“Alright. We will see you tomorrow,” Jai said.
“I am looking forward to it.” Amira smiled.
I walked over to my house, glad Curtis was no longer outside with his car. I tried to yell one last time to Jai in my head. “Do you hear me?”
Nothing. No response. I turned to look back at their house. They waved at me before going inside. I doubted they meant to make me feel bad, but it hurt that they seemed happy when the telepathy was gone. I was good to my word. I would have never told anyone.
At least we'll still be going up to the mountains to watch the meteor shower tomorrow. That was something to look forward to.
Chapter Six
Meteor Showers
I couldn't stop squirming with excitement. After getting everything ready for our trip up the mountain, we loaded ourselves into Marshal’s jeep. Amira took the back seat, leaving the front for me. She claimed I needed to direct Jai, and I wasn’t going to argue.
As Jai drove us up the mountain, we passed a field with sprinklers on. I breathed in the cool air rich with the scent of wet alfalfa. That sparked a memory of my first trip up there with my family.
I anticipated the smell of the smoke from the campfire we would be lighting tonight. Though I normally hated hot dogs, I loved them cooked over a campfire. Something about the way the fire crisped the outer layer of the hot dog made it so tasty. Then there were the marshmallows. I was considered the top chef in my family when it came to browning them just right. The outer shell would be firm and golden brown, while the inside was nearly liquid. I couldn’t wait to get up there. And having Jai with me was almost like a date, if I didn’t count Amira.
I leaned forward in my seat. “Are you excited to eat hot dogs and marshmallows and see the meteors?”
“Yes, but most likely not as excited as you seem to be.” He looked me up and down, probably taking in the fact I couldn't sit still.
I shrugged. “It’s supposed to be a really good show. I hope it is. Last time they said that, there weren’t very many, and the time before that a storm blew in so nothing was visible.” I frowned as I remembered my disappointment.
“Well, this should be fun.” He patted me on the arm, sending that familiar tingle up to my shoulder. “I think tonight will be the perfect night to see it, considering the weather. Hopefully there are thousands of rocks hurtling through space toward your beautiful planet so you can see them burn up before they reach the ground.”
“Actually, the meteors are usually pretty small. Nothing that would be likely to hit the…” I trailed off when I noticed Jai didn't seem to be listening.
He looked at Amira in the rearview mirror. He glanced at me sideways, then clearing his throat, he asked, “How often did you say your family would come up here?”
“We used to come up once a week during the summer. Lately we haven’t been able to as often, though. I thought I’d have to watch the meteor shower at home. I’m glad you guys could come up tonight.”
“We have been looking forward to it since you invited us,” Amira said.
When we got to the little clearing at the top of the mountain, I pointed out the area my family always parked in. We unpacked the camp chairs and the firewood and took them to the old rock-rimmed fire pit. I grabbed my telescope from the seat next to Amira and took it over to the center of the clearing to set it up in my favorite spot.
Amira brought me the heavy denim quilt my mom gave me for my birthday a few years ago. It was perfect for throwing on the ground, thick enough to handle the dirt, weeds, or twigs on the dry mountain without getting ripped or snagged. It was also thick enough to lie on comfortably without feeling anything but the bigger rocks. I kicked some of those out of the way and threw the blanket into the air while holding onto the corners then smoothed it out. To see the whole sky, we would want to be lying down. I grabbed our individual blankets to wrap in while we watched the stars and dropped them on the quilt.
Jai hefted the ice chest and brought it over to the fire pit. Then he grabbed the jugs of water my parents made me bring to douse the fire before we left the mountain.
I piled the wood in the layers my dad taught me years ago, while Jai and Amira watched. In no time I had a nice little campfire burning. It was probably about an hour before sunset, so we got our meal going. I speared a hot dog on one roasting stick and handed it to Amira. She looked at it for a moment, and then asked me how to do it.
I showed her how to hold it in the flames just right. “Now rotate it slowly so all the sides get an even amount of heat. That way you won’t burn one side and have the other side still cold.”
