Uninvited: A Paranormal Urban Fantasy Novel (The Dark Skies Trilogy Book Two)

by Lysa Daley

  I take a moment to study his face. Huh? He doesn’t look angry at all.

  In fact, his entire appearance is different. Official or something. Clean cut and neat. Relaxed, even. Gone are the baggy jeans, flannel, and the shaggy black hair. Instead, he’s wearing what almost looks like a uniform; olive green pants with a black T-shirt and black boots.

  “Hey, you finally made it,” he says as Ruby rolls down the window. “We heard there was some trouble back at the state line at a gas station or a convenient shop. Horlocks tracked you that far. We weren't sure how that came out.”

  Ruby and I exchange looks, and I say, “We made it out of that one okay.”

  “And then Astrid turned the truck invisible.”

  Jax turns toward me, arching an eyebrow, and I explain, “I found the secret panel.”

  “Didn’t know it had a cloaking program,” he says, looking through the window into the backseat a dark shadow across his face, “How’s your uncle doing?”

  “Not good,” I say. “His fever is getting worse. Please tell me there’s a hospital here for him?”

  He nods. “You’ve come to the right place.” Jax opens the driver side door. “I’ll take it from here.”

  Ruby pops out and into the backseat as Jax gets in the car.

  “Oh hey, Tom,” Jax smiles at the cat who loudly purrs in reply. One of Jax’ few redeeming qualities is that animals adore him.

  He turns the truck around and about a quarter of a mile back down the dirt road, he pulls a hard left onto an almost imperceptible turn-off.

  Off the road, there’s an old stone wall that rises ten feet high. Almost hidden. There’s an arch built into the wall spanning the road. It’s not wide enough for two cars to pass each other. But heavy wooden gates stand open, and we pass through emerging on the other side of the barrier of trees quickly arriving on the edge of a small village with one road straight down the center.

  “Where are we?” I ask, taking in the strange mix of old and new.

  “Welcome to the Village of Saint Benedicts,” Jax says.

  “We thought this place was abandoned?” I ask.

  “That’s what we say to keep the tourists away,” Jax winks.

  We pass two brick buildings covered in ivy that each stands three stories tall. They look like apartment buildings. Next to that stands a big behemoth of an aluminum structure that doesn’t really fit in. It’s probably some sort of gymnasium or sports center.

  Meanwhile, Ruby is focused on the modern glass structure with a massive metal domed roof jutting up towards the sky. “Whoa! Is that what I think it is?”

  “If you were thinking it's the most powerful telescope in the western hemisphere, you’d be correct,” Jax tells us.

  “So this is the actual “Eye in the Sky”?” Ruby asks.

  “Yes, ma'am. There are several comparable observatories around the planet,” Jax explains. “Believe it or not, this is one of our smaller facilities. Still, that makes this the third most powerful telescope on the planet.”

  “Really? Cause I’ve seen photos of those crazy huge telescopes that stand by themselves out in the desert,” Ruby say. “This one looks puny compared to those.”

  “Telescopes are only as powerful as their lenses. Yes, it's true there are physically larger telescopes, but none of them have a lens as powerful as this.”

  “Let me guess,” I begin. “A little friendly alien technology.”

  “You’re catching on,” Jax replies with a wry smile.

  I think back to Fitz explaining that he was part of an organization that keeps tabs on alien activity. “So, this Eye in the Sky thing? You’re part of the same group that Fitz belongs to?”

  “Me and nearly every alien living on Earth. The Draconian threat is too dangerous not to be part of a watch group like this.”

  Sitting just to the side of the Eye building, a majestic sandstone church takes up the far end of the street. It’s not quite the size of the cathedral, but pretty close.

  “This beauty is the original St. Benedict’s Church,” Jax points to the church. Its gothic architecture looks like something straight out of an old European city.

  “It looks like something out of a fairytale,” Ruby says.

  An impressive bell tower with intricately carved spires rises high above the towering pines that surround the church on three sides. It looks out of place in the remote woods of eastern Oregon.

  Jax parks the truck in front of the church and waves to two men who wheel a gurney over. An efficient looking woman, with intelligent eyes and a kind face, carrying a large bag, follows the men.

