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

it if I hadn’t been too busy playing messenger boy for the High Council. I’ll get on the radar now.” He turned and raced down the hall in the direction of the communications room.

Kayla opened her bag, checking to make sure the water samples hadn’t been damaged. Thankfully, the case was still intact.

Carl motioned for Cruncher to take them from her. “Cruncher, start scanning the samples for contaminants. I’ll call OmniLab and be in there in a few minutes to check your progress. Veridian, check with Xantham to make sure it’s clear and then bring in the rest of the equipment. Kayla, do you want to start on the imaging?”

She shook her head. “Not just yet. If you don’t mind, I’d like to listen in and see what Alec has to say about the earthquake and aircraft.”

Surprise and concern flickered in Carl’s eyes. “You sure?”

She hesitated briefly and then nodded. It was no secret she’d been trying to avoid Alec since she’d left the towers. Thankfully, Alec hadn’t pushed the issue, at least not overtly. He still believed she would eventually return to the towers on her own. So far, she’d managed to prove him wrong.

“Yeah, he’ll be more forthcoming with information if I’m with you.” Kayla followed Carl into his office, waiting until he closed the door and engaged the privacy settings.

His office was spotless as usual. A large desk stood in the center of the room with several cabinets displaying unusual artifacts on two of the walls. The third wall held a video screen he frequently used while working. Kayla walked over to the desk and sat on the edge of it.

Carl pressed a button to call Alec on the wall display. A moment later, the High Council leader appeared on the screen. Her heart thudded at the sight of him for the first time in weeks. She bit her lip, convinced this couldn’t be normal. It went beyond regular attraction and straight into that weird paranormal bullshit. Suggesting she join Carl to talk to him might have been a bad decision.

Alec’s brilliant blue eyes regarded Carl coolly. “Where’s Kayla?”

“I’m here.” Her voice came out almost as a squeak. Carl gave her a sharp look, and she tried to cover with a slight cough. If she couldn’t even manage to speak without issue, this could be a problem.

“The ruins were a little dusty,” she offered by way of an explanation. Carl wasn’t buying it. Yeah, it sounded lame even to her. Determined to do this, she straightened her shoulders. “I’m good.”

With a frown, he stepped aside so Alec could see her.

She offered a little finger wave. “Hi.”

Alec was quiet for a long moment, his eyes softening as he drank in the sight of her. The seconds crept by, and when he still didn’t say anything, Kayla felt her cheeks start to flush. Finally, he broke the silence. “Are you all right? I heard about the earthquake.”

Kayla swallowed and rubbed the back of her neck. How could a stupid video call render her so awkward? In some ways, seeing Alec on screen was even worse than responding to the few messages he’d sent her. It made the sense of loss from their shared connection more noticeable. Thankful that at least he wasn’t standing there in person and dumping energy over her, she nodded.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Kayla struggled to regain some semblance of composure. Ugh, the man makes me feel like a complete idiot. ”Just a little shaking and some dust. We found something you’re going to be interested in though.”

Alec listened quietly while she described the cavern and the underground river. By the time she finished, he had already shifted back into High Council mode. “Carl, I want you to send over the contamination report of this water source as soon as it’s complete.”

Carl had been silent up until then, simply observing their conversation. She’d almost forgotten his presence and now, glancing over at him, she realized her mistake. There was no love lost between Carl and Alec. Cruncher let it slip that things had grown increasingly tense between the two men ever since she’d left the towers, but Carl hadn’t mentioned anything. In fact, he made it a point to avoid the topic of Alec as much as possible.

Carl stood immobile and leaned against the desk, arms crossed over his chest. His expression was grim, but his voice remained impassive as he agreed to Alec’s request and proceeded to describe the strange aircraft. Kayla couldn’t help but admire his cool at handling the council leader.

Alec nodded at the end of the report. “That coincides with our preliminary reports. We received notification that an unauthorized air vehicle entered OmniLab territory a short time ago. We’re conducting an investigation now. Send over whatever images you were able to collect. It could help us determine its origin. The towers and surrounding areas are being put on high alert. You should see some exploratory drones in the vicinity while we attempt to make contact.”

