Etheric Adventures Boxed Set: Books 1-3

by S. R. Russell

  Anne grabbed the tip of her tail and gave it the briefest of tugs. I try to be at least as smart as you are.

  School was…interesting. That was the only word for it. With her Kurtherian enhancements, Anne could hear most conversations held anywhere near her—all the conversations in the room she was in, actually. She wished she could conduct a poll. It would be interesting to find out if she were more admired or feared. By lunch period Anne had decided “feared” was in the top spot. It wasn’t the comments that led to this conclusion, it was that no one had been brave enough to ask about what had happened.

  I don’t know whether to laugh or cry, she told Jinx when they had found a place to sit and eat lunch.

  Well, you also kicked the asses of those Weres earlier this year. I’m guessing it all adds up, Jinx reminded her.

  Anne chewed the bite of pizza she had just taken, then nodded her head. I’m not going to pretend to be happy or proud of beating up or killing people, but I think I prefer being able to defend and protect myself. It beats living with so much fear you can’t even talk to someone you’ve known for months. I don’t want to be a bully, but how many undies would need to be changed if I threw one of the harmless fireballs into the middle of this room?

  Jinx almost choked on the piece of bratwurst she was eating.

  >>Research indicates there are laws against behavior that can create mass panic.<<

  Anne burst out laughing and couldn’t help but notice some of the people nearest her flinch at the sudden sound. Thanks, ladies, I needed that. What do you say we get out of here and see if we can’t track down that Stevie dude before class resumes?

  The shop teacher, Mr. Jenkins, was middle-aged and overweight, and caused both Anne and Jinx to wrinkle their noses at the slightly rancid odor he emitted. He showed them to his office and invited them to sit.

  “Why don’t you come back here as soon as school’s out?” he suggested. “That time slot is the graduating class, and I can introduce you to Herman. He’s very promising.”

  Anne looked at Jinx, then back at the teacher. “Herman? We were told we should talk to a guy named Stevie?” Anne’s confusion turned her sentence into a question.

  Mr. Jenkins’ expression morphed from mild interest to condescending. “People will always try to put one over on you,” he informed them.

  “I got the name from a very highly recommended source,” Anne remarked calmly.

  “Look,” he sighed like he had to explain something obvious, “she,” and he emphasized the pronoun, “insists on being called ‘Stevie,’ but her name is Stephanie Kasyanov.” Mr. Jenkins had a sneer on his face and pronounced the name with derision.

  Something about this guy is not right. I’m going to let you do all the talking, Jinx told her friend.

  “I take it you have a problem with Miss Kasyanov?” Anne acknowledged Jinx’ message by asking the question.

  Mr. Jenkins snorted. “What isn’t a problem? Girls are supposed to take Home Ec, not shop. She’s one of those shifter types, and if you believe the rumors, she doesn’t like boys—if you get my drift. I could ignore all that, but you did catch her name, right? Ca-See-En-Off,” The teacher stretched and distorted the girl’s name. “She’s a Ruskie! Can’t trust them Ruskies any further than you can throw ‘em.”

  Anne just sat there silent and stunned. How the H-E-double-hockey-sticks did this man ever get a job as a teacher? She finally got her mind into gear. “Is the principal aware of your concerns?” she asked the man.

  “Hardly!” the man spat. “He salutes a rainbow flag, not Old Glory.” Mr. Jenkins looked at the American flag prominently displayed on the wall of his office.

  “Why work here, then?” Anne was truly curious what his answer would be.

  “Someone’s gotta keep an eye on ‘em,” he said, putting a finger to the side of his nose.

  Anne wasn’t sure what the gesture meant, but she thought she remembered seeing something like it in a movie. She nodded and tapped the side of her own nose, then stood. “I’d better head out before I’m late for my next class. See you right after school.”

  Mr. Jenkins returned her nod. “You’ll be glad you came to me for help.”

  Leaving Mr. Jenkins’ office, Anne ignored her next class and headed straight for the school’s office.

  What’s his problem? Jinx asked as she padded beside Anne.

