Page 11 of The Pale Rider
“Up north, you could say.”
“Canadians have last names, Aeron.”
Aeron fell out laughing. He had to sit down, and he was clutching his side as tears ran down his face, he was laughing so hard.
“I will tell my brothers you think we’re Canadians.”
“The North Pole?”
Aeron just sat there, giggling.
“If you mean further north than the North Pole, I will not believe you if you say you’re an alien.”
Aeron lost it again.
“Humans are so strange,” he wheezed.
“Wait, you’re seriously claiming to be an alien?”
“I’m not an alien, Ariel.”
“Then why won’t you tell me where you are from?”
“Because you’d leave. You need more of your memories back before you learn more about me, or you’ll run.”
“What if I run because you are keeping secrets?”
Aeron just shrugged.
“Ask me something that isn’t my last name or where I’m from, and I’ll answer it if I can.”
I crossed my arms and glared at him. What was so bad about his past that I would run? And how was it weirder than me thinking he was an alien? I just needed to be patient. He promised me answers, just not yet. I would eventually get them. I may get tired and leave before I got them, but for now, I could wait.
“Favorite food. Go.”
“Chinese food for the meal, Indian food for the dessert.”
“How do you manage that without going to two restaurants?”
“Magic.”
“What’s my favorite food?” I asked.
“Cheetos. It’s always been Cheetos.”
How did he know that? Would he even tell me if I asked? I might as well try since he was finally not grunting at me.
“How do you know all this about me? Have we met before, and I don’t remember?”
“No, Ariel. You’ve never met us before. But you’ve been on our radar for a very long time.”
“Okay, then. Tell me about your team. You said you all had a specialty. Can you tell me about that? How exactly are the four of you experts in stopping the end of the world?”
Aeron puffed his chest out and got a little swagger in his step as he walked over to the bed. He flopped on his back and stuck his hands behind his head.
“We areexactlywho you want on your side at the end of the world. Leif specializes in diseases. Dice is a master of justice. Asher can come up with any battle strategy. As I said, we can do this.”
“What’s your specialty?” I asked, crossing my arms.
