Out Of This World (13 page)

†

Celeste was still sleeping peacefully in the hammock and her color looked slightly better than before. However, that wasn’t saying too much because earlier she looked like walking death, a zombie without the grotesque decaying face.

I gently placed Gizmo on the hammock and she promptly curled up next to her sleeping charge. Gizmo knew her role and wasn’t about to wake her up.

She looked so beautiful and peaceful in sleep, but her frailty alarmed me. What if she wasn’t able to get enough energy from the sun to recover fully? Had she sacrificed her life for me? I felt helpless to do anything but watch over her and make sure the POS didn’t get his meat hooks in her. My stress-induced thoughts must have affected her because she began to stir.

Her lavender eyes blinked open and she focused on me. “Bella, are you not well?”

I stroked her arm. “Oh Celeste, I’m perfect thanks to you. You had me really worried. Are you feeling any better? We brought you out into the sunshine hoping that would help.”

“Yes it has helped. I estimate that I am about ten percent charged. I was dangerously close to empty. I require at least four to six hours more in the sunshine to charge to an acceptable level, more if I am required to expend a lot more energy. What has become of Greg?”

“Sydney is watching him. We have a small problem because we’re not really sure what to do with him. We were hoping you had some kind of power that we could use without killing him to get him off your track. I’m so sorry I doubted you. We don’t doubt you anymore. You can read minds, right? Can you manipulate thoughts?” I asked.

“Sometimes I pick up words or random thoughts, but mostly I pick up on energy signatures. We are forbidden to exercise mind control.”

Celeste seemed to go somewhere almost like she was visiting a fond memory as she smiled. “When we were younger we didn’t always abide by the rules, and Zaria, my energy mate and I, would play mind games with each other. We grew up together and would try to get the other to do unconventional things through mind control. She was much better than I was. One time she got me to climb up Cernia Hill, remove my outerwear, and swing my naked backside back and forth in front of the gathering. My caretakers were not at all pleased with our games, especially when we tried them out on others. Later, Zaria’s skill at mind control was very useful when helping our injured comrades endure the pain and pass to the other energy realm. I learned to refine my skill as well. It was another way to help her as the primary healer.”

“So, let me get this straight. You pulled pranks, she made you moon a bunch of people, and you helped with hospice care.”

“I am not familiar with the things you have cited,” she replied.

I was liking Celeste more and more and it seemed that her species was not that much different than ours. I suppose youthful indiscretions happened throughout the galaxy. I lamented about a time in my life that I would never get back. I’d never had the opportunity to goof around or play pranks when I was younger because I was almost entirely a loner. I vowed to change that and to start to live a life I’d never allowed myself to do before. I wanted laughter, playfulness, and yes, even trouble in my life. No matter what happened with Celeste, I pledged to myself that I would start living, not just existing anymore.

I shook my head. “Never mind that. Do you think you could get Greg to call his superior and convince him that he wasn’t able to find you, and that his sources revealed that you were on your way to…hmmm…how about Alaska?”

“Yes, I possess the skill to do this. I suppose this would be a special exemption similar to when the guiding council allowed us to use this skill with our fallen comrades.”

“You wouldn’t by any chance have the ability to wipe Greg’s memory so that whatever information you plant in his head is all that will be revealed to his superiors?”

“That is a little more complicated, but yes we learned to enter the mind to not only alter thoughts and beliefs, but to remove them entirely. This is a difficult process and not guaranteed to succeed. It will require more energy than I currently possess. I am able to exercise minor mind control to resolve the immediate issue. I will be able to misdirect information.”

“When do you think you would be able to safely do this? I’m worried that someone else may be on their way and we don’t have a lot of time to send them in a different direction.”

“It would be best if I absorbed at least fifteen more Earth minutes of your sun’s energy. That should be sufficient.”

“I’ll get Sydney to bring him out here so you can continue to recharge in the sun.”

She nodded and cuddled up with Gizmo as she stroked her head in a loving gesture. Lucky cat.

I ran back into the cabin to update Sydney on the plan.

