Colliding Skies

by Debbie Zaken

  Despite the nerves wringing my stomach, I struggled to keep my eyes open.

  Stay awake! Stay awake!

  The buzzing of my phone on the nightstand woke me up. I sat up with a startle, remembering who was calling and why.

  “Ethan,” I whispered into the phone.

  “Hello sleepyhead. Were you planning on standing me up?” His voice was soft velvet.

  “Where are you? Have you been waiting long?” I was wide awake now, the anxiety over sneaking out having vanished along with sleep.

  He chuckled. “I am down here. It is exactly five minutes to twelve and your parents are asleep.”

  I wandered to the window, pulled the curtain back and searched for him in the darkness. “Where? I can’t see you.”

  “Here.” Stepping from out of the dark shadows of the backyard, he walked closer to the window. “Now, would you care to join me for our date?”

  “Definitely. But I need a minute.” My eyes dropped to my pajamas.

  “Take your time. I am in no rush.”

  I tip toed to the bathroom Chase and I shared, washed my face, brushed my teeth and combed my bedhead hair, letting the dark tresses fall halfway down my back. Looking at myself in the mirror, I couldn’t help but wonder what exactly Ethan saw when he looked at me. Even if I had three hours to do my make up, I could never come close to those radiant Celeian female aliens.

  But Ethan is out there waiting for you, not for anyone else—terrestrial or extra.

  Back in my room, I changed into the red skinny jeans, striped black and white top, a denim jacket and flats I’d hidden underneath my bed. With my phone in hand, I went to the window. “Okay. How are we going to do this?”

  “Well, for starters, you need to open the window,” he replied, a trace of humor in his voice.

  I did, poked my head out, and stared down at him. His eyes in the dark shone like blue neon signs. “Now what?” I whispered into the phone.

  “Now comes the tricky part. I need you to climb out and stand on the ledge.”

  I recoiled from the thought.

  “Wouldn’t it be easier for you to lean the ladder against the windowsill? Then I could just climb down.” Easier and not to mention safer.

  When he cleared his throat, I could have sworn he stifled a laugh. “There is no need for a ladder. All you have to do is stand on the ledge, and I will take it from there. Besides, I do not think I would agree to you climbing down a ladder from this height. That hardly seems safe.”

  I looked over my shoulder to my closet, as if I’d thought to stow a ladder in there.

  “I’m not sure about this.”

  “Skye, you have nothing to worry about. I will get you down safely. But I need you to carefully climb out the window and place your feet on the ledge. I only need you to stand for a split second. Trust me. It is the safest way to do this.”

  I knew it was crazy, but he sounded so certain. Whether he was going to fly to my windowsill and scoop me up or shake the house until I fell into his arms… I had no clue. But he seemed to have a plan. Yet, my heart rattled in my chest as I stared at the ground. It had to be a good twelve feet down.

  “What if I fall?”

  “I will never let you fall. Do not be afraid, Skye. You can do this. Remember our hike yesterday? You climbed down a very steep hill without a problem.”

  My gaze caught his, and my breathing began to relax. Ethan would never let anything happen to me. Of that I was sure.

  I took a deep breath, as if filling my lungs with courage, and placed both hands firmly on the windowsill. I lifted my left leg until my foot met the narrow brick ledge.

  Don’t look down, don’t look down, don’t look down.

  But against my better judgment, my gaze dropped to the ground below. In that instant, something strange happened. I saw myself falling, somersaulting in the air the way I’d had in my nightmares of Ethan. And like a nightmare, I was in both places at once, spiraling down from a great height, the cold wind rushing past me. Ethan stood below, his lids closed, and an angelic smile on his face as I plunged to my death.

  “Skye, are you all right?” Ethan’s voice broke me out of my vision.

  I was back in my room, straddling the window: one leg out, one leg in. I pressed the phone tighter to my ear and tried to shake off the panic choking me.

