by Jeff Altabef
At first he’s reluctant to relive the old stories from when he was in a gang, when he was a different version of himself—one that wasn’t so good—but when I press him, he relents.
He tells me about his relationship with his brother who ran the gang and his involvement selling drugs. His face lights up when he’s talking about Mom. They were young and in love and she was pregnant with me. They planned on getting married, but he ended up making a choice that changed everything. As it turns out, not just for him, but for me also.
He knew Sicheii was in trouble and that a stranger had asked about him. Worried that the stranger meant him harm, he raced to the art gallery to help, but he showed up too late to warn him. Instead, he confronted the stranger and ended up killing him. He doesn’t know it, but the stranger he killed sounds like a Deltite. Somehow he bested a Deltite alone, a task that sounds almost impossible.
As gripping as those tales are, what catches my attention is his mention of a special painting he saw in my grandfather’s garage. “Can you describe the painted buffalo hide?”
He pauses for a second as if he’s recalling the image from a mental database. “I can’t remember too much. It was a long time ago, Juliet. A tall thin guy was in the center. He wore a robe and weird light beamed from his eyes. There might have been something else, but it’s hazy.”
I press him. “Try to remember. It could be important.”
He closes his eyes for a second. “Yes, the twisted arrow symbol was carved into a wall.”
My heart skips a beat. “You’re certain about the symbol.”
“Yes, and your mother said he had other paintings with the same weird dude on them. He had a special collection hidden somewhere.”
“Do you know where?”
Before he answers, a car pulls into the driveway.
Juliet
I glance out the window. “Why is Mom home so early?”
Dad steps next to me. “Beats me.”
My entire body clenches. “Bob, the security guy, must have called her.”
She’s almost reached the door.
“Oh crap.” I remember Aaric and bolt out of the room. The front door opens as I hit the last step.
“Juliet!” Mom races forward, her arms stretched wide.
Before I can move, she locks me in a body-crunching hug and practically squeezes all the air from my lungs.
“I was worried I’d never see you again.” Her voice sounds coarse and raw. “I’m so glad you’re home and safe.”
A heartbeat later, she pushes me to an arm’s length while still keeping a firm grip on my shoulders, as if she’s worried I might run if she lets go. “You are safe, right?” Her eyes wash over me, looking for injuries, but when she finds none she breathes.
“I’m okay, Mom. I love you too.”
“Never again! You’re never leaving me again.” She grabs me for another rib-crunching embrace and holds me tight.
I count to ten and then detangle myself. “Things aren’t as simple as all that.”
Mom’s eyes turn to barbed wire and gleam with a cold anger. She glances at Aaric for the first time and studies him suspiciously.
I move between the two. “Mom and Dad, this is Aaric. Aaric, these are my folks.”
Aaric nods his head at Mom. “Nice to meet you, Summer Stone. Your daughter is quite extraordinary.” He turns to face Dad and offers his hand.
My father stares at it for a few seconds before he decides to shake it.
Aaric smiles. “I’ve also heard many good things about you, Ayden Connors.”
I face him. “Do you mind giving us a few moments of privacy?”
“Of course not. I will go into the kitchen.”
My parents follow him with their eyes as he disappears behind the swinging doors that lead to the kitchen.
Nothing we say will be private. With his excellent hearing, he’ll have no problem listening to us, but my parents don’t know that and his departure has put them at ease.
“Is that his car in the driveway?” My mom frowns, which is her way of saying, “It’s way too flashy.”
“Yes, Mom.” I grab both her arms and lock my eyes on hers. “Listen, I need to know about some art Sicheii collected. The pieces would be old and they’d have a tall white man in them. Maybe a weird light shines from his eyes.”
Mom bites her lip, puts her hands on her hips and scowls at me. “No! I will have no more of this foolishness. I don’t know how my father brainwashed you both.” She pauses for a second to blast my father with a sub-zero glare that would chill a polar bear. “But this ends now! No more talk about twisted arrows or strange spirits or the weird art my father collected.”
