Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“Hey, man,” Marty says as he opens the door, running his hand through his hair. He’s in a threadbare flannel and pajama pants, his feet bare. “Come on in.”
He doesn't seem at all concerned about the fact that he's only kind of dressed for guests. But that's fine. It doesn't matter.
“I remember you now,” he says, shutting the door behind me. “I couldn’t put a face to your name in the group chat. You’ve only been to a few meetings, right?”
“Uh, yeah.”
He nods. “You were vague in your texts.”
He stops in the middle of his living room and crosses his arms. I can't help but look around. I guess I half expected maps on the walls with pushpins and thread, lava lamps, alien statues.
But his house looks like a normal house, just like mine does.
“Yeah, I'm not trying to give a lot of information. At least, I didn't want to over the phone. Not to everybody.”
He narrows his eyes. “Sounds a bit suspicious, don't you think?”
I shrug. “Look, I understand if you don't want to help me, but I have someone to protect. I have to be careful. I can’t just blast my business all over a fucking group text full of people who might come knocking at my door.”
He stares at me for a moment, eyes narrowed. “Someone to protect…”
“I have to be careful about who I trust. And I don't know if I can trust you.”
“But you're here.”
“Yeah, I'm here, and I'm fucking terrified. I think this could be life or death.”
He’s quiet again, arms still crossed, and then he nods. “Okay. Then tell me what’s going on.”
He motions to his couch. It's striped and circa 1974. I take a seat and he settles into an armchair across from me. He doesn't offer any water or coffee or anything. I'm kind of happy about that. I don't think I could stomach anything at the moment.
“I went out to the waypoint, where the energy is supposed to be strongest, just to…I don’t even know…”
“See something cool?” His face is blank, his voice monotone.
“I know I sound like a fucking cliché, but... yeah. I was curious.”
He leans back in his chair, taps his fingers on the armrests. “Everyone is. Everyone who believes, anyway. You're not the first one to go out there.”
“Then I'm probably not the first one to experience what I experienced, am I?”
His brows rise. “I couldn't tell you without you telling me what it is that you experienced.
Look, I've... I've seen a lot of shit, okay?
I've been living in this town my whole life.
And I've been part of this society since I was a teenager.
I've seen shit you wouldn't believe. And not just here.
I've visited other intersections. Where crazy stuff happens.
And you can always find a way to explain it away.
Say it's not real. Or…” He shrugs. “Like you, find a way to hide it.”
I don't want to trust this guy. I'm terrified. Terrified that instead of getting back home, Starlight's going to end up on the news or something. That they'll, I don't even know, lock him up or something.
But I'm afraid he'll die if I don't get him back into the sky soon.
“Okay,” I tell him. “But I swear, if you fucking tell anybody... I will track you down, and I will hurt you.”
He looks me up and down. I’m sure I don't look menacing in my puffer jacket, beanie, and hiking boots. But I would. I would hurt anyone who hurt Star.
“There was an electrical storm a couple weeks ago. I don't know if you remember.”
“I remember,” he says. “There was a lot of electromagnetic activity.”
“You…monitor that sort of thing?”
He shrugs. “It can have an effect. Anything that's energy can have an effect.”
“So, you think that a spike in energy can cause something strange to happen?”
“Absolutely,” he says, confident. “I think, for the most part, the energies just... exist. They're kind of harmless. Then somebody comes along and gives them a nudge.”
I nod, soaking in everything he’s saying. It’s not like I didn’t mostly put that together myself, but it’s nice to have it confirmed by someone who might know more than me on the subject.
“Something happened. A spike in energy, I suppose. And... Starlight fell from the sky.”
“What do you mean? Like, a meteor?”
“Like, a person.”
His mouth opens just a bit, like he's shocked but doesn't want to show it. Apparently, of all the weird things he's seen, this isn't one of them.
“Starlight…” he says, not quite a question.
I shrug. “Maybe it’s a dumb name. I didn't think he was going to be around this long. I didn't even know who or what he was. But...he says he's a piece of the sky. He fell, and he's here.”
“What does he look like?”
I throw my hands up. “I don’t know, man. What does it matter?”
He mimics me, throwing his hands in the air, too. “I don't know, man. He’s a sky boy. Can you blame me for being curious?”
No. I can’t. Isn’t my own curiosity how I ended up in this mess to begin with?
“He’s big. Curly blonde hair. Brown eyes. His skin changes with the sky, light during the day, dark at night. Male…parts.”
His eyebrows rise up to his hairline at this.
I wave a hand in the air. “Look, just forget about it, okay? He’s a guy. He’s just a guy.”
He seems to finally accept this. “How long ago was this?”
“Three days.”
“Three days.” He looks around, like he's searching for someone. “Why didn't you bring him with you? I could have met him. Is he in your car?” He puts his hands on the armrests of his chair, like he’s going to stand without waiting for me to answer.
“He's not well. That’s why I’m here. Today, he started... I don't know, it's like he... like he can't breathe or something. He gets this pain in his chest. That’s why I need help. I think I have to figure out how to get him back up into the sky. He has to go back. He has to be safe.”
I’m not surprised at the look on his face. My voice is full of desperation that I can’t seem to quell. Now, it’s almost like he’s… analyzing me.
“Yeah,” is all he says.
“We tried going out to the woods, back to where the energy peaks, but we don't know what to do. He can't just—”
“You need a stargate.”
“A what?”
“A stargate.”
My mind starts running over what I remember of 90’s TV shows.
Marty sighs. “At the intersection of the two lines, where the energy is the highest, like you said, a storm would have caused electromagnetic energy to spike, like a boost, creating what is essentially a portal. It's normal.”
I can feel my face twist. People talk about electromagnetic portals when they talk about time machines and magic rock circles. Stuff I never believed in. “You mean like the time travel thing?”
Marty scowls. “Are you really going to come here with a story about a sky man, but you think that time travel is impossible?”
He has a point.
“Anyway, you need a burst of electromagnetic energy. I would say wait until the next interference, but...”
“What if he can't wait that long?” I finish his thought.
Marty nods. “I think your best bet is to create an artificial electromagnetic field. You need to create a burst. Again. A nudge. Find a spot where the electromagnetic activity is already high, create a burst, and poof.”
My stomach turns. “Poof?”
“Yeah. He goes back the same way he came.”
He goes back the same way he came. The words echo through my head like screaming into a well.
I know he's right. I know Star has to go. But the thought makes me sick.
“This, uh, Star guy... he's nice?”
I stand. “I appreciate your help, but I can't really talk about this with you.”
He puts his hands up in surrender. “Like I said, I've seen some weird shit. And some dude falling in love with a guy who fell from the sky? Not even the weirdest thing I've seen this year. So... I wish you all the best of luck. If you need help, let me know.”
I put out a hand. He doesn't stand. Just reaches up and shakes it.
“I appreciate your help.”
“Once your guy's back up in the sky and safe... I'd love to talk to you more about this situation.”
“Right.” I back towards the door. “Thanks again.”