Over the Moon (32 page)

"You nailed it! I wanted to be the `good guy' for once and save
the beautiful earth girl. Can you blame me?" James held his hands
up and tried to look innocent, like that was possible.

Andrew frowned at him and rolled his eyes. "Then you came up
with plan B, which was to use your special talents to convince Tiana
that I should be with Sonya so she'd `do the right thing' and dump
me, leaving a door open for you to enter her life. That was after you
kept insinuating that it was wrong for me to get involved with an
Earth girl and that I should leave her alone for her own good."

"Are you serious? Is this what `manipulators' can do? I had no
idea they could exert such control over other people's minds? How is
that possible? Did they really have this all planned?" I gasped. I was
finally starting to understand how deadly James and Sonya could be.
Their superpower was super alarming.

"They are good at what they do, but you wouldn't have been as
susceptible to their influence if the Hellites' despair needle hadn't
broken off in your brainstem." Andrew's face now wore the mask of
an avenging angel, and on him, it looked really, really good.

James started talking then. He didn't deny the truth that
Andrew had related. "Okay, you busted me. You have to understand
that Sonya's been impossible to live with since you hurt her pride,
so I agreed to help her get you back. I thought we had planted all
the right ideas in your heads. I tried to influence Tiana on the bus
in Zion, and she totally pushed me out. Sonya couldn't get into your
minds there either. You saw how frustrated she got. Imagine seeing
her act like that every day. When the Hellites escaped, we made
this great plan. Sonya wanted you back so badly that she willingly
camped out in that old building. The searchers had already been through there. She made me come and take her out to J.B.'s for
breakfast. Of course she wore a disguise, a wig, and sunglasses. She
went to the ladies room, and the Hellites grabbed her. They took
her to an abandoned house in LaVerkin, but she used her talent and
talked them into letting her go. My sister is diabolical when it comes
to getting what she wants."

"You're both self-centered egotists without an ethical bone in
either of your bodies. You will do anything to get what you think you
deserve. You have extreme entitlement issues. You really thought I
would believe that I should do the `noble' thing and leave Tiana. You
just kept harping on how wrong it was for me to love her, and all the
time you were plotting to take her away from me."

"I really thought I could use that `tragic flaw' of yours. You've
always been the noble, unselfish, altruistically annoying hero. I was
sure I could convince you to leave Tiana for her own good especially after she was tortured, but I failed miserably." James turned
to address me. "Then I had to let my sister do her voodoo on you,
and she finally got through, but only when you were at your weakest, like the middle of the night and while you were still suffering
from the broken despair needle. Sonya is brilliantly insidious. She's
good at using such things to her advantage." He shook his head
and looked at Andrew again. "I tried again to get into Tiana's brain
before you got here, and I got nowhere. I don't see how you are both
nearly immune to my influence. I can't understand it. I've never felt
so inept." James shrugged and got up to leave. He seemed oblivious
to the danger I read in Andrew's expression.

"I considered you my friend. How could I have been so wrong?
You are as despicable and revolting as your sister!" Andrew glared
at him. "I have lots of flaws, but `stupid' isn't one of them. I know I
was led to Tiana, and I have faith that we can bring our two worlds
together. You've never loved anyone except yourself, so you can't
understand the bond that Tiana and I share."

James ignored Andrew's words and spoke to me again, "If he
mistreats you at all in the future, call me anytime. Night or day, I'll
be here for you, Tiana." He handed me his card. Andrew took it, ripped it in two, and shoved it in James's shirt pocket. I was happy it
was just the card he tore up and not James. As much as he deserved
it, I didn't want his blood spilled in my house. I didn't want any part
of him in my house.

"Bye, Tiana. I will see you again soon. Andrew, you can't blame
me for trying. She is definitely the most beautiful Earth girl I've ever
seen. Why should you always be the lucky one? I want my turn. This
isn't over."

"Yes, it is! Go home, James!" Andrew spoke with unmistakable
and deadly authority. "Don't come back ever! You are not welcome
here."

"I'll be watching you, Tiana. I'm not giving up. I killed the giant
Hellite just for you. You owe me. I'm the one who is supposed to get
the girl. Andrew doesn't even know what to do with you. You need a
man who knows how to please you," he said, flashing us his brilliant
smile and opening the door. He turned back toward us and said,
"When you want to party, you know who to call."

That's when Andrew's right fist connected with James Parker's
jaw, knocking him through the open door and off the front porch.
The sound of it was thunderous. He scrambled to his feet, and I
thought he was going to return a punch to Andrew, but he must
have thought better of it. Instead he laughed loudly and said these
final words while rubbing his chin, "I guess you aren't as predictable as I thought. Andrew Martin is human. Who knew? Nice right
hook! I didn't even see that one coming. You really are in love with
her, aren't you?" James chuckled to himself and walked off toward
his black Corvette still grinning.

"She doesn't owe you a thing, James. You will stay away from her,
or you'll really wish you had!" Andrew called after him. He slammed
the door with such force I feared the walls might fall down.

After James left, Andrew and I sat on the couch for several minutes
without speaking. I was thinking about how tremendously relieved
I was and how extraordinarily elated I felt. I was especially happy
I hadn't had to die today. He pulled me closer, wrapping his arms
around my waist and resting his chin on the top of my head.

"Was he thinking what I think he was thinking?" I finally broke
the silence.

"Yes, he was, and a lot more," Andrew said.

"Doesn't he share your cultural convictions?"

"No, he's adopted the prevailing moral attitude of this world. He
uses women and thinks he's doing them a huge favor. I told you he
thinks he's superior to all Earth people."

