by Ava Louise
CHAPTER 6
With another day of teaching young, impressionable minds behind her, Maggie quickly gathered everything she needed to get out of the classroom to meet Claire O’Donnell at her apartment on time. Waving goodbye to students and fellow teachers, Maggie hurried to her vehicle. As she approached her quad-cab truck, she pulled her key fob from her purse, pointed it at the truck, and released the door locks. As she was reaching for the handle to the driver’s side door, she noticed a long, deep scratch in the maroon paint. The scratch ran from the side of the hood, through the front and back doors and down the truck bed to the back of the vehicle.
Maggie was in shock; the scratch was definitely not there this morning when she came to work. Thinking back to the Snake gang members she noticed on her block this morning, she concluded the gang must be upping the ante for their intimidation campaign.
“Great. Another expense I won’t be able to afford,” Maggie muttered to herself.
Maggie quickly got into her truck and drove home to meet the matchmaker. She felt her stomach tighten when she thought of the gang members she just knew were waiting on the street corner of her block. Considering how little the police were able to help her with the graffiti tag on her apartment door, she decided it wouldn’t even be worth it to contact the detectives. Besides, she hated to be late for appointments; the matchmaking service may be the answer she needs to her situation and she didn’t want to miss her meeting.
As Maggie approached her apartment, she saw the same three young men from the last two days on the corner of the block. They turned to watch her as she pulled into the alley behind the buildings. She quickly gathered her belongings and dashed up the stairs. As she opened the exterior door to her hallway, she gave a faint sniff to determine if there were paint fumes in the air. Fortunately, all seemed to be as it should be and she made it to her apartment door fine.
“Mamzell, I’m home,” called Maggie. She had about ten minutes to get Mamzell situated and her belongings put away before Claire O’Donnell was due at her door.
“Mrawr!” greeted Mamzell.
Maggie had just finished filling the water bowl when she heard the doorbell to her apartment ring. Glancing out the peephole, she noticed a plump woman who appeared to be about 40 years old, give or take, with dark blonde hair dressed in a gray business suit. Leaving the chain on the door, Maggie opened the door to greet her visitor.
“Ms. O’Donnell?” asked Maggie.
“Yes, and please call me Claire. Are you Maggie Cline?” asked the well-put-together woman.
“Yes, I am. Please come in,” invited Maggie, as she released the chain and opened the door completely for Claire to come inside. Maggie locked the door behind her visitor. “Please have a seat. May I get you anything to drink?”
“No, thank you, I am fine. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Cline. May I call you Maggie?” asked Claire.
“Of course, please do,” offered Maggie. Scooping Mamzell into her arms, Maggie sat on the flowered sofa while Claire took the matching chair across the coffee table, facing Maggie. “I hope your drive up to Mount Vernon was pleasant.”
“It was a lovely drive and you gave excellent directions.” Claire settled into the chair, crossing her legs while pulling a small notepad and pen from her bag. The phrase prim-and-proper came to Maggie’s mind. “I hope you don’t mind my asking, but could you please tell me what made you call our service? I know some of the questions I ask may seem personal, but I really do need to know as much as possible about all of our clients to make sure the best fit possible is made.”
“Of course, I understand. It’s really scary for me to talk about, but I recently witnessed the murder of someone in the neighborhood by a drug-dealing gang member. Now, I’m being watched by this same gang and am afraid they will retaliate. They have gone so far as to graffiti my door, which I’m sure you noticed when you came in, and then this afternoon I found my truck had been keyed.”
“Yes, I did notice the paint on your door. I wondered about that. I’m sorry to hear about your troubles. So you actually saw the murder happen?” asked Claire.
“Yes. I had gone into the convenience store to pay for my gas and to pick up some milk. I walked to the back corner of the store when I heard someone enter the store. I didn’t think anything of it until I heard a man’s voice telling the clerk to open the register and hand over the cash. I was so scared! I didn’t know what to do. All I could think of doing was ducking down so I wouldn’t be seen.” Maggie still got chills when she remembered it.
