Out Of This World (14 page)

“You may stop the communication device now,” Celeste informed.

Sydney punched the end button and I relaxed a bit. The mind control appeared to work. Celeste swayed a bit and I jumped to her side to lead her back to the hammock. She had that pasty white complexion again and I worried that all the gains she’d made in the sun were once again depleted.

Greg seemed to be in a kind of trance like state and I hoped he would stay that way until we had a bona fide plan for keeping Celeste safe.

“Why don’t you rest for a little while longer while Sydney and I figure out what to do with Greg.”

It was still relatively early in the day, with plenty of sunshine left for Celeste to be able to recharge. I worried that every time she appeared to perk up a bit, we had another task for her that depleted her energies. I didn’t think Earth’s sun was as effective as the three suns on her planet and we were definitely taxing her body.

I glanced back at Greg while Sydney and I started walking back into the cabin. I wanted to make sure he was still out of it and wouldn’t be causing us any problems. Sydney followed my eyes and nodded, appearing to agree with my assessment that we could leave him on the grass. I wasn’t too keen on trying to drag him back into the cabin with us.

†

My stomach growled loudly and I realized that I hadn’t eaten since the night before with all the drama of the morning. I also hadn’t taken a shower, brushed my teeth, or washed my hair yet. Ew, gross. I probably looked a lot like Bozo the Clown with my hair sticking out every which way.

Sydney grinned at me. “I hear your tummy talking. You haven’t eaten anything today, have you?”

I shook my head. “No, been kind of busy, you know. Celeste hasn’t either, but I think rest in the sun might be more important than food right now.” I wondered how I would slip away for some personal grooming without appearing rude. I quickly smoothed my hair down in an attempt to look somewhat presentable in front of Sydney.

“Well, I’m not a fabulous cook like you, but I think I can handle a couple of turkey sandwiches with a side of Tim’s Cascade chips.”

“Um, Sydney, do you mind if I at least use your bathroom to brush my teeth?” I ran my tongue across my pearly whites. “They feel pretty grungy right now. I hate to leave all the work for you, but can you make one for Celeste and we can give it to her when she’s done resting?”

“Of course.” She waved her hand at me like it was no big deal.

While Sydney started making the sandwiches, I ran to the bathroom and quickly brushed my teeth. I didn’t have time to do a thorough job like I normally would. Usually, I made sure I brushed for at least two minutes because that’s what my dental hygienist always recommended. I didn’t want to impose on Sydney’s hospitality too much, so I just settled for having minty fresh breath after a cursory brush. I took one look at myself in the mirror and cringed. I found a brush in one of the drawers and tried to tame my bedhead. I didn’t even bother to change my blood-soaked shirt because I didn’t want to leave Sydney all alone in the kitchen.

I walked back into the kitchen and watched Sydney lay out the lunchmeat, mayonnaise, mustard, and tomato on the counter.

“Anything I can do to help?” I asked.

She shook her head and grabbed a loaf of whole wheat bread from her small pantry. She turned around and gave me a strange look like she had a question on the tip of her tongue, but didn’t quite know how to ask.

“Go ahead, I know you’re just dying to ask me something.” I grabbed a knife and started to slice the tomato.

“I know it’s not really my business, but do you see any kind of future with Celeste? I mean, she’s not from our world and eventually she’ll leave.”

I know Sydney didn’t point this out to me to be cruel, it was a fact I hadn’t exactly absorbed. I frowned and felt like the elevator just dropped from a high rise. The knot in the pit of my stomach was probably as big as my fist. I knew at that moment that when Celeste left she would leave a huge hole in my heart. All the joy I’d been feeling over the last couple of days had an expiration date. I slumped on the stool in the kitchen. The balloon of happiness just whooshed right out.

“I haven’t exactly been thinking too much about that. I was trying to live in the moment I guess. I’ll take whatever time I can get. It’s not like I’ll ever have an opportunity for this kind of happiness again in my lifetime.”

