Page 28 of Sky Song
“If it makes you feel safer, take the gun with you.”
She peered out. “What gun?”
His eyes were already closed. “From under your desk.”
Chapter 6
“Cricket.”
Oh, the sweet smell. It was the kind that you weren’t sure about at first, but the more you got exposed to it, the more pleasant it became despite its strangeness. She drew a deep breath, filling her chest with the slightly musky fragrance.
“Cricket, wake up.”
Her arm was being touched, rubbed gently.
Her eyes flew open. The pools of black staring back at her congealed her olfactory nirvana into sour terror. Her arm groped for a gun under her pillow… only it wasn’t there.
“Are we sufficiently awake now to not shoot anyone?” Lyle dangled the gun in front of her face. She snatched it from him.
“What…” Her voice sounded hoarse and she was groggy. She had tossed and turned into the wee hours of the morning, unable to sleep with an alien sitting so quietly behind the unlocked door. Not a sigh had disturbed the stillness of the night, yet Cricket had been as aware of his presence as if he had been in bed with her. “What time is it?”
“Late enough for someone to be knocking on your door. Want me to get it?”
“No! Crap.”
She heard the knocks then and her name being called. Blinking her sleepy eyes furiously but not in sync, Cricketscrambled out of bed. “Stay here.” She pointed at Lyle with the gun she forgot she was holding and rushed out of the bedroom, closing him in there.
“Put the gun away,” Lyle’s voice sounded amused from behind the door.
She shoved it into a drawer on her way to the door.
Throwing it open, she found Mr. Sulys on her doorstep, his ruddy cheeks bright in the unexpectedly chilly morning.
“Emma! Good morning. I was afraid you’re still sleeping.”
I was, you dolt.“Good morning, Mr. Sulys. No worries. Did something happen?”
He tried to look around her into her home but her body blocked the view. “You see, Emma,” he began in his customary soft-spoken manner, the voice high-pitched but pleasant enough, “I was wondering if you hunt.”
“Excuse me?”
“Hunt. As a pastime or a hobby…” His voice trailed off as her expression, no doubt, reflected how bizarre she found his question.
“Mr. Sulys, are you alright?”
His red - too red and too plump - lips thinned as he took umbrage. “Of course I am alright, Emma. I know my question may seem a little strange, but I assure you, I’m asking for a harmless purpose.”
Cricket didn’t know what to think. He looked the same, the ruddy cheeks with barely noticeable stubble and slicked back thin black hair. Not a hint of craziness, but there never was with the truly deranged, wasn’t there?
“No, Mr. Sulys. I don’t hunt.”
“Oh, okay.” He appeared disappointed. “Do you have friends that do?”
“No, I can’t say I do.” She didn’t have friends, period.
“Do you cook, Emma?”
What was that about? “Rarely. I’m subscribed to a meal plan, like we all are. Why are you asking?”
