by Mikayla Lane
Mikey nodded his head, trying to remember what he’d read about energy when he was reading the children’s history, but for the life of him he couldn’t think with her so close.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t understand it at all. Maybe you can explain it better,” he suggested, hoping she would. Not just so he’d understand it, but so she’d stay with him a little while longer.
“We were brought up with the Valendran belief that All Father created a mate for each of us. The other half of ourselves. It is said that is why our energies begin to intertwine when we meet. It is the All Father’s way of ensuring that we don’t pass one another unknowingly and miss the chance at the happiness he wanted for us,” Lauren explained, knowing that she’d skated around the question and revealed much more than she had wanted to.
Mikey turned and smiled at her.
“I was wondering if a God fit into any of this. I was raised Christian, and all of this new information was really messing with me,” he admitted.
The last thing he wanted to do now was say something stupid that would upset her, especially when she was opening up to him.
“Of course there’s a God. Evolution and science can never explain everything. There are too many mysteries and amazing things that even we, with all of our technology and science, can’t explain,” Lauren said, feeling safe talking about that particular subject.
“Lauren, I’m sorry I’ve been such a jerk. I know I haven’t handled any of this well, and I shouldn’t have taken it out on you or anyone else for that matter,” Mikey said, hoping she’d forgive him.
“You don’t need to apologize. I don’t think either of us has handled this well. At least you have an excuse since you were basically yanked out of your world and thrust into ours,” Lauren admitted, averting her eyes from his and looking out over the crystal clear lake.
Mikey chuckled and looked out over the water as well.
“You’re being kind. I haven’t handled anything. At all. I’ve stumbled around and made a mess of things though. You guys must think I’m ungrateful or something, the way I’ve acted. Maybe I’m at the dumb spectrum of our people. That could be that DNA difference you noticed,” Mikey said with a teasing grin.
Lauren shook her head.
“There is no dumb among any people, only different ranges of understanding and evolution. I finally tried looking at it from your point of view, and I can’t say I would have acted any differently in your place. All of this,” Lauren said gesturing around them. “Is a lot to take in when you don’t know that something exists besides what you’re force fed through education, the news, and the governments.”
Mikey snorted and nodded his head.
“You got that right. I had no idea how deep the suppression of information was and how much effort was going into covering everything up. It’s mind boggling to think of how many lies are being perpetrated against the world about aliens, UFOs . . . and to find out I’m an actual alien was a little hard to take. How do the other found hybrids like me deal with it?” he asked, truly curious how to fix this all in his mind.
Lauren looked over at him sadly, wishing she knew the answer.
“I think it’s different for everyone. Most of those I know of, who are mostly Grai’s people, they knew from an early age. Either their parents were around long enough to explain things to them or they were captives of the Relians and were told of who they were. I’ve heard that Lara, one of the prime, was like you. She grew up with an adoptive family and was also in the army. I can talk to her and see if she could come by and tell you how she dealt with it,” Lauren offered, willing to do whatever it took to help Mikey adjust and be happy.
“I’d ask what a prime is, but I probably don’t want to know,” Mikey said with a grin. “But, I’d appreciate any help she could give me.”
“Yeah, the prime are another interesting group,” Lauren said. “But that’s definitely something even we are still getting used to, so I’m not even going to try laying that on you.”
Mikey grabbed his head in his hands and uttered a fake growl.
“Yeah, let’s not explode my brain just yet,” he said before looking over at Lauren. “I really do appreciate all you’ve done for me, even if I haven’t exactly showed it.”
“I know. How about we start over?” Lauren suggested, hoping he’d want to try again.
“I think I’d be honored for you to give me another chance,” Mikey said, feeling his head cool as he said it.
“Good! Come on, I’ll show you around the lake,” Lauren offered with a smile as she stood and held her hand out to him.
Mikey took her hand with a grin of his own and allowed her to lead him towards the clear lake.
“This place is so amazing,” Mikey whispered as they approached the almost magical lake.
“It is. It has its own unique energy and it’s such a peaceful place,” Lauren agreed.
“Yeah . . . has um . . . anyone seen anything weird around here?” Mikey asked, thinking of Emily.
Lauren looked at Mikey curiously, wondering how much weirder he thought the place could get.
“I’m not sure. Can you give me an example?”
Mikey looked away from her penetrating blue gaze and studied the water.
“Nothing specific. Ghosts or strange creatures . . . I don’t know. This place just seems like one of those places where anything is possible,” Mikey said, not wanting to sound crazy. He didn’t think crazy would encourage Lauren to give him another chance.
“There’s Indrid and his people, they’re Hyperboreans. I told you about them after you met Indrid; they can disappear into the wind. There’s Nessie who comes through a deep underwater tunnel into the lake when she wants to. Our people of course, but other than that, I’m not aware of anything like ghosts,” Lauren said, hoping she’d answered his question.
She could definitely understand why he’d asked though. He’d seen a lot of crazy things since he’d arrived, and she figured he was wanting to make sure there wasn’t going to be any more surprises in store for him.
