Light Speed by Arkadie, L. (accelerated reader books .TXT) 📕

appears more puzzledthan before. In his moment of pause, I finally notice the people:there are lots of them. Then he throws his head back and laughs soloudly that the passing humans eye him with a certain amount ofdisdain, which I find alarming. This time there’s nothing sinistercoloring the tone of his laugh.

“Did your father also tell you to look bothways before crossing the street?” He’s still grinning, amused.

“Yes, he did,” I reply, remembering that.“Although he didn’t say that precisely; but his words were verysimilar.” He’s still grinning at me in that peculiar way. “What isit?” I ask him but he’s immediately distracted by a number ofhumans passing us in a single-file line.

“It’s too late to repent,” their voices risein unison. “The sun is blood, judgment is soon, and then thepit.”

Their brown and yellow faces are slatheredwith black ashes. The energy they emit is strong with fear anddespair. Little ones are even trailing behind them, and they arealso terrified.

My companion snorts at them and then twistshis head to bark over his shoulder, “The sun isn’t blood youidiots!”

“You shouldn’t say that to them,” Iautomatically scold, keeping my voice low.

“I thought you were a proponent of thetruth.”

“Proponent of the truth?” I give somethought to the vernacular he used. “Do you mean that I’m anadvocate for truth?”

After taking a moment to study me with thoseamused eyes of his, he grunts, “Ha,” and then tugs me toward thestreet. “We should get moving. I won’t let you get hit by a car,Adore.”

We’re almost across the street before I’mable to part my lips to object. However, I decide against sayinganything since we’ve made it across safely.

“See,” he turns to say as we step onto thesidewalk on the other side of the street. “I told you I’ll keep yousafe, although I can’t take credit for it.”

He points and I look where his long whitefinger directs my eyes. There’s something that looks like a longwooden bench in the middle of the road.

“Traffic is blocked,” he says.

A number of humans zip past us. Althoughtheir eyes search in all directions, they manage to stop on me andstudy me for a number of seconds before shifting to my companion.One by one they do this, and I am curious as to what is so puzzlingabout us. Can they tell that we are not fully of their species? Thehumans continue to regard us curiously but I can no longer focus onthem because I can’t take my eyes off the white-haired Selell. Heis apprehensive and peering ahead very judiciously. We’ve increasedour pace as he takes a long look over his shoulder. His eyesconnect to something and before I can see what that is, he tugs meinto him, curls an arm around me, pulling me closer to him.

“This way,” he hurriedly whispers. Our feetare off the ground as he makes haste to guide me past a glass doorto one of the establishments lining the long, busy sidewalk.

We’re safely inside an establishment. Theelectrical lighting is dim. A spare number of humans sit at square,white- and gold-swirled marble-topped tables. Each one of them hasa quietness about them - no, a solemnity about them.However, like the people on the outside, they’re observing us. Iwatch two male-type human beings whisper to each other withouttaking their eyes off of me and then their eyes regard thewhite-haired Selell. We are receiving too much attention frombeings who are capable of inflicting so much pain on those who aredifferent from them, and that cannot be good for us.

“What sort of place is this?” I ask becausethe ambiance makes me nervous.

I lift my palm, intending to abolish anynegative energy and replace it with peace and benevolence. Butbefore I can release the i’lek’u, my companion obstructs my hand.His long fingers completely cover mine.

“What in the hell do you think you’redoing?” he gripes.

The two men are still watching us. “Why arethey looking at us in that manner? I detect evil intentions.”

Once again, he tosses his head back tolaugh. I notice how his lengthy tresses spread across his broadshoulders. Some of the mank’taks wear their hair in such a way, buthis locks are more graceful, cascading down from his scalp like thecrystal clear liquid of the Geng’ket Falls.

He suddenly turns quiet and gently swipesthe back of his long fingers across my cheek. I’m mesmerized by hisnow dark green eyes which seem to have grown lighter since I lastlooked into them.

“They’re watching you because, even beforelife, humans regard beauty; even when shit’s like this.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t understand how you areusing the word, shit.”

“You never heard the word “shit”before?”

“Yes, I have, but not in the context thatyou have just used it in.”

He lowers his face to meet mine. “This isthe shit they’re in,” he whispers. “The sun is missing and they’reslowly going insane.” He roams the room with his eyes. “I give thema solid month before they snap and start killing each other. It’stheir nature,” he hisses past clenched teeth.

I shake my head skeptically, refusing tobelieve the apparent truth. “No,” I staunchly say, “The Creatorgave the Earth a sun. It can’t just disappear.”

“Hey, take it up with your creator,not me. Hell.” He lifts his arms and shakes his hands to make apoint, “I thrive in the night.”

I scowl at him. “Apparently this is allamusing to you.”

“Not really.” He takes a moment to gaze atme. “But you, Ad’ru. You amuse me.”

There…

I’m watching his eyes grow perceptiblylighter until he twists his body around to search behind him. Hefocuses on the glass door and then turns his alarmed expression tome.

“What?” I ask, now that he’s transferred hispanic.

“Here,” he says and without permissiongathers my hair in one hand and twists the long wavy strands,working very fast.

When he’s done, my long locks are knotted atthe nape of my neck. I reach back to touch the tight ball,wondering why he did that and how?

He curls his arm around mine and then guidesme to a stool at a very high counter. We both sit with our backs tothe door and the Selell once again lowers his face to mine. “Youwant to find your sister, Na’ta?” he