Bones in the Sand by Julie Steimle (books to read to get smarter txt) 📕

The door opened.

"Your minute is up. Come on young - " The nurse then cursed, abruptly shoved into the doorjamb by the tall lanky boy with a black T-shirt with a large green X on it. He was clenching a newspaper in his hands, shaking from excitement.

"Zormna! Jeff! Look!"

"Darren...." Zormna moaned, getting annoyed. He had the worst timing. Also, Darren had flung himself across Jeff's bed, jerking Jeff over so he could look at the paper's front page.

"Look at the picture!" Darren panted. Sweat under his arms and on his forehead and back seeped out.

Zormna noticed, wondering at him.

"You ran here?" Jeff said, rolling over. He tried to let his eyes focus on the paper, but it was too close to his face.

"Darren! Back up," Zormna barked, shoving him off.

"Oh, sorry. I just got so excited. Look! I found it in the pile of papers I cleaned up in Chemistry. It's actually a tabloid, but look at the picture!" Darren placed the paper flat on Jeff's lap.

"Now see here!" the nurse bellowed after them, fuming red. She was bruised from Darren's entrance. "You get out this instant, the both of you! That boy needs his rest!"

Jeff peered over the picture and the headline: Archaeologists Dig up Alien Helmet in Arizona: Could There be a Space Ship? The picture showed five college students holding up a whitish rounded helmet-like object and a human skull. At first Jeff blinked and was about to lay back down in annoyance, but Zormna gasped.

"Jafarr! Look!" She pointed at the helmet.

He squinted, but his eyes were still fighting to focus after the dizzy spell.

"Darren, would you get off!" Jeff growled while attempting to sit up.

Darren jerked back from the cot and nudged the paper at him.

Jeff took another look at the picture, trying to focus his eyes.

"I said get out!" the nurse bellowed with her hands on her hips.

They ignored her.

Jeff's eyes widened on the article. He sat up completely, pulling the paper closer to his face. He then read over the article, muttering each word under his breath. Jeff dropped the newspaper and stared at Darren. "When was this printed?"

Darren peered over at the date at the top of the page. "Uh, early January, I think."

Jeff pored over the paper again. He then stared at Zormna. "This is my answer! My bones! My visions! Look!" He shoved the paper into Zormna's hands for her to read.

Zormna pulled at it, staring at the words.

"Didn't you two hear me? Get out now!" The nurse's voice had become uncommonly shrill.

Jeff grabbed his jacket and stood up.

"Not you," the nurse said, pushing him back down.

Jeff fell back on his cot, shooting the nurse a dirty look. Zormna and Darren stood up, taking the paper with them.

"We'll go," Zormna said. She then turned to Jeff. "You get some rest. Maybe you'll be able to see where those bones exactly are in Arizona."

Darren didn't quite understand the remark about bones, but he followed Zormna out the door anyway.

Jeff nodded with a heavy groan as he stared up at the stern nurse. She shoved the other two out and closed the door.

"And you get some rest!" the nurse barked back at Jeff, turning back once more.

"Fine." Jeff flopped back onto his pillow, hoping the lightheadedness would go away soon. He had things to do.

" 'Way! 'Way! The Martians are coming!'" p.78

"Uncle Orren" stared at Jeff ponderously while listening to everything he had related about what had happened that day at school. Then he turned to look at Zormna who was waiting impatiently for the man to say something.

"Well?" she pressed for a response, looking anxious. To be honest, she didn't like 'Uncle Orren' very much. He was like a swelled pufferfish at times - prickly, and gazing down on her and Jeff whenever she came around. And worse, his first reaction was often proud and skeptical, no matter what they said. 

 "You certainly are sure this is what Jafarr was seeing in his visions then," Uncle Orren stated, not even looking at Jeff.

Jeff rolled his eyes and glanced at Zormna. His tolerance level with his pretended uncle was higher. But then Zormna was always a little hot-headed.

"Yes," Zormna said, nudging Darren to speak.

Darren had been standing there, sweating and dumbstruck. Unlike Zormna and Jeff, who were both around his age, the adult 'Martian' was much more intimidating for him. He could not even manage a 'hi' when he saw Uncle Orren at the supermarket. But then the man ignored Darren like he would a pimple he could not get rid of. Darren stuttered. "I...I...I think...uh...that...uh...l...l... looking at the helmet you can s...s...see that it isn't just a hoa...hoa...hoax."

Darren swallowed to catch his breath.

Jeff nodded, ignoring Darren's nerves. "Not only that, but read the article again. It was found in the middle of nowhere. It has to be my desert."

"And your visions have stopped?" Uncle Orren examined Jeff's face, specially his eyes.

Jeff nodded sharply. "And the fainting spells. I think once I knew what it was I was seeing, there was no more need for me to have the visions."

Nodding Uncle Orren nodded. He stood up.

"Well, we already contacted M, and he says the men on the project have been busy out of state, in Florida I think he said." Uncle Orren shook his head grimly. "Are you sure about this?"

