Beneath the Fallen City by Jamie A. Waters (chapter books to read to 5 year olds .TXT) 📖

Once he was gone, Kayla poked her head out of her private quarters. Most of the other privacy dividers were still enabled, indicating people were still sleeping. She pulled out some clean clothes and headed to the lavatory.

She was feeling much better. The soreness from her injuries was barely noticeable. After checking in the mirror, she decided the bruises had pretty much completely disappeared. She went through her morning ritual unhurried before wandering out to the common room. Xantham and Lisia sat at the table eating breakfast and chatting.

“Good morning,” Kayla called out as she walked over to the food preparation area.

Xantham grinned at her. “It’s always a good morning when you’re around. Want to join us?”

She returned his smile. “Yeah, one sec.” She programmed the computer to heat her food before bringing it over to the table.

Xantham patted the chair next to him and she slid into it. Lisia gave her an annoyed look before going back to her meal. Kayla was determined to not let Lisia’s attitude get to her. “How are you, Lisia?”

The blonde stiffened slightly but replied, “I’m fine.”

“Glad to hear it.” Kayla took a bite of the rehydrated prepared food and considered Lisia. The girl stared down at her plate with a dour expression and picked at her food. Her curls were pulled back in a high ponytail away from her heart-shaped face. Her skin was fair, and her eyes were a pale-blue Kayla thought was rather nice.

Aware Kayla was watching her, Lisia looked up and snapped, “Don’t you have anything better to do than to stare at me?”

Kayla raised her eyebrows in surprise. “No harm meant. I was just thinking that you have pretty eyes.”

Lisia’s eyes narrowed as she glared at Kayla.

So much for playing nice. Kayla leaned back, considering her options. If she were back in Leo’s camp, she’d have already smacked Lisia down. Since she suspected that wouldn’t go over well, she’d have to call her on her bullshit instead. “You know, I think this is the first time I’ve sat in the same room with you for more than five minutes. I’m just wondering how long it’ll take before you stop looking at me like you wish I’d go ruin diving without a cable.”

Lisia pursed her lips. “We should both be so lucky. Obviously, Carl’s personal ministrations last night have you feeling much better.”

Xantham’s eyes widened. “Oh man, if you two are going to start a catfight, let me know. I’ve gotta get a video of this.”

Kayla took another bite of her breakfast and shrugged. Inwardly, she agreed. It was hard not to feel much better, thanks to Carl’s “personal ministrations,” but she wasn’t inclined to discuss that with Lisia, although the look on her face might be worth it.

“If Lisia needs a catfight to get this out of her system, I’m down. But she doesn’t strike me as the type.”

Lisia gave her a look of disgust and stood, dumping her plate into the recycler. “I don’t know what Carl sees in you. You walk in here and act like you own the place and everyone starts swooning over you. You’re unreservedly pathetic, crude, and even Carl thinks you’re reckless and irresponsible.”

Kayla stood up and leaned over the table. “Watch it, Lisia. Right now, I can empathize with what you’re going through, but if you keep walking down this line, you’ll find out how much of a bitch I can be.”

“I think I’ve already figured that out,” Lisia replied and strode out of the room.

“Damn,” Kayla muttered and sat back down, poking at her breakfast.

Xantham gave her a sympathetic look. “It’s okay. She’ll eventually get over it.”

Kayla shook her head. “No, not that. That was a damn classy exit. I hate not getting the last word.”

Xantham roared with laughter. Kayla grinned at him and took another bite.

“Did I miss something?” Kayla turned to see Cruncher standing in the doorway watching them.

“Nah,” Kayla said dismissively.

Cruncher shrugged. “Kayla, if you’ve got a minute, Carl’s meeting with two representatives from OmniLab. Couple of strange characters, if you ask me. They want to meet you though. Carl thought you might be interested in joining him now since they’re going to start negotiating on the items you scavenged.”

“Fun stuff. I’ll be there in a minute.”

“Thanks. Come on into Carl’s office when you’re done.”

