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Thank you. Hello friends and welcome to Sleep Tight Stories.
stories. This story is about a girl named Red who has moved to Earth from Mars, but no one knows.
Red, her mother, and her younger brother Blue are trying to blend in and live like regular Earth kids, all while keeping their true identities a secret.
Red has started making friends at school, and together they form a mystery club.
When they discover an old box filled with strange items, one of which might be connected to Mars, the mystery deepens.
Just when things start getting really strange, Red's father unexpectedly appears, wearing the dark uniform of the AID, the secretive organization that helped her family relocate.
Red doesn't understand what's happening, but she's beginning to suspect that there's a lot more going on than anyone has told her.
This is volume 2 of the Transfer Student, where Red's story will continue.
The Transfer Student, volume 2, part 1.
Red groaned and flailed one hand toward her bedside table, It was playing the default alarm tone.
The one she never bothered to change.
Mostly because by now she assumed Blue would just find a way to switch it to something even more annoying.
She didn't have time to wonder why he hadn't today as she devoted all her energy to finding her phone without opening her eyes.
Do you have legs or something?
She muttered at the phone as her fingers brushed past a book, a sock, and finally the lamp cord. She cracked one eye open and immediately regretted it.
The lights were on โ all of them.
Her room was blindingly bright, which meant only one thing.
Blue?" she shouted.
Ugh, what a stinker.
He'd clearly snuck in, turned on every light, and moved her phone to the middle of the floor just to annoy her.
Which also meant he got up early and probably had already made a mess of the bathroom.
Red sat back on her bed and rubbed her eyes.
She hadn't slept well.
Her dreams had been full of jumbled images, people in AID uniform standing in front of her classroom, pointing at her and saying, she's from Mars.
Blue had been in the dream too, but older somehow.
She also dreamed of the entire world turning blue and green, no gray in sight.
That thought was certainly a nightmare.
She finally stood and stretched, her muscles tight and her limbs heavy, then something cut through her grogginess, the smell of waffles and hot cocoa.
Her mother was cooking breakfast. Her stomach gurgled in response.
Her favorite breakfast. Maybe that would save the morning?
Red, are you up? her mother called practically singing up the stairs I made breakfast and blue says he's really hungry so if you want some you'd better hurry okay red called back don't let that stinker eat everything please she added remembering her earth manners She got dressed in her usual outfit โ comfy pants, oversized hoodie โ definitely not trendy.
She never understood her classmates' obsession with constantly changing styles.
After wrestling with blues mess in the bathroom โ did he purposely spray water everywhere?
โ she finally made her way downstairs.
Of course, her mother was singing.
Red wanted to groan and say, please, Mom, not today.
I can't take all this cheerfulness when my entire life just flipped upside down.
But instead, she muttered, good morning, Mother and stinky head.
Blue grinned and stuck out his tongue.
Good morning, Red. Your waffles are on the table.
Eat them before they get cold.
Her mother practically sang.
Red winced. Her mother always sang in the mornings, but after a rough night's sleep, it grated on her nerves more than usual.
Mom, Red said slumping into her chair.
Can you remind Blue how to eat without covering his face in syrup?
He's a mess. He's a mess," Blue repeated in a mocking tone, grinning with syrup glistening on his cheeks.
Oh Red, let's not start a fight this early, her mother said gently, wiping Blue's chin with a napkin.
Red sighed. Oh, her mother was right, she had bigger things to worry about.
Like the fact that her father, who she kitchen last night, wearing an A .I .D.
uniform or how she was now keeping secrets from her closest friends.
And then there was the stone.
She still had to swap the real one that Alexa had with a fake.
Too many lies. Too many responsibilities.
It was all resting on her shoulders.
She finished her waffles quickly, grabbed her bag, and stepped outside to wait for the bus.
The big yellow monstrosity squealed to a stop in front of her house moments later.
Red climbed aboard and made a bee -line for her usual seat at the back, giving only a brief nod to Mrs. McDonald, the ever -cheerful bus driver.
She slid into her seat just as the bus lurched over a speed bump, one that just months ago would have sent her flying.
Good morning, Red," Charlie said from the seat across the aisle.
Like her, he was a back of the bus regular.
You look tired. Were you up all night studying math, too?
Hardly. Red resisted an eye roll.
