Uninvited: A Paranormal Urban Fantasy Novel (The Dark Skies Trilogy Book Two) (16 page)

“
D
id
you know she would be there?” At ten to 4:00, I arrive at the gym, BrightSky in hand, for my second training sessions. Everything Señora Mariposa just said swirls around in my head.

“Who?” Jax asks.

“C’mon. Señora Mariposa?” I reply, standing in the gym with Jax.

“What?” he genuinely seems surprised. “No. She’s here?”

“Are you making fun of me?” I honestly can’t tell.

“Why would I do that?” he frowns. “I mean, it’s remarkably easy to make fun of you, but I’m not. Not right now. Let’s get started.”

I have my second training session at the gym that afternoon. Standing on the platform of the obstacle course, Jax calls up to me from the ground. “Okay, if you can make it through the course without falling, then we’ll skip the five-mile run at the end.”

“What five-mile run?” I react. “I’m not doing that. No way.”

He crosses his arms. “Yes, way.”

“I hate running.”

“Then don’t fall.” He cocks his head and grins. “I’ll even skip the tennis balls for the first run through. And you don’t have to bring your sword.”

“Wow. How generous.” I sigh, leaning the red umbrella against the wall then climbing up to the starting platform.

“Total piece of cake. All easy-peasy now.” Jax readies his stopwatch. “Ready, set, go!”

I start down the course, leaping to the trapeze bar and swinging across a ten-foot expanse, then through the tunnel, along the narrow balance beam, over a foam wall.

So far so good.

More than halfway through the course, I’m feeling strong. Next, I belly crawl under mock-razor wire, then hopscotch across fake rocks until my foot slips, and I wobble. Trying to regain my balance, I adjust too far back the opposite way and instead tumble to the floor.

“That was fantastic!” a female voice says from the end of the course.

I look up from the mat to see Calliope standing back at the starting platform holding my red umbrella. “Thanks,” I reply.

“Mr. Fitzgerald said I should come over here and join your training sessions,” she explains. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Jax’s face brighten. “I mean, if that’s okay?”

“Sure! The more the merrier,” Jax replies, waving her over. “Astrid could use a little company. Especially on her five-mile run.”

“Oh! I love running,” Calliope smiles.

Of course, she does.

I feel really uncomfortable seeing her holding BrightSky, even in her cloaked umbrella form. “Hey, um, could I have my umbrella back?”

“This is your’s?”

“Yep.”

She looks at the wooden hooked handle then twirls it around over her head easily transforming BrightSky into the gleaming sword of stardust.

I gasp. Even Jax looks stunned. No one else is supposed to be able to uncloak my sword.

“I like your weapon. Very impressive,” she holds the hilt out for me to take. “Surely, she has served you well.”

“How did you— I mean,” I say, feeling slightly calmer with BrightSky back in my possession. “I was told only I could change her form.”

“Really?” Calliope seems surprised. “I never heard that.”

“Did you bring your weapons,” Jax says to Calliope, who has arrived empty-handed.

She nods. “They are always with me.” She pulls two chignons sticks that hold her bun in place and her silky hair tumbles down around her shoulder. The delicate glossy blacked painted hair accessories, that resemble very ornate chopsticks, are only about six inches long.

Holding one in each hand, she makes an effortless flourish with her wrist and a pair of wicked looking short blades appear.

Her sword isn’t a sword. It’s two swords.

“Whoa! Short blades. Nice!” Jax leans in excited to see them.

“They are named NightShade and DawnsFog,” she tells us holding each up as she names them. Similar to BrightSky, they're forged from a rose-gold metal that sparkles crisply in the light.

“Change of plan. Let’s begin with some sparring exercises.” Jax is eager to see the two of us matched against each other. I’m sure he can’t wait to see her kick my butt.

“Yes, of course.” Calliope nods serenely. “But first, I would like to try your obstacle course. If you don’t mind.”

“Fantastic!” Jax claps. “I’ll make the same deal with you that I made with Astrid. If you make it all the way across without falling, then you don’t have to run at the end of this workout.”

“How many people have made it all the way on their first try?” she asks.

“None,” Jax answers flatly. “But there’s always a first.”

Calliope recloaks her short blades and secures them in her hair as she climbs up on the starting pedestal. At the starting mark, she wrings her hands. “Oh gosh, I’m nervous.”

“Just give it your best,” Jax reassures her. “No pressure.”

