The Crystal's Curse
Page 22
“Something wrong?” Joshua asked.
“No.” Lrence, realizing he must have been frowning, smiled. “It’s nice to see everyone together. Your folks seem to really like Sara.”
“Yeah, Mom’s over there telling her stories about me.” He hesitated, “Can I ask you a question?”
“Shoot.”
“When you used the crystal to return to your house, I watched you rotate in your hands like a top. How exactly does that work?”
“When you insert the crystal into the portal, you create a link like an electrical circuit between your body, the portal, and the crystal. When you want to return to the portal, rotating the crystal in your hands causes friction, which reactivates the link and pulls you back to the portal. It’s kind of uncomfortable at first, sort of like being sucked into a vacuum.”
“Does everything around you get kind of shimmery and then fade?”
“Exactly.” He studied Joshua, but instead of asking how he knew, he said, “I still can’t explain why your brain is able to handle transporting without any deterioration.”
“I’ve wondered about that. The first time I stopping carrying the crystal, I felt a drop in confidence, but when I gave it to my grandfather to keep, nothing happened. Even though I haven’t touched the crystal in months, I don’t think I’ve lost any of the enhancements. I feel just as strong. My reflexes and senses still seem keener than most humans.”
Lrence nodded. “Your tests all confirm that.”
“Am I some sort of freak?”
Lrence laughed. “You’re certainly unique. If that’s freaky, then I’d bet there are many people out there that would love to be your kind of freak. Enjoy it while you can, there’s no telling how long it will last.”
Sam called to them, “The steaks are ready. Come and get it.”
Joshua and Lrence rejoined the group.
After the party, Lrence got a call from Vicki. “Scientists announced today they discovered another planet with inhabitants as close in physiology to us as humans. Now that they have been able to replace the crystals, no one seems interested in you anymore. What’s more, with this new discovery, there has been heated debate over either moving the station or dismantling it. Representatives of the EA are ahead in the polls and arguing that we can’t afford to recreate the mistakes of the past. If they win in the next election, it may be possible for you to come home.”
Lrence smiled. It was something to think about.
Vicky grew up in Southern California. After graduating from high school, her family moved to Nevada. Following her military husband, she’s lived all over the United States and spent two years in Taiwan and three years in England. Returning to the states, she worked in human resources for various hotel/casinos in Las Vegas, Reno, and West Virginia before deciding to write full time.
She enjoys reading and traveling. Even after all the moves, she still enjoys the thrill of exploring a new city, perhaps walking in the footsteps of an ancient civilization. She currently resides in the rural town of Overton near Lake Mead about an hour northeast of Las Vegas.
Learn more at www.vickydeleo.blogspot.com
Others Books by Vicky De Leo – Double Down and Jealousy