Ariel Rising Read online

  Ariel Rising

  Ariel Between Two Worlds:

  Episode 1

  By A.J. and C.S. Sparber

  Ariel Rising

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Epilogue

  The End of Book 1

  Sneak Peek Book Two: The Battle for Earth [Prologue]

  About the Authors

  Copyright © 2015 by A.J. and C.S. Sparber

  Visit Web Site

  www.ajsparber.com

  Published by: Mind’s Eye Press

  Edited by Barb Terry-Howe. Cover design by Mae I Design.

  All rights reserved. No parts of this book may be reproduced, electronically scanned and stored, or transmitted in any form without the express written permission of the authors. Names, characters, places, events, and dialogue are either products of the authors’ imaginations or used in a fictitious manner. Any similarity to actual persons, organizations, or events is purely coincidental.

  Dedicated to those who wonder, “What if?”

  Acknowledgements

  We’d like to thank our beta readers: Michelle LaPointe, Lisa Firke, Alexis Masters, Linda Rathgeber, Donna Cangelosi, Linda Spitzer, and Stephen Sidler. There are simply no words we can find to express the gratitude we feel. Thank you, one and all. And a special thank you goes to each and every one of our children, who, without a single threat, willingly read our story. Your interest in our little labor of love, as well as your valuable feedback, will be remembered for eons. Thank you Brian, Marc, Ryan, Jessica, and Melanie.

  Chapter 1

  I lock the front door behind me, do some quick stretches in the driveway, and then hit the street running.

  There’s nothing like a good, brisk afternoon run. It’s a transcendent time. A time when I can breathe deeply and be alone in my thoughts.

  My love of running comes from my mom, Dr. Andi (Andrea) Worthington—a pediatric surgeon and serious fitness advocate. She trained me well because, by ninth grade, I could run like a doe—probably faster than any girl on the track team. But committing my time and energy to a team sport is not my thing. Getting good grades and going to the right college is far more important in the grand scheme of things. In life, it’s all about return on investment.

  My regular route takes me into the Shenandoah Valley National Park—Virginia’s own version of paradise. As I run, the afternoon sun wraps me in its warm caress, and my mind drifts.

  Here I am, three weeks removed from my eighteenth birthday, graduation just a couple of months away, and then the countdown to college. My life will have meaning. I can make a difference. I will make a difference. And although it was not specifically mentioned in Bryce Institute’s marketing brochures, there is a very good chance the Institute will have a decent inventory of men with fully functioning minds—and in full command of their hormones. How good will that be?

  The sound of a car door closing brings me back to reality, and I look up to see a large shape barreling toward me from across the road. As his face comes into focus, I groan. It’s Luke Blanton—star of the Edgewood high school football team, and my idiot ex-boyfriend. We dated for six months, and it was not a good relationship. I wanted to take things slow. He wanted it all. And that was not going to happen. I never loved him. I hardly even liked him. I tolerated him. And, ultimately, I told him to get lost.

  He’s been trying to get me back for months and it’s really getting annoying.

  “Hey, Ari,” he says through a crooked grin. “You look really hot.”

  He is leering like a bear in heat. I remember that leer.

  “Well, I’ve been running for half an hour and it’s kind of warm out. Yeah, I’m hot.” I roll my eyes. “What are you doing around here, anyway? Are you lost?”

  Luke lives at the other end of town. He’s stalking me.

  “Can we talk?” As he asks, he nudges me off the road and down toward the forest trail.

  Alone in the woods with Luke—this is not going to end well. I begin to assess my escape options when, without warning, he grabs me around the waist and pulls me into him.

  “Let me go!” I growl.

  Luke is six foot two and well over two hundred pounds. I’m five inches shorter and tip the scales at just over a hundred and thirty—soaking wet.

  “Chill. Hear me out, Okay?”

  “Let go of me and maybe I’ll listen.” I’m trying really hard to suppress the dread that’s building up inside me.

  He loosens his hold, but is still very much in violation of my personal space. “Listen, I was a jerk last year.”

  “Uh-huh. Talk about understatements.”

  “I should’ve given you more time to warm up to me. But that’s all water under the dam. I think we can move past that.”

  “Move past what? Attempted date rape?” I probably should be less confrontational, but Luke is playing me, and I’m getting seriously cranked. “By the way, Einstein, it’s water over the dam—or under the bridge,” I add with a scowl.

  “Whatever. But date rape? That’s a little extreme, Ari. I really do care about you, and I just want a chance to show it. How about we start over. Let’s kiss and make up and we’ll—”

  “Damn it, Blanton!” I snap. “We’ve had this conversation before. There is nothing between us.” I may wind up being the last virgin in Virginia, but I want more out of life. Much more. “Read my lips, meathead. I—”

  “Meathead? What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  “All in the Family. TVLand. Classic sitcom. It means dead from the neck up.”

