Eyes Ever to the Sky (A Sci Fi Romance) (The Sky Trilogy) (19 page)

She bristled. “Why did you say it like that?
What
you are.” She locked eyes with him, taking a step forward until she was an arm's length away. When she looked up it was almost as if she could feel his pain. “What you are, Hugh, is a really nice guy who deserves way more than he was handed. You don’t need that lunatic,” she thumbed back to the direction of the water tower, “to tell you that.”

Hugh took a step back and swallowed hard. “Cece, what you don’t understand—”

“No, I understand. You want to know. You think some part of you is waiting under that water tower, but I don’t think it is. Who you are is here, Hugh.” She pressed a finger into his chest. Then she lifted her eyes to his face. “Whatever he’s going to tell you is only going to cloud that.”

Hugh shook his head slowly back and forth. “There’s something I have to tell you.”

“Cecelia!” a voice yelled from down the street. They both turned.

Standing in the road with no shoes, her skirt askew and her hair curling in every direction, Mama waved to her. Somehow Cece’s heart rose and sank at the same time. Mama was safe. Mama was manic. It was never a win/win.

Cece waved back and mimed
just a minute
. She turned back to Hugh. “I gotta go.” She couldn’t look at him. He shifted beside her, feet scuffing the pavement. Would he change his mind?

“
Okay,” he whispered.

She looked at him one more time. Pure torture marked his face. He had to go back to Nomad or he'd combust. Cece nodded. “See you tomorrow, maybe?”

A flicker of a smile lit up his face. “I’ll be waiting when you get off.”

“
Please be careful.” She looked up at him. She wanted so much more: to throw her arms around him, smell his scent, kiss his mouth. Instead she turned walked toward her mother without looking back. When she reached her front door, Hugh was gone.

Cece walked up to Mama and nodded to the house. “We should go inside. It’s not safe out here.”

“It’s not?” Mama looked confused. She flicked her wide eyes up and down the quiet street. “What’s wrong?”

Cece shook her head and walked toward the door. “I’ll tell you inside.”

The two entered the house and Cece bolted the door behind them. She stared at the flimsy lock that separated their trailer from the outside world. It wouldn’t stop a normal person, let alone someone that would shred their throats for fun. Then she remembered her bedroom window didn’t even lock. It had busted three years ago and they’d never bothered to fix it. Cece tucked the worry aside and turned toward Mama. As she did, her eyes trailed over their little dinette. A checkered table cloth was draped on the table. It was set with matching
clean plates and silverware. In the center was a white Pyrex dish curling with steam, a delicious aroma wafting from it. 

“
What’s this?” she asked, walking toward the table.

“
Humitas,” Mama said proudly, peering over the casserole dish. “I haven’t made them in a while.” Her eyes lit up as she breathed in the smell of them.

Cece realized how hungry she was. She leaned over the dish and took a big whiff. “Mama, these look delicious.”

Mama drew back a chair for her. “Go ahead. They’re for you, after all.”

Cece sat, picked out one of the corn husk packages from the dish and dropped it on her plate. She unwrapped the husk to reveal the yellow corn center. She dug in, savoring the steaming mixture, the taste of mashed corn, both salty and sweet on her tongue. “Mama, this is awesome.”

Mama nodded, sitting opposite Cece. Her eyes were still too wide, her lipstick smeared, but Mama was smiling, eating hungrily with both hands. “So, your job, how it goes?”

Cece nodded, chewing. “Okay. It’s a job. Fer’s there.”

“And that boy?” Mama lifted her eyes coyly to Cece’s. “Does he work there?”

Cece shook her head, feeling the heat flare up her cheeks. “No, Hugh doesn’t work there.”

“Hugh?” Mama trilled the word. “He’s so handsome,
mi amor
. Where did you meet him?”

Cece gulped down a hunk of corn. “He was just hanging around the ice cream shop. I sort of bumped into him.”

Mama nodded, leaning forward. One black and gray curl bobbed in the middle of her forehead. “So, he is your boyfriend?”