  “Look at me, Skye… Do you trust me?” Although he was still a story below, his voice sounded as close as a breath.

  I glanced down again, this time meeting his gaze, my pulse steadying. “Yes,” I answered with full conviction.

  “Then climb over the window and stand on that ledge. I promise you, with everything I am, that I will get you down safe and sound.”

  Without another word, I lifted my other leg and climbed out. I stood there, in an awkward stance: my feet parallel to the ledge, my torso twisted in Ethan’s direction. A light night breeze hit my face and I smiled. Satisfaction flowed through me at having overcome my fear.

  But Ethan left me no time to revel. A soft pulsating energy tickled my skin. It spread through and around me until it enveloped me like a bubble. This was nothing like the unrelenting magnetic force that I’d felt before. This was a glowing radiance swathing me in complete safety. I closed my eyes, feeling light as a feather. When I opened them again, my feet hovered just above the ledge.

  I’m flying!

  I soared up and away from the window, the night breeze blowing my hair. I descended like a bubble to where Ethan stood. All the while he kept his gaze fixed on me, his neon eyes guiding my way. He smiled as my feet came to land on the grass, just like I’d dreamt so many times before. And for a second, I thought it might be one of the many dreams.

  I looked at Ethan and without even moving, I found myself in his arms. I had felt Ethan’s touch before, but nothing could have prepared me for the blazing currents that burned my skin as his arms wrapped around me.

  I SAT NEXT to Ethan in the passenger seat as my fluttering heart tried to recover from what it had just experienced.

  “Are you going to explain how you did that?”

  “What?” He, on the other hand, looked relaxed. A placid smile clung to his lips.

  “You know. The flying thing. Because right about now an explanation would be nice.”

  “Yes, you are probably right,” he mused, nodding his head. Yet, he remained silent.

  “Well?”

  “Can I ask you a question first?”

  “You want to ask me a question? You just whizzed me in the air like it was magic and you want to ask me a question?”

  He turned the full force of his mesmerizing gaze on me, gave me an impish smile and whispered, “It is just one little question, Skye.”

  A gust of minty breath engulfed me. The electric particles tickled my nose, rising to my head, and leaving me giddy.

  “Oh, all right,” I replied. “But then you need to answer mine.”

  “Fair enough.”

  “And I have a lot,” I warned.

  His grin widened. “Deal.” Then he hesitated, observing me with care. “Did you like it? Flying like that?”

  “Yes. It was incredible.”

  “But you were afraid.”

  The tension vibrating underneath the even tone of his voice made me understand how much he worried about my reaction. Everything that made him intrinsically different from me or any human on Earth— would I cringe in fear or be drawn to him like a moth to a flame? Sitting so close to him, with his energy filling my lungs, I knew the answer. But he had seen the fear that paralyzed me on that windowsill.

  “At first, yes, I was afraid of falling. But once I was on the ledge and in the air… it was incredible.”

  His face brightened, sweeping a sense of relief over me. I’d passed another test. Another alien-human difference that we could overcome.

  “Telekinesis,” he said. “That is what it is known here by.”

  “Telekinesis, of course. The power to move things with your mind.” I tapped
my finger on my bottom lip, everything suddenly making sense. “That’s what I felt all this time. At the party, in the coffee shop…” I tilted my head and glanced at him. “You tipped my cup of coffee, didn’t you?”

  He gave a slight nod.

  “Why?”

  An irresistible smile flitted across his face. “I had to get your attention somehow.”

  I raked my hair with my fingers, letting the dark tresses fall on my fiery cheeks. Like there was a chance in the world he could walk into a room without me noticing.

  “Don’t look so impressed,” he said. “It is not that unique.”

  “Right. Because everyone can lift people in the air and spill coffee cups with the power of their mind. Telekinesis, huh? How E.T. of you. And we didn’t even need a bicycle to fly.”

