Into the Forest Shadows (4 page)

"Oh yes, that little problem," Grandma
scowled. "Mary wasn't always so needy. She was a real spitfire at
one time, much like you. But she changed in her teens. Needed to be
with someone. Just needed."

"Strong?" Kate echoed. Hard to believe. "What
changed?"

Grandma waved a hand, "You'll have to ask
her. I never could get an answer out of her, if she even knows
herself."

Kate tightly pressed her lips together. "I'm
not going to be like that."

"I still wonder where she got it from. It
didn't come from me. I loved your Grandfather, but we were partners
in life. It's a wonderful thing if you find what is true," Grandma
said with a satisfied sigh.

Kate grimaced. "Oh yeah, and there are a lot
of choices on this planet."

"I didn't mean you. You're only sixteen,
dear. You have plenty of time! Oh, but not plenty of time here and
now. I believe I hear the shuttle engines." Grandma set her tea cup
aside and stood up.

Kate pulled the mobile phone out of her
pocket, looking at the time. No way! The day couldn't be almost
over! How had that happened? She jumped up and ran to the table
causing several bunts to run to shelter on the other side of the
room. "If you need something ordered, there may still be time for
the next inbound freighter to bring it."

Grandma grabbed her basket, dropping several
things inside. "I've ordered everything I'll need for the next few
months. Call me when you get home."

Grandma ushered her out the door, closing it
behind them. Kate stopped on the porch to get her balance as
another wave of dizziness swept over her.

"It's colder," Kate said to cover her
hesitation.

"I told you it would be. The breeze will pick
up soon, mark my words." Grandma took her arm and led her down the
path. "What a lovely day. Just what I needed. You know, with all
the sensors set up I think I'll work in the lab tonight. So much to
do and with the sick trees I've been rather behind."

"An assistant!" Kate said suddenly.

"What?"

"You have all kinds of rooms. You could have
an assistant out here, maybe someone apprenticing with you. You
have so much to teach." To Kate it was the perfect answer to
keeping Uncle Travis from forcing Grandma to come to the city. Then
Kate and her mother wouldn't have to worry about her anymore.
Grandma could keep her independence for who knew how many more
years.

Grandma sighed. "What is it about you today?
I'm fine, I like working alone. I don't need an assistant and I
don't need a vacation in the city. Now, off you go. I won't tell
you not to get into trouble. Knowing you, you already have
something planned. Just try not to get into anything that might
bring the authorities down on your head."

Kate laughed. "Deal. But you promise to call
me if you need anything."

"Oh, you can be sure of that."

Kate stared at Grandma. No humor graced the
eyes usually crinkled with smiling wrinkles. Her lips set firmly in
a stern line, her hands clasped together in front of her with her
shoulders back.

The shuttle descended through the trees
before she could clarify what Grandma meant by the comment. Rushing
air buffeted against Kate's legs, billowing out the cape so that
the hood bumped up against the back of her head. Bunts scurried
behind roots and trees. The shuttle settled gently on the landing
gear and the engines powered down.

"I remixed the tea a little," Grandma said.
"Try it now and let me know how you like the taste."

"Aww, you didn't give me the tea we just had,
did you?" Kate moaned, quickly looking through her basket. Sure
enough, next to a jar of jelly lay small hand-wrapped packets of
tea.

"Kate, I ask that you try it at least once
more. It has amazing health benefits. Better yet, share it with
your mother and you can both let me know your opinions of the
remix."

Kate opened her mouth to object to having to
taste the concoction again, but something in Grandma's eyes made
her hold her tongue. She put the cloth cover over the top of the
basket, "Fine. I'll try one more sip, but no more than that if it
tastes like last time."

Grandma surprised her with a quick hug,
"That's my girl. Thank you. And thank you for such a wonderful
day."

A day Kate couldn't really remember. Maybe
she had taken a nap?

"Uh, are we heading out?" a young male voice
asked.

A dark-brown haired teenager not much older
than herself stood at the top of the ramp in the open hatch leading
into the shuttle cabin. The work-stained heavy pants and dark brown
jacket identified him as one of the Gatherers. Great, that meant a
delay getting home while the shuttle made an extra stop.

