by Jeff Altabef
Still, that split second distracts her enough that I can break the energy bands that hold my father, and he falls to the floor sucking in air.
I raise my sword, but Vladic still presses the point of his blade to Aaric’s chest.
I have no choice now. We’re going to die unless I do something. Blood flies throughout my body and my heart thumps. My body soaks up energy from everyone around me. My body feels as if it’s on fire, and I focus on Vladic.
“Stop! It is too dangerous!” Aaric’s warning echoes in my head.
Then everything changes.
Connor
We reach the security hut that blocks entrance to Juliet’s community,
The driver stops the SUV and rolls down the window, and shouts a long string of curse words. He turns to face us and yells, “The guard’s been killed. We’ve got to call the police and get out of here.”
“Drive through the barrier, you wanker.” My heart races. “We need to find our friend.”
“There’s no way I’m going through there. They don’t pay me enough.”
Troy opens the door, leaps out of the car, and pulls the driver out of the SUV. When he jumps back in, he slams on the gas and snaps the barrier in two.
I pull out my crystal sword, and so do the others. I don’t like this. Whoever killed that guard won’t hesitate to kill Juliet. I only hope we’re not too late.
Troy jams on the brakes and the SUV slides to a stop in front of a house that looks like a bomb exploded inside: the windows are smashed and the door is ripped off the hinges.
I’m first out of the SUV, sword in hand. I can’t breathe.
What if they got to Juliet? What if she’s....
I sprint past the wreckage that used to be her doorway and skid to a stop inside the house—Akari, Troy, Barrett, and Blake only a second behind me. Flames lick the curtains in the living room.
A Deltite presses the tip of his blade against Aaric’s chest.
Other Deltites are in the house, but my eyes lock onto Juliet.
She’s facing a female Deltite.
I don’t think. My heart pulls my body forward, and I charge.
The Deltite’s jaw drops. She barely raises her sword in time to meet my overhead chop.
Not my smoothest move, but my body is so jazzed with adrenaline the stroke comes down like a locomotive and staggers her backward.
Juliet takes advantage of the Deltite’s awkward position and swings her blade at her side; the sharp edge of her sword now slick with blood.
The Deltite reaches for the wound with her hand and stares at the blood in disbelief.
Before she can regroup, I plant a front kick onto her chest that sends her crashing into a wall. The back of her head makes a hard thud as it cracks against a beam, and she’s slides down the wall to the floor, unconscious. Some older dude, who has to be Juliet’s father, finishes her off with a bat.
Juliet and I look away, and I survey the rest of the house: Blake and Akari battle one Deltite, and Barrett sinks his sword into the chest of another. Troy’s a step behind Juliet and me, while Aaric seems to have the upper hand against a tall Deltite in a white shirt.
Akari spins to deliver a double roundhouse kick, but her opponent darts back out of range and she misses. Left off-balance, the Deltite swipes his blade along her back, and she falls to the ground, vulnerable. The Deltite stands over her, lifting his sword to plunge down into her back.
“Akari!” Juliet shouts as she jumps toward her.
Blake beats her to the spot and engages the Deltite before he can finish his strike. Blake must be embracing all his special abilities because he’s moving faster than ever before. His sword dances, and the Deltite lumbers to match him.
I spot a picture frame and launch it at the Deltite from across the room.
With his focus on Blake, he doesn’t see it coming. The frame smashes into his head and he topples over.
Blake pounces and sinks his blade into his chest, a grim sneer on his face.
The only fight left is Aaric and White Shirt. They’re moving too fast to see clearly, but it looks like Aaric grabs White Shirt by the shoulders and flings him toward the entryway.
White Shirt smashes into the frame, hard, and a wild look enlivens his eyes as he staggers to his feet.
Aaric looks posed to pounce, and then the inside of the house practically explodes as if a tornado rips through it. Furniture and debris fly everywhere.
I have to deflect a chair that almost decapitates me.
The storm flashed through the house in a quick burst of energy. When it’s over, I look up and White Shirt is gone. A second later a car peels away from the curb.
Blake helps Akari up when Troy shouts, “Gas leak! Everyone out!”
Flames already engulf the curtains in the living room. In a second, the entire house will explode. I look for Juliet, grab her arm, and pull her toward the door. Everyone surges outside.
Aaric is last to leave as the house explodes. The ground shakes and a blast of hot air hits us. Aaric is about to be consumed by fire, but Juliet creates a shield that protects him.
She protects him. We could have ended this mess and there she goes protecting him again.
At least we all got out safely.
Akari’s leaning against the SUV, with Troy and Blake by her side. They look concerned, but when Blake says something I can’t hear, she stomps down on his foot.
I smile.
Juliet shouts, “Stop!”
I turn to see Aaric and Barrett facing off with swords in hand.
Blake charges ahead to help Barrett, but a ring of energy appears that surrounds the two combatants, separating us from them.
Barrett and Aaric circle each other, measuring each other.
Blake grabs Juliet’s arm. “This is our chance. We can finish him off together. You can dissolve that energy field. You’ve done it before when we were linked together.”
