Kyla quickly did the math. "You've been here for over seventy years. That couldn't be right. This man looked like he was in his sixties, and Sandra looked about the same. If her mother hadn't been born on earth, she was a lot older than she appeared. "How old are you?"
"Well, by earth calculations, I would be about two hundred years old."
"No, freaking way!" Kyla exclaimed.
Arthur nodded with a slight smile. Kyla was trying to wrap her head around it all, but it couldn't be the truth. It just couldn't be, could it? If she was really awake and having this conversation, everything that she had witnessed with her own eyes was true and real. She pinched the back of her hand as hard as she could. "Ouch!" Holy crap, it wasn't a dream. Her mind was recycling all the things that she'd just been told. "So, the men that took my mother, work for the government, and they're going to experiment on her until she dies?"
Arthur glanced at his grandchild, deciding to be honest with her. "They want to find all of us that escaped, and they will torture her to find out what she knows. They will experiment on her, especially now that they know about you. They will try to figure out how you were created. They will attempt to keep her alive."
If she was still alive, that meant there was a chance that she could be saved. There was so much that Kyla didn't know, didn't understand. Question after question raced through her mind. So many things made sense now. Her uncle had said that his brother was dead because of what her mother was. He blamed her mom because she was an alien. "My dad knew, didn't he?"
"Yes. He met Elise when we lived in Oklahoma. They attended school together. Elise tried to resist his charm, but she liked him. He was kind and thoughtful. I could tell by the way she glanced at him whenever their paths crossed that she liked him, but because of what we are, we had to be careful. We don't allow people to get too close to us because we never know who we can trust, but he was relentless in his pursuit of her. She finally gave in to his requests and went on a date with him. Her plan had been to go out with him just the one time, and then she would tell him that there was no way a relationship between them could ever work. That, of course is not how it worked out at all. They dated for a while, and she kept telling herself and us that she would end it. She kept him in the dark until it became clear that he wasn't going to let her walk out of his life. I advised her not to tell him, but she did, and he didn't believe it at first. Elise showed him, the same way that I just showed you. You father didn't care. He loved her and wanted to be with her no matter what. Because we were certain that their relationship would somehow expose us, we gave Elise a choice. She could stay with your father, or she could leave the city with us and never see him again."
"She chose him," Kyla said with a slight smile.
"Yes," Arthur confirmed as Sandra turned and left the room. "Don't mind her. She was very hurt by Elise's decision to leave us."
"Were they close?" Kyla assumed that they had to be friends or something. Why else would she be so upset about Elise's decision?
"Yes," Arthur said, looking a little sad. "Sandra and I are Elise's parents, and they were very close."
Chapter Fourteen
Kyla’s jaw dropped. They were her grandparents. Her mother had never spoken of them. “You’re my grandfather, and she’s my grandmother. She tried to kill me!”
“Only because she didn’t know who you were. You did break into our home.”
He was right. “Is she still angry with my mother? After all this time?”
Arthur took a deep breath. “I don’t think she is angry. She’s afraid of what will become of Elise, now that she has been captured.”
Kyla sighed, her chin dropping to her chest. She was afraid as well. What would become of her mother? “We have to find her.”
Arthur stood up, shaking his head. “That’s impossible.”
“What do you mean,” Kyla asked, jumping to her feet. “With the things that you can do, you could get her back.” Kyla watched as Arthur continued to shake his head. How could he not want to find her, save her? “Why not?”
“Because they are merciless!” He grabbed Kyla by the shoulders. “From what you told me, she sacrificed herself to save you because you are what they really want. You are the answer to their prayers. If we go after her and they capture you, they will have what they want. We can’t risk that.”
“Why? I’m not like you. I can’t do any of the stuff that you can.” Kyla stepped back, causing Arthur to drop his hands at his side.
“That’s where I think you’re wrong. I think that you can, but you don’t know it. Somehow Elise has kept control of your abilities.”
Kyla shook her head, “No, no.”
“Yes. You said that the night all of this started, that you were hiding in the built-in hamper. One of the men looked in there but didn’t see you, right?” Kyla nodded her head. “What were you doing when that happened?”
“I… was scared. I prayed that he wouldn’t see me, that he would just close the door and move on.”
“That’s what happened. You got into his mind and made him believe that you weren’t there.” Kyla was still shaking her head. When you were running through the woods, the night you went back to the house, you said a man tried to shoot you, but the gun jammed or something. What were you doing then?”
“Besides thinking I was about to die, I prayed that he wouldn’t shoot me.”
“You also mentioned a dream you had, one with your mother. I don’t believe it was just a dream. Somehow you found your mother. You spoke to her through your dream.”
“That’s crazy.”
“Is it? The bond between you and your mother is strong. This dream that you had. Where were you?”
“On the beach and then in a white room.”
“Have you ever dreamed of this beach before, or is it somewhere that she took you?”
“Yes. She and Dad took me there when I was about twelve. It was a vacation trip to California, and I have dreamed of our trip. In every dream, I was sitting on the beach, looking out at the water, then I raised my head and close my eyes. Then she comes to me from behind, and we talk about different things. The dream always starts that way, but changes.” Kyla thought about what happened in the dream. Could she have actually been communicating with her mother.”
