Rise of Alpha (The Prodian Journey #1) (34 page)

“Now, let’s welcome the homecoming king, queen, and their court for the customary dance,” Mr. Delson announced.
 

“Here goes nothing,” I mumbled to myself while ushering Shannon down to the middle of the dance floor. When the music began playing, I felt a shiver run down my spine, which had everything to do with my overflowing affection for the girl in my arms. Thank God we moved seamlessly together without any disasters until the song ended.
 
It felt so good to be accepted for the way I was, like I wasn’t an outsider looking in anymore. But the best part was that Shannon was positively glowing in my arms.
 

We kept dancing when the next song began, and soon Car appeared with a jaw-dropping woman on his arm. She looked like she’d just walked out of a fashion magazine, making the girls around her seem like little children in their best party dresses. Her hair was black as night and reached the small of her back, and her dark gown hugged her curves, leaving every boy in the room dry-mouthed.

“Congrats, guys,” Car said when they moved closer to us.
 

Shannon and I murmured our quick thanks.
 

Car wasn’t bad-looking himself. His hair was slicked back, and without his usual garb, he seemed almost normal.
 

“This is Orida. She’s a friend from out of town,” he said by way of introduction.
 

The woman’s smile was gracious when she inclined her head. Her violet eyes flicked to Shannon for a brief moment before she turned her attention to me.
 

“It’s nice to meet the stars of the night.” Orida’s voice sounded like sweet velvet—husky and smooth, and I fought not to gape at her.

The music turned fast again, and this time, I strutted around with confidence. Darryl and his date joined us a few minutes later, and we ruled the dance floor until our feet ached. Shannon didn’t seem to mind that my version of dancing was just a lot of twitching, coupled with spastic jerks.
 

At midnight, exhausted but happy, we piled into the waiting limousine.
 

“How about a late night birthday dinner?” Mark asked while the driver guided the vehicle away from the hotel.

“Denny’s!” Darryl and I said in unison.

Mark lowered the glass divider and spoke with the driver. “Hey, Mike. Can you take us to the Denny’s on Vermont, please?”
 

I was famished. The hotel’s chicken had tasted like plastic, and eating had been the last thing on my mind while I was busy dancing with Shannon.
 

During our drive to the restaurant, I felt my skin prickle several times. I looked out the window and wasn’t surprised to find several Ergans running alongside our vehicle. With a subtle nod and raised eyebrows, I managed to send Mark and Darryl a silent message. They looked outside and patted their pockets, understanding my warning.
 

It was not a surprise to find Car and Orida waiting on the sidewalk at the restaurant. Leaning against Car’s motorcycle, they looked like biker models.
 
Then Matro showed himself to me, and I knew that this had something to do with our unwanted escorts. It made me wonder if Orida had any idea that she wasn’t hanging out with an ordinary group of kids.

They met us by the entrance, and Car held the door for us. “Don’t worry your regal head about anything tonight. We’ve got you covered,” he whispered.

With that promise, I allowed myself to relax. We sat at a long table, Shannon to my right and Orida next to her. The server was taking our drink orders when a news report on the television caught my eye.
 

In all the excitement, I’d forgotten about the dream that had plagued me. “Excuse me,” I exclaimed and moved closer to the television by the counter. “Can you increase the volume, please?” I asked another server. She threw me a disgruntled glance but did as I’d asked.

“The tsunami has left twenty people dead in the small Caribbean nation,” the newscaster was saying. “According to initial reports, the phenomenon was caused by an underwater disturbance. Geological and volcanic experts have gathered together and are predicting that further seismic events are likely, and the death toll could be high.”

“Hey, guys!” I beckoned Mark and Darryl, trying to ignore the feeling of tics building and rolling into a tight coil inside me. The moment of shock had pushed me close to the edge. How could I have missed it? The threat was massive. Nothing and no one could take an event like this lightly.
 

The guys rushed to my side, and Car also turned to watch the news unfold.

“Fuckkkkk.” I clamped my mouth shut and braced my shoulders while a round of tics shuddered through me.
 

“What the hell is going on?” Mark asked.

“This is the dream. It’s going to happen. So many people are gonna die. What should I do?” Panic was in my voice.

“Calm down, boy, it will be a while before we find out what’s going on,” a man seated at the counter piped in.

I ignored his remark and shook my head. “We have to tell someone. Warn everyone. Give them time to prepare.”

“The trouble is, we don’t know where it’s headed yet,” Darryl said, glancing back at the television.

“He’s right. Who do we even call?” Mark asked.

Car came up and pulled us aside, out of earshot. “Those bastards are getting you worked up,” he said. “This is something that was going to happen no matter what. They’re trying to get you all scrambled and worried so you lose your focus. I’m almost positive that they are working on something as we speak.”

Mark, Darryl, and I looked at each other. “I don’t know if I can sit around and wait.” I was beginning to feel light-headed, so I loosened my tie.
 

“Well, you have to. Let’s wait for the next report. In the meantime, we’ll let Matro know what’s going on. He’ll figure out what to do. I suggest that you don’t lose sight of what’s really important. You need to protect Shannon.” Car glanced at the women and whispered, “This is how cunning our enemies are. They’ve got you wrapped around their slimy fingers.”