"Good morning, Ayden. So good to see you.
She'll be right up! Tell the computer to wait," Grandma said to
him. The boy turned around while Grandma enveloped Kate in a fierce
hug. "Have a safe flight back."

"I will." The hug made Kate aware of one more
thing still in her possession. She pulled out the bottle of
tablets.

Grandma scowled at them. "Get rid of those
things. Better yet, tell your Uncle to take them himself."

Kate slipped it in her pocket, "I would put
them in something he eats if it weren't so dangerous. I still want
you to come to the city for a bit, though. I could use the
back-up."

"Nope, not going to happen. Ayden is waiting.
Isn't he just the cutest little thing? Now, get on board. Time for
you to head home. Tell your mother that I love her. Oh, and you
too, you little trouble-maker."

Kate grinned. She couldn't help it. Grandma
was only partially teasing about the last part. It also felt nice
to know someone else saw the truth in Uncle Travis that she
did.

She stepped up to the shuttle. The day felt
too short to her, but at least she was leaving in a much better
mood than when she'd arrived. The only other occupant in the
shuttle sat in one of the seats on the right side, the boy Grandma
called Ayden.

Okay, so he had lush hair that curled at the
nape, but cute? Not with the slightly too-long nose. Or the subdued
colors of the rough clothes he wore. Maybe Grandma's versions of
what qualified as 'cute' was different than hers.

She settled in a seat a little behind him at
a window where she would have a good view of the scenery
outside.

Gray eyes turned to look at her, "Why would
you want your Grandmother to go to the city? She will be going
strong in the forest long after the rest of us are gone."

Okay, definitely not cute. An annoying,
sticking-his-nose-where-it-didn't-belong busybody.

CHAPTER FOUR

"Grandma can't live in the forest all the
time. She has family who would like to see her face once in a
while," Kate said. The shuttle computer pilot announced their
launch. Kate turned to the window and waved at Grandma.

"They can come out here to visit, like you
did. Why would anyone want to be cooped up in the city? Everyone
lives right on top of each other and there's nothing to do."

"Speak for yourself. There's plenty to do in
the city," Kate said, turning away from the window as the shuttle
rose past the canopy. She resisted the urge to cross her arms over
her chest.

"Oh sure. Play in the tiny gym near the
schools, or maybe work in the fields."

Kate glared at the back of his head. "Or
talking to the trees? Or chase bunts around?"

Ayden chuckled, "Actually, that can be a lot
of fun."

"Enjoy your time as a forest nomad," Kate
said.

Ayden gestured dismissively with a hand, "I
will. You can deal with all the spoiled wanna-be colonists that
swarm the place anytime another human world closes immigration.
Which is just about every day now."

Definitely one of her touchy buttons. The
lack of worlds to go to had meant her mother had had no choice but
to bring her and Kate back to Oburos when her father died. Oh, and
after finding out her father had lied about getting them
citizenship on the world they had been living on for most of Kate's
growing-up. Who knew where that money went. Or so much of the
money.

Oburos. Out in the middle of nowhere. What a
place to end up.

Kate realized she was frowning fiercely. She
consciously relaxed her mouth. She didn't like showing so much
emotion. Better to keep people guessing.

Two little ears of white and soft brown poked
up over Ayden's shoulder. A petite bunt head with a twitchy nose
and huge wide brown eyes poked over the shoulder to look back at
her. A paw reached up to scratch the fur at the base of one
ear.

Kate groaned, "Great, one of them got in
here."

Ayden reached up and patted the head of the
bunt, "Nah, this is Bunbun. He's with me."

The bunt turned away from Ayden's hand and
dove down into the top of his coat.

"You have one for a pet? I didn't think that
worked, that they would just run away."

"Bunbun is a special case," Ayden said.

The thought of a bunt running around the
small apartment she and her mother shared just about sent her into
giggles. Letting a few loose in Uncle Travis's apartment would be
even better. Now that was an idea!

