Uninvited: A Paranormal Urban Fantasy Novel (The Dark Skies Trilogy Book Two) (12 page)

I
wake
up to find Jax staring at me with a weird crooked grin plastered across his face.

“What?” I swing my legs around and sit up on the cot. It takes a moment to clear my head from sleep and remember why I’m here.

“You snore,” he says.

“No, I don’t,” I reply.

“You do.” He turns toward Tom, who’s still asleep on his side. “Like a truck driver.”

“Even if I do, it’s not as bad as staring at sleeping people,” I respond. “Kind of creepy.”

“Please. No one was staring at you,” he replies. “I was doing a morning check on Tom, but I couldn’t concentrate because of the crazy loud snoring. Like a chainsaw.”

I’m on my feet, ready to tell him how incredibly rude he is when he adds, “But you’ll be glad to know that Tom’s vitals are stronger this morning. We didn’t find any toxicity in his blood, so we’re hopeful that all he needs is time for his wounds to heal.”

All of my anger melts away at this good news. “You don’t know how relieved I am to hear that.”

“I just gave him another sedative,” Jax tells me. “I want him resting quietly. I’m afraid he’ll try to find you if he wakes up and you’ve gone to class or back to the dorm.”

I sit back down. “Then I’ll just stay here.”

“Except, Fitz wants to see you over at HQ in the eye.” He hands me a slip of paper which turns out to be an official pass into the headquarters building.

“Why?” I ask.

“He didn’t say.”Tanaka

I pull on clean jeans and a sweatshirt that Ruby dropped off this morning while I was still sleeping, then I head over to the Eye in the Sky building.

I’ve been curious about what’s inside this chrome and glass building with the telescope attached to the roof. The outside looks official and imposing.

No one notices me when I first enter the dark atrium. Before approaching the security desk, I stand in the shadows for a moment, looking through the big glass window that leads into a centralized command center that probably rivals NASA’s mission control.

Agent Tanaka spots me and approaches. I get the feeling he’s been waiting for me. “Hey Astrid, I know Fitz is eager to see you. Let me get you checked in.”

After I pass through the security checkpoint and get a badge, Tanaka ushers me to a big office on the far side of the building.

We pass banks of monitors, some showing live video, while others have technological information scrolling across them. At least twenty people, most wearing headsets, monitor this flood of information.

I overhear a conversation between an efficient looking woman who looks like a manager and a young bearded hipster/nerd handing her a printout. “… was spotted last night over the Minnesota/Canadian border.”

“Draconian?” the boss lady asks.

The hipster/nerd shakes his head but seems uncertain. “I don’t think so. Too small to be a cloaked Draconian craft. Might be Grays.”

As Tanaka and I approach a large conference room, I see half a dozen adults - four men and two women - clustered around something on a long table.

I hesitate in the doorway until Fitz, wearing a stern expression, sees me. “Astrid, come in. I hear Tom’s doing better. And your uncle too.”

I force a grin. “Maybe we’ll all be able to get out of your hair soon.”

“Tired of us already?” Fitz asks in a light tone.

“No, you guys are great.”

As I step into the office, I get a glimpse of what they’ve all been studying. They’re looking at the two mysterious peach colored notes.

My eyes go wide, and I’m unable to hide my shock. “How did you get these?”

“I’m sorry, Astrid,” says a familiar female voice behind me.

I turn to see Ruby leaning nervously against the wall. I hadn’t noticed her when I came in.

I feel my expression harden as she tries to explain, “I know you’re going to be super mad that I turned these in, but when Tom got attacked last night, I knew Fitz had to know about the notes.”

“Don’t be angry with your friend, Astrid,” Fitz says. “She may have just saved your life.”

“Why didn’t you ask me first?” I ask Ruby.

“You wouldn’t have turned these over,” she replies, and I know she’s right.

“Do you know who they’re from?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “We’re investigating.”

That translates to - they have no clue either.

Simmons speaks up, “I’m not convinced that these notes are threatening.”

O’Malley objects, “I don’t see how we can look at them as anything other than a threat.”

“I’m considering the tone,” she counters. “It’s nothing but friendly. I don’t think we should jump to conclusions.”

