Colliding Skies

by Debbie Zaken

“Cedron, hundreds of people saw this girl and Ethan together tonight. There is an abundance of witnesses—people who can testify to them leaving together. Photos and videos of the two of them all over the Internet. All irrefutable evidence pointing to Ethan as the last person to be seen with her. If anything happens to her, if she goes missing, he will be the prime suspect.”

  “It is inconsequential,” Aaron interjected. “They cannot imprison Ethan even if they tried. It is all nonsense, Cedron. Just an attempt to derail the Magistrate’s decision. ”

  Naomi’s grave face went from Aaron to Cedron. “Make no mistake. Her father has close ties to people in the Administration. He will use every connection to implicate Ethan, and ultimately every one of us. The damage caused by that will be much worse than if we just let them be.”

  She turned to the aliens of the Magistrate, like a defense attorney presenting her case. “Even the slightest suspicion of wrongdoing on our part will be enough to cause uproar among the Earthlings. The expansion, the mission, will be lost completely.”

  The dead silence that followed caused a flare of hope to expand inside my chest. Abigail, who had sat like a stone the entire time stood up.

  “She is right, Father. I have been working closely with Jonathan Reilly. He is highly respected among those in power.”

  “But clearly, my child, if you are so close to him, you can utilize your talents to influence him. And as for the girl…” Cedron flashed a cold smile in my direction. . “They would never find her.”

  I thought of my dad, of his brilliant intellect. I didn’t want any of Abigail’s talents anywhere near him.

  Do they really think she can brainwash him into believing, what? That I ran away? Tripped on a loose power line and electrocuted myself to death?

  “It is not that easy, Father. Jonathan has always been apprehensive about us, even more so now with Ethan. He has never expressed it, but I can sense it. He is also of strong mind, not easily controlled. To convince him about something related to his daughter will be nearly impossible. He will not stop until he proves that Ethan is responsible, that we all are.

  No one spoke. No one moved while Cedron rubbed his chin, my life dangling by a thread on the tips of his fingers. Pain still thrashed my insides. Every nerve in my body blistered. But I didn’t dare utter a sound. I closed my eyes and listened to my heart thumping hard in my chest.

  “Release him,” Cedron commanded.

  My eyes snapped open.

  “What? Cedron, you cannot really—” Aaron must’ve been too shocked to remember he was speaking to his superior, but Cedron quickly reminded him.

  “I said release him at once!”

  Aaron hesitated for a split second. Then he signaled to Kaleb and Abel, who still held Ethan captive. For a second time that night, the green glowing handcuffs fell from Ethan’s wrists. He ran to me, dropped to his knees and cradled my face in his hands. His fingers trailed across my arm, barely touching it, but I winced in pain. I saw my charred skin in the shape of a handprint—Aaron’s handprint. The injury ran much deeper than Chase’s had been. The skin white and peeled back, leaving other layers exposed. Large blisters formed and my whole arm was red and swollen. The pain was unbearable.

  “Are you all right?”

  “Yes.” My voice came out weak and raspy.

  Ethan pressed his forehead to mine. “I am sorry, Skye. I am so sorry…” His voice edged with anguish.

  I couldn’t speak. My entire body throbbed with pain. Pressure descended on my chest. I squeezed my eyes, feeling like I was going to pass out. But I wanted to say the words that were bubbling up in my chest, threatening to burst out. They came out in a breath.

  “I love you, Ethan.”

  “Cedron, I must beg you to reconsider,” Aaron appealed to him again. “The turmoil these two will cause could destroy everything. More Emotients will riot in the streets. Governments will annul our treaty.”

  “We could easily dispose of her,” Kaleb added.

  “You are not to question me. You are to do as you are told. Naain has a point. This relationship could quite possibly work to our advantage.” Cedron shifted his gaze to Ethan and me, a vicious grin on his face. “Abaddon, remove all evidence of them,” he told Aaron. “No trace of it should remain on the Internet. But do not destroy it. Abhi, my daughter.” He turned to Abigail. “Do whatever you must to ensure the media knows nothing of this.”

  “Yes, Father.”

  “Cedron, please—”

  “Enough! I will not tolerate insubordination,” he yelled to Aaron.

