Inside the school, the halls were just starting to thin out as panicked students, unsure of what else to do, made their way into their first period classes. Jon and Karyn sat down at their regular desks, each bearing a thousand-yard stare.
Anthony Fargo nudged Jon from the next seat over, tilting his phone screen so Jon could see the video that was playing. It was a live stream from the Oval Office, with President LeVar Burton in the middle of an address.
"The United States government has known about the presence of the Tailoreans on Earth for some time now, but it was believed that they were benign," he intoned. "The Pentagon has been monitoring their activity and researching their physiology. As long as they were not causing any distress, it was believed that the best course of action was to quietly research until a viable plan to remove them was determined. But this morning the situation has changed.
"We don't yet know what's caused the Tailoreans to swarm in the skies and attach themselves to seemingly arbitrary targets. But from our research, we know that they've spent the better part of the last year hidden among the regular clothing of almost ever American wardrobe, and absorbing and storing biological energy whenever they are worn. They absorb the biological data of the people who wear them. Or at least, they did until this morning.
"From our observations, it appears that all of that biological energy and data is now being directed into the bodies of the individuals who have been targeted today. We don't yet know why they are doing this, or what long-term effects it may have. Avoid contact if at all possible. Close and lock all windows and doors, and examine every garment carefully before approaching. The one definitive thing we know about Tailoreans is that they do not respond well to 'yo mama' jokes, so avoid unless necessary."
Mrs. Georges stepped into the classroom right at that moment, and Anthony pulled his phone away, turning off the screen.
Tailoreans. Jon's mind raced. What did this mean. Were there always aliens living in people's closets, and Jon's wish had just woken them up? Or had Jon's wish created them in the first place and gave them a retroactive history?
Mrs. Georges began class with a discussion on what people had seen and experience that morning. A therapy session, more or less. But Jon didn't participate. He just stared blankly at the wall until the bell rang.