Kayla bit her lip. “Could the earthquake be related to this aircraft?”

Alec hesitated. “The seismic activity was not natural in design. That’s actually the reason I was trying to contact you. Kayla, I need to ask you to return to the towers.”

Her eyes widened in shock. “Yeah, right. That’ll happen about the same time I manage to pull a photon generator out of my ass. I had my fill of those towers a few weeks ago. Thanks, but I’ll stay here with Carl and stick to the ruins for now.”

Alec frowned. “I had no intention of asking you to return until you were ready. However, I have some concerns and it would be in your best interest to return. It would be better to discuss those reasons in person.”

Kayla crossed her arms, her temper rising. Alec might run OmniLab, but she’d be damned if she was going to let anyone boss her around. “You need to do better than that. I’m not going to just pick up and run back to the towers on your say so.” Her eyes narrowed slightly. “I don’t belong to you.”

A combination of irritation and something akin to regret flickered in his eyes but was quickly gone. “I’m concerned about your safety. In addition to this unknown aircraft and possible threat, I believe the seismic activity was a result of energy manipulation. I don’t know if you were the cause or … someone else. If you were the one responsible, you need to be trained to prevent further incidents.”

Uh oh. That doesn’t sound good. A feeling of unease crept over her. “What the hell are you talking about, Alec?”

“When you were in the ruins, did you channel energy?”

She glanced at Carl, whose eyes had widened with alarm. Oops. Busted. Resisting the urge to squirm, she admitted, “Um, yeah. I didn’t do anything that would make the earth shake though. I didn’t think that was even possible. You said my talent was finding missing or lost objects.” The last part was said almost accusingly. Although, technically, it could be argued that she had managed to find a missing or lost water source. Shit. If the earthquake led her to find the river, maybe the two really were linked.

Alec nodded as though that explained something. “That’s only part of your talent. That particular ability emerged when you were a child. Other talents can develop as you go through puberty and become an adult. We didn’t have an opportunity to explore your range of abilities before you left the towers.”

Other talents? Kayla jerked her head up, locking eyes with his startling blue ones. She could almost feel the pull toward him through their shared connection. On some level, she desperately wanted to return and feel the exquisite sensations of sharing energy again, but there was no way in hell she was going to let herself be controlled through this bond.

Until she managed to figure out more about this aspect of herself, Kayla couldn’t risk putting herself in another situation like she had the last time she went to the towers. Alec’s father had managed to subdue her a little too easily, not to mention her uncharacteristic reactions every time Alec shared energy with her. Maybe she could try to access OmniLab’s databases to see if they had any information that might help. Obviously, her attempts at exploring this energy phenomenon on her own were proving rather disastrous.

As though he could tell what she was thinking from there, his calm façade dropped briefly. “Kayla, you can’t keep avoiding this. You’re not just channeling your own energy anymore. Through the bond we established, your abilities have been amplified. Whether or not the earthquake was your intention, it’s likely you were the one who inadvertently triggered it. If not ...” His voice trailed off, and he took a deep breath before continuing. “Regardless, you need to learn how to harness your skills and abilities. If you come back, I can teach you. It’s not safe for you to remain there without any training.”

Kayla shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest. “Forget it. I’m not ready to come back yet. I won’t use my energy anymore. I managed just fine for years without it. If I go back, you’ll get all up in my head again. That’s not going to happen. I don’t belong to you, and I sure as hell don’t belong to OmniLab.”

Alec looked at her in exasperation. “You’re the most hard-headed, willful, and frustrating woman I’ve ever met.”

She rolled her eyes. She’d been called far worse, and that was on a good day. “You need to get out more then. If that’s all, I’ve got a sample to go check.”

Without waiting for a reply, Kayla hopped off the desk and strode out of the room. There was no point in arguing with him. It might be foolish to ignore the warning, but considering her unwanted imprisonment during her last visit to the towers, she wasn’t willing to risk it. If she knew for sure she could trust him, things might be different. Annoyed that the excitement of finding the underground river was now shadowed by Alec’s words, Kayla scowled and headed toward the tech room.