by T. S. Hall
Jenny was tense, listening intently. Her hands shook as she took rapid sips of tea.
“You’re safe,” Milly said, placing her hand on Jenny’s knee. “You don’t have to be scared anymore.”
Jenny sat back, lifting her eyebrows.
“Safe? My car just blew up, I was attacked by a huge cat that I thought only existed as a statue in a desert, and I’m sitting next to two aliens who can shoot colorful lightning out of their hands. And you think I’m safe?”
“Well, when you put it that way, it does sound a little intense,” Allora said.
“I gotta go,” Jenny said, throwing off her blanket. “I need to go home. I just don’t know what to think right now. Please, can I just go?”
There was a knock at the door, and Jenny raced to it. Sheriff Newton stepped in, and Jenny hugged him profusely.
“Sheriff, these people are aliens. I just got into a car accident and was attacked by these terrible creatures, and these people—oh God, please get me out of here.”
“Everything is going to be alright, sweetheart,” Sheriff Newton said, placing a band around the panicked girl’s wrist. Jenny’s eyes rolled in the back of her head, her knees buckled, and she dropped. Sheriff Newton caught her fall. She dragged her to an armchair and gently placed her feet up. Milly dressed her wounds, put a blanket over her, and then went to the kitchen to get the sheriff some tea.
“What did you just do to her?” Allora asked.
“She’ll be fine. It’s just a memory inhibitor. Jenny will wake up tomorrow with a slight headache and only a distant dream of what happened. We did it to her before, when she was in the hospital. Unfortunately, the effects aren’t permanent, which means she may begin to remember things again.”
“It would probably be a good idea to take her to the hospital,” Milly said, handing a cup of tea to the sheriff. “You can just say that she lost control of the car on the ice, and she hit her head.”
Just then Bartimus came through the kitchen window.
“Can’t you just use the door?” Milly asked.
“Too predictable,” Bartimus said, taking a bite out of an apple on the kitchen table. “I hate sphinx. They are such disgusting things.”
“How did they get through? I thought that our perimeter defenses were impregnable.”
“The air defense is, but there is too much ground to cover for those types of creatures. Somehow they knew exactly where our screens and sensors were. They overloaded the hadron generators in multiple spots, at varying distances, and at exactly the same time.” Bartimus stood on the chair, his knees bent. He continued to eat the apple, staring blankly at the floor. “It’s highly suspicious, Milly. The only point I see for sending these creatures was to test our capabilities.
“I don’t like this at all,” Sheriff Newton said. “Maybe we should ask the guardian council for more security personnel.”
“You may be right,” Milly said. She paced along the carpet with her hands on her hips.
“What if they were testing our defense codes?” Bartimus said. “That would explain the scanners that I found on one of the sphinx corpses.”
“Those are the same as…,” Milly asked, stopping her pace and staring at Bartimus. “Could those security codes leave Shangri-La vulnerable?” He nodded. “You’ve got to get back there and change them. And you need to do it without anyone finding out.”
“Are you kidding me?” Bartimus said, leaping from atop the chair to the loveseat. “That would be treason. If anyone found out, I could be put in jail for the rest of my life. Can’t we just tell the council?”
“No,” Milly said. “It’s probably the same person who had Pipmar assassinated, which means that the person is in a place of power within the guardian government. No, this must be done in secret. Bartimus, if we don’t do anything, Salazar will be able to take out the main defense of this planet in one fell swoop. Shangri-La is really the only hope that Earth has against a complete invasion.”
Bartimus leaned back into the loveseat, looking down at the ground.
“I can probably set up a security patch into the exterior shield defenses of the mountain using a complex variance algorithm without raising any red flags. That would at least protect it from an air attack. I can’t do anything with the interior checkpoint security protocols. They have the servers so tightly guarded that no one can even access them without authorization from all members of the council.”
