“What would a trip to the mountains be without food?” she asked, smiling. “Now, tell us about your day.”
Jaden obliged, and the conversation bounced from the tests they had allocated him to learning strategies to a dissection of his exam timetable. This meandered into his parents’ memories of their own student days. By the time they neared the end of their journey, they were discussing the hike.
A few minutes later, Ty glanced out the window when the engines slowed. “We’re here!”
While his father docked the terraporter, Jaden reached for the backpack he had stowed the previous evening. Opening the compartments, he checked the contents. Everything was still there, all in place and ready to prove his sanity. Zipping everything closed again, he slung the backpack over his shoulders and followed his parents out of the insulated warmth of their terraporter.
“Smell that fresh air!” Jaden beamed, drawing in deep lungfuls.
The air was brisk but tinged with the whisper of summer, hinting at the warmth to come. Signs of spring were everywhere. Grinning at his parents, Jaden said, “Beat you to the top!”
“No, you won’t!” his father yelled back, and the three of them sprinted away.
It didn’t last long. Between the slippery snow, melted to slush in places, and the altitude, they were all panting by the time they reached the crest of the small hill marking the start of the main trail.
Laughing, Jaden let his father take the lead. His mother filled the middle spot, and Jaden claimed the back of the pack, which was fine with him. He could keep his eyes peeled for the beast without alarming his parents.
Excitement bubbled through his veins. Jaden fully expected garnering the evidence he needed. Then his friends would believe—they would see what he had seen. A shiver ran through him when he recalled how heinous the creature was. And now I’m back for a second helping? Am I crazy? No, I’m here to prove I’m not.
If he could get confirmation, then his friends would know how abhorrent it was. Maybe Shianna might even help him identify it. He guessed the creature was probably phylum Chordata, but he couldn’t think of a single suitable class. First things first, though. Get the proof.
Last time, he’d felt the beast before spotting it. Would that happen this time? Remembering how impossible pinpointing the creature had been before, even when actively searching for it, Jaden reined in his thoughts and paid closer attention to his surroundings. He scanned the skies and forest. But even before his eyes confirmed it, he knew the beast wasn’t there.
Well, I only saw it halfway up the mountain last time. Maybe we just need to get a little higher. An hour later, there was still no sign of the beast. Jaden’s spirits drooped.
His mom’s hopeful inquiry broke the silence. “Can we take a break?”
“Sure, sweetie,” Ty said, his voice cheerful.
“Yeah, I could use some food,” Jaden muttered, thinking sustenance might shore up his resolve.
Resting on a rock overlooking a valley glistening with melting snow, Jaden tried not to let his dismay show. His growing concern over not having spotted the beast manifested in verbal diarrhea
“Isn’t the view fantastic?” he gushed. “Look at that squirrel—trying to find his store of nuts from last year. Probably forgot where he put them. And look at that cute little chipmunk! Mom, don’t you love all the snowdrops?”
Snakes! He sounded cheesy even to himself. Glancing at his mother, he caught the look passing between his parents. He had said too much. They knew him. They would surmise he was edgy about something. Thinking fast, he said, “Sorry, I’m trying not to think about the next few days.”
Their weak smiles weren’t convincing.
“Jaden, what’s wrong?” his dad prodded. “You’ve never been nervous about tests before.”
Sighing, Jaden debated telling them the truth. He hated lying. But what choice did he have? If he told them about the monster, what evidence could he give? Last time, he was the only one who saw the beast. What was to say things would be any different today? And then, if it was equally invisible to his parents, would they think he was lying even though he was actually telling the truth? A real dilemma! The best solution would be to not mention the creature at all and instead offer something equally troublesome.
“I’m not nervous about my tests. Just a little tired. It’s been a long year, and I took those extra classes. I think maybe I bit off more than I could chew.”
“Yes, we wondered how those extra classes would fit in with your regular schedule,” his dad said, some anxiety leaving his face.
Seizing his opportunity, Jaden followed up on this train of thought. “Maybe next time I’ll listen to your advice.”