  As we get out of the truck, Jax introduces the woman. “Ladies, this is the amazing Dr. Maggie. She's going to take your uncle to our very special medical unit.”

  Hi, Astrid,” Dr. Maggie greets me like we're long lost friends. “Can’t tell you how relieved we all are that you girls made it.”

  I nod and force a smile. “You and me both.”

  “And this must be your friend Ruby.”

  “Hi,” Ruby says. “So, you are what? Some sort of alien-doctor?”

  “Something like that. But I am a trained medical doctor. Yale, class of 2012.” I see Dr. Maggie's eyes flick over to Jax. “I promise we're going to give him the best care he could possibly get.”

  “Don't worry, Astrid,” Jax says me as the two men transfer my uncle onto the gurney. My uncle’s MoonEyed Blue alien form doesn’t seem to faze anyone. “He couldn't be in better hands now.”

  Before they take him inside, Dr. Maggie checks him out. She wields a stethoscope and some sort of blood pressure cuff, but I can see that her medical bag also includes unfamiliar equipment and random medical devices that are clearly not from our world.

  “His blood pressure is low,” she says, worry creeping into her voice. “Looks like he's lost a lot of blood. And he’s fighting an infection. We need to get him downstairs stat.”

  “Is this just a hospital for aliens?” Ruby asks.

  “Mostly. There are some unique human cases here, as well. But we specialize in our non-earthly guests,” Jax explains as we trail behind the gurney. “St. B’s is one of the only places on the planet where non-Earthly humanoids can come for medical assistance. I mean, think about it, if you’re living in secret on a planet that’s not as technologically or medically advanced as your civilization, then what do you do if you become so ill or injured that you need outside medical attention?”

  “Guess you can’t just pop into the E.R.,” Ruby says as we pass through the tall double doors of the church.

  “Why are we going into the church?” I ask. “Where’s the hospital?”

  “Trust me,” Jax says as he leads the way inside the church.

  Instead of going into the church sanctuary with its dark oak pews, soaring ceilings and flickering candlelight, we make our way down a low side hallway to a wide stone stairway. My uncle is loaded into an elevator, but we take the stairs.

  Dr. Maggie falls back and walks in stride with us down the steps. “The Brothers and Sisters of Mercy have been aiding the non-humans here at St. B’s for 150 years. They are very knowledgeable about what they’re doing. In fact, they have detailed biological and medicinal notes and drawings of over fifty different alien lifeforms down in their extensive medical library. You and your uncle have definitely come to the right place.”

  On the lower level, we continue through a small maze of hallways and corridors finally arriving at an old wooden door with scrolling iron hinges. A heavy, ancient looking padlock secures the door.

  Jax pulls out an old skeleton key and unlocks it. I’m pretty sure I could pick that lock with just a bobby pin and a pen cap.

  Not exactly crack security.

  But once the heavy door swings open, a second door appears. This one does not blend into its surroundings. It’s made of stainless steel, complete with a keypad, camera, and retinal scanner.

  Old world beauty meets new world security.

  “The monks
have done a few upgrades around here recently,” Jax explains.

  The security system requires Jax to type in three different passcodes, along with a retinal scan of his eye and his thumbprint before the lock disengages.

  The heavy steel door swings open and Ruby gasps.

  Chapter 16

  It’s a regular modern medical facility. Except the patients are all aliens.

  We leave the old stone floors and timbered beam ceilings behind as we step into a state-of-the-art hospital ward. Twenty beds — ten on each side — stretch out before us.

  Ruby and I follow the group into the medical ward until a woman wearing pink hospital scrubs and a nun’s black and white scarf blocks our path. “Hold on there, ladies. You're not going anywhere.”

  “But that's my uncle,” I try to explain so she’ll let us continue on.

  “Your uncle?” She eyes me skeptically. “He's a MoonEyed Blue, and you're clearly Lyrian. Not exactly sure how he could be your uncle?”

  My mouth drops open in amazement. How could this woman size me up so quickly and accurately?

