Drifters (Stars Edge: Nel Bently Book 2) Read online

  This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.

  DRIFTERS

  Copyright © 2016 by Sara Voorhis

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher at the address below.

  Amphibian Press

  P.O. Box 190

  West Peterborough NH

  03468

  www.amphibianpressbooks.com

  www.vsholmes.com

  ISBN : 9780998333212

  Discover the rest of Nel Bently Books:

  Travelers

  Drifters

  Strangers

  Heretics

  Enjoy Fantasy? Check out my dark epic fantasy series!

  Smoke and Rain

  Lightning and Flames

  Madness and Gods

  Blood and Mercy

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  ONE

  “Lucy, I'm home.” Nel's whisper wound through the deserted house. She dropped her bag on the bench by the door and sighed. As much as she loved flying, eighteen hours of air travel made her body ache.

  Extracting a sweating beer from the Trader Joe's bag on the counter, she meandered through the house. Lights did little to warm the empty space as she made sure everything was how she left it a week ago. She turned on her desk lamp and ran her fingers over the stack of half finished lesson plans. There was another week before she really had to work on them.

  The thought of going back was unbearable.

  She turned the light off again and stepped onto the back stoop. Brown grass and plastic lawn furniture was a poor excuse for a patio, but it was hers. Her knees cracked as she sank onto the steps. Sunlight dripped across the sky above the scraggly pines between her joke of a lawn and the wetlands beyond. Peepers sang their last love songs of the season. It was cool, compared to Chile, but still warm enough for just shorts and a tee. She tipped back her beer, enjoying the microbrew she missed all summer. Mikey’s echo eased down beside her. “Last gasp of summer, eh?” Talking to a ghost was morbid, but no one was there to judge her. “One week left of freedom before we're expected to be adults again.”

  His response would have been teasing. “If you had your way you'd still be a party-hard grad student with a different girl in your bed each night.”

  “If I had my way you wouldn't be dead.” She glanced over. The spot beside her was empty, the porch clammy from the morning's rain. She tugged her phone from her pocket and switched off airplane mode. Two texts from Martos, and a phone call from the college. She thumbed through to Lin's number, in case she missed something. Nothing. Before thinking better of it, she tapped the green button.

  “We're sorry, the number you are trying to reach is no longer in service. Please check the number and try again.”

  She pursed her lips and tossed the phone across the porch. Lin and Chile and spacecraft were worlds away from her now, a distant dream. Despite bordering on a nightmare for half the time, she didn't want to wake from it. Clouds dotted the darkening sky. See that blue star, somewhere between here and there.

  Her groceries thawed on the counter, but she couldn't bring herself to get up to make dinner. “It's not fair, you know.” She addressed the expanse of dry grass, as if Mikey still stood there, poking at the fire they always lit at the end of summer vacation. “First you, then Lin? I'm the one that's supposed to do the leaving.”

  •

  Smoke. Screaming. The sizzle-thunder of Lin’s weapon. The wet crunch of her trowel’s blade sliding into firm flesh. This time it was Mikey writhing under the sharpened tool. Screaming. Smoke.

  Nel’s eyes flew open, adrenaline and fear propelling her from the dream. Nightmare. She fumbled for her phone on her bedside, finding nothing. With a groan, she pushed herself upright and staggered to the bathroom.

  Nothing was unpacked and her phone was still missing. “Thanks, past Nel.”

  She found it on the back porch, damp and with 3% battery. Shit. The time flashed on the screen as she plugged it in to charge in the kitchen, along with three calendar reminders of her morning meeting with Martos in nineteen minutes. Shit!

  She skittered down the hall, hauling her lesson plans from her bag and dumping them on the counter. It would give the illusion that she bothered to look them over.

  A shower and clean business clothes made a world of difference, but the tan face peering back from the mirror still bore unfamiliar lines and shadows. I look like a vagabond. The nightmare still echoed in her emotions. It might not have been Mikey in the burning shed, but it was someone.

  Martos pulled in the drive before she had time to dry her hair, so she rushed to the kitchen and put the water on. Avoiding the papers on the counter was hard, but the sight of Mikey’s handwriting made her want to scream.

  The bell rang and she poked her head down the hall. “Come in!” She could not meet the man’s eyes. Not yet. Last time I saw him we were dropping handfuls of dirt over an urn.

  Martos wheeled into the kitchen. “I can't believe they finally paved that road. First time in years I didn't fear for my alignment.”

  Nel laughed and jerked a nod at the fridge. “I've got some muffins in there if you're interested. And kettle's just boiled.”

  “I’ll pass on the muffins—dentist appointment later. Roobios would be lovely, though.”

  She grinned to herself as she filled his already prepared mug. He never changed. She leaned on the counter across from him after making her coffee. “So what did you want to talk about?”

  “I wanted to see how you're doing. School's just around the corner and you haven't been to the office once.”

  She looked down. “I'm doing all right. It's kind of hard to be there.”