No, the things were too cute to do something
so cruel with. They didn't deserve the likes of Uncle Travis.

Ayden's head turned towards his window. Kate
turned to look out her own. She preferred the silence. Time to
start thinking seriously about her plans once she got back to the
city. Something decisive needed to be done about several
situations, and soon.

Ayden leaned across the aisle to look out the
window on the same side of the shuttle Kate sat on. Kate looked
outside again, but she didn't see anything other than the colors of
the forest itself.

Ayden switched back in one sharp move towards
another window.

"What's the matter with you?" Kate
demanded.

"I think I see fog," Ayden said.

"So what? The auto-pilot doesn't need to see
to get us where we're going."

Ayden shook his head, "This isn't that kind
of fog."

Kate looked back out the window at the trees
below. Wisps of white moved between the trees. The fog curled over
the tops of the shorter trees, ghostly arms reaching ever
higher.

The way it moved gave her shivers, reminding
her of warnings Grandma had given about staying out of the forest
fog, as it could be dangerous. She'd never seen it before in the
few trips she'd made out to the cottage. Now she wished she'd asked
for more details.

Ayden threw off his seat harness and ran the
few steps to the front of the shuttle and opened an inset
cabinet.

"What are you doing?" Kate demanded, her
hands tensing on the handle of the basket.

Ayden frowned at her, "You're Kate O'Hanson,
right?"

"Yeah, what of it?"

Ayden pressed two red buttons at the top of a
panel, "This is shuttle 719 Alpha on the way to Gatherer Camp
Alpha. There are two souls on board named Ayden Jarreau and Kate
O'Hanson. Fog is lifting and growing in density. Can the shuttle
course be altered?"

A voice answered Ayden but she couldn't hear
the words over the sound of the engines. The shuttle banked hard as
Ayden moved back to his seat, using the chairs to help him stay on
his feet. The tight turn pressed Kate into her seat. The forest
below blurred.

The shuttle leveled out. From the placement
of the mountains it looked like they were headed straight back
towards Grandma's house.

"What going on? What's happening?" Kate
demanded.

"Didn't you hear me? The fog is moving
in."

The steady sounds of the engines hiccuped.
Kate looked back down the aisle, even though she couldn't see the
engines at all. The engines had never done that on any of her
trips.

The shuttle engines changed tone, sounding
ragged with fits and bursts.

"What does the fog have to do with shuttle
engines?"

"You're about to find out!" Ayden said as a
shrill whine from the engines filled the cabin.

Outside, fog swirled up from the trees,
appearing out of nowhere, reaching up at them as if alive.

It had to be her imagination. Fog didn't move
like that.

She let the basket drop between her feet and
put both hands on the harness where it went over her shoulders,
holding on tight. The trees outside moved by faster, but they also
looked closer.

The shuttle nose dipped, giving no doubt as
to the direction. They headed towards the forest at an angle she
didn't like at all.

The land dipped into a shallow valley, the
blue shimmer of a large lake in the distance. Nearby would be
Grandma's house. A transparent grasping tentacle of fog reached up,
dissipated into nothing as the shuttle flew through it.

But the air held an odd quality. The very
seat she was sitting in felt different. Along the top edge of the
window portal a small filament of blue electricity danced along the
edge. Kate leaned as far away from it as possible. Blue arcs lit up
the computer panels at the front of the shuttle. One of the engines
coughed, going silent.

Kate held her breath. Another engine cough
and the cabin filled with a high-pitched whine. The nose pitched
down.

"We're going down!" Ayden shouted.

The automated computer voice began reciting
emergency instructions. All items stowed, safety harnesses
tightened, emergency exits. It wasn't easy to hear over the
engines.

Mixed in with the fear came anger. She didn't
like the idea of dropping out of the sky like a rock, especially
before she had a chance at Uncle Travis.

Green and red leaves grew larger and brighter
as the shuttle descended. The next moment colors flashed past the
other side of the portal as they entered the forest canopy. Heavy
branches and limbs scraped at the side of the shuttle. The engines
screamed even louder.