I was feeling more confident that things would turn out okay. I didn’t really think beyond this particular moment of tribulation. I wasn’t some master spy or anything and neither was Sydney, so I didn’t really appreciate the seriousness of our dilemma. The only thing on our side was an alien with a set of particularly useful skills. At least Sydney knew how to survive in the wilderness. My only contribution would be a plethora of useless trivia. Useless facts were my specialty and they weren’t even that interesting. It’s not like I ever mesmerized anyone with my witty knowledge at a social gathering. I wasn’t even handy to have around for game night because
Trivial Pursuit
was so passé. On the other hand, I was getting pretty good with
Words with Friends
. Internet games were right up my alley because I didn’t have to interact with live people. Maybe the meek or at least the introverts would inherit the Earth because it seemed like face-to-face interaction was becoming obsolete.

Chapter Seven

Sydney was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest. Her outward appearance was casual, but I sensed that she was nervous. She fixed her eyes on Greg, but the minute she heard me enter the room, she looked up and started scanning all around her until her gaze landed on me. I could see her eyes relax when they met mine and it had the same effect on me.

I slowly approached and got close enough to talk to her without Greg listening in.

“Do you think it’s okay to leave him for a few minutes. I need to talk to you,” I whispered in her ear.

She seemed to shiver for a few seconds, nodded, and walked out to the main living area.

I kept my voice low so Greg wouldn’t be able to overhear. “Celeste is a little better, but she needs a lot more time in the sun, so we’re going to have to buy a little time. She has the ability to do some minor mind control. I think it works like hypnosis, but maybe a little stronger. We need to bring him to her because she doesn’t have a whole lot of excess energy right now.”

“Well, that could be a bit of a challenge. In case you haven’t noticed he’s a big guy, and I don’t think he’s going to just let us move him without some resistance.”

“Can’t you just knock him out or something, like you did before?”

Sydney scowled at me. “What do you think I am, Rambo or something? I didn’t necessarily plan on knocking him out before, it just happened. I got lucky and probably hit him in just the right spot.”

“Can’t you activate one of those pressure points? There are at least three that I know of—pushing against the windpipe, pressure to the vagus nerve, and pinching someone’s carotid artery.”

“Mabs, this isn’t Hollywood, you know, and I’m not Jackie Chan. I don’t think that stuff really works in real life, and I don’t want to do something that would permanently harm him.”

“The guy shot me and you’re worried about hurting him,” I shouted.

I heard Greg grunt so he must have heard that last comment. Oh well, so much for not alerting him.

“Good point, but I’m not an assassin you know.”

“Listen, Sydney, you know I read a lot right?”

“Yeah.”

“Well trust me, I have a lot of useless information floating around in my brain and there really are these pressure points that I’m sure would work. Pick one and I’ll tell you exactly where it is and what to do based on what I read.”

“Why in the world would you read about something like that, and how can you possibly remember everything you read?”

I shrugged my shoulders, “Photographic memory. It comes in handy sometimes. I get bored and it’s amazing the stuff you can learn when you read unconventional material. I suggest the vagus nerve because it’s probably the most vulnerable pressure point. It connects the brain and the heart and a quick blow causes unconsciousness really fast. It’s also not one little spot, but rather a long nerve that runs down the neck starting about one inch below a person’s ear. I think you either have to put pressure on the nerve with your palm or forearm and bounce a few times, or a quick karate chop should do the trick. Don’t hit him too hard though or you can kill him. If his eyes roll up right after you hit him, then I’m pretty sure you did it right. Even if he comes to after a few seconds, he’ll be lightheaded and won’t have the necessary motor skills to fight. Not that I’m sadistic or anything, but he’ll also feel pretty shitty and I have to admit that I won’t feel bad about that. I’d watch out for vomit though, cause I read that it’s a pretty common side effect.”

“Remind me never to piss you off.” She grinned at me.

I blushed. “I could never get mad at you.”

“Okay, I guess I better give this a try then. Maybe you can hold his head or something so I don’t miss. I suppose a chop to both sides of his neck would increase my chances of getting it right the first time.”