“Like this?” She giggled as she turned it above the flames.
“Yep. Just like that.” I smiled at her enthusiasm. Jai watched me closely as well and turned his in sync with mine. Maybe he hadn’t done it either. A log in the fire shifted and rolled, sending sparks flying. Amira gasped in surprise, and Jai shifted in his seat as if ready to help her. The fire popped again, and Amira moved her chair back a little. Jai nodded, and I wondered if he had told her to move. I missed being able to hear their thoughts.
When we finished roasting our hot dogs, we put them on the buns. They both watched me to see how I did mine and copied me exactly. I loved mustard but only put a little of the ketchup on it. Dad always said I was backward, but that’s the way I liked it.
I set my plate down on my camp chair to get a drink out of the cooler.
“Did you guys want a soda too?” I grabbed the large bag of chips we’d brought and opened them up.
“Sure, I would like to try one,” Amira answered.
“Thank you,” Jai said as I handed him one.
I returned to my chair and passed the bag of chips to them then put my can on the ground. I grabbed my plate off the chair, then sat down and reached for my drink. I leaned a little too far, and my camp chair started to tip over on its side. I slapped my left hand onto my plate to keep it from falling off my lap and caught myself with my right hand on the ground.
Then I felt the coal under my palm.
I got my feet under me and pushed my chair upright. A gasp escaped me. I pulled my hand back in pain then held it to my chest for a minute. I looked down and saw a little glowing red and black coal. I examined my palm, clenching my teeth at the sting of the burn. Dirt and black soot covered it. Underneath, an angry red spot across the palm of my hand shouted out the burn’s location.
Jai and Amira both sat up straight and spoke as one. “What happened?”
“I burned myself.” I sucked in my breath as the pain came again.
“Jai, help her,” Amira said in a voice full of command.
Jai went to the ice chest and grabbed a small handful of ice out of it. When he took my plate off my lap then placed my hand in his, I relaxed. The touch of his hand felt incredible.
He examined it closely then rubbed his right hand lightly across the blisters. I felt relief immediately. He then rubbed my skin with the ice, but the burn was gone. I only had the memory of the pain.
“What did you do?” I didn’t think I was so awed by his touch that it would cause pain to leave me. He ignored my question and continued to gently rub the ice across my palm. I only felt the cold from the ice. No sting or throb from the burn. He held my hand tight in his grip, preventing me from pulling it back.
I tugged again and he said, “You should let me keep the ice on it longer. It does not look bad. The ice will take all the burn away.”
I stopped tugging and stared at him. He wouldn’t meet my eyes, giving me the impression he was talking to Amira in his mind. What were they saying? Amira looked at him then at me and smiled encouragingly. The worry in her eyes gave her away.
“I don’t need the ice anymore,” I said. “Let me have my hand back.” I tugged at it again. I didn’t mean to sound angry.
“If you wish.” The politeness of the words was at odds with his tone.
The water from the melted ice had cleaned away the black soot. I touched
my hand. The developing blisters were gone. The last time I'd burned myself anywhere nearly as bad it had taken days for the blisters to heal. Even then, they had cracked and oozed for a day or two.
I looked at my hand in disbelief then at Jai who watched me closely. “What did you do?”
“Nothing. I merely put ice on your burn.” He crossed his arms over his chest.
“You aren’t supposed to put ice directly on a burn. It can damage your skin,” I insisted. “And you did something before the ice. The burn was gone before it touched my hand.”
“That is ridiculous,” he scoffed, making me feel unsure. “What could I have done to fix a burn? It must not have been bad.”
“I saw the blisters forming!” I shouted, feeling defensive myself. I wasn't going to give in again. I wanted answers. “I felt the pain. I’ve done it before in the oven at home while making dinner. My oven mitt had a hole in it. It was a bad burn,” I insisted again. I looked at my other hand and found the scar. “See this. That was like this burn was 'til you did something to it.”