I should have known this wasn’t going to be easy. Mom’s logical lawyer mind can’t face the irrational—that I’m a Chosen with a heavy fate dumped on me. Worry lines carve canyons into her beautiful face and my stomach twists. I hate to see her like this. I hate to put her through this, but too much is at stake, and we don’t have much time. I have to make this real for her, make her believe, so she’ll help me.
I speak in a quiet voice. “I know it’s hard to understand, but I’m a Chosen. My blood’s been... enhanced with special DNA. I can do things no ordinary person can. I need to stop these… people, called Deltites, from taking over the world.”
Mom taps her foot. “Okay, prove it.”
My dad shrugs.
I can pull my crystal hilt from my string bag, but I suspect that won’t be enough for Mom. She doesn’t want to believe the truth, so I’ll have to break through her resistance with something harder to dismiss. Instead, I concentrate on the couch, lift it with my mind, twist it in a circle, and drop it back in place.
Mom’s jaw drops, and her face turns ashen.
“I can use telekinesis, read minds, possess animals, have enhanced strength and speed, and, oh, a ridiculous blade materializes from this crystal hilt Sicheii gave me.” I don’t mention the fantasy creatures I can conjure—Mom can only take so much. “Now, please tell me about the artwork. It’s important.”
Color flushes back to Mom’s face as she stomps her foot. “If my father wasn’t already dead, I’d kill him.”
Ayden steps toward her. “I felt the same way, but we can’t undo things now. Juliet needs our help.”
“You knew all this and didn’t tell me everything.” Anger floods into her cheeks.
“Some of it. I tried to tell you, but you wouldn’t listen. We have no choice now. We have to trust Juliet.”
It looks like Mom’s about to shout at him, but she takes a deep breath instead, and regains her no-nonsense business mask. “All right. So we call the sheriff and get the police to help. They’re supposed to protect us.”
“How is that going to work?” I say. “Do you think they’ll believe me? Besides, they can’t do what I need. They’ll never be able to protect me. These Deltites will find me eventually. I need to handle this now and on my own terms, or we’ll never be safe.”
“She’s right, and what would happen if they found out about her special abilities?” Dad says. “They’d lock her away to study her because they’d think she’s dangerous.”
Mom’s face turns hard. It’s all sharp edges like a cut diamond. “Okay, then. We’ll kill them all together. Every last one, if that’s what it takes. Fill me in on the details.”
I’ve never known my mother to be violent, but she looks like a killer.
Dad grins. “That’s my Summer. You should have seen her when we dated. No one messed with her.”
I love my mom, and the last thing I want is for her to get stuck in the middle of this mess—it’s way too dangerous. Still, I need that artwork. It’s our only lead, and the only way to get it is through her. I’d like to leave her out of this, but she’s cornered me, so I tell them the short version of what’s happened to me since I left Arizona, focusing on the bomb and that Aaric saved my life.
As I finish, Aaric steps into the room to join us. “We have to go, Juliet
. They’re coming for us.”
“How far are they?”
“I don’t know exactly, but they’ll be entering the community in a few moments. We could fight them, but under the circumstances that might not be the best option.”
He glances at my mom and dad. He’s worried we won’t be able to keep them safe, that the Deltites will use them against us.
He’s right.
Juliet
I pull my sword from my string bag. “We have no choice. There’s only one way out of the development.”
He nods and removes his crystal hilt from a holster under his shirt.
Equally puzzled expressions pop onto Mom’s and Dad’s faces as they stare at the crystal blades that have materialized out of thin air. There’s no time for me to explain anything more to them now. “You guys should run. Go out back and jump the fence. They won’t go after you. They want us.”
Dad shakes his head. “You should know me better than that by now, Love. I’ve never backed away from a fight, and I’m not going to start today. I have a gun upstairs.”
