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Chapter 184: Nightmare
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The True Nature Series Chapter 185: Shanna
KNOX WHINED FROM THE other room. I cracked open one eye to peek at my alarm clock and groaned. It was only 6:00 a.m. Knox seemed to know that someone was awake and whined again, louder than before. If he woke up Dad, he would feel obligated to take him for a walk. But Dad needed his sleep. An upcoming deadline at work had made him stressed and more tired than usual and he'd been grumpy. I hated seeing him so out of sorts. The least I could do was let him sleep in. Yawning, I stumbled out of my room to Knox. "Quiet, boy. You'll wake Dad." Then I realized that his whining had stopped the second I put a foot on my bedroom floor. I opened his crate. "You little rascal!" He hustled out, his nose seeking my hand. I gave him a good head rub, making sure to get under his ears to the spot he loved me to scratch. He cut short the rubdown, though, trotting out of the room and down the stairs to the back door."You gotta use the facilities, buddy?" I said. No wonder he was whining. I wished w
The True Nature Series Chapter 186: Speculations and Hypotheticals
I'D NEVER BEEN ACCUSED of skinny chicken legs in my life - quite the opposite, actually. But I appreciated his attempt to lighten the mood. We worked up to a fast jog, Knox running alongside us, and I allowed myself a moment to enjoy the beautiful greenery around us. It was easy to take the vibrant redwood forest for granted when you lived in it. I breathed in the spicy pine scent, letting it cleanse me.Eventually, my mind wandered back to Shanna and what her existence meant. "Caroline must know Shanna's alive," said Zander, breaking into my thoughts and making me wonder if he was reading my mind. "I don't understand why she left her there, especially if she's in any kind of danger.""I was thinking the same thing. Maybe Caroline was too crazy to care." I frowned at the thought. It didn't jive with her emotional response when we'd spoken about her children. At the time, I'd thought she'd been sad because they were dead. Unless ..."Do you think Caroline believes Shanna is dead?"
The True Nature Series Chapter 187: Boyfriends Missed, Kissed, and Dissed
SOMEONE YELLED MY NAME. When I saw Bobby's girlfriend, Shrina, jogging toward me from the science building, I looked for a quick getaway, but found none. I sighed. Besides, she knew I'd seen her and taking off would just hurt her feelings. I'd been trying to avoid her ever since Bobby disappeared. Every time we talked, she acted like I could do something to find him, and I felt that I should be doing more about it, but I simply wasn't. I'd watched their relationship blossom and become the anchor that Bobby needed after years of depression. I'd been happy for them, then devastated when Bobby was taken. Seeing Shrina posting "Missing" posters around town intensified my guilty feelings. I was letting both of them down and whenever I talked to Shrina, I felt like the worst friend ever."What's wrong?" I asked."Nothing," she said, but her chin wobbled. "I-I was wondering if you'd remembered anything that might help the police." I shook my head sadly and her eyes drooped. Even though I
The True Nature Series Chapter 188: Too Many Aliens
ZANDER AND I HEADED toward our regular lunch table where Ruthie sat waiting for us. Wynona and Luke sprawled across from her where the twins used to sit. My knee-jerk reaction was to look around for Isaac and Phoebe but I reminded myself they weren't coming back. After only two days, I really missed them. Classes weren't the same without them, but their absence was most noticeable at lunch. Now that the Efotis were aware that people from the Nasaru were in town, they were keeping the twins home, resuming their homeschooling. I couldn't blame them. Their children definitely stood out wherever they went. But it wasn't stopping us from them altogether. In fact, we were planning to meet up with them at my place after school today.I slid into my seat with a loud sigh."Wow," said Wynona. "You look like you lost your best friend."Ruthie threw an arm around me. "Never!" She squeezed me until I squawked."Why so gloomy?" Luke asked."She ran into Shrina again," said Zander. There wa
