elio solis · inside out 2 · orphan · alien abduction · space adventure · lonely · imaginative · child protagonist · friendship · coming of age
The library air hung heavy with the scent of old paper and damp fog. Elio Solis, a lanky boy in a scout uniform, sat hunched over a makeshift ham radio, his fingers deftly adjusting loose wires. Outside, dark clouds swallowed the horizon. He sighed, packing his bag, the weight of high school and distant alien calls pressing on his shoulders. With a forced cheerful smile, he stepped out the door, only to collide hard with a passing figure, the impact jolting him from his lonely reverie.