My Crazy Hot Interstellar Affair

46. Area Woman Stunned by Family Secret

After a jarring reentrance out of hyperspace and into regular space, Andie squirmed in her seat. She had way too much on her mind, what with trying to figure out how to break up with Oliver, running through scenarios on the best way to bankrupt an alien organization while minimizing the chances of getting caught and keeping Rachel from invading her brain. On top of all this, Andie's skin had started shimmering pale blue.

Andie tugged the sleeves of her magical spacesuit over her hands and practiced breathing normally. When that didn't work, she hyperventilated and pretended to breathe normally, which didn't make her look any less suspicious.

Following her trajectory, Star Force One flew close to the Amu mothership. Oliver made the strangest expression as Star dipped beneath the monstrous vehicle. His stiff posture, pursed lips, and clenched hands matched Andie's. As if he too was also about to have a discussion he would rather avoid.

Plunging toward earth, they sidestepped several derelict spy satellites, the International Space Station, and a swarm of space trash, which filled the thermosphere like a mob at a Star Wars movie premiere. They landed under cover of dark, in the dead of night, on the Fairbanks Lawn of the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

Andie wrinkled her nose. She never liked cemeteries. When she was a child, she held her breath when they drove past one, not wanting to inhale any wandering ghosts. It made sense at the time. "Oliver, why are we landing here?"

"It's close to your apartment, and the deceased are poor storytellers. Or so I have heard."

Rachel laughed. "I think you mean, 'dead men tell no tales.' But that isn't quite true. You just have to speak their language."

Andie remained silent. There was no use pointing out that landing in a cemetery didn't mean UFO enthusiasts or the military or the hosts of Alien Hunters or people out walking their dogs wouldn't notice a spaceship streaking into Hollywood. Star had to get away quickly before one or all of these entities came to investigate.

Neither did Andie want to argue with her mother about the crazy idea that ghosts exist; though a month ago Andie didn't believe in aliens either. And Rachel had those new powers. Maybe she could talk to spirits in other dimensions. Which was actually a creepy idea and the plot of more than one Hollywood movie. Perhaps Rachel's new clients would be ghosts asking Rachel to rectify wrongs. Expose murderers, locate missing wills, tell loved ones they are okay, or communicating where the extra key to the Prius is hidden. It would make sense that Rachel would do something like this. Although collecting a fee from the dead might be problematic.

"That's your biggest concern about your mother talking to dead people? How she will handle her accounts receivable?" Bad Andie quipped.

"Hilarious."

"Besides, ghosts are sexy."

"Huh?"

"Oh yes. Check out these titles when you aren't busy saving the world—The Spirit is Willing, Phantom Touch, Multiple Phantasms, Fifty Shades."

Everything went quiet as Star's engines cut out. After the ship settled, the door opened, and the gangplank lowered to the lawn. The air rushing in smelled like car exhaust and cut grass. Birdsong rose from the trees. A far-off siren screamed into the night.

Andie was home, where everything was familiar. And while it relieved her to have made it back, she had a pang of sadness about the loss of adventure. Traveling to the stars had been epic. And had included Oliver. But it was over and time for Andie to reenter real life. Like coming back to work after two weeks in Hawaii sipping Piña coladas, where your biggest worry was an even-application of sunscreen. Except she'd had plenty of worries while traveling through space. So why did she feel this way?