I looked him right in the eye and saw his eyes flicker toward Amira. I had forgotten about her for a moment. Her eyes were wide and brimming with tears. I could see she was panicked. My anger at his stubbornness faltered, and my resolve to find out the truth completely crumbled. She looked so afraid.
I sighed. “Let me guess. Another secret?”
I saw relief wash over her. “Yes,” she whispered.
“Fine.” I tried to sound calm about it, but it came out more petulant than intended.
“I am sorry about all the secrets,” Amira said, her tears falling slowly down her cheeks, glistening with the setting sunlight. “I wish I could tell you everything, but I do not think I should. You would not be safe.”
“Whatever you say.” I knew I sounded angry. I closed my eyes for a few moments and took some deep relaxing breaths like I'd watched my mom do with her yoga video. Well, here was another big thing to add to my list of weirdness in my neighbors. Healing. He had healed me, plain and simple. They could communicate telepathically, and Jai could heal by touch.
“Can I ask a question?” I said after a while.
“Okay?” Jai hesitated.
“You can’t fly, can you?” I said it as a joke, but watched them closely.
He laughed out loud, and Amira looked from him to me and then smiled when she saw my smile as well.
“No. We’ve only flown in a plane like anyone else here could do,” Amira said with a wave of her hand.
Anyone here, huh? Where were they from? I tried my best to make light of the situation, but I was burning with curiosity. That would be the burn to heal I thought, and he could do it with the truth. Their secrets bothered me, but I wanted the evening to be fun and not uncomfortable. I picked up my soda — very carefully this time — got my plate back from where Jai had set it, and ate my cold hot dog. It wasn’t as good as it would have been if I'd eaten it hot. I frowned at it.
“Can you pass me some of the chips?” I asked.
Amira handed me the bag, more than half-empty. I looked at Jai, and he shook his head. He hadn’t eaten any yet either. I took a handful and put them on my plate then passed the bag to Jai.
“Thanks for saving us some,” he teased Amira.
“I could not help myself. It is such a fun food. All salty and crunchy and delicious.” She licked her lips.
“You are becoming a real junk-food lover, you know. First all that pizza, now this bag of chips,” Jai said.
“Wait ‘til she’s tried the s’mores I’ve got planned,” I said. “I can’t wait to see how many she can put away.”
She smiled at us like she enjoyed the teasing. “Bring it forward.”
“I think you mean bring it on, not forward.” It must be hard to learn all the subtleties of a new language.
We tried to talk about things while avoiding what was on everyone’s mind. I kept rubbing my palm with my fingers, amazed it didn't hurt anymore. Once the fire burned down to the embers, I went to the jeep and grabbed the bag with the marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate bars. I picked up the lantern as an afterthought.
I put a marshmallow on the stick and set up my little assembly line. “Do you want to try roasting your own, or do you want to let the professional do it?”
“By all means, go for it. We will watch in awe and learn from the master,” Jai said, leaning back.
I nodded and put another marshmallow on a second stick then on the third so I would be ready when each was done. I wondered briefly if I would be able to keep up with Amira’s appetite once she tasted the first one.
After cooking them to perfection, I quickly put the marshmallow on the graham and the chocolate, then pressed the top cracker on and slid the roasting stick out. I admired the squishy white cream peeking out from the crackers sandwiching it. I always wanted to lick the roasting stick to get the melted marshmallow when I pulled it off each time, but knew burning my tongue would be incredibly painful. I rubbed my palm again. Having someone like Jai around could open up a whole new range of possibilities though. Not daring to push my luck, I set it down on a plate so the sticky end wouldn’t get all over everything.
I handed the s'more to Amira. Putting the other marshmallow over the coals, I watched her taste it. She gave a delighted sigh and shoved the whole thing in her mouth, barely pausing to chew it.
I giggled and turned my attention to the one cooking. “I’ll make you some more after Jai has one.”
“You are probably right,” Jai said. “She is going to eat all you brought, if you let her.”
