Alexandra wanted this title, I swear guys-

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆

It was December, and Winter Break had finally arrived. Alexandra's family had made plans to rent cabins with some friends during the break. Alexandra's best friends were among those who came.

Her friend, Amethyst, who was an only child, came with her parents. Her mother was a university professor who taught Medieval History, and her father, Robert Epps, was an army captain who was friends with Mazikeen. Alexandra's other best friend, Rosalyn, came up with her family. She had an older cousin around Sam's age, who Sam had been crushing on for years. Her mother was in the police force, and her father was a mechanic. Both Alexandra's and Amethyst's fathers always gave Rosalyn's dad a hard time, given how their jobs were all heroic, while all he did was fix cars. Rosalyn's father always tried to defend himself,

"Hey, I have a very tough job. The other day, I wrestled a feisty cat to get her cat out of a car. I almost had to get stitches," 

Robert Epps chuckled,

"Yeah, sure, and the other day I was in a firefight. I was almost shot," 

Ronald laughed and clinked beers with Robert,

"Good one," 

Alexandra and her trio walked up to their dads.

"I don't mean to break this up, but can we go into the forest? We wanna go on a hike,"

Mazikeen walked up to Alexandra, 

"You guys want to go hiking in the snow? You hate the cold,"

Rosalyn nodded and nudged Mazikeen,

"Yes! Duh, it's not every day we get the chance to go on a hike together."

"We're fully prepared. We got our snow boots, snow jackets, snow gloves, and even a walkie-talkie so we can check in with you guys at the top of every hour," 

Mazikeen crossed her arms,

"Y-"

Ron put  a hand on her shoulder, 

"Calm down-"

The three teens dramatically fell on their knees,

"Pretty pleeeeeaaasssee,"

Robert chuckled, 

"The physical appearance of the 'please' makes no difference," 

The trio of friends didn't know how to respond, but their expressions were funny. The fathers laughed, and then Ron sighed,

"Oh, alright. Check-in with us every half hour, don't wander off too far, and stick together. And..."

"WE KNOW," 

Mazikeen sighed,

"We are just making sure. Now get outta here." 

They hugged their dads, and Alexandra dramatically hugged Mazikeen, 

"We will be back from the trenches,"

Mazikeen rolled her eyes with a chuckle, 

"Okay,"

Then, they took off into the white forest. Not even fifteen minutes into the hike, they were out of breath. Walking uphill in the snow was a lot harder than they thought, and the cold air didn't help either. They took a small break, then started back up again. They were too tired to talk, so Rosalyn pulled out her iPod and put some music on.

When Leonardo, who was in Alexandra's pocket, heard the music, he was ever so slightly bothered. He carefully pulled himself out of her pocket and climbed to her shoulder. Alexandra was further ahead of her two friends, so they didn't see Leonardo. Leonardo tragically fake cried,

"What is this? Have I been replaced by this lower-grade iPod? Am I not worthy to grace thy ears with my beautiful sounds?" 

Alexandra laughe, 

"Get back in there before someone sees you." 

He smiled a cheesy smile and then went back into her pocket.

"What's so funny?" 

"Nothing. Hurry up, you slowpokes! A snail could beat you at that pace."

Rosalyn groaned,

"Hey, give us a break. We don't run every day like you do," 

Amethyst rolled her eyes, 

"Yeah, we, like every other American our age, are couch potatoes."

They giggled at her comment.

"When zombies come, you'll be glad we did this." 

They all laughed again, but it was true. Zombies would come one day, and they needed to be prepared. They checked in on their walkie-talkie once and then again later. They took another break.

"So, you guys ready to head back?" 

Amethyst jumped up, 

"I am! Let's get going."

Alexandra looked up at her from her resting spot on a boulder,

"Hold on, Couch Potato, we're still resting," 

 When they were ready, she slid down. Their return journey started off much easier than when they first started. It was downhill. Being how they weren't out of breath anymore, they talked. While they were talking, Christine thought she heard something.

"Hey guys, hold on."

"What's up?"

"I could have sworn I heard something."

"Like?"

Amethyst was about to respond when they all heard it. Growling... and it sounded close. They all turned slowly in the direction of the growl. They heard heavy footsteps from behind a boulder covered in snow. Then they heard the footsteps stop. At the edge of the boulder, they saw the creature's breath. The teenagers were all frozen in fear. Alexandra's heart was pounding so loudly that she was sure the animal heard it. Then, the worst possible thing happened. Her father's voice came up on the walkie-talkie.