“What do you mean, you won’t have an opportunity for this kind of happiness again?”

“Oh, you know, someone who thinks I’m beautiful and wants to, uh, you know…”

Sydney’s face scrunched up. “Are you crazy or something? Women would have been lining up in droves if they’d only known that you played for our team.”

I waved her away. “Thanks, Sydney. You are a true friend and I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but I know what I am and what I’m not.”

“You really don’t know, do you? God, Mabs, I’ve had the biggest crush on you since the first day I ever laid eyes on you. Why in the world do you think I got in all those fights? Hollie’s always known that. That’s the biggest reason why she hates you so much. She never lets me forget it either. Now that she knows you’re a lesbian she’s doubly dangerous. Before, she would just remind me how straight you were, but I guess I always sensed that you were gay and just not ready to come out to the world yet. I never knew how much she actually picked on you or I would have put a stop to it. She’s convinced that you are the reason we broke up this time. I’ll admit it was a factor, but this has been coming for a very long time.”

I imagined that a hundred flies would make the inside of my mouth their permanent residence as it hung open in shock.

Sydney gently took her index finger and placed it under my chin to close my mouth. The corners of her lips turned up and formed the sexiest smile I’d ever seen.

“Wha…what?” I stuttered.

Sydney didn’t even bother to respond she just took a step closer to me and brushed her fingers against my cheek as she leaned in. I was about to be kissed by Sydney O’Donnell and I swear at that moment fireworks were going off in my head and she hadn’t even pressed her lips to mine yet. I was glad I’d brushed earlier because I couldn’t imagine kissing Sydney with morning breath and I was really dying to kiss her.

Am I a slut for wanting this to happen? Maybe I’m a home wrecker too, because everyone was going to blame me for breaking up Cle Elum’s golden couple. What about Celeste? Was I cheating on her? I didn’t get a chance to fixate on my thoughts because Sydney’s lips pressed against mine and a party exploded in my nether regions.

I opened my mouth a little and her tongue explored my lips and darted inside. Our tongues danced the tango—sensuous and exciting—as she deepened the kiss. I was lost in a world of ecstasy as we continued to explore one another for what seemed like forever, but was probably less than a minute.

I was panting as she broke away from me. She looked into my eyes and I was sure I saw desire and maybe even something deeper.

“Amazing. I knew it would feel like that. I just had to do it, Mabs. I never thought I’d ever get the chance. It was worth the risk of you slapping me silly.”

I sighed. Could I confess to her how I was desperately in love with her and always had been? She’d only told me she had a crush. That was about ten levels below love. “I would never slap you, Syd. I…I…”

“You called me Syd.” She raised her eyebrow. “Is that all I had to do was kiss you to get you to finally call me Syd?”

I was still stunned from the kiss. “I called you Syd?”

“You sure did.” She looked directly into my eyes. “Just tell me I have a chance and I’ll be the happiest woman on this planet. I know you care for Celeste and I’m happy to wait until you work that out, but I’ve been waiting for this moment for a very long time.”

I gulped. Celeste. God, suddenly everything was confusing and complicated, but I wanted Sydney like I’d never wanted anyone. Maybe I was just a rebound girl for Sydney. I’d seen with my own two eyes how upset Sydney got over her break-up with Hollie. Even though they were on-again off-again, they still had a lot of history between the two of them and Sydney always went back to Hollie. No one spends ten years with someone they don’t love. I didn’t want to be the rebound relationship, and then there was Celeste to think about. I started to answer her. “Uh, Sydney…”

She placed her finger over my lips. “I don’t need an answer right now. You take whatever time you need to work things out in your head. I’ll be waiting. I promise.”

She turned and pulled a knife from the drawer and began making our sandwiches. When she pointed to the mustard, I shook my head. The light switch suddenly flipped off and the conversation was over.

“Is mayonnaise and tomato okay?” she asked.

I nodded.

“That’s the way I like it, too. That’s at least one thing we have in common.” She grinned.