  “I know.” He dipped his head to catch her eye. “But you might want to get that over with before we're swarmed by students.”

  “Martos, the anthropology department is never in danger of being swarmed.” She offered a smile she didn’t feel. “What are you going to do about North American Lithic Analysis and Anthropology of Food? Two of our students need those to graduate on time.”

  “I found an adjunct to take over your intro courses. You'll take over Mikey's stuff.”

  Nel winced. As if reading his notes wasn't hard enough. “And his grad students?”

  “Are now mine.”

  “Right.” She stared at her coffee, wondering absently if the milk was sour and that's why her stomach churned.

  “You have three weeks before classes actually start, but I need to know if you can handle this.”

  “I handle everything you throw at me, Martos.”

  “I'm not worried about whether you'll get it done. I know you will. I'm worried if you'll break in the process. I've barely spoken to you since you came back, other than the funeral. I don't really know what happened down there. And yesterday morning I got this on my desk.” He handed her a slim envelope.

  Nel drew out the papers, eyeing him warily. The forms indicated her interest in publishing her findings from Los Cerros Esperando VII and requested involved parties to begin compiling their data for publication. Though the signature was hers, she was certain she never wrote this up. Thanks for throwing me
under the bus, Lin. “What about it?”

  “Well you've barely begun excavation on the site, and as far as I know your permits were revoked twice, the second time permanently. Why do you want to publish this mess?”

  Because I was exhausted and promised someone I would. “What happened down there is really complicated. I can't even explain it; wonder if I'm dreaming half the time.”

  “Death’s a complex thing, Nel, and I don't think you've ever dealt with this kind of death.”

  “Peers have died before.”

  “Mikey wasn't just your peer and we both know it. Stop the tough-girl act. You didn't even make it to Phase III. If you think this will somehow give Mikey a good name, I'll remind you his name is better than yours in a lot of cases.”

  His warm steady gaze made her squirm. She hated when someone saw through her. “There's more to it, Martos. It's politically complicated. Mikey was just the beginning.” She chewed on her lip, debating how much he could hear without threatening to commit her.

  “Two days ago I got a phone call from your backers. Said they couldn’t get ahold of you and needed to speak with you immediately. It wasn't the woman I normally speak with. They said she was on a new project.”

  “What else?” Nel forced her tone to be neutral.

  “Politically complicated is fine, Nel, but this is me you're talking to.” He leaned forward, elbows propped on the arms of his chair. “Are these people dangerous?”

  “Dangerous? Like a mob?” Nel scoffed. When Martos's expression did not change, she looked down. It was possible. She saw their weapons, knew firsthand their influence. Certainly, it was just a fraction of their actual might. Giggles threatened to escape her throat at the idea of a space mob. “Honestly, I don't know. They have deep pockets and long arms. I just think they’ll do far more good than harm.”

  “What about tenure? Are you still interested in that? You were going to apply for it this fall, but the deadline is almost passed.”

  “Of course I still want it! And sorry I'm a bit late. I've had a funeral to deal with. I was planning on tenure, on running another site with Mikey. I was going to start my own field school out of the university.” She looked away. “I was going to do a lot of things.”

  “It sounds like you were the one who died down there. Your life’s not over.” He drew out another stack of papers, this one the much more familiar application for tenure.

  “Not over, just different, and I've got to come to grips with that.”

  Martos nodded once in his crisp, yet caring way. “Here. You have a week to look over things. Apply for tenure when you're ready, but don't forget your dreams just because you're grieving.”

  She scanned the papers, though she didn't really retain most of the information. “Thanks, Martos.” The smile she flashed felt tired, tattered.

  “Nel, do you have anyone to talk to? Are you seeing anyone, professionally or romantically in whom you can confide?”

  “Not really. I was, I mean, but things are still really new and she's got her own stuff. I met her down in Chile.”

  “Long distance isn't your style. More like arm's length.”

  She glared at him, but he was dead right. “Ouch. And it's not long distance. She came down to smooth things out after they attacked him.” She couldn't bring herself to say the names, not in that context. “Her name is Lin.”

  “Ms. Nalawangsa? I spoke with her on the phone. Sounded young and passionate.” His delicate brow rose. “I suppose that is your style.” He straightened and pulled his jacket on. “I've got go. Appointment’s in twenty, care to walk me out?”

  She hummed in response and popped his empty mug into the sink before following him out the door. “Thanks for stopping by. I'll be in tomorrow to talk to the board about the site and the semester. You'll be there?”

  “I will.” He hoisted himself into his Hyundai and collapsed his chair. “You talked to any of the students yet?”

  “I've emailed back and forth with a few of them. I know Annie is taking time off. Why?”

  “Well, sometimes helping someone else grieve makes it easier. Hearing their stories and thoughts might bring you some peace, knowing you weren't the only one who loved him.” He pointed to the house. “Look over those papers. And do more than shuffle those lesson plans. You've worked hard and could do this.” He shut the door with a smile and pulled out of the drive.

