Terra's Call (TetraSphere Book 1) Read online

  “Who are you?” Storm asks, “Do you know what happened to Sequoia and Wolf?”

  “I am Vega. It is good to see you, Storm.” His deep voice feels like silk running over my skin. I see Storm wince. Does he hear it differently? Pax hasn’t lost his frown, only now he’s looking at me.

  Storm answers with a question, “How do you know my name?” He closes his hands into fists and relaxes his elbows. I can tell he’s ready to fight by his stance—legs apart and knees slightly bent. Pax stands at the ready as well. What’s up with these guys? Can’t they tell Vega is our friend?

  “I have no wish to fight you, Storm.” Vega’s voice soothes like chocolate and I’m a marshmallow melting between two graham crackers. What is wrong with me? Maybe the boys are right to be cautious. By her drooling smile and the vague look on her face, I guess that Sky is as mesmerized as I am.

  “Of course you wouldn’t know who I am. Please forgive me and allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Vega, the scientist whose DNA you share, Storm. I have watched you grow to a strong young warrior.”

  “You abducted my mother?” Storm shouts. Twigs, leaves, rocks and loose soil begin twirling like a tiny whirlwind in front of Vega. I want to throw myself between him and Storm, but Sky grabs my arm as she senses my impulse.

  Vega’s voice changes as he says something unintelligible and the whirling mess drops to the ground. He maintains the tone and addresses Pax and Storm, “I understand your aggression, but it is better directed at those who killed your parents and now hold your aunt and uncle.”

  Both boys stand back and I watch the tension leave their faces and bodies. Apparently, Vega has a gift of his own; one voice for them, another for us.

  I notice Vega’s skin no longer sparkles. Clouds have obscured the sun and the wind is growing stronger. I look up at dark, angry clouds scudding across the sky.

  “It’s going to storm.” Everyone is so focused on Vega I don’t think they hear me. It doesn’t matter. We all jump at the giant crack of lightning that hits too close.

  “To the cave,” Storm shouts and we scramble toward the entrance. The first drops of rain fall, followed quickly by a soaking deluge.

  “Stop.” Vega’s command freezes us where we are. We literally cannot move. Pax is frozen mid-stride, with one foot in the air. I’m amazed he doesn’t topple over. Storm is hunched over in the act of reaching for one of the backpacks and Sky is leaning forward, just about to launch herself into a run. I’m happy to have both feet on the ground.

  His voice changes again and releases us. “The ship is safe and there’s much you need to know. Will you come with me?” Vega’s hair blows wildly in the wind, but the rain isn’t touching him. I understand why when I look up to see his ship hovering just above him. We’re outside of its protective perimeter.

  “No!” Storm shouts. “We don’t trust you.”

  Sky says, “Wait, Storm. He could take us against our will, but he’s asking.” She turns to Vega, “Will you return us to this spot later? Will our memories be wiped?”

  Vega smiles and Sky beams back. “We will return you shortly with your memories intact. We will also help Storm rescue his family.”

  I’m shivering. “Let’s go, please. I want to be somewhere dry.”

  Vega snaps his fingers and the others gasp as they see the ship materialize. I feel vindicated. A portal opens and warm light spills out. That’s when I remember to open my mental link to my dad.

  Jewel? I hear him clearly.

  Dad, we’re going into an Allaran ship. I don’t know if the link will work in there. Don’t worry, I tell him.

  Where are you? His thought sounds frantic. I should have known my saying ‘don’t worry’ would give him an anxiety attack.

  We’re in a clearing in front of the sacred cave. Vega says he’ll return us here. We’ll be fine, Dad. I’ll keep the link open.

  We rise, one by one, into the light.

  THIRTY-ONE

  The portal opens in a small, round room lined with clear units that hold four spacesuits and a variety of equipment I don’t recognize. We only get a quick look as Vega leads us to the next room. I don’t know what I expected to see on the inside of an alien ship, but it wasn’t this.