“That’ll have to do,” Milly said. “Also, I need you to increase the interior defenses here. Should anything get through, we’ll have a backup system in place. And go find those giants. They should have been on patrol.”
“Right away,” Bartimus said. He saluted Milly and then leapt out of the kitchen window.
Sheriff Newton took Jenny to the hospital and had his deputies follow up and take care of the creatures’ bodies.
“What do you think?” Allora asked, taking another sip of warm tea and rubbing the frigid ends of her toes.
“I think that things are getting far too complicated,” Milly said, flopping down on the couch. “I think that our presence in Shangri-La has left us too exposed.”
“So then what do we do now?”
“If someone is trying to figure out the perimeter’s weaknesses, then they may be planning to infiltrate the town.” Milly thought for a minute. “We need an exit strategy.”
Fifteen
KISS
“We interrupt your regularly scheduled program to tell you about breaking news from the Korean Peninsula,” the newscaster said as Allora, Milly, Aunt May, and Bell sat watching intently. “We go now to our foreign correspondent, who is in Seoul, South Korea, to give us more information. Jerry?”
“Thank you, Sally.” The picture went to a blond man with a microphone who was standing on a road while tanks drove behind him. “Reports are coming in from North Korea stating that there has been a massive explosion at the imperial palace in Pyongyang. The South Korean prime minister has denied any involvement in the blatant attack at the heart of the city. They have mobilized the entire military in response to a buildup at the DMZ along the border to North Korea. Diplomats from many governments have urged both countries not to do anything rash until an investigation can be made into who has perpetrated this attack. We are not sure about the exact yield of the explosion, but reports are stating that it was large enough to take out the entire palace. We are not sure whether the supreme leader of North Korea was one of the casualties, but if he was, military leaders in North Korea may look to the south for revenge.”
“What is the mood there in the city?” Sally asked.
“Very tense,” Jerry replied. “I spoke with a store owner who has boarded up his windows and is taking refuge in a storm shelter in his basement. There are some very frightened people here right now. I think that everyone hopes there will be dialogue in the coming hours that will hopefully stop any sort of military campaign in retaliation for an attack that came out of nowhere. The American president has condemned the attack, and the Chinese are advocating for an investigation. Both militaries have been put on high-alert status.”
“Well, we hope you stay safe, and keep us updated,” Sally said, drawing a nod from the split screen of Jerry.
“And so it begins,” Aunt May said with a blank look.
“What do we do?” Allora asked.
“We prepare ourselves for war,” Milly said.
* * *
The following weeks were a mix of Katie’s sarcastic, brash comments about her now-infamous kiss with Marcus and Tanner completely ignoring her in the halls at school. Allora wouldn’t give up, though, and kept harassing Katie as she was walking through the parking lot.
“Why are you so mad at me? I didn’t do anything. He’s the one who kissed me!”
“You really think that that is the reason I’m so pissed off at you? Over a kiss?”
“Why else would you be mad?”
“You are unbelievable!” Katie said, continuing to wa
lk away from Allora toward the old wishing well.
“I’m unbelievable?” Allora stomped ahead, grabbing Katie’s shoulder and spinning her around aggressively. “I was almost killed by large lion creatures, and you haven’t said anything to me. With everything that’s going on right now, you are being a terrible friend.”
Katie’s anger boiled over, and she pushed her hands forward, feeling the energy flow from within. A gust of wind took Allora off her feet, knocking her back onto the hood of a car and smashing the windshield. From her pocket, the sapphire cube flew out and began to glow, sending a beam of blue light toward the wishing well for a half a second.
Katie’s mouth opened wide as she stared down at her hands. Allora struggled to get off the car, clutching her sore back. Katie ran over.
“I’m so sorry,” Katie said, grabbing Allora’s arm and pulling her from the shattered glass windshield. “I didn’t mean to do that.”
“At least you’re starting to absorb more hadrons,” Allora said, rubbing her bruised lower back. “Can you at least tell me why you’re so angry?”
