Wolf Heart

Chapter 36

Tick. Tick

Tick. Tick

AVA

Dinner at Rayan's ended on a quiet note, and when she tried to call James to get him to come over, he never answered. Outside of the back window, the sun set behind a twilight horizon and slipped out of existence. James left her on read, and she sighed. "He's not answering me," she mumbled as Rayan loomed beside her.

"Do you... want to play a game of Starcross?" Rayan asked. "Try to get your mind off everything and see if he calls you back?"

Ava glanced at Mrs. Falae, who stood on the back patio who spoke through her compearl. Is she talking to Mom? Or Dad? Ava took in a breath, then nodded. "Okay. I'll play. You're going to have to teach me though."

Rayan led her outside, past Mrs. Falae, who stepped to the side to scoop up a datapad on the table. Ava caught the netbat he tossed to her, along with a starball and joined Rayan on the makeshift pitch.

Green waves fluttered through the grass. Rayan clicked his tongue. "Ready?"

Ava nodded and readied her weapon of mass Starcross destruction.

It went back and forth for another half hour, with her failing to grasp the basics. Ava shook her head when Rayan scored on her goal, where the starball bounced along. "Darn," she teased. "I guess I just wasn't meant for Starcross. Jon will be disappointed in me."

Rayan laughed and swung his bat across his shoulders and rushed to retrieve the starball. Ava moved to help, but stopped when a sharp explosion shuddered the ground, with the outside pool water shivering. Ava listened, but tipped her head at the continued quiet.

Everything went still, but Mrs. Falae snapped to her feet with her hand to her compearl.

"What was that?" Ava questioned and turned to the rising smoke.

It went quiet.

Rayan pursed his lips. "It sounded like someone setting off starfires — or a generator explosion." He moved past her goalpost. "Want me to teach you some shots that'll really knock Jon's socks off?"

"Rayan Falae," Mrs. Falae bit. "Get yourselves over here now."

Ava frowned at Mrs. Falae's behaviour as she hopped off the patio steps. "Mom?" Rayan asked as she ran for them, then shoved them back towards the patio before travelling deeper into the yard. Ava drew her attention to the night sky, where stars lit up in rainbow colours and dancing movements. It set the astral heavens in a faint glow. Chills crawled through her spine as Rayan tugged her onto the patio. Ava clung onto Rayan as Mrs. Falae paced the backyard, a mother dragon searching for an unseen intruder in her nest. Moments stretched onto eternity as Mrs. Falae turned to the direction of the Eastpoint generators, then to the opposite end. Her eyes widened, and Ava jumped when she hurried over to them.

"Get inside," she hissed, firm and authoritative. "Get inside, now."

"Mrs. Falae?" Ava headed into the mansion, pushed with Rayan. Mrs. Falae kept them against the wall before racing to the SAI panel. Darkness overtook the manor in a sweeping wave, with the lights fluttering without power above her head. Mrs. Falae ignored it to click the lock button, where things in the mansion clicked and locked in response. Ava clung onto Rayan when Mrs. Falae returned to them, then tugged them to the basement stairway.

"Stay," Mrs. Falae ordered and urged them to sit on the ground. Metal shutters rolled closed behind her. Ava stared up at her as she turned her back to them, a shield to the darkness as she unhooked a compearl off the SAI unit, then clipped it to her ear. "This is Unit: Alpha Star — all Elites, confirm locations and posts. Any nearby Strike units converge on the rendezvous point and respond."