“What should we do, then?” Mark sagged against the wall.

“Sit tight and go about your business. Orida and I will keep an eye on everything.”
 

After a few minutes of deep breathing, I calmed down enough to return to the table. Shannon took my hand, and her warm fingers entwined with my clammy ones. “Brian, what’s going on?”

She’d used my real name, a rare occurrence. I knew she could sense that something was wrong. In an attempt to reassure her, I said, “Oh, I just got a little excited over the news. I’ve been following tsunamis since I was a kid.” Okay. That made me sounded geekier than ever.
 

She narrowed her eyes at me for a long time before she spoke. “I know you’re keeping something from me, but I won’t press tonight. You can tell me in the morning.”
 

Under normal circumstances, I would have joked about it and maybe even teased her, but I had the sinking feeling that she wasn’t going to let it go, so I nodded instead.
 

I chewed on my country fried steak without tasting it, trying to maintain the celebratory atmosphere for Shannon’s sake. It was supposed to be a magical night, and regardless of my fears, I intended to leave her with wonderful memories. I wouldn’t let anything ruin the evening for her.

Casualty

The limousine dropped us off in front of Shannon’s house. From a distance, I could make out the idling engine of Car’s motorcycle. The distinct, fetid scent of sweat wafted in the air, reminding me of our enemy’s presence. I guided Shannon up the darkened front steps. The porch lights came on, and Gilbert opened the door.

“I was getting a snack when I heard the limousine pull up,” he explained and threw a quick glance outside before stepping aside to let Shannon in.

I assumed a goodnight kiss wasn’t happening since we had an audience. Though I was disappointed, Shannon’s safety came first. That was the rational part of me speaking. The other part of me was pitching a fit that I had to miss this chance.
 

“I’ll talk to you in the morning?” Shannon asked, flashing a sweet smile that made me want to take her into my arms.

Instead of reacting to my adolescent urges, I slipped my hands into my pockets and kept them there. “I’ll call you.”
 

To my utter surprise, Shannon leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek. A flush of heat radiated across my body at the contact, and all I could do was grin back like an idiot. Good things were worth waiting for, and she was a perfect example of something that was worth the wait.
 

“Thanks for the perfect night, Curly,” she whispered before closing the door between us.
 

Perfect
. What more could I have asked for? Whistling, I skipped across their lawn to ours. It felt like I’d conquered the world. Nothing could dampen my high. I let myself into the house and was surprised to spy a light under my parents’ bedroom door. With no reason now to tiptoe, I climbed the stairs, all the while basking in the glow of Shannon’s lips touching my skin.
 

I stopped in front of my parents’ bedroom door and pressed my ear against the wood.
 

“Brian, is that you?” Mom asked.

“Yeah.” I turned the knob and pushed the door open. I expected to see her reading while my dad sprawled on the bed, snoring. Instead, she was in her housecoat and pacing the floor. Her puffy eyes met mine.
 

“What’s wrong?” I looked at the empty bed. “Where’s Dad?”

“I don’t know. It’s so unlike him not to call if he’s running late.” She stopped pacing to pull a tissue from the pocket of her robe.

“Maybe his phone battery died?” Yeah. That sounded lame even to me.

“I don’t know. I have a bad feeling about this.” Mom sniffed.

True. Dad had always been responsible when it came to calling if he was caught up in surgery or a meeting. Besides, being a cosmetic surgeon, most of his surgeries were scheduled during the day and never on weekends. He always was home right after work, and if there were functions or galas, Mom went with him.

“C’mon, Mom. Maybe Dad went out for drinks with his friends. He’ll be home soon.” I tried to sound upbeat, hoping it would settle her frayed nerves.
 

“I’m going to wait up for him. Go to bed. It’s late.”
 

Late? It was early morning, but I wasn’t going to point that out. “Okay, but you have to get some sleep, too.” I kissed her on the forehead.
 

The door was almost closed when she called out, “How was the dance?”
 

I poked my head back in the door. “It was fun. I’m homecoming king.”
   

Despite her obvious misery, Mom smiled and beckoned me. “My little boy is all grown up.” She wrapped her hands around me. “I’m sure your dad will be so happy to hear about it.”

“It’s gotta be the suit, Mom.”

She tried to smile. “It’s all you baby boy.”

In my bedroom, I lay awake for some time, worried about my dad. The floorboards made steady creaking noises while Mom continued her nonstop pacing. I rubbed Matro’s calling card. Maybe he could help find my father.
 

He came right way. “You rang?”

“My dad hasn’t come home. It’s so unlike him not to show or call. Can you just do a drive by his office just in case?”

My own concern was reflected in his eyes. “Sure I can. Try to get some rest.”

Sleep came soon. Instead of happy dreams of Shannon, the same old nightmare plagued me. I was awakened around 5 a.m. by a loud wail from my parent’s bedroom.

I stumbled out of bed and ran to their room. “Mom, what’s going on?” I found her slumped on the side of the bed, her face buried in her hands.

When she looked up, terror and anguish were written all over her face. She sobbed, then hiccupped, and I dropped to my knees to gather her in my arms.
 

“A night cleanup crew . . . found your dad . . . ” She broke down before she could finish.
 

“What, Mom? What about Dad?”