Challa

by Linda Mooney

  To make her whole. Complete. Fulfilled.

  The chasm continued to widen as the miles slid under the van’s tires. Her heart beat sluggishly, and her head pounded. Sleeping did little to assuage the pain, and unfortunately she couldn’t take any of the medications humans did, as the chemicals were like poison to her system.

  The caravan stopped at a filling station and barbeque place on the outskirts of some town. The smell of roasting meat made her sick to her stomach. Still, she climbed out of the van to get something to eat. Maybe if she ate something, it would help. Some potato salad would be nice.

  “Hey, girl, you’re looking a mite poorly.” Marlene trundled over to her and gave her shoulder a motherly pat. “That time of the month?”

  Fortunately, Challa had quickly learned that the phrase “that time of the month” was always a great excuse whenever something she ate or came across left her feeling nauseous. She nodded slightly as the road bobbled before her eyes. “Yeah. My stomach’s upset, too.”

  “Have you thrown up any?”

  “No. Not yet.” She couldn’t throw up, even if she wanted to. Challa suspected it had something to do with being Ruinos.

  The kindly woman grabbed her by the elbow and guided her over to the back bumper, urging Challa to sit down. “Why don’t you just stay here and get some fresh air? I’ll have Wiley bring you something to eat.”

  For some reason, sitting down stopped the road from swaying. Too bad her stomach wouldn’t. Challa managed a wane smile. “Thank you. I’d appreciate it.”

  “What are you hungry for? Anything in particular? How about some chicken? Oh, wait. I’m sorry. I forgot you don’t eat meat. Well, how about some baked beans and cabbage slaw, then?”

  “I’d…I’d like some potato salad if they have it, please.”

  Marlene grinned. The air around her was spiced with her caring apple scent. “Okay! Potato salad it is! Now, you stay here, and I’ll have Wiley bring you out some.”

  Challa thanked her then watched as the rotund woman slowly made her way across the short parking lot toward the restaurant where most of the carnies had already gone inside. The rest of the crew was taking turns at the gas pumps filling up the vehicles.

  “You wanted to see me?”

  It was Duffy’s voice coming from the other side of the van. Challa remained where she sat, too nauseated to get up and see who he was talking to.

  “Yeah. I need you to go on ahead and post some flyers.”

  It was Lawson. She wasn’t surprised.

  There was a rustling of papers. “Head over to the coast and work your way south. Take in the next three towns.” More paper noises. “Start here. Carter Straits. This one looks good, too. And here. They’re the right size. Need to take the map with you?”

  “Yeah,” Duffy replied as paper crinkled again.

  “We should make Carter Straits tomorrow.”

  “Gonna do some midweek shows?”

  “Have to. Don’t have a choice.”

  “Too bad we couldn’t finish up at Cooper. We had some good crowds there.”

  “Yeah, but it couldn’t be helped,” Lawson practically growled. “Better get a move on. Have you eaten?”

  “Leeda’s waiting on our order.”

  “Okay. As soon as you’ve eaten, take the Dodge. Drive safe.”

  Things grew quiet. Challa leaned back against the vehicle and opened herself up. The fresh air and spaciousness of this world still felt strange at times, even though the escape ship had landed more than seven years ago. Sometimes the cramped little cubbyholes she took refuge in felt more real to her than her life did now. Although she knew that she would have eventually died on the Arran ship, Challa wondered how much different her life was today, compared to yesterday. Could she live with this pain inside her? How was it such pain didn’t lessen, but grew with every passing hour? With every passing mile?

  She covered her mouth to muffle her sob.

  How did a Ruinos cope without her blood mate, when everything inside said she had found him? But when, in reality, she hadn’t?

  Chapter 25

  North

  Compton snatched up the phone as soon as it began ringing. “Compton.”

  “It’s Barstow. Good news, bad news.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “Bad news is we don’t have any idea yet where they went, but the good news is we got a handle on where they came from.”