“Tanner found your note. He told me that you’re thinking about running away.”
Allora’s eyes grew wide. “He wasn’t supposed to read that.”
“Then it’s true?”
“Katie, if I’m gone, then you all are safe. You heard the Shifter last year. They want me. They are coming here for me. I can’t have everyone’s death on my conscience. I just can’t do it, especially since I don’t even know why.”
“It’s not your decision to make, though,” Katie said, grabbing Allora’s shoulder. “Those in this town sacrificed a lot to keep us safe, and it’s not just you they are protecting. This whole thing is greater than we even realize.”
“Then why can’t anyone tell me why?” Allora said, tears filling her eyes. “Why are we being sheltered from the truth? Why does it scare my mother so much?”
“Maybe because she knows that eventually this entire rebellion rests on our shoulders. Before we came here, my father said that we are meant to take over his legacy when this war starts. Do you know how much pressure that can be on a ten-year-old?”
“Who are you? You don’t sound like my kooky best friend right now.”
Katie chuckled. “I have my moments of profoundness,” Katie added, walking over and grabbing the sapphire cube from the pavement. “By the way, this thing lit up when it flew from your pocket.”
“What?” Allora said excitedly. “It did the same thing when the sphinx attacked us. Tell me exactly what it did.”
“It glowed and then sent a short burst of light toward that way,” Katie said, pointing to the wishing well and looking perplexed. Allora jogged over and scanned the bottom of the old well. Katie joined her.
“Can you do the wind thing again?”
“I can try,” Katie said, closing her eyes as Allora extended her palm with the cube on top.
Katie pulled in the hadrons, feeling the energized molecules changing within her cells and circulating with her atoms as they grew in strength and power. She gently pushed the energy with her palms, opened her eyes, and sent the wind toward the object. Allora grabbed the cube within her index finger and thumb to keep it from falling. The sapphire began to glow, sending a beam of blue light toward the bottom of the well, where it hit a square, moss-covered indentation in the stone. Allora and Katie hugged each other, excited for what they just found.
“We’ve got to tell the boys,” Allora said.
“I’ll get Dax. You should probably be the one to tell Tanner.”
Allora nodded.
* * *
Tanner’s house was only a mile from the school. Allora pulled her van into the driveway, parking in front of the two-car garage. She hesitated slightly before rapping on the wooden door. After a minute, Aunt Lizi opened the door.
“Hi, Allora. Come on in.”
“Is Tanner home?” Allora asked, walking into the living room.
“He’s actually out,” Aunt Lizi said.
“Where is he? I need to talk to him.”
“Not sure,” she said. Her expression looked worried. “He’s been really moody lately and keeping to himself.”
“Do you know why?”
Aunt Lizi hesitated. “He’s been asking about his parents a lot lately.”
“Why can’t you just tell him about them?”
“It’s much more complicated than I’d like to go into right now.”
“Funny. That’s exactly what my mom says when I ask about my father. No wonder Tanner is so upset.”
Aunt Lizi looked perturbed. “This is none of your business, missy.”
“Of course it’s my business!” Allora said, her anger boiling up. “You have no right to keep these things from us!”
“I think that it’s time for you to leave,” Aunt Lizi said, tearing up and pointing to the door.
Allora glared at the woman. “I really hope that when Tanner does learn the truth, he doesn’t resent you for the rest of your life.”
“I’ve already prepared for that, Allora. Just promise me that you’ll be there for him, that you won’t shy away from the most difficult of decisions when it comes to Tanner.”
Allora’s furrowed brow released, unsure of what to think by her comment.
“I don’t understand.”
“You will,” she replied.
Aunt Lizi slowly closed the door. After leaving in her mom’s minivan, Allora drove to the cul-de-sac near her home, parking next to the familiar pathway down to the river. After navigating through the woods, she saw the figure of a boy standing at the edge of the rushing water. Patches of snow covered the rocky shore. She slipped on a rock, causing her foot to splash in a puddle. Tanner spun around quickly upon hearing the sound.