"I thought you were going to take his head off," I said.

"I really wanted to do just that. Now you know I'm not perfect,
love." He smiled.

"Is he going to come back at you for decking him?"

"He might, but don't worry about it. We've been fighting since
we were kids. He's always been envious of me. I'm not exactly sure
why. In the past, a lot of the girls he went after liked me, but I never
pursued any of them. Now he seems to have a full-blown case of
jealousy. He thinks he can take you away from me. It's like a game to
him, a gamble, or a calculated competition."

"That will never happen! I guess he's not your friend."

"No, he definitely isn't. I don't think he ever was." His smile
turned into a frown, and he sounded disillusioned.

"I can't believe he and Sonya thought they could manipulate us
like that." I was still contemplating what considerable harm these
two were capable of doing.

"My inner voice told me they were up to something sinister.
After I left you last night, we all met up to debrief. I broke my cardinal rule and snuck into their thoughts when they didn't have their
defenses up. I generally avoid their heads. It's ugly in there."

"You have an inner voice too? I thought I was the only one with
a voice in my head, except for the crazy schizophrenics, of course."

"I think everyone has one until he or she stops listening to it.
Then it goes away. It's our connection to the creator. Some call it a
conscience. Others call it inspiration. It is God's guiding spirit. As
we listen and follow that divine guidance, it becomes stronger. If we
ignore it, we lose that much-needed help from our creator."

"I'm relieved that you listened to the voice in your head. Mine
has never been wrong, and it makes me feel a whole lot better knowing you have one too."

"I know you weren't in your right mind, but I still don't see how
you could believe for even a minute that I would be better off with
Sonya or that I would ever want to leave you. How could you really
believe that she was telling you the truth?"

"Besides the influence of the despair needle, I think I was quick
to believe her because my greatest fear has always been that you
didn't feel the same way about me as I feel about you. I still find it
hard to believe that you really love me," I admitted.

"Why? How can I convince you?" He ran his nose along my
chin and kissed my neck. He left a trail of kisses from there back up
to my lips, sending shivers of pleasure down my spine. He was giving
me some very valid reasons to believe.

"Just be here," I said.

"I promise I will always be here for you." He enveloped me in his
arms and thrilled me with a very long and passionate kiss. I felt his
heart race, matching the speed of mine. "Promise me that you will
always believe in me," he whispered, brushing my ear with his lips.

"I promise," I whispered back. I knew I could keep this vow.

"While we're making promises, I need you to promise me that
you won't ever go out hunting down evil aliens again. Leave those
demons to me. They're mine, and I know how to take care of them.
You need to have faith in my ability to keep this planet safe."

"I don't know if I can promise to do that. What if you get captured and there's no one else available who can save you? Do you
expect me to just stay at home and paint my toenails while some
crazy extraterrestrials are torturing you? I know what these inhuman
space monsters can do. I'm stronger than you think I am."

"Tiana, that's not going to happen. Now promise me you won't
try to do my job?"

"Okay, I promise, as long as the aforementioned scenario doesn't
happen, I won't go chasing after bad spacemen."

He stayed all afternoon and helped me with my homework.
He even stayed for dinner, letting my parents further interrogate
him about his post high school plans. Later, we went for a walk
on the golf course. The agent from the Zariba was practicing his
putting on the ninth hole again. He stopped when we approached
and greeted us.

"Tiana, this is Bob Zimmerman." Andrew introduced us. "He
is our Zariba representative for the southwestern United States. He's also your new neighbor. He and his family moved in a few
weeks ago."

"Hello, Neighbor. We meet again," I said. "What was that warning all about?"

"Andrew was dragging his feet. I just wanted him to tell you who
he was. He was so afraid of scaring you off. I knew you wouldn't bolt.
Sometimes he doubts himself. I know that is hard to believe. He just
needed a friendly nudge in the right direction," Bob explained.

"Thanks, Bob," Andrew said with sarcasm. "I was waiting for
the right moment."

"There is no right moment to tell someone you're from another
planet! You just have to find some courage, close your eyes, and take
that leap into the great unknown." Bob laughed.

"Thanks, Bob," I said with sincerity. "Welcome to the
neighborhood."

That night, Andrew stayed with me a little later than was our
usual routine. I thought I was suffering a little posttraumatic stress.
Between the Hellites' emotional torture and Sonya's attempts at
controlling my mind so she could have Andrew, I felt like I'd been
hit by a semi, dragged by wild horses, and then run over by a train
twice. We sat on the patio furniture in my backyard under the stars.
I was reminded of a starry night not so long ago when I sat here begging the universe to let me die or be abducted by aliens before I had
to start my dreaded new life here in Hurricane. Now I thanked God
that he had brought me to this beautiful place to meet my physic
soul mate. I had found out that aliens really do exist and God definitely does move in marvelously mysterious ways to do wondrous
things if we listen to his promptings and let him into our lives.

"What superpowers does Bob have?" I asked Andrew.

"I'm not authorized to tell you his secrets. Let's just say, he's a
very magic man. He can make you forget things, and he doesn't need
vehicles for transportation. I can't tell you any more than that unless
something makes it imperative for you to have that information."

"I get it. It's on a need-to-know basis." I guessed I didn't need to
know, but I was certainly curious.

"Bob was waiting outside the spaceship garage in case we needed
any extra help with the Hellites. He was our backup plan. Nobody
wins a fight with the Zariba. They are undefeatable and indestructible. Luckily, they're the good guys. They've been protecting Earth
from space invaders for hundreds of years."