Ready, set, go, Calliope begins. She gracefully leaps, grabbing the trapeze bar, looping up and back, then letting go and turning a perfect somersault in the air.

When she sticks the landing, I know I’m in trouble.

With surprising ease and smooth agility, she jumps, climbs, crawls, balances and bounces her way effortlessly across the course.

Timing her progress, Jax keeps looking down at his stopwatch with his mouth hanging open.

“How’s her time?” I ask.

“She’s currently beating the course record held by Tyler the Navy SEAL. He’s also a former four-time international obstacle course champion.”

Watching her only confirms what I know in my heart. I am not the chosen one. Who would want me to save the universe when they could have Calliope?

Normally, this all would make me feel super insecure and worthless. But my star-sister is about to get me out of running five miles. You’ve got to look for the silver lining, right?

But then, the inconceivable happens.

As Calliope comes to the last of the 20 obstacles, she hesitates. It’s an easy climb over a short five-foot high foam mat. She backs up and starts again, but something goes wrong, and she’s falling.

C
alliope has somehow miscalculated
the wall and tumbles to the mat.

“Are you okay?” Jax asks, dashing to her side and fawning over her.

“I'm all right,” she sits up smiling and smoothing her hair.

She blew it on one of the easiest parts of the course. She lost it on an obstacle my 60-year-old math teacher could get over.

I’m not buying this. It’s as if she fell on purpose.

“What happened?” Even Jax seems surprised. “You were so close. No one has ever made it that far, that fast, on their first attempt.”

Calliope looks disappointed as she reaches up to take Jax’s hand. “I don’t know what happened. I guess I used up all of my energy and couldn’t make it over that wall.”

Why would she intentionally throw the race and a new course record?

“Let me get you some water,” Jax says, practically falling over himself to assist her.

As he walks away, Calliope slides over to my side. A sly smile turns the corner of her heart-shaped lips up, and she whispers, “Bet you thought I was going to make it to the end. But I didn’t want to ruin our chance to go for a run later.”

“What?” I can’t believe my ears. “Jax thinks you actually missed the wall and fell.”

“I know.” She’s so proud of herself. “You don’t have to thank me. I’m sure you would have done the same for me, sister.”

An hour passes as Jax puts us through our paces. We run the obstacle course a few more times, then do a little bow staff work.

Jax finally says, “Well, the time has come, ladies. We’re nearly done. Except, of course, for the five-mile run.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” I ask. “Leaving the compound, I mean? Is it safe?”

“Fitz and his team have this area locked down tighter than the belt around fat Brother Frank’s wool pants.”

An image of Brother Frank, who weighs north of 300 pounds, fills my brain. “That’s mean. But I get your point.”

We head out the back of the gym to the trail that edges along the forest.

“Okay, as far as paths go, it’s ladies choice.” He claps his hands happily and points at two diverging paths, each heading in a different direction. “The left path makes a big loop around the area - just over five miles. The right path heads down the hill then over a creek. It’s not as long, but you have the hill to deal with.”

Before I can answer, Calliope says, “Let’s do the hill trail. I like hills.”

Of course she does.

Jax turns to me. “Okay by you, Astrid?”

I don’t want to look like the slacker I actually am, so instead I nod, “Oh sure. The hilly path sounds divine. How far should we go past the creek?”

Jax shrugs, “If you get to Canada, you’ve gone too far.”

Calliope and I start down the trail at a reasonable pace. Like a rhythmic meditation, we run silently for the first half mile.

Surrounded by lush, verdant forest, Calliope eventually breaks the reverie. “I always wanted a sister. And I know we’re not blood sisters, but I’m still glad I found you.”

“I always wanted a sister, too. Or a brother. Any family.”

“Can I ask you something?” I hear the hesitation in her voice.

“Um… sure,” I reply.

“Is there something going on between you and Jax?”

I look at her sideways. “What do you mean?”

“It’s just, I sort of thought there’s an energy between you guys. Maybe you were a couple.”

“Nope,” I reply more curtly than I meant. Bella thought the same thing. Now I’m wondering if other people suspect the same thing. “Nothing at all.”

“I dunno. He’s kind of cute.”

“He’s all your’s then,” I say, then explain. “I sort of have a thing for this other guy. The one we brought back from the trip to the lake.”

“The Horlock?” Calliope replies.

“He wasn’t a Horlock until very recently,” I say, defensively. “And that’s my fault. He was captured trying to protect me.”