Indrid’s cryptic words came to mind, and she immediately dismissed Mikey’s question as something earth shattering enough to call Indrid for.
“Nessie?” Mikey asked, pulling Lauren a few steps back from the water.
“No, she wouldn’t hurt anyone,” Lauren said with a grin as she pulled him back towards the lake. “She seems to know that she’s safe here with us, and she’s great friends with the mammoths. I think she’s lonely.”
“There’s only the one?” Mikey asked, feeling sorry for the creature.
“We’re not really sure to be honest. It could be a dozen different ones for all we know. We have heard of sightings of her in Scotland when we could see her here in the lake. But we call them all Nessie and leave them to their friendship with the mammoths,” Lauren explained, wondering where the large creature was.
They walked in silence alongside the lake for a while when Lauren turned to Mikey.
“Tell me about yourself. Did you have nice parents? Were you a football jock in school?” she asked, curious to learn more about him.
Mikey blushed and chuckled.
“No, I was never the jock type. I decided when I was five I was going to be a soldier, so I joined ROTC the second I could and stayed with them until I graduated. My adoptive parents were beautiful people. They were loving and generous. They were killed in a car accident the week after I graduated from high school. I buried them then joined the army,” Mikey said as an image of his mom and dad flashed through his head, and he felt the pain of their loss over again.
“I’m so sorry, Mikey,” Lauren gently squeezed his hand in support.
“Thanks,” Mikey replied, his mind on his parents and what his dad would think of all of this.
Mikey suddenly snorted before barking out a laugh.
“What is it?” Lauren asked, wondering what he was thinking about.
“I was just thinking about what my dad would say about all
this,” Mikey admitted with a grin.
“He wouldn’t believe it?” Lauren asked.
Mikey laughed again.
“No, just the opposite. He’d believe everything. He always thought there was more out there than anyone was telling us about. I should have paid more attention when he talked about it instead of thinking he was a little crazy, like most dads,” Mikey admitted with a smile.
“He sounds like a good man,” Lauren said.
“He was the best,” Mikey agreed. “He never raised a hand to me and rarely ever yelled. He encouraged me to follow my dreams of being in the military.”
“And your mom?”
Mikey smiled broadly at Lauren’s question.
“She was . . . indomitable. Mom was tougher than my dad in a lot of ways. But she was unfailingly in my corner at all times, and there was never a time when I didn’t know that she loved me fiercely. Unless she thought I was in the wrong, then she’d be all over me to do the right thing even if it meant getting into trouble for it. Having the courage to do the right thing meant more to her than being a perfect kid. I was more afraid of disappointing her than of getting into trouble. I think she’d be pretty disappointed in the way I’ve handled things,” Mikey said with a heavy sigh.
“I doubt that,” Lauren said gently. “I think she’d be pretty proud of the courage you’ve shown through pretty extraordinary circumstances.”
Mikey really hoped that Lauren was right. He hated to think of his mom looking down on him and shaking her head at the things he’d said and done since he’d been freed from military interrogation.
“Thanks, I hope you’re right,” Mikey said as they made their way around the lake into a wooded area.
They walked in silence until a few minutes later the woods opened up and a beautiful home appeared in front of them. Built in the same style as the city they’d just left, Mikey had no doubt this house was built by the same people.
“Wow . . . this the king’s residence or something?”
Lauren laughed and motioned to the beautiful home.
“We’re not sure. And I don’t think anyone has thought to ask Indrid. Right now there’s a few people who are allowed to stay in what we call the summer homes, even though it’s perpetually spring-like here. They are usually given to mated couples that stay here, which doesn’t happen often. Everyone else usually bunks in the castle,” Lauren explained.
They lapsed into a comfortable silence again as they passed the other homes and headed back to the city on the other side of the lake. Things seemed to be going a lot better between them than it had for days, and Mikey realized he didn’t want it to end.
“I hate to ask . . . but Grai wants me to take a look at that footage from the forest the day his brother crashed. To be honest, I haven’t really figured out the whole comm thing. Could you help me get it set up so I can look at?” he asked, hoping she’d say yes.
Lauren looked away to hide her smile of pleasure. She knew he was looking for an excuse for them to spend more time together, and she was thrilled that he wanted to. She felt a rush of hope run through her.
“Of course I’ll help. It would mean a lot to all of us to get Koda back,” she replied, trying to keep her excitement under control so he wouldn’t feel it through her energy.
“What was going on in the forest that day? Shockingly enough, I still have no idea why I ended up with Koda’s craft on top of me,” he said with a teasing grin.
Lauren grimaced and gave him a weak smile.
“Actually, that’s a long story and not one of the shining moments of our people. We were kind of fighting each other when the military unit hunting us got wind of where we were,” Lauren said. When she saw Mikey’s startled look she rushed to explain.
“Fiorn was a little hesitant to work with Grai . . . at first. It was all a horrible misunderstanding that was thankfully corrected, and now we’re functioning a lot better as a people than we did before. I believe it was more like growing pains than an actual altercation,” she said.
