Plagued: Book 1 (9 page)

At that point, Hugo St. James walked onto the patio carrying two large cloth bags. He smiled brilliantly at the crowd. “Am I late?”

Rickey rolled into her shins. “Go! Greet! He's here to see you, not me.”

“Rickey!”

He rammed her harder. “Go.”

Sky walked over and Hugo smiled broadly.

“This bag,” he held up the one in his right hand, “is for Rickey. The other is for his mother.”

“Come on.” She waved him to follow. “I'll introduce you to his parents, then you can give Rickey his present. Sara Anne, guard this for me from Rickey.” She stuffed the gift awkwardly into the girl's arms, adding, “You can whack Daphne with it if she refuses to give up the microphone.”

Sara Anne smiled wickedly.

“So, Viscount Junior, what did you get him?” she asked as Hugo trailed slightly behind.

He stopped and pulled her around to face him. “Did you just call me Viscount Junior? Honestly?”

“What, you don't think it suits you?”

He grinned widely. “You're cheeky, as we say at home. I thought you were all shy and quiet, not making eye contact there at the hospital. Obviously that was just camouflage. A trick to lure in the unwary and then
snap!
”

Sky felt the flush creeping back up her cheeks. “Actually, when I'm in uniform around civilians, I feel kind of weird. Like I'm playacting. When I'm in more relaxed surroundings, I'm a...”

“Smart ass?” he interjected.

She laughed. “I think you might be a little of that yourself. So, what did you get the Rickster?”

“It's a surprise.”

Sky tried to reach for the bag. He held it high, just out of reach. Hugo was a tall boy and Sky
not
a very tall girl. “Fine. Be that way. I'll see soon enough.”

The yard was draped with white fairy lights, just now beginning to shine as the evening closed in. They had a nice back yard. Big lawn and large covered patio, fruit trees by the fence.
Lots of people grew strawberries, cherries, apples, oranges and apricots for themselves or to sell at farmer's markets. Vegetables that could be planted and harvested on giant corporate farms by machines like potatoes, lettuce, cabbage, carrots and onions, were plentiful. Fruit, though, mostly had to be picked by hand and willing hands were still in short supply.

The Antonelli family took down the fence between theirs and the house next door and turned that yard into a vegetable garden. Victory Gardens everyone called them. The house had been abandoned for years so they applied and got a Land Rights license. The house and yard were now legally theirs as long as they paid the property taxes.

The Land Rights Act granted people the right to move into an abandoned property in designated areas provided they improved it. This was the government's way to bring people together and revitalize neighborhoods. Apartment buildings were too costly to maintain. Now, anyone could have a house.

“This is nice.” Hugo looked around curiously. “I haven't been invited to many people's homes since we moved here.”

“Really? But,” Sky broke off as she found Rickey's parents. Introductions were made and reciprocal exclamations of pleasure exchanged over baby gifts (Mrs. Antonelli) and the excellence of the decorations and perfection of the barbecue fire (Hugo). Good impressions were made all around.

They worked their way back to Rickey, who was impatiently rolling his chair back and forth, waiting for them to return before opening gifts.

“I was going to say,” Sky continued. “That Andrea and Thomas and the rest of the goose-stepping Hitler Youth from the senior class must invite you to stuff all the time.”

“Out. Not to their homes. I am a shiny new toy with a title to show off. A rare commodity in these times. That is very different from being asked to a Britney Spears birthday party with no ulterior motive but kindness.”

“Glad you recognize the difference British boy.”

“You know you can just call me Hugo.”

“What's the fun in that?” Sky's tone was light and flippant. Inside, her stomach was turning upside down. She liked Hugo, liked him in a way she hadn't really felt about a boy before. Not counting celebrity crushes. 

He handed the carry bag to Rickey, who looked at it skeptically. “Why is it inside out?”

“Take the gift out and turn the bag right-side in. It's part of your present as well.” He winked at Sky.

Doing as Hugo said, Rickey shouted in glee. The carry bag had the cover from Britney Spears 'Circus' album with the signature red and white ray pattern behind her in full color over both sides.

“No
effing
way! This is so cool. Can I open the other one?” He held up a little flat wrapped parcel that must be a CD.

Hugo nodded.

Inside that wrapping, Hugo explained, was a European edition of the Circus album with bonus tracks.

Watching the happiness on Rickey's face, she couldn't help standing up on tiptoe to Hugo and whispering, “Thank you. This is so great.” As she did, she caught the faintest trace of that elusive beguiling scent from the other day. He certainly didn't smell like blood now.

“You love him very much, don't you?”

“Like my brother. Or sister. Whichever he prefers.”

Without any warning, Hugo leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. Not a messy kiss, just light and friendly, as though they'd known each other forever and this was perfectly natural. Her eyes flew up to his.