"Hey girls, food is almost ready. If you haven't begun heading back, it's time to start. See you soon. Over," 

Amethyst and Rosalyn gave Alexandra terrified looks. They then turned to the sound of a loud snarl. Alexandra just saw a blur of black coming at them before she turned and yelled, 

"Run!" 

They all sprinted clumsily down the hill. Alexandra looked back to see what was chasing them and saw that it was a bear. Rosalyn started screaming,

"How the heck are we supposed to outrun a bear!?"

Amethyst ran past her,

"I don't gotta outrun it. I just gotta outrun you!" 

Rosalyn was running past a tree when her jacket got caught on a branch. She frantically pulled free, but the branch swung back when she did, knocking Rosalyn in the stomach and making her go down. Amethyst was too scared to look back, so she didn't know that Rosalyn went down, but Alexandra did, and she went back for her friend. While helping Rosalyn up, Alexandra saw the bear coming at them fast. She didn't know what to do, so she did the only thing she thought might save them and shouted, 

"OPTIMUS!" 

When nothing happened, reality set in. He wasn't anywhere close. He was most likely still parked somewhere near the cabins. Instead of just giving in, she rather aggressively yanked Rosalyn up, and they both started running. They heard the bear's breathing and could tell it was on their heels. It had closed the gap between them quickly. The ground suddenly began to shake, and a force from behind them sent the two friends flying forward. They heard what sounded like a yelp, and the bear was gone. Alexandra turned onto her back, looked up, and sighed in relief. Seeing Optimus there... was just... she wouldn't ever forget that feeling of relief, happiness, and joy flooding her at the same time. She snapped out of it, got up, wiped the snow off of her, and helped her friend up. Rosalyn was staring up at the metal giant. She didn't say anything; she just continued to stare.

Optimus turned his attention away from the fleeing animal and looked down at the girls. He knelt down so he was closer to their level. 

"Are you two alright?" 

He extended his hand to wipe some snow off of Alexandra's head, but when he reached out, Rosalyn turned on her heel and booked it toward the cabins, screaming. Leonardo popped up from Alexandra's pocket,

"Well, that could have been worse,"

Alexandra forgot he was even there,

"Trrruuuueee... hey! Where the heck were you when the bear attacked!?

Alexandra scoffed jokingly,

"Some protector you are. Rover could have done a better job,"

"I'm teeny tiny! What the heck could I have done? It's a flipping bear! Did you want me to—!?"

"We will worry about this later; we have other problems at hand." 

Alexandra and Leonardo instantly stopped their arguing when they heard Optimus' commanding voice,

"We must stop Rosalyn before she reveals our existence."

"How?"

Optimus scooped his little friends up and quickly navigated his way through the white forest,

"By giving chase," 

In no time at all, they cut off Rosalyn. Optimus gently put Alexandra on the ground so she could explain everything to Rosalyn. She was hesitant to believe her friend, but she eventually gave in. Leonardo fist-pumped the air,

"One down, one to go," 

Rosalyn tilted her head,

"What do you mean?"

Leonardo smirked at her,

"We don't have to worry about you anymore; it's the other friend now," 

Alexandra face-palmed

"Oh crap, Amethyst probably made it back already. She is going to tell everyone about the bear!" 

Optimus decided to take over,

"Contact Samuel. She hasn't made it to the cabins yet. He can intercept her and bring her to us, where we can fill her in on what's really going on."

Alexandra forgot they had a military strategist with them,

"Oh, that makes sense. Good plan." 

Alexandra pulled out the walkie-talkie and spoke into it,

"Hey, Dad, are you there? Over."

They waited a moment, and then Ron's voice was heard,

"Yeah, I'm here. What's up? Over."

"Can you give the walkie-talkie to Samuel? I need to ask him something. Over."

"Okay, hold on. Over." 

There was a moment of silence before Sam's voice was heard,

"Alex, what's up? Over."

"Amethyst ran off after a bear chased us. Optimus is with us right now. Can you meet up with her? Over."

"Uh, yeah, I'm already heading that way. I'll bring her to you guys. I guess you guys are out there on the trail? Over."

"Yeah, thanks. Over." 

She placed the device back in her pocket.

Rosalyn seemed pretty anxious about everything. She was sweating. Alexandra tilted her head, 

 "You alright?"