“I think that your mother has conditioned you to find her in the dream.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. Maybe it was to guide you subconsciously. It could have been to keep your abilities under control. Your mother is probably the only one who can answer that question.”
And when Sandra found you in this room. What happened?”
Kyla bit her lip. Could he be right? She remembered the door starting to close, and Sandra being pushed out of the room. Kyla had still been on the other side of the bed. As the realization of what she had done hit her, she looked up into Arthurs eyes. “I don’t understand.”
“I think I do. I’m sure that Elise wanted you to have as normal a life as possible. The only way to do that was for you not to know what you are and what you can do. She may have even suppressed memories of things that you did so that you wouldn’t start to question who you are.”
“Would her doing something like that, cause me to have headaches when I tried to remember those events?”
“Yes.” Kyla dropped back onto the bed. Arthur sat down beside her. “She did it to protect you.”
“I know.” Kyla’s mind was in a tailspin. So many thoughts raced through her head that she felt dizzy and a little sick to her stomach. She stood up. “I need to go…”
“Go where?”
“Back to the hotel. I need to process all of this.”
“I’d rather that you stay here with us.”
“Look, I appreciate that, but I need to be alone for a while,” she said, moving towards the hallway. Arthur followed her down the hall. Sandra was sitting in a chair in the living room. She glared at Kyla as she entered the room. “I’m sorry.” She apologized to
Sandra, not for breaking into the house, but for the anguish that Sandra felt at losing her daughter, not once, but twice.
“Please don’t go,” Arthur said, following her out of the house.
Kyla stopped just before reaching her truck, turning to him. “I have to.”
“Where are you staying? I don’t want you to just disappear. Your mother wanted you to find me.”
Kyla sighed, “I’m staying at the Motel Six off Stemmons Freeway. I just need some time to think.”
“Come for dinner tomorrow.”
“Sure,” Kyla said with a wave as she got in the truck and drove away.
Chapter Fifteen
Kyla was dreaming of sitting on the beach again, but this time she recognized it for what it was. She turned before her mother called her name, expecting to see her standing behind her, but she wasn’t there this time. Kyla focused and concentrated on her mother, and slowly the beach’s sand gave way to cold white tile. The ocean faded to white floors, and the sky became walls. Finally, Kyla could see her mother. She was lying on her back, strapped to a bed. “Mom,” Kyla said, going to her. “Can you hear me, Mom?”
“You shouldn’t be here,” her mother said ask Kyla leaned over her.
“I found him. I found Arthur.” Kyla didn’t like the look of her mother. Her eyes were cloudy and unfocused. Her skin was pale and dry, and her hair was a rat’s nest compared to what she usually looked like. “What have they done to you?”
Her mother coughed, “It’s not important. Don’t worry about me. I will be fine as long as you are safe. Arthur has to teach you how to protect yourself. You must go and do not come back. They have found a way to see through me.”
“What do you mean, see through you?”
“Go, Kyla, go now.” Kyla didn’t want to leave the dream or her mother. Just as the room spun and changed, Kayla got a glimpse of someone watching them. It looked like a shadow, but someone was there. The floor dropped from beneath her, and Kyla felt as if she were falling. She wished to be back with her mother, but she couldn’t see her mom anymore. She felt lighter, and then she went higher, and then something bumped her head. Kyla stopped moving. She turned her body, looking down at what she hoped would be the ground. You’re dreaming, she told herself. Wake up!
Kyla opened her eyes, and what she saw forced a scream from her. Her back was pressed to the ceiling of the hotel room, but she was clearly seeing her body, laying on the hotel bed. Panic-stricken, Kyla pushed and clawed, trying to grab hold of her body. Was she dead? Kyla wasn’t sure, but it didn’t seem that her excitement was helping. Calm down, she told herself. Breathing deeply, Kyla closed her eyes again and prayed silently to return to her body. She felt as if she were being pulled by something with enormous force. She screamed as she was yanked down.
When she opened her eyes again, she was looking up at the ceiling, where she had been only moments before looking down at her own body. Kyla sat up, looking around the room. Then glancing at her own body. She wasn’t sure what had happened to her at the end of her dream. Was it an out of body experience? She hoped she hadn’t screamed out loud. She didn’t need anyone coming to check on her or calling the police about noisy neighbors. She could blame it on the television if she needed to. It was still playing. She had fallen asleep with it on. In the last four months, Kyla had grown accustomed to having it playing when she went to bed.
Kyla got off the bed, walking back and forth at the foot of the bed. Her mind was whirling. How could someone be there in the dream, watching her and her mother? Her mother looked horrible. She was suffering who knows what kind of treatment. There had to be a way to get her mother back. Kyla’s fury rose with each step. She wasn’t aware of it, but the air in the room became charged with electricity. She moved faster, she had to think of some way to get to her mother. She balled her fingers into fists. Where would they go? How would they stay hidden from people who meant them harm? If she were filled with power like her mother, she could use it to set her mother free! Sparks flew from her fingertips, lighting a path to the television, the lamp, and the overhead light. They all flickered and grew brighter, then it all stopped. The lights and the T.V. went out.