  Kaleb’s blood-red eyes looked down at Ethan kneeling next to me. A spark flashed before me, and Kaleb became a blur, a lightning bolt shooting in Ethan’s direction. I bolted upright —no pain in my arm, no pressure on my chest—and pushed Ethan with a strength that knocked him over. An explosion rang and a bright arc of light filled my eyes. Fire, real fire rained from the sky, falling on me. The scorching heat spread. Smoke and the smell of burning skin filled my lungs. I was consumed by the flames.

  BLACKNESS SURROUNDED ME. I blinked, trying to remember where I was. A thickness coated my mind, almost like I was hung over. Pulling the covers over me, I got a whiff of a familiar breezy fragrance. I turned my head and breathed in the same Spring Morning scent. Mom’s favorite fabric softener confirmed my feeling. I was home, in bed. Yet, something was off. I felt it tugging at the back of my brain.

  “You are awake.”

  The soft, melodious voice was not one I had expected to hear in my room. I squinted, adjusting my eyes to the darkness. “Naomi?”

  “Yes.” Her statuesque silhouette approached me.

  “What are you doing here?”

  Naomi leaned over me, her normally brilliant amethyst eyes casting a soft glow in the blackness of my room. “How do you feel?”

  “I, uh…” I tilted my head to the side, the uneasy feeling that something was very wrong grew by the second. But my brain was too foggy. I tried sitting up and a sharp pain stabbed my ribs. “Ugh.” I winced.

  “Don’t try to get up yet.” Her palms hovered over me. Concern flickered in her eyes, triggering a memory. A powerful arc of light, like lightening, crashing down on me.

  I went to rub my forehead when my eyes caught sight of the white gauze wrapped around my left arm. We both stared down at my injured arm propped on a pillow. Bits and pieces of memories flashed in my mind. Prom. Four black Jeeps. Feline eyes in red, green, and yellow. I blinked hard. “What happened? Where’s Ethan?”

  “Let me examine you first.” Naomi’s lips pressed into a thin line as she scanned me from top to bottom. “Your heart beat is normal. You are still a little feverish, but that should go down soon.” She nodded her head in approval. “Now, I just have to check the wounds.”

  “Wounds?” I gazed at her through narrow eyes. But why else would she be in my room in the middle of the night? And where was Ethan? Dread squeezed my windpipe.

  “Just relax.” Her words trickled over me like water in a serenity fountain, easing some of the pressure on my chest. “Your parents are sound asleep. It would be quite unfortunate if they woke up and found you injured before I have a chance to fix you.”

  She eased the comforter down below my waist. I raised my head to look at myself and gasped. A yellow rubbery band, like a wet suit but thinner, covered my entire torso. Aside from that and my underwear, I was naked. My eyes jumped to her.

  “You have two broken ribs.” Her tone turned clinical, like that of a skillful physician. “The band will speed up the healing process.”

  “Broken ribs?” Nervous tears welled in my eyes while a sick ache coiled around my ribcage.

  “You don’t remember anything.” Her forehead wrinkled.

  “Vaguely…” I pressed my eyes shut. Lightning, the Magistrate, and memories of a burning pain flashed behind my lids.

  A frown curled her lips and her gaze dropped to the yellow band on my stomach. The band unraveled to reveal a second layer of white gauz
e and underneath that, the wounds on my very naked skin. Blisters the size of golf balls had formed on the raw, swollen skin of my stomach.

  A sob escaped my mouth. “What happened to me?”

  She took a deep breath and began to give the account, while her eyes examined my torso. I listened to her, the harrowing memories coming back through the haze of my mind.

  “It seemed to be over,” Naomi continued. “Cedron heeded my warning and let Ethan go. That is when Kaleb jumped to attack Ethan. You shoved him aside, and Kaleb landed on you instead. The impact fractured ribs four and five in your rib cage.” She pointed at the location of the broken ribs on my torso. “Ethan pulled him off of you within seconds. But the power he hit you with was so great, your clothes caught fire. He managed to put out the flames, but not before you went into cardiac arrest. Fortunately, I was able to shock your heart to contract rhythmically again before…” Her mouth tightened, and she trailed off.

  Before it was too late.

