Bounty Hunter

Chapter Eight

  Briiiinnggg!!! The loud ring of my alarm startles me awake. I glance blearily at my clock which reads 6:30 a.m. The disturbance earns a low groan from Kai, and he swaths my pillow around his ears. I jump up sending my blanket and throw pillows flying. One harsh yank jerks the pillow away from him. "You have to leave now!" I shout quietly enough not wake anyone. He rolls off the bed disoriented. He runs a careless hand across his eyes. "But we still haven't finished talking," he mumbles. "Meet me at the Starbucks we went to earlier. Be there by 12:00 a.m." I order. My hands shove against his back to urge him forward. He unlocks the window hopping out with a sleepy groan. Quickly, I toss him his jacket. I lock the window waving him goodbye.

I mull over the meaning of the secrets Kai has brought to light. My head wants to toss these new revelations to the wind, and let them fly far away. But if my father says he's left the past behind then I trust him. I'm not going to sit here and torment myself with thoughts of secrets and lies. All I need to focus on is ensuring Kai finds his father. Then I can leave all of this behind me. I exchange my pajamas for something more suitable to daytime, then I proceed to join my parents for breakfast. "Good morning," I chirp seating myself at the kitchen island. A plate of steaming, warm pancakes lay in front of me enticingly. I dig in to the pancake savoring the soft, buttery warmth that melts on my tongue. My father glances up from his newspaper giving me an uneasy smile. He sends a look to my mother, the way parents do when they want their spouse to say something. "How are you feeling honey," my mom asks cautiously. "I'm good," I reply quizzically. "We just wanted to know how you were taking the news of your birth status, you know with your father being..." she trails off. "We just want to make sure that you're not in shock or anything," my mom adds. "And that you won't pursue this any further," my dad says hastily. "Nico!" my mother scolds. "It's fine," I interrupt. "I understand that this is supposed to be a secret. I don't want think dad or me wants to be put under a test tube," I joke. The tense expressions melt from their faces as they rest reassured their secret is safe. I consume the rest of my pancakes, and we continue our breakfast as if nothing has changed.

I wave my parents goodbye as they leave for work. My day continues as usual, running, studying, eating. A typical summer day for May. The clock strikes twelve reminding me of where I have to be. I dress casually in white capris and a yellow polo shirt, appearing as if I've just stepped off a Tommy Hilfiger ad. At starbucks I find Kai sitting at the same love seat from yesterday. Gizmo is nowhere to be seen, so I assume he must be shrouded by some alien tech. I sit across from Kai relieved to have my own seat. "Hey May," he says. "Hi," I reply pursing my lips. "I have a plan to catch my dad. But in order for it to work we need to put our heads together." "Why do I need to be involved in this? This is your mess not mine." He seems to hesitate slightly before answering, "Whether you like it or not you're going to have to trust me. my dad has it out for you. You won't be safe until he's locked up behind bars. And trust me he will find you. His tracking skills are equal to mine if not better. We may have scared him off for the time being but he'll be back. I have the advantage of being impervious to tracking, because of the consistency of my blood drones can't get a read on me." "What's so special about your blood?" I ask. "That's irrelevant. But if you're with me then my dad will be tracking you to get to me. Once he's on our tail we can lead him to his own lair," he smirks. "That sounds brilliant!" I remark sarcastically. "But don't you think he might notice that we're en route to his hideout," I say. "Don't worry I got that covered too. I planned our route so that we'll be able to escape through a black hole. Earth is very behind in tech, but the rest of the galaxy knows that black holes are actually portals. We'll use it to teleport to his base. I've been tracking its' coordinates and if we leave tomorrow we can catch the base. Since it floats around space we'll have to leave immediately." I rub my temples anxiously. "I can't believe I have to go along with this." A serious look replaces his excited expression. "Now that we're partners in crime I'm going to have to teach you how to fight." "You want to teach ME how to fight?" I ask challengingly. "Yeah, if we're going to succeed in putting my dad away in the box, then you need to learn how to keep up. No more getting kidnapped and tied to chairs, unless you're into that kind of thing," he says with a wink. "Just stop," I command giving him a disgusted look. "You can teach me how to fight. But I'm warning you, this is not an opportunity for you to place your sweaty hands anywhere near me," I establish firmly. "Got it," he says. I follow him out of the shop and he turns to me, "Just so you know my hands aren't sweaty." "Just keep them away from me," I reply. I send my parents a quick text letting them know I'll be home late.

Once we're inside his house I hear a mechanical bark. Gizmo's silver form reforms in the air revealing his sleek body. He zooms by my face licking me with his metal tongue, which is surprisingly soft. "Hey boy," I coo. Kai leads me through a sliding door and into a black room devoid of any light. Suddenly the whirring of a machine awakening sounds, and the room is filled with bright. My curious eyes fall upon a vast training room. Opposite of me are the standard punching bags, treadmills, and weights. Above it are stacks of weapons hanging from the wall. There are massive guns with a length that would overpower me, small lethal guns, black guns, and clear guns that reveal their bullets. The rest of the room lies strangely empty of any equipment. "Gizmo hit simulation 7," Kai orders. A hissing sound releases a thick white fog which engulfs the room and obscures my vision, rendering Kai and Gizmo invisible. The room shifts and the emptiness is replaced with a familiar park, filled with trees. I glance around edgily, not knowing what's going on. "Kai?" I call out nervously. There's no answer but a yellow nerf gun hovers before me invitingly.