  I realize, probably too late, that antagonizing him is not a tactically sound approach. He leans into me, his lips dangerously close to mine, and whispers, “You got spirit. Makes me want you even more.”

  Oh great, he’s trying to sound romantic.

  Then he kisses me. Hard.

  I manage to disengage my mouth from his, grab a breath, and tear into him. “I don’t want you. I don’t like you. And if you don’t take your hands off of me I’m going to hurt you.”

  Can I hurt him?

  “I’ll get my hands off you after we settle up,” he says with a sneer.

  “Exactly what are we settling, Luke?”

  “I want us to go to the prom.”

  “I’m not going to the prom with you.”

  “Are you going with that college dude…Gale?”

  “His name is Galen, and what goes on between us is none of your damn business.”

  “I’m making it my business, Ari. We belong together.”

  “We do not belong together, and you’re really starting to aggravate me. You need to leave me alone. Go home, Luke.”

  He’s beginning to scare me a little. And then something strange happens. My scalp begins to tingle. The tingle turns into a buzz that reaches the middle of my chest. It’s as if a fuse were lit. I feel charged, coiled, and ready to spring. Anger and fear is displaced by focus. My mind yields command to my body.

  Luke leans in for another kiss.

  Target acquired.

  Before I c
an think, my left arm shoots out like a piston, and the heel of my hand connects with his nose.

  He yelps like a puppy and staggers backwards. Blood gushes. And he looks extremely pissed off.

  “You’re dead meat,” he says, glaring at me, as he struggles to regain his balance. Then, without warning, he charges.

  Luke’s expression is pure evil, and I know I’m in serious trouble. But something is off. Really off…

  The world around me slows down. Luke seems as if he’s moving in slow motion.

  I dip to the left, easily avoiding his punch, as my right hand explodes into his jaw. Luke crumples to the ground in a heap. His eyes are shut tight. He isn’t moving.

  What did I do? Will he get up and attack again? Will he ever get up?

  I turn and dart into the woods, accelerating at a frightening rate, as my body maneuvers over and around obstacles—like a guided missile.

  Before I know it, I’m standing beside the Falls. My chest is heaving and I’m sweating profusely.

  A nervous chuckle escapes me, because Renegade Falls is over a mile from where I left Luke. It doesn’t make sense. Sure, I can run a mile. Easily. But not at a full-out sprint. Nobody can do that. But…

  I shake my head rapidly, trying to force myself to think clearly. But I can’t, because every muscle and nerve in my body is on fire, and my eyes won’t focus. And then my head begins to spin.

  I gingerly lower myself to a seat on a large rock and play back my confrontation with Luke. When I get to the last scene, I shiver.

  “Did I k-kill him?” I ask myself.

  A man’s voice, deep and clear, answers, “He’ll be okay.”

  I turn toward the voice, and a tall stranger steps into view. He’s dressed for a run in black training pants and a sleeveless black tee. His neatly-trimmed hair is black as night; his eyes a vivid shade of green. He looks to be in his early twenties. He is strikingly handsome.

  “Who are—?”

  Before I can complete the question, a wave of nausea hits me, and I treat Whatshisname to a Broadway-quality puke show.

  He crouches beside me, pulling the hair away from my face as he gently rubs a hand over my back. I heave again and again until everything I’ve ever eaten spews out—at least it feels that way.

  “I’m Davin Andersen,” he says softly.

  “Oh, I’m so embarrassed, I—”

  “It’s okay. I saw what happened. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Here, drink some water,” he says, handing me a bottle.

  I want to crawl into a hole and die.

  “How much did you see?” I ask in a small voice, as I take a drink.

  “Pretty much the important parts. He grabbed you, you told him to let go, he wouldn’t, so you hit him.”

  “How did you happen to be there in the first place?”

  Is he friend or foe?

  “You’re Ariel Worthington. Right?”

  “You know me?” I turn to face him. He is watching me intently, with a look that seems to express compassion and concern. “I don’t believe we’ve ever met.”

  “I know of you.” His eyes lock onto mine, and he smiles, showing off a pair of dimples that are impossibly cute.

  “And how is that? I’m not very famous.”

  “I’m your new neighbor. Your mom stopped by earlier this afternoon to welcome us. When she saw that I was dressed for a run, she told me what an avid runner you are. So, when my aunt saw you leave for a run, she suggested I go make friends with our new neighbor. The rest, as they say, is history.”

  “Oh. Well, that’s a unique way to meet people,” I say in a teasing tone.