  “I’ll take it,” Compton said, getting to his feet. He hurried into the kitchen and over to the table where he already had a map opened. Snatching up the marker, he paused to listen.

  “Before they came to Cooper, they were in Fallon Falls. Before Fallon Falls, Bryer.”

  Compton marked the map. “They’re taking a northerly route.”

  “Looks that way,” the sheriff acknowledged. “It’s obvious they’re avoiding the big cities and sticking with the smaller towns.”

  “Of course they would. Less competition for the entertainment dollar in the smaller towns. Hmm. Think they might be using the back roads?”

  “They’re pulling at least a dozen trailers, maybe two dozen. They can’t go the speed limit with that kind of load. Don’t they also have animals? Yeah, I agree. It would be safer to stick to the county roads, in my opinion.”

  “All right. If they stick with their original route, they could be heading for Bixley or Van Batten.”

  “Or New Meyersville. There’s a state home for boys there. A carnival and sideshow would draw good crowds, don’t you think?”

  Compton heard himself chuckle. Things were looking up. “Okay, I’ll go to New Meyersville first. If there’s no sign of them there, I’ll cut across to Bixley. Thanks, Larry.”

  “Just doing what you voted me in to do. If I hear anything else, I’ll call you. Good luck, Comp. Hope you find her, and everything works out.”

  “So do I.”

  He grabbed the map and left the house. Tossing the map through the truck’s open window, Compton climbed into the cab as he glanced at his watch. It was a quarter after four. New Meyersville was eighty miles away. If he cut across to the interstate, he could be there by six.

  He had done a lot of thinking during the time he’d been waiting to hear from the law authorities. The more he mulled about it, the more he grew certain that Lawson Hall was the main reason why Challa hadn’t stayed behind. What he couldn’t figure out was what kind of hold the man had on her.

  He was certain of one thing, though. Hall knew about Challa being a real alien. Whether or not anyone else associated with the carnival knew the truth, Compton couldn’t guess, but it wasn’t relevant, in his opinion. The important thing was that he would have to deal with Hall if he was to convince Challa to come back with him.

  Confrontation wasn’t a stranger to Compton. Not after two tours of duty in war-torn Uzbekistan. If Hall wanted a fight, Compton had no problem with that. Hopefully, it wouldn’t come to that, but Compton was prepared, just in case.

  The world seemed brighter and fresher as he pulled onto the road. With any luck, he would see Challa again before the week was out. If he was blessed, she would be returning home with him.

  Smiling, Compton turned left at the next county road and began to head north.

  Chapter 26

  Flyer

  The woman stood on the sidewalk, facing the front of the little diner and coffee shop. For several minutes she stared at the flyer now taped to the inside window. Someone had come into the shop and asked Mitzi if they could leave the advertisement in the window. Other than that, that was all she knew about it.

  Lawson Hall’s World Famous Carnival and Sideshow.

  There were a handful of photos superimposed on each other, each one revealing an act from the traveling road show. But it was the picture near the bottom and its caption that gripped her.

  See Challa, the Alien Girl! A real alien from outer space!

  If she didn’t know any better, Hannah would swear it was a picture of Tiron.<
br />
  Flipping open her cell, she punched the speed dial number to the lumber mill. The receptionist answered.

  “Tumbril Harbor Mill. How can I help you?”

  “Trudy? Hi! It’s Hannah.”

  “Hannah! Hi, hon! How’s it going?”

  “Fine, thank you. I’m calling to see if you can get a message to Jeb for me. It’s not an emergency.”

  “Sure. I’ll put a note in his box so he’ll see it when he comes in. He usually checks for messages around lunch.”

  It was a little after eleven, and already the diner was beginning to fill up with the local lunch crowd. Before too long she would be too busy to take a call.

  “That’s great,” she told the receptionist. “Tell him I called, would you? Tell him Roni’s sister might be coming to town.”

  “Sure thing, Hannah,” Mitzi promised. “Is that all?”

  “Yeah. I’m at the restaurant. If he wants to, he can call me after the lunch rush.”

