Bright Star (14 page)

Jackson drove up to the complex and the thick white wall seemed to pull right back and open for him. Upon closer inspection, one could see it was an arcing gate only designed to look like a portion of the wall. He stopped at the entrance of the gate At first glance, it didn’t look as if there was anything beyond the gate but a long cobblestone driveway. Jackson rolled down his window and leaned out. Bright Star peered around him as he talked with the security guard leaning out of a dark green guard booth that blended smoothing into the foliage behind. The guard was not close enough for Jackson to reach him from his car. However, a wand slid out of the side of the guard house and Jackson swiped a badge against it. The wand retracted and Jackson eased his car forward about ten feet. It was at that point he reached out of the window and held his hand in the air. The touch screen appeared out of what seemed like thin air. Jackson pressed his entire hand against it. He introduced Bright Star as his guest to no one in particular. He indicated that she roll her window down and hold out her hand. The touch screen appeared next to her hand and she also pressed her hand as it prompted. The heavy gate slid open and they drove inside.

“Very nice,” Bright Star breathed.

“Yes, but I have to tell you, though, this entrance has the least security of any of them. It’s not the employee entrance. There are a couple thousand people who work inside and most come in from east and west underground entrances. This public entrance is where tours come through, et cetera. They don’t get the full treatment because they don’t get access to ninety percent of the building. Most don’t even know the rest exists.”

Bright Star listened but her eyes grew wide as they neared the massive white structure.

“Oh, if you think the outside is impressive, you’ll definitely love the surprise I have in store.”

Jackson drove round to the west of the building, ensuring Bright Star had the opportunity to see the impressive flora that surrounded it. Positioned all around the porch, rocking chairs gave the image of being very quaint but not nearly as deceptive as they needed to be. Jackson got out of the car then went around to Bright Star’s side to open the door for her. She accepted his hand to help her out though they both knew she didn’t need it. He led her into the west lobby and through another security checkpoint. He waved to a tall woman and chatted with her as he signed Bright Star in.

“Can you just bring anybody you want in here?”

“There are certain perks to being one in a trillion.”

“Precocial?” she offered, letting the word roll slowly off her tongue.

“Yes,” Jackson gave a cocky smirk. “Hey, we have to stop by my office for a minute first.”

“OK,” she said and followed him to a room with an expansive glass window. Inside, there were bookcases, file cabinets, a desk and a computer, a baseball trophy, and a picture turned toward the seat at the desk. Bright Star went over to it and turned it around. There was a flaxen-haired Jackson probably no more than four years old being held with his fingers fussing intently with the top button on the woman’s—obviously their mother—blouse. She was holding him with one arm and pressing a kiss to his forehead. Her other hand was tangled in Rush’s who seemed, even then, dark and brooding. He looked foreign and unrelated to the other two. He stared right into the camera. Bright Star ran a tapered finger over his face. Jackson was glad she only touched cool glass.

He cleared his throat, “Let me call Sandoval and make sure he’s ready for you,” he said, then made the call. “He wants us to give him fifteen minutes. We’ll take the scenic route to his office.”

Bright Star started to follow him out of the office. Jackson could feel her disapproval as she could probably sense his discomfort with the way she looked at that picture of his brother.

Jackson led her to a set of double doors and swiped his badge again to allow them access. With the sound of cicadas and the feel of humid air on her skin, Bright Star knew they were outside again, this time at the center of the building. There were compact metal tables and chairs dotting the perimeter of what looked to Bright Star like a sawed off lighthouse. She said as much.

“What is it?” she asked as they went up to the door of the round building in the center of the courtyard.

“The observatory,” Jackson answered, then reached for her hand again.

Inside, there were just two other people in the darkened room. They were sitting one seat apart in seats that looked very much like those in a movie theater and discussing something related to hot gases and Energy. Jackson didn’t know either of them, but they apparently knew him. They didn’t ask if he had permission to be there—Jackson had permission to be anywhere. No, they just watched him as if they were watching a rock star. That’s how people saw him at the Service. He was a celebrity amongst Shifters. He was the most powerful and unique of all the Shifters. He was precocial.

He was nothing in comparison to his brother.

Hell, Jackson already suspected he was no comparison even to the woman standing beside him. Suddenly, there was thudding in his chest and goose bumps shot along his arms. “The sensors,” he rasped.

“Don’t worry,” Bright Star smiled. “I figured you’d have sensors here.”

“But if they find you...”

“I said don’t worry,” she whispered with a finger to his lips to quiet him. “I dimmed my Energy when we drove up, remember? They won’t pick me up.”

“If they do—”

“If they do, then they will know I’m an unregistered Shifter and you’ll tell them that’s why I’m here. Dr. Sandoval will confirm you were bringing me to him so that I could be documented. My Energy won’t be high enough for them to truly care about me, knowing that I am, have been, and always will be in your care.” Jackson clamped down hard on the inside of his cheek upon hearing those words. She didn’t mean them the way he wanted, but just hearing them… “I’m telling you, they won’t pick me up.”