  We stop short and can’t help but gawk. We are surrounded by a living Caribbean reef, rich with a variety of sea creatures of all colors and shapes, swimming and crawling and doing what they naturally do. I feel Sky’s delight as two bottlenose dolphins come to the wall, nod at us and flip around each other in a dolphin dance. The floor and ceiling soothe me with moving shades of blue and green. This could be the world’s most beautiful aquarium if it wasn’t in an alien spaceship.

  Dad? I project. Do you hear me? He doesn’t answer, but I promised to leave the link open. I expand the link in my mind to allow him to see through my eyes and hear through my ears, if he can.

  Vega invites us to sit and I notice seven large, clear bubbles floating against one wall, inches from the floor. Each reflects the coral reef around us. No wonder I didn’t see them before. Are we supposed to sit on them? In them? He demonstrates by sitting right where he is. One of the bubbles zips over to him and rises to meet him mid-squat. It folds around him, shapes itself to his body, and adds back and armrests.

  Pax follows his lead and looks surprised to find himself in a comfortable chair. Storm hasn’t stopped frowning, although I can’t understand what’s bothering him considering Vega’s obvious hospitality and this gorgeous environment. Maybe Sky and I are under some sort of spell.

  Once we’re all settled, Vega says, “Terra is a tetra sphere.” The reef fades away and we’re suddenly adrift in space, looking at our beautiful planet from a distance. Floor, ceiling, walls have all become a viewport in which we float in our magic bubbles. Pax and Sky gasp as Storm lets out a growl, but I can’t utter a sound. Wonder fills my soul as I watch the Earth rotating. Are we truly in space, or is this a projection? I’m afraid to ask.

  A grid of interlocking triangles falls over the earth like a net and molds itself around the globe.

  “The design you see represents actual lines of power that cover the planet. Some Terran scientists refer to the lines as a power grid and others call them ley lines. Still others give no credence to them at all. The triangles are actually three dimensional tetrahedra, each with four sides.”

  “The artifact is a tetrahedron,” I interject. “Does it have anything to do with the grid?”

  “Indeed,” Vega answers. “Terra’s organs follow the same geometric pattern as the planet itself. Creator made all the stars and planets as tetra spheres. In fact, the universe is one, as well as many universes that make up a tetra spherical multiverse.”

  “How do you know the universe is a tetra sphere? There’s no geometric pattern to the location of stars, planets, or even galaxies,” Pax replies. I hear genuine curiosity underlying the indignation his voice projects.

  “The pattern is there, young Paxton. If you were to judge from what we see, imagine our viewpoint as that of a speck on an electron circling a nucleus. The atom, which is our solar system, is combined with others to form a cell, which would be our galaxy. If each galaxy is but a cell in, let’s say, a human body, how can we possibly judge the complete body by what we see?

  “Your scientists are making great strides in understanding how vast and complex our universe is. They now believe there are multiple universes, but have no way of measuring the size or shape of any of them, including ours.

  “We have come much farther, and extrapolate the geometry of creation based on the measurements we know. It is endlessly fascinating, and we do not discount Creator’s ability to surprise us and prove us wrong.

  “None of what I’ve told you is relevant to your task, nor to the location and welfare of Sequoia and Wolf. I simply share knowledge with you that most Terrans do not yet have access to.”

  “Do you know where my family is?” Storm asks.

  “Yes, Storm. We know. And we have a plan
to retrieve them unharmed. Our plan requires us to wait until tonight. For now, I will return you to the clearing.”

  “I want to go with you when you get them,” he says.

  “So do I,” Pax adds.

  “Where Pax goes, I go,” says Sky. I wish they hadn’t spoken up. I haven’t yet volunteered to do whatever needs doing in order to save the world, but I can’t let my friends down.

  “Count me in,” I say, as an icy chill grips my stomach.

  Vega raises his eyebrows and opens his eyes wide. “I am astonished, Star Children, that you are willing to do this. If you knew you were risking your lives, would you still want to come along?”

  Storm and Pax jump to their feet and say in unison, “Yes.” Their auras both flare brilliant red. It must be the color of courage and determination.

