Tsemara's Sci-Fi Novel (Looking for critique)

[Tsemara]

Alright, I had an idea for a story back when I was in grade school. This was just as I was getting into graphic novels and before I really got into Anime. There have been several drafts over the years due to editing, devastating computer viruses, and transitions from one medium to another.

I'm open to critiques or questions as to why I did something. There are a couple things I know are in dire need of being edited, or don't quite make sense. I just haven't figured out how to fix it, or it's one of those things that will be explained later. If I ever get there. And yes, it is very, very long. I'm sorry.

Anyway, without further ado, I give you "Feral Shadow".
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5

[Tsemara]

Introduction: The Child from Nowhere
July 9, 1998

The Wylds vacation house was located in the middle of a forest, on the shore of a small lake. It was relaxing, being far from the noise of the city. The closest neighbors to be found were close to a quarter mile away.
James Wyld stared at the cloudy sky. Lighting flashed and thunder was not too far behind. It looked like it would rain soon. He sighed and wondered why he and his family decided to vacation during the rainy season. Lucas, his six-year-old son, shrieked gaily with every thundering roar. Maxine sat quietly by the fire, reading a book, a content look on her face.

Suddenly, there was a crash unlike any he had heard before. Something fell from the heavens wreathed in flames. The fireball smashed into the forest not too far from the dwelling. The ground quaked at the impact causing Lucas to cry out in terror and rush to his mother’s side.
“What on Earth was that?!” Maxine exclaimed as she jumped from her seat. She hurried to James’s side and looked out the window as well. Lucas remained attached to his mother’s leg.

The ground shook with small tremors as rain began to fall. James noticed something large come to a halt on the far side of the lake. The trees behind it were reduced to splinters and smoldering embers that were quickly doused by the rain.

Mr. Wyld looked at his wife with wonder in his eyes. “What do we do? Someone could be in there.” Maxine shook her head, not knowing how to respond. James turned and rummaged through his knapsack. With a flashlight in hand, he tromped toward the door. "What do you think you're doing?" His wife inquired. James shrugged. "I'm going to go check it out." With that, he dashed out into the rain.

As he rushed through the downpour, he wondered why he hadn’t grabbed an umbrella or at least a parka. In any case, it was a little too late to turn back now. He arrived at the crash sight soaked to the bone and miserable. James shined his torch onto the downed craft.

Steam rose from the metal hull as the rain drummed against its surface. The design was not American. Okay, scratch that. It could have been a prototype for another stealth jet, but it was far too big.

There were no symbols that he could recognize. Though, the strange etched marks on one of its wings may have be an identification of some sort. There also were a lot of scorch marks riddling the sides, so he could not be sure. James came to what he believed was the front window. The glass, if that was what it was, had been smashed beyond repair. He called into the darkness of the ruined craft. "Hello? Can anyone hear me?"
His voice echoed hollowly and there was a heavy silence, besides the rain. Then, faintly, there was a call. It was so weak, for a while, James thought he was imagining it.

James carefully climbed inside the broken paneling. Even still, he slipped on the rain slick metal. He hissed in pain as his arm was cut by broken glass. At least, he thought it was glass. But then, what else would it be? Blood oozed down his exposed skin for a couple seconds, then stopped. It wasn’t a deep cut, James thought with relief. He ignored it.

The cockpit was dark and alien in appearance. There were mounds on the floor beside him. His torch illuminated the eerily still bodies of foreign beings. James paled and hurried off to find the source of the voice.
There was another cry. Mr. Wyld hurried to the source. A whimpering moan came from not too far away. James shined his flashlight toward the sound. What he saw made him jump.

A man leaned against the wall, breathing hard. Dark liquid soaked his garments, in various places on his body. Blood? The figure had large ears and dark eyes. It also looked like he had a tail. It was either that or he had a large wire coming from his uniform. A better look showed him it was a tail. More blood leaked from between his parted lips.

Here he was, James Edward Wyld, the person who could prove that life existed beyond Earth’s surface, the one with the answer, scared witless. He hesitated before moving closer. "Can. ... Can you m-m-move?" His voice was shaky with anxiety.

The humanoid shook its head in response and moaned. "I cannot." He said slowly. The alien shifted with a look of anguish on his face. "But, please, you must do something for me." The outlander pointed to a shadow with a quivering hand. A claw poked out from his tattered glove. His hand shook violently as he spoke.

"My crew and I were to protect Kelandra from those who wished to do her harm. But we were betrayed. As we fled, enemy forces ambushed us. Now I fear all is lost." The stranger collapsed and coughed hoarsely. "Please...care for her." He commanded. The alien’s voice became too faint to hear. James had to put his ear by the foreigner’s mouth. The rest was, however, unintelligible.
Then he perished.

James straightened. He turned his flashlight in the direction of the still pointing finger. There was an oval shaped object a few feet away. Cautiously, James inched toward the dark mass. Wouldn’t it be ironic, He thought with grim humor, If I were asked to watch some girl only to discover she was dead?

Mr. Wyld peered over the side of what appeared to be a bed. Lying on the cushions, strapped tightly in place, was a young child. She was probably no older than a couple years old. And as fate had it, she was not dead. In fact, she was sleeping. Her dark hair barely covered overlarge ears and fell about her shoulders like a blanket. A tail poked out from underneath her blanket, twitching as she slept.

James freed the infant from her resting place noticing for the first time that her skin was lightly covered in fuzz. The sudden movement caused her to wake. Kelandra looked up at James with large, dark, bleary, eyes. Her strange, shifting ears seemed out of place. She made an inquisitive sound as if she were asking him what he was doing.

He carried her back to the cockpit and prepared to exit. Then he frowned. He couldn’t exit the same way he entered. He could injure his ward, or himself again, by attempting to pull that trick again. No, he’d have to find another way out.

He scoured the ship for any means of escape and was beginning to feel very claustrophobic. The light from his torch flickered. James quickened his pace. He didn’t want to be trapped in a ghost ship in the dark. He could have sworn that he put new batteries in the flashlight. Or was Maxine supposed to do that? Oh well.

For some reason, James thought he could hear the rain. That’s not right. He thought. He followed the sound and discovered a large gash in the wall leading to the wood without. As he crawled through it, he wondered why he hadn’t noticed it from the outside.

The rain fell heavily about, and on, him as he marched through the cascading rain. Kelandra moaned in discomfort, as she too became soaked. Soon, she began to cry. Besides being unbearably wet, the trek back to the cottage was uneventful. When he arrived, however, Mr. Wyld halted. How was he going to explain everything? Maxine was going to throw a fit.

James attempted to calm the wailing child. Maxine was so much better at this than he was. Thankfully, he managed to reduce the crying to a whimper.

He knocked softly. There was no answer. Perhaps no one heard him, so he tried again. Harder this time. Maxine opened the door slowly. “James.” She said softly. “I just put Lucas to bed. What did you find?”
James shifted the shivering girl in his arms. Kelandra looked up at Maxine, bemused. Maxine looked horrified. "What have you done?"
James said nothing for a moment. Then he sighed. "I don’t know."

[Tsemara]

Chapter One: In Which Things Happen
July 17, 2011

Fourteen-year-old Kelly Andrea Wyld lie on the roof above her bedroom staring at the stars above. She has grown into a lovely young woman. She had long, jet-black hair, and eyes the color of polished silver. However, Kelly was rarely seen by anyone due to some "unusual" differences. Her ears were long and cat-like. She had a slender tail that was covered in fur. Her skin was covered, head-to-toe, with light, tan colored, fur. Unnoticeable from a distance but there nonetheless. Along the back of her cheeks, neck, back, upper arms, and thighs were covered with black, narrow stripes. Small claws tipped her fingers instead of the usual fingernails.

She had been allowed to leave the house on a few occasions, but that was only when it was raining. That would explain the long hooded jacket and gloves she wore. She had also attended a few anime conventions. Few could tell that her differences were not a part of her costume. And Halloween. She liked Halloween. She could walk around the neighborhood and get free sugar from people she did not know.

Kelly sighed, revealing sharp fangs, and wondered what secrets the stars held. She knew there was life out there somewhere. She had read too many comics to think otherwise.

A voice came from below. Kelly growled and peered over the gutter. On the ground, half hidden behind the leaf clogged drain, was her brother, Lucas. He was tall, dark, blond, but not very hansom. His brown eyes looked black in the scant lighting. "Hey, Squirt!"

"Quit calling me that!" Kelly replied. "What do you want?"
Lucas gave her a roguish grin. But quickly became serious. "I want to know what you are doing up there." A soft breeze blew his unruly hair into his eyes.

"I'm thinking," was Kelly's simple answer.

"About what?"

Kelly sat up just enough to look her brother completely over. "I'm wondering why my older brother, who's supposed to be a good influence, is standing outside in a pair of bike shorts. Not only that, but why he's doing that when it's cold out."

Lucas's embarrassed blush was apparent, even in the shadows. "Oh, shut up!" He snapped. "You’d better get down. Mom and Dad are home."
Kelly started. She peered over the side of the roof. Sure enough, the Wylds minivan was entering the driveway. Kelly scurried across the roof to her bedroom window and slammed the window shut upon entry. Lucas chuckled and walked inside via the back door. He grabbed a long T-shirt off the back of the couch and pulled it over his head.

He waited for his kid sister in the living room. She ran in panting slightly. Lucas grinned. "Now you're going to get it."

"Ha!" Kelly laughed. "They'll never catch me."

The door opened at that moment. James appeared through the portal followed closely by Maxine. "Doing what?" Their father asked, curiously.
Kelly turned to face her parents and tried to look innocent. "Nothing." She shrugged. Her ears twitched nervously, causing her father to frown. Drat.
Lucas jumped right in, grinning. "The Squirt, here, was up on the roof again."

Maxine gave Kelly a hurt look. "Oh, Honey, you know you’re not supposed to be up there, even if we’re home. What if you fell?"
Kelly flinched as though she were slapped. She really hated it when she was given that look. But not as much as she loathed her brother right about now.

"Then we'd have to scrape her off the ground with a spatula." Lucas grinned.

Kelly retaliated with a sharp elbow in his side. "Shut up," she hissed. Lucas scowled at her.

The siblings glared at each other until their mother intervened. "That will be enough from both of you.

"Now, Kelly, I do not want to hear of you climbing on the roof anymore." She scolded. Lucas snickered at Kelly’s plight. Then his mother rounded on him. "And you. Stop trying to get her in trouble."
"Okay, okay." Lucas sighed.

