She shrugged. “I’ve never really been good at flirting. Now I’ve decided to take a more forward approach.”
“I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but you’re not my type,” said Reece.
She cocked an eyebrow. “And what exactly is your type then?”
“That’s not for you to worry about,” he said. “Breakfast is ready.”
“Gay?” Natalie mouthed to me.
I replied with a shrug and a smile.
Reece dished up our breakfast, and we sat around the dining table eating.
“We’ll hang out here today and leave tonight,” Reece said.
“Oooh, all stealthy in the dark and stuff,” Natalie said.
Her new flirtatious mood set me on edge.
Reece ignored her and continued. “We should get to the bunker by early morning. You’ll finally get to see Tyson.”
“If he has time to see me. He’s a busy man these days,” I replied.
“Ky,” he said.
“What? I’m kidding... Kind of.”
“I told you. He’d be here if he could.”
I shovelled in a mouthful of bacon, ignoring his words.
“So how are we going to pass the time?” Natalie asked.
I wasn’t sure I could spend an entire day watching her flirt and fawn over Reece.
“I have a few things I have to head out and do today. So, I’m afraid you two will have to find a way to occupy yourselves without leaving the house. You can start by washing the dishes,” he replied
“Yes, boss,” I said.
When we were all finished, I stacked the plates and cutlery and took them to the sink. Reece followed me with the mugs and grabbed the dishwashing liquid from beneath the sink.
“Thanks,” I said, taking it from him.
“I’m going to get changed and ready for our exciting day,” Natalie said. “I’ll dry up when I come back out.”
She made her way towards the room she’d slept in.
“Sorry, if I worried you this morning,” Reece said. “I didn’t think you’d want her to wake up and find me in your bed.”
“Yeah, that would’ve been awkward,” I replied. “She would’ve had a million questions, and I don’t have the energy to answer any of them. Although, at least I wouldn’t have had to watch her ogle you all morning.”
“Jealous?” He grinned.
“Hardly.”
“It’s weird you know. Seeing you let Natalie take the leader role.”
“What?” I turned to face him.
“I don’t know. You’ve always been so strong and kind of scary. But with Natalie, you’ve just stepped back and let her take the lead.”
“That’s not true.”
He cocked an eyebrow.
“It’s not. It was a bit hard to take the lead when I was locked away in Skywatchers. But now we’re here, I’m the same old Ky. Stubborn and smart-mouthed as always.”
“I hope so. It’d be sad to see her fade away.”
“Don’t you have errands to run?” I said, turning back to the dishes.
“Ahh, there she is. Yes ma’am. I’ll get to it right away.”
“Good. Last thing we need is you hanging around, making the day go slower.”
“I’ll try to be back just after lunch.” He didn’t make to leave.
“Are you waiting for an invitation to go?”
He shook his head with a smile. “Bye, Ky.”
“Bye, Reece.”
Chapter Thirteen
Turns out, when Natalie and I didn’t have escaping Skywatchers or killing aliens to talk about, we didn’t have much in common at all. Once we’d both dressed, we sat in awkward silence at the dining table for a while, neither of us much for small talk. When the clock hand finally inched close enough to midday, we busied ourselves, making ham and cheese sandwiches and ate those in our newfound silence.
Deciding I couldn’t take it anymore, I made my way to the lounge and flicked through bad daytime television, realising I hadn’t missed it one bit when I’d been a hunter. But Natalie soon joined me, and it beat staring at each other.
“Where on Earth is he?” Natalie groaned, sitting beside me.
Daylight was slipping away, and there had been no sign of Reece.
“He’ll be back soon,” I replied, hoping I was right.
“Didn’t he say after lunch, not dinner?” she asked.
The sound of rattling at the door had us both sitting up straight, and we stared to the doorway as Reece appeared. Like two puppies whose owner had just gotten home.
“Do you know what time it is?” I asked.
“You said you’d be home hours ago,” Natalie added.
“This must be what it’s like to have a wife… or two. I’m here, okay. Things took a bit longer than I thought,” he replied.
“You should’ve called,” I said, putting on the wifeliest voice I could conjure.
“Were you worried?” He pouted.
I shot him a glare. “Well, you don’t exactly have a great track record. You’ve almost gotten me killed a few times now.”
“I guess there’s that. But you need to let it go. You’re still here. You two ready to get moving soon?” he asked.
“So ready,” Natalie said. “We’ve…”
“We’ve packed a backpack each.” I cut her off. Reece was right, I’d let her lead me for long enough.
“I’ll grab the few things I need and pack it in the van,” he replied, making his way towards his room.
It wasn’t long until he’d packed what he needed and packed it in the van. He locked the house behind us, hiding the key somewhere around the back. The sun had disappeared while he’d packed, and a cool breeze had set in, making me more than happy to climb into the front passenger seat of the van.
“Looks like I’ll be in the back,” Natalie moaned as she climbed in.
“After our excursion leaving Skywatchers, I’m keeping you as far away from the steering wheel as possible,” I said.
“What? I was pretty awesome, I thought. Especially, seeing as it was my first time.”
