“I’ve never shot anyone.” Gunner’s hand starts to shake. He tosses the gun to the ground and kicks it out of sight.
“You saved my life.” When JoJo places a kiss on Gunner’s cheek, it seems to relieve some of the tension from his body.
“We really do need to get out of here,” Falcon says. “Now!”
Chapter Ten
“You can’t bring that in here.” A young man points to the gun that JoJo is still clutching in her hand. She hasn’t let it go in the last four hours that we’ve been hiking.
“What do you want me to do with it?” she asks.
The young man takes the gun from her. I have no idea how he does it, but he somehow manages to bend the barrel of the gun with his bare hands. He does it so effortlessly, like he’s bending a wire clothes hanger. Then he tosses the useless weapon into a trash can next to him.
The four of us are standing at the entrance to the base camp. It’s heavily guarded by eight men who all look like younger versions of Nico. Muscular guys with dark hair and dark eyes. Dressed in all black. Not one of them has even cracked a smile.
It’s a little intimidating.
“You can come in.” The young man, who seems to be in charge, points to me.
“What about my friends?”
He gestures toward Falcon. “Not him.”
I cross my arms in front of me and dig in my heels. “I’m not going anywhere without him.”
The young man looks at me for several moments. When he decides I’m serious, he turns and disappears down a long, dark hallway that the other men are blocking.
“You should go in,” Falcon whispers to me. “Don’t make any sacrifices for me.”
“You sacrificed everything for me,” I whisper back.
“I made a promise not to let anything happen to you. I kept that promise. You’ll be safe here.”
When he makes a motion to leave, I grab his arm. “If you go, I’m going with you.”
He shakes his head. “You can’t do that.”
“You can’t stop me.”
His eyes fill with anger. “I’m supposed to stop you. That’s what I’ve been trained to do. But I don’t want to. I’m not supposed to want anything. So why do I want you?”
“I want you too.” When I place my hand on his cheek, his stony expression begins to soften.
“Okay,” the young man tells us when he returns. “You can all come in.”
The group of men parts like drapes as they make space for us to walk through.
We follow the young man in charge down the long corridor until we reach a huge steel portal that’s sealed and locked. He stands in front of a small screen about the size of a notebook. When the screen flashes, I can sense his thoughts. Unlock and open.
The sound of a lock releasing. When the portal door opens, we follow the young man inside.
I’m not sure what I was expecting from a base camp. Maybe a slightly larger version of the post.
This is an underground city.
There’s a main, tree-lined street that houses several shops: a general store, a library, a physician’s office, and bakeshop. There’s a town square with a pavilion and benches around a small pond with a lovely cascade waterfall. There are even fish swimming around inside the pond.
There’s a backdrop that gives the illusion that the entire place is in the beautiful outdoors. But not the arid desert. It looks more like an outdoor town on the East Coast, with deciduous trees and rolling hills in the horizon. There’s also some kind of artificial light source that gives the appearance of sunlight.
“Are my parents anywhere around here?” I ask the young man who brought us inside.
He ignores my question. “Wait here,” he says instead. Then he takes off in the direction opposite the way we came in.
“This place is ridiculous,” JoJo says as she looks around.
“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” I ask.
She laughs. “It’s the bomb.”
“That doesn’t make it sound much better.”
“It’s, like, totally amazing,” she says in a fake Valley girl voice. “Is that better?”
The place is pretty spectacular. It’s easy to forget that we’re still underground.
“Is anybody else hungry?” Gunner points to a bakeshop.
“We don’t have any money,” I remind him.
He removes a crumpled five-dollar bill from his sneaker. “Speak for yourself.”
“Let’s just wait here,” Falcon suggests. “Until we get a better idea of exactly what’s going on.”
“Don’t you have any snacks left in your backpack?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “They’re history.”
When the young man comes back, he instructs us to follow him.
“What for?” Gunner asks.
The young man frowns as if he can’t figure out why Gunner is questioning his directive.
“Where are you taking us?” JoJo asks.
“To your rooms,” the young man says as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.
JoJo raises an eyebrow. “We have rooms?”
“Follow me.” The young man takes off.
The four of us look at each other, obviously wondering the same thing: Should we go with him?
The young man stops when he realizes that we’re not right behind him. He turns to face us. Come with me. This time, the command isn’t verbal. He’s giving us telepathic instructions.
When I glance at Falcon, he gives me a quick nod. We both head toward the young man. Gunner and JoJo follow.
He leads us down a well-lighted and beautifully decorated corridor. The walls are painted with lovely murals of nature scenes. Mountainscapes, ocean views, fantastic waterfalls, and fields of beautiful sunflowers in bloom.
When the young man stops at the end of the corridor, he says, “Your rooms are here.”
It’s not immediately obvious where the doors to our rooms are located. The mural directly in front of us is a charming forest setting.
The young man places his hand over one of the leaves hanging from a tree in the mural. This causes the mural to rise like a garage door, revealing a small apartment inside.
