Chapter 2

“Whisper, whisper, rustle, rustle.”

The same noises that woke up Melissa Harding last night, woke her up early in the morning, and it felt like she hadn’t had any sleep at all. She stretched, yawned, and pulled the covers over her head, wishing she could go back to sleep, but the sounds persisted.

“Whisper, whisper, rustle, rustle.”

Melissa’s eyes suddenly shot open, she pushed her blanket aside, jumped out of bed, and headed straight for her closet. She pulled the door open just as the sounds began again. Since she had already knew who was making the noises, she didn’t waste a whole lot of time looking for their source.

Instead, she picked up the old shoe box that sat on the floor directly in front of her, just where she left it last night. She removed its lid, and peered inside. Although she knew the Star Trek characters were inside, the sight of them still surprised her.

As Melissa stared down at the miniature figures of the Vulcan, Tuvoc, and the handsome star ship pilot, Tom Paris, she rubbed the last remnants of sleep from her eyes. She realized last night’s adventure was real. It wasn’t just a dream.

Tuvoc and Tom Paris had beamed down to Earth, in pursuit of The Borg, who wanted to assimilate everybody on the planet, but a malfunction in the transporter had reduced them to a tiny size. After a lot of searching, Melissa had found them and miniature Borg drones, hiding in her closet. She had gotten rid of The Borg by flushing them down her toilet.

“It’s about time. We were trying to wake you for the last hour,” Tuvok scolded. He looked up at Melissa with angry eyes.

“Well, since I’m not a Vulcan I need my sleep,” Melissa replied.

“But last night you promised to help us get back to our ship,” Tuvok reminded her. “Do you realize how dangerous it was for us to follow The Borg to your room? We were chased by cats and almost became doggy treats, and in our present size it’s going to take us forever to get back to a location to where our ship can beam us up.”

“Oh, give her a break, Tuvoc,” Paris interjected. “She’s just a girl, but I’m sure she’ll help us anyway she can.”

“Paris is right. I will help you, just like I promised last night, but first I have to get some breakfast, and then find a way to sneak you out of the house without my parents knowing. If they discovered you, they would never understand, because mom and dad don’t ever watch Star Trek.

I’ve seen all the movies, and the TV episodes. I even watch the re-runs.”

Jack and Melinda Harding were sitting at the kitchen table having their morning coffee.

They looked up in surprise when Melissa joined them.

“Hey kiddo, It’s only eight o-clock. How come you’re up so early, on Saturday morning?”

Melinda eyed her daughter. wondering if something was bothering her. She had heard her wandering around her room in the middle of the night, but when she went and investigated, she found her in her bed.

She set a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast in front of her. When Melissa began gobbling it up like a starving animal, she thought, well. at least there’s nothing wrong with her appetite.

“I’m supposed to meet some friends at the park this morning. We’re going to ride our bikes down the new trail, and want to get there early, before it gets busy,” Melissa explained between bites of her food. It was the only explanation she could think of, and she hoped it would satisfy her mother.

When her parents weren’t looking, she snitched a couple of bacon rashers and a piece of toast off the platter, wrapped them in a napkin, and stuffed them in her pocket. It wasn’t much, but then she mused. How much food can miniature Star Trek characters eat? By the size of them, a couple of crumbs is all the food they need for a whole day.

I’m all done. Delicious breakfast mom,” Melissa exclaimed as she downed the rest of her orange juice and pushed back her chair. “Now, I gotta grab my backpack out of my room, and go meet Ashley and Susan.”

“I wonder what that girl is up to? She’s acting a little strange this morning.” Melinda eyed her husband whose face was buried in the sport section of the daily newspaper.

Jack looked up at his wife. “She’s a teenager so who knows. I guess as long as she doesn’t get in any trouble, it’s okay.”

As soon as Melissa was back in her room, she eyed Tuvoc and Paris who were sitting on her bed, anxiously waiting for her.

“Okay, breakfast is done, now I gotta sneak you out of here so why don’t you two crawl into my backpack. I’ll carry you out to my bike and as soon as I’m away from the house, I’ll let you out, so you can direct me to where you’re supposed to be.”