I closed my eyes again, hoping to pull up more memories. I wasn’t sure how they were going to help, but I was so confused I would take any information I could find. I was brought back to the same memory. The piano. The smell of cooking. I wished I could look beyond that tiny snapshot. As soon as I tried to remember more the memory faded away, and I snapped back to reality.
“Do you want water or anything?” Noah asked.
“Oh. Only if you want it.”
“Okay. Stay right here with Angie and Dale.” He pulled his hand from mine, and I immediately felt his absence. I thought about following, but he’d specifically asked me to stay.
“He’s going to come back.” Dale smiled, as if his words were funny. “The bar is just inside.”
“I know.” I was sure my words sounded defensive, but they’d come out quickly. I looked down at my empty hands.
“That’s not what your face says. Your face says you think he’s gone forever.” Dale tilted his head to the side.
“Leave her alone.” Angie groaned. “I’m sorry, Rachel, this one doesn’t have an off-button.”
“It’s fine.” I looked up to meet her eyes. “I don’t mind.” I didn’t mind Dale’s words, but I minded my reaction to Noah’s absence. I didn’t want to rely on him. I didn’t want to rely on anyone ever again.
“Can I ask you something?” She moistened her lips.
The band must have been taking a break because there was only the hum of voices to talk over now. “Sure.”
“Can you tell me anything about your time in New Orleans when you were little?”
“Anything how?” Maybe I shouldn’t have admitted my memories were coming back. She was going to expect more than I could give.
“Like what things were like. Anything. I’m trying to figure something out.” She put her hand on the side of her neck.
“What? What are you trying to figure out?” I was tired of unknowns.
“It’s easier if you tell me the information first and I explain later.”
“Sounds perfectly fair to me.” Dale snorted.
Angie glared at him.
Something nagged at me. “Why did you wait for Noah to leave to ask me?”
Angie startled. “I didn’t.”
“You did. Please don’t pretend otherwise.”
She sighed. “Fine. You’re right. I did it because Noah is afraid of scaring you away.”
“Shouldn’t it be the opposite?” I thought over her words. “Shouldn’t he be afraid of me staying around?” So far he’d skipped classes for me, and he couldn’t possibly be getting school work done. All I’d done for him is a simple computer fix.
“No.” Angie shook her head. “Haven’t you noticed the way he looks at you?
Did she mean the way his eyes seemed to see straight through me into the parts of me that no one had ever seen before? She couldn’t possibly know that. “No.”
Angie frowned. “I can’t tell if you are really innocent or a really good actress.”
“Actress?” The word didn’t resonate with me. I touched my ear. My translator wasn’t going to do me any good for Earth words I didn’t remember.
“You know, performer.” Dale leaned in. “Like you can fool people. Just so you know, I don’t really care. If you’re fooling us, thanks for the entertainment.”
“I’m not trying to fool anyone.” The very idea someone could think that was my goal made me angry. I certainly wasn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but I wasn’t cruel. “I just need help. I was rushed and didn’t plan anything out before coming here. Now I’m paying for it. I offered to leave you all alone, but Noah told me not to. Do you disagree with him? Do you want me to leave?” It was Noah I would listen to, but he seemed to look up to his sister. Her opinion mattered to him.
Angie turned to Dale. “Give us a moment.”
He acted as if he didn’t hear her, but he had to have. His hearing appeared to be fine.
She scowled. “Dale, go see if Noah needs help. Now!”
He groaned. “I miss everything good.” He stomped off.
A few seats opened up at a table. Angie pulled the chairs away from the table and gestured for me to sit down. I sat, mostly because I was completely exhausted.
She settled into her chair next to me. “I am all on board helping you, but I can’t take the chance of my brother getting hurt.”
“Getting hurt? You mean by me?” I put a hand to my chest. “Why would I hurt him? I don’t get it.”