“All four of us are staying in here?” JoJo asks.
The young man stares at her as if the answer to her question is so obvious it’s not worth answering.
The four of us enter the apartment, but the young man doesn’t follow us inside. He closes the door behind him instead.
“Does anyone know how we get that insane door to open again?” JoJo asks. “Or am I stuck inside this joint with the three of you for eternity?”
The room we’re standing in is a living and dining area. It’s an open space and fully furnished with simple, modern-looking décor.
There are two doors on either side of the living and dining area, which I assume are our bedrooms.
“How would you like to assign the rooms?” I ask. “Girls on one side, guys on the other?”
When JoJo grabs Gunner’s hand, the expression on his face is priceless. He looks like someone who has just realized he’s holding a winning lottery ticket.
“We’ll take the bedrooms on that side.” JoJo points to the two bedrooms on the right side of the living and dining area.
Before Falcon and I have a chance to respond, she pulls Gunner toward their rooms.
“I guess those are our rooms.” I point to the bedrooms on the opposite side of the living and dining area.
“Should we check them out?” he asks.
I nod.
He glances down at my hand and stares at it for several moments. Like it’s an odd creature that he’s never seen before.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
He gulps. “I’ve never held anyone’s hand.”
I slowly move my index finger toward his. Then I carefully touch his finger.
His entire body stiffens in response.
“It’s okay,” I whisper. “You can hold my hand. If you want
to . . .”
“I want to. I’m just . . .”
“Just what?”
“I’m afraid of hurting you.”
I move my hand closer to his until our palms are just barely touching. Then I gently close the space between them until we’re holding hands.
“See? You’re not hurting me.”
He’s the one who looks pained. I wonder if holding his hand is hurting him somehow.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
He nods, but it’s not convincing.
“Are you sure?”
He shakes his head.
When I try to pull my hand away, he tightens his grip. “Don’t . . . leave.”
“I’m not going anywhere. It’s just . . . you look a little stressed with the whole hand-holding thing.”
“I’m feeling things I’ve never felt before.”
I smile. “Me too.”
He looks deep into my eyes. He’s dead serious. “No. You don’t understand. I’ve never felt anything before I met you. I never had any feelings about anything at all.”
When the meaning behind his words sinks in, I shudder. Falcon never felt anything. Ever. They turned him into an empty shell. Erased his humanity. But for some reason, a small spark was still there, buried deep inside of him. It wasn’t completely extinguished. Meeting me seems to have reignited the flame.
“Do you like what you’re feeling? When you’re holding my hand?” I hold my breath as I wait for his response.
“It’s overwhelming. It’s like living your entire life inside of a cave, then discovering there’s a big, beautiful world outside that you never knew existed.”
The sound of laughter echoes from one of the rooms across from us. JoJo and Gunner must be having fun.
“Let’s check out our rooms,” I suggest.
The first room has the standard combo of bed, nightstand, and dresser that’s typical of most bedrooms. What’s not typical, however, is that the walls are covered with a huge seascape mural that makes it feel like we’re in a hotel with an oceanfront view.
The two bedrooms share one bathroom. So we slip through the bathroom and into the second bedroom.
This one has a similar setup, but the mural is a breathtaking view of snowcapped mountains.
“I’ve never seen real snow,” Falcon says, staring at the mural.
“Neither have I.”
He turns to face me. “Would you like to?”
I nod. “Someday.”
It hits me that it’s because of Nico that I even have the chance to have a someday. He sacrificed his life so that I could live mine.
I remove the stone he gave me from my pocket and rub the smooth exterior.
“Do you miss him?” Falcon asks.
“It’s strange because I didn’t really get the chance to know him. Yet I still felt like we had a connection. Something that was greater than ourselves. Does that make sense?”
He nods. “You and I have a deep connection even though we haven’t known each other that long.”
“Nico was more like a father figure. The connection you and I have is a little different.”
He stares at me with an odd expression, like he’s trying to solve a puzzle. If I was a puzzle, I would probably take millennia to solve.
“My orders were to capture you and bring you back to the base. I never disobeyed an order before I met you. But I knew I couldn’t do it. I didn’t want to do it. The only thing I wanted was to be with you. To keep you safe. To protect you.”
“Those were the only things you wanted?” I raise an eyebrow.
“There is something else.” He gazes into my eyes. “I’d like to kiss you.”
“I’d like that too.”
He hesitates for a moment. Then it happens. He leans down and places a soft kiss on my lips.
My entire body heats in response. And my lips feel tingly. Would it be a terrible cliché if I said that his kiss felt magical?
A knock on the bedroom door breaks the spell.
When Falcon opens the door, Gunner and JoJo are standing there with huge grins on their faces. Even the cat that ate the canary never had a grin as wide as theirs.
Standing behind them is the young man who brought us to our rooms.
“We’re being summoned,” Gunner says.
“That sounds ominous,” I reply.