  “Not a problem, sweetie. You have a good day now. Don’t work too hard.”

  Hannah thanked her and hung up. The men at the mill weren’t allowed to have their cell phones on their person when they were working. Phones were too much of a distraction, and one unexpected ring could cause a serious accident when they were around the saws. Jeb had told her the guys had small lockers to keep their personal belongings in. To be on the safe side, she phoned his cell and left a voice message.

  She knew if she really wanted to, she could send an emotional call to him. But she didn’t want to give him the impression this was an emergency. Hannah knew he could already sense her excitement.

  Her third call was answered by the person she was hoping to reach.

  “Northeastern University Science Center. This is Dr. Drumman.”

  “Hey, Sarah! It’s Hannah!”

  She could hear the woman’s smile over their connection. “Hannah! Hey, what a surprise! What’s up, sister-in-law? You normally don’t call me in the middle of the day.”

  “I think I’ve discovered another Ruinos.”

  Sarah’s voice immediately dropped. “Where?” the woman almost whispered. “In Tumbril Harbor?”

  “Yeah,” Hannah nodded, even though she knew Sarah wouldn’t be able to see her. “Well, almost. There’s a carnival and sideshow heading this way. Someone put a flyer advertising it in the diner’s window. It says ‘Lawson Hall’s World Famous Carnival and Sideshow’, and one of the acts it’s promoting is called ‘Challa, the Alien Girl’. It says ‘see a real alien from outer space’.”

  “What makes you think Challa is a Ruinos?”

  “I vaguely remember Jeb talking about a Challa being onboard the spaceship when they escaped from the Arra. I left a message at the mill and on his phone for him to call. I’m waiting to hear back from him.”

  “Want me to ask Simon at lunch if he remembers a Challa?”

  “Would you? But I haven’t told you the best part. They have a picture of this Challa on the poster. Sarah? It looks like a photo of Tiron.”

  Sarah heard the woman gasp in shock. “Oh, geez! Okay. Let me talk to Simon and see what he wants to do. I’m guessing we may be heading your way this afternoon. Have you spoken to Thom or Roni yet?”

  “Not yet.” Hannah smiled and waved at two customers who greeted her as they entered the coffee shop. “Sheriff Klotsky and Thom usually come by around one thirty for lunch. I’ll catch him then. If I don’t see him, I’ll leave word at the station.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Sarah acknowledged. “I’ll ring you back shortly.”

  “Okay. Talk to you later, then. ’Bye.”

  Closing her phone, Hannah tucked it into her apron pocket and went back inside the diner. The troops had been notified, and before nightfall they would have a plan readied before the carnival arrived in town.

  Another female Ruinos. Hannah smiled to herself. With luck they would be able to reach her before the Arra did. As long as she hasn’t found her life mate yet. Please, let’s hope she hasn’t found her blood mate.

  Because if she had, it may already be too late to save her.

  Chapter 27

  Weaker

  The carnival reached Carter Straits by midafternoon the next day. There was an arena on the outskirts of town with a large enough parking lot. Lawson had them wait there while he went back into town to get whatever permits they’d need. It was late when he returned. There wouldn’t be enough time to erect the rides, but the sideshow could put on a performance. Lawson ordered the main tent erected first.

  Challa remained in the Lebrands’ van and watched the frenetic activity. The potato salad still churned inside her stomach, sending rancid acid percolating at the base of her throat.

  She probably had a fever. Then again, maybe Ruinos didn’t get fevers. Humans did. Their faces turned pink, and sweat rolled down their skin, and they radiated heat like a living stove. But whenever they got a fever, that was proof positive that the person was sick.

  Oh, and if they threw up, that was proof positive, too.

  Challa knew she was going to throw up, but the fever part was iffy.

  The side door slid open. Allen stuck his head inside. “There you are! Lawson said to get your costume on. The sideshow is going on tonight.”

