Saphora: vol.1 Retention (The Athena Universe) (20 page)

“Yes, with wings!”

“How would something like that even be alive?”

“Some of the scientists think that it was preserved in a glacier or something, and somehow woke up when it melted. You know, like some frogs do.”

“Whoa, wait. So are there like, more of these things in glaciers? Where’d they find it?”

“In the mountains in Norway
. And I don’t know. But could you imagine?!” Fran said, thrusting herself back into the sofa.

“What does it look like? And why are they bringing it to a town like this? Should
n’t they be like, analyzing it or something in some lab?”

“I don’t know why they’
re bringing it here, but I’m not complaining! Maybe they don’t have the equipment for it yet or something. Who cares? A dragon!”

Saphora couldn’t help but laugh at her excitement at facing one of the world’s
most dangerous creatures, fantasy or not.

“So that probably means you’re going to be putting in overtime until Wednesday, huh,” Saphora asked. Fran paused, her excitement taking a momentary dive.

“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry, but …” Saphora raised her hand to stop her explanation.

“
It’s okay, Fran,” she laughed. “I understand. I told you I’m not mad anymore. Besides, it’s a freaking
dragon
. As far as excuses go, that’s pretty good.”

“You’ll be at the opening?”

“Yeah, like I’m going to miss the discovery of one of the greatest creatures of fantasy this world has ever known. Of course I’m going,” she said, dropping her head back against the sofa.

“You seem tired … What were you doing during your walk?” Fran asked warily.

“Walking,” Saphora scoffed. “I walked the entire way home.”

“The
entire
way? You didn’t fly at all? That’s nearly a two hour walk, honey.”

“I know,” Saphora sighed. “But I really wanted to do some thinking. And flying has me spooked since Monday …”

“Oh,” Fran cooed, coming closer to her and placing her hand on Saphora’s thigh. “It must be scary now, after falling. It’s probably a good idea to give it a rest for a while.”

Saphora nodded as she closed her eyes. Fran rubbed her hand against Saphora’s thigh and looked about her face.

“It must be hard, with this whole Jones case,” Fran said softly after some moments of silence. Saphora opened her eyes to look over at Fran, her head still resting against the sofa. “I’m sorry if … I haven’t been much of a good mother lately. But … I always will be. Your mother, I mean. I know that I’m not, but …” Saphora lifted her head as Fran started to tear up. “You’ve always been a daughter to me. You know that, right?” she said, looking up at her with welling eyes. Saphora grimaced and leaned forward, wrapping her arms around Fran. This was the Fran she was looking for. The one that worried over everything, listened to anything, and always reassured her.

“I know, I know, Fran. I just … I’m not used to you hesitating … doubting.”
Fran shook her head, lowering it against Saphora’s shoulder. She hated to see her cry. Even though she had been so mad at her. How could she stand to see her mother cry? They could wage battles all they wanted, but they would both end up losing the war. The moment a tear fell from either side, the war was lost.

“I’m sorry. I just
didn’t expect something like this to happen. I didn’t know what to think,” Fran sobbed into Saphora’s shoulder as she wrapped her arms around her. “I know you wouldn’t hurt anyone, honey. I know that. Not on purpose.” Saphora’s body tensed slightly at the last words, and her frown deepened. She still wasn’t sure. She still wasn’t sure that Saphora was telling the truth when she said that she didn’t kill that man. It hurt knowing that Fran couldn’t completely believe her. But, then again, she had to consider how her story – her explanation sounded to her. The thought of her being hunted down by some strange man from her past. She couldn’t blame Fran for wanting to believe it didn’t happen, and that there was just something wrong with her, that could be fixed with more therapy. Something she
could
do something about.

“It’s okay, Fran … It’s okay,” she cooed, stroking Fran’s back slowly. Fran continued to sob quietly, and Saphora continued holding her, comforting her, as she wanted to be comforted.

             
“Saphora? What are you doing to – Ah!” Fran shouted coming into Saphora’s bedroom. Saphora was standing in the middle of the floor. Eyes white and glowing. Hair gently swaying about her head. There were several objects floating about in the room. A lamp, a pillow, the alarm clock, a shoe, a candle, and a pack of playing cards. Fran screamed and stumbled backwards, away from Saphora, tripping over her feet and falling to the floor. She immediately started backing away. The constant screaming broke Saphora’s concentration. The items fell around the room as her eyes returned to their normal colour. She blinked several times as her hair fell around her shoulders. Her breathing suddenly panicked as she looked around, her gaze finally finding Fran’s frightened one from below her. Saphora’s brows furrowed as she rushed to the shaken Fran, kneeling in front of her.

“Fran? What’s wrong? What-“

“What were you – you’re … there were things – floating … your eyes!” Fran sputtered as she looked at Saphora with wide eyes. Her hands tightly gripping the creases in her arms.

“Oh, no, I – I was just practicing, Fran. It’s okay, I’m okay!” Saphora explained
.

“P-Practicing?!”
Fran stuttered, trying to get her body to stop trembling. “Practicing what?” Saphora paused, thinking of a way to explain what exactly she was practicing. She didn’t exactly have a name for it.

“It’s … It’s just … What I did to stop you from falling down the stairs. It’s … somet
hing new I found out I can do.”

“New … but your eyes. They weren’t like that when I fell,” Fran breathed, looking forward at the various objects on the floor in Saphora’s room.
She was still struggling to comprehend what had just happen, and understand that there was no threat level.

“My eyes? What about my eyes?”