  “It's okay, sister.” Dr. Maggie turns back to us. “Astrid can come in. But, no offense, Ruby, we have to try to keep contact with outside individuals to a minimum. For the sake of the patients.”

  “Hang on a minute. If you knew everything that Ruby’s done for us,” I begin to protest, but Ruby stops me.

  “Astrid, it’s okay,” she says calmly, “Really. You go.”

  “Sister, could you take Ruby to their new room?” Dr. Maggie adds. “I’m sure she’d love to freshen up and get some rest.”

  Before she leaves, Ruby promises to get our stuff up to our new room and ready for my arrival.

  When I get over to my uncle’s bed, they're already giving him a transfusion of rusty blue blood.

  “I’ve given him a compatible antibiotic,” Dr. Maggie explains, “Lucky we had a sick three-eared Electrapian in here a couple of weeks ago. Their blood matches your uncle’s type. Good thing we thought to have them give us a donation.”

  “So he’s going to be okay?”

  Dr. Maggie is quiet for a moment. “I'm not going to lie to you, Astrid. Your uncle is in pretty bad shape. It's a good thing you got in here when you did. But even with that said, it may be too late for your uncle. Such a deep wound from Draconian steel is almost always fatal.”

  My heart drops. “When will you know?”

  “We’ll know… ” Dr. Maggie shrugs, “when we know. I wish I had a better answer.”

  Ouch. That’s not good to hear.

  Once she’s gotten the transfusion flowing smoothly, Dr. Maggie moves to my side. “I know you don't remember me.”

  “I’m sorry?” I study her face and rifle through my memory banks. I’m drawing a blank. “We've met before?”

  “Oh, yes,” she laughs softly. “It was a long time ago when you were a very little girl. I gave you some of my old Barbie dolls, and you loved them.”

  “Wait!” I can't believe what I'm hearing. “You’re Fitz’s daughter.”

  “I am.” She extends her hand for me to shake. “I guess we should make it official. Very nice to meet you, Astrid Jones. I'm Maggie Fitzgerald. Dr. Maggie around here.”

  I shake her strong but soft hand; a doctor’s hand. “Nice to meet you. Again.”

  For a couple of hours, I sit and wait. The nurses keep trying to get me to go back to my new room where Ruby is waiting, but I'd rather stay with my uncle.

  This is by far the most unusual hospital I’ve ever seen. About half of the beds are filled, each with different species of aliens. The one common denominator between them is that they all seem pretty human.

  If I hadn't just been to the Gathering, where I saw a crazy assortment of alien beings, this might be a whole lot weirder. And, of course, there’s Tom. So, I know aliens come in all shapes and sizes.

  After all, under my skin, I don't look exactly 100% human either.

  When I ask the nun wearing pink scrubs if they have any less human aliens, she says, “Oh yes! We're quite lucky to have one of the best space critter docs in the whole galaxy working with us.”

  “Space critters?” I repeat. “Is that what you call them?”

  She winks. “No sugar, that’s just what I call them. It’s officially called the Non-humanoid Recuperation Center.”

  Actually, the patient who seems the most out of place in this ward looks entirely human. When I first arrived, he was asleep, but while I'm reading a magazine, he’s awake and making a funny repetitive tick with his face.

  “Oh hello, girlie,” the man says, seeing me glancing his way. “Are you one of the new students?”

  “Oh. Uh. No, I’m just visiting.”

  “The name’s Ray,” he says with a toothy smile. “Thought maybe you were one of the kids who goes to school here.”

  Ray looks like he's maybe 35 years old, but it’s clear he's lived the hard life. Wrinkles line his tanned face, and his big hands are chapped from some form of manual work. Something makes me think he's a farmer or fisherman.

  “Hey, Ray,” I reply. “I’m Astrid.”

  “I have a bug in my head,” he tells me.

  “I’m sorry to hear that.” I’m not sure if he’s kidding or not. “What kind of bug?”

  “Oh, you know, the same one everyone’s got crawling around up there. That why you’re here too?”

  “No, I’m here with my uncle. They just brought him in now.”

  “The big blue guy? He’s your uncle?” Ray’s eyes narrow.

