Starbound Read online

  It was ravenous, hungry, fully intent on me. But I had no intention of being its next meal. I grabbed a handful of snow and threw it at the monster’s face, but it did nothing, only sliding into its mouth like I had given them pop rocks.

  And then it was over me, on me, its leech-like mouth edging closer to my face—

  Bang.

  The creature fell on my chest, dead. I pushed it off me and crawled back, panting heavily. Its body had barely made any sound as it hit the fluffy snow. The hole through its chest was wide, wider than my arm, a clean cut right through its body. I scrambled to my feet, trying to calm my breathing, my overwhelming shock. Someone had saved me. Someone had known what to do.

  Silhouetted in the alleyway was a man, gun in hand, silent. My heart skipped a beat: the build, the height, the gun—it was Zander.

  He had come back for me.

  But as I gathered my breath and my eyes adjusted to the gloom, I saw that I could not have been more wrong. It wasn’t a man standing there. They were less muscular than Zander but still tall, and the hairstyle was so similar it had caught me off guard.

  And, then, I realized I recognized them.

  “Taylor? What are you doing here?”

  They smiled as they lowered the gun.

  “Saving your ass, of course,” they said, smirking. “Now come on. You’re soaked. We need to get you warm. How do you feel about pie?”

  Taylor looked exactly the same as the last time I had seen them, except maybe for the beautiful blue trench coat and the lack of terror in their eyes. They bent over the alien corpse, patting around the neck and chest, making sure the creature really was dead, before going through the pockets of its long, black robe. Finding nothing, Taylor slung the body over their shoulders with a low grunt, walked it over to the dumpster, and threw it in, slamming the lid shut. Then they were at the side of the victim, checking his pulse. They must have found one because they pulled out their phone and made a few frantic calls while speaking encouragement to the man on the ground. I thought I heard my name thrown in there.

  And I, like a dumbass, just stood there shaking in the snow.

  “So, pie?” asked Taylor, slipping the phone back into their pocket. They took my arms and scanned them over, turning my hands up and down a few times until Taylor was content. Their touch was warm, even through the gloves.

  “Um, sure, I guess,” I stammered, taking my hands back. “I thought you were never coming back here! Aren’t you supposed to be changing identities? Aren’t you supposed to be in hiding?”

  Taylor gave me a knowing smile, a very Zander-like smirk. They leaned down, picked up my clutch, and handed it to me. I took it with shaking fingers.

  “I’m fine. Thanks for asking,” they said. “Things have changed lately. You’ll see in a few. I’ve made an ally who’s been really remarkable in all this; she’ll meet us inside. And you? Are you all right? Last I heard, you and that Zander dude blew up a power plant.”

  “I didn’t…” I shuddered. That was exactly what we had done, though I hadn’t been the one to press the self-destruct button.

  “You’re not in shock, are you?” they asked. “Near-death encounters can cause you humans to go into shock.”

  “I’m fine, really.” I shook my head. “I haven’t been back to the hospital since that other interview with death. Late-night talk show, so I didn’t stay long.”

  Taylor chuckled quietly under their breath before giving me a warm smile.

  “So, pie?” they asked, grinning. And before I knew what I was doing, I nodded quickly.

  The great thing about small university towns is just how close things are to each other. Across from Scintillance, or at least a short half-block down, was the Jitterbug, my favorite coffee place. And, apparently, Taylor’s favorite pie place. And, miracle of miracles, they were open in the middle of the night on New Year’s.

  We sat in one of the cozy booths as Mona, the only staff here tonight, came over with the menus. Taylor got apple pie; I got cherry. We ordered three coffees. Mona brought us the order then went back to playing Candy Crush on her cell phone, giving us a little privacy.

  “I keep expecting you to start sobbing or something, but you seem fine,” Taylor remarked casually enough between ravenous bites of pie. “That interview with death, so to speak, must have been pretty bad for you to be so calm right now.”