“Which was very obvious. You didn’t even try to use your blinker.”
“You only need those if there’s cars around, right? I didn’t see any.”
“Sounds like I need to keep both of you away from the wheel. I’ll do the driving from now on,” Reece said.
He started up the car and pulled away from the house. It wasn’t long until we were on the highway heading west.
“Well, I think I might get some sleep to pass the time,” Natalie said, laying across the backseat. “Think I got the best seat in the house.”
“Sweet dreams,” Reece said.
“Just keep your eyes on the road,” Natalie said, closing her eyes.
I stared out the window into the darkness, watching the road in front of us, illuminated by the cars’ lights, until a soft snoring filled the air.
Turning, I saw Natalie’s mouth was partially open, her long blonde hair falling over her face.
“I don’t know how she can sleep when we did absolutely nothing today,” I said to Reece.
Natalie snorted, making us both laugh.
“Isn’t she so beautiful when she sleeps?” Reece said.
“Like sleeping beauty.”
“How are you feeling about seeing your brother?” he asked.
“Fine.”
He raised an eyebrow. “How are you really feeling?”
“It scares the crap out of me,” I said.
“Once you see him, you’ll see he’s missed you. And I’ll be there with you the whole time.”
“Until your spaceship is ready to take you home.” There was a bite in my words I hadn’t intended to be there.
“Ky…” he started.
“It’s fine. I know it’s important for you to get home. It’s not like there’s anything between us anymore.” I ran my hand over the pocket of my pants where I’d hidden my pendant. “Once I’m with Tyson you’ll go home,
and everything will be as it should be.”
He reached out his hand and took mine, and we sat in silence.
Opening my heavy eyes, my brain ached from rattling inside my skull as we thundered over the dirt road out in the middle of nowhere. I wasn’t sure how long we’d been heading west, but there were hardly any trees anymore, and sand and dirt stretched as far as the eye could see.
The sun was beginning to peak over the horizon in the distance, casting eerie shadows over the desert floor. Dust and dirt kicked up behind us.
Natalie was still fast asleep across the back seat, and I stretched my neck from side to side.
“Morning,” Reece said. “We’re nearly there.”
“My brain’s turning to mush with all this rattling,” I said. “Couldn’t you have found a four-wheel drive or something?”
“Never happy,” he said with a grin, followed by a yawn.
“You okay?” I asked.
“Tired, but excited to finally be back at the bunker. Can’t wait for you to see what we’ve achieved with Tyson’s help.”
“How do you even find it out here? There’s no landmarks. Nothing.”
He tapped his temple. “I just know. Look. See the Boab tree?”
Ahead of us, a tree came into view with the fattest trunk I’d ever seen, its branches skinny and twisted in comparison.
“Yeah, the ugly looking thing,” I said.
“The base is right behind it.”
I squinted in an attempt to get a better view. “I don’t see anything but sand and dirt.”
“Open the glove box,” he said.
I did as he asked. Inside sat a small two-way radio, and I grabbed it out.
“Pass it here.” He took it from my hand and squeezed the button on the side. “Tango Sierra, this is Romeo two.”
“Romeo?” I laughed.
“It’s the phonetic alphabet. I didn’t choose it,” he said.
“Sure, you didn’t. Romeo.”
He shot me a glare.
“Come in, Romeo two. This is Tango Sierra. Is it clear?”
“All clear.”
“Welcome back,” was the reply.
Reece began to brake, and the car slowed as Natalie roused in the back seat.
“Where are we?” she asked groggily.
“In the middle of nowhere,” I said.
“Perfect.”
“Aren’t you supposed to blindfold us or something?” I asked him.
“I think we’re past that,” he replied.
Reece slowed to almost a stop as the ground rumbled in front of us. The earth appeared to shift, the tree’s sparse leaves shaking as a hole opened in the sand. Reece drove towards the opening, the world disappearing behind us as the door shut once again, and we were thrust onto a dimly lit down ramp.
We continued driving down for some time until the lights brightened ahead of us, and Reece pulled into a parking garage, most of which were filled with either vans or utes. He chose one and pulled up.
“Here we are. Welcome to the bunker,” he said.
“This is freaking incredible,” I replied, eyes wide.
“I can’t believe you’re all hiding down here, and nobody knows,” Natalie said.
“How did you find this place?” I asked.
We all climbed out the car, our closing doors echoing in the cavernous room.
“All thanks to Tyson,” he replied.
“So, where is this brother of mine who keeps avoiding me?” I asked.
“I’m right here.”
My breath hitched as the voice sounded from across the room. It was deeper than it’d been the last time I’d heard it, and there was a tiredness behind it.
Turning to face him, my eyes widened at the sight. It was Tyson, all right. Same ice blue eyes framed by black glasses, same tall slim build. But his hair was longer and scruffier, and he’d grown a short beard.
“You got big,” he said, mirroring my shock.
“You got old,” I added.
His laugh made my heart beat faster. “I guess I did.”
“You didn’t come and meet us,” I said.
“I know. I would have if I could.”