  Just a sec, let me see if I can get them all. Anne was quiet for a few steps. I think he’s a homophobic misogynistic xenophobic redneck. I might be missing one.

  Jinx chuffed her amusement. Are those all real words?

  Yes, they are. If he’s also a racist, which I suspect he is, then he hates everyone except white American men.

  How do people live like that? Jinx was incredulous.

  Anne shook her head. Human history is full of people and societies that almost made a religion out of beliefs like that.

  Have I told you lately that humans are confusing?

  I don’t think I’ve ever argued the point, have I? Anne turned and stuck her tongue out at Jinx.

  Real mature, Jinx teased.

  It’s been a rough couple of days. I’ll take my distractions where I can find them.

  Jinx froze, her ears and tail drooping, then started moving again, hurrying to catch up to Anne. Sorry, I wasn’t thinking.

  It was Anne who stopped this time, and she knelt to be at Jinx’ eye level. Don’t worry. You tease about humans, but I think dogs truly have a different thought process. It just means it’s not your fault.

  That doesn’t make me feel better when I say something that is painful for you.

  Just ask yourself if you were trying to make me feel bad. If the answer is no, then I’m not going to hold it against you.

  “Why aren’t you in class?” was the greeting they received when Anne and Jinx entered the office.

  “We’ve just come from a…let’s call it a discussion, with Mr. Jenkins, the shop teacher. It was disturbing enough that I felt it warranted informing the principal,” Anne told the secretary, then sat in one of the chairs lined up against the wall.

  “Disturbing in what way?” the secretary asked.

  “In a way I don’t feel comfortable discussing in a public place,” Anne declared as she swept her gaze pointedly around the open and very public area.

  The secretary gave Anne a disgusted look, but touched a button on her desk. “Sir? Anne Jayden is here to talk to you. Something about the shop teacher, Mr. Jenkins. Yes, sir. Thank you, sir,” the secretary finished, then stood. “Follow me,” she said, leading Anne and Jinx to the familiar office of the principal.

  Once Anne was seated with Jinx sitting next to her, the principal steepled his fingers. “What can I do for you ladies?”

  Seshat, can you break into the school’s system to run video here in this office? Anne sat, slightly embarrassed, as the principal raised an eyebrow at her.

  Seshat?

  >>What? Oh, sorry, you were serious? I thought you were being facetious! Meredith’s gravcarts could hack into the school’s system. Do you want the footage from your conversation with Mr. Jenkins?<<

  Please.

  As the video from her meeting with the shop teacher ran, Anne began to get concerned. The principal wasn’t reacting to the footage. No, that wasn’t quite correct. He was reacting, but he was showing exasperation, not shock, anger, and outrage.

  “You knew!” were the two words Anne uttered once the video had reached its end.

  “Most of it, despite Mr. Jenkins’ beliefs to the contrary,” the principal admitted.

  “Why is he still employed?” Anne wanted to be furious, but she had a sneaky feeling this was going to be one of those things she couldn’t do anything about.

  “He is an excellent teacher, for the most part,” the principal said quietly but earnestly. He made an expansive gesture with his arm, trying to encompass more than just his office or even the school. “We’re in a closed ecosystem. It’s not like I can run help
wanted ads in London, Madrid, Barcelona, Paris, and New York to hire a replacement. A lot of parents don’t feel comfortable with an alien teaching their children, so I’m stuck. I have to make do with whoever’s available—however upsetting or distasteful that may be.”

  Anne was somewhat shocked by the revelation, and her mouth formed a silent ‘O.’

  “I’m sorry to have wasted your time,” she said, once she got her vocal chords working again.

  The principal shook his head. “I truly appreciate that you felt strongly enough to put yourself out there and bring it to my attention. Just… As I said, we’re living in a closed system. If it’s any consolation, I’ve heard the same reports of Miss Kasyanov’s brilliance. Instead of having to deal with Mr. Jenkins’ personality, just come back here when school’s out. I’ll get a message to Stephanie to report to the office once she’s done for the day.”