  He chuckled. “There are some cases of telekinesis among your kind. Granted, they are extremely rare and those who can do it can only move very small objects. But the ability can be developed over time. Like your ability to pull me into your dreams. Simply a case of mind over matter—literally.”

  “And the hallucinations at the State Dinner, were those part of the telekinesis?”

  “Yes. When I could not suppress the need to pull you completely, I deflected it away from your physical self and to your energy field. It seemed better than for you to actually fly halfway across a room full of unsuspecting party-goers.”

  “What about the fever? Was that part of it, too?”

  At this, a dark brow snapped up. “You got sick?”

  I shrugged. “Not really sick. I just had a high fever for a couple of days.”

  He rubbed his chin, like a doctor trying to diagnose his patient’s symptoms. “Residual heat from the energy when we got connected, maybe. I do not know, really. I have never seen this kind of thing happen before.”

  “Do all of you have telekinetic abilities?”

  “Many of us do. It is a skill we have acquired. But just like with anything, some are better at it than others.”

  “But yours is strong, isn’t it?” I held his gaze, knowing the answer even before asking.

  “Among the strongest.”

  “What about the hypnotizing? What Abigail did, can all of you do that?”

  “Some of us can—change the subjective experience of others by altering perception. Earthlings, in particular, seem to be perceptible to it. But very few can do it to the extent that Abigail can.” The features on his face tightened.

  “What about you?”

  He turned to me, a sheepish grin touching his lips. “My hypnotizing abilities are very limited.”

  Staring into his radiant blue eyes, I couldn’t disagree more. To me, everything about him was hypnotizing, even his voice.

  His voice. Of course! How didn’t I realize it before?

  My eyes narrowed. “You hypnotized me to sleep last night, didn’t you? That’s why I got so drowsy all of a sudden.”

  He shrugged. “You needed to rest, and you would not go to sleep.”

  “Ethan, how could you do that? I don’t know how things work on Celeia, but on Earth, we don’t just go around hypnotizing people to sleep.”

  A muscle in his jaw twitched. “I am sorry. I give you my word I will not do it again.”

  “You better not.” If he could do that then surely his hypnotizing ability wasn’t that limited, even if he couldn’t knock out entire city like his sister. Taylor’s warning whispered in the back of my mind.

  “Can you alter feelings? Make someone feel something they don’t?”

  A muscle in Ethan’s jaw twitched, a dark cloud crossing his face. He remained silent, his eyes focused on the road ahead.

  “Ethan, I’m—”

  He silenced me with his index finger, as his eyes remained fixed on the red light we’d stopped in front of.

  “No. These are valid questions. You need to ask them, and I need to give you answers.” He took a deep breath and turned to face me. “I can influence your mood, not your feelings. And it only works if you let me. Last night, you were overly tired. Your body wanted to rest, but your mind was too wound up. I just helped you reach a state of relaxation that you were willing to get to. Any effect is fleeting. I cannot manipulate your emotions or permanently change them.”

  The blue flames burned low in his eyes. “If you are asking me if I can hypnotize you into loving me or make you stop loving someone else, the answer is no. Your feelings are solely your own. Whatever they may be...”

  I rasped my lips together, regretting the accusation that had come out of my mouth. “I...I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to doubt you.”

  “Do not apologize. I should know better than to expect you to take everything at face value. You are far too smart for that.”

  But I didn’t feel smart. I was letting Taylor’s jealousy influence me.

  “It’s just a little overwhelming, all this extragalactic stuff. The telekinesis, auras, flying, the dreams…”

  “The dreams were you, Skye.” His gaze intensified.

  “I know. And when you explain it, it’s all okay. I just need some time to take it all in.”

  A rueful smile crossed his lips, the ambivalence from the day before resurfacing on his face. He rocked his head back and forth, deep in thought while his fingers tightened around the steering wheel. My heart flattened against my back.

  I swallowed. “Ethan, come on. It’s just complicated. Unprecedented, remember? But we can work it out. You said so yourself.”

