The Millennial Box by Julie Steimle (snow like ashes .TXT) 📖

apparently the McLennas had seen through it. He realized that they should have celebrated it months away rather than just barely weeks from the real date. Zormna was, after all, born on a prophesied day in a special month.

Zormna tried to smile, but it came out in painful cracks. She simply turned and headed toward the front door, taking a hold of the doorknob.

Taking another hopeful breath, "You know that offer to move in with us still stands," Jeff said as she twisted the doorknob.

She turned back as a real smile erupted on her face. "No thanks. I do have my reputation to uphold."

Jeff shrugged and watched her go, standing at the door.

 

And she did go. Out and down the street, back to the home she had been staying at since last spring. She was living with that local family, and it had started off well enough. Unfortunately, it had not ended so well. These days, she could not get through a day without an argument with the McLenna parents.

Zormna kicked through the leaves and stuffed her hands in the pockets of her new letterman's jacket for cheerleading. It had gotten chillier in the last two weeks, as if to say good-bye to summer for good. At least October had been mildly warm with all those winds that were notorious in Pennington. She had hoped November would be the same, but she had heard rumors about the snows that prevailed in the suburb, and for once she feared them. She had never seen snow. Just like she had never seen lakes and rivers and rain and real grass and fresh vegetables and large animals other than humans. That was the disadvantage to living in a barren underground world. Still, as fascinating as living on Earth had been, some of the changes were genuinely frightening. For some reason, the idea of snow and ice scared her. The cold had always been dry and snow-less where she was from. She wondered how she would manage, especially when it piled up. Rain was a big enough pain.

She still kicked the leaves at her feet, relishing the crunching and crisping and the rustling they made. She relished the wind that whipped rather pleasantly up until now. Now it stared to nip. It made her want to hold her breath, yet she didn't. There was a smell on the air that she also never had known, and she wanted to breathe it deeply. It was all the peace she had between places. She would soon be in the stifling realm of the McLenna household, mixed with loathing and snarling and patient friendly empathy all rolled into one. Their doors were now two houses away, and all Zormna wanted to do was stay outside and savor the peace as long as it lasted.

Why didn't she just stay with Jeff at his place? They would easily make room, and it would be a great deal pleasanter than staying with those Tarrn-hating High Classmen from Home.

Yet she knew why, taking in another breath before going up the front steps. Besides the fact that legally the McLennas were her guardians, and that if she really wanted out she could become an emancipated minor and move into the house she had inherited from her great aunt--she really wanted peace away from the other extreme. Living with Jeff would bring her back into the mayhem of Arrassian politics. And for once, she was not so eager to rush Home. After all, Partha (or Earth, as the locals called it) really was not that bad, now that she had gotten used to it. That is, all except for rain.

Zormna entered in the front door and checked to see if anyone noticed her entering. The McLennas, luckily, had not had dinner yet, which meant she would not be told off for skipping it. But Mrs. McLenna was angrily peeling carrots over the sink. It did not look too likely that she was going to get away without a lecture that night.

Stepping lightly past the study door under the stairs, Zormna nearly got past the end of the stair rail to turn up the steps to the second floor when she heard a growl coming from the kitchen over the carrots.

"...Skipping school for that boy. I don't need the vice principal calling me in the middle of the day," growl, growl, "insufferable little wretch, hanging out with that trouble-maker. She should have been arrested." Growl, growl.

Zormna swallowed her breath and walked more carefully, passing the framed pictures of carrot-topped Todd who was at the State College now studying Engineering, and auburn-haired Jennifer who was a junior with Zormna at Pennington, and ginger-haired Mindy and Andrew, the youngest two who were pretending not to see Zormna when she entered and continued to watch TV in the living room as they tried even harder to ignore the growls of their mother.

Middle of the stairs...almost to the top.... She barely made it to the top landing when a greater growl called from the kitchen.

"Don't you sneak upstairs! I want to have a word with you." Mrs. McLenna was brandishing a paring knife now with her other hand on her hip holding a carrot sliced down the middle.

Taking a breath, Zormna closed her eyes. She stumped back down the stairs that she had laboriously tried to climb and landed back in the kitchen where she had hoped she would not have to end up. She opened her eyes and stared back at Mrs. McLenna, trying not to look nervously at the bare knife.

Zormna really did not fear the knife or Mrs. McLenna. There was not anything Mrs. McLenna could do that Zormna could not defend herself from as she had been trained in martial arts since she was child. What she did fear was the long, stomach-churning tirade that she would have to endure if she wanted to live under that roof and if she wanted to sleep at all that night. Mrs. McLenna gripped the knife more like she was defending herself rather than threatening Zormna anyway. In Mrs. McLenna's eyes, that little blonde had been trouble ever since she set foot in that house, and she was more dangerous than even she knew.