“May I say, without being rude, Sky, that you smell lovely.”

“Do I?”

“Indeed.
Hmm,
” he inhaled deeply. “Like lavender under the warm Provence summer sun, just before the harvest. Is that your favorite perfume?”

“I'm not wearing any.”

'You know, you were supposed to contact me about the details of the party.”

Her hand flew to her mouth. “Oh crap. That's right.” She sighed. “Bad week. I mean, like, awful. Completely slipped my mind. How did you find out the date and time and everything?”

“Everyone's number and address is in the school directory. I called the Mathews twins and asked.”

“How very responsible of you.”

He nodded with fake solemnity. “I am made of responsibility. In fact, I attended the Responsibility Academy in London.”

“No you didn't.” She said, making a face back at him. “There's no such thing.”

“How do you know? Perhaps all titled aristocrats must attend such academies. The Royal Ascot Responsibility Academy.”

“You are so full of...”

“Sky!” Rickey was hugging the oversized pillow. “Mrs. Eloise, I love it!”

Aunt Eloise blew kisses. She was standing with a group of women clustered around Mrs. Antonelli.  She had an oversized margarita glass in one hand and several little pastel parasols stuck in her hair.

“It's super, right?” Sky beamed, feeling very pleased with herself.

“
Very super
.”

Still clutching the pillow, Rickey moved on to the next gift.

Hugo looked pointedly around Sky and down at her feet.“Where's your dog? I thought I saw some other dogs here. Didn't you bring him?”

She looked as well. Ghostly Alex was nowhere in sight. The wiener dog had followed them here and was trotting in circles around the barbecue. Sky was never sure what spirits saw of their world. Sausage, perhaps, crossed all ethereal barriers. At least for dogs.

“Sky?”

“Look over there.” She pointed towards the barbecue. “Can you see the dog by Rickey's dad?”

Hugo dutifully turned and looked. “I see a fat brown one that looks very much like the sausages Mr. Antonelli is browning. Is that the dog you mean?”

So it was true. He saw ghost dogs. “No, I didn't bring Alex. At least not at the moment. That's his name, Alex. My dog. Ex-dog. Hugo, I need to tell you something. My dog is dead. So is the little wiener dog over there. What you see are their ghosts. Alex follows me around. Not all the time. Only when things are tense or lonely. Then he shows up. It's strange that you saw him. The only other person I know who can channel animal ghosts is my aunt.”

Even in the fading daylight, she saw him lose all color in his cheeks. His eyes went very wide. Taking her hand, he pulled her with him to a less crowded part of the patio near the speakers just like Rickey had done. He placed his mouth near her ear so she could hear him speak. Again, just like Rickey.

'What is up with these boys today?
' she thought. Maybe it was all some elaborate practical joke.

“I thought he was alive. He looked so real. That's not the sort of mistake I should be making.”

“Why? Who cares if you see ghosts? I do. Just animals, like I said. My Aunt is a pet psychic, so I'm sort of okay with the spiritual realm intruding into ours.”

“Your aunt is ever so much more than that.”

That was a strange thing to say. “What do you mean? More than a psychic?”

He gave an impatient sigh. “God, me and my mouth. Look. My parents don't approve of ghostly mumbo-jumbo as they call it. All play acting and pretense.”

“You know that's not true.”

“Of course. However, my father is Viscount Saint James and a world renowned geneticist. He does not deal in spiritual speculation.”

“And your mom? What about her?”

He laughed in a way that was the opposite of amused. “Even worse. She's not really part of our lives right now. I do know if you can't see it, hunt it, or shoot it, it doesn't exist for her.”

“Wow. Must be tough. Do you see human ghosts as well? Or just animals?”

“Pets. Not all animals. And only rarely. No human phantoms so far.
Thank God.
”

He said the last words with real feeling and Sky nodded, “Right? I feel the same way. People ghosts are not something I feel ready to deal with.”

“If they even exist.”

She cocked her head and looked at him. “I am wearing my doubting face, Honorable Mr. Saint James or whatever your title is. You have no trouble believing that a cat or a dog can manifest. People are somehow different?”

“I don't know. Maybe. Hopefully. I am more of the opinion that what I see as dogs or cats are only residual energy signatures on a spectrum that somehow I can visualize. My brain takes the energy and in that rationalizing aspect brains do so very well, turns it into something recognizable. Like a dog or a cat or a raccoon.”

“A
raccoon?
”

He waved one hand in front of his eyes as though to wipe the image away. “It happened once. I don't wish to speak about it.”

“I bet not!” She laughed.

He looked insulted. “I assure you, it was not funny.”

“I'm sure you were traumatized.”

Daphne trotted over and tugged on Sky's sleeve.