James entered the conversation, trying to end the discussion. "Okay. Now that we have settled this, you two," He pointed at both children directly. “Go to bed. It’s past eleven o'clock"

The Wyld children marched up the stairs to their respective rooms. Lucas ruffled Kelly’s hair before they parted. "Goodnight, Squirt."
Kelly’s ears twitched in anger. Her tail bristled. "Goodnight yourself, Looser," Kelly hissed, flashing her fangs. "And quit calling me Squirt!"
Kelly’s room was illuminated by the moonlight streaming through her window. Various wall scrolls and posters of anime characters lined the walls. Assorted Science Fiction movie posters also decorated the white walls of her bedroom. Her desk was littered with drawings, recently read novels, and Manga. And her bed was unmade. Everything was as it should have been.

She took off her shoes and tossed them aside. Her socks followed. Both lay in a heap by the door. Then, without bothering to change, she lay on her bed. Kelly stared at the blank ceiling for a while until she was overcome by sleep.
~~~
Outside the Wylds domain, under cover of the shadows, two pairs of spying eyes watched the girls’ actions. One fidgeted and turned to his companion.

"Are you sure this is the right place? She looks harmless to me." He stated.

The second shadowed figure grunted and handed her binoculars to her partner. "Of course it's the right place, Idiot. Take a good look at her."
"Just making sure." He glanced at the sleeping Kelly through the lenses. He grinned stupidly. "Hey, she looks like a cartoon character with that funny getup."

The two figures were government agents. The first one, the male, was Pvt. Frederick Richards. His buddies would have called him Freddy, but he didn't have any friends. He was a tall, lanky fellow with shaggy brown hair. His goatee had bits of foliage ensnared within it.

His companion, Lt. Diana Morgan, was the brains of this outfit. She had blond, shoulder length hair and dark eyes. She was short but mighty. The Lt. could easily take on her partner and trounce him soundly without breaking a sweat.

Morgan had the urge to smack her partner for his stupidity, but refrained against the notion. Calling attention to themselves was not a good idea. Wimp that he was, Richards might cry out. Morgan didn’t need that. Her evening was already miserable.

"Whoa!" Richards exclaimed. "Check it out!" He gaped excitedly through the binoculars.

"Quiet! Are you TRYING to wake everyone in the neighborhood up?!" Morgan hissed. "What's happening?" She took the binoculars from her companion and took a glance at the sleeping girl. It was not Kelly, however, that mesmerized the dumbstruck Private, it was her shadow.
Somehow, the shade was able to move without aid or influence from its host. The wraith detached itself from the wall and moved about the room.
"What the devil is going on in there?!" Morgan demanded through clenched teeth.

"Cool, huh?" Richards inquired.

Morgan watched in bemused fascination as the specter climbed out the window and situated itself on the roof, a phantom in the moonlight. But that was not the end of the strange happenings for that evening. The shadow stood for a moment appearing as if it were doing nothing. Then Morgan noticed that it was rapidly expanding. It grew until it was twice the size it was before. Its arms became thin and stretched. Soon the shades arm span was twice as long as it was tall. A semi-transparent film materialized between the lengthened appendages. The specter flapped its new wings experimentally. They worked well.

The base it its spine grew until a long thin tail whipped behind it. The apparitions’ neck then stretched, as did the face. The head narrowed until it formed a long muzzle that ended in a hooked beak.

The Lt. stared, awestruck, as the wraith paused in its activities. "Don't just stand there gaping at it!" Morgan stammered, doing just that. She removed the binoculars from her face. She didn’t need them anymore. The creature was big enough to be seen without them. "Go contact headquarters. Inform them that we’ve found our target."

Richards, who was intrigued up until this point, blanched. Having a girl-sized specter to deal with was one thing. Having to face a dragon was another. "But the car is out in the front of that house." He whined pointing to the Wyld residence. Morgan just glared at her associate. He whimpered and tore across the lawn just as the monster launched itself into the air.
~~~
Kelly felt a thrill of excitement as she flew across the night sky. Her majestic wings carried her through the quiet city effortlessly. The wind whistled by her ears in a haunting medley as she dove in and out of the empty streets. Some of the neighbor’s dogs barked madly as she rushed by.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed movement. A minute figure was running through her yard. No one was allowed on the Wyld property due to obvious reasons. However, she was curious, having never met, nor seen, anyone else in these type of dreams before. She swooped down to investigate.
~~~
Richards halted in his tracks as the shade changed directions and dove in his direction. He fell to the pavement and covered his head, expecting to be eaten. There was a heavy crunch as something hit the ground by his head. Dust was thrown into his face, making him cough. Though scared, he managed to look up at his assailant, or at least its feet. Talons as long as his hand scraped the ground mere inches from his face. The concrete beneath it was cracked. How this worked, since shadows supposedly have no substance, Richards didn’t know. But he did not want to find out.

"Err, excuse me."

What? Was the beast talking? Richards slowly rose to his feet. Even when he was standing at full height, the monster towered over him. The gray eyes of the wraith seemed to glow with malice as it brought itself to eye level with the private.

"Excuse me, but, what are you doing in my yard?" It asked.
Richards stiffened. It was speaking! He summoned as much courage as he could, but to no avail. "You...you stay away!" He squeaked timidly.
The creature tilted its head in an inquisitive manner. "Why? This is my yard. Why should I be the one who leaves?"

Richards hesitated. The creature did have a point. Now what should he do? Slowly, nervously, he unfastened and drew his pistol. The shadowy creature moved away slightly. Richards lifted the weapon and pointed at the monsters' head. The shade stepped back, seemingly alarmed.
"I'm warning you," Richards said with more bravado, but still cracking from fear. "Stay back!"

The shadow moved to make a hasty retreat, but Richards interpreted the maneuver as a hostile one. He squeezed his eyes tightly shut and pulled the trigger.

The crack of exploding gunpowder echoed through the quiet street. The metal slug tore through the specters vaporous form causing it to roar in agony. The cry, which seemed to be a mix of woman and beast, echoed longer than the sound of the gunshot. The frightened Richards covered his ears to block the haunting sound.

The shade disintegrated into a fine dust-like powder, then drifted on an indistinct breeze into the dark night.

Richards cautiously opened his eyes. There was nothing there. Lights were turned on in the surrounding houses. Silhouettes of the inhabitants approached the illuminated windows. Not wishing to be caught with the smoking gun, Richards tore to the van to complete his task.
~~~
Kelly awoke drenched in sweat. Her head pounded as if it had been split down the middle. She moaned and put her hands to her throbbing temples. The attempt to massage her aching head was slow and not very helpful.

Unseen by Kelly, nor anyone else, a faint mist sailed through the open bedroom window. It attached itself to the wall and returned to being Kelly’s missing shadow.

She slowly got up off her bed and made her way to the bathroom. There was sure to be some type of pain reliever in the medicine cabinet, or so she had hoped. The lights in the bathroom greatly contrasted with the darkness through the rest of the house. It made her eyes hurt, which made her head hurt even more. Tears of pain rolled down her face. Kelly moaned incoherently as she attempted to find the painkillers.

There was ibuprofen in the cabinet. It was for muscle pain, so that would not do much help. Anti- histamine wouldn’t help either, not unless she wanted to be loopy. Pink stuff for stomachaches. Why did it say bubble gum flavored when it didn’t taste anything like gum? Laxatives, definitely not. Why did they have them anyway? Acetaminophen, what is that supposed to mean? Naproxen Sodium, she wasn’t allowed to take that. Her mother told her it would make her sick. Sleeping pills, that would be the last resort. Kelly wished that her parents would buy things that were easier to understand.

Thinking made her head hurt. To be more precise, everything made her head hurt. Kelly tried to figure out what acetaminophen was. Then she remembered that her mother took two pills for her headaches. Kelly opened the bottle and dropped two tablets into her palm. That should work.

She took the pills and went back to bed.

[Tsemara]

Chapter Two: Fright

July 23, 2013

Kelly sat on the couch in a relaxed manner. That is to say, she was slouching with both her feet resting on the coffee table. In her hands was a graphic novel. Kelly enjoyed reading comics, particularly Japanese comics.

Lucas sat beside her watching television. It wasn’t a program Kelly particularly cared for. She thought it had vulgar humor and no plot. Her brother laughed.

Agitated, Kelly grabbed the remote, which was lying, unused beside them. She, then, turned the television off. Lucas started to yell.
"Hey!" He exclaimed. "I was watching that!"

He shoved Kelly, knocking her to the floor. She fell awkwardly and landed, hard, on her butt. She snarled and kicked him off the couch. Both fought for dominance of the television remote. Lucas eventually won, being stronger than his kid sister. He turned the TV back on and resumed watching his program.

"Don't you ever get tired of watching that?" Kelly snarled as she got to her feet. She straightened her clothing and ran a hand through her hair. Her ears were flattened against her head in anger and her tail bristled. "It's a dumb program."

"No." Lucas snatched Kelly's comic and flipped through the pages. "Don't you get tired of reading.... Children of Nod?"


"Give that back!"
"Not until you answer my question." Lucas replied in a compromising manner.

Kelly growled. She opened her mouth to object, but she knew she didn’t have a chance against her brother, yet. "No I don't get tired of reading Children of Nod. Now, can I have my book back?"

"Just quit complaining about the stuff I watch. Then I won’t complain about the stuff you read. Deal?" Lucas said waving the novel in her face.
"Fine." Kelly said scowling. She grabbed the novel and returned to her seat.

Kelly resumed reading her comic while Lucas returned to his program. Both were in less than light moods. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Kelly paid it no mind but Lucas bolted to his feet. Roughly, he grabbed Kelly by the arm and dragged her to her feet.

Startled, she dropped her comic. "What are you doing?!" She exclaimed as he pulled her into another room.

"No one besides close family knows you exist right?" Lucas snapped.
Them and the comic guys. Kelly thought, irked. But instead she snarled, "So? What does that have to do with this?"

Lucas practically hurled her out into the hallway and out of sight of the front door. He turned to leave. "We weren't expecting any company. So you have to hide until I know who’s at the door. Got it?"

He left to check the door before Kelly could respond. She growled and stormed to her bedroom, but made sure she didn’t cause the steps to squeak. She made a mental note to herself to, again, ask why she didn’t have a life.

Lucas waited for a moment, making sure Kelly had enough time to leave, before he opened the door. The doorbell rang as he opened it. Outside was a pair of police officers. The taller of the two fidgeted nervously. His eyes darted from side to side and back to the car parked in front if the Wylds residence. The shorter of the two looked irritated, like she hadn’t had much sleep in days.

"Hello," Lucas greeted the two, "how can I help you?"

The woman nodded and showed him her badge. "Good afternoon. I am Lt. Morgan. This is my partner, Pvt. Richards. We are responding to reports of a strange animal terrorizing local pets. Witnesses claim that the creature comes from this household."