Jeff nodded.

The older man sighed. "Ok. We'll have our guys looking around Arizona to see if they can find anything - but that is one big desert out there."

Jeff nodded.

Darren blinked. Then he shakily raised his hand. "Uh...sir...Mr. Orren or whatever uh... sir, uh...I have an idea."

Uncle Orren turned his eyes to him, raising his eyebrows. He seemed slightly amused at the way Darren spoke to him, though he did nothing to correct him. "Yes?"

Darren swallowed. "Well, uh, I go to these chat rooms, see.... And uh, there's this one room where there's this guy - a UFO fanatic...."

 Uncle Orren smirked wryly at Darren, since that was how everyone saw him.

 "...That knows this other guy who calls himself Green Meanie. I think he might be able to link you up and find this...uh...this dig site."

"What makes you think that?" Uncle Orren stared up at the lanky boy, frowning gravely.

Cringing, Darren peeked at Zormna and Jeff. "Uh, he's into ancient aliens. Conspiracy theory stuff that includes archaeology. My friend says he's an expert."

Looking to Jeff who shrugged with a glance at Zormna as she peevishly averted her gaze, Uncle Orren sighed. He looked back to Darren. "Ok, go to it." He turned and headed to the study - the one room Darren was forbidden to enter.

Stiffly, Darren swallowed, peeking towards Jeff and Zormna who both shot him a there you have it look.

"That means yes," Jeff said, watching Darren's confused expression.

Darren took in a deep breath, and let it out again. Normally their people wanted him as far away from their situation as possible. Them allowing him in their secret circle was step in a new direction, and he wasn't sure if he should be happy about it, or frightened.

Zormna headed toward the door as if the conversation was done, implying to Darren that they ought to go together. It was pretty cold, and it was getting dark. Besides, they were neighbors.

Jeff walked them to the door, but did not grab his jacket or his boots.

"You're not coming?" Zormna asked, looking at him with surprise. Usually Jeff escorted her places, as Zormna no longer had the car she had bought at the beginning of the school year. It now belonged to Jennifer.

He shook his head. "I'm exhausted. Besides, our friendly neighborhood FBI watchers are waiting for anything suspicious. And since Darren came to my place, that's pretty suspicious. I think it would be better if you two left together and I didn't come."

Darren nodded.

Jeff opened the door and waved them out.

Resigned, Zormna tramped down the steps to the road, not looking back. But Darren peeked back at Jeff who watched them like he was entrusting Zormna's life in Darren's hands. Of course, Darren knew he was more like a walking witness rather than a bodyguard for her, as Zormna could kick his butt easily.

Darren and Zormna walked the long stretch back toward their homes mostly in silence. Talking about what was on their minds was a bad idea, considering who might be listening in. And as the frigid sun was setting, resting on the mountains to the west and casting long cold shadows over the icy roads, both of them seemed occupied. Jeff's place was farther than the distance from their homes to the school so both teenagers' teeth were chattering when they entered Darren's front door. They noticed the FBI car that parked near Zormna's house. The occupants stirred when they saw her go into Darren's home rather than her own, something she had never done before ever.

"Mom! I'm home!" Darren called out and closed the door.

Zormna looked around the front room. On the right, a set of stairs led up from the cozy tiled entryway, the living room to the left. The front room had a cheery, warm, yellowish glow which emanated from the many soft lamps around the room. In the air, Zormna could smell Italian food cooking: oregano and basil - two aromas she was now familiar with and honestly enjoyed.

"Darren! Where were you? Dinner's almost on!" His mother's voice called from the kitchen in the back of the house. It had a youthful, concerned, yet relieved sound to it. Zormna was a little surprised, as she had expected Darren to be a trying sort of child who would have worn a mother out.

Darren pulled off his winter boots and his shoes, motioning for Zormna to do the same. He tossed them on a rustic shoe and coat rack which was securely screwed to the wall.

"I was at a friend's place," he said, waving for Zormna to hang her coat and scarf up on the coat rack. She shrugged and did as bade, still gazing about the room. The living room was decorated with lace curtains, hand tatted, and there were crocheted doilies and embroidered cushions on the matching plaid couches. It was a bit like the Hendersons' house, actually. The same kind of feel. A little less second-hand though.

"Oh, really? Did you go to that Jeremy Daniels' house? He's a nice boy," her voice said cheerfully. The gentle bang of the oven rack as it was being pulled out came with the sound of heavy contents heaved onto the top of the stove with a weighted thud.

"No, Mom, I went to Jeff Streigle's house." Darren started across the living room but turned back to see if Zormna had left everything on the shoe and coat rack. She had. But in her sock feet, she was now wondering what to do with her book bag. He mouthed, 'just take it'. She slung it on her shoulder.

"I don't think I know this boy. Is his mother in the PTA?" The oven door closed, the springs screeching. Patting of slippers sounded on the kitchen linoleum.

Darren walked across the living room to the kitchen. He said in a lower voice, "Uh, no, Mom. He lives with his aunt and uncle. He's a