Read Online Goddess of the Night by Lynne Ewing - Free Book Online
Authors: Lynne Ewing
Tags: United States, Fiction, General, Science-Fiction, People & Places, Action & Adventure, Juvenile Fiction, Fantasy & Magic, supernatural, Los Angeles (Calif.)
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descriptions of ten ugly hours of
labor and twenty-two stitches that I was not."
97
"But what
if--" Catty stopped drawing. "What if something happened to
her real child?"
"Like
aliens ate it! "
"I'm
serious." Catty frowned. "Maybe there was an alien mother
who gave birth that night, and a nurse got confused."
Vanessa stared
at her. "I look like my mother. You've said so yourself."
"What
about the necklaces? Maybe they're like a homing device." Catty
started smudging the charcoal drawing with her finger, then stopped
and stared at Vanessa. Vanessa knew by the look on Catty's face that
she didn't want to hear what she was going to say next. "It
might explain who's been following you."
"How?"
"Government
agents. The ship might be repaired now. And they're going to send you
back to your own planet but they have to make sure you're the right
person."
Vanessa thought
about it. How would she survive on a different planet? Even if that
was where she belonged. "I don't want to leave. My home is
here."
98
"But,
Vanessa, if it's true."
"It's
not--"
"Just if.
If they come for you, don't let them leave me behind." Catty was
serious.
"If," Vanessa said. "If it is true, I promise."
"Thanks."
She paused a moment. "I keep having this awful dream. In it
these shadowy people are trying to reach me. I can't see their faces.
I wake up, and it feels so real. Maybe the others are using telepathy
to contact us, but our skills are too rusty to pick up their
message."
"Stop,"
Vanessa whispered. "You're frightening me."
"Sorry,"
Catty said.
"Maybe we
should try to get some sleep."
"Okay,"
Catty agreed.
Vanessa turned
off the lights and opened the shutters. She and Catty crawled into
bed and stared out the window at the night sky.
"I wish we
only had normal problems like everyone else," Vanessa said.
"Me, too.
It'd be fun to just worry about school, zits, and boys."
"I worry
about that. It's not fun."
99
"Yeah,
it's not fun for me, either," Catty said. "I wish I knew
why we're so different."
"Freaks of
nature," Vanessa whispered and wondered how she could ever have
a boyfriend. Maybe it was better not to try.
"It's hard
sometimes," Catty added. "If you weren't here, I'd be so
alone, probably smoking pot with lodos on the back lawn at school."
"Yeah,"
Vanessa said. "I'd probably be a shy little mouse with a stack
of books in front of my face and no friends." She pushed back
tears crowding into her eyes. "I'm glad you're here."
"Ditto on
the mushy stuff." Catty pulled her covers tight around her.
As she was
falling asleep, Vanessa decided to visit Serena tomorrow. It was her
last hope before confessing everything to her mother. Maybe Serena
could look at her tarot cards and tell her who had been following her
and why.
100
Chapter 10
SUNDAY EVENING
VANESSA walked up the tinted stone walkway of a large Spanish
colonial revival house. Faded ceramic frogs and trolls sat under the
spiked paddles of a prickly pear cactus. The wind blew, and
purple-red bougainvillea flowers rained over her.
She started to
knock on a large wood door, when it opened.
"Hi,"
Serena greeted her. "I'm glad you came." She wore
Hawaiian-print bell-bottoms and a pair of clogs painted fairy-tale
red with blue flowers. She looked like a pixie, the way her hair was
moussed with glitter on the ends.
101
"Let's sit
in the kitchen," she said. "The light is better there."
Vanessa stepped
inside and waited for her eyes to adjust to the dimness. Then she
followed Serena down an unlit hallway. Their footsteps echoed through
an imposing dining room that felt cold and never used. Finally, they
pushed through a swinging door into a yellow kitchen that smelled of
freshly baked cookies.