Two beautiful women wanted to be intimate with me. I had a lot to think about, and at least I wouldn’t die a virgin.

I figured I better start a different conversation—a safer one—like what in the heck we were going to do about Greg. We would have to ask Celeste if her mind manipulation was permanent or only lasted while connected to him. He still seemed in a trancelike state, but maybe this was another alien trick that would allow her to recharge and get some much-needed rest. I wanted to get Sydney’s opinion on this.

“So, what do you think we ought to do about Greg?”

Sydney gave the question some thought. “Hmmm, good question. Do you think that if we dumped him in his car and Celeste put the whammy on him again, he would start driving to Alaska to track her down?”

“Maybe. We better ask Celeste how long her mind trick works. At least we’re safe for now.”

Sydney looked pensive. She grabbed a plate from one of her cabinets, placed the newly made sandwich on top, yanked a paper towel from the dispenser, and handed me my lunch.

I nodded in thanks, took a big bite, and grunted my pleasure.

“I’m kind of worried. Hollie was really pissed when I stalked off after learning about her deception. I know she had to go back to work, so she wasn’t about to follow me to my Jeep, but if Greg told her where the cabin is located, I’d bet my last dollar she’ll show up after work tonight.”

“That leaves us about five more hours to figure this mess out,” I remarked through a mouth full of food from my second bite. It tasted really good and I was hungry.

Sydney seemed to ignore my bad manners. “Uh, Mabs, Celeste hasn’t been looking so good lately. I think we have to get her somewhere that will allow her to fully charge her energy without having to use it for any reason. Don’t get me wrong, I will be eternally grateful to her for saving your life, but it certainly took its toll on her.”

“I know, I know. Were you serious about taking us somewhere remote to camp?” I asked.

“Hell yeah. First, I love camping, and second, I know where to go where no one would ever find us. At least it will give us a little breathing room to figure out what to do next. I’ve got enough supplies to last at least two weeks if necessary. You know, they’ve come a long way with freeze dried meals.”

I was not looking forward to this camping adventure, but I didn’t think we had a choice. “I can’t wait,” I deadpanned.

Sydney chuckled. “Hey, your boss gave you two weeks off, right?”

“Yeah.” I hesitantly answered. I wasn’t sure I could make it in the woods for two whole weeks.

“I’ll just get someone to cover my shifts and we’ll have two weeks to figure things out.” She sounded way too excited about this.

“Um, I’m not going anywhere I can’t take a shower. One night without a shower is one thing, but two weeks…” I knew I was being a princess and yet I couldn’t help myself.

Sydney finished making the other two sandwiches and turned around to grab a bag of chips from her pantry. She ripped open the bag and laid them on the counter equidistance from both of us. “Mabs, there are guys with guns chasing down Celeste. I don’t think we are going to solve this in one day. I’ll bring my solar shower. You’ll be fine. I’ve got the perfect baseball cap for you. You’ll look adorable in it.”

The guys with guns comment sobered me enough to realize she was right.

“Okay, but you better have a warm sleeping bag and a heavily padded air mattress for me to sleep on. Oh, and if I’m going to have to eat freeze dried slop out of a foil bag, I want to grill that salmon over an open fire that you’re gonna build for our first night. So, you better have a huge ice chest for that and any other food I can manage to scrounge up. Besides, you don’t want to leave that fish in your frig for two weeks. You’ll never get the smell out.” I grabbed a few chips and stuffed them into my mouth.

Sydney saluted me. “Yes, ma’am.”

“I want fresh water to brush my teeth with too.”

“Speaking of water, I forgot to offer you something to drink. As you can tell, I’m a pretty casual host. You don’t have to worry. I’ll bring plenty of fresh water for coffee, tea, and our instafood. I even have a French press specially designed for camping. I’ve got everything you need for our glamping trip.”

“Glamping?” I inquired.

“Yep, glamorous camping is called glamping. Prisses like you don’t camp, they glamp.” She opened the fridge and pointed to the water, juice, and diet Dr. Pepper she had stored inside.