  Chapter Eight

  Stephanie “Call me Stevie” No-Middle-Name Kasyanov was having a bad day. She could speak English fluently, but trying to understand it as a subject in school? English made no sense at all! Shop was her last class of the day, and she was normally able to submerge herself in the design, plans, blueprints, and machining the class entailed. Today, however, Mr. Jerk-ins was being more of an idiot than normal, if that were possible. And the sour grape that topped off the whole mess? She’d been handed a note as she left her English class to report to the office before she left school. She had to devote some energy to fighting the urge to throw back her head and howl.

  “Psstt! Want to go to the school dance with me on Saturday?” Mark Holmes whispered.

  Stevie took a quick look around the classroom. The last thing she wanted was for the Jerk to give her detention. “Not any more than the last three times you asked me,” she whispered back.

  “Ahhh, man, you’re killing me!” Mark added some theatrical embellishment by putting a hand to his chest.

  Alerted by Mark’s loud response, Mr. Jenkins turned to glower at the young man. “Just who is killing you, Mr. Holmes?”

  Mark refrained from looking sideways at Stevie, since he could feel her staring daggers at him. She was gorgeous, which was one of the reasons Mark wanted to date her, but she had a very nasty temper if you upset her.

  “No one, sir. I was just trying to get this assembled before the end of class, and it’s not fitting together properly.” Mark held up several bits and pieces from his current project as proof.

  “I suggest you recheck all your measurements, then,” Mr. Jenkins advised. “You have probably cut a piece to the wrong size if it does not fit together.”

  “Yes, sir. I’ll get right on that, sir.” Mark cursed under his breath. Now Mr. Jenkins would watch him carefully for the rest of the class, and he wouldn’t have any more opportunity to try to talk Stevie into going out with him.

  Jennifer wiped her face with one of the towels stacked around the workout area and watched as Pete put two different Guardian Marines teams through their paces. Always a curious person, Jennifer made her way to his side. “What’re you doing, oh fearless leader?”

  Peter had years of practice living with the pranks the Guardians and Marines liked to perpetrate on each other. So, he didn’t even twitch when Jennifer spoke, since he’d been aware of her approach. “You’ve trained with Jinx and Anne, right?”

  “Sure. I’ve been shifting and teaching canine combat techniques to Jinx,” Jennifer confirmed.

  Peter turned his head enough to look at Jennifer, but kept an eye on the sparring teams. “Did you hear they got attacked walking home from All Guns Blazing?”

  Peter waited for Jennifer’s gasped, ‘No! What happened?’

  “Three bistok-shit-stupid aliens tried to dognap Jinx. She and Anne objected strenuously, and they ended up with one dead, one running, and one subdued by the time John arrived.”

  “Oh, shit!” Jennifer exclaimed. “Who racked up the kill?”

  “Anne. She hit one of them with some sort of Etheric energy grenade.”

  “How’s she holding up?” Jennifer asked, concerned about Anne’s psychological well-being.

  “Don’t know for sure,” Peter admitted. “I haven’t seen her in here since the incident.”

  “Poor kid. That’s going to be difficult for her to cope with. What’s that have to do with all this?”

  Peter turned back to the sparring match. “Bethany Anne has decided Anne and Jinx need their own security.”

  “And?” Jennifer asked.

  “Winning team gets the assignment,” Peter stated, with a sigh that made it sound like it was an obvious conclusion.

  Jennifer laughed. “Oh my God! You’re an only child, right?”

  “Everyone knows that. What’s that have to do with anything?” Peter gave Jennifer his complete attention.

  “No girlfriend either?” Jennifer persisted.

  “My dating options have been somewhat limited,” Peter growled. “What’s that got to do with picking a security detail?”

  “Which of these guys is going to follow her into the ladies’ room? Who’s going to go with her when she needs to go shopping for underwear? Do any of them know to suggest Midol and a heating pad at that time of the month?” Jennifer ticked off the points on her fingers as she made them. She finished with, “Think! If you had a younger sister, would you be comfortable with an all-male security detail?”