  No need for either of us to say the words. I glanced down at my bare feet. My bright colored fuchsia toes—the pedicure Emily had insisted on— peeked out from under the heavy comforter. I pulled it up and saw both of my lower legs covered in the same white gauze as my arm.

  “My legs too?” My voice trembled.

  Her jaw tautened. “Your dress went up in flames. You have third degree burns on your arms, second degree burns on your legs, parts of your stomach, your back.”

  I sucked in a breath and buried my face in my hands, the extent of my injuries hitting me. How close I’d come to dying. Despite all my wounds, I wasn’t really in pain. Those had to be some supercharged intergalactic pain killers she’d given me, because I was pretty sure getting hit by seventy five thousand volts of electricity and going up in flames hurt. Yet there was a rising pressure on my chest that wouldn’t go away until I knew. I lifted my gaze to Naomi. “Where’s Ethan? How long have I been here?”

  “Only a couple of hours.” Ignoring my first question, she cleared her throat, went to a large tote bag resting next to my laptop, and pulled something out. “The ribs should be fine in a few days. And this treatment should heal the burns completely by tomorrow.” Leaning over me, she showed me the thin, silver instrument in her hand that looked like one of those expensive silver pens. “Now take a deep breath and hold very still.”

  She brought the instrument close to my abdomen. It lit up in a glowing blue light, warming my skin as she waved it across my injuries. A few of the blisters shrunk right before my eyes, patches of red skin turned back to normal. She took a small piece of white cloth and placed it on my stomach. The gauze extended, until it become one with my skin.

  “Wow,” I whispered. This treatment made the ointment Ethan had brought Chase look like an ordinary tube of Neosporin.

  A small smile crossed her lips as she placed the yellow band back on my torso. The band tightened around me, it too meshing with my skin. Then she went to work on my legs. The burns there were deeper, leaving parts of my legs and calves charred black and layers of skin exposed. Naomi did the same treatment with the blue light, and the blackened skin turned into a sunburned, reddish color. She placed the gauze on both my legs, repeated the procedure on my back, and covered me again.

  “You are responding very well to the treatment.” Propping a pillow behind my back, she helped me sit up. “By tomorrow, you won’t even have a scar. The fractured ribs are little tricky. You’ll be sore for a few days. The band should help with the pain.”

  But it wasn’t my injuries that were causing the sick ache in my stomach. I swallowed hard. “Naomi, please tell me where Ethan is.”

  Her delicate jaw clenched. She grabbed the chair from my desk and pulled it next to my bed. Taking a seat, she met my gaze. “He was here. He stayed with you until he was sure you would be all right.”

  A sharp ache pierced my chest. A pain I knew wasn’t from the tear in my ribcage. “Whe—where is he now?” The tears burning my throat made my voice tremble.

  She pressed her hands on the edge of the white pleather seat, and let out a deep sigh. “I don’t know where he is.”

  I stared at her, my mouth open but unable to form any words. Ethan couldn’t have just left me. “He’s gone? No. He promised he wouldn’t disappear without telling me.”

  “I’m sorry, Skye.”

  This time her soothing tone fell on deaf ears. My head rocked back and forth on the pillow, the hot tears running down my cheeks pooling around my neck. Was he even on Earth or halfway back to Celeia?

  “He did not want to break his promise to you.” Her eyes brimmed with sorrow.

  “Did he go back to Celeia?” Each word severed crevices in my heart.

  “No. He deserted. He is here. Somewhere.” She pressed her hands together and brought them to her lips in an almost pleading gesture. “You must understand. Ethan left because he suspects Cedron is planning something. Cedron had him defeated, yet he spared you both. Regardless of what I told him about your father, once Ethan agreed to give you up there was no reason for him to do that.”

  “Because you convinced him that our relationship—”

  She shook her head, a shadow darkening her face. “No. Because he thought he could use you as propaganda. A way to win over public opinion.” Her shoulders tensed in her seat. “Ethan is right. Cedron did not send us here for mere diplomacy. He used us, and there can only be one reason why.”

  The memory of Taylor’s stolen Intelligence documents wafted through my mind. The warning he spoke in the school cafeteria weeks ago ambushed me.

  Infiltrate quietly. Befriend the enemy. Gain trust to attack in surprise.