I nodded and stood up straight ready to help her out. I didn’t even recognize this person I was turning into. If I really took the time to think about it, I probably would have retreated to my cozy little home and never come out. I was about to hold some guy’s head while my friend Sydney karate chopped him. Real life was stranger than fiction, you can’t make this stuff up. It was beyond absurd.

Sydney brushed by me and I felt my breath hitch as her body brushed against mine. I couldn’t help myself, she still seems to affect me.

She looked down at me and our eyes met. I couldn’t tell if she noticed my reaction or not, but when her pupils dilated, it seemed to convey something I didn’t think I’d ever seen before. Was it possible that Sydney had a similar reaction? I shook my head at what a ridiculous notion that was.

I started to laugh when I saw Greg squirming around on the bedroom floor, like the snake he was, trying to find a way free. He snarled at us when we entered the room.

“Okay Mabs, grab his head for me,” Sydney directed.

I was tempted to yank his head up using his hair, but he didn’t have enough hair to hang onto. He was putting up a good struggle as I got behind him and tried to hold his head still. “I’d rather not hurt you, even though you did shoot me, you poser, but if you keep struggling I’ll suggest a less humane way to deal with you.” I boxed his ears as a warning.

That seemed to stop his struggles and gave Sydney enough time to execute a perfect blow to each side of his head in the exact spot I’d described. I was so proud of her. She was a quick learner that’s for sure.

He slumped forward immediately.

“I’ll take his head if you get his feet,” I pronounced.

“Okay. Let’s hurry and get him outside before he wakes up,” she agreed.

We wasted no time in transporting him to the back yard. God, he was heavy. I noted that he could do with a few less desserts.

†

We unceremoniously dumped Greg on the ground next to the hammock. He hadn’t woken up yet and I took several paces back in case he started tossing his cookies all over my new shoes. I knew it was shallow of me to be thinking about my shoes, but in my defense, they were really expensive Mephisto’s. Sydney took a page from my book and took several steps back herself.

Celeste looked even better than when I’d left her ten minutes earlier. She was starting to get a little color back in her face. I suspected after she performed her little mind manipulation, she might revert to her ghostlike appearance, but at least more time in the sun seemed to make a big difference.

“You temporarily interrupted his energy flow,” Celeste stated.

“Uh yeah, he wasn’t exactly in a cooperating kind of mood.”

“We will need to wait until he is more alert and has recovered fully before I attempt mind control,” Celeste explained.

“Will you be able to tell when he’s ready?” Sydney asked.

“Yes, I will be able to determine the appropriate time frame,” Celeste answered.

Sydney walked over to her back patio, grabbed two folding chairs, and brought them closer to the hammock. “Here, we might as well relax until sleeping beauty gets his energy groove back. I’d offer you a beer or some hard lemonade, but I think we should avoid drinking anything that might impair our reasoning until we can figure out how to handle this adventure we’ve all decided to take.”

“Would I like this beer or hard lemonade?” Celeste asked.

“Probably,” I giggled. “But I think that experience ought to wait for a little while.”

“Ahhhh,” Greg groaned, opened his eyes and promptly vomited in the grass. “What the fuck did you do to me?”

“Ew, I should get some of Gizmo’s kitty litter because that,” Sydney pointed to the fresh pool of vomit, “is definitely gonna stink.”

“We should let him settle for a bit before we get Celeste to do her thing.”

Greg got a wide-eyed look, and for the first time, I thought I saw fear in his eyes.

“Wha…what is she going to do to me?” he stuttered.

“Relax. It’s not like she’s gonna eat your face off or anything. Not that you don’t deserve it, you douche bag,” Sydney answered.

I looked down at Greg and noticed the burn mark on his clothes, probably from when Celeste blasted him with her energy burst. I hadn’t spotted that before. No wonder he was nervous. I pointed at the scorch mark.

“Oh,” Sydney muttered.

Greg looked down at his shirt and I swear I thought he was going to cry. Men can be such babies. I smirked at him. Served him right for shooting me. I wasn’t above letting him sweat a tiny bit. What had come over me? All of a sudden I had this little evil streak running through me.