“If you mean intentionally, then I don’t know. People have their reasons. But giving you the benefit of the doubt, you might unintentionally hurt him.”
“I can’t promise the unintentional part, although I’ll truly try not to. I’ve been hurt before. I have no interest in doing that to others. Especially not him.”
“Especially not him?” She crossed her legs.
“Noah is—” I searched for the right words. I’d never had to explain my feelings before. Especially not feelings like this that I didn’t even fully grasp. “He’s the nicest person I’ve met.”
“He is nice. Sometimes too nice.” She looked off into the distance.
I followed her gaze, expecting to see him, but I saw nothing but groups of people standing around. Mostly drinking beverages out of glass containers. Angie said nothing, so I decided to continue my awkward attempt to describe Noah. “He has the most amazing eyes; they are at once both piercing and beautiful.” Once I started talking it became far easier. “And his hands. They are strong and comforting. He’s funny too. In a different way. Not different bad. Different in a way I haven’t experienced before.”
She laughed. “In other words you like him.”
Like him? I wasn’t entirely sure what she meant, but there was very little I didn’t like about him. “Yes. Of course.”
“I mean, you’re interested in him.”
“Oh.” I looked down at my lap. “I hadn’t thought of that at all. I hadn’t thought of anything beyond finding my brother. I don’t really know if it matters.” I patted the medallion that was tucked under my shirt.
“What do you mean it doesn’t matter?” she pressed.
“I mean I don’t know what my future is going to hold. I probably get no choice still. All I’m hoping for is a chance to see my brother before—” I stopped. How could I possibly tell her more? How could I tell her that likely my life was down to its last days unless I succumbed to the Emperor’s demands? They’d find me. And it wasn’t going to take long.
“Hey, you found chairs.” Noah reappeared at exactly the right moment to spare me having to answer. Dale was by his side.
“Not enough chairs.” Dale gave a miffed look at a group of people sitting at the table nearest us.
“You can have my chair if you want,” I offered.
“No.” Noah shook his head. “He can stand.”
“I really don’t mind.” I jumped to my feet. I’d had my rest. Dale could have his turn now.
“Oh. Here.” Noah held out a cup of water.
“Thanks.” I sipped it. “Wow. This tastes good too.”
“The water wherever you are from must be horrible.” Dale sipped from his own water. “Because this isn’t anything special.”
“So what do you think of the music?” Noah shifted his weight from foot to foot in rhythm to the music.
He’d already asked me that, but I didn’t mind. “I like it.” I was about to elaborate more, but I noticed someone in the crowd behind him that jarred me. I stepped around Noah.
“Hey, where are you going?”
I didn’t answer. I needed to know if I was imagining things. I slowly walked around the patio area searching for the figure.
“Hello, little princess.” The low, scratchy voice came from directly behind me.
I spun and came face to face with a set of red eyes. They belonged to the same stranger from the ceremony crowd. I froze, searching for words and trying to understand how he could have possibly fol
lowed me to Earth.
“Did the cat get your tongue?” He smiled without opening his mouth. His lips were deeply chapped and bleeding.
“What?”
“Isn’t that what Earthlings say?”
I forced myself to maintain eye contact even though his face was frightening. “I wouldn’t know.”
“Rachel, what’s going on?” Noah caught up with me. “Who is this guy?”
“Trouble.” There was no word that could possibly encapsulate it more. No matter how he found me, the why couldn’t be good.
“A lot more than trouble.” The red-eyed stranger’s face began to change. His chin elongated as fangs sprouted from the corners of his mouth.
I noticed Angie and Dale out of the corner of my eye and wanted to scream at them to stay away. I couldn’t. I was frozen in fear.
The stranger reached out for me, his bitterly cold hand slipping underneath my shirt and grabbing a hold of the chain. He tugged on it and cupped the medallion in his hand.
