The door of the ship pushed out, and Thalia climbed down the attached ladder to the dry grass below. It wasn’t until her feet sunk into the sand that she realized how long it had been since she had been on earth. The air smelled old, in a way, the way it always had. Admittedly, she was in the middle of nowhere considering how many cities there were. Sandpoint, Idaho seemed like just the place to get just far enough away from the metal that a person could take a deep breath.

Across the road and down the hill the river glistened bright white in the noon sun. Speed boats rushed up towards the marina near the downtown area. On the road, cars slowed as people stared out at her ship. She turned around for a moment to look at it. It looked a lot larger from the outside, she thought. Compared to their little vehicles, it was enormous. But her thoughts quickly moved to much more important business, her identity. On the approach in to earth she had checked the news stations, and there she was, her round face and dark brown hair, curling around her ears, with the red accents. She didn’t like being on the news, even when she had __some famous brave act that she did___, and she especially didn’t like being on the news at the agency’s most wanted criminal. She knew that landing would draw attention, but she needed Sam’s help, and landing was the fastest option.

She got to the road and began to walk along side, towards the city’s center. Cars buzzed past quickly, and the more she got further away from her ship, the safer she felt. She thought about the map and considered just abandoning everything. Sandpoint was a nice town, maybe she could get a nice job at the local restaurant, find a place to stay, and leave the ship, the map, space, and not go back. The ship could sit there until it was slowly returned to the earth.

But that just wouldn’t do. It was as if there was a magnet in her chest pulling her forward, compelling her to take these obscene risks.