"I'm sorry," Lucas shook his head. "I can't help you. We don’t have pets."

"Oh, really?" Morgan asked.

"Yeah." Lucas nodded. "Mom's allergic to animal dander."

Richards suddenly spoke up. His abrupt speech caused Lucas to jump. "I know you have it! I’ve seen it! Now where are you hiding that monster?!"
Lucas stared. What on earth where they talking about?
~~~
Kelly lie on her bed, fuming. Not only was she stuck up in her room until the unexpected visitors left, but she had dropped her graphic novel in the living room. There was no way she could get to it. Oh well.

She was roused from her spot when she heard raised voices. Quietly, she got up and approached the staircase. Below, she heard her brother, yelling at someone.

"What do you think you are doing? You can’t just come in here without a warrant! You’re breaking and entering!"

Curious, she crept halfway down the stairs. Just outside the door were a pair of police officers. They were trying to force open the door. One jammed his foot between the door and the post. For some reason, the man looked strangely familiar.

The other rammed the door forcefully, with he shoulder, knocking Lucas to the ground. The officers stormed into the living room. At once, they began to tear the room apart.

"You have no right being here! Get out of my house!" Lucas roared.
The woman sauntered up to the enraged boy and stood as tall as she could. She was barely higher than his sternum. There was a foul smirk on her face.

"I highly doubt that you are old enough to raise enough money to own a house. Especially not one as big as this."
~~~
Lucas felt his cheeks grow very warm as he spoke. He was certain he was blushing furiously. "That's not the point! So what if my parents aren’t home? You should not be here anyway! This is breaking and entering!"

The woman just smiled and returned to scouring the room. Lucas attempted to stop her, but she slammed her elbow into his gut. With the wind knocked out of him, all he could do was gasp for air.

"Hey! Look at this!" Richards stated. He was holding Kelly’s forgotten Children of Nod book, grinning.

Lucas grimaced. This was it. It was the end. Kelly was going to be taken away. His parents were going to kill him!

"It's the first issue of the Nod series!" Richards continued. "They're very rare, lately, and extremely expensive. I haven’t been able to find one anywhere."

Lucas heaved a large sigh. Only by this dudes stupidity was Kelly still a secret. Then he noticed her. There she was, crouched on the stairs as if nothing was wrong with her being there. Lucas mouthed the words, Go away! She began to make her way back to her bedroom but stopped when Morgan spoke again.

"You!" She shrieked, then swore loudly, unable to finish her exclamation. "You are here to find the creature! NOT to read comic books!" She finished, angrily. She, then, tore the book from his grasp.
The enraged woman looked like she was about to rip the book apart. Kelly had to restrain herself from rushing out there and taking her book back. Richards cried out in horror.

"No! Don’t do that!!"

And she didn’t. In fact, she just stared at the book. She turned to Lucas, grinning. Her finger was beside the scrawled words: Property of Kelly Wyld!

"Does this belong to YOU, boy?"

Lucas stood, "That's not mine. It’s my mother's." He lied.

"Indeed? And you just decided to read it?" She inquired.

"She doesn't care. As long as I take care of her books, she doesn’t care if I read them."

The short woman continued to smile. "So you are allowed to read them even if they're carelessly tossed about on the floor?”

“You startled me. I wasn’t expecting anyone to come around this time of day. That’s all." Lucas was beginning to be a little nervous. The officer was not falling for his stories. He was sure of it.

"Now," Morgan said, with a grin that made Lucas shudder involuntarily, "How would you react if I told you that I know that your mother's name isn't Kelly?"

Lucas frowned. "I'd say you were bluffing."

The officer grinned and pulled a small notepad out of her breast pocket. The flipped through the pages until she found what she was apparently looking for. "Ah, but I am not bluffing." She waggled her finger at him as if her were a child. "I know for a fact that your mothers name is Maxine."
"What?" Lucas was incredulous. How on earth would she have known that?
"Your fathers’ name is James," Lt. Morgan continued, "and YOUR name is Lucas. However, there are no records of anyone named Kelly living here. Now why would that be?"

"Because it's my mothers middle name. She prefers it in a informal setting." Lucas continued to lie.

The Lt. gave him a shrewd look. She didn’t believe him. Lucas could tell.

CREAK!

Lucas and Lt. Morgan turned to look for the source of the sound. Richards was halfway up the stairs looking rather embarrassed.
"Moron." Morgan scowled.
~~~
Kelly sat on the roof just outside her bedroom window. The air was cool, but not unpleasant. Raised voices began anew downstairs. She sighed. There was no reason for her to go back inside and get herself caught. Besides, Mom and Dad would be home soon. They would get rid of the intruders. Wouldn’t they?

Someone entered her bedroom. Kelly had the resist the urge to look in to see who it was. She listened to them sift through her belongings. The intruder mumbled to himself as he, at least Kelly was sure it was he, went through her desk. The footsteps approached the window.

Kelly, as quietly as she could, scaled onto the top of the roof, where it was flat enough to stand on. She listened to someone climb out of the window and scale the roof rather clumsily. She hoped, doubtfully, that it would be Lucas. As she had assumed, it wasn’t. It was Pvt. Richards. He slowly rose to a standing position on the roof, not to far from where she stood.

"What are YOU doing here?" She asked.

Richards said nothing, staring at her.

Kelly felt more than a little awkward at the silence. The strange man was oddly familiar. Where have I seen this guy before? She, again, attempted to start a "conversation" with the officer on the roof. "Hey, I asked you what you're doing here."

At first, he said nothing like with her previous attempt. Then he snapped out of whatever stupor he was in and began to approach her. "You know, I didn't really expect to find you, well, anyone up here." He stammered.

Who would? She thought. Well, besides Lucas.

"You are hereby property of the United States government." He continued shakily, as if he was not completely sure of what he was doing, or saying. "You are to be escorted by my partner and I to the appropriate facility."

"Appropriate for what?" Kelly inquired. What the heck is this guy on?

"I don't know. Nobody told me." He answered rather lamely. "I'm sure my partner knows though. Maybe we can go ask." He put in helpfully.

Kelly shook her head. "I don’t think so. "We" are not doing anything. I'm staying right here."

"On the roof?"

Kelly wondered how an idiot like Richards ever graduated from a police academy, or ANY academy for that matter. He seemed too stupid to handle the situation. Maybe the force is desperate for troops. She thought wryly.

"Better on the roof than with you." She replied.

Someone else started clambering onto the roof. Both Richards and Kelly turned to see who it was. Lt. Morgan appeared over the peak.
"What are you doing?! Apprehend her!"

Richards gave Morgan an incredulous look. "Why do I have to do all the dangerous stuff?" He whined.

Morgan was livid. Once she was situated, she stormed over to Richards and smacked the witless private across the face, telling him to get a grip. Richards looked at her with wide eyes as he clutched his reddening cheek. Kelly, on the other hand, would have found this incredibly amusing if the situation were not as dire.

Kelly hesitated before deciding that the roof wasn’t the best place to be at the moment. She moved to the edge of the roof, but Morgan stopped her. The petite officer made the effort of placing herself between Kelly and the roof.

"Hey," Kelly said, attempting to sound somewhat threatening. "Get out of my way. I’m out of here."

"You aren't going anywhere." Morgan replied in a commanding tone.
"Fine." Kelly frowned. So she sat down.

The gravel that lined the rooftop was less than comfortable. It was also hot. She could feel the heat through her jeans, and the gravel became caught in the fur at the base of her tail. Needless to say, she wasn’t cozy. But she was not about to get up for any reason.

Morgan stared at the defiant teenager. "Get up!"

"No." Kelly replied, crossing her arms.

Morgan was livid. "No? No?! How dare you say that?!"

Kelly smirked, unable to contain herself. "Well, you DID say I wasn't going to go anywhere. So why shouldn’t I be able to sit down? That’s not going anywhere."

Richards nodded. "She does have a point, you know."

Morgan turned on her partner. "No one asked YOU for your input, you idiot!!" She swore rather loudly.

Kelly was tempted to tell the officer that the people living on the other side of the neighborhood had not heard her, that she should have yelled louder, but thought better. So, she decided to let the two officers resolve their issues and began to creep to the edge of the roof. She got to the edge without any problem, Morgan berating Richards’s unprofessional attitude the whole time. But as Kelly was about to climb over the rim, she felt a hard yank on her tail. Kelly started and turned to see Morgan trying to drag her back onto the roof.

"Hey!! Let go of my tail!!" She yelled.

Morgan continued to pull, causing Kelly to trip. The woman took advantage of Kelly’s fall and tried to restrain the struggling girl.
Kelly was in a state of near panic. Morgan may be short, but she was STRONG! Squeezing her eyes shut, Kelly screamed and slapped the Lt. across the face. The officer loosened her grip on Kelly’s tail.

"Arrgh!!"

Kelly looked up to see Morgan clutching her cheek, hissing in pain. Blood oozed from between her tight fingers. Did I do that? She looked down at her hand. From her claws, blood dripped.

"I'm so sorry! I didn’t mean to!" She was horrified.

Lucas joined the group on the roof. "What the hell is going on up here?"
Lucas had a black eye and blood trickled from a torn lip. From the looks of it, Morgan beat the tar out of him.

"Come, Richards. We are leaving." Morgan snarled.

Richards looked at his superior in surprise. "But what about...?"
Morgan cut him off. "I said, 'We are leaving!'" She disappeared over the lip of the roof. Richards hesitated, looking at the Wylds. He made a strange squeaking sound before following his partner.

From the roof, the Wyld siblings watched the officers drive away.
"Kelly?" Lucas put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Kelly, are you okay?"

She continued to watch the shrinking vehicle. "I don't know."
"We'd better get down. You know, Mom will be here soon." He gently attempted to steer her toward the edge of the roof. She allowed him to.
"You're right." Kelly sighed.

Kelly swung her leg over the lip of the roof and began to climb down.
"Hey, Squirt." Lucas called.

She frowned up at her brother. "I told you not to call me that."

"I've never been up here. How do I get down?" He hunkered down as low as he could, while looking over the edge. He could not understand why she could stand being up there. He also did not understand how she could get up and down so quickly either.

Kelly sat on her windowsill. "The same way you got up."

"I saw where I was going, that time." He responded tartly.
Kelly sighed.

The next ten minutes were fully dedicated to shouts of; "Okay put your foot down there. No not there! To your left! Your other left!" "Quit yelling at me!" "I'm not yelling!" "My arms are tired." "Then hurry up." "I'm going to fall." "No you're not." And so on and so forth.

But the time he was finally back in her bedroom he was sore and tired. Both of them were irritated with each other.

"Kids?"

"That's Mom!" Kelly jumped.

"We're up here." Lucas shouted.

"Why is the living room a mess?" Maxine asked as she entered the room. "Lucas? What happened to your face? Kelly! Why are your hands so filthy? Is that blood? Go wash them!"

Kelly had forgotten about that. She rushed past her mother to the washroom.

"Have you two been fighting again? How many times do I have to tell you not to do that?"

"It's nothing like that, Mom." Lucas shook his head before she could say anything more.

Lucas related what had happened, while Maxine listened with a look of surprise and horror mingled on her face. After he had finished, she sat on the foot Kelly’s bed, looking at her son. What would she say to him?
Kelly entered the room, having been listening by the door. She had not said anything.

"I need to call your father." Their mother stated. "Go clean the living room. We’ll talk about this more when your father gets home."
It was a long and arduous job, cleaning the living room. The two officers made a mess of nearly everything. For some reason, they thought it would be necessary to remove the cushions from the couch and throw everything that was hidden beneath them on the floor. On the plus side, though, they found nearly five dollars worth of pocket change. Lucas pocketed it, despite Kelly’s protests.

After they had finished, they had nothing much to do. Lucas could no longer watch television. There was nothing he cared to watch playing at the moment. Kelly was no longer interested in reading. Book in hand, she returned to her bedroom to repair the damage done to it by the intruding officers.

Her desk was a mess, as what was left of her closet. Were they expecting her to be hiding in there? She sighed as she hung of miscellaneous clothes back up in their proper places. Boxes of odds and ends were returned to their rightful place, stored in the rear in a haphazard manner. By the time she had finished, Kelly was called down for dinner.

[Tsemara]

Chapter Three: Flight

July 29, 2013

Some time later, a few days to be exact, the Wylds were gathered in the living room. Kelly was dressed in her normal hooded jacket for public appearance. Her tail was stuffed uncomfortably in her jeans. Maxine sat next to her, arm over her daughters’ shoulder. James and Lucas sat across from them. All of them shifted their focus from the door, to a clock, and back again at different intervals. They were waiting.

There was knock at the door around ten thirty. James stood and went to open the door. Neither of the Wyld children knew exactly was going on. All they knew was that they had to pack some spare changes of clothing. Kelly made a point to pack some extra things, books and stuff. Her bags were up in her room, just under her bed. Lucas’s were just inside the door of his room. They guessed they were going somewhere.
The door was opened, and in the door stepped,

"Aunt Darlene!" Kelly exclaimed. She jumped up from her seat to give the newcomer a hug.

Darlene was James's older sister. She closely resembled her brother, dark eyes, and light hair. But unlike him, she had slightly curly hair and was kind of on the heavy side.

She gathered Kelly up in a burly hug. "Kelly, how are you?"

"I'm fine, Aunt Darlene." Kelly stated.

They broke from their embrace and went back to the couch. Kelly was suddenly wedged between her aunt and her mother.

"Kelly, dear, I really wish you would dress more sensibly." Darlene commented. "You look like a boy sometimes."

James shut the door and returned to his seat beside his son. "Truthfully, she is dressing in a sensible manner." He sighed.

"What do you mean?" Darlene asked. "You cannot expect her to get a good boyfriend, much less a husband, if she looks like one herself."

"Aunt Darleeeeeennne." Kelly complained. "Do you have to bring that up all the time?" Kelly blushed in spite of herself. She liked her aunt, but it seemed that every time they spoke, the topic always reverted to boys. She had her hands full with Lucas and the comic store guys, why would she want to find another?

"We don't want her to find a boyfriend." James stated, Uncomfortably. "Well, we do, but now right now."

Darlene Wyld looked at her brother quizzically. "What? You’re not making any sense."

James and Maxine sighed in harmony. "Kelly," Maxine said softly. "Please, take off your jacket."

"What?! But, Mom-!" Maxine shook her head, halting Kelly's protest.
"She needs to know." Was the reply.

This time, Kelly sighed. Reluctantly, she pulled off her jacket. Darlene stared, silently, her mouth agape.
~~~
Lucas watched his sister pull off her jacket. She also pulled her tail out of her pants. He had wondered where she put it, when she went out. Both her tail and ears drooped with discomfort as she stood in her tank top. Lucas watched as Darlene traced the stripes that lined Kelly’s arms, neck, and cheeks. She went so far as to tug on Kelly’s ears and tail, to make sure they were real.