Kyla stopped where she was. Had she done that? She heard some grumbling coming from outside. Kyla went to the door opening it. There were others coming out of their rooms asking each other if they knew what had happened. As Kyla glanced around, she realized that all the rooms in the motel were dark. The sign by the office was out as well. There was no way that she had done that. It was just a few sparks from her fingertips. She glanced down at her hands, flexing her fingers, amazed.
Chapter Sixteen
Sandra was sitting at the kitchen table, looking through the paper when Arthur entered the room. She had been up for a while, judging by the amount of coffee missing from the usual full pot. Coffee was one of her favorite things. “Good morning,” he said, getting a mug from the cabinet above the sink.
“Morning,” Sandra returned his greeting.
She was still upset with him. They had argued for quite a while after Kyla had left the house. Sandra was upset with him for wanting to take her in. She felt that Kyla’s presence would bring attention to them and eventually cause them to be ensnared by the people who tried to find them. As much as he loved her, Sandra was wrong to turn away Kyla because she was half-human. She was family, and that was all that mattered. “I assume you haven’t changed your mind since last night,” Arthur said, taking a seat near her.
“Would it make a difference?” When he didn’t respond, she continued. “I didn’t think so. I know you invited her to come to dinner, but she’s asleep in her truck in the driveway.”
Arthur didn’t bother to ask why she hadn’t told him that when he entered the room. He walked through the house, opening the front door. He shook his head as he felt his wife’s presence behind him. “Well,” she said. “Aren’t you going to invite her in?”
Arthur turned his head, looking at Sandra before going to the truck. She could pretend all she wanted to. It was evident to him that his wife wanted Kyla there with them. How could she not? This was Elise’s daughter. He tapped the window with the back of his hand. Kyla jumped to full alertness, staring at him. She took a deep breath and let the window down. “Hi.”
“Why are you sleeping out here?”
Kyla yawned, “I didn’t want to wake anyone up.”
“How long have you been out here?”
“Just long enough to dose off.”
“Get your things and come in the house. I’ll have Sandra make up the guest room for you.”
Kyla looked past Arthur to where Sandra stood in the doorway. “Are you sure? I don’t want to cause problems between you two.”
Arthur chuckled, “Too late. Come on. She’ll come around.” Kyla wasn’t so sure about that, but she got her backpack and rolled the window of the truck up before she got out and followed her grandfather into the house. Sandra was missing from the living room. Arthur closed the door behind her. “Are you hungry?”
Kyla shook her head, “No. I went to Denny’s before coming here.”
“You look like you could use some sleep.” Kyla didn’t say anything. She just smiled. “Come with me.” Kyla followed Arthur through the dining area and into the kitchen. As they passed through the door on the far side near the back door, Kyla watched as Sandra was putting sheets on the full-sized mattress. “This is the guest room. There’s a bathroom through there.”
“I can do that,” Kyla said, putting her backpack down on the floor by the door. Sandra waved her hand as if telling Kyla to save her breath. Kyla and Arthur stood watching while Sandra finished making the bed. “Thank you,” She said to her grandmother when she was finished with the bed.
“There are clean towels in the cabinet behind the door,” Sandra said, pointing to the bathroom before she left the room.
“Give her time,” Arthur said, putting his hand on Kyla’s shoulder. “She’ll come around.”
&
nbsp; Kyla smiled. She didn’t agree with Arthur, but he knew her better than she did. “If this is a problem, me being here, I can leave…”
“I wouldn’t hear of it. I want the chance to get to know you. Get some rest, and we’ll talk when you wake up.” Kyla nodded and smiled as he left the room, closing the door behind him. Kyla sat on the bed and fell back, looking at the ceiling. She relaxed, kicking her shoes off, curling up on the soft, freshly made bed. For the first time in months, Kyla felt like she could really rest.
Chapter Seventeen
The room was dark and for a second unfamiliar when Kyla opened her eyes. She was at Arthur’s house in the guest room. She inhaled deeply, delighting in the scent of homecooked food. Kyla got off the bed and went into the bathroom. She emptied her bladder and washed her hands. She ran her hands through her short black hair, frowning as she realized she was going to need to do a root touch up, sooner rather than later. Her hair grew too fast, requiring her to color it often.
She could use a shower, but she was too hungry, and the smells from the kitchen had her stomach gurgling with its want to be filled. She tried her hands and then went to the door to the kitchen. Sandra was standing at the stove. Arthur was sitting at the kitchen table with Allison, the one member of the family that she had yet to formally meet. Arthur smiled at her, “Have a seat. Sandra is fixing you a plate.”
“How did she know that I was…” Kyla didn’t finish her question. She felt a little foolish when she thought about it. They could probably read her mind.
Arthur laughed, “You probably think that she read your mind, but we don’t do that unless we feel that we have to.”
Allison joined him in laughing, “We heard you in the bathroom. The walls are kind of thin, so when you flush in the next room, we hear it.”
Metamorphosis: Science Fiction Adventure: Book 1 Page 6
