A snow machine pulled up in front of her skis. Doc lifted his visor while his passenger waved at them. "We were wondering where you two were. What happened? Wait, is that a hole?"
Sasha looked back at the depression. She smiled, quickly nodding. "Yeah, a real soft spot. We had to dig the Zombie out. But we knew you would be back through soon."
"I can't believe we didn't see you before," Doc said, his eyebrows pressed close to each other.
"We were right here the entire time," Zach added. "Are you heading back into town?"
Another snow machine stopped next to them. "There you are!"
"It's okay, Buck. They found a sinkhole," Doc shouted to the other driver. "Let's make sure they don't find another. Sasha, you right behind me. Buck, can you take position behind her?"
"Sure thing. No racing, Sasha," the other man said.
Sasha waved at them both and made herself comfortable behind the handlebars.
"I agree about the no racing thing," Zach said as he climbed up behind her.
"Yeah, yeah. Just hang on."
Being back in the forest, riding the trails she knew so well felt surreal. Had the spaceship really happened? The robots, bears, and wolves? And Nanuk and Yenni?
It all felt like an aurora-induced dream. She could almost believe her own lie about getting bogged down in the snow and having to dig their way out.
Almost.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
HAWK LEFT THE cup of coffee alone to cool on the table. His stomach was too tied up in knots to drink any more. With each arriving pack of snow machines his hopes would be raised.
And each time he ended up disappointed.
The grand adventure of coming to Alaska for a new life had turned into a horrifying nightmare. The inheritance just didn't matter to having Zach with him.
Mr. Dunn set out more crackers and slices of cheese. "You need to eat something."
He shook his head. "Thank you, but I'm not hungry."
"Let him be, dear. Food can't satisfy what he needs," Mrs. Dunn said, taking her husband by the arm to lead him away.
A nice couple. Both middle-aged with hardly any gray showing in their hair, and obviously devoted to each other and their three children. If only he could have found a way to provide that for Zach. Yet another regret.
By his calculations almost all the passengers should be in from the Solar Express. Most were gone, having found their way home.
Darnit whined at him, looking up at him with big worried eyes. He caught himself starting to reach out to pat the head of the patient dog that hadn't left him.
He took a deep breath. Time to get official help. The residents of Salmon Run might not be overly concerned, but two kids missing in the middle of a cold Alaska night was no passing matter. He looked around the store, wondering if someone inside might be a representative of the law. Where was McRoyal? He needed help.
A bright light flashed through the windows, hitting the back of his head. He turned back to find a tight group of headlights turning off of the street into the store parking lot.
But this time among the pack was a snow machine he hadn't memorized from all the other deliveries. And it held two smaller bodies.
Hawk jumped up, upending his chair. Darnit barked and raced after him as he rushed around the table and through the double entry-way, pulling on his coat. He slipped on the snow at the bottom of the steps. The dogs on the porch jumped up and ran down, barking excitedly, racing through the machines as they came to a stop.
The one at the back of the seat of a large snow machine lifted the visor and yelled out, "We're back, Dad!"
And the aurora-filled night suddenly felt brighter. So bright it was hard for him to keep his eyes wide open. Then he realized he had tears in his eyes.
Zach jumped off the snow machine and across the snow and ice without even taking his helmet off. Hawk engulfed him in a hug. Zach hugged him back just as tightly.
"What happened? Where were you?" Hawk demanded as the other rescued passengers walked into the General Store.
"I can explain that, Mr. Callahan," Sasha Neeley said, taking off her helmet. Her dark hair stuck out of the bottom of her hat. "But can we do it inside?"
Hawk let Zach go, allowing him to take off the helmet. He ushered them inside and to the table he'd just vacated. Darnit left the other dogs to follow them inside. Zach spotted the cheese and crackers, grabbing one to stuff into his face.
"We hit a spot of soft snow, sir. It sometimes happens if there is water underneath, and that area is full of lakes, some of them with hot springs," Sasha said quickly.