"Can you stop that? You’re hurting me." Kelly said, wincing.

The response was nothing, for a while. Then, the woman gave a small gasp. "They’re real! You! You're a, a-" She struggled for a word.

James finished for her. "An alien."

"She's a what?" Came from both sides of the room, asked by both Lucas and Darlene. Kelly had a similar response, but hers came out in the first person instead of the third.

"When did this happen?" Kelly demanded.

"Why haven't you told me?" Darlene echoed.

Lucas only managed an incoherent statement. Though, Kelly’s question was ridiculous, it did make sense. She was never told of her heritage. Most questions she had were redirected or ignored altogether. Lucas knew, of course, but he had a tendency to forget sometimes.

James waited until everyone had settled down enough to be quiet, and returned to their seats. Then, he stood and paced uncomfortably around them.

"Darlene," He started. "Do you remember the vacation we took, at the cabin? It was around thirteen years ago."

The older woman had to think about it for a moment, but she eventually nodded. With that, James started speaking.
~~~
Kelly listened to her father speak. Most of what he said did not make sense. First off, she did not remember what he was talking about. Her mother explained that the event took place when she was still and infant. She would not have remembered it even if she had tried.

Secondly, someone was hunting her? Why would someone want to do something like that? Well, besides the government, that is. But she already knew they were jerks.

Lastly, what did Aunt Darlene have to do with anything? What was her involvement? She got the answer soon after Lucas said what she was thinking.

"But, Dad, what does Aunt Darlene have to do with this? She wasn’t there." He asked.

Maxine spoke this time. "A few days ago, government agents came and tried to take Kelly away." She gave Kelly a squeeze.

"I know that." Lucas answered. "So does she."

"But MY sister did not." James answered. He sighed. "Darlene?" He said nothing more, almost embarrassed.

Aunt Darlene looked up at her brother. There was a questioning look in her eyes.

"We need you to take the kids to your place for a while." Maxine explained.

"What?" Darlene responded.

"What?!" Echoed the kids.

Well, the packing made sense, then. But why were they being sent to Darlene's? There were other people who lived closer than she did. Aunt Darlene brought that up, thankfully.

“Why do they have to go to my house? Surely there are other people who live closer then I do?"

Maxine spoke up first. "That was the point. We’re assuming that they would think we would go to them first. That why we called you."
That made sense, sort of. Kelly shrugged mentally. The point was, they were leaving with someone.

Darlene pondered over this, staring at Kelly the entire time. It was kind of a strange feat, seeing that they were seated beside each other. But it was accomplished nonetheless. It made the teenager nervous. She had to struggle to fight the urge to fidget, beneath the calculating stare.
"I wish you had said something sooner, not just dropped it all on me like this." Darlene started. "My house is not ready to have guests in it, not even family. And how am I supposed to hide a teenage beast girl? The neighborhood I live in is just as crowded as yours is, if not more."
Well, Kelly thought, that was rude. She frowned. She’d been called quite a few things; Kitty, Cat girl, creature, freak, and a few other names, but it had been in good humor. This just sounded like an insult.

"The same way we have. She knows her limits, and Lucas is going along to make sure of it."

Kelly grumbled, in spite of herself. No one seemed to notice, or care. I’m under house arrest in someone else’s house. With Lucas as the guard. This sucks.

She could tell by Lucas’s stare, he wished to ruffle her hair in the way he normally did whenever he was making fun of her. At first he made a move to do so, but a reproving look from their father, he attempted to make it look like he was only fidgeting.

"Will you able to take care of them?" Maxine asked softly.

Darlene said nothing for what seemed like an eternity. Then, she nodded slowly. "I ... suppose I can."

James hugged his sister. "Thank you." Maxine joined her husband in the grim embrace. Kelly was smashed in the middle, unable the squirm away. "Lucas, Kelly, please, go get your things."

Kelly had to wait until the embrace was finished before she was able to retrieve her things. She sighed as she went up the stairs to get her things out from under her bed. She pulled her jacket up over her head, as she climbed. Hood in place, she felt much better. She did not know why, but she did nonetheless.

When she arrived in her bedroom, she realized that her bags were missing. Kelly knew that the bags were not taken downstairs like Lucas’s was, nor did she ever take them from her room. After a short, yet frantic hunt, the only place left to look was under the bed.

Kelly sighed and lay down on her stomach to rummage through the things that lurked under her bed. It did not take her long to find her bags. Though, not realizing how much junk was hidden under the bed Kelly was suddenly distracted. She made several discoveries of objects she believed were lost years ago.

"Hey, Squirt, it's not going to help you, to try and hide under your bed." Came the voice of her brother from somewhere around her waist. She felt his foot nudging her in the side.

"I'm getting my stuff. Someone kicked it under the bed." She replied.
Lucas started to poke her in the side. "Hey! Stop that!" Kelly fidgeted. She hated being tickled, or poked for that matter. He was doing both.

"Okay." He grabbed her ankles and hauled her out from under her bed. Kelly hurriedly grabbed her bags and dragged them out with her. She protested the whole time. He laughed and continued to pull. Well, at least he was not pulling her by her tail.

Lucas continued to tow her until he came to the stairs. "Lucas! Stop! Knock it off! I’m getting a rug burn!" And she was, on her stomach. Her shirt and jacket were being pulled up around her chest.

Lucas laughed and dropped her feet with a thump. Growling, she took a swipe at his leg. He yelled and jumped out of the way. Kelly did not draw blood, but she did tear a hole in his jeans where her claws caught.
"God dammit, you little brat!" He bellowed. "This was my favorite pair!" He poked a finger in the tear, making it worse.

"Lucas! What did I say about using language like that?" Maxine called from the foot of the stairs.

"Mom, I'm nineteen. I should..." Lucas was cut off by his mother.

"You should be able to know better, then," was the tart reply.

He grumbled to himself and clomped down the stairs. He made an effort to make each step squeal under his weight. Kelly, on the other hand, followed him down the stairs quietly. She put her bag by the door as her mother approached.

Maxine hugged them both tightly, as if she was not ever going to let go. She was crying. Kelly hated to see her mother cry. It depressed her. They were only going away for a little while, right?

James also embraced his children. "You kids be good, okay?"

Lucas managed an easy grin. "Don't we always?"

Kelly made a weak smile. "No problem." She was a little less sure of her answer. She was not sure if it was because of her mother’s unhappiness or because she was just giddy. She had never slept over at anyone’s house, much less one an hour and a half away.

"We really should be off. It’s late enough as it is. It will be close to midnight before we get there." Darlene stated uneasily. The thought of driving for more than an hour at this time of night was not appealing, especially to her. It was obvious.

Mr. and Mrs. Wyld helped load the bags into Aunt Darlene's car. Lucas took shotgun while Kelly sat behind driver. Habitually, she moved to the middle chair, buckled in, lied down and waited for the car to start. Darlene spoke quietly with James before also entering the vehicle.
The car started loudly, Kelly was sure the neighbors would have a fit. She sat up and watched her parents and house become smaller as they drove away. It was strange, this being the first time leaving without one of her parents driving, and asking a bunch of questions. It was quiet.

Lucas turned on the radio and fooled around with the stations. Darlene eventually grew tired of this and put in a CD. It was new age. Lucas obviously thought this was terrible, preferring rock music. But he managed to keep his mouth shut. Kelly welcomed the change. The mood was tense and the music made her feel better, at least more relaxed. She began to fall asleep.

"You okay back there, Squirt? You’re really quiet." Lucas commented at a red light. He turned around in his seat and poked her in the side, to check if she was still awake.

Kelly hissed at him, ears lying flat against her hair. "Stop calling me that, and quit poking me. I’m fine." She growled in response. Then, she yawned. "I'm just tired."

"If you say so." He grinned and poked her in the side again.

Kelly made an attempt to smack his hand, but there was no power behind it. She was too tired. She missed as he turned back in his chair.

"You might as well get some rest as we go." Aunt Darlene commented, as she maneuvered down the lamp lit road. "We won’t arrive for an hour, at least."

Her words fell on deaf ears. Kelly was already asleep.
~~~
Lucas sat in shotgun, quietly staring out the window. The darkened landscape beyond was vast, and seemingly empty. The headlights of other cars were few and far between. Sometimes it seemed like they were the only ones on the road. Streetlights dotted the highway showing nothing of interest each time they passed. Only a wall, or a roadblock, or sometimes a fenced drop off would pass the tinted glass. They could have been next to a desert, a sleeping town or a mountainside and never would have seen it. Small lights twinkled in the distance every once in a while. Lucas found it to be strangely unnerving. Oh, well.