“That won’t help,” Aaric says. “They can create an impenetrable force field.”
“I have a wooden baseball bat in my room. I can do a lot of damage with a bat.”
Aaric nods and Dad races up the stairs.
“What should I do?” Mom asks.
“Is there a safe room where you can hide?” Aaric glances upstairs optimistically. “Somewhere out of the way perhaps?”
“If you think I’m going to hide in some closet while my daughter faces alien monsters, then you’re crazy! I’ve got some long knives in the kitchen that might come in handy.”
Aaric grabs her arm. “I know you love your daughter, but let me protect her. I will keep her safe.”
When she looks at me, some of the fight fades from her eyes.
I nod. “There’s no time, Mom. If I’m worried about you, I won’t be able to concentrate on the fight. It’ll make things more dangerous for me.”
Tears well in her eyes, as we hear a car screech to a stop outside.
Dad runs down the stairs with an old Louisville Slugger in his hand.
Aaric waves his sword. “Oh good. They are here.”
I push Mom toward the kitchen. “Go inside and stay there. Please.”
I’m not sure if it’s the desperation in my voice or the “please,” but she relents and retreats into the kitchen. I hope she’ll stay there, but I’d have better odds at winning the lottery.
Aaric glances at my dad. “You should stay behind us. Help Juliet if she needs you. Don’t worry about me.” The tips of his lips turn up into a lethal grin. “They’re no match for me.”
The windows in the front of the house explode, the door rips off the hinge, and the floor rocks. Glass flies at us—little daggers eager to cut into our flesh.
Aaric creates an energy field that shields us. The shards and debris collide with his energy and fall harmlessly at our feet.
That’s quite an entrance.
I grip my hilt tighter and wait for them. I’m not ready for a battle like this, but it won’t wait for me to continue my training.
Aaric whispers to me, “Stay in control of your powers. Do not let them overwhelm you.”
“So, no blowing anyone up?”
“You were lucky last time. This time you are likely to kill yourself.”
“Great.” Not only am I fighting these Deltites, but I’m fighting myself at the same time.
Four Deltites stroll through what’s left of our doorway. Each holds a sword and sports a confident grin. They wear all black clothes except the one in the middle; he’s the tallest and wears a white shirt.
Aaric swirls his sword in the air and addresses the tallest Deltite with the white shirt. “Vladic. I should have known. And you call yourself a Logician. Are you here to challenge me in combat? A fight for leadership, just you and me as is our way?”
Vladic glares at him. “You are a traitor. You have no authority here, Aaric. I take my orders from the real Prime Elector. We are within our right to dispose of you as we see fit.”
He glances at me and my legs wobble. He’s a killer and way more powerful than me.
“We won’t spare your pet either,” he says. “I’m going to chop off her pretty little head and stuff it to keep as a trophy.”
Aaric points his sword at Vladic’s chest. “Only four against two. You should wait until the odds turn in your favor.”
A faraway look settles into Vladic’s eyes, as if he’s concentrating on something else. Energy creatures appear at the Deltites’ feet, odd-looking demons: an alligator with three-foot long legs; a miniature rhino with two heads; a snake-like creature with long fangs and small legs that make it look like a centipede from hell; and a small bird that hovers in front of Vladic, with a long snout that resembles a four-foot dagger. It looks the least dangerous, but I get the feeling it’s the worst of the lot.
Aaric conjures a dragon the size of a BMW Mini, and I create the first thing that comes to mind—a full-sized bison. Even though we have a big house and an open first floor, things are getting crowded.
“Holy crap,” mutters my father from behind me.
“Let the games begin.” Vladic waves his hands, a knowing smile plastered on his face.
The Deltites’ energy creatures charge, and so does my bison and Aaric’s dragon. The bison stomps down on the snake-like creature, which reaches up and bites it on the leg. Luckily, the bison has thick fur and the bite doesn’t slow it down. It tramples the snake until the creature disappears in a burst of light.