“I was betrothed back on Fluxrun,” she tells me, her voice low with regret. “He was a prince, next in line for the crown. But I was forced to leave before…”

Her words trail away, but I hear the sadness underneath. I knew that she lost her guardian, but it hadn’t occurred to me that she probably left others behind as well. Like I always have to leave people behind.

“I’m sorry to hear that. Is he still…”

“Alive?” she finishes my sentence. “Last I heard, he was able to escape the destruction of the star system. But I don’t know where he’s gone.”

As we slope downhill, I notice that she is no longer half a pace behind me, she is now half a pace in front of me.

“I do so love to run,” she adds. “Especially after being cooped up on that stupid spaceship for so long.”

I pick up my speed. “You’re fast.”

She does the same. “So are you. Race you to the creek?”

“You’re on.”

Back and forth we go, running faster and faster. First, I’m in the lead, then she passes me.

Soon, we’re in a full-on sprint. As she passes me, I catch a quick glimpse of her face. Her ever-present smile has been replaced by a hard look of determination. She wants to win. She wants to beat me.

My competitive juices kick in too. There is no way I’m going to let her win.

As a Lyrian, there are a couple of things about me that are different from your average human teenage girl. One of the best things is that I'm super fast. The fastest human can reach top speeds of about 25 miles per hour. Meanwhile, the cheetah tops out at about 60 m.p.h. I'm somewhere in between those two.

Apparently, Pledians can run super fast as well.

Soon, we're speeding down the trail at a dangerous pace.

Coming around a turn at the bottom of another little hill, we see water has pooled at the base of the hill causing a slick mud puddle to form.

At the turn, we both slip, losing our footing.

I feel her hands, reaching out to me, grabbing on me. We’re careening off the path, tumbling. The prickly branches stab and poke.

Flying through the air, we're headed toward the stream. Face first I hit the shallow water. Calliope is right behind me, practically on my back. Her full weight lands on me as I sink to the bottom of the silty creek like a rock.

I’m descending into the cold slimy mud, but Calliope is not getting off my back.

We’re in the middle of the woods, the middle of nowhere. If she wanted to, she could drown me.

I'm so stupid. I actually believe that she was being nice. And, by the way, how stupid is everyone else? Jack's let me run out here with her all by myself. He’ll feel pretty dumb when I'm dead. Serves him right. Making us run five miles.

I don’t want these to be my last thoughts.

I push down, trying to get to the surface. But I can’t rise high enough to get any air.

Just as the last of the oxygen seeps from my burning lungs, the weight on my back is released.

A hand pulls me towards the surface.

In a flash, I'm out of the water, gasping for air. Calliope pulls me to the muddy bank.

Lying on the wet ground, she collapses next to me laughing her head off, like this is the most fun she’s ever had.

Still catching my breath, I turn to look at her like she's a lunatic.

“Are you okay?” she asks, still giggling.

I force a smile. “C’mon, let’s head back.”

As we return to the compound, uphill this time, Calliope quietly says. “Hey Astrid, sorry about your Horlock boyfriend.”

“Sorry about your prince,” I reply.

She nods graciously.

Then I can't help but say, “By the way, I won. I got to the creek first.”

“
G
ood morning
, handsome,” I say, quietly stroking Tom’s head.

His eyes flutter open, and he makes that little fluttering sound from the back of his throat like the world’s biggest cat purring. Still sleeping in the stables, his breathing sounds more regular.

“He’s doing a whole lot better today,” Jax says, poking his head around the corner while scribbling something onto his tablet.

“I’m so relieved to hear that,” I say, leaning in and stroking Tom’s neck.

“We’ll check his blood again later, but the infection were way down last night,” Jax continues giving the medical report.

As he talks, I can’t help but think how much more intelligent and sophisticated he seems as a vet than he did as a house painter. It’s funny how we make snap judgments about people based on something like what they do for a living.

“That’s all good news.”

“We’ll know he’s really recovered when he can shapeshift again. He’s not safe on this planet in his current form. It’s vital that a creature this large can cloak himself to stay hidden. Until then, he has to stay in the stables.”

My spirits lifted by this news, I spend a busy morning walking and feeding the rest of the menagerie. Physical work always calms my restless body and mind.

Wandering up to the front of the stables an hour later, I’m surprised to find Bella wearing baggy gray coveralls and driving a tiny little forklift around.

