When Lightning Strikes (Alien Academy Book 1)

by Pixie James

  “No, not him. The boy who helped me. The boy from the dance.”

  “He disappeared. We looked at the footage from the party and have sent his image to all known Xebulin families living off campus. All male students on campus are to be searched.”

  “Searched? For what?”

  Te’Lara’s eyes linger on the massive bandage on my chest. I’m wrapped up so tight with a stretch gauze I don’t even need a bra. “Never mind that. Just worry about yourself. We’ll discover who he is and who’s responsible for bringing him soon enough.”

  “I don’t want him to get in trouble. I’m sure I’m the one who convinced him—”

  She holds up a hand, nostrils flaring. “It doesn’t matter. What is so egregious is that he did not report the incident, he simply disappeared after the explosion happened. If Huey had not been there, you could have died. The Humans and the Xebulin Assembly want to question you both. And,” she clenches her jaw, “they plan to schedule more appointments for you with their scientists. The testing on your human shell came back inconclusive, and after this, they want answers. Are demanding them, really, and I fear they won’t stop until they get them.”

  My first reaction is to disagree with her. The boy I met, who rescued me in the middle of one of what was sure to be one of the more embarrassing nights of my life, wouldn’t do that. There was a genuine feel to the way he looked at me. The attraction he felt for me was authentic and the way he held me? Rubbed tiny little circles on my back? It was like he treasured every second of me in his arms. So why in the world would he leave me there to die? There has to be another explanation.

  “Maybe, he was injured. Or went to call for help…”

  Te’Lara grabs the pitcher of water beside my bed and pours me a cup. “The cameras in the gym were damaged in the explosion. The exterior ones that showed him fleeing into the woods outside our perimeter were not.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Neither do we. We suspect he either attended as the guest of an invitee, or he is a twelfth-year student who altered his appearance.”

  My cheeks heat and my mouth feels like single ply toilet paper when I force out my next words. “So, you don’t think the boy I met was real? The whole thing was a lie?”

  My pride crumbles as Te’Lara turns her head in an attempt to mask the tears in her eyes. “We don’t know. But it’s highly probable. None of the guests we’ve spoken with remember seeing him prior to your dance and no one has seen him since.”

  No. Not this time.

  Anger like I’ve never felt before springs up, dilating my veins. I’ve reached my maximum capacity for ridiculous bullshit. I’m done. Sliding up in bed, I start ripping things off and out and then swing my legs over the side.

  “Why for once, can’t something nice that happens be real? That was the first time in forever I haven’t felt like running away or burying my head in the sand and biding my time and I refuse to believe it was a lie.

  “I’m so sick of people being horrible to me. First, my birth parents give me away, then the woman I thought was my mom throws me in the trash. I can’t talk to my cousin, see her, or leave, and I have just about had it with this bullshit!”

  I point at Te’Lara, anger, confusion and hurt fueling my temporary loss of sanity. “You and the others did nothing when those diplomats insulted me. Did nothing when they forced me to go to this stupid party I didn’t even want to attend. None of you bothered to tear Ki’Lin off that stage when she spread my personal business all over the place and aired my dirty laundry.”

  “It’s not that—”

  “No! You don’t get to tell me it’s not that simple. None of this would have happened if you all stopped keeping so many secrets from me. Even now I can see you’re holding back. Not telling me the whole story, and it’s clear no matter what I say, you have zero intentions to. Please, leave. I just want to be alone.”

  Te’Lara sits there a moment, lips slightly parted like there’s so much she still wants to say. “I can’t keep them from your room once you’re cleared as well enough to interview. I can buy you a day or two at the most before they demand an interrogation.”

  Guilt seeps into the steady stream of emotion pulsing through me, and I’m left floundering for a worthy response. Here I am yelling at her, practically throwing a fit, and rather than tell me where I undoubtedly deserve to go, she’s still protecting me. The white bedsheets are a blur as I drop my eyes in shame. “I’d appreciate it and I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have…”

  “It’s all right. I deserve it. We all do. Please know anything we’ve kept from you was in your best interest.”

