Banished To Earth Book One (36)

 “Stop it,” Pry yelled, “You’re not being fair. She deserves a chance. She deserves to belong. It’s not right to push her away!”

   “Strange world the Earth has become,” said Silhouette, her demeanour growing darker with every word she spoke. “A monster pleading a Hunter’s case. Crazy. No one has ever pleaded my case before. No one has ever been on my side before, on my stomach, sure lots of times.” She bowed her head, letting her long black hair drape over her face like a veil. “Especially dear old Dad. Of course, I was little then. Not a Hunter, not strong, just a weak, defenceless kid, biding her time.  Waiting.” Her words seemed to emanate from somewhere other than her mouth, which they could no longer see.

   She strolled up to Pry. Chase started toward them, but Pry waved him back. “It’s alright, Chase, I think I understand. He hurt you. Did he not? Silhouette, your father?”

  The Huntress swiped her hair from her face and sucked a stray bit of filth from under her thumbnail. “Yeah, he hurt me all right. But let's not forget my sweet, sweet Mommie, pretending not to see with her cold, better you than me eyes.”

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  Pry rushed to her side and gently grasped her hand. “How awful. I am so sorry, Silhouette. But we can help. We want you with us. Join us. Be a part of our family. Not all people are like that. There are others. Regular, unchanged people.  They are good, kind and giving.”

   Silhouette slowly pulled her hand away. “And where were these good people? Where were they? When he was inside of me! Where were they? People,” She growled, a moment before she clasped her mouth and dropped to her knees, inches from Pry’s feet.

  “I think she’s going to throw up.” Said Chase, a hint of sympathy in his voice. “You’d better step back.”

    Pry’s hair slowly fanned up. She lifted her foot.

    Silhouette saw it. Her hand struck like a rattlesnake at Pry’s foot. Her fingers bit into her ankle and snatched the tiny alien off her feet. Pry’s face slammed into the sand.

  “Oh no.” Said Silhouette triumphantly, “You’re not ripping me open. No one’s ever doing that to me again!”

     She snatched Pry high into the air, slung her around and around, like a whip, a perfect defense against her razor-sharp hair. And like a whip, she was about to snap it and pop Pry’s head from her body.  

   “Catch!” She hollered at Chase.

   “Don’t!” Chase threw himself at her, but not before Tucker shot feet first from the shift portal he had just opened inches from Silhouette’s head.

  The thick heel of his left boot struck her right temple with such force that it knocked her off her feet and broke her death grip on Pry.

    Both young women tumbled across the sand in opposite directions. Chase, who had just missed Silhouette, ploughed headfirst into the beach and was just now pushing his face up from the salty grit. He looked up and saw Tucker walking toward him, dragging Silhouette’s limp body, her long black hair clenched tight in his fist.

   Pry limped toward Chase, wobbling and disoriented. “Are you all right?” She asked, kneeling beside him.

   “Am I all right? If you’re good, I’m great.”

   Tucker lifted Silhouette. She dangled from his fist like an empty sock. He was fully prepared to punch her out if she so much as fluttered an eyelid. She did not.

 

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    Satisfied, she was truly unconscious, he fastened his eyes on the furthest stretch of beach he could see, opened a portal and tossed her in. Not bothering to see if she popped out in one piece or a mushy mass of portal-grated flesh, he turned toward Chase. Pry had been kneeling by him but was now cradled on his lap.

     “Is she hurt?” His face was red with anger. He dropped beside them, reached out and stroked Pry’s head. Her eyes were closed, but she had no visible injuries. Her long white hair curved up and over Tucker’s right hand, gently caressing it.

    “I am good.” She mewed, “But my head is spinning.”

   Chase grinned, “She’s enjoying a cheap drunk.”

      “This is not at all enjoyable.” Said Pry.

     “And it almost cost her her life. Nothing cheap about that.” Tucker said even as he scanned the area.

   “Silhouette?”

  “I tossed her down the beach.”

   “She is not trash, Tucker! Did you kill her?”

   “Pry. He just saved you.” Chase chided.

   “To tell you the truth, don’t know don’t care.”

    She noticed how gently her hair was swaddling his hand. And gave him a tiny smile. “Thank you.”

   “We shouldn’t stay here much longer.” Said Chase as he, like Tucker, searched the sea and sand for any stray beast or new Hunters. There were none. “Are you hurting anywhere?”

   The wind had picked up and was blowing across the waves. She filled her lungs with sea spray. “I am sober now. We can go,” she hesitated…

    Chase sighed, “To Trudy’s house.”

   They rose. He swiped a large portal and left the beach empty, except for Silhouette…

 

     Chapter 21

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   Coming out of a shift portal was stepping from one room into another, albeit rooms separated by a great distance. Any barrier would move out of the way or deflect one’s path. However, deflection did not necessarily mean no collisions.

   Trudy was about to set a tray of milk and freshly baked cookies on the coffee table when Chase’s portal opened right in front of her. She jumped and stumbled into Tucker. Tray milk and cookies slammed against his chest. Trudy fell back on her heels. His right hand shot through the air like a bullet, stopped and gently grasped Trudy’s left arm, with inhuman deft and tenderness.

    His eyes darted, then softened as laughter and Trudy’s cute face instantly melted his instinctive defenses.

  “What! Where? How? Who?” She sputtered, clumsily regaining her footing and nervously smiling up at the handsome newcomer, like a schoolgirl “I, I’m so sorry. But you just….”

     “I know.” He was also wearing a grin, a grin everyone saw but him. “I just popped right in. This is on me.”

  They were both blushing. Chase wiped off milk dripping from his chin and grinned at Pry. Who was giggling as loudly as Nikki, who was already wrapped around her leg.

   “The milk or the cookies?” Asked Chase.

   “Both,” Tucker drawled, surveying his beautiful surroundings as he spoke. “You must be Trudy.”

   She shot Chase a wary glance, “Yep, my whole life.”

  “Like I said, sorry for just bustin’ in.’”  

   “He saved us, Trudy.” Pry quickly added, “He is good.”

   “Well, that’s good enough for me.”

  “You okay with all this?” Tucker asked.

  “Don’t have no choice, now do we?”

  He shrugged, “Not a bit.”

  “Come on, this big fancy house has lots of bathrooms, let's get you cleaned up.”

   “That’s mighty trustin’ of you, and mighty kind.”

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    “My Ma’ always said when you cain’t find good in the world ya’ hafta’  go out and make it yourself.”

   “Smart woman. Thinkin’ you’re just like her.”

   “Oh, hush.” Her face turned tomato red.

    It was as if they had always known each other.