Coalescence (Camden Investigations Book 1) (12 page)

Ron’s eyes
grew wide in response. “This is crazy. That’s why I’ve kept to myself. Don’t
you see what’s happening to you?”

She released
his arm. “I’m sorry. I don’t know . . .”

“Dammit,”
Ron muttered. “We never truly believed in consequence. I should never have
encouraged you, Iris.”

“No. Don’t
say that.” She bent toward him and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. She needed
her friend. What’s more she needed a normal response from him.

His response
was cautious. As if something still had him in its grip and was directing him.
She wondered what would have happened if she had let Ron know about her
personal feelings toward him back then. Would he be behaving so guardedly now?

“Ron, I know
you’ve always liked me.”
Shit, I can’t believe I just said that, just did
that. But desperate measures
 . . . “Something is clearly
affecting you. I won’t accept it’s your mind. You are too strong willed. So,
tell me. Please . . . just tell me.”

A few
minutes passed. Ron told her of the ship that haunted him; a vision that had
struck every few weeks with the same consistency over the years. It interrupted
his waking moments. It was such a vivid and explosive vision it interfered with
any daily activities. “Sometimes I don’t even recall what I’ve been doing;
where I’ve left off after these visions. I’ve never been psychic, but they made
me so. To what end, I can’t say. That’s why I sound crazy. Do you think I can
tell anyone about this? I see this ship but have no idea what it wants. I can
only feel it. It’s desperate. Searching for something it hasn’t found. I can
feel its anger. I don’t know its purpose. I can’t ascertain what
my
purpose
is in all this. It makes no sense.”

Iris
digested his account. “I’m so sorry,” she finally said. “I am here for you,
anytime.”

“I know
that,” Ron said. “But I’ve got to find a way for me to be all here—for
me.”

She hugged
him. “I hope you will reconsider talking to my team. They need you.
We
 . . .
need you.”

Ron nodded.
It was noncommittal.

As Iris
drove away, she imagined the ship haunting Ron. Was it just foolery? The same
type of ship she had encountered in her subconscious, the light source that she
believed hovered over her bed; possibly all mere illusions? Yet why would
ghosts leave Ron with impressions of a space ship, no matter if it were real or
not? Before she arrived home, she had to admit there might be a connection
between Ron’s ship and hers. But that’s all she would concede. The fact that
the phantom video recording might really contain footage of the Estes Park
hotel was way too coincidental and unsettling to fathom at the moment. Because
if this were all true, it would stand to reason she was on the verge of losing
herself just as Ron had.

“M
OM,
ARE YOU
there? It’s okay . . .”

DJ called
for her mother. It had been a while since they spoke. She never imagined
willingly summoning her.

“Come on. I
know I’ve been rude, hostile. I thought it was for the best. Now I’ve met
someone, I’m not sure how I’ve reacted to you was correct. Can
we . . . please . . . talk?”

Doris
Camden’s apparition appeared over DJ’s bed.

“Um, Mom; a
little unsettling
 . . .
”

Mom drifted
back, settling over a chair.
“Better?”
the ghost asked.

DJ nodded.
“I
know I’ve been awful to you. I just am having trouble figuring out what to do.
You told me you had a feeling; that I should trust the presence. And I do. I
need to find out if it’s because he is somehow connected with me.”

“You should
be able to answer your own question. Do you feel a connectio
n
with him?”

“I feel a
vague connection with the presence. It’s like an old acquaintance. Maybe like a
comfortable pair of jeans
 . . .
”

Doris smiled
unabashedly.
“Mom, this isn’t a joke”.

“And I’m not
kidding. I felt the same connection you’re having with the alien ghost. Only it
was with this man named Stephen. I somehow felt he wasn’t ordinary and that
there was something special inside of him. When I learned what it was, Stephen
said it was better we part ways and that I could get hurt in his fight. I think
your alien ghost is part of the resistance my ex-boyfriend was involved with.
Anyway, because we split apart, I was able to marry your father and give birth
to you. I have no regrets. But I do think there was a reason why I connected
with him. And even though Stephen is not your father, in a way he is. Somehow
he changed our makeup by sheer touch. I know it’s a lot to fathom, but
ultimately I believe it is why you should trust the alien ghost. It seems you
were destined to aid in his fight.”

“So, I just
have to trust . . . feelings? That doesn’t sound sensible.”

“What about
this boy you’ve met? Tell me why you like him?”

DJ smiled.
“I
like the way he makes me feel. About me . . .”

“So, it’s a
feeling, huh?”

“Okay, okay.
But liking a boy is not nearly as consequential as what we are getting
ourselves into. This could affect the entire planet. And what really bothers me
is that there is going to be friction between me and Iris. I know she distrusts
the presence. She apparently doesn’t have the feelings I have, even when she
communicated via her subconscious to it. That doesn’t make sense.”

“It does
make sense. If you and I have alien makeup, DJ, it makes all the sense in the
universe.”

“But that
doesn’t seem to explain all of it. This seems more about an attitude. I
understand why Iris is upset. I’ve heard the same lectures from Dad: Don’t
believe in aliens.”

Doris
chuckled.
“Maybe that’s where you got your oratory skills from?”

“From Dad,
huh? Well . . . I’ve never considered that, but that’s troubling
all in itself.”

“Just
because he and I parted doesn’t mean you have to harbor grudges against his
work.”

“But his job
is why you parted with him, Mom. How can I help but not hold a grudge? He chose
a career over you, over me, over Iris . . .”

“That aside,
this decision isn’t all yours. Let appointed leaders choose what’s best, DJ.
You are wise because you’ve always stood back and considered both sides. But I
like what I’m hearing. You’re returning to yourself.”