The slow music mixed with the fact that nothing was going on made his eyes droop. He wondered how anyone could drive in this condition.
"What on Earth?"

Lucas’s eye snapped open. "What's wrong?"

Aunt Darlene slowed her car. "There's something out there. On the road."

Lucas sat up and looked out where they were heading. There was something sitting in the middle of the road. The closer they got, the larger it became. It did not look hurt, but it was not moving from its spot. It almost seemed like it was not aware of the approaching vehicle.
Aunt Darlene honked her horn. Then the creature stirred. A large serpentine head turned to face them with glowing silvery gray eyes.
"What the? Oh my God!"

The older woman slammed her foot on the breaks. The tires squealed in protest as they came to a jarring halt. The vehicle was not slowing down enough. They would hit whatever it was in the middle of the road if it did not move out of the way.

The headlights fell upon the animal in the road. Lucas was shocked by what he saw. The beast in the middle of the road looked like very large winged lizard. A dragon?! It was probably twice as tall as he was, he could not tell. It was black, or a very dark gray. He, again, could not tell. But it seemed to be lacking something, almost as if it was not all there. It also did not seem to cast a shadow.

Aunt Darlene screamed as she swerved, but still they struck whatever it was that was blocking the road. Whatever it was cried out as the side of the car smashed into it. Almost echoing the animals' cry was Kelly. She bolted up in her seat shrieking as if she were in pain.

By the time the car had finished moving, Lucas could swear his heart had taken up permanent residence in his throat. He glanced at the others in the car. Aunt Darlenes' knuckles were white from clutching the steering wheel. Sweat beaded her brow as she gasped for air. Kelly sat in the back seat, holding her side, whimpering. She looked very pale.

"I...I hit it." Aunt Darlene stammered more to herself than to anyone in the car. She turned to Lucas. "I...Oh God...What do I do?"

"I...I don't know." He turned around in his seat to face his sister. "You okay back there?"

"My side really hurts." She replied pitifully.

Lucas looked at his aunt, then back at his sister. Both were in apparent distress, but he could only help one. Then there was the matter of having hit something on the road. Something as large as the creature that was outside somewhere was not making Lucas feel any better. Hurt animals had a tendency to attack things.

His aunt could wait, Lucas decided. She was not hurt, only frightened. He turned his attention to his sister, keeping an eye on the windows, just in case whatever it was they hit came after them.

"Kelly?" Lucas unbuckled himself so he could face her more comfortably. "What's wrong? Where does it hurt?"

The girl looked up at him with a pained expression. Her ears were turned back, but not completely flat against her head. Her tail seemed to be more than half its original size, but Lucas paid them little mind. What concerned him was that she looked unnaturally pale.

"My side." Kelly responded softly, as if talking hurt her. "I think I hit it on something."

"You hit it on something?" Lucas was slightly confused. She hit it on something? That didn’t make sense.

Lucas turned back to his aunt. "Aunt Darlene? You mind turning the lights on? I'd like to look at Kelly's side."

Darlene said nothing but flicked the lights on. Lucas, on the other hand, returned his attention to his sister.

Carefully, he lifted the hem of her T-shirt out of her jeans to take a look at her side. There was a long welt, running parallel to one of her stripes, where the belt strap pressed into her skin. It might bruise with time but then, he was no doctor. Besides that, she looked fine. He did not understand why her breath was ragged. The weal was too low to have any effect on her breathing.

"It doesn't look all that bad." Lucas commented. "You might bruise, but it's nothing to be worried about."

"If you say so." Kelly looked skeptical, but let the matter rest.
Lucas, convinced that his sibling was well enough to be left alone, turned back in his chair. Darlene had finally calmed down enough to hold a decent conversation.

"Is she going to be alright?" Darlene asked.

Lucas thought this was a rather strange question to ask, but there was nothing he could do about it. "She'll be okay. You going to be okay?"

Darlene nodded, saying nothing. There was nothing, really, that could be said. The silence between them was awkward. Lucas felt something needed to be said. "Um, any sign of whatever it was you hit?" Lucas inquired.

He saw the woman stiffen slightly, then frown in thought. She looked around, still frowning. "It's gone. I haven’t seen it since we hit it."

Lucas checked their surroundings finding it very hard not to be confused. The size of the animal they hit was far too large to make a quiet retreat, or at least without one of them noticing it moving. But, as far as he could see, there was no one there.

Frustrated, he opened his door and stepped out onto the pavement. The cool air caused him to shiver, mildly. He looked around cautiously, straining his senses to pick up any trace of the mystery animal. There was nothing. The only sign that what had occurred was not just a figment, was a great big dent on the passenger side of the car. The rear door would be useless until the car was taken in to a mechanic, and still Lucas was skeptical about that.

When Lucas has returned to his seat, he was met with a questioning look. He could only shrug in response. "I don't get it. There’s nothing out there, but the car’s messed up." He testified.

Lucas heard his aunt mumble something about counting their blessings as she restarted the car. He continued to puzzle over what had happened even though they were well on their way.

Kelly lie down in the back seat again, but did not fall asleep. Instead, she stared at the sky through the windshield. Her breathing eventually returned to normal, as did her coloring.

Lucas was glad about that. He did not want to call home immediately after getting to his aunts’ house proclaiming that Kelly had gotten hurt. She looked troubled about something.

"Kelly? Are you okay?" Lucas asked.

She looked at him, her head resting in her arms. "Yeah, I'm alright." Was her answer.

"You look worried." He pointed out.

Kelly said nothing, turning her gaze to the back of Darlenes' seat. "It's nothing," she mumbled.

Lucas was not convinced. He put a hand on her head, between her ears.
Kelly did nothing in response. This bothered Lucas. She must be really worried about something. Normally, she would have attacked his hand or growled at him. Or both.

"I'll tell you later. Please, leave me alone."