  “It was.” I nodded. “Surviving explosions does that to you. But I think it’s the fact I’m soaking wet and exhausted that makes me realize there’s nothing left to panic about anymore. I mean, this is my life now. Aliens in alleyways. Aliens coming to my rescue. Everywhere I look, extraterrestrials are trying to screw up my day.”

  “Or buy you pie.” Taylor slurped at their coffee.

  “Why are you back here, Taylor? Not that I’m not happy to see you again. I am. But I thought you had left for good.”

  “I had.” They put the mug back on the table. “But I’ve had an interesting few months. And I honestly just wanted to check up on you.”

  “You did?” My eyes went wide. “Why?”

  “You made international news for not dying. I had to see what was up.”

  “That was weeks ago.”

  “I have a lot on my plate,” they sighed heavily. They waved Mona over and got a second slice of pie, this time peach cobbler. “Anyway, lucky escape.”

  “It was. I’m not sure how or why I survived; I’m just glad I did.”

  I returned to my pie, unable to really taste it, as Taylor tucked into the cobbler. A long awkward silence went by, neither of us wanting to say anything.

  Finally, with my pie done, I felt like I had to do something. This was Taylor, for heaven’s sakes. Taylor was back. And aliens were still as real as they were last month or last year.

  “You said you have a friend coming.” I pointed to the extra mug, and Taylor nodded.

  “Just stay cool, okay?” they said, a weak smile on their face. “She doesn’t know I’m… not from here. We’ve been helping each other with things. She can help you, too.”

  “Help with what?” I asked, but at that moment the door opened, and speak of the devil, in stepped the stranger.

  She was beautiful. Tall and slender, she wore a smart navy blue pantsuit that made her seem taller than she already was. Her hair sprang out in every direction, a burst of magnificent black, perfect curls surrounding her gorgeous face. Her bright brown eyes were alert, on fire even, locking onto mine as a smile grew on her face.

  “Ah! Sally Webber, I take it?” she said, marching toward me, her hand already outstretched to shake mine. I stood, feeling quite suddenly like I was at a job interview.

  “Sally, this is James Felling,” said Taylor. “Felling, this is Sally.”

  “You look quite calm for having just met a leechin,” said Felling, suspicion crossing the dark features of her face. “Are you all right?”

  “It’s just shock, Felling,” said Taylor. “Sit down. Your coffee’s getting cold.”

  Felling slid into the booth, taking the spot that had previously been Taylor’s. She picked up the coffee with relish, smiling as she breathed in the scent. As she moved her arm, I caught the bulge of a sidearm holstered under her breast. I shuddered.

  “James?” I asked.

  “Yes?”

  “It’s a bit of an… odd name, isn’t it?”

  “It’s complicated. Have you given her the talk yet?” she asked Taylor, who shook their head.

  “No, I thought you’d want to do the honors.” Taylor then glanced at me and gave a quick wink.

  “Okay.” Felling put down the coffee and crossed her hands on the table before her. She leaned forward, drawing me in. “I’m going to be perfectly honest with you. I think you deserve the truth after what you’ve been through, and Taylor here vouches for you.”

  “O… kay?” I replied, confused as ever. This was starting to become my default setting.

  “It’s pretty big,” she warned. “Life changing.
Your world will never be the same.”

  “You sure you want to do that to me?” I asked, and Taylor rolled their eyes. I hoped this wasn’t going where I thought it was.

  “You deserve it,” Felling insisted. “Anyway… the creature that tried to kill you tonight? We call them leechins. And they’re…they’re aliens.”

  My eyes went wide. Taylor was barely containing their laughter at this point. They grabbed their mug and made a fuss of drinking the coffee.

  “Aliens…?” I muttered, feeling my eyebrows ascending my forehead like they were a part of an alien abduction themselves. Or maybe because they wanted to be anywhere but here.

  “I’ve seen them myself.” Felling nodded slowly. “I know it sounds preposterous. But after what you’ve seen tonight, you can’t deny that that creature was not of this world.”

  “Right, so taking what you’re saying is true,” I said, feigning ignorance, “what did this so-called leechin want with me?”