Xantham let out a low whistle. “Omnis are here? This is turning out to be one strange week. I’ve gotta go outside and check out their bikes.”

He jumped up and practically ran toward the entrance. Kayla couldn’t blame him. If she thought she could get away with blowing off the Omnis, she’d do it. With a sigh, she dumped her plate and headed to Carl’s office. The door slid open when she pressed the button on the wall.

Carl looked up and smiled at her in greeting as she entered. “Thanks for coming. I’d like you to meet Director Borshin and Master Tal’Vayr from the OmniLab Towers. Gentlemen, this is our newest recruit.”

Director Borshin was an older man, shaped a little like a barrel. He was completely bald with a smooth, polished dome and gray eyes that regarded her with polite interest. He was dressed in UV-protective gear that looked similar to the equipment Carl had acquired from OmniLab. The Director could possibly pass as a trader or as someone on a trader’s crew, but the other man was a different story.

Master Tal’Vayr appeared to be a few years older than Kayla, but he had a commanding presence. He was tall, with fair skin and blue eyes. His golden hair fell neatly to his shoulders. He wore a long, white tunic over a pair of white pants and several pieces of gold jewelry. Kayla thought he was a little too polished for her tastes, but she couldn’t deny he was an extremely attractive man.

He sat in a chair next to the Director, and two of his fingers tapped against the Director’s wrist. He watched Kayla with mild curiosity as she stepped into the room.

For some reason she couldn’t name, Kayla felt uncomfortable. Few things bothered her, but her senses went on alert the minute she stepped through the doorway and Master Tal’Vayr’s eyes met hers.

“A pleasure to meet you,” the Director offered. He turned to Carl and joked, “I wasn’t aware scavengers were so lovely. Perhaps I should consider replacing Ramiro personally.”

“Nice to meet you both,” Kayla said, and the Director smiled at her. Master Tal’Vayr gave her a polite nod but kept silent and continued to study her.

Carl cleared his throat and pulled out the lockbox from under his desk. “We’ve already negotiated on some other pieces we’ve obtained,” he explained to Kayla. Turning to the other men, he added, “These other items were found by Kayla in the past few days.”

He pulled out the jewelry and carving she’d collected and spread them on the desk. He then reached into a bag and brought out the two toys and jewelry box. Kayla leaned against the wall to watch. Carl had promised her a percentage of whatever she scavenged, and she was curious to find out what kind of money they were talking about.

Director Borshin leaned forward and began to sort through the items. “These pieces are very well preserved.”

“Open at ten thousand. No more than twenty thousand credits total for the jewelry and the box.”

Kayla started at the sound of the voice in her head. She was sure she’d heard someone, but it didn’t appear as though anyone had spoken. Her eyes were drawn to Master Tal’Vayr’s fingers still resting on the Director’s wrist. Something about it set off her internal creep-factor alarm.

The Director cleared his throat. “I’m prepared to offer ten thousand credits for the jewelry and the box.”

Carl frowned. “These pieces are in excellent condition. I’d say they are definitely closer to being worth fifteen thousand.”

“Very well. We have an agreement at fifteen thousand.”

Kayla’s jaw dropped at the Director’s formal announcement. She had no idea the profit that traders made from their excavations was so high. She wondered how much Warig had gotten from the Aurelia Data Cube.

“Open at eight thousand. The limit is fifteen thousand for the toys. The doll is unusual.”

Goose bumps broke out on her arms at the sound of the mental voice. Kayla struggled to maintain her composure, but she was freaking out inside. Her eyes were drawn to Master Tal’Vayr’s fingers again as they rested on the Director’s arm. Was there some strange Omni ability that allowed them to communicate through thought? If so, why was she able to hear it and Carl couldn’t?

“I’m prepared to offer eight thousand credits for the doll and the music machine.”

Kayla’s gaze darted to Carl as he considered the offer on the table. It might be foolish, but she couldn’t let him agree. Not when she was due a percentage of the take. “I don’t mean to interrupt, but I’ve been