“Get the hell away from her.” Noah tossed his water—cup and all—at the stranger and shoved him in the chest. The stranger let out a howl and released the medallion. A foggy smoke emulated from his ears and nose along with a horrible stench. Noah took my hand. I let him pull me from the bar, hoping the creature was only there for me and wouldn’t hurt anyone else.
19 Rachel
There were no screams. No shouts. Only music as Noah pulled me through the bar and out onto the sidewalk out front. I held onto his hand as he ran full speed once the crowds were no longer an issue. He only slowed a few times to check to make sure Angie was with us.
“What the hell was that?” Dale asked out of breath as we slowed down once we made it around the block.
“I don’t exactly know,” I admitted after taking a long look down the street. I also looked up. One could never rule out a creature’s ability to fly. I wanted to believe Noah’s water trick had gotten rid of him, but nothing was that easy. At best it bought us enough time to get away. The problem was if the creature had found me once, he could find me again. “But he was there for me.” I was sure of that. Maybe Noah would believe me now, because that guy didn’t look like he was from Earth.
“No matter what he was, we have to keep moving.” Noah took my hand again even though this time I wasn’t frozen. I didn’t mind at all.
“Where are we going?” Angie jogged beside us. “Or are we just randomly running?”
“Somewhere. Anywhere.” Noah was taking charge, and I was glad. I was still in too much shock to think straight. “Wait. I know.” He crossed the street, leading us toward a grassy area in the center of the street. We stopped right in front of a set of tracks.
“Great idea, Noah. Leave us as sitting ducks.” Dale glanced around in every possible direction. “Shouldn’t we just head to campus? Find a crowded place?”
“I know what I’m doing. I can hear the streetcar already.” Noah stared down the grassy way. I followed his gaze and saw a bright light heading toward us. There was a loud rumbling and what appeared to be a train car came into view. Noah still held my hand as it came to a stop, and I followed him onboard. He took some money out of his pocket and started to feed it into a small machine.
The streetcar started up, and I stumbled into him.
He walked back until he found two empty seats right behind one another. He sat down, and I sat right beside him.
“Have you been on the streetcar before?” Noah spoke as though we weren’t running from a crazy creature. I wasn’t sure how he was so calm when my heart was beating uncontrollably. Maybe it was because he hadn’t had that creepy hand reaching down his shirt in search of the medallion.
“I have.” The vague memory came back to me as the streetcar lurched forward.
“Okay. She can play the memory game later. Let’s get back to the important thing.” Dale watched us from over the seat in front of us. “What the hell was that thing?”
“I don’t know what it was, but it isn’t the first time I’ve seen it.” I could still remember the jolt of fear my first interaction with him gave me. And in that situation he was far less out of place. “I mean when he looked more humanoid like. But he had red eyes then, and I knew he was different.”
“I assumed that by the way you followed it.” Noah turned in the seat to look directly at me. “Is he from Andrelexa?”
“No. Of course not.” I shook my head.
“What’s Andrelexa?” Angie asked leaning over the back of the seat like Dale.
“It’s where I was raised, and the Lexas look like us only taller. Much taller.” And more muscular too." Both males and females were naturally strong.
“It’s another planet.” Noah rested his arm against the window.
“Oh hell, yes.” Dale grinned. “We just took on a damn alien?”
“Another planet?” Angie’s response was far more subdued. “Come on, Noah. I’m not an idiot.”
“Then how do you explain that thing?” Noah shifted in his seat, causing his leg to brush against mine. I liked the sensation against my bare skin and wished it could have lasted more than the brief few seconds. I was losing it. With everything else going on I was worried about how good Noah felt against my skin?
“You expect us to believe you are from another planet?” Angie frowned.
“No. I’m from Earth. But I was raised on Andrelexa… I told you you’d have never heard of it.”
“Wait.” A slow smile spread across Dale’s face. “Got it. You were abducted by aliens. This is so unbelievably cool I can’t even take it.”
