My Cousin, the Alien Read Online Free

laughing, posing adults were paying attention only to themselves.
    After a while of silent stuffing, I asked, “So how’s this tutoring thing? Really bad?”
    “No,” he said, sticking black olives on all his fingers. “I can ignore the tutor just like I ignore teachers. But it’s infuriating—a waste of time.” One by one, he sucked the olives into his mouth. “My parents and I keep fighting about it. Last night, Mom yelled that if I loved her, I’d try to learn something, and I yelled that if they loved me, they’d stop trying to make me learn that stuff. Our two species don’t communicate very well.”
    I tried not to sound too nerdy. “Maybe they think that wanting you to do well in school shows they do love you? I mean, adults are always lecturing about getting good grades so we can get good jobs. Your dad probably wants you to make lots of money like he does instead of like my dad.”
    “But I don’t care about all that. See? That’s another way I’m not like them. My
real
parents would love me without always bringing money into it.”
    He suddenly lowered his voice so I could barely hear it above the chattering crowd. “Even throwing a party like this is dangerous. If they loved me and cared about keeping me safe, they wouldn’t do it.”
    “What do you mean?” The party looked harmless to me. Just a bunch of adults standing around talking and trying to impress each other.

    “They’re calling attention to us. They invited all the town’s bigwigs, but they don’t know half of these people. An alien looking for the hidden Imperial Prince could slip in easily. It could be any of those people—like that fat, bald guy by the bar.”
    I checked the guy out and almost choked laughing. “Not that one, Ethan. That’s the Mayor.”
    “Could be a cover identity,” he huffed.
    Standing up, he threw his empty plastic plate like a Frisbee into the garbage can. “Never mind, let’s go swimming.”
    The rest of the evening was okay. Ethan didn’t accuse any other prominent citizens of being aliens. And his indoor/outdoor pool was amazing.
    Next morning my dad made a surprise announcement over our cheese omelet breakfast. Our kitchen wasn’t as grand as Ethan’s, but our crowded little breakfast nook was cozy. “Believe it or not,
want
it or not,” he intoned, “we’re taking a vacation.”
    “What?” my mother asked, nearly dropping her fork.
    “Where?” I asked.
    “And why?” my dad grumbled. “Because my little brother wants to show off again.”
    After a long pause, my mother prodded him. “Meaning . . . ?”
    “Meaning Paul told me last night that he won some surprise drawing, and his company is giving him an all-expense-paid stay at Deer Springs Resort for his family and another family of his choice. He chose us.”
    I let out a whoop. Mom and I exchanged big grins. I didn’t have a clue about Deer Springs Resort, but it sounded better than our usual vacations in run-down motels.
    Mom cocked an eyebrow. “I hope you had the good sense
not
to turn him down.”
    Dad glowered. “Yeah, I swallowed my pride and accepted. But I only did it for you two! Otherwise I wouldn’t go near that rich snobs’ playground—particularly not on my brother’s charity.”
    “It isn’t charity, dear, it’s family togetherness. When do we go?”
    Turns out we were going the week after school let out and staying in the place for five days with our rooms, meals, and use of all the resort facilities paid for. Maybe five solid days with my crazy cousin would be a little too much togetherness. But once Dad showed me the resort brochure, I figured I could stand it. Horseback riding, swimming pools, incredible gardens, and a building right out of fantasy stories. Fantastic and very Earthly looking.
    Maybe we would spend the whole time without thinking about aliens.
    Amazing how wrong I could be.

It took several hours to drive to Deer Springs Resort. The brochure said that it was once one of the poshest