Grandpa Neeley appeared, hugging his grand-daughter from behind. "And there's my wise raven."
"We had to dig the machine out," Zach finished with a shrug. He ran a hand through his stringy hair, "And got really hot doing it."
"Sounds scary," Hawk said, pulling a chair out for Zach to sit in.
"Zach was great. He hardly panicked at all," Sasha said with a twinkle in her eye. Hawk noticed the scowl his son gave her in return as he wolfed down another cracker.
"We need to keep you inside now to keep you from getting further chilled," Grandpa Neeley said. "Hawk, you and Zach will sleep at our house. We have the extra beds. We can take you to the lodge tomorrow."
Now that he had Zach safe and sound, Hawk didn't argue. He was too tired to argue. And happy. He couldn't stop smiling.
"And tomorrow I'm coming for coffee with the men. Good old-fashioned coffee," Mr. Goodwin declared as he passed the table on his way towards the door.
"And before you do I will provide you with a nice healthy breakfast," Ms. Goodwin said. She wrapped a scarf around her neck and took his arm, "You'll love it. Now, walk me home."
Mr. Goodwin grumbled under his breath as he held the door open for his wife.
Hawk grinned. All was right with the world again. At least, for Salmon Run.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
SASHA RUSHED AROUND the house getting linens for the spare room and helping her mother quickly change the twin bed for their guests. Her mother brought out one of the roll-away beds from the back of one of the closets. Her father, Grandpa and her brother rooted around for spare clothes.
She tucked in the last of the sheets on the roll-away bed, her sleeve getting pushed up to reveal the dark green of the translator. She touched the soft surface.
It had been so real.
She shook herself, standing up to flip a blanked over the sheets. She found a pillow at the top of the closet and threw it on the bed.
"The casserole is ready," her mother announced. "Can you finish the twin?"
Sasha didn't mention the bed was pretty much done already. She only nodded and finished tucking in the edges of the blankets.
"Can you believe it's not even midnight yet?" Zach asked from the door.
Sasha looked back. His hair was still wet from the shower, her brother's sweatsuit hanging loose on Zach's smaller form.
"Time feels different when things get exciting." Sasha sat down on the bed. "Feel better?"
"I'll feel even better once we have dinner." Zach pointed to the roll-away bed. "Is that mine?"
"Or your Dad's. Whichever."
Zach sat down, pulling up the big baggy socks on his feet. "I'll be glad when our luggage gets here. How long do you think it will be?"
"Tomorrow, I'm sure. But don't think you have to get up early. You've earned the right to sleep in." Her fingers strayed to the translator.
"Oh yeah, right. Sleep after everything that happened." He glanced at the door before whispering. "They're still out there, watching."
Sasha crossed her legs, not caring that she was causing creases in the newly made bed. "And they have been for a long time. I told you, I didn't sense anything dangerous about Nanuk or Yenni. And they helped us get out safely."
"Feelings?" Zach scowled at her. "That's it? You have a feeling?"
"Don't dismiss them. Mine are almost as good as Grandpa's," she said stiffly. "Th
ere are some things science can't yet explain. Case in point: we just met aliens. There are a bunch of human scientist that don't believe they exist at all."
"And many of them do."
"Look at it all as a great adventure. How many people get to see what we did tonight? We were inside an actual alien spaceship and met a few of the aliens inside. And an engine room." Sasha shook her head, hardly able to believe her own memories. Of Qeet slipping in and out of openings that were impossibly small. "It's amazing."
"You can't ignore what we saw with our own eyes."
"And what is it you are referring to?" Sasha demanded.
"Plenty of things." Zach stopped, his eyes on the open door.
Jacob shouted into the room even though he was standing right in the doorway. "Dinner is ready. Get a move on!"
Sasha scowled after his departing figure. "Annoying, isn't he."
"An adolescent at the rebellious stage," Zach mocked.