The True Nature Series Chapter 189: Riddles
ISAAC SHOVED ANOTHER DONUT in his mouth, groaning with delight. He wasn't the only one having a donut-gasm. When Ruthie walked in with two boxes of donuts from North Avenue Pastries, I almost screamed. It was the best donut place in the world, but their shop was all the way down in Aptos. We had to battle traffic on Highway 1 to get there, so it didn't happen very often. Probably a good thing, too. We'd weigh another hundred pounds if it did."Bless your mother," said Luke, savoring a chocolate cream pastry. I was happy to see that he and Wynona were over their little quarrel. Perhaps we'd actually accomplish something this afternoon. Or maybe it was just the donuts. They had that kind of power.Ruthie had known her mom was meeting a client for work near the pastry shop, so she'd asked her to pick up the donuts for our "study group." Mrs. Robles had been so excited to hear Ruthie was having a study group, she'd doubled her order. Hence, the current donut orgy.Right now, we were lou
The True Nature Series Chapter 190: We Are Not Alone
RUTHIE LAUNCHED INTO HER notes. "Number one on my list is: We are not alone!" Her eyes widened dramatically.Phoebe let out an unlady-like snort. "You mean the fact that there's life on other planets in other universes?""Yeah," said Ruthie. "That's way cool."We all agreed. "And the one other planet with life on it, that we know about, is called Nimbiru. It has humanoid beings that look a lot like us and they're called 'uli.'" Ruthie repeated the name a few times just because she liked saying it. "Uli, uli, uli."I cleared my voice. She stopped and gave me a thumbs-up before continuing. "And it has God-like beings known as suani or 'the Quiet Ones.' They turned the humanoid people into wolves, birds, and sea creatures. And they didn't age or die for five hundred freaking years. Then they were transformed again, this time into shape-shifters, half humanoid and half whatever creature they were before.""So damn weird," muttered Luke."Seriously," agreed Wynona as she attacked
The True Nature Series Chapter 191: North Avenue Irregulars
"BACK TO MY NOTES." Ruthie turned a page in her notebook before continuing. "And then we have idimmu. They are our own planet's hybrids. Basically, part human and part ulami. But their alien DNA isn't completely compatible with human DNA and therefore, most idimmu eventually lose their minds." She threw Wynona and Luke a look of pity, but they didn't appreciate it and glared back at her. "But, Tru can stop that," said Luke, leaning forward. "Seems to me that we've found the get-out-of-the-asylum card." He looked hopefully my way. "I don't know, Luke." I definitely didn't want to promise anything I wasn't positive I could deliver. "I've never tried it on an idimmu before." Plus, my healing history wasn't much of an endorsement. If anything, I had made life worse for Bobby. I didn't know about Ruthie yet."But your mother can--""You mean Caroline," I corrected, still not ready to embrace her as my mom.Ruthie turned to the twins. "You guys saw how bad she looked, right? Fixin
The True Nature Series Chapter 192: In Denial
THE ENTIRE GANG COULDN'T get together again until Saturday, and because Isaac was craving pizza, we met at Luigi's. It wasn't the best pizza around, but it was the least crowded. We even managed to grab a small, deserted side room that gave us the privacy we wanted.While we waited for our pizzas, Ruthie pulled out her trusty notebook and began. "So, we've been talking about Ulami's Hope and the Sentavoti a lot at school and we have a few ideas." "Can you read it again?" asked Phoebe."Sure. We've read it so many times this week I pretty much know it by heart." Isaac and Phoebe leaned in as she recited it perfectly:"Ulami's Hope -From one birthWill come a new triangleWater, Earth, HeavenRarest AramusatuHealer, Savior, DestroyerEnd the Earth, save the worldKnow past, present, futureMightiest unionsTruth, Mercy, JusticeWill be a pure scaleFrom one birth""Zander and Tru understand the nerdy poetry stuff," she said, waving a hand our way. "They can explain."