“We’d better go.” He gestures with his thumb toward the annoyed-looking young man waiting behind him. “Dude’s not very patient.”
“Where are we going?” I ask the young man.
“Just follow me,” is his reply.
Chapter Eleven
The chamber we’ve been brought to is quite large. The walls of this room are covered by a mural of the giant Redwoods in northern California, making it feel as though we’re standing in the middle of the woods.
The young man left the four of us here. He told us to wait but neglected to tell us who or what we’re waiting for.
Gunner and JoJo are holding hands. They look extremely cozy. I realize it’s something I’m going to have to get used to, but it doesn’t make it any easier. I want to be happy for my best friend. He’s obviously found someone he likes a lot. But I still have the nagging feeling that our friendship is never going to be the same again.
I’m too antsy to take a seat on one of the overstuffed couches. Falcon, Gunner, and JoJo seem to be just as anxious as I am. None of us has said a word. We’re all lost in our own thoughts.
There aren’t any clocks on the walls, so it’s difficult to tell how long we’ve been waiting, but it feels like a long time.
Finally, a middle-aged woman enters the chamber from a door on the opposite wall from where we entered. Her raven-colored hair is cut in a blunt bob, and she’s dressed in all black.
“He’ll see you now.” Her tone is curt, and her words are clipped and sharp.
“Who?” I blurt.
Her coal-black eyes narrow, and she gives me an odd look. Like she can’t believe I’ve asked her a question. “Follow me.”
The four of us follow her through the doorway into an ultramodern office. This is one of the first rooms we’ve been in without giant murals. These walls are instead covered with huge quartz crystals.
When the man seated behind the metal desk turns to face us, I gasp. It’s the man I saw in my remote-viewing session. The one who blocked me. The one who looked like Nico but with deep scars on his face.
The man I suspect is my father.
He nods to the woman who brought us into his office, and she disappears through another doorway.
“Sit down,” the man behind the desk tells us.
We each take a seat in one of the four chairs that are lined up directly opposite from him.
“You’re wondering why you’re here.” It’s a statement, not a question.
We all nod in response anyway.
“Humanity is at a crossroads. Human beings will either experience an enormous transformation, or you will become extinct like so many other species before you. Enlightenment is not an option. It is the key to your survival. The four of you are instrumental to that transformation.”
That’s deep. And overwhelming. I’m not sure if we’re supposed to ask questions, but I do anyway. “What’s your role in this transformation?”
“Some like to refer to us as guardians. Other call us guides. Our purpose is not to interfere with the free will of human beings but to help you help yourselves.”
I glance at Gunner, JoJo, and Falcon. They’ve all got stunned expressions on their faces. It is a lot to take in.
I decide to ask the question that’s been weighing on my mind. “Are you my father?”
When he nods, I’m overwhelmed with emotion. I’m not sure what to say or do next. I’ve been waiting for this moment my entire life. I’ve finally gotten the answer to one of the questions that have been burning inside of me for so long.
But now I have even more questions.
What are you supposed to do when yo
u finally find the father you’ve never known? The one who left you as a child? Are you supposed to give him a big hug? Or give him the finger?
Neither option feels right. So instead I ask, “Why did you leave me with my aunts?”
“It was important for you to have a normal life. To be raised among humans.”
“Did you ever think about me? Did you wonder if I was okay? Why didn’t you ever try to contact me?”
“Any contact would have placed you in danger. We couldn’t risk that. You are too important to the Resistance.”
When I look into his eyes, I can see important events from my life flash by. My first day of kindergarten, when my aunts made me wear a horrible pink-flowered sundress to school. My eighth-grade graduation. Gunner and I whispering jokes to each other while the vice principal gave the most boring speech ever. The day Gunner and his dad taught me how to ride my Vespa.
I can see my entire life in my father’s eyes. I didn’t know it, but he was watching everything from afar. I can only imagine how difficult it must have been for him to be able to see me, to view my experiences, and not have any contact with me.
But Nico did. Why?
Before I have a chance to verbally ask the question, my father says, “Because it was time.”
“Was Nico your brother?” I ask.
“Not in the same way that human beings have siblings, but you would consider him my brother.”
“I’m sorry about what happened to him.”
He doesn’t express any emotion. He just stares at me for several moments. Then he says, “Nico fulfilled his destiny. Every choice we make is a learning opportunity. Every sacrifice made for another being also serves as a lesson.”
My father, and the beings like him, don’t appear to have the emotional range that humans do. While our actions tend to be influenced by our emotions, theirs seem to be born of deeper insights and awareness.
“Now is the time to fulfill your destiny,” he says. “Are you ready for it?”
How would I know if I’m ready? I don’t feel prepared for any of this. My goal was to find my parents. Not be the leader in a movement to shift the consciousness of humanity.
“What about my mother?” I ask.
“You already know the answer to that question. You need to learn to trust yourself.”
Alien Hunter Page 16