They both fell over laughing. Sasha wiped a tear from her eye, "Nanuk could get years of study out of my brother. Maybe we should offer him up for the benefit of science."
Zach's face sobered. "Someone who studies us as an occupation. That doesn't bother me as much as the weapons."
"They need security," Sasha reminded him. "Everyone does. We do. State Trooper Ed Barrow comes through several times a year."
"Containment force fields able to take the impact of a plasma cannon? Nanuk's plasma blaster? The weapons on the security-bots? The head of the mission is an Admiral? That right there says military." He sat up and shook his head, biting at his lower lip. "No, what we saw was more than simple security."
Sasha narrowed her eyes, her hand plucking at the quilt under her, "Why are you trying to get me stirred up?"
"I'm not. I'm only being honest. That ship and the creatures on it are not all they seem." Zach punched at the pillow.
"Are you sure some of this isn't some of your upbringing coloring your experience?"
Zach froze. He turned towards her, his eyes hard, his mouth pressed thin. "Okay, fine. Some of it is. While Dad worked late and Mom played, I had to take care of myself. At home, walking to and from school on the streets. If you want to survive you learn to watch everything around you and not trust what you see as safe. You look around corners, you look at expressions. You make judgments on all of it, making it add up. And that ship doesn't add up."
Sasha held his eyes for a moment before glancing off to the window. Through the curtain the aurora still blazed. "Okay, fine, I agree. Some things don't add up."
"Aha!"
"But that doesn't mean I completely agree with you," Sasha quickly added, turning her attention back to him. "You make it sound like we should be worried about an invasion. I do not agree with that extreme."
"Then, tell me. What do you believe."
Sasha twirled a strand of hair around a finger, thinking a moment. Lots of ideas came to mind, but only one that could provide any certainty.
"We don't know enough to know for sure," she finally said. "Which means we need to ask them what their intentions are."
Zach laughed. The laughter stopped suddenly when she didn't laugh with him. He scrunched up his face at her. "Are you crazy? They said never to come back."
She stood up and stretched. "But we have to, one way or the other."
"I'm not about to risk my well-being by doing something like that."
"Have you so quickly forgotten something?" She lifted her left wrist and pulled down the long sleeve to expose the translator. "These don't belong to us. We need to return them to their owners someday."
Zach stared at her wrist for a moment before looking down at his own, a look of horror spreading over his face. "I don't believe this. I forgot about it. Your feelings better be right."
"Don't put down what you don't understand. I know I'm right," Sasha said more sharply than she meant to.
"Hey, you two," a voice interrupted. She looked up to see Mr. Callahan at the door. He smiled at them, "I know you have a lot to talk about with your adventure out there in the wilderness, but everyone is waiting for you to join us for dinner."
***
Zach had trouble paying attention to his meal, even though he enjoyed the potato and ham casserole. And the homemade buns were delicious. The family around the large table assumed he was simply tired.
He let them think it. It made it easier to adjourn to bed not long after dinner.
His father followed him, deep lines around his mouth. "Ready for a good night's sleep?"
Zach shrugged, "I'll try. It's a new bed and house."
"And hopefully tomorrow night yet another new one." His father sat down on the bed while Zach fluffed up the pillow and pulled down the blankets on the roll-away bed.
"Grandpa Neeley kept me company while you were missing. Over and over he told me you were fine, because he could 'feel' it. He mentioned others in the family had what he referred to as 'the gift'." His father took a deep breath. "Don't disparage it, Zach. He was right about you. Sasha could be right about whatever you were discussing."
He wondered just how much his father overheard. He pulled off the big socks. "That's getting close to ESP, which has never been proven."
"I could argue ESP with you, but that isn't the point." Zach blinked at his father, wondering how he could argue for it. He continued, "The point is respect. You might not believe it, but they do. That deserves at least a small measure of respect."
Zach pressed his lips, "Fine, I won't get mad at her."