  “Shouldn’t I be the one to decide what’s best for me? What I can and cannot handle?”

  Her eyes are once again drawn to the bandage on my chest. “There are some things in life, Cherise, that no one should deal with. Those are the things that we aim to protect you from. I can only hope that one day you’ll forgive me.”

  Sleep doesn’t come easy. After Te’Lara left, all I’ve done is toss and turn, but no matter how hard I try to get comfortable, the ache in my chest keeps me awake. It’s too hot, and the machine above my bed beeps incessantly, and if that’s not bad enough, the hired gun outside my door keeps peering through the window at me like I’m going to make a run for it.

  If only I could.

  The sound of radio static creeps into the room from under the door and the guy guarding me clicks on his earpiece and then takes off down the hall. Here’s my chance. It might be my only opportunity. Indecision weighs heavy on my mind, and not until the door handle jiggles and opens a crack am I glad I didn’t run.

  Trotting in with an obvious limp, a very bandaged and bruised Huey pushes open the door with his nose. He turns and glares at the sweaty, red-faced guard who’s sprinting full speed back to his position. Something tells me Huey’s the reason he went running in the first place.

  “He’s not supposed to be in here,” the guard pants, pointing the end of his baton at my Raska. “My orders are to maintain your separation.” Huey growls and makes himself twice as big, almost daring the guy to try anything.

  I cock a brow. “Oh, yeah? Who’s going to enforce that? You?”

  The guard’s jaw tenses and he snaps his baton in place with a loud huff. “You’re not coming back out this door. Try it, and I’ll make sure neither of you have enough skull left to fix.”

  Huey growls again, prompting the guy to yank the door closed, and hops up on my bed. There’s hardly any room for him, but I don’t make a peep as he settles down beside me and rests his head on my chest.

  Just the sight of him opens the flood gates, and I snuggle close, feeling like an absolute piece of crap. Here he is, completely beat to hell all because of me, and he still wants to be close. I don’t think I’ll ever forgive myself.

  The bed shakes as he paws at the bandage on his head and uses his teeth to help him wiggle out of the wrap job. The regala, now bruised and swollen, sluggishly slide around my wrist, and he nudges me with his nose again.

  “I’m so sorry,” I say, scratching the only non-battered area on his chin while he stares up at me.

  He huffs and rolls his eyes. “Stop blubbering, female. It’s not that bad.”

  The shock of his voice in my head sends me jerking away, and he yelps as I pull on his already tender regala. “Good Gorks. That doesn’t mean give me another head bashing. This one’s not nearly healed. Are you trying to kill me, again?” I slap a hand over my chest trying to slow my racing heart, and when I don’t answer, he bares his teeth in what I am guessing is his version of a smile. “Too soon?”

  “No, crap. Sorry! I didn’t mean to do that. I just…didn’t expect you to talk, that’s all.”

  I fumble my hands, unsure of where to put them, and he dips his head under them so that I can continue to scratch his unmarred skin. “Just settle down or you’ll alert those incompetent farsnooks lingering outside your door. Do they honestly think their presence is a dete
rrent for our escape? Even in my current condition I could end them without effort. Do you wish for me to demonstrate this?”

  “No. As long as he stays out there, I think we’re good.”

  “I am pleased you feel this way. I do not wish to exert the energy. Te’Lara snores and I have not been able to get a decent hour’s sleep since she posted up at my bedside. Not to mention the ten Raska holding vigil outside my room, crooning for my quick recovery. I swear they are incapable of decision making even when I am on my death bed.”

  “If Te’Lara was in your room, how’d you manage to get in here?”

  “I am a magnanimous creature, beloved Xebulin. My skills are beyond your comprehension.” I cock a brow and wait for an explanation. “Fine, I pooped on the floor.”

  A loud barking laugh tears from my throat. “Shut up. You didn’t.”

  “I did. I sent the inferior Raska away to tend to their charges so they would not see my blatant disregard for protocol and waited for Te’Lara to leave in search of a bag large enough to hold my excrement, then took the long way around to your room.”