  Peter scratched the back of his neck as he pondered Jennifer’s words. “We don’t have any female Weres available.”

  “No, but you have several female Marines. What about those cousins? You know, the ones Bethany Anne recruited from the Israeli Defense Force?” Jennifer felt bad that she didn’t know the women’s names.

  Peter clapped his hands to get the attention of the sparring teams. “Take a break, guys. I’ve just been informed,” he pointed his thumb at Jennifer, “that I need a mixed-gender security team.” He looked at the Marines. “What are the names of those cousins who are former IDF?”

  “You’re talking about Abigail and E,” one of the Marines offered.

  “’E?’ What kind of name is that?” Peter couldn’t help asking.

  “Her real name is Ethel, but she doesn’t like it. She complains it’s too old-fashioned, so she asks everyone to call her ‘E,’” the Marine explained.

  “Does Abigail use her full name, or does she prefer Abby?” Jennifer asked.

  “She might prefer Abby, but I think she uses both,” another Marine told her.

  “You’re right. It seems to depend on who she’s talking with which name she prefers,” the first Marine added.

  “Thanks for your time. That’s it for now, since it looks like I have a couple ladies to talk to,” Peter said as he started walking away from the workout area.

  Anne and Jinx were heading to the office to meet with Stephanie when Anne caught sight of the familiar profile of Peter Silvers and stuttered to a stop. She heard a whispered “Oh, crap” just before someone bumped into her. “Excuse me,” the same girl’s voice said, and Anne felt a hand on her back as the girl pushed around her. The girl had only taken two more steps when she stopped dead with a muttered, “What the puck?”

  “You weren’t expecting to see Peter either, I take it?” Anne asked her compatriot.

  “You know him?”

  “Yep. Instructor, sparring partner, slave driver… Not sure what he’s doing here, though,” Anne admitted. She looked carefully at the girl and when she paid attention to her senses she caught the scent of Were. “I’m gonna make a crazy guess that you’re Steph—”

  “Stevie! I go by ‘Stevie,’” the girl interrupted her.

  “—anie Kasyanov.” Anne wasn’t going to let the girl upset her.

  “How did you know…” Stevie’s voice trailed off. She’d been so concerned about the summons to the principal’s office that she hadn’t been paying attention to her surroundings. When the girl in front of her had come to a quick stop, she had pushed around her without noticing t
he dog at her side. “You’re Anne, right?”

  “Yup, and this is Jinx,” Anne said. She motioned to her companion, then held out her hand to Stevie. I’ll call her Stevie if it makes her happy, but I’ll be thinking Stephanie every time I say it, she sent to Jinx. “I’m the person you’re hurrying to the principal’s office to meet.”

  Stevie held out her hand automatically but said, “Do you mind if I withhold judgment on the ‘nice to meet you?’ And do you really spar with Peter?” she asked in the same breath.

  “I don’t mind, and not as much anymore.” Anne followed Stevie’s lead and answered both questions. “Shall we?” she asked as she nodded toward Peter and the office.

  Now that she was paying more attention to her surroundings, Anne noticed three adults standing by the wall on the other side of the office doorway.

  One Were, two humans, Jinx advised when she realized her friend had noted the group.

  “Hey, Peter! What’s up?” Anne asked when they got to him.

  Peter smiled at the young woman and her canine companion. Both had improved so much in their training since he’d first met them. “Let’s move this out of the hallway, shall we?” he suggested as he held the door open.

  Once all seven of them had entered the office, Peter looked at Anne and Stevie. “I take it you have business with the principal?”

  “We did, but I’m not sure it’s valid anymore,” Anne replied. “He was supposed to introduce me to Stevie here, but we bumped into each other in the hallway.”

  “Well, let’s check with him,” Peter said while he scanned the office for the man in question. “Then if he needs to do something else, he’ll be free to go.”

  The secretary disconnected from the call that had occupied her when everyone entered. “Ahh, Anne and Stephanie…”

  “Stevie!” Stevie ground her teeth in frustration.

  “Your official records show your name as Stephanie,” the secretary commented in an officious tone.