Devour Vol 2 Ch 11: The Last Day On Earth!

I’m Conrad sat at his desk, eyes half-focused on the whiteboard while Mr. Halbrook went on and on about parabolas and quadratic equations like the universe wasn't on the verge of tearing open. Like Conrad himself hadn't been launched through space just days ago, almost vaporized between two cosmic titans, only to be told he was now invited to attend some sort of grand intergalactic family dinner that might decide the fate of Earth.

And now he was here. In school. For what he was pretty sure would be the last time.

His chin rested in his hand as he stared blankly out the window, barely hearing anything being said. Everyone else around him was going on like it was just another Thursday. But for him? It was his final 24 hours as a normal human being.

Great, he thought, I'm basically becoming an astronaut and I'm stuck here trying to remember how to factor a damn polynomial.

His gaze drifted to the sidewalk outside the school gate. That's when he saw her.

A girl. Blonde hair. Pale skin. She wore what looked like a school uniform, though it fit her about as naturally as a bedsheet wrapped around a lamp post. She walked stiffly, like she didn't quite know how her legs worked, glancing around at everything like a tourist on a new planet.

Conrad squinted. His stomach twisted.

"...No way."

The girl turned her head. And their eyes met.

Conrad bolted upright, his chair scraping loudly. "Uh, Mr. Halbrook? Can I use the restroom?"

Mr. Halbrook barely glanced up. "Fine, just take the pass."

Conrad was already halfway out the door before the pass even landed in his hand. He sprinted down the hall, burst out the school entrance, and made a beeline for the gates. He didn't stop until he was right in front of her.

"W–what are you doing here?!" he practically shouted, breathless.

The girl—no, the Devourer—turned her head toward him, blinking slowly.

"Oh," she said, tilting her head. "There you are."

Conrad blinked. "You... you can't just show up here! You're not supposed to be on Earth! This is a school! People will see you!"

She looked around at the students walking by, the open windows, the cement. She sniffed the air.

"This place is... strange," she said slowly. "A dense cluster of juvenile lifeforms confined in a structure of decaying mineral composite... Is this a containment zone?"

"A what? No! It's a high school!"

Her eyes narrowed. "What is... high school?"

"It's where kids go to learn! To study! To prepare for... life, I guess!"

She looked at the building again. "It seems inefficient. There are no weapons. No defensive barriers. I don't detect any combat arenas."

"That's because we're not training for war! This is for—" Conrad stopped, running his hand down his face. "Never mind. What are you wearing?"

She looked down at herself. A white blouse clung to her form, tucked into tight blue short shorts. The shirt buttons strained ever so slightly around her chest. She looked mildly confused.

"I replicated it. From observation. Is it... not good?"

"No, I mean—yes—I mean... You look good," Conrad admitted, blushing hard. "But still! You can't be here!"

She stepped closer, towering over him despite appearing human-sized. "Why not?"

"Because people are going to notice you don't belong here!"

"Ah," she said, thoughtfully. "Is this... forbidden?"

"Yes! You could get me expelled! You could get both of us in trouble!"

She blinked. "What is... 'expelled'?"

Conrad's mouth opened. Closed. Opened again. "It means they'll kick me out of school. For breaking rules."

"...Is that painful?"

"No! Well, yes! Emotionally! Look, it doesn't matter! You're gonna get us caught!"

The Devourer looked genuinely baffled. She stared at the school like it was some alien ruin. "I wished to see the place where you spend most of your time. I sensed it from your memories. This... structure. It felt important to you. I thought... perhaps I could understand."

Conrad frowned. She sounded sincere. Completely and totally out of her depth—but sincere.

"You really don't know anything about Earth, do you?"

She straightened. "I know much about your world. I have consumed seven similar planets. Earth is mostly silicon, iron, and hydrogen. I find the taste of your oceans to be somewhat bitter, but the volcanic crusts are pleasantly rich in magnesium."

"That is... not the kind of knowledge I'm talking about."

She tilted her head, confused.

Conrad sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "You really don't know what a vending machine is either, do you?"

"I assumed it was some form of automated warrior," she said with complete seriousness.

That got a laugh out of him. A tired, awkward, unexpected chuckle.

She smiled, just a little. "Was that... humor? Did I amuse you?"

"Yeah," he admitted. "A little."

They stood there for a moment, the weight of the cosmos strangely absent. Just a weirdly dressed alien woman and a tired teenager having a moment of peace.

"You still can't stay here," Conrad said gently.

"I only wanted to see," she replied. "This place shaped you. I wanted to understand you."

He looked at her, truly looked at her. The same being who once threatened to devour his planet—now fumbling her way through human customs like a lost tourist.

"C'mon," he said with a sigh. "I'll show you the gymnasium. But no glowing eyes, no talking about magma flavor, and definitely don't try to eat anybody."

She brightened. "Very well. I will do my best."

As they walked through the gates side by side, Conrad couldn't help but shake his head.

"God help me," he muttered. "I'm babysitting a planet-killer in gym shorts."

And with that, the most absurd school tour in human history began.