“Come
on
. A bunch of us are going to do stuff from her debut album. Grab some things from the costume box. Oh, and bring the Prince.”

“I'm not a Prince,” Hugo said stiffly.

Daphne rolled her eyes. “Close enough. Come on!”

Chapter 10

Blood Work

Since she didn't have to go to Tactical this week, it gave Sky time to work on a project she was already way behind on for biology. The subject she and Caroline Alexander had been randomly assigned (and partnered) was the introduction of non-native species from a similar genus to an existing ecosystem. They'd decided to focus on the African antelope introduced locally after the plagues. 

Specifically, the Impala and Thompson Gazelles roaming the brown hills of the San Joaquin Valley and probably confusing the hell out of the local mule-eared deer. Everyone knew they were from the old San Francisco Zoo. When everything was going to hell during the worst of the plague, the surviving zookeepers freed all the herbivores and anything else that didn't pose a direct threat to humans. Even though at that point, humans looked to be on the way out, they decided to believe people would pull through. They put down the lions and other big cats as well as the bears. For which survivors like Sky were now profoundly grateful.

The result made for an interesting mix of fauna in the San Francisco Bay Area. A troop of howler monkeys now called Golden Gate Park home along with some of their smaller cousins and an assortment of parrots and cockatoos. No baboons or chimpanzees. They were considered too aggressive. The gorillas died out after a few years of freedom. Which was sad.

The antelope, Barbary sheep, zebras, wildebeest and American buffalo also slowly wandered towards the grasslands and hills farther south, drawn by some sort of migration instinct.

Sky's job was to go out and get pictures of the antelope in the nearby hills interacting with the local deer for the visual part of their project. Caroline declared it was impossible for her to tramp around the dry grass because of her allergies. As far as Sky could tell, Caroline was mostly allergic to anything that involved exertion.

The girl was in a different squad from Sky. There were four separate squads in her year at Redwood. She knew Caroline was exempt from Tactical HK's because stress brought on her asthma. Instead, she stayed at base learning the complex supply chain logistics for large and small Home Guard bases. Just as vital as going out and shooting things if you look at the big picture.

For today's photo safari, she borrowed the car from Eloise since her aunt didn't have to go to the Power Plant today. School got out at two, which meant there were still at least four hours of good shooting light left. A hiking trail around the outskirts of the University campus that wound through the grasslands and black oaks should bring her within camera range. She'd seen the impala, some zebras and even an eland or two near that area before. They used to bring Alex on this trail every weekend. He loved to run ahead of them, scouting the way.

“Hello.”

Sky jumped. Her mind had been on those days when Alex was more than a ghostly figment of her imagination. She didn't even notice Hugo walk over.

“Don't sneak up on people!”

He made his fingers into claws. “I cannot help myself. I am silent and stealthy as a big cat in the jungle.”

She pulled her brown fleece-lined hoodie out of the locker and tied it around her waist. The trail could get chilly in the late afternoon. She came to school dressed for the outing in a vintage long-sleeved gray Hollister shirt, jeans, her sturdy walking boots with two pairs of socks, and a muffler thrown in her backpack for good measure. Sky did not like to be cold.

“Is that what they taught you at the Responsibility Academy?” she asked.

He looked at her blankly for a moment before his face broke into a grin.“Right. The Responsibility Academy for Royals.”

“No,” she corrected him shaking her finger. “The Royal Ascot Responsibility Academy. It's
your
alma mater. Keep it straight.”

“Of course, of course. And yes. Sneaking silently was a required subject.”

“How does sneaking make you responsible?”

He rolled his eyes to the side as though thinking. “Let's see. Sneaking is invaluable.... in case you have to avoid someone in your social circle behaving badly. Yes, that's it. That way they won't know you've seen them and no one need be embarrassed. We British hate to be embarrassed.”

“Invaluable skill, I'm sure.”

“'Tis. We are all about not embarrassing our peers. It goes without saying; however, the lower classes are fair game. So. Miss Christensen. Why aren't you at Tactical? I saw the van drive away with Rickey and the others.”

“I got in trouble with my Squad Leader. Mandatory dressing down. Out all week as punishment.”

His phone buzzed and he shifted his book bag to pull it out of his back pocket. He was wearing the same jeans she'd seen him in at the hospital minus the blood stains, a gray T-shirt and navy hoodie with “Royal Navy' in faded letters across the front. They were good jeans, not too tight, not too baggy and he filled them out very nicely.

“Doesn't sound like punishment to me.” His eyes flicked rapidly over the screen, scrolling through  and tapping a reply. “Seems like you and your friends never have a minute of downtime.”

“So true. I have to run to keep up with myself. Every day is too tight. School, training, and then HK's until nine, four nights a week. Time off is nice. The downside is, I now have a demerit on my record.”

