by Lisa Beeson
“Usually, childhood is the most vulnerable time for the Anu races. Their bodies focus all their energy in growing and preparing for the cellular change of Maturity that they don’t exhibit their innate abilities until their bodies are ready to handle them,” he explained. “You shouldn’t be able to sift yet. Frankly, you shouldn’t be able to do anything you do. Once you reach Maturity, who knows what you’ll be capable of. The fact that you exist at all is a threat to the stability of the peace accords.”
“Maybe that’s why I feel so drained whenever I sift; my body isn’t ready to expend that kind of energy yet,” Ari mused aloud.
“How come I’ve had my ability since I was born?” Cam asked, trying to keep up.
“The way the different species’ DNA spliced together in human crossbreeds was different in each case. Sometimes they showed abilities that neither species had initially, leaving a highly vulnerable, short-lived being with heterotic abilities. And since their bodies weren’t preparing for cellular metamorphosis, sometimes the abilities ended up manifesting earlier.”
“How can you possibly know all this stuff?” Cam asked.
“I’m smarter than you,” Kael said, as if it was extremely obvious.
Ari took the blue stone out from under her shirt and started rubbing it between her fingers, gleaning some comfort from its familiar warmth. She needed to change the subject before she broke down. “How will the stones help you get home?”
“I need the stones to activate the gate between Earth and Nibiru.”
“There’s still a portal to Nibiru?” Ari asked, surprised.
“There used to be many, but after so many years, they’ve either been destroyed or are under the ocean. I believe I know a couple sights where one might still exist.”
“Do you think it’ll still work, after so many years?” Ari wondered.
“The only way to close a portal permanently is to destroy the gate, and for that reason, the Anu engineers built them to last. So it should still work as long as I have all twelve stones to activate it. Through the centuries, the true purpose of the stones has been forgotten. They were stolen, scattered across the globe, mistaken for common gems and made into jewelry. It’s taken me more than sixty years just to find the nine that I have,” he explained.
It took you sixty years to find SEVEN stones, buddy. I found the last two, she thought, as she put the pendant back under her shirt.
Cam nudged Ari with the back of his hand. “Have you shown him how you make them glow yet?”
Kael’s eyes cut over to Ari’s and narrowed. “Show me,” he demanded.
“I can’t. I need more than one for it to work, and you stole my other one, remember?”
Kael stared her down, then got up and went over to the painting on the wall. He swung it out like a cabinet door to reveal a wall safe with a biometric scanner that only opened for his hand print.
Cam sat up and whispered, “Balls. I was hoping it was a combination lock so I could focus- in and see the numbers.”
The safe opened and Kael took out a fancy brief case that looked like the kind that people carried diamonds in and handcuffed to their wrists. Kael sat back down in his chair and placed the briefcase on the glass coffee table. Opening it, by placing his thumb on another scanner, he angled it so that Cam and Ari could see the contents.
She had a hard time not showing her amazement, but Cam had no such compunction. “Sweet baby Jesus…,” he whispered in awe.
Before them sat eight stones – all the same shape and size, but each was a different color. They each had their own slots in the case, sparkling in the sunlight. But there were also four empty slots awaiting the three stones he had yet to find, and the one around Ari’s neck.
Ari saw her green one, noticing that he had already taken it out of its setting on the ring.
Man, this guy works fast.
She went to reach for it, and as her hand hovered over the case, all eight stones illuminated brilliantly. It seemed that the more stones there were, the brighter they shined. They could even see the blue one shining through the fabric of her shirt. Ari didn’t even have to touch them; she just had to be close. Bringing her hand back, the jewels stopped glowing.
Kael sat there, staring at her with that angry-confused look on his face, but this time it was way more intense. She wished terribly that she could read his intentions like she could with everyone else.
After a long awkward pause, his head moved in an almost imperceptible nod, as though he just decided something. “I’ve answered your questions, now it’s time for you to obey. Eat something and be ready to leave in an hour,” he said as he closed the briefcase and stood up.
“What about Cam?”
Kael looked over at him disdainfully. “He can tag along as long as he keeps his bloody mouth shut.”
Fat chance of that…“Oh, he will,” Ari promised, elbowing Cam in the ribs. He nodded emphatically and pretended to zip his mouth shut and throw away the key.
Kael made a derisive noise, then went up to the second level to make more phone calls.
Cam patted Ari’s leg. “C’mon let’s eat. I’m starving.”
Ari sat there, looking down at her hands, trying to process everything Kael had told her. “You go ahead. I’ll be there in a minute,” she said.
“Wow, this is the first time I haven’t seen you drool at the mere mention of food,” he teased, trying to coax a smile out of her.
“It’s just… finding out that I’m the result of an illegal science experiment, and an alien hegemony wants me dead…it’s a little hard to take,” she answered dejectedly.
Cam wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Well, personally I think it’s extraordinary. You are literally an illegal alien.”
Ari gave him as sideways look. “Did you seriously just say that?” she asked, and was met with that impish grin of his.
A confusing mixture of tears and laughter escaped as she rested her head on Cam’s shoulder. He brought her in for a comforting embrace. “And don’t think that I didn’t hear that part while you were verbally flaying Mr. Grumpy Pants where you referred to me as your brother,” he said, resting his head on top of hers. “Just so you know, from one crossbreed to another, I think you’re perfect.”
