The return trip took no time at all. After helping his parents unpack the terraporter, Jaden indulged in a long, hot shower. He shared a light family dinner and then retired to his room, where he placed his palmcam on his desk, switched it on, and called up the holographic screen of his interface.
The fresh mountain air had sapped him of energy, and he longed to simply crawl into bed and sleep. But he needed to upload the palmcam footage first. Then he could send the proof to his friends, sleep easy, and attack his studies bright and early tomorrow. Yawning, he noticed the palmcam and interface were ready for orders.
“Upload to the interface,” he commanded. The flexlink effortlessly connected the two devices, automatically synced them to the correct starting position, and began downloading.
When Jaden registered what was on the screen, it interrupted his second yawn in as many minutes. He blinked. It can’t be! Nothing? The screen was black. Frowning, he picked up the palmcam and pressed the record button, checking for a potential error with the palmcam’s auto lens cover retraction. But the lens cover retracted without issue.
Jaden snarled. “Check connections.”
No problems there either. Stumped, he let the download continue, eyeing the empty screen with growing irritation. Then abruptly, there was the footage of the eagle. The recording ran smoothly for a few seconds, then reverted to the black rectangle. Finally comprehending the cause of the glitch, Jaden watched as the download continued, waiting to confirm his suspicions. Sure enough, the scenic vistas he had captured on their way down were there. Only the footage of the monster resulted in the blank screen.
His interface beeped, signaling the download was complete. Thoughtfully, Jaden flipped through the photos he had taken. Same result. All the images that should have shown the mutant appeared as black rectangles of nothingness. Growling, he leaned back in his chair.
While he couldn’t send anything to his friends, he had all the proof he needed that the thing was real. No way was it just a coincidence that the replay worked perfectly except for images of the creature. There was only one explanation. Whatever was cloaking the beast obviously also made it impervious to having its picture taken. Jaden smiled grimly. I’ll just have to find a way to penetrate that shield, now won’t I?
Chapter Seven
Thursday morning. At last! Summer vacation! Jaden smiled, stretching lazily. Sleeping in was the perfect way to start eight glorious weeks of freedom. Exams were over. The LC was closed. He could do as he pleased. His smile widened thinking of the idyllic summer days ahead, devoid of schedules and homework and filled with just going with whatever the day brought.
His stomach growled, signaling it was time to get up. As he sauntered across the hall to the bathroom, the unmistakable salty aroma of bacon wafted up to greet him. He drooled. Racing through his pre-breakfast routine, Jaden rushed into the kitchen, eager to confirm what he had smelled was on the table.
Embracing his mother enthusiastically, Jaden thanked her for the spread before attacking the feast. Food tastes so much better when you’re on vacation. He had nearly flattened the food on his plate before he looked up again and caught his mother grinning and shaking her head.
His fork stopped halfway to his mouth. “What?”
“It won’t vanish into thin air, you know! Try tasting what you eat before you swallow it whole. No, wait, I stand corrected,” she amended when she saw his plate was empty. “It did just vanish into thin air.”
“Yeah, yeah. Any chance of a second helping?”
His mother laughed and waved him toward the stove. Jaden noticed his mother’s joie de vivre. Apparently, he wasn’t the only one excited about summer vacation. That he’d aced his exams didn’t exactly hurt either. Even with the extra credits. His mom insisted their hike had made the difference. Jaden agreed, not telling her how right she was, though for (mostly) the wrong reason.
His reflections circled back to the mysterious creature, restlessness accompanying the change in thought. He had proven the creature’s authenticity and given himself the study time he’d needed, but so what if it existed? For what purpose? And what rationale could explain why only he could see it? Was that significant? He placed the last morsels of the sumptuous breakfast in his mouth. Suddenly aware of his one leg bouncing under the table, he reached a conclusion. There was only one solution to the endless questions: exercise. He rose to clear his plate.
“Thanks, Mom, that was an awesome breakfast!”
“You’re welcome. What are you planning to do today?”
