Read Online Of Starlight by Dan Rix - Free Book Online

out another question:
    Are you dark matter?
    Another pause. Throat dry, I swallowed and wiped my sweaty palms on my bedsheets. Then came its response:
    YES LEONA

Chapter 5
    Megan and I shared a stunned look. We were texting dark matter. Texting it. Communicating with it . . . and it was intelligent. Intelligent life. This had to be some kind of landmark event for humanity.
    But how was it possible?
    I had wrapped dark matter around my phone. It must have gotten inside the case and melded with the electronics, and now it was using my phone to communicate.
    Like it had used my brain to communicate.
    “Should we talk to it?” I said, my pulse ratcheting up. “What should we say?”
    “Let me talk to it,” said Megan.
    So many questions . . .
    “Leona, let me talk to it,” she persisted.
    “Hold on. I’m talking to it.”
    “Then say something. It’s waiting.”
    I studied the screen, confused. “Do you think it moved my phone? It must still be on the cell network somewhere, right? Since your phone is recognizing it . . . but where is it?”
    “Who cares—?” She made a grab for the phone.
    I yanked it away. “Stop. We need to think about this.”
    “It’s going to get bored. You’re being boring. Let me talk to it, Leona.”
    “It wants to talk to me,” I said, distracted.
    She scrambled over my lap and grasped for the phone, and I twisted away from her.
    “Stop it,” I warned.
    “It’s my phone,” she said.
    “And it’s communicating from my phone,” I said.
    “Ask it what it is?”
    “Hang on,” I said, trying to think of what I wanted to ask it.
    I texted:
    Where is my phone?
    The reply came instantly:
    I HAVE YOUR PHONE LEONA
    “That’s what it just said,” said Megan. “Is that not what it just said three times? You’re going to piss it off.”
    “Shh! I’m thinking.”
    “ Leona ,” she whined, “let me talk to it!”
    I shooed her away and typed in another question:
    What are you?
    A pause, and just when I thought we’d get something good, a text bubble appeared on the screen.
    I AM DARK
    “Okay, you’re done,” she said, snatching the phone out of my hands. Her fingers raced across the keypad, and I leaned over her shoulder to read her text:
    Hi, this is Megan . I’m the cool one. Where are you from? We are from planet Earth.
    “See, you have to be specific,” she said, sending the message.
    We waited, but the dark matter took its time.
    I scanned my bedroom. Where was it?
    No sooner had I had the thought than the phone buzzed in her hands with a new message:
    I’M HERE LEONA
    I tensed up, and a nervous tremor passed through my heart. Was it reading my thoughts?
    The phone buzzed again:
    YES LEONA
    I stared at the screen, and unease pooled deep in my stomach.
    “It still thinks it’s you,” Megan muttered, shaking me off. “Let go.”
    Only then did I realize I was gripping her arm. I let go, leaving a red imprint of my fingers. Before she could type a reply, another text bubble flashed on the screen.
    I’M HERE LEONA
    Then another one right after:
    I’M ALWAYS HERE LEONA
    “Stop it,” I whispered. “Stop . . . tell it to stop.”
    “I’m not going to type that,” she said. “Let’s ask it what it wants.”
    “Block it . . . block my number . . .”
    “What?” She stared at me. “ Why? We’re communicating with it.”
    “Give me the phone,” I said, tugging it back from her. Whatever this was, it had gone too far. I pressed my finger into the power button and held it.
    “Wait,” she said, hitting my hand away. “One more question. Just one more question.”
    “We shouldn’t be talking to it,” I said.
    “What’s with you?” she said. “Aren’t you curious? Ask it what it wants. Just one more question.”
    I hesitated, then tapped out:
    What do you want?
    My fingers smeared sweat across the touchscreen. After a pause, the phone gave its answer:
    YOU
    I was still staring at the phone in shock when it rang in my hand, making