by J. A. Giunta
“What do you think it is?” She gave up looking and took a seat in one of the plastic lawn chairs. “Aliens?”
Lee sat in the other chair. “I don’t know. The Pillars are alien. So, why not?”
“Yeah,” Jen said and glanced down at her phone before quickly putting it away, “but is it the same aliens or new ones? Whatever language was on the Pillars, they should have never used it to send messages into space. It’s like putting a big target on our backs. ‘Hey, we’re a backwater planet with lots of resources you can take!’”
Lee laughed. “Whoever left the Pillars didn’t try to take us over.”
It felt good to be with her again, even if it was only for a little bit. He’d have to get back to base before long to help with the transition to a new facility. What had happened at Cerberus was a wakeup call for those in charge. They’d finally agreed with Will’s plan for a new agency dedicated to Supers, but it also meant a lot of work to be done.
“Verdict’s still out on that one,” Jen said. “One thing’s for sure, all the changes the Pillars made, nothing good’s come of it. Well,” she added with a smile and glanced down toward the kitchen, where her mother was making dinner, “maybe one thing. But any scientist worth listening to will tell you contact with aliens won’t end well for us.”
“We were contacted,” Lee pointed out.
Jen shook her head. “They left a message here long before we were around. That’s not contact. It’s more like finding a note in a bottle. Sure, we can write a reply and throw the bottle back, but that doesn’t mean the same person will find it. Contact is face to face.”
“That,” she said and pointed up at the approaching energy cloud, “is contact.”
- Ember -
Ember sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the branches of the maple tree silhoueted by the moon outside the round attic window. Tara had chosen this room for the view of the tree and the sound the evening breeze made as it fluttered its tri-tipped leaves. She said it reminded her of them.
The three of them.
A sharp rap at the door startled her.
Ember wiped her eyes on the hem of her shirt. Crap! Her mascara was running. Again. “What?”
The door swung open a few inches and Seanna peeked in. “Hey.”
“Hey,” Ember said.
Seanna stood poised on the threshold. “How’s your mom?” Seanna’s voice was raw.
“Hell,” Ember gestured for her to enter. “How are any of us?”
“Aunt Gwen’s still critical?”
“Yeah, but she’s a stubborn old witch. Right?” Ember gave her cousin a weak smile.
“I still can’t...fire...it’s just—”
“Don’t.” Ember cut her off. “Just don’t.”
“Sorry.” Seanna crossed the room and sat beside her on the bed, shoulders slumping. “Your mom’s...reassigning me. Again.”
“I know.” Ember put a hand on Seanna’s arm. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. What happened to you. To Tara...” Seanna shook her head, unable to finish.
“Doesn’t mean I’m not sorry,” Ember told her.
“What’s it like?” Seanna asked.
“What?” Ember said. “Connecting with a magical conduit when all hell is trying to break loose?” She shivered. “You were there. It’s like sticking a fork in a wall socket while standing in a puddle of salt water when lightning strikes.”
“Not that. I meant after. What happened with you and Lee. One instant, we have a conduit. It was amazing, beyond anything we’d ever tapped into. Then, it was suddenly gone...like a switch was turned off.” Seanna shuddered.
Ember stood up, then sat back down again, struggling with the restless energy that washed over her in waves every time she recalled the Nexus chamber. “Honestly, before all of this other stuff happened—with the pillars and Supers and now that thing hovering in the sky—I would have called it weird. But now...” Her fingers strayed to the pendant at her throat, worrying at the heart-shaped apatite Tara had polished and strung for her on her twelfth birthday. “Whatever happened to Lee and me in the Nexus chamber, I don’t think it’s over.”
Seanna sat up. “What do you mean?”
Ember clutched at the pendant “I mean, it feels like the Rumbling has started again. Only this time it’s coming from inside us.”
Acknowledgements
Thank you so much to Melissa Clazie for all her time and effort in reading my work. Her students at La Sierra High School in California should consider themselves lucky.
--J.A. Giunta
A huge shout out to my amazing beta readers, Dawn VonEpp and Linda Johnson James. Thanks for catching my inconsistencies and pointing out my areas of opportunity and doing so in such a kind and generous manner! Any errors that slipped through are all on me.
--S.A. Skinner
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
SHARON SKINNER grew up in a small town in northern California where she spent her time reading books, making up plays and choreographing her own musicals (when she wasn’t busy climbing trees and playing baseball.) She’s been writing stories since the fourth grade, filling page after page with fantastical creatures, aliens, monsters and, of course, heroes.
She spent four years in the Navy, where she served aboard the first US ship to carry women to sea. She has also repaired laboratory and hospital equipment, worked as a warehouse production manager, telephone sales representative, professional trainer, visual information systems coordinator, grants professional and consultant. Somewhere along the way, she managed to obtain a B.A. in English and a Masters in Creative Writing from PRescott Collge.Her Young Adult and Middle-Grade novels tend to explore complex relationships, particularly those between mothers and daughters.
Still a voracious and eclectic reader, Sharon also loves drawing, arts and crafts, sewing, and costume-making (especially steampunk). Her guiltiest pleasure is online gaming, and her biggest weakness is home-made, double-dark chocolate fudge. She lives in Arizona with her husband and three annoying but lovable cats.
You can find her online at sharonskinner.com
JOE GIUNTA has been writing for most of his adult life, in between bouts of serious online gaming. He continues to write fantasy novels, in both adult and young adult genres, in his selfish need to create worlds that amuse him. That others enjoy the work is a happy coincidence but one that he fully appreciates.
With a Bachelor of Arts in English from the Arizona State University, he is both an avid reader and addicted gamer. He writes novels full-time and longs for the day when those efforts pay some bills—seriously, even just one bill would be nice. For those of you who purchased copies of any of his books, he is eternally in your debt. Note: this is not a legally binding contract.
He lives with his wife, Lori—who is not only a doctor of both internal medicine and psychiatry, she’s also an avid gamer! His daughter, Ada Rose, is fourteen at the time of this writing. She has yet to read a single one of his books, but at least she reads others. They all live happily ever after in the perpetual summer that is central Arizona (technically there is a winter, for about three weeks in January).
Joe attributes much of his success in life to good looks, incredible talent, luck, modesty, air conditioning, friends & family and his DVR—though not necessarily all in that order. Oh, and his computer.
He hopes you enjoyed this book immensely and will share it with a friend.
Visit him online at jagiunta.com
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