“That must have been so horrible!” exclaimed Claire. She had her hand pressed to her face and her eyes were wide in shock. “What happened then? Did the gunman see you?”
“No, they didn’t see me. As I got a look at them, I heard the gun go off then they grabbed the bag of cash and turned to the door. I ducked back behind the aisle. Luckily they didn’t search the rest of the store or they would have seen me.”
“If they didn’t see you, then why are they now intimidating you with graffiti and watching you? How did they find out about you?” asked Claire logically.
“That’s the thing. I’m not sure unless someone at the police department let my name slip to the drug dealer’s lawyer. That is the only thing I can think of.”
“Hmmm, that does sound suspicious, doesn’t it?” asked Claire. “So is that the only reason you contacted me? Because you are terrified and thought we could help you relocate?”
“Well, I must admit it is a small part of the reason. But it isn’t the only reason. Living with so much stress and fear has made me realize that I really am alone. For someone my age, I just don’t have a large circle of friends. I’ve focused on my education, then on my career, to the exclusion of a personal life. My parents died when I was in college, so there is just me now. I realized that this whole situation would be so much easier to deal with if I had a partner in life; someone who cared about me as much as I cared about them. Hearing about your service seemed like a poke from Fate. Make sense?” asked Maggie. She was afraid Ms. O’Donnell would think Maggie only wanted to use her for relocation. She did, however, truly want to try to find a match of the romantic sort. The more she thought on it, the more she realized…it was time to move past her cheating ex and get on with her life. She wanted a shot at what her parents had when they were alive.
“Okay, Maggie. I appreciate your honesty. I’m going to give you a web address with a password. This is a portal to our personality test. Just log in using your name and use this six-digit number for the password. The password is keyed to you alone. Once you take this online test, the results will come to me and that will help me determine if you are a likely candidate for Intergalactic Matchmaking Services,” said Claire as she handed a small slip of paper to Maggie.
Maggie looked at the paper and saw the web address, her name, and the password she was to use. Still confused on the term intergalactic, Maggie had to ask, “Could you please tell me more about the name of your company? Intergalactic? Doesn’t that imply space travel?” Maggie couldn’t suppress the chuckle that bubbled forth.
“For right now, will you settle with me reminding you that the flyer did say we were looking for adventurous, open-minded women? I promise, I can explain more fully after you take the personality test online,” said Claire.
Maggie decided to take a leap of faith and go with the flow. She did, after all, have an adventurous spirit. So wouldn’t waiting for the answer be a part of that adventure? If it offered her a chance at finding that someone special, specially a soul mate, then all the better.
“Sure, I can wait a little longer, Claire,” said Maggie.
“Do you mind if I take your picture for your file, Maggie? Or do you have one that you would like me to use instead?”
“I can give you one of my school pictures from last year. It was in Minnesota, but I haven’t changed since then,” Maggie said as she rummaged through her desk drawer for a picture. She handed this to Claire.
At this time the matchmaker rose from the chair, gathering her belongings to her. “Then on that note, I will take my leave. As soon as I have your test results, I will give you a call and set up another meeting time, if necessary,” stated Claire.
“May I ask a question before you leave?”
“Of course, anything you like, dear,” answered Claire.
“What about my cat? Mamzell has been with me for three years and I won’t get rid of her. She would have to go with me if I moved.” Maggie knew this may be a deal-breaker, but she wouldn’t simply get rid of her companion as a matter of convenience.
“Oh, well, yes, that is irregular. Let me think on it and see if we can’t work something out, okay?” asked Claire.
“All right, thank you for your time, Claire, it was a pleasure meeting you. I will take the online test tonight. Please have a safe trip back to Seattle.” Maggie walked the matchmaker to the apartment door, unlocked all three locks, and then secured the door behind her after her last good bye.