The math they were doing in class was something she'd mastered in her first year of school back on Mars.
Not exactly, she said.
I just had a lot of bad dreams. Charlie nodded sympathetically, pulling a tissue from his pocket.
At least today he didn't seem to be actively sneezing.
Maybe that weird green stuff his mom made him take actually worked.
His shirt was still on backwards though.
I once had bad dreams after watching this movie about aliens invading earth, he said.
Something about body snatchers?
I'm not allowed to watch scary movies anymore.
Trying to change the subject, Red asked, where's Rachel?
Did she call in sick?
Charlie shrugged. No idea.
Maybe her mom gave her a ride this morning.
Or..." he added with a grin.
Maybe she got abducted by aliens because we're getting too close to the truth." Red rode the rest of the way in silence, her thoughts circling like satellites.
She kept replaying what her father had asked her to do, swapped the real stone for the fake one.
It felt wrong. It was wrong.
But what choice did she have?
He'd said the entire Mars relocation program was at risk.
Her first class that morning was English with Mr. McCaskill who greeted the class with his usual enthusiasm.
them. All right, folks, what's everyone reading this week?" he asked.
When no one volunteered, he grinned and said, Okay, I'll go first since you all seem a little shy today.
I'm reading a book about antigravity.
He paused, letting the silence hang.
It's impossible to put down.
Red burst out laughing loudly.
The whole class turned to look at her.
She quickly ducked her head but couldn't help smiling.
She was, once again, the only one who appreciated Mr. McCaskill's particular brand of humor.
The rest of the morning passed in a blur.
Red sat through her classes, but her thoughts were miles away.
She kept reaching into the front pocket of her hoodie to rub the fake stone her father had given her.
The smooth surface gave her no comfort.
What if Alexa noticed the difference?
Red imagined the moment.
Alexa holding the stone, tilting it in the light as she always did frowning.
Wait, this isn't the same, she might say, turning to Red with suspicion in her eyes.
What did you do? Red swallowed. The image made her queasy.
She imagined fumbling for an excuse, the gang staring at her in disbelief.
Kurt's face would go blank.
Rachel might just walk away.
Charlie, he'd probably make a joke.
Or maybe not. She thought about running home and hiding in her room.
She even imagined standing up in class and blurting it all out.
I'm from Mars. Martians are already here.
The idea was wild, reckless, but strangely tempting.
Luckily, the lunch bell rang before she gave it any serious thought.
Now, it was time to face the gang.
The cafeteria buzzed with the usual midday noise, trays clattering, voices overlapping, and the faint sound of a pop song playing from someone's pocket speaker.
Red stepped inside, clutching her lunch bag in one hand and the fake stone in the hoodie pocket with the other.
Her fingers wouldn't stop rubbing it.
She spotted the gang at their usual table.
Again, they got here before her.
It was like they took some kind of train or discovered a secret passage to the cafeteria.
For months, Red had been trying to get there first and no matter how hard she tried, she was always last. Alexa was already mid -conversation with Kurt, who was demonstrating, loudly, how she'd built a mini snow slide in her backyard using just a shovel and a recycling bin.
Rachel sat beside them, reading as usual, and Charlie was stacking crackers into a leaning tower on his tray.
Hey Red, Alexa waved her over, we saved you a seat.
Red smiled weakly and sat down, heart drumming in her chest. She tried to act normal, pulling out her sandwich and pretending to listen to Kurt's story.
I swear. The bin just launched me, Kurt said, beaming.
I landed in a pile of snow so deep I almost needed a rescue team.
I'll stick to snow angels, Alexa said, then reached into her backpack.
Speaking of cool stuff, look what I brought.
but... Red froze. Alexa pulled out the stone.
The real one. It glimmered faintly under the overhead lights as she tilted it between her fingers.
I've been thinking.
We should try testing it again.
I have a magnifying lens at home and my dad just bought this new UV flashlight.
Hey, Alexa! Red interrupted, her voice catching in her throat.
Can I see it for a second?
Andโฆ Alexa blinked.
Um, sure. She handed it over.
The stone rested in red's hand like it belonged there.
Smooth. Cool. Ancient.
She gripped it gently, the fake still pressed inside her pocket.
This is your moment, she thought.
Just drop your hand in, make the switch and hand it back.