Fitz intervenes before this conversation can get more heated. “Either way, we need to proceed with caution.”

A hush falls over the room.

Fitz turns to me. “Why don’t you tell us when and where you found these?”

“I’m not telling you anything unless you promise not to take me away from my uncle,” I say defiantly. “Or Tom.”

Fitz nods in understanding. “You thought we were going to separate you from your guardians?”

I nod. “Wouldn’t you.”

I can see he’s trying to decide how best to answer. “There’s no place safer for you right now than here, Astrid. We won’t send you away. But, please help us and tell us about the notes.”

I sigh. At this point, I might as well. “I found the first note two days ago on the morning that Ruby and I left the motel near Sacramento. It was tucked under the windshield wiper blade of my uncle’s pickup truck.”

“And you didn't see anyone near or around the truck? No one unusual has approached or spoken to you?” Simmons asks me.

“No, nothing like that,” I reply with a shrug. “In fact, it was almost weird that the area was so completely and totally empty.”

“We have to acknowledge the possibility that this means that whoever wrote these notes could be terrestrial or non-terrestrial,” Fitz says to his group. “Tell us about the second note.”

“I was out exercising one of those crazy creatures from the stables. We ran along the treeline on the path down to a creek, then turned around to come back. I found this one tacked to one of the old oak trees by the yellow gates.”

“You left the compound?” Fitz asks.

“Yes.”

He frowns but decides to let that go for now. “Did it seem like someone was following you? Did you see anyone else on the path?”

“No, no one,” I say and then hesitate. “But there were footprints. And… a couple of times, it’s felt like someone is watching me. I haven’t seen anyone. I just got a weird feeling inside, and it spooked me.”

“What did you do after you found the note on the tree?”

“Sparky and I ran like heck back to the stables. What would you do?”

“That’s what I would do too,” Fitz replies and everyone in the room laughs which breaks the tension.

Fitz's cell phone rings. He doesn't bother with hello. “What's the report?” He listens for a moment nodding solemnly. “Excellent. But I want the entire area swept again.” He hangs up. “They didn’t find anything.”

“Could be an inside job,” Simmons suggests. “Who or whatever attacked Tom could have sent these notes.”

“I think that’s highly likely,” Tanaka agrees. “Probable, even.”

“I'm putting an extra guard on the dorm and on every entrance to the school,” Fitz says. Then sternly adds, “For your safety, Astrid, I have to insist that you stay within the compound.”

“Fine,” I say curtly. “Can I go?”

Fitz looks at me with softened eyes. “I know it feels like I’m punishing you. And it doesn't seem fair. But you have to believe me when I say we're doing this to keep you safe.”

“Can I go?” I repeat.

“Yes.” When I’m nearly out the door, he calls to me, “And by the way, if I were you I’d thank my friend Ruby for bringing this to our attention. She must care an awful lot about you to do something that she knows is going to make you so mad.” He answers his buzzing cell phone again and turns away.

Ruby appears in the doorway. She looks nervous.

Am I mad? Darn right, I'm mad. She should've come to me and not snuck out with the letters. But I know Fitz is right. She did it because she didn't want me to get hurt.

Finally, I say, “Well, are you coming back to school or not?”

She tries to hide it, but I see her wipe a tear from her eye. “Yes, I’m coming.”

“
W
ant
to come get coffee with us?” Bella asks me just as I walk into the stables after lunch.

“Right now?” I ask, wondering if it’s okay to leave before I even get started.

“Waylon invited a bunch of stable kids to run over to the cafe,” Bella says. “Why don't you come with us? Ruby’s coming too.”

“Oh gosh, I don't want to leave Tom. Also then I should go back up to see my uncle. He’s so much stronger today.“

“You’ve either been here or up with your uncle all day and all night,” Ruby counters. “I think you can probably spare half an hour to get something to eat.”

She’s right in that I’ve barely taken a break. And I’m starving.

“Okay,” I reluctantly agree.

Apparently, Benedictine monks are fabulous bakers.

There's a bakery/coffee shop at the edge of the compound run by a group of monks. In the last few decades, they've made a fortune selling their bread and pastries on the internet. That way, no one knows exactly where they’re located, and the mysterious legend of St. Benedicts can remain intact.