"Now I need to ask you something different. Something serious."
Zach paused in the process of pushing his feet under the covers. He looked at his father to see him regarding him with the same expression as when he'd announced he and his mother were going to divorce. His stomach clenched as he waited.
"After what happened tonight, do you want to leave?"
Zach's stomach relaxed, relieved. He hadn't been sure what the question would be, but this one was easy. "We're here. We agreed we were going to honestly try this."
"You could have died out there," his father said, his eyes going to the window.
"But I didn't. I was with Sasha, and we got through it just fine." Okay that was a little bit of a fib. "It was quite the adventure. I saw things I've never seen before."
Zach paused, not sure what he should say. He didn't want to leave yet. There was too much to still learn and explore. Plus, he and Sasha needed to have a conversation with the hidden aliens on behalf of all humans on the planet. In a way he dreaded it, but in a way he looked forward to it.
He sunk down into his covers. "I took care of myself before and after school. Things here are different, and yes, they can be dangerous. But there are people here who can teach us what to look out for. Like the Neeley's."
He stopped, knowing he'd started to ramble. He didn't like doing that. He preferred to get to the point. He looked at his father and took a deep breath. Time to ask the question silently hanging between them. "Are you wanting to leave?"
His father stayed silent long enough to worry him. As the silence stretched further, he became scared. Were they going to pack up and leave before even one day in Salmon Run?
At last his father shook his head. "No, I don't want to leave. This sort of adventure is a dream come true for me. A dream I thought I had to give up when I grew up and had to be an 'adult'."
"Good," Zach sighed.
The light next to the bed clicked off, casting the bedroom in darkness with only light from the aurora filtering through the curtains. He pushed and pulled at the thick blankets to get comfortable.
"Don't give up your dreams like I did," his father suddenly said from the other side of the room. "And don't let fear hold you back. Those were my two worst mistakes. I hope you will be wiser than I was."
"So, we are staying, right? I just want to confirm that."
"Yes, we are staying."
Zach grinned, letting his head drop to the plump pillow.
&nb
sp; CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
THE BRIGHT SUNLIGHT the next morning only highlighted just how small the town of Salmon Run was.
The General Store stood at one end, the school at the other. In-between and at the edges was a curious mix of log cabins, contemporary style, and old-west buildings with high billboard fronts. The town sat high on a rise a short distance from the bluffs , beyond which bobbed a few fishing boats in a small marina at the mouth of the Salmon Run River.
Inland from the school sat the rambling Solar Express property, comprising of a terminal building, a large garage big enough to hold the entire train and then some, and a tangle of railroad tracks.
Hawk stood under the wide front porch of the domed terminal building, squinted at the bright glints bouncing off the curved lines of the Solar Express engine. It still looked as beautiful as it did the night before. If only it were dependable.
"I saw you talking to Jacob Neeley this morning. I hope you found a new friend," Hawk said.
"Oh sure. The typical teenager at a rebellious stage."
"What?" The confusing answer made him turn away from the train.
Zach stood in the midst of the luggage, rooting through one of the shopping bags. "Sasha says the lodge is several miles from town. How do we get back and forth?"
"Grandpa Neeley said not to worry about it." He scratched his chin, noting the change in subject. "And you can stop counting. I'm sure everything is there."
"I didn't think anyone stole anything," he heard Zach mumble. He said louder, "I'm not walking miles to school. I don't want to tell horror stories when I get older about having to walk through the snow every day."
"You forgot to add that the walk was uphill both ways." Several snow machines roared down the nearby Main Street, sending clouds of snow into the air behind them. "Remember, we own the lodge, the land, and everything in and on it. I didn't get the details out of him, but I suspect there is equipment we can make use of."
Which probably meant a snow machine, and he didn't know how to drive one. Or a car? Someone had plowed the street, as evidenced by the straight burms of compacted snow on either side, but did that extend to the lodge?