  “We call them leechins because they’re so much like leeches,” she explained. “Leechins are pretty common and are always nasty. They’re scavengers, you see, much like vultures. Wouldn’t go back to their home planet, even if they had the chance. Anyway, it probably found the victim passed out and went in for an easy meal. You threatened it.”

  “It started it!”

  “I’m amazed you lasted long enough for Taylor to show up,” said Felling. “I’m glad you’re all right.”

  “Yeah, thanks,” I muttered and picked up my coffee mug. This was really awkward. “So, you do… what, exactly? Shoot down aliens from outer space?”

  “Leechins are pests.” Her tone turned solemn. “Incredibly dangerous to the human population but dumb as hell. No longer any intelligence, no full brain capacity. Of course, we try to keep them under wraps, but the taste of human blood makes them dangerous, almost insane. If they do take a human being as a snack, we have to put them down.”

  “Oh, wait, don’t say it!” I wanted to laugh. Holy hell, my night was weird. “You and Taylor are part of a shady government conspiracy to keep humans safe from aliens. Am I right? I have to be right; this is just like on TV. The way you’re dressed—it’s too perfect! So, who do you work for? FBI? CIA? Secret government task force?”

  “Wait, I know you,” said James. “You’re that girl! The one from the Grisham case!”

  I groaned internally. Or maybe out loud, judging by the looks I got.

  “Yeah,” I said, “sorry.”

  “Shit.” Felling leaned back, taking her arms off the table and angling herself over to Taylor. “You didn’t tell me your friend was her.”

  “I wasn’t exactly planning on calling you over here tonight, James,” they said. “I didn’t want you turning her into another one of your cases.”

  “But she’s already a case,” Felling insisted, glancing over in my direction. “She became a case when she recovered from third-degree burns overnight.”

  “I said I was sorry about that,” I muttered. I started planning my escape route. How fast and how far could I run before this agent pulled her gun on me?

  “She’s my friend,” said Taylor, blankly. “She saved my life.”

  “And you just saved hers.”

  “Now we’re even!” I said. “Mazeltov! Felling, are you going to take me in or something?”

  “Why would I do that?” she asked, finally turning back to face me.

  “You just said that—”

  “Look”—Felling rolled her eyes—“right now you’re being hailed as a medical miracle. I’m sure someone has already told you they want to monitor your health to see if the explosion did any lasting damage to your body.”

  “Yeah.” I nodded. “And something about subterranean radiation bullcrap. Monthly blood tests and all that.”

  “Well, that’s the extent of their interest.” She shrugged. “Your case landed on my desk. I thought nothing of it. There’s nothing to it, is there?”

  “No.” I shook my head. “Nothing to it. How do you know all this? What do you mean by ‘cases?’”

  “I’m not at liberty to say.”

  “Tell James about your friend,” Taylor said, making urgent motions with their face. “Please?”

  “What friend?” asked James.

  I shrugged. “Some of my friends are aliens. Well, one of them. Both of them are aliens, but his sister doesn’t seem to like me very much. So, not exactly a friend.”

  “You’re kidding.” James whistled, glancing at Taylor nervously. “You’re just making fun of me, aren’t you?”

  “I’m serious!” I nodded, and Taylor nodded too. “Though I don’t know why I’m telling you this. Taylor?”

  “Trust me,” Taylor said, “the two of you need to be on the same page.”

  I swallowed the concerns. If Taylor thought the James chick was to be trusted, then I was going to take the chance. Taylor had saved my life, after all.

  There was a tap on my foot—Taylor. I met their gaze, and they gave me a halting glare. Now, this was getting confusing. So, I was meant to tell Felling about Zander… but not everything. I guess? How much could you really tell from a foot tap?

  “Fine, then. He came from outer space, and I promptly ran him over with my car,” I explained. “He lived in my spare room for two months, correcting sci-fi movies and books. He integrated into our culture, and I found him an office job. Then his sister came, they blew up the plant, yada-yada-yada, and now, now he’s gone.”