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The True Nature Series Chapter 230: The Promise
ZANDER WAS STILL GROGGY, and I helped him lean up against the railing of the general store. I wanted to stay with him, but another problem had cropped up. Polaris was trying to move Dad, and Knox wouldn't let them. No one wanted to risk getting close to his teeth and I feared they might try to drug him or something worse. I sighed and pushed myself up."I'll be right back," I told Zander.I headed across the road and carefully approached the growling Knox. "Hey there, buddy," I said in a soothing voice. "You still have me, remember?" I reached out my hand, letting it hang in the air like Dad had taught me the first time Knox and I had met. Knox's ears flattened, and he whined as he pressed his nose into my fingers. If dogs cried, I'd say Knox was crying now. His eyes looked sticky wet. I ran a hand down his neck, coaxing him off Dad's body and toward me. With a hand on his collar, I eased the two of us several feet away, allowing the others to move Dad. When his limp head dropped t
The True Nature Series Chapter 229: Picking Up the Pieces
BOTH POLARIS AND THE Efotis arrived within minutes of each other. The folks from Polaris had found several locals disabled or dead outside the park, as well as two empty police cars. Someone must have called the authorities about the gunshots or the helicopters. Others had probably been curious enough to investigate the noise themselves. The Nasaru had silenced them before they could see anything. With heavy faces, Polaris began searching the perimeter for more victims and loading up bodies on stretchers to take them away. When the Efotis arrived, Caroline rushed up to me, her eyes wide and desperate. She grabbed me and hugged me like she was never letting go. Despite my reluctance to admit she was my mother, I found her arms comforting. It just felt right. Thaddeus stood as still and straight as a fencepost watching us with soft but wary eyes. I completely understood. My reintroduction to Caroline had been rocky. In fact, it had been like meeting her for the first time, because I'
The True Nature Series Chapter 228: Of One Mind
THADDIE AND I JUMPED away from each other, our eyes wide as saucers. "Shanna!" I breathed out in surprise. But her voice had faded away. "What the heck?" Once again, I'd lost my connection to her."Your eyes turned blue," said Thaddeus with surprise. "Does that happen often? Was that our sister?"I pressed my lips together, frustrated that we'd been so close to talking to her. "Yes, it was Shanna. But she's gone now. Dang it." He opened his mouth to say something else, but I beat him to it. "Wait. Did you just say my eyes turned blue?" "Yes," he answered, looking at me strangely.I thought my eyes had done that before, too, when I'd heard a strange voice. But at the time, I'd convinced myself that it was my imagination. Did this happen every time she talked to me? I held out my hands to Thaddeus, hoping that together we could bring her back. He looked at my outstretched arms with confusion."Just testing a theory," I said. "Take my hands. Maybe we need to be in physical conta
The True Nature Series Chapter 227: Retreat
"THADDIE!" I choked out."You know him?" asked Maverick in surprise.I huffed out a deep breath as we heaved another dead body off his wing."Yes," I said, giving him a watery smile. "He's my brother."Maverick stared at me slack-jawed. After tonight I didn't think anything could surprise him. "You're kidding," he muttered."Yeah, I was going to tell you about him. Turns out, the other sharum guy was my biological father. Is," I corrected, reminding myself that if they took him, he must still be alive."The other guy with Dr. Frankler?""Yeah, I know," I nodded. "Just when you thought it couldn't get any weirder."Maverick grunted an agreement.I examined Thaddie, who still struggled with consciousness. "Let's carry him to a brighter area. It will be easier to help him there."Together, we maneuvered him onto Maverick's back. Amid grunts and gasps, he carried Thaddie to the center of the main street and set him down near Zander, who was still unconscious and oblivious to the
The True Nature Series Chapter 226: The Aftermath
I GAVE MAVERICK A wan smile. "There're gone," I sighed, standing up to move wearily to the next body. Kneeling by the woman from Polaris, I gently closed her eyes. There was no fixing her. The other Polaris soldiers were no better. The rest were Gerard's men. My heart pounded, knowing I'd have to face my dad's body now. I dragged myself to my feet and looked toward Dad. A furry head rested on top of his chest. I ran over to them, wondering how Knox could still be alive, not to mention how he had moved. As I dropped next to them, Knox whined softly. I bent over to press my head against his. "Oh, Knox. You're okay," I wept, running my hands along his fur. Blood matted in several spots, but I couldn't find any injuries. Shaking my head at the miracle, I hugged him. "I know, boy," I crooned. "Dad isn't ... he's not waking up. But you still have me." Knox's tail pounded on the dirt, but he remained pressed against Dad.I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up to see Maverick. "I'm
The True Nature Series Chapter 225: Just Like Dante
THE CIRCLE OF SOLDIERS tightened around us, drawing my attention away from my disappearing friends. Zander pulled me to his back, spinning us around as we faced their weapons. It quickly became clear that even with our abilities, we wouldn't be able to overpower them. "Tru," Zander said, mind-speaking. "This is going to hurt, but you can heal yourself. Protect your head." "What?" I barely had a chance to gasp before he grabbed me, lifted me up in the air, and threw me over the heads of the soldiers. I cleared them by at least five meters and landed in a dense thicket near the line of trees. Branches jabbed me, cutting my skin and shredding my already ruined dress.I groaned. What the heck did Zander think he was doing? I started to crawl out of the bushes and yelped when I felt a sharp pain in one hand. It felt wrong, like broken wrong. Looking up, I saw a few of the soldiers peel away from the circle around Zander and head toward me. "Run!" Zander yelled in my mind.The path
The True Nature Series Chapter 224: From the Frying Pan ...