His mother snorted. “That would be a novel experience.”
“Well, I have known stranger things to happen,” his father said, sniggering.
“Just you wait. One day I’ll surprise you,” Jaden huffed, shaking an admonishing finger.
Laughing, his mother handed out the snacks, and Jaden relaxed when they sat back and admired the panoramic view spread before them.
A seamless azure sky stretched overhead, reaching endlessly until it touched the distant line of the earth’s curvature. From there, back to where they sat, hazy greenish-brown plains gradually morphed into the distinct rectangles of farmed land, the cultivated fields lush with dark, freshly tilled earth and brilliantly green spring crops, interrupted by fallow areas identifiable by their golden prairie grasses.
These all cut off where they met the rocky base of the mountain. The base merged into the gentle folds of the foothills, the rolling scrub-covered curves marred occasionally by huge slabs of rock spearing into the air, like ancient discarded shields strewn haphazardly over a long-forgotten battlefield.
The foothills flowed into the partially snow-covered valley that lay just below them, bright with splashes of spring color and alive with wildlife. Jaden was basking in the effects of the food, laughter, fresh air, and sunshine, when dread doused him.
Without looking, he knew what waited. Keeping his head down, he casually reached into his pack, hoping his parents wouldn’t notice his trembling hands. His palmcam, a better option than his PAL for capturing hi-def, quality evidence, was within easy reach. In one swift motion, he retrieved it, flipped the power switch, and focused the lens on the skies above.
Sure enough, there it was in all its horrific glory. Its ocher eyes glowed like fiery twin pinpricks in the bright afternoon sun. Scraggly wings billowed on the air like spiny umbrellas. Jaden zoomed in on the animal’s features, then wished he hadn’t.
Chapter Six
Bile rose in his throat, a response to his revulsion at seeing the fiend’s features close up. The beak was not only razor sharp, but serrated, glinting with jagged, metallic-looking spikes along its edges. As if realizing Jaden was attempting to capture its image for eternity, the beak snapped ferociously, and Jaden almost dropped the palmcam.
Regaining his composure, he tightened his hold and focused on the other facial details. The huge, fiery discs of the beast’s eyes contrasted radically with the rest of its face, so infinitely black it was like gazing into a bottomless pit. But not just any pit—a pit that grew blacker the deeper you looked into it. A pit of inestimable terror. A pit without end. Like the pits you fall into in your dreams and wake up screaming because you think you died.
Momentarily disconcerted by the embodiment of evil in the sinister face, Jaden took an instinctive step backwards. His foot slipped on the snowy slope, and he struggled to regain his footing. It reminded him where he was. Reminded him he had yet to capture an image of the mutant.
He pushed the button that allowed him to take photos whilst filming. As the disc whirred, capturing images, he marveled that the ferocious beast didn’t attack. It only hovered there, waiting. For what? I hope it doesn’t eat people. But considering the armor it's equipped with, it would be a pleasant surprise if it’s herbivorous.
Still recording, the lens roame
d down the creature’s elongated neck, revealing why the neck had looked so strange. Steel plates stuck out at odd angles all along its length, apparently fixed in position, none capable of lying flat. Before Jaden could film further, the thug bolted upward and then streaked off, its speed leaving Jaden gawking in astonishment at its retreating form.
Jaden lowered his hand, noticing his parents’ voices behind him.
His dad’s voice was the first to penetrate the fog. “What are you filming?”
“Yes, what?” his mother echoed. “All we can see are those silly little clouds up there.”
Jaden was having trouble assessing how long his study of the creature had diverted his attention. It barely registered that his parents hadn’t observed the thing. But I expected that, didn’t I? And now I have to lie—again.
Gathering his wits, he responded, “I thought I saw an eagle. But you know how it is when you look through the lens of the palmcam. It’s difficult to find something in the sky where there are no landmarks. I couldn’t even find it using my zoom lens.”
“What a pity,” his mother said. “I heard they were up here but didn’t think we’d get to see one.”