“Aaric is not our enemy. “ She shakes her head. “I won’t do it.”
I push Blake away from Juliet. I don’t understand what’s going on, and part of me is steamed, but I have to trust her. “Juliet knows what she’s doing.”
Blake throws his hands up in the air.
“Look.” Troy points to the energy field, which wavers and disappears.
Aaric lowers his sword. “Are you going to murder me, cousin?”
Connor
Barrett slips the hilt of his sword into his front pocket. “Not today.”
A hurricane of uncertainty rips through me. Which one of these two should I trust, or can I trust either one? Usually I follow my gut, and my gut tells me Aaric’s untrustworthy.
The problem, of course, centers on Juliet. Everything leads back to her. I can’t tell if my gut is acting like a plonker because I’m jealous of the guy, or if it’s something else, something real. Now, these two are related, and the entire situation just gets murkier.
“What in bloody hell is going on?” I say to no one in particular.
Juliet’s father stands off to the side with a woman who must be Juliet’s mom. He says, “Don’t ask me.”
Blake flaps his hands in the air like a bird that’s too heavy to take off. “Did he just say cousin? I could have sworn he said cousin?”
Juliet turns to face me. She doesn’t seem to have doubts, her face smooth, certain. She smiles, and the sun rises and silly little butterflies flutter in my stomach. Her eyes are moist, but they’re not sad tears. She wraps her arms around me and whispers, “I knew I could count on you. Thanks.”
She turns toward Troy.
He cocks his head to the side, his eyes wide and glistening. “It is good.”
I know the greeting means something special to them. It functions as both a hello and a goodbye, and it’s the same phrase she wrote on the note she left for me in the houseboat.
He opens his arms and she folds into them.
Akari joins them.
What the hell?
I feel like a tota
l-complete-absolute-wanker standing by myself, so I wrap my arms around Akari’s and Juliet’s shoulders and link myself with them in a group hug. It feels good to have Juliet back, like I can finally breathe again. She’ll never know how much I missed her, how incomplete I felt without her.
When we detangle, Juliet asks Akari, “Are you okay?”
She smirks. “Just a scratch.”
“Good thing Blake was there to help.” Juliet smiles slyly at him.
He stands apart from us, unwilling to join us. “Well, I was pretty terrific.” His face tints pink. “No point in being modest. I mean, there’s no way to hide it.”
Another explosion rocks the house, this one small, but loud. The entire colonial has caught fire.
Juliet’s father touches her arm. “Juliet, we’ve got to leave. The police will be here any minute. They can’t find us here when they arrive. They’ll ask too many questions we can’t answer.”
Juliet glances at her mom. “I’m sorry about the house. I shouldn’t have come home.”
She waves at the burning building. “I’ve always hated this house. I should have listened to my father and never moved here. I’m just happy you’re safe.”
“Where should we go?” Juliet asks her. “Where would Sicheii hide that artwork?”
“I know he had a collection. We should look at the art gallery. That’s the most likely place to find the paintings.”
Blake crosses his arms against his chest. “What’s this about artwork? I’m not going anywhere until someone tells me what’s going on!”
“My grandfather collected paintings with Alphians on them,” Juliet explains. “We think they’re clues as to where the Alphians hid the Heart Stone that will blow up the planet. We have to find them.”
The door to the neighbor’s house opens and a middle-aged woman totters outside, holding a bottle of Vodka and slurring her words. “I knew... you people... were trouble when you moved in.”
Juliet smiles and shouts. “You don’t know the half of it, Mrs. Rodgers!”
Troy says, “We’ll meet you at the art gallery, then?”
Juliet nods and just like that she’s in the Lamborghini with mister perfect.
I’m not sure about my gut, but I really want to strangle that guy.
Juliet
Aaric starts the sports car with a rumble and squeals the tires as he swerves away from the curb. He pushes the car hard, making sure he doesn’t look at me, as if he needs all his attention to drive. That’s totally-absolute-utter-unquestionable nonsense. He could drive while playing a game of chess. He’s just trying to avoid me.
When we reach Route 100, I tell him to make a left, and sirens ring out in the distance. They’re too late. The others will be long gone.
Aaric grips the steering wheel hard and keeps his focus on the road even though I’ve got a death stare locked on him.
I need his attention, so I tell him to make a left down a side street, and he skids into the turn. I direct him into another left and a right and then we’re stuck at a dead end facing a river. When he stops the car, I lean over and grab the wheel.
“I gather this is not the art gallery,” he says.
“Not quite. You’ve been avoiding me since we got into the car. So, who was that back at the house? Was he a Deltite or an Alphian?”
He finally turns and faces me. “Vladic? He is a Deltite from the Russian covey. I met him once and immediately disliked him. He is a worm. He smells like fish. Did you notice?”
When I don’t say anything, he continues. “Good thing you did not. It is not pleasant. With any luck I will see him again shortly.”
I narrow my eyes. “You know I meant your cousin, the one who came with the rest of the Chosen. What’s the deal with him?”
“Oh, him.... He is an Alphian. His name is Barrett. I am sure the Elders sent him to help you Chosen kill me. Turns out he is a distant cousin. Small universe.”