“Ten points from Gryffindor!”

She looked at him blankly.

“Harry Potter?” He prompted.

“Oh. Right. I've heard of it. The first movie is coming this Christmas.”

“Sorry, British exuberance.”

“And nuance.”

He gave her a crooked grin. “You're good, Skylar. You look rather quiet. Pretty, as well, I must add. All that brown hair and those gray eyes peeking out from under your bangs. Not that different from your intelligent, well-bred classmates. Inside that head, though. Watch out. You are going non-stop, aren't you? What are you going to do with this sudden freedom?”

Sky had stopped listening after he said she was pretty. That was never bad to hear. He was funny and quick and she liked people who could hold their own in a conversation. And he said she was pretty. She felt very much like a girl at that moment. Not a Redneck or a survivor or a Tactical trainee or any of the other labels she had sewn into her heart. Just a girl. 

“Earth to Sky, come in Sky.” He waved his hand in front of her eyes. “Oh, that's rather funny. Earth to sky. Ha, ha. I was inquiring what you planned to do.”

She jingled the car keys. “Going to the foothills to try and get some pictures of the wildlife for a biology project.”

“By yourself?” His expression changed from laughing to serious.

“Why not?”

“When we moved here, we were warned packs are occasionally seen in the hills or in abandoned parts of town.”

“Way ahead of you. I brought my gun. It's in the secure lockers. And the dogs aren't what you have to worry about, generally. ”

“I was referring to packs of Hemogoblins.”

“Not in the hills.” She considered her answer. “At least not on public land. Isolated houses and barns, yes. Those you have to watch out for. They need buildings for their weapons, to stash prisoners and sterile conditions for blood draining. Mountain lions are more of a danger where we're going. They're growing bolder and won't hesitate to attack an adult.”

“Truly is the wild west. May I ask. Do you always bring your gun to school?”

“Not in the school, dummy. Standard Op for Tactical and Home Guard, active or not, to have weapons at work, home, or school.”

“I think I should come with you.”

“Do you?” She met his eyes. He seemed very amused.

“Yes, for protection. In case something happens. You should never go hiking alone.”

Andrea strolled over. Sky saw her hovering at the end of the corridor after Hugo appeared. Andrea judged Sky had enough time chit-chatting with the Honorable Hugo because she put an arm possessively around his waist.

“We're off to the Coffee Roasting Company. There's a planning meeting for the Coronation Festival downtown. Thomas and I would really value your input about titles and protocol. Your dad is one of the guests of honor, after all. Come on, I'll give you a ride.”

Hugo looked from Andrea to her and back again. Politely extricating himself from her grip, he shifted position to stand beside Sky.

“Sorry, can't. I am going on safari with this young lady. She needs my protection.”

Sky snorted and Hugo nudged her in the ribs.

“Why don't you email me with the details and I will give you the lowdown on protocol later? Fair? Great.
Ta ta.
”

Closing the locker for her, Hugo pulled Sky towards the double doors and the parking lot. Leaving Andrea shooting daggers out of her eyes. At least that's what she would do if she were telekinetic and a super villain.

He waited outside the secure containment area as she picked up her Tactical gear.

“Sky and Hugo together in search of African big game. Lions?”

“Antelope.” She pulled him to Eloise's ancient green Honda CRV.

“Well, biggish game, then.”

“Backpacks in the back.”

Hugo unzipped his simple black book bag and pulled out a surprisingly large pair of binoculars.

“Buckle up. You carry binoculars to school?”

“Birdwatching. All us aristocrats are avid bird watchers. Never leave home without them.”

Sky pulled out of the parking lot and headed toward the road skirting the University that would take them into the nearby foothills.“What did you say? Aristo-crap?”

“You doubt me, cheeky American girl. To my face you disparage the ancient art of birdwatching.”

“What bird is that then.” She pointed to a black and gray bird circling overhead.

“Oh please. Too easy. Turkey buzzard. Why don't you ask me instead about the hooded sparrows or the red wing blackbird? The blue jays and mockingbirds, the zebra finches that have mysteriously appeared. Probably for the same reasons you now have impala cavorting in the clover. Actually there's really not much of a challenge around here in the Bay Area. Simple sort of avian life, rather like your American culture.”

Checking both ways, she turned onto Alpine Road. The traffic signal at the intersection didn't work anymore. She glared briefly at Hugo. “You did
not
just insult my culture.”

“Facts are not insults. Just a statement of truth.”

Sky took a deep breath ready to lash out in defense of hamburgers, cowboys and the Stars and Stripes only to see the laughter in his eyes. His dimples were getting deeper as he tried to keep his face serious.

“You're teasing.”

“Well, you make it so easy.”

Sky kept her eyes on the road. This boy was way too clever for his own, and probably her, good.