"Yeah, it's just...robots exist! I always thought that Maze would create the first big robot,"

Alexandra smiled at her best friend and chuckled, 

"Yeah, ditto,"

They all huddled up together to keep warm, with Optimus standing watch. They waited about fifteen minutes before Alexandra saw Samuel and Amethyst approaching them.

"So you really are an alien," 

Optimus smiled,

"Yes. I am indeed. I come from the planet Cybertron,"

Alexandra smiled at seeing her best friend speaking so openly to Optimus. Amethyst stared up at Optimus Prime, 

"So, you're like... a giant robot from space?"

"That is correct,"

Rosalyn was next to question, her brain finally working again from the shock,

"Okay, and let me guess, you're not here for sightseeing, are you?"

Optimus smiled slightly, the metallic plates of his face shifting gently,

"No, we are here because our world was destroyed by war. My people and I are searching for a new home, while also trying to stop the Decepticons from destroying this one."

Amethyst processed that information. 

"So, you're fighting other alien robots who want to destroy Earth? And you didn't think to tell us?"

Alexandra stepped in,

"We couldn't, Amethyst. I wasn't even supposed to know at first. Optimus and the others have to keep their existence secret to protect everyone."

Rosalyn sighed,

"Okay, wait—so if all of this is real, what's next? Like, are there gonna be alien battles here or something? Are we... involved now?"

Samuel, who had stayed quiet for a while, rubbed the back of his neck,

"If you keep quiet, you're not directly involved. But you guys have to promise not to tell anyone. Not your parents, not anyone."

Rosalyn and Amethyst exchanged glances. Amethyst shrugged

"This is a lot to take in. A bear chase I can handle, but secret robot wars? That's kinda crazy."

Alexandra nodded,

"I know, it's a lot. But I promise, the less people know, the safer everyone is. If word got out, the government could get involved. Or worse, the Decepticons could target us."

Rosalyn raised her eyebrows,

"Okay, I see your point. Fine, I'll keep my mouth shut."

Amethyst seemed a bit more hesitant, but after a moment, she sighed, 

"Yeah, I guess I don't want any giant evil robots knocking on my door."

Optimus stood straight up again,

"Good. Your trust is appreciated. It is important that we remain hidden until the time is right. For now, you are safe."

"So... now what?"

Alexandra smiled at them,

"We head back before our parents get too worried. We can explain everything to you two later after this weekend is over. Right now, let's act like nothing happened."

Rosalyn sighed,

"Yeah, 'cause that'll be super easy,"

Sam shrugged,

"Just pretend everything is normal. We'll figure out the rest as we go."

Optimus nodded, his bright optics scanning the horizon, 

"I will escort you back to ensure there are no further dangers. Your safety is my priority."

The group began walking back toward the cabins, with Optimus moving quietly behind them. Alexandra noticed the snow crunching under their boots and how the cold air filled her lungs, making it all feel strangely normal again despite their surreal situation.

"You know. I was not expecting to be chased by a bear and meet a giant alien robot today. This is the weirdest winter break ever."

Alexandra laughed softly,

"Yeah, welcome to my life."

As they got closer to the cabins, Optimus transformed into his truck mode, careful to stay hidden from view until it was safe to reappear.

Samuel glanced at his sister, 

"You think everything's gonna be okay?"

Alexandra smiled faintly,

"I hope so. At least we have Optimus on our side."

Clarissa and Christine, now fully roped into this strange world, walked beside them in silence, their minds racing with everything they'd just learned.

"Let's just enjoy the rest of the break. And try not to get chased by any more bears."

"Agreed," 

Alexandra smirked, though deep down, she knew their lives were forever changed.

𝑆𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑒

Starscream was flying in space toward where the encrypted message originated from. With the message being ancient Cybertronian, none of the Decepticons could decode it. However, Starscream had a good idea about what it said. It had to be from one of the leaders. He just hoped that when he found whoever sent it, that bot would be so badly damaged that he could kill them easily.

He followed the signal to an uncharted planet. The planet was third from the star it orbited, and it had one moon instead of two, like Cybertron. The planet's atmosphere consists of multiple harmless gases. From his view, the planet was mainly blue. It had regions that were green, brown, yellow, and white. There were white swirly things that covered the planet, too.

Starscream detected life on the planet, and that spiked his curiosity. He shielded his energy signature when he saw a disfigured metal machine orbiting his way. It turned out to be a satellite. He easily hacked into it and learned everything about this strange planet called Earth.

"I will resume my search for the encrypted signal later, for now; I want to learn more about this planet for it could prove useful in the future." 

He didn't realize that Laserbeak was following him...