Fire in the Woods

by Jennifer M. Eaton

  The general’s gaze darted back to David and my pulse quickened. His eyes narrowed. “Fine. If he doesn’t call by eleven, though, I’ll make sure he’s contacted. Silence or no silence.”

  Oh. Crap.

  On second thought…staying at Maggie’s: bad idea. Very, very bad idea.

  General Baker’s ruddy appearance darkened as he continued to eat. His plate cleaned, he stood and walked into the kitchen.

  Maggie crumpled her napkin as she watched him leave. She scooted her chair back and followed him.

  The room’s silence intensified the clanging of silverware on the china plates. David’s gaze panned to the front door. I placed my hand on his knee, hoping to settle him. We couldn’t leave now. It’d look even more suspicious.

  Maggie returned, and cleared her father’s plate. “Jess, can you help clear the table?” She motioned to the kitchen door.

  “Sure.”

  David stood, and stacked his own dishes.

  “Sit, David,” Bobby said. “Let the girls clean up. It will give us time to talk.”

  David’s nose twitched, and I tapped his shoulder. “It’s that good-old Martinez family upbringing. Everyone chips in, right David?”

  He raised an eyebrow. I nodded my head.

  “Yes,” he said, mimicking my nod. “Everyone helps.”

  Bobby’s jaw dropped, and Maggie snorted a laugh. Their father pushed open the kitchen door and stood in the dining room with folded arms. His jaw set, his gaze on David as we passed.

  Yikes. He had that I’m gonna snap this boy in two look on his face. I’d seen that expression on Dad way too many times. It never turned out good. Well, not for me, anyway. Had the general figured us out? Talked to my dad while he was in the kitchen?

  “Come on, guys,” Maggie said, leading David and I through the door and away from the immediate danger.

  Her mother followed behind. “I’ll take that, David.” She took his plates and settled them into the sink. “And thank you for being such a nice gentleman. The rest of them could learn from your good manners.”

  David bit the inside of his lip. His focus shot toward the back door.

  “It’s okay, guys,” Maggie said. “I told my dad the truth. He knows about David.”

  Lightening shot through my gut, sending my heartbeat into overdrive. David backed toward the door.

  “What about David?” Mrs. Baker asked, scrubbing a pot in the sink.

  “That he’s not Jess’s cousin. He’s her boyfriend.”

  David furrowed his brow. My panic deepened. Having an unknown boyfriend would probably rank worse than harboring an alien in Dad’s rule book.

  Mrs. Baker placed her hands on her hips. “That explains some things.” She placed a stack of plates in the sink. “So, Major Martinez is out, and you were going to spend the night with Jess, is that it?”

  David’s lips formed a few unspoken words. He looked to me, but I was just as stunned as he was.

  “Umm—yes?” he said.

  Mrs. Baker shook her head. “I suppose it’s none of my business, but I hope you two are using protection.”

  David straightened. “Protection from what?”

  Her brow furrowed, and she turned to me. “Jess, I’m sorry, but I will have to mention this to your father.”

  Great. Thanks, Maggs. “We weren’t going to do anything. David was just going to keep me company until my grandmother gets here tomorrow.”

  She folded her arms. “He was just going to keep you company?”

  David’s brow popped up. “What did you think we were going to do?”

  Mrs. Baker huffed out a laugh. “My goodness, that surprised look is so genuine I almost believe you.” She dried her hands with the towel. “Tell you what, Jess. I won’t say anything to Tom, but I want you to tell him. If he’s comfortable with David, that’s good enough for me.”

  Relief swept over my body. Temporary respite. “Thanks, Mrs. B.”

  ***

  “Yeah, we had dinner. Everything is fine, Dad.” I clutched my cell phone to my ear, wishing the general wasn’t within hearing range of our conversation.

  “All right,” Dad said. “I’m glad you’re not alone. Everything okay with Bobby?”

  I glanced toward Maggie’s father, wishing he wasn’t staring me down like a bug he wanted to squash.