  A little bit of the hollowness I felt without him eases, and I settle back against my pillow, trying to relax. “I’m glad you came. It’s weird to wake up without you.” He snakes his tongue out and licks me, leaving a trail of what must be Raska morning breath in its path.

  “Good gracious, Huey. What do they feed you? Your breath is rank.”

  His levels his eyes with mine. “I am a massively unique and sought-after warrior from an alien planet. Use your imagination.”

  “I’ll pass.” We lie there a few more minutes before my eyes begin to droop, and the adrenaline I woke up with wanes. “Hey, Huey?” He grunts, not bothering to lift his head. “Do you think they’ll make you go back to your room?”

  “You are my charge, beloved Xebulin. They cannot, by Xebulin law, demand our separation. And if they did. I would have cause to eat them.”

  “Oh, good. That’s nice,” I mumble, not really registering what he said. Giving in to sleep’s demand, I snuggle closer, letting myself drift off. “Hey Huey?”

  “Yes, beloved Xebulin,” he says in my mind, voice quieter as he too dozes off.

  “The boy who helped me, if he was so bad, why didn’t you attack him?”

  A small whimper escapes him as my wrist falls to the side, putting a little too much tension on his wounds. “Because he did not seek to harm you. His intentions were as true as the mark he left on your soul.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  The sun outside is high in the sky and after two days straight of being cooped up in this room, I’m desperate for some fresh air. One of the most beautiful blue birds I’ve ever seen is flying tree to tree in the distance, dancing his way across the vast forest lining Nova’s edge.

  He looks so free, untethered and able to go as high or as far as he wants. It’s the perfect distraction, following alongside him in my mind, imagining what it would be like to have nothing more to fight against but the wind beneath my feathers.

  I lose sight of him when the scientist standing in front of me sticks another electrode on my arm.

  “What is this for exactly?”

  “Do not concern yourself with—”

  Huey growls so forcefully, the bed shakes and the man backs up a few steps. “What I meant to say is, eh…this machine is going to examine your brainwaves, and the rest of the electricity flowing through your body, and let us know if there’s any abnormality we can pinpoint that would have contributed to what occurred two nights ago.”

  “And if it can’t?” I eye the larger, more invasive looking metal monstrosity in the corner.

  “Then we move on to the next one.”

  Great. Awesome. Can’t wait.

  “So, how long do I have to leave it on?”

  The science guy adjusts the last electrode, then places what looks like a plastic-wrapped cap over my head and flips a switch to suck all the air out, flattening it to my skull. One look at Huey, and I can guess exactly what I look like I’m wearing…

  A giant condom. On my head. Wait, does this mean I can’t wash my hair?

  Ignoring my question, the guy gathers up the remainder of his supplies, not bothering to clean the floor of his trash and turns to head out the door.

  “Wait! You never answered me. How long do I have to wear this thing for?”

  Picking at his scalp with his free hand, the guy looks to Huey, then to me, weighing his options. “For the next two weeks.”

  “Wait, stop. Son of a…”

  He doesn’t, he just barrels out the door and I’m left there with a stupid condom hat on my head and another two week sentence of being confined to this stuffy room. I swear, you can’t make this stuff up.

  Sitting there with my eyes glued to my Xebulin history textbook, I start to zone out until someone knocks on my door. I try to get up, but Huey refuses to move, so I holler for whoever it is just to come in. It’s not like I can actually make myself look presentable anyway. This thing is vacuum sealed to my head.

  Oh, thank God, it’s Tia. With cake.

  Jumping to my knees, I hug her. “How did you even get in here? Te’Lara told me they were restricting visitors!”

  “They are. I’m here under strict assignment.” Her use of air quotes makes me smirk. “I’m to catch you up on the classes you’ve missed and submit a report on your progress daily. I’m not the only one, either…”

  I gasp, “Eugene? Did you find a way to make pedicures part of my super-secret alien curriculum?”

  “Not so much.” She wrinkles her nose, “Ty’Nix will be joining us shortly to continue tutoring you on memory extraction, and after your explosive party in the gym…” She pauses. “Get it, explosive? Anyway, he has to increase the amount of time you spend practicing touch defense and siphoning.”