  I keep forgetting my uncle is currently a huge blue alien.

  “He’s not my actual blood uncle. But he raised me from the time I was a little girl, so I call him uncle.”

  “Gotcha.” Ray picks up a heart-shaped candy box sitting on his bedside table. “Would you like a turtle?”

  “A turtle?” I’m afraid he has real turtles in the candy box, but as he removes the lid I see he means the chocolate, pecan and caramel turtles. “My kids gave them to me. I think they're worried about my surgery. Have one with me, please.”

  I take a bite of a nice fat piece. It's delicious. “These are really good.”

  Ray takes one too. “They're taking the bug out of my head tomorrow. It's a pretty tricky surgery. But I got a good feeling about it. If Dr. Maggie thinks she can do it, then I believe she can.”

  As if on cue, Dr. Maggie glides around the corner, stopping in her tracks when she sees us eating the turtles. “Ray! You know you're not supposed to eat 12 hours before your surgery.”

  “I'm sorry, Doc,” Ray says, quickly chewing and swallowing his turtle. “Just trying to be welcoming to Miss Astrid here.”

  Dr. Maggie confiscates the heart-shaped box. “I'm taking these to the nurses’ station, and you can have them back after your surgery.”

  “You know as well as I do those fat nuns are going to eat all of my candy.”

  “That’s not nice, Ray,” Dr. Maggie says as she walks away. “And I personally promise they will not eat your candy.”

  When she’s gone, Ray turns to me and asks, “So your uncle one of them good aliens or bad aliens?”

  “He's a good alien.”

  “What happened to him?”

  “He got stabbed by one of the bad aliens.”

  “Them evil ones put the bug in my head.”

  “I'm sorry to hear that.”

  “Well, pleasure to meet you, Astrid.” Ray yawns. “Come back tomorrow after my surgery and I'll give you another turtle.”

  “Nice to meet you too,“ I say as Ray closes his eyes. “And I'll see you tomorrow for that turtle.”

  Chapter 17

  I feel an ache of sadness as I leave my sleeping uncle behind in the medical ward.

  On one hand, he's resting quietly, despite being connected to a collection of monitors, wires, and tubes. The freaky bluish alien blood continues drip-dropping into his veins. I hope each little drop is making him stronger.

  I’m relieved that we
got him here, but I'm also terrified that it might be too late.

  Walking back to the nurses’ station near the entrance, I see Jax waiting patiently near the door, scrolling through his cell phone.

  “What are you doing here so late?” I ask, looking up at the clock on the wall to see that it’s nearly midnight.

  “I'm waiting to walk you over to your room,” he explains. “Ruby’s already there and getting settled.”

  “You didn’t need to wait. You could have come to get me.”

  “I didn’t want to disturb you and your uncle.”

  Retracing the path that brought us down here, I finally just go ahead and say what’s on my mind, “I thought you’d be mad at me. Because I left.”

  “I was,” he answers honestly. Then adds, “But the Oracle pointed out that only a real heroine would walk away for the safety of the Stargate to save someone she loves.”

  “She said that?”

  “She even pointed out the possibility that the Stargate may have been a test. Perhaps you were destined to walk away the entire time.”

  “Destined? That seems a little hard to swallow.”

  He shrugs. “It’s hard to know what to believe when you’re dealing with these profound ancient prophecies.”

  I laugh at the sarcasm in his voice. “If that was my destiny, then what’s yours?”

  He opens one of the church’s big oak side doors, and we step out into the cool evening air. “My destiny is to get you to your new temporary home, so I can go back to my room and watch the baseball game I recorded earlier.”

  “Where exactly are we going?” I ask as we cross the empty street.

  “The dorms,” he answers, pointing toward the multi-story apartment-like building that we passed early. “Saint Benedicts runs a private K through 12 school for 700 special kids.”

  “You mean, like, special needs?”

  “Well, no, not exactly. More like special circumstances. But I'll let the headmaster explained all of that to you tomorrow.”

  “Wait, what’s tomorrow?”

  Jax hesitates, knows I’m not going to like his answer. “Fitz decided that you and Ruby should start school here. Immediately.”