A raccoon sat
on the kitchen table on top of papers that were scattered around a
laptop computer. A cello rested against a long counter. Its varnished
wood reflected the warm kitchen lights. Vanessa had expected to see
anarchy symbols and smell incense, or maybe
labor and twenty-two stitches that I was not."
97
"But what
if--" Catty stopped drawing. "What if something happened to
her real child?"
"Like
aliens ate it! "
"I'm
serious." Catty frowned. "Maybe there was an alien mother
who gave birth that night, and a nurse got confused."
Vanessa stared
at her. "I look like my mother. You've said so yourself."
"What
about the necklaces? Maybe they're like a homing device." Catty
started smudging the charcoal drawing with her finger, then stopped
and stared at Vanessa. Vanessa knew by the look on Catty's face that
she didn't want to hear what she was going to say next. "It
might explain who's been following you."
"How?"
"Government
agents. The ship might be repaired now. And they're going to send you
back to your own planet but they have to make sure you're the right
person."
Vanessa thought
about it. How would she survive on a different planet? Even if that
was where she belonged. "I don't want to leave. My home is
here."
98
"But,
Vanessa, if it's true."
"It's
not--"
"Just if.
If they come for you, don't let them leave me behind." Catty was
serious.
"If," Vanessa said. "If it is true, I promise."
"Thanks."
She paused a moment. "I keep having this awful dream. In it
these shadowy people are trying to reach me. I can't see their faces.
I wake up, and it feels so real. Maybe the others are using telepathy
to contact us, but our skills are too rusty to pick up their
message."
"Stop,"
Vanessa whispered. "You're frightening me."
"Sorry,"
Catty said.
"Maybe we
should try to get some sleep."
"Okay,"
Catty agreed.
Vanessa turned
off the lights and opened the shutters. She and Catty crawled into
bed and stared out the window at the night sky.
"I wish we
only had normal problems like everyone else," Vanessa said.
"Me, too.
It'd be fun to just worry about school, zits, and boys."
"I worry
about that. It's not fun."
99
"Yeah,
it's not fun for me, either," Catty said. "I wish I knew
why we're so different."
"Freaks of
nature," Vanessa whispered and wondered how she could ever have
a boyfriend. Maybe it was better not to try.
"It's hard
sometimes," Catty added. "If you weren't here, I'd be so
alone, probably smoking pot with lodos on the back lawn at school."
"Yeah,"
Vanessa said. "I'd probably be a shy little mouse with a stack
of books in front of my face and no friends." She pushed back
tears crowding into her eyes. "I'm glad you're here."
"Ditto on
the mushy stuff." Catty pulled her covers tight around her.
As she was
falling asleep, Vanessa decided to visit Serena tomorrow. It was her
last hope before confessing everything to her mother. Maybe Serena
could look at her tarot cards and tell her who had been following her
and why.
100
Chapter 10
SUNDAY EVENING
VANESSA walked up the tinted stone walkway of a large Spanish
colonial revival house. Faded ceramic frogs and trolls sat under the
spiked paddles of a prickly pear cactus. The wind blew, and
purple-red bougainvillea flowers rained over her.
She started to
knock on a large wood door, when it opened.
"Hi,"
Serena greeted her. "I'm glad you came." She wore
Hawaiian-print bell-bottoms and a pair of clogs painted fairy-tale
red with blue flowers. She looked like a pixie, the way her hair was
moussed with glitter on the ends.
101
"Let's sit
in the kitchen," she said. "The light is better there."
Vanessa stepped
inside and waited for her eyes to adjust to the dimness. Then she
followed Serena down an unlit hallway. Their footsteps echoed through
an imposing dining room that felt cold and never used. Finally, they
pushed through a swinging door into a yellow kitchen that smelled of
freshly baked cookies.
A raccoon sat
on the kitchen table on top of papers that were scattered around a
laptop computer. A cello rested against a long counter. Its varnished
wood reflected the warm kitchen lights. Vanessa had expected to see
anarchy symbols and smell incense, or maybe
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