“No plans. I thought I might go to Cowry Park and play some arrowball. It’s such a gorgeous day . . . and I need to work off all the food I just ate!”
His mom laughed again—a tinkling, musical sound that bubbled out, infusing its sweet joy into anyone who heard it. Jaden couldn’t resist laughing with her.
“Let me do the dishes before I leave,” he said, taking the dinner plates from her and stacking them in the dishwasher.
Their home was a little dated because they didn’t have a fancy auto-butler—something newer homes touted as a standard feature. The auto-butlers were great for menial tasks including clearing and cleaning dishes and returning them to their proper cupboards. When his dad offered to upgrade their kitchen, his mom had waved him off vehemently, insisting she preferred having her kitchen to herself and that the idea of a “bossy, automated droid” underfoot was abhorrent. His dad had shrugged, glanced resignedly at Jaden, and given up on asking again.
Jaden finished loading the dishes, then zipped upstairs to brush his teeth. Ducking back into his room, he grabbed his arrowball, towel, and water bottle before bouncing back downstairs.
Exiting their street door, the unmistakable sounds of early summer assailed him. Liberated students buzzed about on bouncy jetbikes, clicking lawnbots snipped perniciously at overgrown grass, grooming them to perfection, and rambunctious shrieks radiated from the excited children in a nearby swimming pool. The ten-minute walk to Cowry Park passed amiably amidst the boisterous hubbub.
Jaden spotted several potential playmates at the park. Like a swarming hive, the park literally crawled with people enjoying various activities. Renovated only two years ago, the park boasted an impressive array of modern equipment favored by energetic teens and toddlers.
Craggy structures dotted with multicolored handholds soared upward, tempting climbers of all abilities into tests of endurance with the assurance that, should they fall, the unseen force fields customized for this purpose would catch them. Adrenaline junkies favored the breathtaking slides which twisted and curled in wondrous shapes, their hover cushions defying gravity as they looped and swirled to give the rider a rollercoaster-like experience. Agility swings, dangling chainless between their charging posts, invited flexible individuals to activate their concealed safety harnesses and manipulate the swing’s movements with their limbs in the performance of artful, aerial acrobatics. Hover hoops hung limp in their last abandoned positions, silently begging passersby to re-engage their intelligence chips so they could once again rise to the challenge of outsmarting the hoop player. And the inevitable arrowball court, with its four enormous slingshots opposite their taunting targets, attracted those with competitive spirits and the willingness to sweat it out.
Jaden angled for the court, pleased when he noticed someone already there. The girl moved around the court like she knew what she was doing. Great, not an amateur I’ll have to coach. As he ambled closer, her curvy but athletic physique was hard to ignore. Seems like she keeps in shape too. That she was pretty didn’t hurt either. But man, she’s short!
“Mind if I join you?”
“Sure. I’d rather play you than the machine.” She grinned, showcasing a smile that had Jaden staring.
It took him a minute to recover. “I’m Jaden.”
“Kayla. Been playing long?”
“A few years. You?”
“About the same. It’s not my primary sport, but what’s not to love about a game you
can play by yourself when you have to?”
“Yeah, that’s what got me started, too. I haven’t seen you before. Are you new to the area?”
“Yup, transferred here a few weeks ago. Although, if you saw the inside of our house, you’d think it was only yesterday because we still have a gazillion boxes to unpack.”
Jaden watched, fascinated as the scowl chased away her smile and her lovely green eyes went stormy. He grinned. “So, you’re here to escape them?”
She laughed, apparently elated that he understood. “First to seventy?” she challenged, pointing at the targets.
“How long do you want to be away from home for?”
She giggled. “Let’s do first to seventy for the best of three games. That should be long enough.”
For reasons he couldn’t fathom, Jaden was delighted when her stormy eyes cleared and sparkled again.
They donned the game vests hanging next to the scoreboard, then programmed the vests and board for the parameters they had agreed upon. Taking their places alongside their targets on opposing sides of the square court, Jaden felt his tension ease.
