The Secret of Zormna Clendar by Julie Steimle (great reads .TXT) 📖

their neighbors called the police to report a stalker.

The police were there in a heartbeat, as Pennington Heights was a nice, quiet, family-oriented neighborhood. But the car did not leave after their chat with local law enforcement. In fact, the sedan became a regular fixture in the neighborhood.

The same two men sat inside that sedan, drinking coffee every morning with their eyes on house. Because of that, at breakfast, Mrs. McLenna announced that she would be driving the little kids to school rather than have them take the bus. Then she turned to Jennifer and said, “As for you, no storming ahead to school. Walk with Todd and Zormna from now on.”

Todd watched as Jennifer rolled her eyes at her mother. “Oh, please. I have nothing to worry about.”

 She shot Zormna a sidelong look while Zormna stared at the floor like she had been stomped on.

Todd whispered, “What’s going on?”

But Zormna waved it off…until Jennifer wryly added, “They’re probably the FBI investigating another alien.”

Their mom’s face flushed. She swelled up and snapped, “That’s it! Clean up your attitude, young lady! This is serious!”

Jennifer didn’t like that.

Immediately they got into an argument. It lasted until Jennifer just stormed off, grabbing her school things. She shot back a petty look towards Zormna as she tromped away. Though, Todd wondered if Jennifer was right.

Not the alien part, of course. But the FBI part.

Todd walked with Zormna to school in a subdued silence.

The thing was, the car followed them to school. Not directly, but at a safe distance. And it parked across the street from the school. The men inside watched them.

Zormna purposefully ignored them.

Todd thought about it all day. He didn’t mention it to the others, but he was unable to take his mind off of it.

And the vehicle was there, occupied, on the street after school too.

It creeped him out.

And it happened again the next day.

And the next.

Not the argument between Jennifer and his mother, but the sedan following them. It had become routine.

This sedan parked outside their home and outside the school regularly—up until Thursday morning. That morning, Zormna slipped out the sliding glass door into the backyard with her school things after a quick breakfast. She didn’t say a thing as she did it.

Todd, along with his mother, watched her go to the back fence. His mom stood next to him, pressing her lips together in a curious frown. Then, with a hop, Zormna climbed over the back fence into the neighbor’s yard.

“What the—” Todd moved to go out the back door.

But his mother put her hand on his shoulder. “Leave her be. This is her problem.”

He blinked at his mother, wondering exactly what that meant. But when it was time to go to school, Zormna had not returned home. So, leaving Zormna ‘be’, as instructed, Todd went out with Jennifer who seemed only mildly concerned that Zormna was not going with them.

In fact, his sister had made some snide remark about Zormna probably playing sick.

The sedan did not follow them when they went to school.

But when Jennifer and Todd arrived on campus, Todd found Zormna already there, chatting on the redtop with Jonathan and Mark who had come early for some homework help from Jeff.

Todd went directly to the donut window, nodding to Brian and Joy. The Streigle brothers were absent.

Sighing heavily, Todd ordered a cocoa and a glazed donut twist from the attendant.

“Something up?” Brian asked, eyeing his looks.

Staring at the space ahead of him, Todd wondered if he ought to mention it. The FBI following your live-in friend was not exactly an easy subject. And with Joy listening in, he was not sure he wanted it spread along to the rumor mill. Tristy was also there after all.

“Where’s Alex?” Todd looked around.

Brian chuckled, and rubbed the back of his head. “Funny, that.” He pointed off to his pals who were chatting it up with Zormna. “When she came early, Alex grabbed Jeff by the arm and they split.”

Todd stared at him. “What?”

Brian shrugged. “I don’t get it. I’ve never seen Alex get that agitated. And Jeff started saying something about some trip to Europe he needed to tell us about. And Alex just hushed him up.”

“Trip to Europe?” Todd collected his cocoa and donut from the cashier, handing over the money. “They’re going to Europe?”

Brian shrugged again.

“No,” Joy cut in. “It was about a trip they had in Europe. Before. Jeff was all—”

But Jeff popped back in, picking up a stack of books that was left next to Brian. He hastily looked to the redtop then nodded to Todd. 

“You’re going to Europe?” Todd seized his arm before Jeff could get away.

Jeff uneasily laughed and shook his head. “Been. Been. But now is not the time to talk about that, I’m late for class.”

And he ran off.

Zormna strolled up next with Jonathan and Mark. “Hi,” she said. Then she pointed off to where Jeff had gone. “Was that…?”

Todd nodded. “Yeah, Jeff. In a hurry.”

She shrugged, looking a lot more relaxed than she had been in a while. Almost satisfied. “Ok. Ready for the day? Because I sure am.”

And she walked on, grinning to herself.

Todd wondered about that through the rest of the day. Even to the moment when he had to walk home. Zormna was with him, gazing with annoyance at the sedan now parked across the street from the school. And when they returned to the house, he noticed her cast those tailing them a sharp, thinking look.

