Battlefield by J. F. Jenkins Read Free Book Online Page A

entirely. He’d ignore JD for now.
    â€œI don’t know about where you’re from, Alan, but here we have things called surveillance videos, cell phones, and the Internet, which make staying incognito difficult. I personally don’t want to get arrested,” Orlando said.
    Alan handed each of them a simple, plain, black mask that only covered the eyes. “These have always been a way of protecting one’s identity. No one will recognize you, not even your mothers. There is one condition to this rule, however. Anyone who sees you remove this mask will forever know who you are. Be wary of those you show the truth to.”
    Orlando stared at the mask, trying to make sense of Alan’s attempt at sounding like some kind of wise guru. To him, it felt a little forced, as if the young man were trying to prove something, and that made him all the more wary. “You’re not serious, are you? I put on this mask, and all of a sudden no one is going to know who I am? You’re nuts.”
    â€œBy all means, give it a try. Put it on, right here, in front of your friends.” Alan gestured at Orlando with a smirk.
    Hesitantly, Orlando did as he was told. “All right, it’s on.”
    All three of them stared at him blankly.
    â€œAll right, funny. Someone else give this whole thing a try,” he said while folding his arms. He gestured for JD or Cadence to go next. After a moment’s pause, Cadence scoffed and rolled her eyes before placing her mask on as well.
    He watched her put the mask on, and the moment it was placed over her eyes, it was as if every one of his senses became disoriented. Where Cadence had once stood was now a girl who appeared as nothing more than fuzz. The most he could make out was that she was tall, dark-skinned, and a girl, but he couldn’t recognize her face. Almost as if each of his senses experienced static whenever they tried to tune in to her features. Just when he thought he had something figured out, he’d become even more confused. Where did he know her from?
    â€œOkay, who are you?” he asked.
    â€œYou’re one to ask. You’re the one who’s just standing around like he owns the place, and now you’re demanding answers?” she snapped back at him.
    â€œI only asked who you were. I didn’t realize it was such an offensive question. And I do own this place. Got it? So tell me who you are now.”
    â€œThis isn’t your house.”
    â€œWhat are you talking about? I—”
    Alan waved them quiet with a hand gesture. “Remove them.”
    Both of them stared at the alien before looking back at one another. Slowly, they removed the masks. As he watched her pull off her mask, Orlando saw everything about her become focused and clear as day. Instantly he recognized Cadence.
    JD stood off to the side with wide eyes. “Awesome.”
    â€œI’m...” Orlando started, but he couldn’t quite figure out how to say what was on his mind. What just happened? How is it even possible?
    â€œWow, speechless. That’s new. I thought you had something witty to say about everything,” JD said.
    â€œI see that no matter what happens, you’re never startled enough to grow a brain.” Not his best comeback, but Orlando wasn’t going to let JD get away with thinking he could out-snark him. His sarcasm was always a good way to deflect what he was actually feeling. The others didn’t need to know how disturbed all of this was making him feel.
    â€œJD, you better do your thing now, so that way we can all know who the other is even when we’re ‘in costume’,” Cadence said.
    He nodded, taking his turn. “Okay, now it’s on.” Again, everything about him became blurry and distorted. “And now it’s off.”
    Cadence blinked. “Why is this happening? It makes no sense.”
    â€œDoes any of this? While your planet’s ideas of logic are