  Nel waved him off before returning to the kitchen to stare at the paperwork. Is this the life I want? Martos's words about talking to someone irked her. Of course, she had friends, had family to talk to, but it had just been her and Mikey for so long. Sometimes she forgot where he ended and she began. Maybe, in some ways, she also died in Chile.

  TWO

  Rain meandered down Nel's front windows—the picture of her mood. She checked the clock again. 6:43. There was no way she could go back to sleep, but her meeting wasn't for another four hours. The coffee in her mug was tepid and oily. She moved into the living room and paused at the two boxes on the mantelpiece. “Hey, Mikey.” Lines softened on her face. “Hey, Dad.” She thought about calling her mom, but Mindi would be getting ready to go to work, and calling her outside of their usual schedule would only worry her.

  “Nel, get a grip on yourself. You're too angry to pull off the brooding mystery shtick.”

  She downed her coffee, frowning at the echo of Mikey’s opinions. “You're right.” It took a minute to change into the clothes she picked out for her meeting. Work boots weren't professional, but the faded black women's Timberlands looked fine under jeans. She slung a few things into her bag next to the ignored tenure papers and shoved out the door.

  The package on her stoop tripped her. Probably the revoking of my funding. She slid the padded envelope into her bag without looking at it and jumped into her blue Nissan Frontier. The engine rattled to life and she patted the steering wheel. “I missed you too, Samus.”

  Nel didn't enjoy how most people drove in the rain, but it would wash the summer's dust from her truck, and that brought a smile to her face. The college was twenty minutes away if she took the highway, which she never did. As much as she loved driving, back roads were infinitely better.

  In her first year living in Jasper Hill, she got hopelessly lost every time she pulled out of her driveway. After months of refusing to get on Route 190, though, her stubbornness paid off. She could find her way home from almost anywhere and see nice scenery while she was at it. Her cell rattled in the cup holder in the center console, and she sighed. Probably Martos, making sure she wasn't going to bail on her meeting. She slid her thumb across the screen. “Yeah?”

  “Hey, honey, how're you doing?”

  “Oh, hey, Mom. All right.”

  “How was your flight? When'd you get in?”

  Nel grinned at the barrage of questions. As much as they all joked that Nel was the clone of her father, the older she got, the more she realized that she was really a mixture of her parents. “I'm driving, so I can't really talk, but I got in Saturday night. Flight was fine. Had some turbulence and stuff, and a crying baby, but that was it.” She could almost picture her flight-terrified mother’s shudder.

  “Glad I wasn't there. Where are you headed?”

  “To the school. I have a meeting with the department. Martos wants me to bring up tenure, and I'm sure I'll hear a ton about the site and safety and responsibility.”

  “They don't actually think it was your fault, do they?” Rustling clothes and the sound of clinking dishes told Nel her mom was unloading the dishwasher.

  “I don't know what they think, really, but I'm sure it's not pretty. The problem is the situation was dangerous, and I had kids down there. I'm kinda stressed about it all.”

  Her mom hummed in sympathy and the background noise stopped as she paused to focus on the conversation. “You call me afterward, all right? We can talk it out. And maybe you can come down for dinner this week?”

  Nel smiled. H
er mom was a good listener. “Yeah, I'll call. Not sure about dinner, things are really gearing up for the semester, and I'm supposed to take on a bunch of Mikey's stuff.”

  “I’ll send Bill to play billiards with the fire department guys.”

  “How does Thursday sound?” Nel offered. She loved seeing her mom, and a meal she didn't have to cook herself was a rarity. It wasn't always worth dealing with her stepdad and his opinions.

  Nel's mom snorted. “I thought so. Thursday's good for me. I'll let you know later if I can shoo him out that night. When is your meeting finished?”

  “Noon. I'll call you then?”

  “All right, sweetie. Good luck. Love you!”

  “Love you, too.” Nel tapped her phone and dropped it back into the cup holder. Her stomach wasn't as tight as before. The only person who settled her mind as much as Mikey was her mom. She spun the wheel and turned down University Ave. The broad street was separated by a row of flowering trees and abstract art installations. An undulating fountain stood under the broad arched entrance to the college. It was sputtering and green, as it usually was in the summer, but in two weeks she was sure it would sparkle. Nel slammed the brakes on as a group of boys stumbled into the road on their way across campus. “Get out of the fucking road, you idiots!”

  One flipped her off, then saw her professor-parking pass and scooted after his friends.

  “Yeah, that's right you little asshole.” She turned into the parking lot and found a spot near the rear of the lot. She pressed her forehead against the rim of the steering wheel and drew a breath. There was nothing to worry about.

  “What's the worst-case scenario?” Mikey always had a way to rationalize her out of a panic.

  “They fire me.”

  “So what? You've got the creds. You can teach plenty of places. Maybe not as hip as USNE, but still something.”

  She steadied her thoughts before tugging her bag from the passenger seat and heading toward the sprawling multi-addition Social Studies building.