“I haven’t met Fiorn yet, but I have met Grai, and I can’t imagine that there are many who could stand against him. Not for long anyway. He’s a really . . . imposing guy,” Mikey admitted without shame.
He didn’t think for one moment that he was the only male around here who felt the same way. It was hard not to notice the respect and immediate obedience to Grai’s orders. Mikey had been in the military long enough to know that men and women didn’t afford any leader that kind of respect unless they’d earned it.
He had no doubt Grai had done something—more than a few somethings—to earn it. The guy exuded power and leadership, and Mikey had to admit he’d be jealous if he didn’t know that kind of power and respect came a lot of responsibility.
Lauren laughed at Mikey’s assessment of Grai.
“He can be intimidating, but wait until you meet his son. The baby son anyway—Grai has two dozen adopted children. Little Tristan is an angel. He’s probably the most talented and amazing of all of us.”
Mikey saw the adoration shining in Lauren’s eyes when she spoke of the boy, and he was a little jealous until he realized how stupid it would be. She was speaking of a child, not a grown man, but the information did surprise him.
“Two dozen adopted children? His wife must be a saint,” Mikey said, wondering what holiday dinners were like at Grai’s house.
Do they even celebrate the holidays? he wondered.
“Trust me, she is. I was lucky enough to help deliver their daughter, Grace. They are an amazing family, and family means a lot to Grai. Koda being gone has left a terrible impact on him and Traze. Traze is the youngest brother. Anything you can do to help find Koda would be appreciated,” Lauren said, honestly hoping that Mikey could find something that would lead them to Koda.
Mikey chuckled.
“No pressure right?” he teased.
Lauren smiled at his teasing tone, glad that he seemed to be dealing with everything better than he had before. Although she wondered at the change in his attitude, she was glad to see it and loathed to ruin it by asking.
“No, no pressure. I’m sure Grai knows it’s a long shot, but he has to try,” Lauren explained.
“I know. To be honest, I really hope I can find something for him. He’s done a lot for me, and I’d like to repay him,” Mikey admitted, sending up a quick prayer that he could find something in the videos.
They had reached the path that led to the city and moved from the grass to the smooth stones.
“We’ll set you up in one of the conference rooms on the bottom floor of the castle that way there’s a lot of wall to project the vids on. While you start looking, I’ll grab us some breakfast and coffee. I’m starving,” Lauren offered, hoping he wouldn’t mind if she shared breakfast with him.
Mikey was having a hard time calming himself. He couldn’t be more thrilled that she was offering to spend more time with him.
“I’m starving, and some coffee would be worth more than gold to me right now. How about I help you get our breakfast, and then you can show me how to work the comm and set up the vids while we eat?” Mikey suggested, thinking it would give him even more time with her.
“That sounds like a good plan to me,” Lauren agreed, hiding her bright smile so he wouldn’t know how happy it made her. She didn’t want to push him away by seeming too eager.
They made their way into the kitchen, and Lauren grabbed a tray to carry everything on while Mikey took two plates and handed one to her. They picked their way through the food laid out, and Lauren filled a stone carafe with fresh coffee and put it on the tray.
They stood over the tray for a moment, wondering if they forgot something. When they nodded at each other, Mikey carried the tray and followed Lauren through the large hallways until she opened a door and led him inside.
He set the tray down on the huge table in the center of the room and looked around.
This place is just full of surprises, he thought as he looked a
round.
The stone table in the center of the room was at least 20 feet long and five wide and looked like it’d been carved from a single piece of dark granite.
“How the hell did they get it in here?” he wondered aloud as he looked underneath it at the solid granite legs the top rested on.
Lauren laughed as she pulled everything off of the tray and onto the table and poured them both a cup of coffee before sitting down at the side of the table.
“That is another one of those mysteries of this place that I’ll have to ask Indrid about sometime,” she admitted as she handed him a cup of coffee.
Mikey took the cup, his fingers lingering on hers as he grasped the stone mug. He finally pulled away and took a sip of the delicious brew. He’d never known coffee could taste as good as it did at Base Beta.
“This is so good. What do you do to the beans?” he asked as he downed the cup and poured more before sitting beside her at the table.
“Honestly,” Lauren said with a chuckle. “these are store bought beans. But I know what you mean about the taste. We have the same coffee at almost all of our bases, and it never tastes as good as it does here. We figured out that it’s not the coffee, it’s the water here that makes the difference,” Lauren admitted, glad she could answer one mystery for him.
“The water? You’re kidding.”
Lauren shook her head and took a sip of her own coffee.
“Nope, it’s the water. It’s the purest on the planet and full of ancient vitamins and minerals that your body had no idea it’s been missing until you drink it. We started sending it to our other bases years ago because of its purity and health benefits,” she explained.
Mikey looked at his cup of coffee, the questions running through his mind.
“Why is it only found here?” he finally asked.
“Companies. All those companies from the 60s to recently that have polluted the waters with chemicals and other nasty things,” Lauren said.
“Ah, you mean the same companies that the politicians received campaign donations from to keep the pollution quiet, and now they’re trying to make laws that require our taxes to pay for the cleanup?” he asked sarcastically.