  Terror prickled my bare arms and shoulders and I clutched the covers tight around me. “There never was a diplomatic mission. The declaration of peace, the Intergalactic International Accord… it was all a bunch of lies. Those other Celeian ships coming…” I covered my mouth with my hands, wiping the tears with my fingertips. “It really is an invasion.”

  She nodded, apprehension seeping into every contour of her face. “I am afraid so.”

  An icy quake ran through my entire body. “Did you know? Did Ethan?”

  She held my gaze, the fear in her eyes as abysmal as my own. “No. I do not think anyone knew until tonight. Not even the Magistrate. But I suspect Abigail knew, she might have been a part of it all along. She is the only one Cedron trusts. He appointed her head of the delegation to implement his plan. Ethan went underground to find a way to stop him.”

  I slapped my palms over my mouth, the relief of knowing Ethan hadn’t lied short-lived. “He’s going to fight his father.” His own kin for my world. Panic compressed my chest so tight I was afraid my lungs would explode. “I need to talk to him. I have to know he’s okay.” My eyes jerked to the cell phone on my nightstand.

  Naomi shook her head. “It won’t work. He has gone completely off grid.”

  Ignoring her and the slight strain in my torso, I reached over, grabbed the phone and called Ethan’s number. A loud busy signal droned in my ear. I hit call again and again, only to get the same annoying tone. I tried texting, but the message kept bouncing back. Naomi waited, observing me. After a few minutes, I threw the phone on the bed, and wiped the tears blurring my vision in anger.

  “Does Cedron know he deserted? What about Abigail and the Magistrate?”

  “No. They think he is still here with you. But it will only be a matter of hours before they discover what Ethan has done.” Her frown deepened, forming lines in the corner of her eyes. “Once they do, Cedron will make them search every inch of this planet until they find him. He has always wanted Ethan to rule with him. Ethan’s telekinetic talents are as useful to him as Abigail’s hyper-hypnotic abilities. With Abigail and Ethan on his side, Cedron would have the perfect weapon against Earthlings—control over their minds and bodies.”

  A spasm of terror shook my entire being. I crossed my arms over my chest to stop my trembling. “We have to help him. We have to stop Ce
dron.” My head snapped up, my eyes growing big. “What if we tell my dad? He can help us warn the President. He’ll listen to him.”

  Naomi buried her face in her hands, rocking her head back and forth. “No. We do not know who we can trust yet. I suspect Abigail has President Soto and some of the other members of the Administration under her control. One wrong move and Cedron’s hit men will go after your father. He would have killed you tonight had he not thought you could be of use to him.” She leaned closer, her gaze intensifying. “And if he cannot find Ethan, he will eventually come after you to get to him.”

  I took deep breaths, trying to get oxygen into my contracting lungs. “Not just me. Cedron knows Ethan loves me. He’ll use me and everyone I love to draw him out.” Mom, Dad, Chase, Emily, Ethan…all the people I loved in danger. My entire being shook. “We need to do something. We can’t let Ethan fight alone. What if they get to him first? This is my family we’re talking about.” If Cedron won, I would lose everyone I loved.

  Her back stiffened. “I hope he will not be alone for long. Once Cedron’s plan is common knowledge, those of us who truly believed we were coming to your planet to help you will not follow him. But we must identify our allies first. Only then do we have a fighting chance to defeat him.”

  I jutted my chin up in her direction, grinding my teeth so hard, I thought they might shatter. “And what do we do in the meantime? Just sit here and wait? Don’t you see? Without Ethan here, my family is a walking target. I don’t care what Cedron can do to me. But I won’t let him hurt them.”

  She leaned forward, meeting my gaze. Every beautiful feature on her face set in determination. “I gave Ethan my word that I would do everything I could to protect you. I make the same promise to you that I will protect your family. For your safety and theirs, we must wait. We have no choice, if we are to succeed. Do I have your word?”

  An ache compressed my chest hard. This was worse than cardiac arrest. This was my heart about to implode. The lives of everyone I loved, the fate of the entire planet, and my heart teetering on the edge of a cataclysmic collision between Ethan and his father. I rubbed my forehead, took a deep breath, and nodded. “Yes.”