  “Boyfriends are not an issue. I’ll be sleeping in Maggie’s room.” Smooth, Jess. Placate two dads in two sentences. Go team me!

  “Okay, well, get some sleep. Call me in the morning before you and Grandma get on the plane.”

  “You got it. Bye, Dad.” I touched the ‘end’ button and slid my cell into my pocket.

  Mrs. Baker handed David a blanket, and General Baker threw a pillow on the couch. He walked out with a stay down here and don’t go near my daughter look on his face. Do they teach that in dad school or something?

  For now I just hoped he didn’t call my dad back. My best chance actually lay in the hands of what I hated most about my father’s job—not being able to talk to him on the phone.

  I flashed David a smile and followed Maggie up to her room.

  “I have an ef-ing alien sleeping on my couch,” Maggie said, jumping on her bed. “This is so cool.”

  I shivered as I laid my blanket out over the floor. Personally, I wasn’t all that cool with it. Had they searched my house already? Was David really safe down there all by himself? What if he got cold? I hugged my pillow. So much had happened, and so fast. I couldn’t keep track of it all.

  David.

  His face appeared every time I closed my eyes. His quirky grin, his long lashes, the shape of his shoulders. But none of that was really even him. It was a façade, a costume—but did it really matter?

  My hands trembled. Downstairs sleeping on the couch was the epitome of my dreams come true. David had molded himself into exactly what I wanted physically, but it wasn’t about how he looked anymore.

  He listened. He understood. He didn’t judge. I’d never felt so right as I did when he stood beside me. He made everything perfect…or did he? How many of those feelings were real, and how many had he inserted into my brain?

  I hugged myself and held my breath. My heart raced at the mere thought of him. My chest heaved and twisted, strangling me with an ache I couldn’t swallow away.

  David.

  I dabbed a tear from the corner of my eye. The second dampened my pillow. He was from another planet, for goodness sake. What was I going to do?

  I closed my eyes, begging sleep to take me away for a few hours. A snore rattled the room from the bed above me. A cricket chirped somewhere in the house. The refrigerator in the kitchen below us hummed through the floorboards. Yeah, that wasn’t going to drive me nuts. Maggie rolled over, and her bed squeaked. The clock in the family room downstairs chimed at the top of the hour. I yanked the blanket over my head.

  The chirping stopped. Maggie’s snore melted into deep breathing—and—something else.

  A tall broad silhouette moved toward me in the darkness.

  I sat up. “Who…”

  David, barely visible in the moonlight, placed his finger over his lips. “Sorry.”

  “Dude, you gotta stop doing that.” I smoothed back my bangs. “What are you doing? If Maggie’s dad catches you…”

  “He won’t. He left a few minutes ago.”

  “Oh.” Knowing I must be a mess, I grabbed my hair and tied it into a speed braid. “Are you okay? Are you cold?”

  “No. I’m fine.” His fingers wrapped around mine. His touch warmed my skin. “I got the signal.”

  “Already?” I took in a deep breath, trying to calm my pounding heart. “Okay, so—where do you need to go?”

  “Latitude 39-46.505192 north by longitude 074-57.071403 west.”

  “Wow. I hope you don’t expect me to know where that is.”

  He shifted closer and rubbed his cheek against my forehead. My lips parted
, every ounce of me yearning for more contact.

  David pulled away. “I know I need to head south. When I get close, I’ll feel them. They will draw me to the extraction point.”

  Strong arms enveloped me. His bandage tickled my neck as he nuzzled my hair. I clutched at his sweatshirt, desperate for his touch.

  “I can’t ask any more of you,” he whispered.

  A pain stabbed deep within my chest. “You’re not leaving me here. You don’t know your way around, and this is my planet. You’ll need help.”

  The moonlight caught David’s grin. “You’ll come with me?”

  “Of course. We’ve come this far, haven’t we?”

  He nodded, the most wonderful look of relief filling his eyes. “We’ll leave first thing in the morning. I have fifty-two hours to get there.”

  Something in my chest sunk and sat on the top of my stomach. Was I really going to do this? The Army was looking for him. What could one teenager do to help? His eyes melted me. I didn’t have to think long. It didn’t matter. I only needed to be with him. “Do you know how far we have to go?”