Aaric’s dragon blasts the alligator with a fireball that fries the demon, but the bird flies incredibly fast and repeatedly stabs the dragon with its long beak. The dragon is so preoccupied with the bird it doesn’t notice the two-headed rhino charging from its side.
I will the bison forward, and he stampedes into the rhino, intersecting it before the rhino takes out the dragon. The two creatures tumble to the floor, careening into a bookcase that splinters in half. The entire house shakes. One rhino head bites the bison on the neck. The bison snorts and stands, and the rhino leaps at it. It’s more agile than it looks, and both of its heads chomp onto the bison’s back.
At the same time the nasty bird flies so fast it would make a hummingbird jealous, and jabs the dragon from all angles with its dagger-like beak. The dragon twists as it tries to anticipate where the bird will go next, but it’s just not fast enough to catch it.
Vladic smiles.
I don’t know what happens if that bird beats the dragon, but I’m sure it won’t be good.
The bison, with the two-headed rhino in tow, crashes into a couch, smashing it in two. The collision does nothing to shake the rhino. It stays attached to the bison’s back, its jaws digging through fur and into muscle. The big animal grunts and charges straight for a wall. It picks up speed and both creatures smash straight through the house and tumble outside.
When both stagger from sight, energy erupts in an explosion, shaking the entire house.
The blast almost sends me falling to the floor, and throws the nasty bird off balance and it crashes into a wall. The dragon jumps after it and chomps down on the smaller creature. The bird disappears, and the dragon tries to stand and face the Deltites, but it’s weakened from the bird’s attacks.
It slumps and the Deltites charge. Vladic slices through it with his sword, and the dragon is gone. Three Deltites swarm at Aaric and one comes for me.
I can’t watch Aaric or help him. I need my full attention on the Deltite who’s attacking me.
She charges forward and swipes at my side in one quick, smooth motion.
My sword leaps after hers to block it.
She’s thrown off-balance and I slice into her leg.
The cut is superficial, but it draws blood, and she backs up a step.
She attacked recklessly, assuming I would be easy to take down. She won’t make that mistake again.
I glance at
Aaric, who throws one Deltite across the room with a shoulder throw, but Vladic rakes his back with his sword before he can turn. His third attacker swings for his side, but Aaric’s a tornado and deflects the blow before it scores.
I can’t look any longer because my attacker advances. She starts with a few sideswipes that I deflect.
I swing for her head and she ducks under.
Using telekinesis, she sends a chair flying at me. I don’t see it until it’s too late, but Dad swings the bat and smashes it to pieces before it brains me.
She seems to notice him for the first time, and a cruel smile twists her lips into an upward hook.
I don’t like that look, so I dart forward and attack with everything I have. I use all the energy around me and let the sword move on its own.
She deflects a swipe at her right side.
I spin and hit her with the hilt across her right cheek, which sends her twisting to the floor.
My dad jumps forward with his bat raised.
I wish he didn’t.
He freezes before he can swing it.
She’s created energy bands that wrap around him, including one twisted around his neck. She squeezes and he drops the bat.
She grins at me. “Drop your sword or I’ll snap his neck.”
My world stops. If I try to break her hold on him, she might kill him.
Aaric flips an attacker over his shoulder to crash onto a table.
Dad sputters. “Don’t, Juliet. I’m not worth it.”
His face looks determined until she squeezes even harder and he groans in pain, clawing at the invisible band around his neck. He gasps for air as the Deltite slowly strangles him.
I can’t let him die. I steady my breathing and lower my sword.
Aaric has stopped fighting as well, and is looking at me with desperate eyes.
Vladic grins. “I didn’t expect you to be so weak, sacrificing yourself for a worthless human. They are bugs for us to step on.”
Mom bolts from the kitchen with a Molotov Cocktail she’s cobbled together from a bottle of Vodka and a lit dish towel. She throws it at my attacker, who deflects it at the last second with her mind.