Jaden silently thanked the local newsfeed for their recent piece on the increased presence of eagles in the area. “I didn’t think we would either. Guess hope had me imagining one. But I’ll keep my palmcam handy, just in case.”
Less burdened now that he had finally achieved his goal, Jaden released his tension, allowing his natural exuberance to take over as they hiked farther up the steep incline. His parents, sensing the change, relaxed too. By the time they reached the sunny meadow, one of their favorite spots, they were as rowdy as ever.
While his mom unfolded the waterproof picnic blanket and spread out a feast fit for a king, Jaden inhaled the unmistakable mountain fragrances: loamy earth, prickly, nose-pleasing pine, and cool, unpolluted air. Delightful sighs and murmurs of a forest awakening from its winter slumber filled his ears: squirrels chattering as they chased each other up and down trees, chipmunks scampering back and forth across the clearing, and birds twittering as they flitted about.
Rampant, effervescent colors filled his vision: columbines with their deep purple throats and yellow tongues, perky red lichen clinging to the smooth black rocks, and wildflowers peeking out of every conceivable nook and cranny in riotous colors. Tranquility flowed over him, courtesy of the gorgeous scenery surrounding him, and he could literally feel the fresh air working its magic on his mind and limbs.
When his mother summoned them for lunch, he flopped onto the blanket with a happy sigh. “Thanks, Mom, this looks fabulous!”
She grinned. “The way to a man’s heart . . .”
Jaden chuckled and tucked in. Three bites into the chicken that was part of their meal, his dad let out a shout.
“Look! I see one!”
Jaden dropped his chicken. Did I hear right? Grabbing his palmcam, his mind scrambled. He had put all thoughts of the revolting beast to rest for the last hour. How can Dad suddenly see it? Confused, Jaden ran to the muddy clearing where his dad stood, his arms shading his eyes and his head upturned. Breathless, Jaden stopped next to his dad and lifted his palmcam, scanning the skies. Then he understood.
It wasn’t the beast: it was an eagle. Proud and regal, it soared on the winds like the majestic predator it was. Jaden observed the wing tips fluttering ever so slightly on its outstretched wings as he magnified the view. The black tips graduated to gray and became a delineated chocolate-brown cloak along the top of the wings, extending across the speckled chest and contrasting starkly with the flawless white of the feathers hooding its head. The eagle drifted, supreme and confident.
Jaden noticed the slightest change in the eagle’s bearing, as though it had detected something, and it was picking up speed. Was it chasing prey? A sinister shape abruptly obscured the lens. The magnificent eagle disappeared, engulfed in wickedly sharp talons three or four times the size of its own. Sickened, Jaden zoomed out, knowing what he would see—an even larger predator, infinitely more menacing.
“Hey, where’d it go?” his father shouted. “It was there a second ago.”
What can I say? That the hunter we were admiring became the hunted, scooped up by some awful thing visible only to me? Instead, he answered, “I don’t know. It vanished from the screen too.” At least that last part was true.
The two of them waited for several more minutes, his dad vainly hoping for another glimpse of the stately bird that would never return and Jaden filming the bloodthirsty beast’s leisurely departure. Dismay permeated every fiber of his being. He’d just confirmed the tyrant was a meat eater. The only question now is how large does its prey get?
With leaden feet, Jaden followed his dad back to their picnic spot. His appetite stolen by what he’d just witnessed, he could only pick at the delicious food. When he made no attempt at conversing with his parents prompting them to ask what was wrong, Jaden could truthfully answer he was suddenly exhausted. The experience had stripped him of every ounce of emotional stamina, just like that loathsome beast was no doubt stripping the flesh from that magnificent eagle.
The only positive aspect to the preceding ten minutes, if he could even think of it that way, was that, whatever the brute was, it had to be real, corroborated when his dad saw the eagle disappear at the exact moment the monster had captured it. Which meant whatever cloaked the creature, making it invisible to everyone except Jaden, logically also enclosed the captured eagle, causing its disappearance. Jaden sighed so loudly that both his parents looked up.