The buzzer sounded. Kayla released the first ball, surprising Jaden when it hit him firmly on the vest. The scoreboard beeped, adding one to her score.
“Oh, so that’s how you want to play it?” He pulled the huge elasticized band of his own sling backwards and positioned his ball.
“Catch me if you can,” she shouted, dancing behind her target.
It didn’t take long for Jaden to realize she was a significantly better player than he had given her credit for. Nimble on her feet, she darted swiftly between ball and target, lowering his chances of scoring big. She was also dexterous enough to reload rapidly, shooting her ball into the air while he was still out of position with annoying regularity. He would have to up his game. Timing it carefully, he fired his next ball, pumped when it arced over her head and hit her target. The scoreboard went into a beeping frenzy as it added eight points to his score to signify the near-perfect hit.
“Ah, finally showing your true colors,” she yelled, retrieving her ball and reloading her sling. She bounced around, refining the angle, then let it fly.
Jaden leaped to catch the ball but missed as it whizzed by. He groaned when he heard the scoreboard frantically count off the ten points of a perfect bullseye. He had to admit; she was a worthy opponent.
They played frenetically for another fifteen minutes, both working up a sweat and breathing hard by the time Kayla scored the first seventy points. Actually, Jaden reflected as he loped off the court, it was seventy-two, but hey, a win only requires seventy. Off the court, he reached for his water bottle, noting that she was doing likewise. Greedily gulping long, satisfying mouthfuls, they smiled at each other.
“You’re a rather spectacular player,” Jaden said.
“You’re not too shabby yourself.” She grabbed her towel and wiped her sweaty face. “You gave me a run for my money.”
Jaden smiled. For such a tiny thing, she sure packed a punch. Or maybe she just seemed tiny because he was so tall. Because he was watching her, he couldn’t help but notice the peculiarly shaped birthmark on the underside of her arm as Kayla lifted her water bottle to her mouth again. About to ask her about it, he noticed her gaze cool. Probably best if he didn’t ask.
“Ready for more?”
Her question seemed innocent enough, but Jaden wasn’t sure if she had asked to pre-empt questions from him or because she wanted to play again. Either way, it wasn’t hard to miss the way she sagged with relief when he said, “Bring it on!”
The next hour passed enjoyably, both of them getting an excellent workout. The second game went to Jaden, forcing a third round where they battled fiercely, reaching a score of sixty-nine to sixty-seven in Kayla’s favor before Jaden delivered the fatal blow.
“Great game,” Kayla said as they walked off the court and aimed for a nearby bench.
“You too! I had my work cut out for me.”
They dropped onto the bench, weary and water-deprived. They sat quietly while catching their breath and hydrating their systems. After a few minutes, Kayla asked, “Which LC do you attend?”
“The local one, Daxsos,” Jaden replied. “Do you know where you’ll be next semester?”
“Same one, I think. No point attending Central. Although they claim to provide a superior education, I don’t think that’s true,” she said with a conspiratorial wink.
Jaden smirked. “Then we think alike.”
About to ask another question, a chill rippled over his flesh. Without consciously thinking about it, Jaden knew no breeze had picked up to cool the perspiration dampening his skin. There was only one unthinkable possibility. His eyes flipped skyward—and there it was. Right above the playground.
His mouth froze, half open, the question dying in his throat. The beast lurked far above, menacing and massive. Jaden was only dimly aware of Kayla watching him, then turning her own gaze upward to seek whatever held his attention. When she stiffened beside him and moaned softly, he whipped his head around and stared at her.
“You can see it too?” he asked, not daring to hope.
“Yup,” she whispered. “Unfortunately.”
“Really?” But the horror was undeniably scrawled all over her face.
“Yes, really. I wish I couldn’t, but I can. It’s atrocious! Jaden, what is it?” Kayla suddenly demanded, her eyes wild. They swung away from the beast and searched his face as though she might find the answer there.
“I don’t know. But I’m relieved I’m not the only one who can see it.”