And that was just Thursday.

Friday, Zormna did a repeat. Only this time Zormna snuck off the school grounds after school also, losing her tails with a skip in her step.

The following week was much of the same.

It was intriguing to watch, really. Like some weird cat-and-mouse chase, though Todd wondered who was the cat and who was the mouse.

And he wasn’t the only one who noticed Zormna doing it. Jennifer had been silently keeping watch, while his parents pretended that they weren’t watching at all—even though Todd knew they were. Even Mindy and Andrew noticed Zormna’s new game. And on the weekend Andrew smothered laughs over how easily Zormna could get around without being seen and how flustered the watchers in the sedan were becoming.

On Tuesday afternoon of the following week, Zormna changed the game once more. It was afternoon. Todd was getting himself a snack while

Jennifer sat at the kitchen table working on her Geometry homework. He noticed Jennifer lift up her head from her assignment when Zormna descended the stairs with a deliberate turn to her left. That caught his attention. Zormna took long strides toward the front door where she peeked out through the hole. Immediately after, Zormna pivoted back around without a word or glance to either Jennifer or him, and she marched through the house to the sliding glass door where she went out. Jennifer peered after her, then followed to the window, watching Zormna cross their back lawn to the back fence. Todd went to the window, watching as this time Zormna took three steps and sprung up to catch the top of the wood with her left hand. Zormna swung up and over to the other side. They could see her through the slats, barely. The girl hopped into a run, but not in her usual direction.

Both Jennifer and Todd immediately migrated to the front window, parting the sheer curtains to peer out at the blue sedan. Everyone had wondered when they were going to make their move. So far they just seemed to be sitting there like bumps in the road.

Sharing a look with Todd, Jennifer almost let go of curtain. Yet her eyes set on the far street and she drew in a breath. Todd followed her gaze.

There, strolling like anyone out for a leisurely walk, Zormna walked behind the sedan. Of course the men inside the car had their eyes fixed on the house, clueless to what was going on behind them. Zormna could have put a Molotov cocktail in the tail pipe of the car, and they wouldn’t have noticed. 

“What is she doing?” Todd whispered.

“Shhhh,” Jennifer set her finger to her mouth. “Just watch that car.”

Todd braced himself for what would happen next.

Zormna strode to the driver’s side, stopping next to the door and leaning against it. Their front house windows were open for fresh air, so Jennifer and Todd could hear her say, “Having any luck?”

The driver jerked his head around to see her. His companion choked on something.

Zormna didn’t have to duck low to peer inside the car. She did it with a mocking smile. “I noticed you were watching me. Is there anything I can do for you?”

The driver turned the ignition as the other muttered something unintelligible to her, though he barked at the driver to hurry. The car started. Its engine rumbled. Not even a minute from when Zormna first leaned against the car, they were gone down the road.

Snorting, Zormna, lifted her head high and marched directly to the McLennas’ house.

Todd’s heart pounded. It was altogether surreal. As Zormna reached the front step, he went to the front door and opened it before she could.

 “What was that all about?” he asked, looking back to the street.

Zormna lifted her eyebrows. Her amazing green eyes took both him and Jennifer (who stood back with that severe cynical glare she had been maintaining all week). And she said, “Just a minor solution to a pest problem. They will be back.”

She strode right past him.

Todd scratched his head, watching the blonde jog around the banister then bound up the stairs to the second floor. Way too surreal. He peeked back to Jennifer. But she said nothing. Her eyes turned suspiciously back to the window as if asking if what Zormna had said was true.

But it had rattled Todd’s sense of the universe. This military raised Irish girl had always been a little high strung. And yeah, she did have a history for extreme behavior. And he did understand she had a reason to be paranoid. But playing games with the FBI like that…. That was just dangerous.

 

 

Chapter Thirteen: Avoidance and Diversion

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I don’t know of a single foreign product that enters this country untaxed except the answer to prayers.”

—Mark Twain—

 

 

Casefile 001942, Clendar, Asiah had never been closed. And now it won’t ever be.

The project director had given them the facts on an exclusive need-to-know basis, which were without the details. Fact One: Asiah Clendar was alive when they had left her last. Fact Two: Someone had leaked top secret information concerning Ms. Clendar which had led to her untimely death—an event the FBI had not wanted. Fact Three: Though they understood the woman was hoping family would join her one day, she had never actually believed they would. Fact Four: the only reason the casefile had not been closed was that the house had not yet been sold.

And Fact Five: the case only had been reactivated because the high-ups had discovered that the electronic communication device the old woman had used had been reactivated. It was the thing that had drawn them there in the first place.

And that was when they discovered Zormna Clendar.

It was a multilevel operation. The original two agents who had been sent to watch the girl were at the