  David’s sigh filled the room. “No.”

  “Wake up, idiots,” Maggie’s throaty voice startled me. “We’re not in the Stone Age. Plug the stinking coordinates into a GPS. Now, can we please get some sleep?” She rolled over, trailing her blankets across the floor near her bed.

  I smiled at David. More than anything, I wanted him to cuddle up beside me, hold me, make me feel safe. He brushed my cheek with his. The heat of his skin penetrated my sanity and left me witless.

  “We’ll leave tomorrow morning then.” He hesitated, his eyes searching through mine. A smile crept across his lips before he slipped back through the door.

  11

  Dawn arrived after a long night of staring out the window and studying the stars. I decided to skip the shower, and threw my hair up in a ponytail as I walked down the stairs.

  David lay sleeping on the couch, cuddled under the blankets. His long, dark lashes fluttered open as I approached.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”

  “No problem.” He sat up, completely alert. I wished I could wake up that quick. “Are you ready to leave?”

  “Leave? Now? What about breakfast?”

  His jaw tightened. “Okay, but I’m uncomfortable here. I want to get going.”

  I dug through the refrigerator and found some apples and tangerines in the fruit drawer for David. I cracked open a strawberry-banana yogurt for me and scooped some into my mouth. I hoped Mrs. Baker wouldn’t mind us raiding the fridge.

  David’s turquoise eyes seemed to study me, giving me the chance to lose myself in him. This was it. I was actually going to run with David, defying my father to the umpteenth degree. I probably needed my head examined.

  The right thing to do would be to turn David in. Yeah, that would make Dad happy. Maybe that would make him finally trust me. But his trust wasn’t what I needed. Not really.

  Helping David was the right thing to do. Dad didn’t know him. To Dad, David was the bad guy. The target. The object of his mission. No. Dad didn’t understand that David was a person who just wanted to get home.

  I fingered the envelope with the cash and credit card in my pocket. Boy was Dad going to be pissed, but I’d probably need this money for something more than clothes.

  Maggie tip-toed down the stairs in her pink plaid pajamas and sneakers. Her tangled curls stuck out at odd angles.

  “I’m glad you guys are still here,” she whispered. “We’re in deep dog-doo.” She opened up a drawer and plucked out a set of keys. “My mom is on the phone right now. I heard David’s name three times.”

  My heart fluttered. “Who is she talking to?”

  “Does it matter? We’re toast. We need to leave, like, now.” She held her finger to her lips as she opened the front door and led us out.

  A crisp, cool morning greeted us. David pulled down on the gray arms of his sweatshirt, concealing his hands within the fleece and rubbing his biceps while Maggie unlocked the car.

  “Here. Let me help you.” I reached for his hood and drew the soft lining over his ears. A lock of his bangs fell into his eye. I pushed the dark strands away, gently gliding my fingertips across his cheek. Damn, he was beautiful.

  “Thanks,” he said, tucking his covered hands beneath his armpits. “Why is it so cold?”

  I drank in a breath of the invigorating morning air. “It’s kind of normal this time of year. It’ll warm up in an hour or so.”

  He grimaced, obviously not sharing my enthusiasm. I guess I wouldn’t be too happy either if I were freezing. I opened the back passenger-side door. A woosh of Pine Barrens air freshener tickled my nose. So much for the clean scent of morning.

  David’s lips tightened as I gestured to the door. He slid inside, resting his hand on the red plush seat as his gaze probed every part of the crimson interior.

  I slipped beside him in the back seat. “It’s okay, it’s just a car.”

  “Something this small actually moves?”

  “Well, it’s not a limousine or anything, but it’ll drive south.”

  David eased himself back in the seat, placing his hand on the roof and pressing against it.

  I yanked on my seat belt. “It’ll probably be a good idea to buckle up. This isn’t like space travel, I’m sure.”

  David watched me click my belt before sitting back and securing his own.

  Maggie turned the key in the ignition. “All right fugitives, let’s get going.”