“Mrawr,” chimed in Mamzell as she walked up to Maggie. She seemed to know she had been included in the conversation.
“Well, Mamzell. Looks like we better get out the laptop and start this personality test. How about soup and a sandwich for dinner first?” said Maggie as she walked into the kitchen. First things first after all.
CHAPTER 7
After eating a quick dinner and grading her students’ papers, Maggie settled into the comfortable sofa with her laptop. She typed in the web address, then her name and the password Claire had given her. Maggie read through the simple instructions and the description of how the test worked.
“This test will ask many questions, some quite personal, to help Intergalactic Matchmaking Services evaluate you in five key areas. These are: Openness, Adventurousness, Extraversion, Likability, and Conscientiousness. Please answer each question as quickly as possible. Questions will be asked in a random order. This test can take up to 30 minutes to complete.”
“Sounds simple enough,” said Maggie as she stroked Mamzell’s soft tan fur.
“Mrawr,” purred Mamzell.
“I agree, Mamzell, may as well get started.”
Maggie quickly pressed the Begin button and answered the questions as quickly as she could. She assumed over-thinking the answers would affect the results, so she tried to answer each question with her first inclination. The answer choices were usually Strongly Agree, Agree, Do Not Agree or Disagree, Disagree, and finally Strongly Disagree. Sometimes there were Yes/No questions, though, just to spice up the variety.
“Do you like art museums? Are you currently in a relationship? Do you exercise daily? Do you ever over indulge? How many sexual partners have you had? Do you like children? Would you say you judge people on their looks? Was your last romantic relationship more than two years ago? Do you consider scars unattractive? Do you have tattoos? Are you opposed to tattoos?”
“Sheesh, Mamzell, these questions are all over the place!” said Maggie. It was hard to imagine how the computer would put all of these answers together and come up with a complete picture.
“Do you panic easily? Do you have a criminal record? Do you consider yourself neat? Do you have any communicable diseases? Do you have any phobias?”
After 200 questions, Maggie was finished with the Personality Test and hit the Complete button on the screen. “Thank you for taking the Intergalactic Matchmaking Service’s Personality Test. A Matchmaker will contact you soon with the results.”
Maggie rose from the couch to put away her laptop. As she turned from placing it on her desk in the corner of the living room, she parted the curtains looking out over the block. Looking to her right, she could see the three Snake gang members still watching her apartment. One turned to look at her windows before she could drop the curtains back into place. He seemed to stare straight into her scared green eyes. So the vigil continues, she thought.
“Come on Mamzell. I hear the pillow calling us. Let’s turn in for the night.”
“Mrawr,” agreed the petite cat, following her closely to the bedroom.
☆★☆
Maggie woke early the next morning; she even woke before the alarm clock could jar her awake. After preparing for another day of school kids, she collected her things for the trip to her truck. She fervently hoped she didn’t see any gang members this morning. The constant worrying was bound to give her an ulcer, she figured. Unfortunately, as she was leaving the alley behind her apartment, she saw two Snake gang members standing in the path of her vehicle. She applied the brakes and quickly engaged the door locks.
The taller of the youths looked to be of Hispanic origins, while his shorter, younger looking companion was so pale he seemed to glow in the early morning light. Each had a yellow bandana wrapped around their neck. They continued to stand in front of her truck until the older one lifted his hand and made the sign for a gun. He was the same gang member that had made this sign to her through her living room window on Monday. After raising his hand to his mouth, and blowing on the tip of his index finger, they both stepped closer to her truck. They began banging on the hood, making dog-like sounds. Maggie decided enough was enough and she didn’t want to wait around to see how much further they would go with their intimidation. She floored the gas pedal, shooting out of the alley. Luckily there was no traffic coming, she would have surely side swiped anyone unfortunate enough to be in her path at the moment.