“Small universe indeed.” I release the steering wheel. “How do you know that he’s your cousin?”
Aaric arches his eyebrows. “You could not tell?”
“All you aliens look the same to me.” I shoot him a half-grin so he knows I’m joking.
“Auras tell us more than the state of a someone’s being,” he says. “You can see a person’s lineage in the light if you know what to look for. We are both from the same clan: the clan of Aarvlic—one of the original Alphian family lines. After I realized that, the rest was simply logical.”
“What are we going to do about him?”
“Funny you asked.” He rakes his hand through his fine-spun hair. “I was just thinking the same thing. Either we will have to kill him, or he is an invaluable piece to the puzzle. I cannot be certain just yet.”
“Do you think he knows where the Heart Stone is hidden?”
“No. The Elders would never trust him with that information. They would worry that we might capture him and force him to reveal the location. Still, he could prove helpful. The Elders must have spies watching us. If he reports that all is on track, that you are still trying to defeat me, we will buy some time. If he tells them that we are working together, then the game is over.”
“Game over?”
He nods. “Earth is gone, I am gone, you are gone... everything and everyone is gone. It would be as if we never existed.”
“Great.”
“Look on the bright side.”
“What’s that?”
“Your parents definitely love me.” He winks. “I told you I would make a good impression.”
“You think so? Even after we almost died, had to kill three Deltites, and blew up their house?”
“Trivial details. Stop being so negative. They love me. I have a sixth sense for these things, but I am pissed about one thing.”
“Only one?”
“I lost my dragon. When you conjure an apparition and it dies in battle, you can never conjure it again.”
I think about the Husky who died in England and feel a wave of sorrow.
I hesitate at the door to the art gallery. Sicheii did more than own this place—he lived here and filled it with his spirit, making it an extension of himself. The art, the Pueblo music he always played, the incense, the open layout that reminds me of the desert.... It’s hard not to feel his presence, which only makes me miss him more.
“Are you all right?” Aaric touches my shoulder.
“I’m fine.” I don’t want him to think I’m a basket case, so I straighten my back and push through the doors.
Lisa greets me with an awkward hug. She’s Native American and graduated from State a few years ago. Her long, straight, raven-colored hair falls evenly around her oval face and intelligent eyes. Add in her athletic build and she’s a knockout.
We have a complicated relationship. She started living with my grandfather after working at the gallery for only a couple of months. I assumed she wanted Sicheii’s money, but I was wrong about her. She truly cared for him and was heartbroken when he died.
When we separate, she says, “I’m so happy you are well. We were all worried about you. The others are upstairs in the studio.”
She locks the door, and I introduce her to Aaric.
We take the stairs to the studio and enter a rather spacious apartment that comfortably holds everyone. The Chosen and Barrett stand close together in a knot on one end. Mom and Dad stand apart while Troy functions as a bridge. All eyes turn toward us when we enter.
“Took the long way?” Blake says.
He doesn’t trust me. It’s clear in the way he looks at me and the tone of his voice.
I ignore him and seek out Connor with my eyes. He’s crossed his arms against his chest and keeps shifting his gaze between Aaric and me.
I want to talk to him alone, to explain, to make him understand, but first we need to have a group conversation.
The silence in the room is thick and awkward, so I clear my throat and start things. “We need to find the red crystal called a Hea
rt Stone. The Alphians hid it on the planet and we don’t have much time to find it, otherwise they might blow up Earth. Any ideas?”
I glance at Barrett to read his face but it’s a piece of granite. He might know something that will help us, but it’s impossible for me to tell.
“Well, I don’t think we should say anything with him in the room.” Blake points at Aaric. “I don’t know if we can trust him.”
“I’m not sure we can trust your new Alphian friend either,” I say with sufficient snark in my voice to match his tone.
Aaric waves his hand at Barrett. “We should step outside, cousin, and let the humans talk about us behind our backs. We have much to discuss.”
“We do.” Barrett moves with the same athletic grace as Aaric.
Both their auras are dazzlingly bright, complex and full of color. It’s hard to notice the similarity amongst the light, but there’s a likeness in the shades of white and some of the blue swirls that meet along the edges.
When they leave, Blake scowls at me. “So what were you up to when you abandoned us and conspired with the enemy?”
My father snarls. “I don’t like your tone.”
I step between the two and face my father. “He’s right to be upset, Dad.” Then I turn toward Blake. “I didn’t conspire with the enemy. When they captured me in New York, they told me I had to meet with the Prime Elector alone or else they were going to kill all of you. I—”
“Felt bloody obligated to protect us because we’re hopeless without you.” Fire burns in Connor’s eyes.
My stomach feels as if I’ve plummeted down a waterfall; he’s still angry with me. I had hoped he would’ve turned a page after we saved him at the jail, but there’s no denying that look.
“You could have included us,” he adds. “We’re in this together.”
I want to say something to defend myself, but the words catch in my throat. There’s nothing more for me to say.
Akari jumps in. “We can’t fight among ourselves. We must stay united. What’s done is done.”