But as she hesitated, Charlie looked up from his cracker tower.
What's Red doing, analyzing the molecular density of the rock?
I bet she could, Rachel said without looking up, she's got that face on, you know, the I'm solving a space puzzle one.
Red forced a laugh and slid her hand into her pocket, fingertips brushing the imitation.
Just then Alexa leaned closer.
You okay, she asked.
You look kind of pale.
Red's mouth went dry.
Abort? No. She felt the real stone slide into her hoodie pocket and in one careful motion swapped the fake into her palm.
Yeah, Red said quickly just thinking about something I read last night.
you know me." She handed the fake stone back.
Alexa took it without a second glance and tucked it into her bag.
Red let herself breathe again.
So, Charlie said, what's next in the mystery plan?
Or are we officially back to being normal students with overdue homework?
Kurt groaned, don't remind me, and my coach is on my case for missing practices to hang out with you guys." Red didn't answer.
Her hand stayed in her pocket.
Fingers curled tightly around the real stone.
One secret exchanged for another.
Charlie took a big bite of his sandwich and immediately made a face.
Ugh, why is my peanut butter spicy?
Kurt laughed so hard, she nearly dropped her tray.
That's not peanut butter.
That's my chili hummus.
You must have grabbed the wrong one.
Red blinked. You brought two lunches?
Kurt shrugged, already halfway through her wrap.
I usually bring three or four.
I get hungry. Brain fuel.
Mystery -solving burns calories, you know.
You eat like a Martian vacuum cleaner," Charlie said, inspecting his sandwich in horror.
Kurt grinned. Thank you!
Best compliment I've gotten all week!
Rachel looked up from her book, just long enough to say, Charlie, your shirt's inside -out again!
Charlie froze, then looked down.
Oh, come on, that's the third time this week.
Why doesn't anyone tell me before I leave the house?" "'I thought it was on purpose,' Alexa said, smiling.
I figured it was your new fashion phase.
"'Inside out chic?' Charlie groaned.
"'Next time, just tape a note to my forehead.' The group laughed, and for a moment, Red almost forgot what she'd just done.
Almost. She glanced at Alexa's bag where the fake stone now rested.
No one had noticed the switch, not even Alexa.
But she already felt guilty, even more than she had expected she would.
She stirred the last of her applesauce with her spoon, pretending to think casually.
hey, about the journal stuff?
she began, do you ever wonder if maybe we've been reading too much into it?
Alexa tilted her head, what do you mean?
I don't know, Red said slowly.
I was looking through some of Dr. Hart's notes again and some of it feels more like riddles or puzzles than actual directions.
Maybe she was just eccentric, playing a game.
I mean, we haven't really found anything." Charlie shrugged, besides a glowing rock and a secret code.
And I thought we already decided that it was more or something.
Yeah, but the rock hasn't done anything since, Red said quickly, And the clues, we still don't even know where they lead.
It could be a wild goose chase.
Curt raised an eyebrow.
You think it's all just for fun?
Red gave a half shrug, forcing a smile.
Maybe... Or maybe we just need to take a step back for a while.
Breathe. Let our brains catch up.
Rachel looked thoughtful.
We have been pretty wrapped up in this.
A break might actually help." Alexa hesitated.
Hmmm... We were supposed to meet this weekend, but we could push it if you need more time.
She glanced at Red, her eyes narrowing just a little.
Unless you think we should wait longer?
Red kept her face neutral.
The weekend sounds fine, just some space.
I'm sure Dr. Hart wouldn't mind.
Kurt finished the last bite of her second wrap and let out a contented sigh.
Great. I could use a little body time anyway.
If I can improve my deadlift this week, Coach might finally give me a real rest day.
Charlie raised an eyebrow.
Just try not to deadlift the cafeteria tables again.
I still don't think they've recovered.
No promises !" Kurt said, grinning.
Red chuckled with the others, but her hand drifted to her hoodie pocket where the real stone rested.
She'd bought herself a little time.
Now she just had to figure out what to do with it.
Later, maybe tonight, she'd pull out the charm, turn it in her hands, study it under light, But listen for something hidden.
She didn't know what she was hoping to find, only that whatever it was, it wouldn't let her go.
And that is the end of this part.
Good night. Sleep tight.
you