Cece shifted her eyes. She had no idea how to answer that question. As she pondered, her eye lit on Mama’s pink tank top. It was spilled forward, revealing far too much cleavage. “Mama, do you have to wear my tank tops? You’ll stretch them out.”

“Cecelia, don’t change the subject.” Mama pushed an unruly curl out of her eyes. “The boy. Tell me about the boy. I need details.” Mama leaned forward further, waiting expectantly for Cece to finish.

Hugh was returning to Nomad. Somehow Cece felt that meeting would only drive a wedge farther between them.

“The boy is just a boy. We're not dating. He’s very nice, but I don't think he knows what he wants right now.”

Mama leaned back, clearly disappointed, but she nodded her head. “Just like your father.”

Cece dropped her fork and leaned forward. “What about my father?” Maybe she could finally get to the bottom of this.

In the background a merengue beat had picked up on the tiny kitchen stereo. Mama ignored the question and, instead, flounced up from her chair and cranked the volume up. Then she bopped over to Cece, swaying her hips and clapping.

“Darling, come dance with me.” Mama’s hips swayed in her purple A-line skirt. Her feet shuffled lithely on the linoleum.

Cece shook her head. “Oh no. No merengue. You were going to tell me about my father?”

Mama shuffled over and tugged at Cece’s hands. “Yes, yes. Dance! Dance with me.” Mama swirled around the table as the Latin beat blasted from the stereo. The horns blared, the drums pounded. Mama pulled Cece from her chair.

“
Mama, no.”

“
Si
,” Mama said, taking Cece’s hand and wrapping one arm around her back. She began to sway them back and forth.

For a few beats Cece resisted. This was ridiculous, the two of them dancing around their kitchen table, trying to dodge the piles of garbage on the floor. But, the beat was in her blood. Her hips swayed. Her feet stepped. She felt a smile curl up her lips as Mama tried to dip her and nearly spilled her on the floor. Cece pressed her hand to her mouth and laughed. Really laughed.

This is how it used to be with Mama before everything fell apart. Cece had memories of Mama taking her to local fares, of riding the tea cups until Mama turned green and vowed never to spin again. A memory flashed before Cece of the two of them dancing at a wedding, whose she couldn’t say, but she could picture the frilly pink dress she wore. It spun and twirled as Mama twisted her around. And Mama had smiled and smiled. Like she was smiling now.

Suddenly there was a rapping on their front door, loud and urgent.

They stopped and stared at the door. Cece ran over and snapped off the stereo. Mama stood, frozen.

“
Open up,” a husky male voice said through the door. “It’s the police.

CHAPTER TW
ENTY-FIVE — HUGH

Thursday 8:52 p.m.

Hugh sprinted back to the water tower as fast as his legs would take him. He'd disappointed Cece, but she'd forgive him when he found her tomorrow and told her everything. It was time to share it with her, share it all. He only hoped she would still want to be with him when she knew.

He scanned the darkened landscape from the base of the tower. Fireflies blinked across the field. Above, the moon was large and round, not a cloud in the sky. He tapped his hand on his thigh and willed Nomad into the clearing. He couldn’t wait a couple of hours to know who he was.
What
he was. Nomad might have some answers and no matter how strange or elusive he seemed, Hugh had to know. Tonight he would unlock all the secrets inside him and finally feel…what… Whole? Alive? Sane?

At peace,
he thought, finally.
I’d feel at peace with myself.

And then what? Well, then he’d go after the beast and try to kill it if he could or, if he couldn’t, he'd get Cece and her mother far away from here. He could protect them; he knew that now.
 

“
Oh, how the mighty have fallen,” a voice said from behind him.

Hugh spun around.

A shadow stepped out of the darkness. Nomad came into view, his face quirked into his patented smirk, his hands brushing the tops of the grass. He stopped a few feet away, tossed back a lock of curly black hair and regarded Hugh.

“
Look at you. Where’d you get those clothes, Jopari, the bottom of a dump? They don’t even fit you.” Nomad circled, running his eyes up and down.

Hugh shrugged, feeling a blush rise up his neck. “Where should I have gotten clothes? I woke up naked.”