“Hey, just the girl I wanted to see!” she downshifts, slowing the vehicle to a stop.

“I like your ride,” I say, looking at the empty forks of the forklift. However, by the number of rectangular bales of hay laying around, I can tell that she’s making a wall of hay.

“I want to teach you how to operate Dolores here,” she says.

“Is she an alien life form too?” I ask.

“Nah. Standard issue American made.” She hops out of the driver’s seat, “It’s not that hard. And it’s actually pretty fun.”

“How come everyone is suddenly desperate for me to drive?” I ask.

“Have you ever driven a stick-shift before?” she asks holding onto a long metal rod with a ball on the end of it that I figure must be the “stick” part of the shift.

“Didn’t stick-shifts go out like a century ago?“ I reply.

“Not on mini-pronged-five-speed-forklifts like Dolores here.” She motions for me to sit in the driver’s seat.

“Her name is Dolores?” I ask.

“She’s the big sister to our first forklift Gladys, who’s parked out back.”

Bella gives me a lesson on how to use the little forklift. Surprisingly, it doesn’t take me that long to figure the whole clutch/stick thing out. After about ten minutes, I’m up-shifting and down-shifting like a pro and zooming around the stables like the badass I am.

After twenty minutes of using Dolores to pick up hay bales and getting them stacked up, Calliope wanders in. I slow the forklift and shift into neutral.

“Hi,” she says, smiling shyly as everyone in the stables - including the animals - all turn to her and stare.

“Well hello,” I reply as I notice for the first time that Calliope’s smile seems to light up the room.

No wonder everyone is staring at her.

“I came to see your Tom.” She raises a paper bag. “I brought him a little gift. Whenever my Raki’s not feeling well, this always helps.”

I throw Dolores into park and hop out. “That’s very kind of you.”

“If you love your guardian half as much as I love mine, then I’m sure you’re worried sick,” Calliope smiles kindly.

“Raki loves to eat three-legged Alcyone grazers, so I asked Mr. Fitzgerald if there was something similar on this planet. He called the kitchen staff, and they were able to get this for Tom.” She hands me the sack.

“Oh gosh…” I nearly drop it, because the bag weighs more than I was expecting.

Inside is something the size of a paperback novel wrapped in butcher paper. I pull it out, unraveling a corner far enough to see a partial leg bone.

I force a smile despite the wave of disgust rippling through me. “Is this… from a cow?”

“Yes!” she beams. “I asked them to leave some meat on for him.”

Together, we walk over to Tom’s stall in the outdoor paddock. He must smell the meat because his head eagerly pops up as we approach.

He also starts to make a low guttural growling that I’ve never heard before. I’m not sure, but it sounds like he’s angry.

“What a cute little thing!” Calliope says, gazing at him, totally ignoring the growling. “I’ve never seen such a petite drolgon before.”

Petite? Okay fine, her drolgon is bigger than mine, but that doesn’t make Tom small.

The growling gets louder. Tom doesn’t seem to like Calliope.

To distract him, I remove the bone from the bag. I try not to wince at the meat and dripping red liquid. “Hey you! Look what Calliope brought you.”

I pretty much just feed Tom dried cat food out of a bag, so I’m not sure if he’ll like this.

But as soon as I set it down, Tom grabs the end with his teeth, flips the bone up in the air, and catches it in his opens mouth as it sails back down. We hear loud crunching as he demolishes the whole thing in ten seconds flat.

“Oh good! He likes it,” Calliope smiles and Tom swallows. “Perhaps the nice people in the kitchen can get you more.”

“Thank you for introducing me to something that makes him so happy.”

Calliope seems overjoyed. She loops her arm through mine. “That’s what sisters are for!”

“Would you like to see the rest of the stables?” I ask.

“That would be great,” she says, and I realize that she has the enthusiasm of a kid on a big adventure. Everything must seem new and incredible to her.

“Oh, I love Gruminian Short Noses! They’re so sweet,” she says as we pass an enclosure filled with foot long scaly worm-like lumps. Sweet is not a word that seems applicable— in this world or any other.

She recognizes several of our creatures.

When we stroll past the stall of a docile Kleebian Yak, she backs away in fear. “Oh gosh! Aren’t you afraid to keep that creature in here with the others?”

“Um, I don’t know,” I say. The slow moving yak seems pretty docile.

“That monster will kill everything in here,” Calliope says.