“I’ll stop right before she explodes.” I grabbed one of the pieces of chocolate and popped it into my mouth. “We’re getting close to dark, when we’ll want to stop eating and go watch the sky anyway.” I looked up and noticed a few stars peeking through the deepening blue curtain of the sky as if eager to get on with the show. With the fire burned down to embers, it wouldn’t interfere with the stars at all.
Once we finished the stack of candy bars I’d brought, I gave Amira several roasted marshmallows squished between the graham crackers. When the grahams were gone, I gave her the remaining marshmallows in the bag.
Jai placed the lantern behind the tire, outlining the edge of the jeep. It was perfect because it didn’t interfere with our view of the sky. We then moved over to the denim quilt, picked our spots, and got ready to look up at the stars. Amira picked one side of the quilt. Jai picked the other side, leaving the middle for me. My heart raced at the thought of lying next to Jai while watching the stars. At least Amira was here with us. Yet at the same time, I kind of wished she would disappear. I was glad to have my thoughts to myself tonight.
We sat on the quilt for a few minutes, talking about nothing in particular. I was dying to ask them questions. Determined to show them I was trustworthy and they could tell me anything, I waited but feared I was going to have to be especially observant.
The sky wasn’t completely dark yet. Only a couple dozen of the brightest stars were out. Soon, the deepening blue of the evening began darkening to near black.
“Watch this,” I whispered, leaning back on my hands. “I love how quickly day turns to night. Sometimes I almost feel like I could keep up with counting the stars, and then all of a sudden the sky is filled.”
We waited for about five minutes, watching the sky get darker and darker. Soon there was no blue left in it. Millions of stars blinked as they woke up for the night.
“Oh, there’s one.” I pointed out a shooting star. “If we are seeing them already, this should be a great night for meteors.” I leaned over to Amira and squeezed her hand.
“This is fun.” Amira turned to me. “Thank you for inviting me. I have never been interested in the stars before, only learning what I must, but after Jai told me some of those stories about the stars the other night, I could not wait to come.”
I looked over at Jai, who was looking at Amira, and was caught off-guard at the expression o
n his face. For a moment I thought I saw tenderness there. Then he said, “You should tell her some of what you told me.”
We lay down and wiggled into position until the tops of our heads touched. When we could all see the same area, and they could tell where I pointed, I showed Amira the same constellations I’d shown Jai before. Amira seemed especially offended by the thought that King Cepheus had chained his daughter Andromeda to the rock as a sacrifice to the whale.
“What kind of king would do that to his daughter?” she demanded, as she slapped her hand down onto the blanket.
“It's all myth and legend, I think. It never really happened.” Her anger surprised me.
“But still, that kind of king would not be fit to rule.” She crossed her arms over her chest and looked toward a different section of the sky as if ignoring King Cepheus.
I glanced at Jai for an explanation. He shrugged and shook his head. “Tell us a new story.”
I looked around again for a moment to get my constellations straight in my mind and then pointed out the shiniest star high above us.
“See that bright star there. You can find it for sure by looking at the tip of the Big Dipper's handle and kind of following it in a slight curve. The brightest one is Arcturus. It is about twenty-five times bigger than our sun and one of the closest stars to us. Grandpa told me it was only like forty light years away. If you follow it around, you can see a triangle body and then kind of a lopsided head with a pointy hat and then a pipe. That is the herdsman. He just smokes his pipe and herds the stars through the sky.” I glanced back at Jai to see him looking where I'd pointed.
“Behind him in a curve is the Northern Crown. It looks like a tiara,” I added.
Amira looked when I said crown and calmly asked, “Where is it?”
I pointed out a few more stars and constellations, then we started seeing lots of meteors. We each straightened out so our heads no longer touched and got comfortable with our blankets. I tried to count them, but they started coming so fast and frequently that I stopped and just enjoyed the show. It was way better than I'd hoped for.
Eye on Orion Page 6