  Sky and I look at each other. I feel tendrils of fear coming from her and I know she feels mine. Sky’s aura has faded to pink, and I imagine a great yellow streak running down my back. We stand more slowly, grasp each other’s hand and nod our heads. My heart says yes; my head disagrees.

  “Very well,” says Vega. His voice sounds satisfied. “Be outside of the Fletchers’ home tonight at midnight. Together we will rescue Storm’s family.”

  He leads us back to the portal room and the light lowers us gently to the wet ground. I watch the ship dart silently into the sky and take its place with the other three Sentinels. The storm has passed, and sunlight glints and dances prisms off droplets still falling from the trees.

  Mom and Dad are waiting in the clearing. The dark look on Dad’s face makes me think another storm is brewing. I hope we can eat something before it hits. Mom hears my stomach growl.

  “You kids must be starving!” she exclaims. “You’ve been gone for hours. Follow us home and we’ll have supper, and you can tell us all about it.” She glares at Dad, daring him to open his mouth. He thinks better of letting loose with what’s bothering him. The grimace on his face tells me how much the effort is costing him.

  THIRTY-TWO

  I ride home with my parents while the others head to the Fletcher’s to shower and change. When we’re nearly home, the silence becomes unbearable.

  “I tried calling you from inside the ship, Dad. Did you hear me?”

  “I did,” he answers. His voice sounds strained. “I saw the aquarium switch to a view of Earth from space, and then everything stopped.” He coughs and clears his throat.

  Mom speaks up, “Your dad was beside himself, Jewel. He thought something terrible had happened to you and he couldn’t help you. We were both so worried.”

  “They must be able to block the link from inside the ship,” I say. “My ability worked fine in there. I saw the kids’ auras and felt Sky’s emotions, which means her ability also worked. Vega has no colors in his aura, but he does have a light around him.”

  “Is it like the life-force you see in animals?” Dad asks.

  “No, it’s more than that. It’s ethereal, like the halos depicted in old paintings, but surrounding his body as well as his head. It dances like the northern lights. That’s the best I can describe it.”

  “Mom and Dad?” I hesitate to bring this up, but remember how I felt when Vega first spoke to us. “The Watchers said both the Allarans and Dracans are the ‘sons of God’ mentioned in the Bible. They took human women as mates and produced offspring. When we met Vega, I felt a strong attraction to him, and I think Sky was feeling it too. He literally addled our brains. If he’s typical of Allarans, I can see how they seduced human females. I can’t imagine Dracans having that same effect, unless their disguises are so complete that women can’t tell them from human men. If they have that ability, then why did they stop? Or did they?”

  Dad makes choking sounds and the car swerves until Mom raps him sharply between his shoulder blades and he’s able to take a deep breath. I wonder if he’s coming down with something, or is he upset by what I said.

  “Honey, you say you felt a strong attraction. Do you still feel it?” Mom asks.

  “No. When he changed the tone of his voice, it faded, but didn’t completely go away until we left the ship. I believe he has the ability to influence and even control people with his voice.”

  “I don’t want you anywhere near those creatures.” The way Dad says it reminds me of the belligerence that Storm and Pax had displayed. Do all men respond to Allarans this way? I don’t say anything about our plan to meet them again tonight.

  Neither Mom nor Dad answers my question about whether the aliens are still mating with humans or not. I guess they don’t know, or perhaps they don’t want to think about it.

  As soon as we get home, I take a shower and change clothes while Mom prepares a quick dinner for us all. When the doorbell rings, Coral and Dylan come in with the twins and Storm.

  Mom insists we eat our fill before talking about our experience, and we’re all too happy to comply. After Storm clears the dishes and they’ve safely landed in the dishwasher I give him a nod.

  “Storm, would you start by telling them what the Watchers said, please?”

  Storm recounts the conversation we had with the Watchers, with frequent interruptions from the rest of us. We all heard the same voice saying the same thing, but we remember with slight variations. The bottom line is that our task is still ahead of us, and we still don’t know when or how we’ll accomplish it. I’m resigned to the fact that, voluntarily or not, I will do what needs to be done when the time comes.