  “You’re joking, right?”

  “Nope.” Just as she collapses on the bed beside me, Huey protests by kicking me in the side and then gives me a dirty look as he hops off the bed and lays his big butt on one of my pillows Tia knocked off.

  “Geeze. Attitude much?” she asks, throwing a shady look at my four-legged friend.

  Huey shows all his teeth. “She knows I can eat her, right?”

  “Oh, stop being such a grouch.”

  Tia gives me an odd look. “Huh?”

  “Not you. Huey.”

  “You’re communicating silently with your, Raska?” she asks.

  “Tell her that if she does not stop attempting to steal my space of comfort on your bed, I will overpower her and force her into submission. That is my spot.”

  “No,” I answer Huey, then look to Tia. “I mean yes to you. No to Huey.”

  “Do it,” he demands.

  Tia claps her hands, “That’s huge! Most twelfth years never learn to do that without touch. What’s he saying?”

  “You don’t want to know. Huey, go to sleep.”

  “No. Tell her. Or I’ll fart on your pillow.”

  I glare at him. “You wouldn’t.”

  “Last chance…”

  “Cherise, stop holding out. What’s he saying. Why’s he looking at you like that?”

  “Huey—”

  A loud gust of what sounds like wind ruffles against my pillowcase, followed by the unmistakable emptying of whatever deathly particles were lingering in his colon. “Time’s up.”

  The air is thick with his oily butt fumes, and Tia and I both cover our faces with the sheet. “I can’t breathe. It’s terrible.”

  “My eyes… my throat,” she wails, gasping.

  I lunge for the window, trying to loosen it, but it won’t budge. They must have nailed it closed. Hearing the commotion, the guard outside jerks open the door and is knocked back by the wall of noxious gas.

  “Oh, dear God.” He clicks the button on his radio as Tia and I run for the door, begging for air. “Code black, I repeat. Code black, there’s been a neuro gas attack in the girl’s room. Bring hazmat suits.�
�

  “It’s not a bomb, it’s just a—” I gag again, unable to get the words out, and the sirens begin to wail as a line of men in black bio-suits come stomping down the hall to drag us to safety.

  Firm hands grip my wrists, and I’m tossed over one of the stranger’s shoulders and rushed out of the school’s infirmary and toward one of Nova’s empty conference rooms. He drops me flat on my butt alongside Tia, then locks the door and runs off to save the day from Huey’s toxic poo particles.

  As soon as the door clicks closed, Tia and I burst into a fit of laughter, so hard we’ve got tears rolling down our cheeks and don’t compose ourselves until we’re greeted with a very angry Te’Lara.

  “I can explain.”

  “Twenty thousand Earth dollars, Cherise. That is what they are billing the school for their decision to mobilize their rescue team in the wake of Huey’s flatulence.” My lips tremble as I try to keep a straight face, but it’s nearly impossible when Tia starts to crack a smile first.

  “I’m sorry, Headmaster, I don’t know what to say. It was really, really bad.”

  “And what exactly caused him to expel not only his external sphincters, but also the internal reservoir the Raska store their more potent scents used for battle.”

  I nearly choke on my spit. “His what?”

  “The only thing that could explain a smell that caustic would be if he willingly released it.”

  “He would only do so in your presence if you commanded it,” Te’Lara cuts in as she makes her way into the room.

  “No, not true.”

  She crosses her arms. “All right. Then explain yourselves. Both of you.”

  “Huey was mad that Tia kicked him off the bed.”

  Headmaster Ha’Jahn and Te’Lara exchange a look. “And you know this how?”

  “Well, because he threatened to fart on my pillow if I didn’t tell Tia how superior he was and a bunch of other ridiculous crap I wasn’t about to say. He didn’t mention doing all that though.”

  Tia crosses her arms and glares at Huey, who’s hanging out in the corner, tail wagging and clearly amused by all the drama he’s caused. “So, that’s what he was saying?” I shrug, another smile threatening as she narrows her eyes at my Raska. “Huey, you’re such a shit.”