“Reece told us you were busy. I just…”
Finally, he crossed the room to meet me. Now he stood only meters away.
“So many times I wanted to steal you away from them. But Ricko always had a close eye on you. I hated leaving you there, but I had to bide my time,” he said.
“Bide your time while I killed the very people you were trying to save? You know that makes no sense, right?”
“They needed me. They needed me more than you did.”
“How could you even know that? I was fifteen, Ty. Fifteen. I needed you. You were all I had left.”
“I was keeping an eye on you. You seemed to be okay.”
“You think turning into a ruthless killer is okay?”
“I sent Reece to get you out. That has to count for something, doesn’t it?” he said.
I looked to Reece who offered me a heartfelt nod.
“You lied to me.” That was the part that hurt the most. Not the fact he left me in Skywatchers, or that I’d mourned his death. It was the fact I hadn’t ever really known him at all. He’d been a completely different person to who I thought he was.
I pulled the pendant from my pocket and held it out to him.
“You kept your necklace,” he said, eyeing it over.
“It’s seen better days, but it’s all I had left of you, mum and dad,” I said.
“I really am sorry, Kylah. For everything.”
He closed the gap between us, tears forming in his eyes, and I wrapped him in my arms, feeling my muscles relax as he held me. Tears flowed, and my body shuddered as everything I’d been through, everything I’d done, everything I’d endured came washing over me. Why now? Because it could. Because I was back in my safe place. I was with my brother.
Stepping back from each other, we each wiped away our tears and straightened our spines as we remembered we were being watched. I pushed the pendant back into my pocket as I turned to find Natalie standing beside Reece and two strangers standing nearby.
“Who’s your friend?” Tyson asked.
“This is Natalie. She broke me out of Skywatchers the second time round,” I replied.
Natalie stepped forward and shook Tyson’s hand. “It’s an honour to finally meet you. Reece says you’ve been the mastermind behind this whole operation.”
“There’s no way I could’ve done it on my own. Plus, I’m driven by guilt. I’m part of the reason they were invited to Earth in the first place. But, now’s not the time to tell you the whole story. Ky, I’m so excited to show you what I’ve been doing.” His eyes gleamed with excitement.
“Can’t wait to see what’s been so important you couldn’t find your sister,” I said.
“Are you ever going to forgive me?” he asked.
I shrugged. “We’ll see. Best you start sucking up now.”
“Reece said you might be a bit sassier than when I saw you last,” he replied.
“A lot’s happened in two and a half years.”
“Well, we have a lot of time to make up for. I’d love to start by showing you around.”
Natalie bounced on her toes. “That’d be awesome.”
Reece shot her a strange look I couldn’t work out.
“You coming with us?” I asked him.
“No. I’ll go get some rooms ready for you two, and I have some work to do,” he replied. “Tyson will look after you.”
Part of me ached at the thought of being separated from him again. I was in the aliens’ world now, and the only person who believed in me and had my back was Reece.
“See you later then?” I managed.
“See you later.”
He made his way back to the van, and Tyson wrapped his arm around my shoulders, hugging me tight before guiding me towards a doorway and his two friends.
“This is Markus a
nd Cleo. You know how you used to think I was a nerd?”
I nodded.
“Well times it by a hundred, and you’re close to understanding how smart these two are. This whole place wouldn’t be here without them and their amazing technologies. Oh, Ky, you should see the amazing things the Solians are capable of.”
“Solians?” Natalie asked, reminding me she was following.
“Sorry, I didn’t get a chance to fill her in on the basics,” I said.
Cleo’s cheeks dimpled as she smiled. “That’s what we are. Solians. We’re an alien race from the planet Terra Sol.”
“Wow. I’d never even thought about what your planet might be called,” Natalie replied. “Terra Sol.”
“You didn’t read the planet name in any of the files you found?” I asked her.
“Guess I wasn’t paying enough attention to the minor details,” she said. “I was busy trying to find the ‘truth’ you were talking about.”
“We might come from a different planet,” Markus said, his earthy brown eyes widening. “But our genetic make-up is much the same.”
“Let’s walk while these two fill you in,” Tyson suggested, not letting me go.
We made our way through the doorway into a metal corridor, LED lights lining the floor and ceiling.
“Some say the original Solians were actually from Earth,” said Cleo. “But living on a different planet with slight changes in atmospheric conditions meant evolution changed as slightly.”
“You think humans have had the ability to travel through space for that long?” I asked.
“It’s just a theory,” Tyson added. “But we’ve had the technology to travel through space for a long time. Thankfully, nothing like the technology the Solian’s have.”
“We were careful not to give all of our secrets away,” Cleo said. “Including the exact coordinates of our planet.”
“Reece said your planet was almost perfect. Why come to Earth?” I asked.
“We were invited by your leaders to come and help heal Earth from the devastation your people have caused. But we now know it was all a ruse,” Markus said.
“So our planet’s not dying?” I asked.
“It is, slowly. But your government knew the way we work on Terra Sol would mean less money for big business. It would’ve disrupted the economy in ways which would mean the rich wouldn’t get richer,” Cleo said.
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