I feel a nervous twinge when I see that the bakery lies on the border of the compound and the forest. It’s not far from where I discovered the second note.

“What’s wrong?” Ruby asks, reading the concern on my face as we step inside the bakery.

I shake off my fear and smile. “Nothing. I just realized I haven’t had a real caramel vanilla latte in, like, three days. I’m surprised that withdrawal hasn’t already killed me.”

The dim lighting and heavy dark wood of the coffee shop feel like you’ve stepped into Medieval Europe.

“Oh man, smells like they just made fresh cookies.” Bella breathes in the warm sugary aroma.

“Apparently they're famous for their peanut butter bars,” Ruby tells me. “And their brownies are as big as your head.”

“My head or your head? Because your head is way bigger.”

A smiling monk in blue jeans, a Mariners baseball cap and a name tag that read “Brother Doug” takes our order.

The group consists of me, Ruby, Bella, Waylon and four other kids I just met at the stable. They're nice enough not to ask me about what happened with Tom.

Ruby probably suggested that we don't discuss it. But I’m sure they’re wondering how it is that I have a Lesser Valarian Drolgon as a pet.

This probably means that the cat is out of the bag with everyone in regards to the whole alien thing.

Yep, I’m an alien, folks. Get used to it.

Still, even though they’re trying desperately not to be awkward around me, I have to admit it's nice just to sit and drink my latte and not have to worry about everything else that’s going on for a little while.

Flirting up a storm, Ruby sits next to Waylon. It’s cute to see her crush on someone who isn’t a certified bad boy. I’m pretty sure there’s a picture of Waylon next to the word “wholesome” in the dictionary.

I'm having a positively great time until the conversation takes a weird left turn.

“Yeah, I totally get the feeling that Dr. J has a thing for you, Astrid,” Bella says giggling.

“What?” I scowl. “That's bananas.”

“Oh, I’ve always thought that,” Ruby adds, ignoring my dirty look.

“He's definitely different when he's around her,” Bella tells the group.

“Except, he spent a good portion of yesterday trying to kill me with a tennis ball. If that's how he shows affection, then I think I'll pass.”

Ruby tells the group, “The trouble is Astrid’s heart belongs to another.”

“What? Who?” Bella can’t believe this.

“Our friend Chad,” Ruby says, then manages to tell them all about Chad without mentioning the fact that he’s been kidnapped by the evil Horlocks.

After some discussion, it is decided that Bella is the captain for Team-Jax, while Ruby is captain for Team-Chad.

“I’m sorry to break it to you guys, but my life is not a vampire love story,” I inform them, then stand up. “Where's the bathroom anyway?”

“Last door at the end of the hall,” Bella points. “You have to get the key from Brother Doug.”

Walking down the dimly lit hallway, I almost miss the bathroom door and head outside instead. Sliding the key in the lock, I step inside the small bathroom and flip on the light. I turn to the sink to see a peach-colored slip of paper taped to the mirror.

It’s the third note.

Red ink reads: “Blondes make the best victims. They’re like virgin snow that shows up the bloody footprints.” Alfred Hitchcock.

Yep. That's when I freak out.

Someone is stalking me. Hunting me. How did they know I would be here? And that I used to have white-blonde hair? Is it one of the kids out there?

I have to get back. I should never have come. I don't know why I'm so stupid.

And why don’t I have BrightSky with me? AGAIN!

Who cares if people think it’s odd that I carry a red umbrella on a perfectly clear day? Eventually, they’ll just think of it as an odd little quirk. I should always have her with me. Always.

In a full blown panic, I push my way out into the dark narrow hallway of the coffee shop.

My heart is in my throat. It’s all I can do not to scream.

I take two steps when a girl with raven black hair, wearing a strange shimmery peach colored jumpsuit steps out, blocking my path.

She’s clutching a long dagger in her hand.

The strange rose-tinted blade glints in the pale light of the narrow hall.

By the way the blade shines in the light, I know it’s an alien metal. Perhaps just like the blade the Crimson Lord used to cut me. And the one that stabbed my uncle.

“Sister,” she says with a strange smile and bright eyes. “I have come for you.”