“What are you doing here?”
“I came to talk,” Allora said, shaking off the water from her boot and walking toward the riverbank. Tanner just turned around and ignored her. “I had a nice conversation with your aunt.” Tanner chucked a pebble into the icy water. “Look, I’m sorry, Tanner.”
“For what?”
“Katie told me that you found my note,” Allora said. Tanner grabbed another pebble from the ground and tossed it into the water. “Why didn’t you just tell me that you found it?”
“Because I can’t blame you for something that I too have thought about,” he said, catching Allora off guard. “I’ve thought about leaving this town so many times over the last year.” He picked up another pebble, tossing it in the air and catching it. “Really, the only thing that has kept me here is you.”
Allora stared at him, feeling the pained energy that was flowing out from his body. Tanner caught her eye, turned, and stepped forward. As he got closer, Allora could smell the familiar cologne that wafted from his muscular neck. They inched closer, locking their eyes on each other confidently, without any fear. Tanner extended his right hand, gently placing his fingers in between hers. His icy-cold hands warmed in the embrace as the energy within them began to pulsate with their increased heartbeats. A tingling sensation flowed down their bodies, anticipating the moment that they had been dreaming about for so long. Tanner leaned in slightly, waiting for confirmation. Allora reciprocated, tilting forward. He conspicuously licked his lips as she closed her eyes. She then felt the warmth and gentle strength of his kiss pushing down upon her lips. Their bodies connected as he brushed back her hair, placing the loose strands behind her right ear. She melted completely into his embrace. He ran his finger down her cheek as he kissed her again.
Their bodies absorbed the energy around them, and their kiss became even more passionate. Suddenly, Allora’s body pushed the energy into her hands, and Tanner’s shirt caught fire. He felt the heat upon his skin and released from Allora’s lips. She screamed as he turned around, dancing into the shallows of the river. Panic-stricken, Allora pushed him down into the water. The flames were extinguished, but Tanner was completely soaked by the frigid water. He quickly got up
out of the river, a shocked expression on his face. Allora bit down on her teeth, squinting, with a guilty smile.
“Sorry,” she said, chuckling at the sight of Tanner standing with arms extended away from his sides, dripping from his soaked clothes.
“Talk about déjà vu,” Tanner said.
“Wait,” Allora said. “You can manipulate water molecules, remember?”
Tanner caught on to what Allora was suggesting, closed his eyes, and focused his attention on his waterlogged clothes. The water droplets began migrating toward his chest, crawling up from his soaked jeans. He pulled the water from his chest. He opened his eyes to see the circulating ball of water drop and splash at his feet. He ran his hands on his dry clothes, shocked and excited with the results.
“Sweet!”
He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and she wrapped her arms around his stomach, placing her head against his chest. They walked up to the van and waited in silence, unsure of what to say to each other.
“ Um, so, we are going to meet at Katie and Dax’s for a sleepover this weekend,” Allora said, interrupting the awkward silence.
“Any particular reason?” Tanner asked, accepting Allora’s attempt to change the subject.
“We may have found out why my uncle was so interested in this town,” Allora said, explaining in detail about what happened at the school wishing well. She quickly got into her van, rolling down the window while Tanner stood there.
“Are we going to talk about what just happened?”
“Yeah. I just need some time to think about it. I’m a little overwhelmed at the moment.”
He nodded in understanding.
“If it’s any consolation, I’m glad that it happened,” he said, his smile melting her emotions and causing her hands to melt the steering wheel.
“I am too,” she responded. “Maybe next time I won’t light you on fire.”
“So, there is going to be a next time?” he responded.
Upon smelling the burning material, she quickly came back to reality, turned the ignition, and sped off in reverse.
“ Um, I gotta go,” she said out her window.
He simply waved back and stuck his hands in his pockets as he watched her turn the corner.