Lucas sighed. He would just have to take her word for it and ask about it later.
~~~
Lucas yawned, much later, as they arrived at Darlenes' house. Everyone was tired, and wanted nothing more than to go to bed. Both Wyld children retrieved their bags from the trunk and followed Darlene up the steps onto the porch.

Crickets chirped, as Darlene busied herself with the lock. Lucas heard the bark of a lone dog, not too far from where they stood. Kelly, who was wearily leaning on her brother stiffened. He looked around them, and found no trace of a canine. He reassured his sister, who relaxed slightly.
“That dumb mutt, he’ll wake the whole neighborhood if he keeps this up.” Darlene muttered as the door opened.

Lucas couldn’t agree more. However, he could not help but think she was hiding something. He blamed it on how exhausted he was and said nothing. Right now, the most important thing was to find a bed and crash on it.

“You two are welcome to share the guest bedroom if you wish.” The tired woman yawned. “However if you feel more comfortable, Lucas, there’s a futon in the couch there.” She pointed to the large sofa that sat in the living room.

“Sofa’s good.” Lucas put his bags down at what he dubbed the foot of the couch and flopped down onto it. He was too tired to care about unfolding it. He just wanted to sleep.

He heard his Aunt talking to Kelly momentarily, but her voice seemed so far away. A door closed in the distance and Lucas fell asleep.

[Tsemara]

Chapter Four: Of Cats and Dogs
July 30, 2013
Somewhere in the back of his mind, Lucas heard barking. He deemed it irrelevant and continued to dream. The barking continued, but was suddenly broken by the sound of a scream.

He sat up quickly, fully awake. His hurried movements caused him to fall from the couch. It took him a moment to remember that he was not at home, in his own bed. Lucas grimaced and stumbled to the source of the scream. He was met by Darlene, who was also following the barking. She held a leash in her hand.

“You have a dog?!” Lucas exclaimed.

He got his answer when he reached the guest bedroom. It was sparsely furnished, having a bed, night stand, and a large armoire. Besides the furniture, Lucas saw Kelly and a very happy looking golden retriever.

Kelly had somehow gotten herself perched on top of the armoire. Her tail was more than twice its normal size and her ears were flat against her tussled hair. She hissed at the barking intruder, not noticing the arrival of the others. Her claws were completely unsheathed and scratching grooves in the polished wood. Lucas was surprised at how long they were.

Lucas was tempted to laugh. He had known his sister’s fear of dogs, but he had never seen her take such measures to get away from one. There was just enough room for her to sit comfortably. Needless of the fact, she crouched as low as she could.

“Fletcher! Get out of there!” Darlene yelled.

The retriever, apparently named Fletcher, looked at Darlene with his tail wagging. He barked at them and ran up to Lucas. The dog covered Lucas’s face with spit before returning to the armoire, telling them all about his great discovery.

Darlene wrestled with the dogs’ collar before managing to successfully attaching the leash. She dragged the excited animal into the center of the room. It strained at its leash to return to the frightened girl.

“Kelly, come down from there.” Lucas commanded gently.

“No!” Was her frantic reply.

Lucas ran his fingers through his hair. “He’s not going to hurt you.”

“I don’t care! I’m not coming down.” She looked like she would have been quite happy to spend her time at her aunts’ house perched up on the shelf.

“Kelly, dear, you can’t stay up there.” Darlene said soothingly.

“Yes I could.” Kelly’s voice wavered slightly.

Lucas could tell, she knew she couldn’t. But the fact of the matter was, she wanted nothing to do with the golden yellow animal. He sighed heavily. Then, he turned to Darlene.

“Aunt Darlene?” He started quietly. “Would you mind taking him outside?”

“Sure. No problem.” She answered, attempting to drag the dog out of the room.

Lucas closed the door behind them and turned to his sister. She stared at the door as if she were afraid that they would come back.

“Will you come down now?” Lucas inquired.

Kelly turned her gaze to her brother. Unexpectedly, she frowned at him. “You never told me she had a dog!” She accused, vehemently.

“I didn’t know.” Lucas replied. “Really. I was just as surprised as you were.”

The young woman continued to scowl at him.

"Kelly, you can’t stay up there.”

“I know that. But I’m not coming down until that dog is gone.”

Lucas sighed. He checked outside the bedroom door to make sure the dog was nowhere near. Then he turned back to Kelly. “It’s gone. It’s safe to come down now.” He grinned reassuringly up at her.

Kelly said nothing in reply. Though, Lucas could tell, by the way her tail twitched side to side, she was thinking. About what, he was not sure. “Lucas?” Kelly asked softly.

“What?”

“Last night, on the way up, you and Aunt Darlene were talking about something.” She paused. “What was it?”

Lucas pondered for a moment. What were they talking about? “We hit some animal that was sitting in the middle of the street.” He explained.

“Oh,” was all Kelly said in reply. However, Lucas could tell by her posture, she was distressed. “What’s wrong, Kelly?”

“I …” Kelly hesitated. “You won’t tell anyone will you?”

Lucas was taken aback by this. “What?”

“Please, don’t tell anyone about this,” Kelly pleaded.

“Okay, fine. I won’t.” He responded.

“Promise?”

Lucas nodded. “I promise.”

“Last night, on the way up,” Kelly started. “I had a dream. It’s not important, but…”

“But what?” Lucas had to ask when she stopped talking.

“In this dream, I got hit by a car. It’s what woke me up.”

Lucas was puzzled, slightly, by this. “You were hit by a car?” He inquired.

Kelly nodded, her gaze seemed to fall on her claw marks. But she said nothing.

“I’m sure it was just a coincidence.” He tried to hearten her.

“But, Lucas,” Kelly looked down at him from the dresser. “you and Aunt Darlene were the people in the car.”

Lucas made a handful of unintelligent sounds as he tried to wrap his brain around what his sister had said. Surely, it was a coincidence. A strange, mind-bending one, but a coincidence nonetheless. Right? Right. There was nothing to worry about. “That’s a weird dream you had there.” Lucas said, finally. “But don’t worry about it.”

“Why not?” Kelly asked.

“Because, we didn’t hit anything that looked like you at all.” He grinned reassuringly. Then he snapped his fingers. “That reminds me, I’d like to take another look at your side.”

This time, it was Kellys’ turn to look confused. “My side?”

“You complained about it hurting you after the collision.” He explained casually.

“Oh. Okay. I guess.” She mused.

Kelly swung a denim-covered leg over the side of her perch. Then she frowned. “Wait a minute. You’re just trying to get me down where that dog is!”

Darn! Lucas had momentarily forgotten about that factor. He watched his sister pull her leg back onto the armoire.

“We’re not back here again, are we?” Lucas sighed. “Fine, you stay up there. I’M, going to breakfast.” He turned and left Kelly on the dresser and shut the door behind him. There was no winning to this argument. Besides, she’d come down when she got hungry enough, dog, or no dog. She had done it before. Though, the dog was not as big the last time as it was this time.

Lucas met his aunt in the dining room. “Is Kelly okay?” Darlene inquired as he entered. She was making pancakes.

"She’ll be fine.” Lucas shrugged, eyein the flapjacks. He wondered what kinds of syrups his aunt had.

“She’s going to have to get along with it anyway. We just have to make sure he stays outside most of the time.” Lucas grabbed a stack of pancakes and sat down at the table. He was joined by his aunt moments afterward. Both sat eating, pondering over their options.

“Aunt Darlene,” Lucas mused over a particularly syrup ridden piece of pancake. “Last night, as we were coming up, what do you think happened?”

Darlene said nothing. Quietly, she ate her breakfast. She sighed, just as Lucas opened his mouth to ask again.

“I don’t know what happened. But I’m not going to think about it. We can’t prove it happened, so there’s no use in making a big commotion about it.” Darlene said, more to her pancakes than to her nephew.

“But what about the dent in your car? We can’t ignore that.”

Darlene sighed. “We can’t just go and tell the mechanic that a dragon came and hit us in the middle of the night. I’d rather just blame it on vandals.”

Lucas was indignant. “But it wasn’t vandals! It was a-” He cut himself off. It did sound ridiculous, being hit by a dragon.

Lucas sighed, in spite of himself. There was nothing they could do. He ruffled his hair with his hand before returning his attention to his syrup soaked pancakes.

Like Lucas had thought, Kelly did not come down from her lofty perch to join them for breakfast. Nor did she come down for lunch either. When he had entered the guestroom to check on her, he found her napping on the top of the armoire. He was slightly amazed that she did not fall as she slept. Though, Lucas knew he should hardly be surprised. She DID make it a habit of running around on the roof when their parents weren’t home.

Kelly, eventually, emerged from her sanctuary, to join them for dinner. She confided to Lucas, that she spent the day napping to keep her from thinking about being hungry. Obviously, it did not work as well as she had hoped. Lucas surmised, however, that it had worked well enough to keep her out of sight for nearly a day. He wondered, amused, whether she would be willing to do that more often.

Lucas became a little more perturbed than amused, as time went by, when Kelly threatened to do what he had joked about. He had rarely if ever seen her act so adamant about anything. When she was not nervously wandering around the house, she was sitting up on the dresser. The gashes, in what used to be polished wood, became slightly longer and deeper each time she scaled its sides, much to Darlenes’ dismay.

“You do realize,” Lucas had said one day, “that you’re going to pay for that, right?”

Kelly looked down her perch, where she had been doing something with her foot. “What?”

Lucas folded his arms across his chest. “That’s probably expensive, and you’ve been carving out valleys in it since you got here.”

“‘Snot MY fault.” Kelly, replied absently returning her attention to her foot.

“Well, who else is gouging holes in the furniture?” Lucas demanded.

Kelly ignored him for a period of time. Then, just as Lucas opened him mouth, Kelly sighed. “I’ve got splinters in my toes.”

“You what?” Lucas sputtered, caught off guard.

“I can’t get them out.” Kelly looked extremely embarrassed. “Would you-?” She mumbled the rest.

Lucas poked her leg over the lip of the furniture. “Would I what?”

She was very soft in her reply. “Would you help me get them out?”

The last thing he wanted to do was touch his little sisters’ feet. However, splinters were a pain to deal with, no matter where they were. He might as well see what he could do about them. “Alright, let me see them.” He grimaced.

Some time later, Lucas found himself laughing at his sister. Splinter-free, though still slightly sore, she had a harder time getting away from her adversary. Thus, Fletcher had finally tackled her while Darlene was at work. Lucas had let the dog in, accidentally he claimed later, to see what Kelly would do.

Her first reaction was to scream while trying to run away. By the time she had scrambled out of the living room, it was already too late. The beast was upon her. She fell on her stomach, and covered her head with her arms. Fletcher sat on her back , as excited as a dog has ever been. It barked happily while trying to catch Kelly’s madly twitching tail. Drool splattered the back of her pants and on the floor beside her.

“Get it off! GET IT OFF!!!” Kelly cried, quivering in fear.

“It’s not hurting you is it?” Lucas gasped, trying hard not to let her see him laughing.

“Just get it off!” She sobbed under her arms. “Please?”

Lucas dragged the enthusiastic animal off his sister, just as it was about to close its maw around the wriggling mass of fur. Not a moment later, Kelly was locked away in the guestroom. Still grinning, Lucas escorted the canine back outside.

Once the dog was locked out of the house, Lucas went to check on his sister. He rapped on the bedroom door, asking to be let in. When he got no reply, he knocked again. And again, he received no reply. As he moved to open the door, he heard something.

Lucas pressed his ear to the door. Inside, he heard Kelly sniffling. It took him a moment to register what he had heard. She was weeping to herself, trying not to be overheard. Gingerly, he opened the door and peeked in.

As before, Kelly was perched on top of the armoire. She sat, holding her legs close to her chest, sobbing into her knees. Lucas closed the door, as quietly as he had opened it. He stood just outside the room, feeling absolutely miserable. He did not mean to terrify his sister. I just wanted to see what she’d do. Now he knew, and he would not do it again. “Kelly, I’m sorry.” He whispered. Then, he walked away.

[Tsemara]

Chapter Five: The Wild Child

Lucas sat on the couch he had claimed as his bed, bored out of his mind. It had been nearly a week since he and Kelly had arrived at Aunt Darlenes’ house, and he had run out of things to do there. Only one person could be on the computer at a time, so he couldn’t chat with his friends all day. She did not have cable, which meant he missed all his shows. And the only things to read around the house were cookbooks and magazines. Kelly, who had thought to bring something to read, refused to share.

Their parents had called once a day to talk, to tell them they were loved. Kelly, who was incredibly homesick, spoke the longest to them. Lucas reassured them, regularly, that everything was fine.

“What’s wrong dear?” Aunt Darlene asked one morning, before she left for work.

“Uh,” He was not sure how he was going to tell her of his ennui.

Darlene, however, seemed to understand. “I know that being inside all the time is dull. But, how will you two be safe if you’re out in the open?”

“You see how Kelly dresses,” Lucas started. “As long as she stays that way and makes sure no one sees her ears, she’s fine. We’ve done it before.”

Darlene mused over this while rummaging through her purse. “Well, you’re welcome to hike in the hills out back,” Darlene sighed. “But you’ll have to ask your parents if it’s okay for Kelly to go with you. I’d rather you didn’t hike alone. There are snakes and things out there.”

Lucas whooped inwardly at the invitation to do SOMETHING different. He did not mind the thought of snakes, but he wondered what the other “things” were. Now getting the permission for Kelly would be another matter. He still felt bad about the dog prank.

Darlene sighed and stepped out the front door. “Just be sure when you go out, you take Fletcher with you. He’s a lot less hyper when he’s gone for a walk.”
~~~
Lucas was out, not less than ten minutes after his aunt left, walking a very excited golden retriever. Kelly could have felt a little better about this, but she had to make due. Her books were no longer amusing. She had already read them twice each. She did not make a habit of watching television, like her brother did, so that was out of the question. And her parents were at work, so she could not call them.