  The engine roared to life.

  David cried out and reached for the ceiling. He gaped, his eyes wide with fright.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “The car is exploding!”

  “No it’s not.”

  “Why is it making that noise?”

  I laughed. “David, that’s the engine. It’s supposed to sound that way.”

  “Are you sure?” Fright shot from his eyes.

  “Not completely. Ya never know. Cars do explode sometimes.” Maggie snickered, smiling at me in the rear-view mirror.

  Troublemaker. I tapped David’s knee in hopes of soothing his fears.

  My mind drifted to a few nights ago, when a large, silent ship flew over my house, blocking out the stars. Not one of ours…one of theirs. “Your ships don’t make any noise, do they?”

  “Not that kind of noise, no.”

  He slowly let go of the ceiling as Maggie pulled away from the curb. Less than a minute into our journey, Maggie stopped the car, exited, and walked over to the passenger side.

  She opened my door. “Get out.”

  “What?”

  She opened David’s door and motioned to the guard shack down the block. “It hit me that if my mom was talking to either one of our dads on the phone, the MPs may be cued in already. They may be on the lookout for both of you.”

  David got out and stood beside me. His skin paled.

  Maggie was right. We couldn’t risk trying to pass the MP’s, but the entire compound was surrounded by security fencing, and at a young age, I’d discovered that barbed wire is not your friend. I rubbed the scar on my left arm. Definitely not your friend.

  “What should we do?” I asked.

  “You can climb the fence beside the Hutchinson’s house.”

  “You’re kidding, right?”

  Near the Hutchinson’s backyard, there was a small break in the barbed wire. A very small break. Kids always climbed over the fence rather than taking the long way around the compound if they’d missed the school bus. That fence was high, though, and I liked my feet on the ground.

  Maggie folded her arms. “Stop looking at me like I’ve split my gourd. We didn’t really have time to devise a fool-proof plan.”

  I nodded. She was right. There weren’t many options. I couldn’t let my fears get in the way. Not now. “Okay. The fence it is.”

  Maggie sl
ipped back into her car. “I’ll try to drive through the gate. Unless my mom’s found me missing, they shouldn’t be looking for me. I’ll meet you at the corner of Ackey and Adams.”

  She didn’t give me a chance to argue. Before I could compute what was going on, she was heading for the guard shack at the end of the street.

  “Where is this Hutchinson’s house?” David asked.

  I shook the confused fog from my head. “Over here.”

  We scooted down the street and around the block until we came to the Hutchinson’s unit beside the western fence. I shuttered, eyeing the sharp barbs lining the top of the enclosure. My scar ached just looking at them.

  David chewed the side of his cheek. “There is supposed to be a safe place to climb?”

  I shivered, but I didn’t think it was from the morning chill. “Yeah, over here.”

  We circled the Hunchinson’s trash cans. Just beside the tree shading their backyard was the two-foot break in the barbs. Shoot. Was that fence always that high?

  Something rustled in their back yard. Did they still have that German Shepherd? I prayed not.

  David reached up and grabbed the chain links. The fence rattled, and something hit the Hutchinson’s wooden privacy fence like a neutron bomb. Their devil-dog barked and growled like someone was murdering his owner or something.

  David reached up, and within a second he was perched atop the fence. How’d he do that?

  The barbs hung dangerously close on either side of him. The dog continued to cause a raucous as David reached his hand down.

  “Come on. Jump up.”

  Jump up, he says. Friggin’ alien Spider-Man. I couldn’t just…

  The dog hit the fence again, and the wood cracked. Good motivator. I jumped up and David grabbed my wrist, lifting me with ease. He settled me on his lap, and I got a good look at Lucifer, or whatever that big, black, snarling menace’s name was. Yeah, he pretty much looked like a big hungry demon. Not liking this at all.

  Mr. Hutchinson walked out the back door. “Shadow! What’s wrong, boy?”

  He looked up, and my heart dropped. I mean it really dropped. Something tore, and before I knew what had happened, David landed on the ground with me in his arms.