.
What about Rachel? She's so logical and practical.
She might think we're crazy.
Rachel likes evidence, Blue said.
Show her the charm.
Show her Dr. Hart's tablet.
She'll figure and figure it out Red had to admit he had a point Rachel would approach it like a research project examining all the data before drawing conclusions And Kurt?
Red asked Blue grinned Kurt would probably just say Cool, so when do we start the adventure?
Despite herself, Red smiled That did sound like Kurt But what if they don't want to be friends anymore?
Red asked quietly What if knowing we're from Mars changes everything?
Blue looked at her seriously Red, they're your friends because of who you are Not where you're from With a statement like that Red was starting to think that Blue's childish antics Were just an act Come on, Red said, closing her notebook with a sigh.
Planning is making my head hurt.
Let's go help Mom with the yard work.
Voluntary yard work?
Blue raised an eyebrow.
Who are you and what have you done with my sister?
But he followed her outside anyway, where their mother was engaged in her usual battle with what she optimistically called landscaping.
Red had to admit their mother's approach to earth gardening was improving.
Instead of trying to impose Martian -style organization on the chaos, she was starting to work with the plant's natural tendencies.
Could you two help me move these stepping stones?
their mother asked, gesturing to a pile of flat rocks.
I want to make a path through the flower bed.
As they worked, Red found herself actually enjoying the feel of earth under her fingernails Something that would have horrified her a year ago The soil here was so different from Mars' engineered growing medium Messier, more alive somehow I like how the flowers just grow wherever they want, Blue said Carefully placing a stone between two clusters of daisies on Mars everything had to be exactly where the computer said it should go these earth plants are surprisingly resilient their mother agreed wiping sweat from her forehead I've been reading about something called companion planting apparently
some plants actually help each other grow better red paused a stone halfway to its destination.
They cooperate? Exactly.
Like how the beans add nitrogen to the soil, which the tomatoes need.
It's quite elegant actually.
After they finished the path, they walked to the store for ice cream.
Another Earth tradition the family had adopted.
As they strolled through the neighborhood, Red noticed things she'd it started taking for granted.
The sound of children playing in yards.
The casual friendliness of neighbors waving from their yards.
You know what's weird?
Blue said, looking his chocolate chip cone.
I used to think Earth was so disorganized and random.
But maybe it's not random.
Maybe it's just organized in a way we didn't understand.
Red smiled, watching a butterfly land on a wildflower growing through a crack in the sidewalk.
Maybe chaos isn't always a bad thing.
Back in Red's room after their ice cream expedition, the siblings settled into what Blue dramatically announced was their official partnership meeting.
Okay, Red said, trying to be serious.
if we're going to work together on this, we need to establish some ground rules.
Rule number one, Blue said immediately.
No more treating me like I'm just your annoying little brother.
Red opened her mouth to protest, then realized he had a point.
Fine, but that means you have to stop acting like this is all a big game.
Real people could get hurt, Blue.
Blue. I know that, Blue said, his voice unusually serious.
That's why I want to help.
We're family, Red. We're supposed to look out for each other.
Red was starting to realize that Blue was no longer the same kid who used to hack her phone just for fun.
Rule number two, she said softly.
We always tell each other the truth, no matter what even if the truth is that I'm scared blue asked quietly especially then red said I'm scared to they sat in comfortable silence for a moment the weight of their shared secret settling between them so blue asked his usual grin returning does this mean I get to be your equal partner agent red velvet it, Cupcake?
We are not using those names, Red laughed, throwing a pillow at him.
Fine, but I still think we need a team name, Blue said, dodging the pillow.
How about the Martian siblings?
Too obvious. The Red Planet Detective Agency?
Terrible. Blue and Red investigations?
Red considered this.
Actually, that's not completely awful.
I have my moments, Blue said proudly.
Then his expression grew more serious.
Red thanks for letting me be part of this.
I know you'd probably rather handle it yourself.
Actually Red admitted I'm kind of relieved keeping all these secrets by myself was getting hard. Blue smiled not his usual mischievous grin in, but something warmer and more genuine.
That's what partners are for.
Red looked at his little brother and realized that somewhere between this morning's breakfast disaster and now, he'd stopped being just her annoying sibling and become something more important, her ally.
Okay, partner, she said.
Let's figure out how to tell our friends we're aliens.
And that is the end of this part.
Good night. Sleep tight.
ยฉ transcript Emily Beynon