  “Dead?”

  “Just… away.”

  “You’ve got a serious problem,” she said, leaning back and crossing her arms over her chest. I could only shrug. “Taylor, what is this shit?”

  “Why would I make that up?” I sputtered. “To impress you? To make fun of you? We just met. I’ve got no reason to lie. This is the truth.”

  I slammed my hand on the table, making our dishes jump with a loud clang. My hand tingled from the collision. Not a smart idea.

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “Well, Zander and Blayde were pretty unbelievable in the flesh as well.”

  At the sound of their names, she froze, petrified, as if she had, in fact, turned to stone. She stared at me, her eyes wide with shock. Unable to speak, she glanced at Taylor, who nodded, then she looked back at me.

  “Zander and Blayde?” she urged, her face a dazzling smile. “You said Zander and Blayde?”

  “Yeah.”

  “And you knew them? And Zander lived at your house for two months? This is impossible! I’m actually speaking with someone who has met Zander and Blayde!” She looked uneasy, excited, nervous, all at once, and she kept glancing at Taylor for support. Her face ran hot and red, her hands trembling slightly.

  Taylor looked quite smug in all this. “You see? Told you.”

  I pulled out my phone, scrolling through the camera roll as Felling waited. I picked a good selfie, one Zander had taken accidentally as he was trying to use my phone as a mirror. First day of work and hating on ties and Terran culture. My heart tightened as I looked at it. I wasn’t ready to see his smile just yet.

  Breathe. Just breathe.

  “That’s him, right there,” I said, and Felling stared, her eyes somehow becoming wider.

  “It’s him… it’s really him,” she muttered, almost a whisper. Almost a prayer. Taylor shot me a wink. I didn’t think my night could get any weirder than this, and now… now, I apparently met one of Zander’s fans.

  “So,” I said, clearing some pie from my throat, “how’s this connected to Zander? You know him or something?”

  “We’ve noticed him,” said James, leaning in conspiratorially. “As we looked through old frescoes and paintings and such. Always the same man, accompanied by the same woman. Always. There are representations of him scattered throughout human history. We even found a written record of him in the original tale of Sir Arthur.”

  “He mentioned meeting him,” I agreed as if that was the most casual thing in the world. I
t was odd, the things I had gotten used to with him as my roommate.

  “We discovered their names in the journal of Maria Theresa, Queen of Hungary. Marie Antoinette’s mother. She called him Zander. Then Blayde showed up in the records of Louis the XIV of France’s court. They called her “La Lame,” which technically means Blade in French. Totally different meaning in English. For years, we’ve been calculating the probabilities of him appearing in certain locations, gathering information from different sightings of him.”

  “Wait, you can predict where he’ll jump to?” I sat up taller in my chair. My heart pounded; this time from excitement, not fear. “How does it work? And has it worked?”

  “Not yet.” She grinned, as if slightly embarrassed, combing her hand through her thick black hair. “I had to teach myself statistical physics to try and interpret the data, but he seems to appear in places at random. It’s like we’re missing something: jumps that weren’t recorded or an extra dimension to our math.”

  “So, it hasn’t actually worked yet.”

  “Urm, no.”

  “Ah.”

  “But you’ve met him!” she exclaimed. “There’s so much you can tell me about him!”

  “I don’t know how much I should say.” I glanced at Taylor for support, but this time, they only shrugged. I guess Zander’s identity was up to me. “He is a real person, a friend. He deserves some privacy.”

  “Think about it,” she said, reaching into her pocket and pulling out her card. She scribbled a number on the back before handing it to me. “Here’s my number. Call me day or night. I just want to know a little more about him. Why he pops up throughout history. Why he never changes. I just… I just want to know his deal.” She stood now, nodding to both Taylor and me. “I have to go. I’ve got to be in Alexandria in the morning. Taylor, you have her from here?”

  “Don’t worry about us,” said Taylor.

  “Great,” she said. “Sally, please do think about calling me. Or texting. Whatever. I can be a formidable ally if you want me to be.”