“Thanks, that’s super helpful.” Her sarcasm dissipated. “I take it you’ve seen this thing before?”
“Yes, but not here, up on the mountain. And I was with a group of my friends, none of whom saw it.” He hurriedly explained his encounters with the creature, ending with what had happened to the images he’d tried capturing. “So I knew it was real, even though none of my friends saw it. You’ve also crossed paths with it before?”
“Yes, with a girl I run with. But, same as your friends, it wasn’t visible to her either. And I’ve spent the two weeks since then doing my best to forget I ever laid eyes on it.”
“Why do you think we can see it but no one else can?” They eyed the abomination circling overhead. While it was unmistakably making its presence known, it also wasn’t venturing any closer.
“Maybe it’s something we have in common. What’s your talent?” she asked, referring to his stream of study at the LC.
“I.T. Yours?”
“Linguistics. Hmm, only a marginal correlation there. Okay, let’s try something else. Have you lived anywhere else except here?”
“No, born and bred in Daxsos.” He returned his attention to her and found she had likewise averted her gaze.
“I guess that’s not it either! We’ve moved around more than I care to remember. In fact, I doubt we’ve ever lived more than a year anywhere.” She was silent for a moment. “We both play arrowball. Could that be the link?”
“No. The friends I was up in the mountains with also play, and as I told you, they were oblivious. What other interests do you have? Anything unusual?”
“Nope, nothing noteworthy.”
“Why do you think it’s haunting us?”
“I don’t know. But despite its armored outward appearance, it seems harmless enough.”
Jaden released a mirthless snort. “Sorry to shatter that illusion, but it’s far from harmless. It’s a vicious killer!” Bitterly, he detailed the attack on the eagle that he had omitted telling her about earlier.
Kayla blanched. “Okay,” she admitted shakily, “so it attacked an eagle. That doesn’t mean it will attack us. If it meant to, it would’ve done so already. So why hasn’t it?”
“I don’t know. I’m still stuck on figuring out why it’s harassing me—and you, obviously. That’s why I came out here today, to escape the endless questions. Kind of a moot point now.”
>
Kayla glumly agreed, and they cowered there for what seemed an eternity, too afraid to move while the ogre prolonged its intimidation from above. Then as before, without warning, it turned and sped away. They both sat a little straighter as the weight lifted when the beast withdrew.
Kayla flung her hand up. “What’s that all about? Does it always just take off like that?”
“Every time I’ve seen it. It’s like it receives some kind of signal and then just leaves. Totally freaky.”
“Do you think it’ll come back?”
“Your guess is as good as mine. It’s come back to me twice before, up in the mountains. I suggest we take our cue and head home. I feel safer indoors. It’s only ever bothered me outside. How about you?”
“I’ve only seen it once before, so I couldn’t say, except that I was also outdoors.”
They rose from the bench in silent, dejected agreement.
Kayla twiddled her fingers. “Why don’t you give me your PAL I.D., and I’ll buzz you if it bothers me again?”
“Thanks, but I’d rather not know it’s out and about.”
“You’ll abandon me to face it alone?” Kayla half-teased, a sliver of humor returning.
“Well, now that you put it that way . . .” Jaden pressed his CC and sent his PAL I.D. to her unit.
“Hah, now I can call you for a rematch.” Kayla scrolled through his information as it popped up on her virtual screen. “Hmm, Jaden Jameson. JJ—it has a nice ring to it. I think that’s what I’ll call you.”
Jaden finally laughed. “Don’t you dare!”
“What will happen if I do? Will you throw me into the lake I run around when I don’t suspect an attack? Or do you have some other Machiavellian plot to quench any future reference to JJ?”
“If I told you what the penalty was, where’s the fun in that? Far better that you live with your imagination. It’ll come up with something far more diabolical than I ever could.”
Kayla grinned. “Well then, I guess I’ll save the abbreviation for when I’m really mad at you.” As they gathered their belongings, she changed the subject. “Which way to your home?”
Dawn of Dreams (Destiny Book 1) Page 5