Sydney glanced at me and I thought that maybe she could read my mind or something because she laughed and blurted out, “Well, I don’t think she’s gonna have to eat your face, but I’m not sure exactly what she might have planned for you. She has become rather fond of Mabs here and you did shoot her. I suppose another burn mark is not out of the realm of possibility.”

Celeste gracefully repositioned herself on the hammock so that she was sitting rather than lying down and cocked her head to the side. “You mentioned something called a prank, Bella. Is this what you are doing now?”

“Not really,” I hedged, “and I suppose I should stop being mean. This is what you might call a cruel joke, letting Greg believe that you are planning to hurt him in some way.” I looked down. I felt ashamed of myself. All the times the bullies joked around at my expense should have taught me to be a bit more sensitive. Greg was, after all, another human being.

I glanced at Greg. “Sorry. Fortunately for you, Celeste is a gentle and pure soul and doesn’t have it in her to intentionally hurt you. Violence is your thing, not ours.”

“Can you please direct me in what specifically you would like to plant in his mind?” Celeste asked.

“Well we briefly talked about leading Greg to genuinely believe that he couldn’t find you here in Cle Elum, but was able to determine that you were headed to Alaska. It’s a state that’s pretty far away from here up North. You’re going to have to really make him trust something different from what he experienced because he’ll be talking to his supervisor and he’ll need to sound believable. Maybe you can throw in some facts, like he tracked you here after he got credible information from Hollie that led him to the cabin, but he lost you, and then had to track down more information to determine where you were headed. You can suggest that Sydney gave him the new information.”

I glanced over at Sydney who frowned at this suggestion. “Sorry, Sydney, but I don’t think it’s believable that I would give him information if he’s already made a report to his boss.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right about that. I was initially sympathetic to his story,” Sydney acknowledged.

I thought of something. “Can you get him to be calm while we search his pockets for a cell phone to hold up to his ear? In case this doesn’t work too well, we need to keep him restrained.”

Celeste stood up and walked over to where Greg was half sitting, half slouched on the ground. She touched his arm and I saw the purple light leak out again. The lines on his face showing his stress and discomfort immediately evened out. He almost looked like he was in a drug-induced state.

Sydney, bless her heart, went searching in his pockets for his cell phone. Once she located it, she held it in the air for us to see.

Celeste continued her contact with Greg and his eyes began to flutter and twitch. I wondered if she was giving him instructions telepathically.

She nodded at me as if answering my question.

“You may put the phone to his ear after you select whatever button will retrieve the last call made,” Celeste directed.

“Will you be able to hear who is on the other end, so you can direct the conversation?” I asked.

“I am able to decipher what he is hearing as I probe his brain while I simultaneously suggest the correct response,” Celeste answered.

Sydney hit the button on the iPhone, swiped the screen, and frowned. “Damn, it requires a code.”

Celeste seemed to narrow her gaze at Greg as he blurted out, “Four, one, two, six.”

Sydney swiped the screen again and punched in those numbers. “Voila and presto. Time to do your thing, Celeste.” She held the phone up to his ear after punching a few buttons on the phone.

Celeste tilted her head and I hurried to clarify what ‘do your thing’ meant. “She means do the mind control thing and give him the right instructions.”

Sydney shrugged. “Sorry.”

I put my finger to my lips to gesture that we should all be quiet while Greg talked with his boss.

“No, I don’t have her yet… Yeah, she was here in Cle Elum until a few hours ago… No, it was credible information… Don’t worry, I got another lead… Alaska… Yeah, you heard right, for some reason she’s headed to Alaska… the other dyke gave me that information… No, I’m sure she was telling me the truth. It was confirmed by another source… Don’t worry, I’m on it. They only have a two or three hour head start… No, you don’t need to send anyone else, I can handle it… Give me two days and I’ll have her secured for pick up… No, we don’t want to cause anyone to ask too many questions and if you send up more people, it will be overly suspicious. With her odd behavior, the cover story is working… Just let me do my job. I’ll be in touch.”