  He sat as still as a statue, his eyes focused straight ahead. I couldn’t even tell if he was breathing. I reached out, making it clear I wanted to touch his face. I let my fingers hover just over his cheek without touching him. Jolts of electricity pulsed on my fingertips. When he didn’t move away, I glided my fingers across his cheek. The currents intensified.

  He closed his eyes while I traced his cheekbone, his jaw. Covering his hand with mine, he brought it to his lips, enfolding it in energy. He opened his eyes, and the blue and white lightning strikes rumbled loudly.

  “I do not think I could give you up even if I wanted to.” He let out a sigh as the light turned green and continued driving.

  “So where are we going?” I asked, happy to change the subject.

  “Turner Farm.”

  I gazed at him wide-eyed. “Really?”

  “You kept dreaming about us there. And it was where we met.”

  I grinned. “We’re finally going star-gazing for real?”

  How appropriate.

  He raised an eyebrow, a devilish smile curling his lips. “Oh, no. We are doing much more than just looking at the stars. Brace yourself, Skye. You are about to travel through the universe.”

  “Is this when I’m abducted by a bunch of green, big-headed, aliens? Taken to the mother ship for experimentation?”

  Ethan’s perfect features froze into a look of dread. “You are afraid.”

  “Ethan, I was kidding. That was called a joke.”

  Silence followed. He blinked a few times and his face broke into a sly smile. “Green, big-headed aliens? You know, stereotypes can be very hurtful.”

  Finally! Some humor.

  “Well then, allow me to apologize for any offensive comments I might have made. While I’m a big fan of the science fiction literary genre, I must admit I’ve been pretty influenced by cheesy, Hollywood movies.”

  “Hollywood?” He shook his head, feigning mock condemnation. “Aside from a rare few, Hollywood movies are the promulgators of demeaning and condemnatory images of non-Earth species.”

  I continued with the much-welcomed banter. “You’re right. The media is clearly biased. We should start some kind of human-alien coalition to speak out against the negative depiction of aliens in mass media. We can call it EEME—Earthling and Extraterrestrials for Media Equity.”

  His warm laughter melted away the remaining tension. “You really are a trailblazer for the Anti- Specist Movement. EEME? I like it.” His expression grew serious. “And if I we
re to abduct you?” His husky voice left me breathless.

  “You wouldn’t have to. I’d go willingly.” My words were a wisp of air.

  The park was as deserted as it had been the night of the full lunar eclipse. Still, Ethan didn’t take any chances. We left the car behind the thick shrubbery, hidden from view.

  Taking my hand, Ethan led me to the observatory tower. He clicked in a code on the touchscreen electronic lock and the door unlocked without a problem.

  I caught his gaze. “Why do I get the odd sense we’re breaking in?”

  He shrugged, and flashed me a careless smile. “I am sure the Analemma Astronomy Society would approve of us using their facilities if they had a chance to see what you are about to. But since we cannot risk people seeing us together now, we will just have to bend the rules a little.”

  Anticipation fluttered in my stomach. I bounced on my toes and gripped his hand. “Okay, I can’t wait any longer. I need to know how we’re going to travel through the universe.” I sprinted up the stairs, almost dragging him along with me. “Are we going through a wormhole? Another dimension? Is the tower like TARDIS?”

  Ethan’s smile broadened with each question I spit out. Yet, he remained silent. When we got to the top of the tower, he turned on the lights. In the center of the room stood the large Meade Newtonian reflecting telescope used by the Astronomy Society. He dropped his backpack on the floor and took the small remote control from the wall. Within seconds, the dome over our heads retracted and a canopy of stars appeared.

  I shot him a curious look. “Wait. We’re not using the telescope, are we?” Surely, that wasn’t what he meant by traveling through the universe. He had to have another trick up his sleeve.

  His laughter, followed by the mysterious smile on his lips confirmed my suspicion. “A telescope cannot show us what we are about to see.”