Zormna stared up at Mrs. McLenna with her usual intimidating green-eyed gaze--neither angry, nor fearful, yet knowing and patient, and proud...sometimes devilishly proud. Mrs. McLenna cleared her throat and hardened her gaze.

"What do you think you were doing leaving school like that?" Mrs. McLenna yelled without cue or script. Her tirades came naturally to her. "Mr. Vicksler, the vice principal, called saying that you ditched your fifth and sixth hour classes," Zormna's mouth dropped open in protest, "and your counseling appointment."

Zormna rolled her eyes at that. She hated the mandated after-school counseling sessions she had to attend due to revealing too much in her English class writing assignments about the things she was dealing with.

Mrs. McLenna's eyes narrowed to sharp slits. "He said that you have detention on Saturday." Zormna's mouth dropped open again, speechless. "And that you will report to him personally on Monday to promise that you will not skip another counseling session again."

Zormna sourly closed her mouth. It really did not do any good to protest. It always ended in an argument that she always lost. It never paid to fight the McLennas in a verbal match. Never.

"Furthermore," Mrs. McLenna continued, though not unexpectedly, "If I ever get another phone call from the vice principal concerning you, I will have you thrown out on your ear."

An amused grin dared to cross Zormna's lips. "Oh, would you?"

This made Mrs. McLenna growl even more.

It was true, Zormna would rather they were not her guardians--something Mrs. McLenna knew full well. Zormna had been begging to become an emancipated minor since day one.

"Go outside and rake the leaves until dinner," Mrs. McLenna snapped, wanting the exasperating blonde out of her sight.

Zormna tried not to look pleased by this pronouncement. She did as she was told, turning militaristically swift and marching right back out the front door. When she closed the door behind her, Zormna took in a breath and smiled. It was where she wanted to be anyway.

 

Jennifer came out after a half hour to call her back inside. Zormna was all red-cheeked and smiling, raking and grinning at the smells around her. She barely made a dent in the piles of leaves that covered their lawn. There was a small pile in the center, but since this was one of the first few times Zormna had ever had to rake leaves, she was still not very good at it and it was taking her forever.

"Mom wants you in for dinner," Jennifer said, taking in the chilly air and looking across the yard to the street where the usual FBI car was parked.

"To be eaten or to eat?" Zormna asked, propping her arm against the rake.

Jennifer's eyes set back on her friend. "Well, Dad's not too pleased about you ditching school, but I think it is safe to say that you aren't meant to be dinner."

Zormna smiled. If one thing, Jennifer was a good friend--in spite of her parents. Besides, Jennifer had gotten less nosy in the last year. Perhaps it was because of the new tension in her home as the result of Zormna's secret, or perhaps it was because Jennifer had heard enough about aliens and Mars, and the rest had become too much to take in. Either way, Jennifer seemed to be satisfied with what she had been told and left the rest alone.

Jennifer motioned for Zormna to join her inside. Both girls left the leaves to fall and pile on the already covered lawn.

"Agent Keane?" one of the men in the black sedan said into his cell phone. "This is Agent Hobbs. ...Yeah, she just went in." He waited, listening as he gazed at the house. "Yes. As far as I can tell she doesn't seem fazed by it," waiting, "No. She's in trouble for skipping class but nothing else really. I don't think they know." He listened for a while and looked at his partner. His partner glanced again back at the house and sipped his coffee with a tired shake of the head.

"Yes. I see." A pause. "Well, I'll tell him."

He turned the phone off. Looking at his partner, he picked up his coffee cup.

"Agent Keane said for us to just keep watch--make sure she doesn't go anywhere."

The other nodded and let out a tired sigh. "Do you think they did it?"

Agent Hobbs shrugged, "If they did, they must be pretty heartless to be taking it so lightly. I dunno. She doesn't seem to be shaken up. But he sure did."

The other nodded. "Yeah. He did."

Chapter Three: Research

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Sometimes I think I understand everything, then I regain consciousness." - Anon -

 

 

It wasn't until eleven o'clock that night when those in Jeff's house heard from M. Jeff had waited pensively during dinner, during the last five hours, and during homework that he just could not concentrate on. The wait was killing him.

"Hello?" Jeff answered Orrlar's cell phone with a tremor.

<<Big Z? You paged me.>>

Jeff took a breath and tried not to blurt it out at once. "What's the big news on your end? Has something