Maggie’s hands shook on the steering wheel all the way to Maddigon Elementary School. She quickly pulled into the teachers’ parking lot and turned off the truck. As the adrenaline from her scare burned out of her system, she was left short-breathed there in her vehicle, with a death-grip on the steering wheel. At that moment, her cell phone started ringing in her purse. Letting out a startled gasp, Maggie dug it out of her purse and answered a bit breathlessly.
“Hello?” asked Maggie. She was proud of the fact her voice didn’t come out in a simple squeak.
“Good morning, Maggie, this is Claire O’Donnell. I hope I’m not calling too early. Are you okay? You sound a little breathless,” said Claire kindly.
“Oh, hi Claire. Yeah, yeah, I’m fine, thank you. I just had another scare this morning from the Snake gang members. It’s fine, though, you caught me before I went into my classroom. How can I help you?” asked Maggie, grateful for the distraction from her worries.
“I wanted to let you know I got the results from your personality test and am happy to say you would be a perfect candidate for our services. If possible, I would like to set up an appointment for you to see our doctor for a physical.”
“Oh, wow, that was fast. Umm, sure, I don’t mind seeing your doctor. You said the cost is covered, right? I hate to ask, but things are a bit tight right now since I just moved here.”
“Yes, the cost is covered by IMS. The doctor has an appointment available at ten a.m. on Saturday if that works for you? I understand it would be hard for you to get down to Seattle during the week, so I double-checked that the doctor could see you on the weekend,” said the matchmaker.
“Saturday works fine for me. Give me the address and I’ll be there.” Claire read off an address and Maggie wrote it down on a small notepad she kept clipped to the visor. “Thanks again, Claire. I’m sorry to rush, but I need to get to class; the first bell just rang.”
“Certainly, Maggie. I will call you again on Monday after the doctor gets his test results to me. Have a good day.”
CHAPTER 8
Claire O’Donnell hung up the phone with Maggie Cline and turned to her companion.
“Well, Ambassador Pacer, I hope this candidate proves to be worthy. She’s a really nice young woman. I really enjoyed meeting her and her Personality Test scores are promising.”
The Ambassador turned his black eyes to her. “I hope so, too, Claire. There have not been very many viable candidates for this program since it started last year. We Nordonians would like to see this effort work, not just for ourselves, but
your government, too.”
“Of course, Ambassador,” replied Claire. “As soon as we have her tests results from Dr. Vidortan we will be able to proceed, so long as there are no issues with her health. I wish we were having better results with the program, too, but without telling these young ladies upfront that they will end up in space, not many are answering our ads. Not too many women are willing to leave their Earth lives behind so completely.”
“I understand, Claire, it is not your fault. Unfortunately, we have more men willing to mate human women than we have human women answering your ads. Maybe one day the secrecy will not be necessary, but for now … we will just have to continue on as we are.”
The Ambassador ran his large hand over his head, drawing Claire’s eyes to his family clan tattoo. It was a large black bird, the head of which was tattooed on the top of the Ambassador’s head with its wings wrapping round the sides. The wings stopped just short of his small ears. It looked similar to an outlining of an eagle, but she recalled being told the bird on Nordo was larger than the men who wore their likeness in a familial marking. Each family grouping had an animal or symbol that their members had tattooed onto their scalps when they reached adulthood. Claire couldn’t imagine how painful that had to be.
“I must be getting back to our ship. I will contact you next week for another visit and an update on this Ms. Cline.”
“It was nice seeing you again, Ambassador Pacer. Until next week then.” She watched as the large Nordonian walked to the back of her office and exited to the private alley. She knew he had a cloaked four-seater space craft in the alley. They could not come to Earth often; there was no way they could be taken for humans. Nordonians were about six inches taller on average than most human males. They also weighed about a third more and all of that was muscle. Fortunately, in Claire’s opinion, that muscle did not make them look muscle-bound. With slightly feline features, the muscle weight was evenly distributed and carried well by the aliens.
