Earth/Sky (Earth/Sky Trilogy) (40 page)

BOOK: Earth/Sky (Earth/Sky Trilogy)

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No one ever could have spoken
crossly to a little Zakia, not with his smile and sweet disposition. “Thank you for coming to get me in Santa Cruz.”

“It had nothing to do with you.
It was just an excuse to fly with an angel,” Zakia teased. “An ancient, grumpy fallen angel with half a mind to drop me. And since they only have half a brain to start with . . .”

“Don’t start,” I said.

“But Taurin didn’t drop me, to his credit. Of course I came for you, Jessa. Once we realized that you had the keys, nothing could have stopped any of us. Even the Kreelings were excited, in their own subdued way. It’s so hard to catch Rippers and to have such a strong lead almost never presents itself. So in a way,” he paused thoughtfully, “in a way, you should be thankful that boy nailed you with strawberry yogurt in the hallway at Spooner High. It was the only reason you had the keys on your person.”

“I’ll
be sure to drop him a thank-you note,” I said.

Zakia laughed and removed a jewelry box from his pocket, which he pressed
at me. “Happy birthday, Jessa.”

“Zakia!”
I opened the lid to a sterling silver cuff bracelet with turquoise chunks along it. When I pulled it out, he took it away and slid it onto my wrist. I gasped, “This is beautiful. Wherever did you get it?”

“My family made jewelry long ago, back when I was human.
I’ve kept some of it all of these years and I thought you might like this piece. You do like it?” His eyes bore a hint of anxiety.

“I love it.
Thank you,” I said sincerely. “You can’t see into my soul like an angel, but it’s genuine.”

“I don’t need the cheat sheet.
I trust you.” Zakia inclined his head to the snack tables. “Some of those cookies are calling our names.”

We glutted ourselves thoroughly over cookies and punch.
Spying another fallen envelope that had landed under the table, I lifted it. My parents had sent a card from across the world. I set it back on the gift table, delighted that they won those tickets, and were off having this unexpected adventure and shaking up their humdrum lives. And I’d also gotten an adventure, even more unexpected since it was in Spooner. I had come here to spend time among strangers, and ended up spending time with a new family just waiting for my arrival.

Punch had spilled over my fingers and made them sticky.
I went inside to wash off and discovered the downstairs bathroom was locked. Finding the upstairs bathroom also locked, I went to the kitchen to use the sink in there. The counters were laden with trays, and the island had stacks of plates and forks for when the cake came out. Washing my hands in hot water and dish soap, I ripped off a paper towel and looked out the window. Zakia was still at the snacks, discussing the cookie selection with one of the young Cooper children who wasn’t tall enough to see over the edge of the table. He was holding onto a pink balloon animal. A little hand pushed up and Zakia placed a cookie in it.

Some of his good earth s
cent was coming from the bracelet, and now I could breathe it in all the time. The wide band covered my scar. That made me like this present even more, since I didn’t want to see the mark.

Adriel was out there as well, the
sun striking his hair at full force. It set his golden threads to a blaze. His wings were absent naturally, yet I saw them perfectly in my mind’s eye. I skimmed over the others around him, who had no idea they were in the presence of a fallen angel. The unearthly walked among them at this party, and I was one of the lucky few to know.

“Are you having a good time?” Kishi asked, coming into the kitchen with a tray to drop off.

“I am having a marvelous time,” I said.

“Then get out there and have some more of it!” She set down the tray with a thunk.
“At least get out of here, you aren’t supposed to see the cake.” Servers flooded into the kitchen.

I went to the door and paused there as wind gusted through
the party. The pink balloon animal sailed by and caught on one of the lower branches of a tree. The little boy with the cookie wailed to lose it. Zakia rushed over to the tree to lift it down, but Adriel was closer. He plucked the animal from the leaves and extended it to the child, who took it and ran away. The boys eyed each other warily, neither wanting to move away and cede the ground, nor be civil and hang out either. Quietly, I sighed to see it.

Yo
u never knew what tomorrow held. It might look like just the same old places and the same old routine, the same old faces all around you. Even the changes were just more of the same changes: new classes yet they were still classes, unfamiliar but still familiar, new people yet none of them special. It was so easy to think that this was always how it was going to be, and to feel bored with it. But sometimes that familiar, regular old
tomorrow
held magic inside. When you least expected it, everything changed.

Adriel and Zakia turned at the exact same moment to look over at the house.
Both smiled to see me in the frame of the doorway. My breath caught at the sight. In that moment, I didn’t know which one to join. I searched inwardly for my gut reaction. The only guidance I found was a desire to enjoy this celebration with both of them.

I walked
over to the tree and said, “You two are going to give me a present for my eighteenth birthday.”

“Didn’t I do that already?” Zakia asked.

“Anything,” Adriel promised.

A bell rang and a woman called, “Bring the birthday girl
over to the snack tables!” Children cried out about the cake and ran pell-mell through the tables to get a closer look.

I took Adriel’s arm and looked pointedly to Zakia’s.
He crooked his arm and I took that one, too. “This,” I said. “You two are required to get along for my party. That’s what I want more than anything. Adriel?”

“I’ll pretend he has a soul,” Adriel said.

“Zakia?” I prompted.

“I’ll pretend he has a brain,” Zakia said.

I smiled. “That’s a start.” They turned me to the snack tables where a glorious cake was being set down, and we went
to it together.

####

Author’s Note

Earth/Sky was written as a companion piece to the Rune series, although one does not need to have read the Rune series to partake in the dubious delights of Earth/Sky. Should anyone have genuinely enjoyed the somewhat silly Earth/Sky and wish to know what happens to Jessa, Adriel, and Zakia, please leave a review letting Hunter know you demand its sequel Above/Below.

About the Author

Macaulay C. Hunter was born in the Midwestern United States but grew up in southern California. Earning a degree in Classical Languages and Literature, Hunter has worked in education and agriculture in addition to freelance writing. Hunter currently resides in northern California.

Other titles by Macaulay C. Hunter

The Rune Series:

Runefool

Runefly

Runegame

Runemaster (November 2013)

Runeslade (April 2014)

The Sigils