It started as most things do. With a news broadcast. 

It was late May. The snow had long since melted and now every time I went outside, the sweet perfume of flowers shoved its way up my nose. Large tulips bloomed in the patch of dirt that separated Ali's driveway from my front lawn and in the area lining my house's walkway. The bushes and trees in my yard regrew their leaves. The soft green seemed to bloom overnight and stood out in drastic contrast to the dark grey paint of my house.

The sun set later and with more vivid colored sunsets. I would often watch them out of my bedroom window as the soft blue sky would light up in brilliant shades of orange and pink. It would fade softly to deep purple and then into the inky blackness of night. The stars would poke through, eager to take the stage. But my favorite sunsets involved clouds. With them, the colors would magnify and spread until they not only lit the sky on the horizon, but they covered the whole sky in fire. Yellow and orange fire.

It was one of those nights when it happened.

I'd been sitting on my bed after dinner pouring over a geography textbook and getting ready for the next day's quiz. My laptop sat off to my side almost taunting me with its wide open screen. I would have closed it if not for the giant world map I had open on it. I had reached a section on Norway's rivers and lakes when I heard my mother calling me from downstairs.

"Nova! I need you to come downstairs right now!" Her voice seemed off, too high pitched.

I groaned and rolled over. If this was because I didn't take the dishes out of the dishwasher right away, I was going to freak. Sometimes homework took priority in my mind.

I took deep breathes as I descended the stairs telling myself that I would not snap at my mother if it turned out to be the dishes. But nobody was in the kitchen. The sounds of the news on the TV drifted to me and I followed it out to the living room, the noise rising with every step.

My whole family was gathered on the leather couch staring intently at the screen and the newscaster there. Even Milo, my little whirlwind of a brother, was sitting still.

"If you called me in to see another bill being signed-"

They all violently shushed me and my father patted the spot next to Milo. Sit down he seemed to say. So I did as I was told and turned my attention to the TV as well.

"NASA has recently released these images of what seems to be a foreign spaceship hovering right next to the moon. We're not sure if this is another country's or privately owned but we do know that these photos have not been tampered with. While NASA is leaning towards the conclusion that this is not a manmade spaceship, they're not going to say for sure until they have solid evidence."

The newscaster spoke in his usual professional tone that we saw every day however this time there was just a hint of nervousness. Something about the photo made him uneasy. It made all of us uneasy.

The photo was taken looking up at the spaceship. It's dark hull nearly indistinguishable from the night sky. It was long and thin, looking almost like a deadly fish with its fins extending up and down. There was what seemed to be a sphere resting between the two fins that they attached to and small pinpricks of orange light shone out from the fins and the sphere like windows. You could tell by looking at it that it held danger in its hull.

The picture suddenly vanished and was replaced by the newscaster's face. He licked his lips nervously, gave a slight smile as if to comfort those watching and continued on as if photos of possible alien spaceships were an everyday occurrence.

"In other news, the midterms are heating up on the east coast."

"I don't know what other proof they need then a photo from their satellites," my father ran a hand through his hair making it stand up in dark spikes.

"Dad," I gave a small laugh. "Do you really believe that bullshit?"

"Nova! Not around your brother," my mother gasped.

Milo just stared at me, mouth slightly agape.

"NASA said it was unedited and untampered with. I honestly don't think they would risk causing panic over a questionable photo," my father's lawyer voice was starting to come out. A cue not to argue because you'd get nowhere.

But I kept going anyway. If not to convince my family that aliens didn't exist, then to convince myself.

"There are programmes now that are very hard to trace if a photo's been tampered with. And hackers? Do I need to remind you of them? I don't think NASA is immune to them no matter how sophisticated their technology is."

"Alright suppose it is a hacker with one those so-called untraceable programmes. Why? Why do it?" Oh no scary lawyer voice.

"To cause a worldwide panic. There are people that would greatly benefit if that happened," I said standing. "All I'm saying is don't read too much into this. It's probably nothing."

I really hoped that would be the case.

"And what if you're wrong?" Milo popped his head over the back of the couch to watch me as I walked to the stairs. "What if it is aliens?"

"If I'm wrong? Well, the world's probably going end."