Page 45 of Invasive Species
That would be… sweet. I can't imagine Gara not knowing the answer to everything, and it would cost him a lot to admit that.
Her gaze sharpens. “Be careful, Ara. We know hardly anything about them.”
“No,youdon't know anything about them, because youhaven't been here.” As soon as I say it, I know what she's going to say next.
My friend’s smile widens as I walk into her well-placed trap. “Then I'll just have to address that and stay here.”
I gape at her brilliance. “You just lawyered me into a corner. Bravo.”
She tosses her straight blonde hair over her shoulder. “It's what I do. Now, show me the barn.”
I give her the grand tour. The triplets stop work when they see her, Dom staring like she's a strange animal who might bite him. I think he'd like it if she did.
Once I’m finished, she turns in place in her red-heeled skyscraper shoes, pursing her lips.
“You like the orangery I added?” I gesture to the beginnings of a low-walled area. “Once it's filled with glass it'll be the perfect breakfast room.”
“Ellen's planning permission doesn't allow for this.” Laura's voice is taut, blunt. “Her planning permission is for the barn to be restored, yes, but in keeping with how it was originally. These additions… the council won't like them.”
Here it is. My stomach sinks. Laura thinks I fucked up again, even explained it all like I didn't know. I push the feeling aside and fix my smile in place. “I understand, but we can't have the aliens seen by the planning department. The council won't know we've changed the designs, will they? They're not psychic.”
“Only one person has to tell them, then you'll have to knock this down.”
“Knock it down! I'd like to see them try,” Arik grumbles. Dom elbows him in the gut to shut him up. “Ow,” Arik says, rubbing his stomach. “Well, it's good construction. It won't knock easily.”
Laura sighs. “The construction isn't the issue. It's the design.”
She pushes her sunglasses way up onto the top of her head, avoiding my gaze, maybe because I’m a deer in headlights.
She doesn't have to say it: I have really royally fucked up. But it's not my ADHD this time. It's me.
SIXTEEN
GARA
A red carspeeds up the track toward me as I make my way back to the farmhouse. The chores with the animals are complete, so I can head back to the barn and finish up there for the cycle. I move out of the way of the vehicle containing the blonde female, another of Arra-bellah’s friends. She barely glances at me, like any other female, her brow furrowed.
Why is she leaving so soon? Is there something amiss with Arra-bellah?
I break into a jog and then a run, my stomach churning as scenarios intrude into my thoughts, preparing me for any eventuality.
Arra-bellah stands in the courtyard, staring off into the distance, and my feet scatter stones as I slide to a halt behind her. “Arra-bellah?”
She flinches. Flinches, merely because I surprised her. “Oh, hi, Gara.”
She offers nothing else.
“The chores are complete. Is there anything I can do for you?”
The tiny human shakes her head and I see a flash of wateron her cheeks. Tears. Seeing them is like a hot wire lashed across my heart.
Before I know it, I've turned her shoulders to face me. “You're crying. Arra-bellah, why? Who did this?” My fingers tighten on her shoulders like she might be snatched away from me at any moment. I'll make them pay, even if it's one of my crewmates. Arra-bellah should never be so distraught.
“I did it,” she admits, voice quiet. Arra-bellah is never quiet, she's always moving, optimistic and undefeatable. Seeing her brought low like this is… wrong.
She wipes her tears with the heel of her hand. “I shouldn't have made you do all those changes to the barn, it’s going to cause Ellen more problems.” She chuckles, but it ends in a heart-rending hiccup as she contains a sob. “You can say ‘I told you so’ now.”
“Arra…” I swallow hard. I always thought I'd rejoice to see a female brought low, their superiority stripped away.