  Pax relays our meeting with Vega, while Storm glares silently. The boys had a very different experience from ours, and I’m sure it has to do with Vega’s voice. I share my suspicions and Sky agrees.

  In unspoken agreement, no one says anything about our plans for tonight. Storm tells the adults that the Allarans have a plot to rescue Wolf and Sequoia, but mentions nothing about our involvement.

  Dad has calmed down considerably now that he knows everything that happened. He and the twin’s father still share a knife-edged suspicion about the Allarans, but I can see that they’re relieved that we didn’t come to any harm.

  I ask if I can spend the night with Sky, and our parents agree. I’d already packed an overnight bag after my shower, so I grab the bag and my keys and Sky and I take my car.

  “When all this is over,” she says, “I want to get a new red Mini Cooper.”

  “Hardtop or convertible?” I ask.

  “Convertible. Definitely convertible, but with a strong roll-bar,” she says and laughs. I’m glad she can laugh about it. I still shudder when I think of how close we came to losing her that night. Thank God Storm rescued her.

  The others pull into the driveway behind us, and Coral and Dylan let us in and go straight to their room. We stay in our clothes and keep our jackets ready. There’s no telling if the place we’re going to is warm or cold, and we want to be prepared. When we’ve finished brushing our teeth, Sky turns on the television in her room. The boys come in and sprawl on the floor while we take Sky’s bed, and we all watch the news.

  *****

  Breaking News: Major storms with blizzard conditions and multiple tornadoes are wreaking havoc along a stretch of the country from Texas all the way through Michigan. The weather system is rapidly moving east and will affect states from Alabama through New York tomorrow, and will hit the rest of the Eastern states on Sunday. There is no sign that the storms will lose strength as they track across the country.

  “Millions will be affected by power outages and can expect up to twelve inches of rain or three to six feet of snow in some places. Several governors have called for a state of emergency, and people are asked to stay indoors when the storms hit. Already, there have been multiple car accidents and fatalities. If you’re in the path of these storms, you’ll want to stock up on emergency supplies while you can. - Cayla Knox reporting for News Channel Twelve.”

  *****

  “It looks like we’re in for it, tomorrow.” Pax runs his hand through his hair and yawns.


  Storm yawns, too, and says, “I wonder if Allaran ships are affected by the weather? Will the storm system interfere in my folks’ rescue?”

  Sky and I both share a yawn. I hear the voice of the news announcer in my head, “Dangerous yawn contagion spreads among teenagers. Healthcare professionals urge quarantine for a period of at least eight hours if you notice any symptoms.” At this point, I know I’m drifting off to sleep.

  “Come on, Sky,” I stand and pull on Sky’s arm. “Let’s get some instant coffee.” I don’t suggest real coffee because the smell would draw Coral out of her room. We need the caffeine, but we don’t want parental intervention.

  We heat up four mugs of water, add the coffee and bring a tray loaded with mugs, cream and sugar back to the room. Before we reach it I hear the snores. Sky sets the tray down on her desk, pours cream and sugar into her mug, and I settle back on the bed with my own warm mug. Pax is stretched out on his side on the floor next to me, his head facing the bed and lying on one arm. His long lashes rest on his cheek, and his relaxed mouth is slightly open and curves in a natural smile. I admire the strands of blond hair curling along his jaw. He snores softly and quietly, like a purring cat. My heart hammers and I’m glad for this moment. I sip more coffee.

  Sky takes the other side of the bed, next to where Storm is lying on his stomach on the floor, head cradled in crossed arms. I see her regarding him much the same way I’m looking at Pax. I think we may both be smitten. The colors of her aura include flowing waves of red and pink when Storm is around. I wonder if mine is similar around Pax.

  She sets the alarm for eleven-thirty in case we drift off, but the caffeine kicks in and we stay up watching television. A few minutes before the alarm is due to ring, I feel a tsunami of worry building higher and higher, threatening to crash over me and choke off my airway.