The tears were flowing freely now. After everything that had happened, Cam was still by her side, believing in her even when she didn’t. “Thank you, Cam,” she said while wiping away her tears. “You’re pretty perfect too.”
“I know,” he said matter-of-factly, which made them both burst out laughing. “C’mon Pipes, let’s go eat all of Kael’s food, and not do any of the dishes.”
She nodded enthusiastically, and they got up and went to over to the kitchen.
Chapter 24
When it was time to leave, the three of them rode the elevator down to the garage. They got into the sports car Ari had seen the previous night. Cam had to sit up front with Kael since his legs were too long for the back seat. Ari squeezed in behind them, and they set off, out of the old factory.
Kael drove them out of the city to a private air field. Cam was on his best behavior, trying to keep his mouth shut for the whole drive, but was unable to hold back when they approached the gates. “Uh…I don’t have a passport or anything. Is that going to be a problem?”
“No,” Kael said.
“Oh…well, okay then. Are you part of the Irish mafia or something? Can you just ‘get things done?’” Cam asked, some of the smart alack creeping back into his voice.
“No,” Kael said as he pulled through the gate without stopping, driving straight onto the tarmac.
“We gotta get past these monosyllabic answers, man. I mean it works for your whole mysterious alien badass persona you’re going for, but uh…there’s a definite lack of communication happening here.”
“We’re not on the plane yet, boy.”
Cam took the hint and shut his mouth as Kael parked the car near a private jet. A large man with graying sandy-blond hair
and a curly red beard was walking around the plane, making sure everything was ready for the flight. When he heard the car pull up, he shaded his eyes and walked towards the car with a broad smile on his face. Kael rolled down the windows and told them to stay in the car. He got out and walked over to the large man.
Through the open windows, Cam and Ari could hear the man’s gregarious voice booming across the tarmac. “…Kael.”
“Reid…thanks for getting this all together on such short notice.” They shook hands and gave each other a man hug, patting each other on the back.
“Not a problem, my friend. It’ll be nice to be back over the pond anyway,” Reid said. He had a slight Scottish accent.
Kael and Reid continued their conversation, but they had lowered their voices, so it was harder to make out what they were saying. A second man came out of the plane, who Ari assumed was another pilot. His head was shaved, hiding his receding hairline, and he kind of reminded Ari of a bulldog – not so much in looks, but in stature and demeanor. He looked like he’d be more at home in a fighter jet than a private plane.
Kael shook his hand, then motioned for Cam and Ari to get out of the car. As they came over, he introduced them. “Reid, Tauber, these are my wards, Ari and Cam. They’ll be traveling with me from now on.”
Tauber gave them a slight nod. Reid, however, burst out with, “I dinna peg you for a family man, Kael,” then gave Cam a robust pat on the back. “I’ll have to watch out for this one, though. He looks like a scrapper,” he said, teasing Cam about his black eye. But before Cam could say anything, Reid moved on to Ari. “Well, aren’t you a bonnie little lass…” his eyes cut to Kael. “You’re gonna to have to watch out for the lads around this one when she gets older.”
Ari felt her cheeks get hot as she looked down at her shoes. Compliments about her looks always made her embarrassed. She never understood what people saw when they said stuff like that to her. Maybe it was just her strange coloring that got people’s attention, because she never saw anything special in the mirror. She was just …her.
Cam chuckled at her discomfort and playfully nudged her with his elbow.
“Yeah, I’ll be sure to do that,” Kael said gruffly, before going to get his stuff out of the trunk of the car.
“That’s all you have with you?” Reid asked.
Kael locked up the trunk. “Yeah, we’re travelling light this time.”
They all began walking towards the plane. Cam and Ari trailed behind a bit. “Dude, this is a Gulfstream G200,” he whispered to her as they walked up the steps into the plane. “Dang, that’s so posh.”
Ari didn’t know much about private jets, but this one sure was swanky. How could Kael afford something like this?
“Take a seat. We’ll be taking off in a minute or so,” Reid told them.
Kael glared over his shoulder and gave a look that warned Cam and Ari to behave, before the three men went into the cockpit.
There were four seats in the front that faced each other with a table in between. Then, beside that was a long couch that ran down the right side of the cabin. Ari and Cam both went for the two pivoting chairs in the back by the flat screen TV.
“Have you ever flown before?” Cam asked her as he swiveled his chair to face her.
“Yeah, I have once, but not in a private jet. This is ridiculous.”
“I know, right! What do you think he does to be this rich? I still haven’t ruled out the mafia…”
Before Ari could answer, Kael came out of the cockpit and sat down in one of the seats that faced the table. The plane started to taxi to the runway, so Cam and Ari swiveled their chairs forward.
“Here, for your ears,” Cam said as he threw her a stick of gum.
She caught it. “Thanks.” For some reason, her ears never popped in high altitudes, but she appreciated the gesture, so she popped it in her mouth anyway.
Reid’s voice came over the intercom, telling them to prepare for takeoff. At least, that’s what Ari thought he said. It was hard to tell between his accent and the intercom static. The plane sped up, and she felt the familiar stomach drop as the plane lifted off the ground.
From her window, Ari looked down at the ever changing topography of the ground below them as they swiftly made their way towards the Atlantic. She thought about everything she was leaving behind – her family, all the friends she made along the way, and the monsters who wanted to hunt her down.
Looking ahead towards the horizon, she wondered what the fates had in store for her now as she leaped into another abyss.