“How do you do that?” Jackson asked when she moved her hand.

Bright Star didn’t answer.

“Look up,” he said to her finally.

Bright Star had been glancing around the room uneasily but she hadn’t looked at the ceiling. When she did, she gasped.

“Oh…” She brought a hand up to cover her mouth.

“Amazing, isn’t it?” Jackson asked.

“Yes,” she nodded her head in awe.

Above them was the night sky, but apparently not the night sky as Bright Star had ever seen it. Her mouth lolled open as she took in the view.

They were silent for long minutes until Jackson stepped closer to her and asked, “What are you looking at?”

“That place there,” Bright Star pointed.

“What about it?” Jackson struggled to see what she saw.

“It’s empty,” she stated simply.

Jackson followed her slender finger and scratched his head. There was a spot. A spot he could probably block out with his thumb. A spot that was nothing short of blank. “So?” There were many blank spots. It was, after all, space.

“Nothing,” she choked out.

Startled by her voice, Jackson glanced down at her. She looked vulnerable and he could barely see her eyes.

“How do you do that?” He felt compelled to ask for the second time of the night.

Bright Star didn’t pretend not to know what he meant. “I can dim my eyes when necessary. Most times it isn’t even necessary because they just don’t burn as brightly if I’m not expending Energy.”

“But you dim more than your eyes,” he pressed.

“Yes. I mask my Energy as well.”

“How?” he asked. No one at the Service even believed it to be possible. “I am amazed every time I see you do it.”

“I’m not as good as you at explaining things. Maybe one day I’ll try to show you.”

Jackson thought for a moment then asked, “Does it hurt?”

“What? When my eyes are bright?” she laughed. “No, not at all. Doesn’t even sting. I can only tell they are doing it when everything in the world turns blue.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“Bright Star?” Jackson started. “I need to know what will make you stop hurting yourself.”

“Why?”

“Why?” Jackson barked. “Because no one should spend all of their days trying to end them, that’s why. Because no one should hurt the way you hurt especially at your own free will. Because I care about you. Because watching you dying
twice
is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. God, I don’t know how the hell to get through to you! You just can’t go around hurting yourself, for any reason. You could
die
. You don’t seem to comprehend the fact that you could permanently hurt yourself or
die
. You need help, that’s why. And, like I said I… I care about you,” he ended helplessly.

“Jackson, I have given you my reasoning over and over again. I don’t believe I will die, because I do not believe he will let me die. And, Jackson, he hasn’t. He is so much more than you can comprehend. Jackson, all you do is tell me that what I say can’t be true. You don’t want it to be true. You don’t want to believe I have done these things to get through to Rush. But that’s the reason. And you can never understand why I would hurt myself because—”

Jackson turned his back on her knowing full well what she was going to say. He didn’t want to hear it.

“Because you can’t hurt.”

Jackson said nothing. Finally, he turned back. He just stood there not looking at her. But even though he couldn’t see her, her scent penetrated his wall of defense anyway. Finally, he felt her little hand slide over the bulky muscles of his back and arm as she came around to face him. He raised his chin an inch to look beyond her. She tilted her head to the side.

“You want me.”

Jackson’s mouth popped open but he didn’t say anything.

“We both know it, Jackson,” she pressed. “Your Energy smells of it, and I’m—”

“Do not,” he commanded through a tight jaw. “Do not tell me you’re flattered.”

She smiled patiently, “I won’t say it, but you have to know that Rush and I…” She stuttered uncharacteristically, “That’s to say Rush—”

Jackson shook his head bitterly. “It didn’t appear Rush wanted anything to do with you at all.”

Bright Star’s cheeks and neck stained crimson. She averted her gaze and said quickly, “No. Rush tries hard every day to pretend I’m not even there.”

“Then why?” Jackson’s hand clamped around her upper arms.

“You won’t understand. Rush and I are meant to orbit each other and there is nothing in this world or the next that can change that.”

“That’s bullshit.”

“That’s truth, Jackson,” she bit out.

“But, Bright Star,” Jackson breathed desperately. “He doesn’t even care about you. He doesn’t want you. How can you bear it?”

“It is fate,” was her exasperating answer. “It will happen. Like New Year’s Day will happen. It will happen.”

“Bright Star!” Jackson yelled and clapped his hands forcefully in front of her face. It was almost as if he was trying to wake her from a powerful trance. Then he lowered his voice immediately as the two other stargazers turned their way. “What is wrong with you?”

Neither his action nor his tone so much as startled Bright Star. She merely blinked at him. “There’s nothing wrong with me. I just believe something you don’t. You don’t believe in fate and yet you brought me here, here to an observatory of all places.”

Jackson was confused. “What’s wrong with bringing you to an observatory? I thought you would like it.”

“Why on Earth would you think that?” Her voice rose an octave. She truly sounded horrified at the very idea.