  “Tell Lawson I don’t feel so good,” she replied. Her mouth felt like it was slowly melting off her face. The potato salad roiled with oily mayonnaise. Carefully, Challa got out of her seat and made it over to the doorway as lunch crawled up her throat. Somehow she made it outside, stumbled over to the small drainage ditch nearby, fell onto her hands and knees, and finally gave in to her body’s demands.

  For the first time in her life, Challa vomited.

  The air was foul. Her body was rebelling, and there was nothing she could do except wait it out and pray it would all be over soon.

  She never heard the sound of boots tramping over the gravel roadway, heading in her direction, until they were nearly upon her.

  “What’s going on, Challa? Allen says you’re throwing up.”

  She kept her face down, unable to lift her head to look up at him.

  “I don’…feel good.”

  Lawson knelt beside her and placed the palm of his hand on her forehead. “You’re sweaty. What did you throw up?”

  “’Tato salad.”

  “Damn food poisoning’s what you got. That place had no business putting mayonnaise in their potato salad. I’m betting you got food poisoning. Shit! Come on, Challa.” He took her by the arm and helped her to her feet. The vomiting had left her weaker than before. She had no energy left to stand on her own, much less walk.

  “I’m sick, Lawson.”

  “I can see that. Allen, carry her over to my bus, would you?”

  The big carnival manager hoisted her into his arms and took her across the parking lot to Lawson’s converted bus. Inside, he laid her on the small, padded seat lining one wall. Lawson was right behind him, as well as Cora Lebrand.

  “I gotta see to tonight’s lineup. Shit. We can’t use Challa when she’s feeling like this. Can you watch her until I get back, Cora?”

  “Sure thing, Lawson. Not a problem.”

  Challa was vaguely aware of Cora covering her with a quilt of some sort and sticking a thermometer in her mouth. When it beeped, Cora pulled it out and checked the readout, frowning. “That can’t be right. Let’s try this again.” The thermometer went back into Challa’s mouth for another countdown. The second time, Cora sighed over the numbers, mumbled something about it being broken, and got up from where she sat on the bench next to Challa.

  “I’m afraid to give you aspirin. It might upset your stomach even more. Do you feel achy?”

  “Yeah.” In fact, no matter how she moved, Challa felt like one gigantic bruise.

  “Well, now that you’ve gotten that crap out of your system, you should start feeling better soon. Why don’t you go ahead and take a nap? I’m going outside to help set up. I’ll be back in a bit to check
on you.”

  The last thing Challa heard was the door opening and closing. At some point she fell asleep. When she awoke, she felt worse than ever. The bus was dark, but with her Ruinos senses she could tell she was alone. In the distance she could make out the rinky-tink music Lawson pumped through the P.A. system. And voices. She could make out voices, but not what they were saying.

  She had no idea how long she had been out, but at least it was nighttime now. Her mouth felt bloated, and she was thirsty. She tried to roll onto her side, but it hurt too damn much. Slowly, Challa shifted into her true self, hoping she might have a little more energy by being Ruinos. The effort proved futile.

  Closing her eyes didn’t help any, either. Compton’s face was always there, smiling at her, leaning closer to kiss her or whisper something loving against her skin. His brown eyes were warm, caring, sending her signals that tingled all the way down to her toes. And the air around him shimmered with the warm vanilla scent of his hunger for her.

  At the thought of him, her heart imploded a little bit more, becoming squashed and flat like an empty can. She coughed, and the pain made her moan.

  Compton, what are you doing now? Have you discovered we’ve left? Do you even care that I’m gone? Or that I won’t be coming back?

  Do you even care enough to try to find out where I am?

  She couldn’t dwell on the questions because she already knew the answers. And they were enough to make her cry herself back to sleep.

  Chapter 28

  Notice

  The phone rang in the middle of supper. DeGrassi picked it up from where it was sitting next to his plate and checked the caller I.D. “It’s the office,” he told the others as he flipped open the receiver. “DeGrassi.”

  The next instant, he raised a hand and snapped his fingers twice. The others stopped eating and listened in.