Oddly enough, she was beginning to feel lonely.
~~~
Unaware of his sister’s depressing state, Lucas walked aimlessly along the dusty path. While he was not fond of hiking through the woods, he was much happier out here that shut inside the house.

Fletcher strained at his leash, urging Lucas to move faster than the teenager wished to go. The excited dog sniffed at everything around them. Trees, bushes, movements, and shadows all captured the short attention span of the retriever.

A particularly large spider web, with a behemoth arachnid to match, caught Lucas’s eye. He marveled at the size, and wondered how such a creature could have existed. They never reached that size at home. Of course, his mother did not allow such things to happen. She removed such pests, by any means available, whenever one was discovered.

During Lucas’s brief period of inattention, Fletcher yanked his leash right out of the boy’s hand. Barking excitedly, the beast ran off into the woods.

“Hey!” Lucas shouted. “Come back here, you stupid dog!”

Fletcher ignored Lucas’s plea and continued to tear through the underbrush. Lucas followed as best he could, trying to ignore the thoughts of all the things he could be getting into his hair or clothing.

There was a yelp of surprise in the trees ahead of him. Lucas feared the dog had run into a poisonous snake or some other predator. However, the yelp, was followed by laughter. Dogs can’t laugh. Can they? The thought of a laughing dog was ridiculous. Someone was with his aunt’s dog.

The laughter, Lucas found when he stepped out from behind a tree, was supplied by a young woman. Lucas judged that she was around his age. She might have been younger. He could not be sure.

The woman was pinned, on her back, to the ground by Fletcher. Her green flannel shirt and baggy black jeans were covered, now, in dirt and dog hair. Her long tousled hair was a fiery reddish color. Freckles stained the bridge of her nose. Her features were vastly different from what he usually saw, making her seem interesting, if not somewhat attractive, at least by Lucas’s standards.

“Get off me, you dumb mutt.” She laughed. The “dumb mutt” in question, continued to shower the girl with slobbery affection.

“I’m really sorry.” Lucas came forward and pulled the dog off the woman. “He got away from me.”

The girl stood and dusted herself casually. “It’s okay. It happens.” She looked at him with a brow raised. “So, who are you?”

Lucas was taken aback. Doesn’t waste time, does she? “Well, I’m Lucas. Uh, I’m visiting my aunt.”

“Well, that explains it, then.” The girl nodded. “I was wondering what you were doing with Fletcher.”

“How do you know Fletcher?” Lucas realized too late how silly his question sounded. It was obvious that the girl lived in the area. Otherwise, she would not have known the dog’s name.

The girl grinned. “The name’s Jordan. I watch him every once in a while, when his mistress can’t.”

Did she just say mistress? Lucas was taken by surprise by the statement. Just how does one respond to that? He decided to change the subject.

“So, uh, do you hike often?” It was a start. A rather poor one, but it was a conversation starter nonetheless.

Jordan crossed her arms casually. “All the time if I can manage it. I know these wooded hills better than the back of my hand.”

“Oh,” Lucas replied. “Well, then do you know where I can hide someone?”

The red head gave Lucas a shrewd look. Perhaps he had said that wrong. “What do you mean, hide someone?” Jordan shifted her weight and kicked a sturdy looking staff, Lucas had not noticed before, from the ground to her hands. It was a nifty trick. He figured that she had dropped it when Fletcher tackled her. She took a defensive stance, as if she were expecting Lucas to suddenly attack her.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say it like that!” He had to resolve this quickly. Otherwise, Lucas was afraid he was going to get smacked upside the head. “My sister is an alien and I’m trying to hide her from the Feds.”

“Yeah right. And I’m - wait.” Jordan stopped in mid sentence. “What?”

Well, that got her attention. Lucas sighed heavily. “I have a sister. Well, she’s ‘adopted’, but still. She’s an alien and I have to hide her from the cops. Otherwise my parents will kill me.”

This caught the girl’s attention. She relaxed her stance a bit, letting one end of her staff rest in the dirt. “What do you mean by, alien? Are we talking illegal or something else?”

So, she believed in aliens. That was a good thing. Lucas shook his head. “Something else, completely. Dad found her on some crashed space ship, when I was a kid. She’s been living with us ever since.”

The girl shifted her weight a bit, thinking quietly. Eventually she looked back at Lucas. Her eyes were an interesting shade of green. “Tell you what. I’ll show you around these parts, if you introduce me to your sister.” She bargained.

Lucas was at a loss on how to respond. It seemed fair enough. But, “How do I know you’re not just some cop?” She looked too young to be on the force, but looks could be deceiving. And if that was the case, he was already in trouble.

For a moment, Jordan looked offended, maybe angry. Her expression changed as she thought about the comment. Suddenly, she began to laugh. Her defensive stance was abandoned. She began to lean of her staff for support. Lucas was slightly confused as to what was so funny.

“Me? A cop?!” She continued to laugh. “No force in the world would hire a delinquent like me.”

“Delinquent?” Lucas could not help but ask.

Jordan had stopped laughing. However she continued to grin, clearly amused. “I spend so much time out here, my grades are the pits. If I spent even a quarter of the time I use hiking to do my homework, I’d be set.”

“That’s a lot of time.” Lucas assumed that she spent a lot of time outside.

“I’ll show you around, just for that, but I still have to meet your sister sometime. Alright?” She held out her hand.

Lucas shrugged. “Okay, sure.” He stepped forward, took her hand in his, and shook on it.
~~~
Kelly was napping by the time Lucas had arrived back at their aunt’s house. She had wasted some of her time by watching cartoons on the Internet. The rest she had spent watching a car that was parked across the street. Two men had been sitting in it, chatting back and forth with each other. They did not look like they were there to visit anyone in the neighborhood. The men just sat, in the car, for hours. She had not noticed that she had fallen asleep until the sound of the door being closed and muffled barking startled her out of her revere.

“Anyone home?” Lucas had called into the silent home
Kelly stretched. Having fallen asleep in an awkward position, she was rather sore. “I’m here,” she yawned. She glanced out the window curtains, before going to meet her brother. The car was still there. She was more than a little unnerved.

Kelly met her brother in the dining room. He was slightly dusty and had bits and pieces of foliage stuck in his hair. His appearance was a bit surprising, seeing that he was never known to indulge in the “great outdoors”. Her mind went blank momentarily, unable to get past what looked to be a cobweb in his hair.

“Hey, Kelly, guess what?” Lucas grinned.

Shaken out of her stupor, Kelly answered, “I don’t know. What?”

“I met someone, while I was walking the dog, out in the forest.” He stated, matter-of-factly. “She says she’s like to meet you.”

A number of things went through her mind at that comment. The forest was some place she never would have seen her brother. This girl would like to meet her, Kelly. First of all, what kind of girl would WANT to speak to Lucas? And was she a cop? That brought her attention back to the car parked outside.

“Lucas, I saw something really weird.” She stated.

Her brother looked a bit confused. True, she did say something a little off track, but it was important.

She grabbed his arm and dragged him over to the window she was spying from. Kelly peered through the curtains she had been hiding behind. As before, the car was still parked where it was before.

“Kelly? What are we-” Lucas’s question was cut off as she shushed him.

“They’ve been out there all day.” She whispered. “I think it’s a stake out.”

Lucas put his hand between his little sister’s ears, which were cupped forward, trying to pick up some sound he could not hear. He was sure that she was being paranoid, but then who would want to sit in their car all day?

“Don’t worry about it, Kelly. I’m sure you’re just imagining things.” Lucas grinned, reassuringly.

“I am not! Those guys have been out there all day!” Kelly protested.

Perhaps they had. And maybe they had not. Lucas had noticed creases in his sister’s cheeks. She must have woken up recently. So there was no way to tell whether or not they truly had been there all day.

“Okay, so maybe they have.” Lucas shrugged. “But worrying about it is not going to help anything.” He changed the subject, suddenly. “So, what do you say? Would you like to meet her?”

Kelly’s thoughts reverted back to the forest, and to the cobweb in her brother’s hair. The only wilderness she had ever encountered was the backyard, and the cottage the Wyld family occasionally went to. Of course, she did enjoy being out by the lake. But this was another matter. The thought of venturing into the unknown was intimidating, and yet, very intriguing. And meeting someone new might be good. But she had no idea what the wilderness beyond her aunts’ backyard would hold. She, to her knowledge at least, was not built for hiking.

Having nothing witty to reply with, she answered, “You have cobwebs in your hair.”