I GASPED, RECOGNIZING Gerard's creepy grin. "No! It can't be!"He laughed, throwing back his head and clasping his hands together. "You've done me a favor, my dear. I may have lost my mate." A fleeting look of sorrow crossed his face. "Trust me, you'll pay for that. But now I have an even more powerful aramusatu, one that will link you and me together forever." He laughed again, and then held out his hand. "Join me, Tru. You belong with your family."I gagged and stepped away. Had I only made things worse by killing Gerard? "No!" I yelled. I felt the world caving in as Wynona's words flitted through my mind. She's a soul jumper. At that time, she'd meant Ruthie. But apparently, she wasn't the only one. Somehow, Gerard Hughes's spirit had taken over Peter's body. I had a feeling that I'd just leaped from the frying pan into the fire."What happened to Peter?" Gerard's eyes swirled, shifting to yellow slits. He squeezed them shut and shook his head. When he opened his eyes, they w
The True Nature Series Chapter 223: Backfire
OBVIOUSLY, I WAS A healer. But I was definitely no savior. But what about destroyer?The thought of that destiny had filled me with dread before, but now I wanted it so badly that everything but my enemy faded away. I wished I could channel my healing ability into a weapon. Then it struck me. If I could heal wounds why couldn't I un-heal them? I stared at my hands, wondering if it was possible. A dark feeling swirled inside me, like attempting such a thing was straight up wrong, but as Gerard stepped closer to Ruthie, and as Zander continued to bleed out, I knew I had to do something. With shaking hands, I laid Dad's head on the ground. It was too late for him but I might be able to help the others. A fiery rage whipped up inside of me and my eyes locked onto Gerard. He wore a demented look of his own as he considered the chaos around us. I took off toward him. When I was almost upon him, he saw me and pulled out his gun. I plowed forward anyway and tackled him, sending the weapon f
The True Nature Series Chapter 222: Inconceivable Choice
I YANKED AWAY FROM the guard holding me and ran back to Zander, who gasped, "I'll be fine, Tru. Go to him." I knew he meant my dad and that he'd realized the same thing I had. Ignoring the guns pointed at me, I rushed toward Dad and Knox. Donavitch was grinning at me, clearly enjoying my terror, and Knox was barking out a warning to Mrs. Taylor as she pointed her gun at Dad. "Look out, Dad!" He looked from me to Mrs. Taylor and flinched when he saw the gun pointing at him. "No, Eleria!" yelled Mr. Taylor.Crack!In the blink of an eye, two bodies fell to the ground. At the last second, Mr. Taylor had raced after his wife and thrown his body in front of my dad. They both went down. I fell to the ground next to Dad, frantically searching for his wound. A bright red stain in the center of his blue flannel shirt expanded to the size of my hand within seconds. Had the bullet gone through Mr. Taylor and Dad? Of course! The gun had been loaded with cutters, the Nasaru's usemi-killin