“So I should
investigate again, as a ghost hunting medium? Don’t you think I should consider
schooling? What about a political career?”

“Certainly,
but for now give yourself some time with your boyfriend.”

“That’s
going to be hard with the current circumstances, especially if I am not even
entirely human.”

“Make time
with your boyfriend and just enjoy being in the moment. He needs you as much as
you need him. I suppose you’ve already concluded that.”

“Okay, Mom,
but if you can tell me anything else about our ‘feelings’ I would appreciate
it. I mean, you think Stephen affected our makeup, but how can we be sure?”

A door
slammed from downstairs. Doris’s apparition faded. DJ didn’t need psychic sense
to tell her Iris was home.

T
HE
TEAMS
would again convene in the living/conference room of the
Camden house. Iris sensed DJ was instantly transformed in mood at the news. It
meant her younger sister was happy. DJ would see Darian and that meant the
medium would come one step closer to abandoning her shell. In a way, despite
everything, Iris felt a slight tingle at the prospect of seeing Mitchell.
Despite everything—including that kiss with Ron mere hours ago.

It didn’t
mean romance. It was just a way to help a friend come back. It was a gentle
kiss, not the kind of heat I felt with Mitchell.
Guilt forced
her to abandon sweet remembrances with Mitchell. Nevertheless, her most recent
kiss was a means to answer Ron’s silent cry for help. But help him come back
from what? She believed herself to be a serious investigator and yet couldn’t
explain or classify recent events. She couldn’t even classify her standing with
Mitchell at the moment.
Pathetic.

The teams
gathered and found their usual seats. Iris took notice of Gavin. He seemed
disconcerted. This was an opportunity to diminish some of the guy’s enthusiasm
concerning the dial. She found her way to the back of his seat and asked what
was bothering him, in a whisper.

“Oh, nothing
much I suppose. It’s just expectations. I never quite envisioned contact with
an alien in this fashion. It seems so non-Hollywood. I guess I was expecting
more confrontation.” He swallowed audibly. “Guess that sounds stupid, right? I
don’t think any of us relishes that kind of danger in truth.”

“No,
we
don’t
, Gavin. I just wish we could find a way to convince Mitchell and Evan
of that same notion. Even if there aren’t war vessels in the skies, it doesn’t
mean the threat is any less lethal. We will be stepping into an unchartered
minefield.”

Gavin didn’t
answer her, but Iris knew she had planted a seed. Gavin behaved impulsively. He
might suddenly think scouring canyons for a power source wasn’t such a good or
safe idea. If there really were enemy aliens, might they oppose such a course
of action? She could only hope they would realize this risk. But it wasn’t enough.
She had wanted Ron to come forward and dispel their grandiose ideas about
saving the world. A small orb had changed Ron’s world forever. What would even
more powerful forces be capable of—like this dial. She reconsidered her
last thoughts. It seemed she was buying into an alien presence despite her
opposition to its requests. Could that be her subconscious talking? Was it
confirmation her mind had indeed been altered? The question now remained: how
long would it take for her to slip into the same abyss as Ron? What good would
she be to anybody at that point? She bit her thumbnail as the teams discussed
strategy.

Conversation
about acquiring camping supplies, meeting with the Hopi Nation and concerns
about transporting the dial whizzed over her head. She was lost in desperate
thought. What else could she do?

Mitchell’s
phone rang, and he answered. Iris observed Darian and her sister taking the
opportunity to snuggle closer together. Kassidy and Rachel began bantering
about ancient aliens to Evan’s delight. He countered their disbelief by
challenging them to explain how the pyramids could be constructed without alien
existence and how obelisks could be carved with symbols so precise that even
today’s artisans would be hard pressed to duplicate them. “I can’t be certain,”
Kassidy said. “Maybe there was something in the water.”

To which
Evan replied, “Precisely. I think the aliens taught humans how energy and data
systems could be transported via water to . . .”

Their banter
subsided as Mitchell closed his call. He appeared as if he had seen a ghost,
Iris thought. A flicker of hope emanated. Her psychic sense told her it was the
“hold everything” moment she’d dreamt of.

“It seems
the crops were not decimated by the orbs after all.” Mitchell picked up a
marker and diagrammed the easel with a seed, a flask of water, and a budding
corn stalk. “It would seem our laboratory has discovered a substantial
mutation. They believe a new super corn has been born. A seed from the affected
stalk was grown in the laboratory, in record time. It’s robust, big, and
despite its blue coloring, quite tasty, according to their findings. I can’t
believe the record growth myself. I believe our farmer friend will be quite
pleased. The scientist even quipped that corn stocks are sure to rise—pardon
the pun. He’s at work writing a report for a journal. This is going to be huge.
More important, this is going to be documented.”

“But what
does this all mean?” Gavin asked.

“It means we
meet with our alien and reevaluate his arguments,” Mitchell answered.

“This is
good news. It means there won’t be a plague,” Kassidy stated.

“That’s not
for certain,” Evan responded. “Mitchell is correct. We need to speak to the
presence again.”

Iris smiled
and fought to restrain herself. She wanted so badly to run over to Mitchell and
hug him. But she wouldn’t do it. It would anger him. He had been so excited. In
that moment, she realized she loved him. She would be there for him no matter
the outcome. But if distrusting the presence meant Mitchell’s feelings would
suffer, it was a whole lot better than any of the consequences she had been
imagining. She still loved her Dad despite his clandestine work. At that
instant she believed love could transcend careers and ideals. She wanted Mitch
for Mitch. And in time, if the human species survived, Iris hoped Mitch would
love her for her.

After a few
minutes, she sauntered up to Gavin. “It seems the presence has been lying to
us. I know you are a man of reason. Will you stand with me and oppose any
future plans to assist it?”