“What?! Where?!” Lucas’s demeanor was broken. Kelly could not help but smile as he frantically ran his hands through his hair, trying to get the sticky substance out.
~~~
Over the next few days, Lucas took Fletcher out for a walk, in hopes of meeting up with the hiker girl. When she did not appear, he began to wonder if she forgot about the agreement. His demeanor seemed to change from semi-bored to depressed. Because of this, Kelly poked fun at him. All the while, there was an increase of suspicious looking people wandering about the neighborhood.

One day, over breakfast, there was a knock at the door. Lucas and Kelly ate their cold cereal quietly. Aunt Darlene went rushing about, worrying about being late for work. Being the only person standing, Darlene answered the door. Lucas though nothing of the interruption and continued to eat. Kelly, on the other hand, mumbled something about ‘them’ and looked ready to bolt at a moment’s notice.

“It’s a bit early to come calling, my dear.” Lucas heard his aunt scold someone.

“Sorry,” a female replied. To Lucas, she sounded familiar. “I was going to go on a hike, and I wanted to know if Lucas wanted to come.”

“Oh. You’ve met my nephew.” Darlene was heard saying.

“Yeah, a couple days ago, while he was walking your dog.”

The hiker chick! Lucas had a momentary brain fart and could not remember her name. He missed what they said next, attempting to remember her name. His attention was grabbed when Darlene returned to the dining room. She looked nervously at Kelly, ready to usher the young woman out of the room.

Lucas put a stop to that notion. “It’s alright, Aunt Darlene. She knows about Kelly.”

His aunt looked flustered at the statement. Was he not supposed to have told her? Was she not to be trusted?

Darlene sighed and shook her head. She was going to be late if she tarried here any longer. “I’ll let her in, if you think your parents will be alright with it.”

The siblings looked at each other. The look in Kelly’s eye told her brother that she did not think their parents would be “alright with it”. However before she could say anything, Lucas turned back to his aunt. “I’m sure they’ll be okay with it.”

The woman sighed and left the room. When Lucas turned back to where his sister was sitting, she was already out of the room. Her bowl was dumped, unceremoniously, in the sink. If anyone came in, it would have looked like Darlene was a particularly sloppy eater.

Lucas dumped the last dredges of his cereal down the drain. He rinsed both his and his sisters’ bowls out and placed them in the dishwasher for later. Lucas wiped his hands on his pants as he went to greet the hiker girl in the living room.

Darlene had left the teenagers to their own devices, worried that she would be late for work. Apparently she trusted them not to do anything foolish, without adult supervision.

“Hey there,” the girl rose from the couch to greet Lucas as he entered.

“Hi! Uh…” Lucas still could not remember her name. It began with a ‘J’. That much, Lucas knew.

“Jordan.” She finished for him.

Lucas mentally kicked himself. She remembered his name. Why didn’t he remember hers?

“So, um, would you like to meet my sister?” Lucas inquired.

Jordan grinned. “That was part of the bargain, but I was just wondering if you wanted to go on a hike.”

“Well,” He had to ponder over the offer. He didn’t care about being outside, but… “Do you mind if Kelly came to?”

Jordan frowned. Not an angry frown, but she thought for a bit before answering. “But isn’t she er… different? How is she supposed to be able to walk around outside?”

For some reason, her question made him grin. “We’ve got our ways.” He excused himself to check on Kelly. The guest room door was closed, and he knew better than to barge in. His knock was answered by a hushed; “what?”

“There’s someone who’d like to meet you, in the living room.” Lucas explained. “She was wondering if you’d like to go on a hike, too.”

The door opened up a crack. “Lucas! What if she’s a cop?!” Kelly hissed. “We’re dead if Mom and Dad find out!”

This was not going the way Lucas wanted. However, “Kelly, what about your book store friends?”

“No one’s going to believe a bunch of comic book junkies, and you leave them out of this!” She shot back, pointing a finger at him through the crack.

“And no one is going to believe a delinquent nature junkie.” Lucas responded, grabbing her finger, playfully.

Kelly sighed, but said nothing, and pulled her finger away.

“So, are you going to meet her?” He asked as she closed the door.

He listened as she shuffled through something, behind the closed door. “I’ll be out in a bit. But if she’s a cop, and we get caught, I’m going to KILL you, Lucas.”

Lucas left her to his own devices, to return to the living room. Jordan was still there. She sat on the couch, adjusting her boots. “She’s getting dressed. She’ll be out in a little bit.”

"Great!” Jordan smiled.

There was an awkward silence following.

Jordan attempted to break the sudden, uncomfortable quiet with a “So…” But she seemed to run out of things to say after that. Lucas could not help but stare at the freckled girl.

“Is she weird looking?” The girl looked like she expected him to get annoyed with the question.

Lucas was taken by surprise, instead. Whatever he thought she was going to say, this was not it. He shook his head. “I don’t understand.”

Seeing that he didn’t snap at her, she looked at him seriously. “Is she weird looking? You know, does she have tentacles, or extra arms, or a zillion eyes, or something like that?”

As Lucas thought about the question, Kelly, quietly, entered the room. He turned his gaze to his sister, clad in a hooded jacket, and could not help but laugh. The thought of tentacles or extra arms on her was absolutely hilarious. Well, at least it was, to him.

Even under her concealing outfit, Kelly looked flustered. “What?” she asked, uncomfortably.

“Nothing. It’s nothing,” Lucas smiled. He ushered his sister further into the room, as Jordan stood.

“Kelly,” he began. “This is Jordan.”

The redhead offered her hand with a casual, “Hey.”

“Jordan,” Lucas continued. “This is my sister Kelly.”

Kelly, in turn, took the offered hand. Shyly, she mumbled a polite ‘hello’ in response.

Fur, was the first thing Jordan noticed. The claws were almost an afterthought. Although she hid it well, the hiker’s excitement was nearly tangible. By touch, she studied the structure, completely fascinated. Neither of the girls noticed that while they were playing with Kelly’s fingers, Lucas had pulled down Kelly’s hood.
~~~
“Hey!” Kelly played right into Lucas’s trap. She yanked her hands from Jordan’s grasp and hastily attempted to adjust her hood back over her head. The latter’s gaze was drawn to Kelly’s facial features by the action. Lucas chuckled when the started hiker jumped.

Kelly misinterpreted the action, and felt incredibly self-conscious. It was one thing when family gaped. It was another when strangers, not involved with costumed events, stared as well. She pulled the hood as low as she could and turned to leave the room. A firm, but gentle hand stopped Kelly, however.

“Wait,” Jordan apologized. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Yeah, right, Kelly thought bitterly.

“Honestly. I thought your brother was literally pulling my leg.” Jordan smiled, “I was almost afraid that I’d have to hit him.”

Kelly paused for a moment to compare Jordan to her brother. There was a height difference of a few inches, at least, with Lucas the taller. Though, the hiker looked more physically fit than the boy. If Kelly was to make any bets, she would say that Lucas would probably come out worse. However, as far as Kelly knew, Lucas never hit a girl, not even her. One sided. That’s what it would be. He would get his butt kicked. Just like with that shrimpy cop lady.

“Can I see?” Jordan inquired.

Kelly glanced at Lucas, who nodded. She inhaled deeply, and let it out slowly. “Okay, fine,” Kelly replied. “But not in here. We need to go somewhere else, where there aren’t as many windows.” She was sure she heard Lucas whisper the word, ‘paranoid’ when she led them to the bathroom.
~~~
Lucas thought the bathroom was a good idea, but a little tight for three. Although he knew what his sister looked like, under the jacket, he had the impression that she wanted him to be there.

Kelly removed her jacket, revealing her arms and a simple black tank top. Her tail was pulled from her baggy jeans, where it twitched nervously. She looked very similar to the time she had to show Aunt Darlene what she looked like.

As Darlene had, Jordan traced the stripes. She was a little more wary of the tail and ears, but was captivated, nonetheless. “This, she, you, are amazing! You’re really an alien?!” The excitement in her voice refused to be contained.

“As far as we know,” Lucas answered, with a slight shrug. “I barely remember when she came. But she’s from ‘out there’ alright.”

The ordeal lasted at least twenty minutes before Jordan’s brain snapped back into hiking mode. Neither of the Wylds knew how it had happened, but the madly grinning Jordan had dragged them out into the woods. Kelly had managed to put her jacket back on, thankfully.

Jordan chattered on about different things in the surrounding environment. Neither of the Wylds paid too much attention, focused on other things. Lucas watched his sister. Shadows, off the beaten path distracted Kelly. She paused for a moment, studying the movements of a lizard sunning itself on a rock.

Lucas watched as Kelly attempted to grab the reptile. The lizard leapt out of harms way with more agility than he thought it would possess. Kelly had jumped, obviously thinking the same thing. Jordan, who had noticed she was no longer being followed, had also paused to watch. She chuckled at the reaction of her companions.

“It’s better that you didn’t catch it. They bite,” Jordan grinned.

Kelly’s eyes widened. “Are they poisonous?”

“Nah.” Jordan shrugged. “But they hurt for a bit. Come on. There’s some place I want to show you.”

Jordan pointed things out, like poison ivy, gopher holes, and a hornet’s nest to the Wylds. She poked at different tracks with her fingers. Apparently none of them were fresh. Lucas couldn’t tell. They eventually followed a decent sized stream with an assortment of fish. Jordan claimed the place she was taking them to was upstream.

Lucas noticed how Kelly paused to watch the little creatures swim against the current. She looked, almost, hungrily at them, like she wanted to grab them out of the water with her bare hand. Jordan, who had gone ahead shouted at them. “Hey guys! We’re here!”

Jordan stood on a boulder off the shore. The boulder itself was in a pool of clear water that was slightly bigger, but not as deep as his neighbors’ pool. He had never been invited over, but his ordeal on the roof with his sister gave him a good idea of how big it was.

The pool was fed by a stream of water that was probably no wider than his shoulders. It bubbled cheerfully over moss covered stones. It was a nice place. Lucas could see why Jordan was so proud of it. He noticed scorched patch of ground that was surrounded by a ring of rocks. Someone had set up camp at some point.

He watched as Kelly hopped out to the rock where Jordan was standing. The redhead pointed out different fish and what types of seasonings they went well with. Jordan leapt effortlessly to another stone allowing Kelly to sit on her heels. She crouched low, watching the fish go by. Even hidden below the cowl of her jacket hood, Lucas could see a mischievous glint in her eye. Grinning, he watched her attempt to grab the slippery creatures as they swam by. His sister looked completely at home, or at least, at ease.

“Hey Lucas,” Jordan began. He had not noticed when she had moved to a location under the cover of the trees. She motioned for him to step away from his sister. It was not far. He was within calling distance if either of the siblings needed each other. The redhead looked uncomfortable, like she was going to say something she did not want Kelly to hear.

“What’s wrong?” Lucas asked.

Jordan glanced at Kelly before speaking. Lucas could see a touch of concerned curiosity on her face when she faced him again. “Does she, erm, Kelly have any crazy, super powers?”

Lucas could not believe what he had heard. His first instinct was to demand who told her that. But it was foolish to do so. The only people he could think of that would know anything out of the ordinary was himself, and his aunt. Okay, maybe not his aunt. He had kept his thoughts to himself after Kelly had revealed her dream to him all those days ago. His thoughts strayed to the officers that had arrived back home. But they wouldn’t have said anything that would worry civilians. Or would they? It was too ridiculous to even ponder. Did Jordan figure it out? No, how could she. In the little time spent with the siblings, Kelly had done nothing out of the ordinary.

Perhaps, if Jordan could believe in aliens, then she would also believe in super powers? If that was the case, what else did she believe in? Lucas took a moment to compose his stance. Even though the thoughts that had just assaulted him took no more than a handful of seconds to sort through, he could not help but feel like he had betrayed something to her.

“Why do you ask?”

Jordan frowned, as if irritated by something. “Because, there have been people asking around about a creature.”