Nomad clapped a hand on Hugh’s shoulder. Hugh stiffened at the touch. “Buddy, what’s theirs is ours.” He leaned in close, his breath hissing against Hugh's neck. “You just take.” Nomad dug in his pocket, pulled out a wrapped sandwich and tossed it to Hugh.

Hugh caught it and stared. “Are you always eating?”

Nomad pulled another sandwich from his pocket and began unwrapping it, the paper crinkling beneath his fingers. “Always. It's the best part about this place. They have killer food.” Nomad took a giant bite and a smile stretched across his face. “I put on, like, twenty pounds each time we visit.”

Hugh stared at the sandwich, the thick crusted bread, the folds of sliced meat. His stomach growled at the smell, but he hated eating something given to him by this stranger who called him
friend
.

“
Eat,” Nomad said, bits of lettuce falling from his mouth.

Hugh couldn't help it; he tore off the paper and took a giant bite. The savory flavor of meat and mayo burst into his mouth. He groaned.

Nomad squinted at Hugh, studying him. “Please tell me you've been using your powers to help you get food.”

Hugh nodded. “Some.”

“Some?” Nomad stepped back, throwing his arms in the air. “Some? You've been using them some? Do you even remember what we can do?” Hugh shrugged. Nomad circled Hugh and swatted at the air. “Jopari, what
do
you remember?”

Hugh stepped back. “Stop calling me Jopari. I call myself Hugh now. And I remember nothing. That’s why I’m here, so stop the buddy-buddy act and tell me what I am.”

Nomad’s face spread in a slow smile and he nodded slightly. “Okay, big man. At least now you’re sounding a little more like yourself and not some
human
.”

“
I’m not human?” A jolt of shock rocked up Hugh's spine. There it was, the confirmation of something he'd suspected, but never believed. Not until now.

Nomad laughed, tossing back his curls. “Oh gods. I’d die if I had to be like them. Small, miserable, ignorant creatures.” Nomad stared out toward the road. Then he flashed his eyes back to Hugh. “But by Gotharie's spear their food is so much better.”

“Stop talking about the food and tell me who I am.” Hugh fought the urge to shake Nomad. He was on the edge of a cliff and Nomad was nudging him closer.

Nomad's eyes burned with mischief as he shook his head. “I will, but we need another locale. This place sucks. Come on.” With a wink, Nomad turned and rose into the sky. He was hovering ten feet off the ground.

“
How...?” Hugh said, unable to finish. He knew how. He just couldn't get his brain to believe it.

“
Hugh, you are still asking the wrong questions. Not
how
, little buddy.” Nomad dropped back to the ground. “
What.
What are we? Ask me that.”

“
What are we?”

Nomad smiled. “You and I, we're the best of the best.” His eyes glistened with pride. “We are scouts, highly trained agents, the top of our field.”

Hugh shook his head. “What do you mean?”

“
Gods, I have to dumb
everything
down for you.” He bobbed in the air as he blew out a frustrated sigh. “We're alien life forms. We're sent here to scout out conditions on Earth.”

Hugh shook his head. “I…don't know.” 

“Of course you don't know, but what I'm telling you is the truth.” Nomad twitched and his vocal tone changed. “
You can’t handle the truth,
” he shouted with a strange accent. Hugh backed up, arms tensing. Nomad shook his head and wiggled a finger in his ear. “Sorry. Cheese and crackers, they jam a whole lot of crap in here.” He knocked on his head as if he were dislodging something.

Hugh placed a hand to his forehead. “Crammed what in there?”

Nomad gave his head one more good shake and then straightened up. “Before we leave they fill us up with the language, culture and idioms of the life forms we’re checking out. With limited data, loads of it comes from bad movies and TV. I can quote whole
Law and Order
episodes. It’s messed up.” Nomad caught the questioning look on Hugh’s face. “How do you think you know how to speak their language? Know their customs? Where do you think that sex drive comes from when you get a boner for that hot chick? All stuff they shoved in here the first time we left the ship.”