“They,” Fran swallowed. “They were glowing … They were white and … glowing.”

Saphora frowned, as her heart dove into her stomach. Her eyes? Had they really changed? She thought back to yesterday with Dr. Lupin. Had that been why he looked at her so strangely? Why he suddenly felt as if he could blackmail her with her own files? Fran had obviously not seen the shift in her eyes yesterday, if there had been any at all. She couldn’t be sure.
But if something like that had happened, she knew that it would end up in her files. And if it had …

She needed to get those files.

Chapter 8

              “Saphora?” Maverick called out as he approached her.

There was a light shush
from the cashier as Saphora picked her head up from the book she was looking at. She had been at the book store for about twenty minutes, just to get a feel for the place. And since she had been walking, instead of flying, she overestimated the time it would take for her to reach the store. So she had been walking around, skimming over a few books that caught her attention. She had stopped on a book on the supernatural. It made her laugh, the thought of her going to such an obviously obnoxious book for help. But for some reason, she couldn’t put it down. She was a little embarrassed when Maverick walked up, catching her with the book. She closed it, turning to face him and giving a tight-lipped grin.

“Hey, Maverick.”

Maverick smiled, like the gitty boy he was. He huffed, standing in front of her, doing everything he could to keep eye contact.

“How are you?
You haven’t been here long, have you?” he asked, glancing around the nearly empty shop. Saphora shook her head, holding the book to her chest and crossing her arms around it.

“No, no. I just started walking
a little too-“

“
Walking
? You
walked
here?” Maverick asked, dipping his head forward in shock. Saphora slowly shook her head, not expecting to be cut off. “Oh god. Why didn’t you let me pick you up? That must have taken ages.”

“No … I mean, not really. Like forty minutes, maybe. But
it’s okay, I’m – it’s something I’m doing for staying calm, like you said.”

“Oh …
good,” he said, smiling at the fact that she was taking his advice. “So how are you?”

“I’m … I’m alright. You?”

“You don’t sound too sure. Did something else-“

Saphora put her hand up. She sighed, looking back up at him with a sheepish smile.

“Can we … hold off on my life for a little while?” Saphora asked with some strain in her voice.

“Yeah … Sorry. Uh, what’s that you’ve got there?”

Saphora’s mouth fell agape as the embarrassment came back. She lowered the book, holding it against her thighs as she shook her head.

“Oh – just some book I was looking at. It’s … It’s silly, really.”

“What is it about?” Maverick asked, trying to get a good look at the cover.

“
It’s, err, supernatural stuff. I was just curious, that’s all.”

Maverick smiled, nodding.

“Are you into that kind of stuff? It’s okay if you are.” Saphora shook her head somewhat.

“Uh, just recently. I saw some show about it and just … thought of it when I saw this.” Maverick nodded.

“Do you believe in ghosts?”

“Ghosts? No … No
, not really.”

“Oh, I thought maybe you did, since you didn’t want to go to the abandoned ho
use. And now the book and all.”

“Why would a belief in ghosts keep me from going to the house?”

“Well, because it’s rumored that a ghost lives there. That’s all – not that you’d be afraid of ghosts or anything …”

“There’s a ghost in the house?” Saphora asked,
her attention captured. The first thing popping into her head being the voice that she had heard that night. Could the voice have been the ghost that he was talking about? Maybe the ghost had been following her around since that night.

“Well, it’s just a rumor,” Maverick nodded. “But if you see the inside of the house, it really looks like there could be.
There’s like - it’s like, destroyed in there.”

Saphora looked down at the book, turning it up so that the cover was visible. She ran her hand softly along the glitter-covered cover of the book, considering
the possibility of her theory.

“
What’s the rumor about?”

Maverick shrugged.

“Oh, I don’t know the whole thing. It started like fourteen years ago. Something like that. I was still in elementary school when I first heard it. There’s stories that a little girl was murdered there, and that her ghost still wanders around the house,” Maverick said, pausing. He chuckled. “Some people say there was a crash landing, and that the ghost is the ghost of an
alien
,” he laughed, shaking his head.

“Heh …
the things people come up with, right?” she said, averting her eyes.

“Yeah, but I don’t know. That house is pretty wrecked. I kind of believe the second one.”

Saphora’s grip on the book tightened, as she wondered just how many people believed that rumor. And if they did, if they had any idea of what actually happened that night. Another thought brushed by her – that maybe she was the ghost.

The alien.

“What do you think?”

“Oh, I don’t know … I can’t really say I believe either,” she said, glancing to the side.

She walked over to a nearby sofa that was placed in the store. There was a young woman sitting on reclining chair across from the sofa on her laptop. Saphora took the book with her as she sat down at the edge of the sofa, Maverick following closely behind. He plopped down next to her, sighing softly as he did.

“Ah, come on.
Which one do you think is more likely?” he asked, gesturing to nothing in particular. Saphora sighed, pretending to take the two options into consideration. She shrugged, shaking her head.

“I guess the alien,” she admitted reluctantly. Maverick nodded.

“Right? Cause I mean, if there was abuse going on in that house, I’m sure it would have been noticed before someone was
killed
.”

“Yeah.”

“So if you didn’t believe in ghosts, how come you didn’t want to go to the house?”

“Oh, it’s not that … I go there all the time. I was trying to avoid Fran. I knew she would be looking for me there.”

“All the time? Why do you go
there
so much?”

“
I … It helps me think, up there. It’s the last place I remember.”

“What do you mean?”

“My amnesia … That house is the last place I remember being in before Fran took me in,” Saphora explained.