“This is not cool.” Angie groaned. “Whether she’s telling the truth or not, there is a monster in New Orleans.”
“There are lots of monsters in New Orleans.” Dale rested on his elbows. “Only this one isn’t human.”
“Do you know what it wanted?” Angie’s frown deepened.
I glanced around. “I don’t want anyone to see.”
“See what?” Dale narrowed his eyes. “Do you have alien treasure or something?”
He was more right then he knew. But I wasn’t going to tell him that.
Noah squeezed my hand. “We’ll go somewhere private.”
“But this is taking us further from your house.” I gestured to the floor, meaning the streetcar.
“Yes. I wasn’t going to let the creature tail us back there. More than likely he knew where you were staying and was waiting for an opportunity. He’d expect us to go home. He might even be waiting there now.”
I shivered. “Then where are we going?”
“Do you remember Carl?” Noah addressed Dale. “From our floor last year?”
“Of course. The weirdo two rooms down from us. How could I forget him? That guy was out there. I mean even more than I am.”
“He’s got a loft downtown. He’s been posting online about some new program he’s created to help track alien lifeforms. I’m sure he’s full of it, but who knows.”
Angie chortled. “Seriously? That’s your plan? We just confronted a monster—”
“An alien,” Dale interrupted.
She glared at him. “And we’re going to see your weirdo friend? Tell me how is this going to help?”
“Do you have any better ideas?” Noah leaned back against the seat.
“No.” She sighed. “I don’t. I believe I’m in a state of shock.”
“Good. Then let those of us who are handling this better take care of things.” Dale crossed his arms.
Angie turned toward Dale. “I heard your shrill scream when the monster let his fangs out. No pretending you took this well.”
“That was my initial reaction. My reaction now is far better than yours.”
“I hope the creature doesn’t hurt anyone.” I believed he was only there for me, but would that stop him from hurting anyone else? I wished I were braver. I could have faced him down. But I knew that wouldn’t have done any good. He’d have kidnapped me and put everyone in more danger.
&nb
sp; “Me too.” Angie’s frown was gone, but she sure didn’t look happy.
“Noah?” I blinked a few times, trying to clear my head.
“Yes?” he turned toward me.
“How did you know to throw water on it? How did you predict its weakness?” It had all happened so fast.
He shrugged. “I didn’t. I just reacted on instinct, I guess.”
“Well, you have good instincts.” I scooted closer to him. “Thank you. You saved me.”
“Anytime.” He smiled. “Anytime.”
20 Rachel
“Yes?” A male voice spoke through the intercom.
Noah pushed down on a button on a small white box affixed beside the door of a multi-story building. “It’s Noah. Can we come up?”
“Who else is with you?” The man asked.
“Uh, my friend Rachel, my sister Angie, and Dale from our freshman floor.”
“Okay, everyone but Dale can come up.”
“What?” Dale shouted. “Cut the crap man.”
I glanced over my shoulder. Did he have to be so loud?
“Why should I let you up? You were always a jerk to me.” The voice went in and out.
“Because they don’t come up without me, and we have something really cool to talk to you about.” Dale looked at the little box, and I wondered if there was a camera or something that I couldn’t see.
“Is that true, Noah? You won’t come without him?”
“Of course we’ll come without him.” Angie rolled her eyes. “Let us up. I’m tired of wasting time.”
Carl laughed. “I was just messing around. You can all come up. I’m on the top floor.”
“Prick,” Dale mumbled under his breath.
There was a buzz, and Noah opened the front door. He started up a steep set of stairs, and he kept going. For a moment I felt as if I was back at the palace taking the back stairs. Eventually Noah stopped in front of a double set of doors. One was pulled open nearly immediately. A man who looked to be around our age stood on the other side. He had unruly brown hair that fell halfway down to his shoulders. His t-shirt read ‘I am your father.’” I had no desire to know what that meant. His eyes swept over me before he turned to Noah. “Hey man.”
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