Page 21 of Sky Song
A rider, a privately owned one, not a renter, descended and glided to a stop in front of Paloma’s house with a soft whoosh.
She sighed. “Peter’s here.”
The door opened and Paloma’s brother came out, looking like a glamour shot from a man’s fashion magazine. He was lean but short-ish, with the same fey features as his sister. Unlike Paloma’s, his long lashes and pointy chin made his face lack character, the problem that he somewhat solved with a snotty and disapproving expression.
His eyes roamed over Paloma’s baggy sweatsuit with a thinly veiled distaste before settling briefly on Cricket. She gave him a wave and a goofy smile, the kind she practiced on Hipper. No point in trying to make friends. She was an uncouth peasant to his prince.
“Hi, Peter. I’m ready,” Paloma chirped, unperturbed.
His eyes slid to her feet. “Would you mind wearing shoes?”
“Oh, yes. Sorry.”
Palome dashed inside and reappeared in her old house slippers. “NowI’m ready.”
Peter’s lips thinned into a bloodless blade of a mouth. He was visibly struggling with the need to say a few things to Paloma, but Cricket’s presence prevented him from saying them.
He got into the rider with Paloma next to him. Before they took off, her friend plastered her face to the window and made a crazy face. Cricket mirrored it, like Hipper.
Peter gunned it forward and up.
The lights were on at the hospital, powered by its own independent generators, and business went on as usual when Cricket came in for her shift.
The novelty of the power outage caused Terrance to be wired, and he vibrated with excessive energy that made him clumsy like an overexcited pup that stepped on everyone’s toes.
“The power grid’s down!”
“I know.”
“It’s a real crisis!”
“It is.”
“We’re living through a historic event!”
“I don’t understand why it’s making you happy,” Salty intoned.
“It’s exciting! Aren’t you excited to be part of history?”
“Hell, no.” Salty recoiled at the idea. “I had to eat a dry sandwich this morning. I haven’t had a shower because my water’s cold.”
Terrance gave Salty a grossed-out look. “Like that’s unusual for you.”
“It is! I don’t like cold water.”
“You don’t like any water.”
Kim’s arrival prevented a massive bout of a heated back-and-forth Cricket saw blowing in like a thunderstorm, and she breathed with relief, even though Kim’s presence brought its own unique vibe.
“Well, kids, it’s finally started.” Kim set down her backpack with a thud. God only knew what she lugged around in there. “We’re under attack.”
“What? Why?”
“What attack?”
“Hold your horses! I don’t know all the details, but it’s clear as day. First, aliens come. Then, no power on the entire city-continent.”
Cricket wrinkled her forehead under the face shield. “Didn’t the aliens already leave?”