“Eat something,” his mother encouraged. “You’ll feel better once you have some food in you. It’ll restore your energy.”
“Thanks, Mom, you’re right,” he answered half-heartedly. But he noticed their concern had returned. Oh well, par for the course for today. Surveying their worried faces, he felt guilty. They had brought him up here, packed all his favorite foods, and tried to make the outing as much fun as they could. He was being an ungrateful toad. “On second thought, you’re right. Hand it over!” he said, pointing at the strawberries.
His mother’s relief was tangible, and his father beamed. Just return the favor, Jaden rebuked himself, forcing a mouthful down and striving to ease back to the serene state he enjoyed before the attack. It took considerable effort, but by the time they finished their meal, a measure of contentment had returned.
“Up for some ice-smashing?” his dad asked hopefully when they’d cleared the remnants of lunch.
“What a question!” Jaden leaped up to race his dad to the nearby stream.
Stomping on the thin, glassy ice at the edges of the frozen streams had always been a favorite pastime. Something was immensely satisfying about feeling the thin crust give way beneath you—except for the few occasions when you lost your balance and toppled into the arctic water.
Forging ahead, Jaden found the stream half immobile, struggling to extricate itself from the freezing effects of winter. He shattered the weakened spring ice with a vengeance born of anger, venting the pent-up rage still simmering below the surface.
“Hey, leave some for me!”
“Hurry then, or I’ll have smashed up the whole river before you get your skinny legs down here.”
“Not likely!“ Ty retorted, joining him.
After several minutes of endeavoring to outdo one another, they were both soaked and laughing. Large chunks of ice littered the stream’s edges, marking their trail of conquest. The water sparkled vivaciously in the places they had freed it, gushing and gurgling at them, urging them to release more.
Half an hour later, saturated and practically walking popsicles, they hobbled back to where Jaden’s mom was taking her traditional “after lunch in the mountains” nap.
Hearing them, she sat up, surveyed their sodden clothes, and grinned. “Nice to see you’re such adults!”
“Blame Dad, not me! He threw me in the water first!”
His dad laughed, pleased to have
struck the first blow. “Well, you didn’t exactly hold back after that, now did you?”
Still ragging each other, they changed into dry clothes and then settled down with his mother to enjoy her homemade brownies.
Jaden was reaching for his third—or maybe fourth—brownie when someone snatched the tin. “Hey, give it back!”
His dad shook his head. “You’ve had enough. Save some for your poor mother who slaved baking them.”
His mother grinned. “It would be nice to have at least one.”
Mortified, Jaden gulped. Had his mother really not had any? Then he caught the glint in his father’s eyes. “You’re teasing!” When his parents laughed, he relaxed. “You’re terrible, you know that?”
His dad only smiled. “Someone has to put you in your place.”
“And speaking of places,” his mother said, “it’s time we packed up.”
Jaden sighed theatrically. “If we must go, then I at least get one more brownie.”
“Sure,” his mother said, packing the tin away.
“Uh, you’re moving that in the wrong direction,” Jaden said, watching the tin disappear.
“No, I’m not.”
Picking up on his wife’s train of thought, Ty said, “You’ll get your brownie. When you’ll get it is another matter.”
Jaden could only shake his head. Meticulously, they cleared their picnic spot. Once no trace of their presence remained, Jaden hoisted his pack, and his parents adjusted their anti-grav sacks for the trek back. Their playful banter continued all the way down the mountain, even through the beast’s one brief appearance—to torment him, Jaden was sure.
Sensing it overhead, he deliberately disregarded it. Let’s see how it feels when I ignore it. The creature had robbed him of enough pleasure for one day. He refused to give it the satisfaction of distressing him any further. He had the evidence he needed, and he would make certain he enjoyed the rest of the outing. And he did. Tremendously. Rounding the last turn on the trail was a disappointment. Jaden sighed. Time to head home and back to reality.
Destiny Series Boxed Set Page 4