  “It’s not easy to meet nice people these days. I guess I jumped at the chance. Or ran at the chance. Anyway, you were maybe two hundred yards ahead when your friend showed up. I stopped where you and he entered the park, and it occurred to me that he was probably your boyfriend, so—”

  I cut him off.

  “He’s my ex-boyfriend. I ended our relationship last year.”

  Davin is tall, taller than Luke. And while Luke is built like a grizzly bear, Davin is more like a large cat—lithe, lissome, and imposing.

  “I see,” he says, giving me an appraising look. “I was about to turn back when I heard yelling. So I headed toward the voices to make sure you were safe. Before I could react, he was on the ground. I started to call out to you, but you took off like a missile.”

  “Yes, I was really moving pretty fast.”

  “Extremely fast. I’m surprised I was able to catch up with you.”

  “You look like a fast runner,” I say. “Why did you follow me up here?”

  “I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

  Maybe chivalry isn’t dead, after all. “Thank you, Davin.”

  He nods. “The boy who attacked you…Luke?”

  “Yes.”

  “Has he harassed you before?”

  “Not like this. Ever since I broke up with him he’s been trying to get me back. He’s a hotshot football player and he thinks all females should grovel at his feet. He’s…”

  “An ass?”

  “That works,” I say with a little smile.

  “Well, I’m glad you were not injured.”

  “I appreciate your concern.” I am genuinely grateful.

  “You could have been seriously hurt, Ariel.”

  “I know…and please, call me Ari.

  “Alright, Ari.”

  I smile.

  “So, you moved in today?” I ask, trying to be neighborly.

  “Early this morning.”

  “Did you move here for work?”

  “School, actually. I’m transferring from UC Santa Barbara to Bryce Institute. They were gracious enough to offer me a masters scholarship, which could have something to do with my aunt being recruited to head their genetics lab. Hopefully, I won’t embarrass her.”

  “Well, that’s a coincidence. I’ll be going to the Institute, too. And to tell you the truth, I’m a little worried that I’ll embarrass myself.”

  “If my first impression of you is accurate, I think you’ll do just fine.”

  “Thank you, Davin. And I have a feeling you will do your aunt proud. What’s your degree in?”

  “Military history. And your major will be?”

  “I’ll be studying paleoanthropology,” I say, feeling a little more geeky than I would like.

  “Ah, a fascinating field,” he says with an adorable smile. “Perhaps you will one day discover how mankind really evolved.”

  Usually I get a really blank stare at the mention of the word paleoanthropology. Davin actually knows what it means. I’m impressed.

  “That’s the plan. The Institute has a phenomenal program.”

  Bryce Institute is a very exclusive college, run by the Bryce Foundation, which is part think tank, part research facility, and conveniently located right here in the Valley, at the foot of Mt. Evan. Ostensibly, the best scientists and engineers in the world work there. You don’t apply to the Institute—they recruit you. I’d been planning on going to Virginia Tech when I received an offer from Bryce—a full-ride scholarship. It was an offer I couldn’t refuse.

  “Have you taken the campus tour yet?” Davin asks.

  “Uh-huh. Last week, actually. I’m really amped up. The place is awesome. What about you? Have you taken the tour?”

  “Not yet. But according to my aunt, it’s a remarkable place.”

  “So is Santa Barbara, I think.”

  “It’s okay.”

  Southern California. I imagine him balanced on a surfboard, rippling muscles glistening in the sun, shorts riding low on his hips, abs tensed. My cheeks begin to heat up and I know it’s time to leave the beach.

  “It’s kind of quiet around here. Hope you don’t get bored.”

  “I’ll survive.”

  “That’s good,” I say with a coy smile. “Oh, my! I almost forgot—do you think Luke is still back there?”

  “He woke up a few secon
ds after you ran off. Looked really embarrassed when he saw me. I’d say he’s going to need a nose job.”

  “I thought I hurt him badly.”

  “You defended yourself, Ari. How do you feel?”

  “Better. So, did Luke say anything before he left?”

  “We had a little chat. The notion of being defeated by a woman did not sit well with him. He wanted to go after you, but I told him that would be extremely ill-advised—and possibly painful.”

  “You really said that?” I am moved. Davin is my knight in black running clothes.

  “I did.”

  “Then what happened?”

  “He came at me swinging, so I hit him…in the ribs. As he knelt, doubled over, I informed him that I saw what happened—all of it—and that if you wanted to press charges, I would gladly volunteer my services as an eyewitness.”

  I chuckle. “I like your style.”

  “Thank you,” he says with an unassuming smile.

  I feel comfortable with him. At ease.

  “I’m going to call a friend to pick me up,” I say. “Would you like a ride or would you rather finish your run?”

  I really hope he’ll stay with me.

  “I don’t think I should leave you here alone.”

  Good answer.

  I call Ella and give her a shortened version of what happened. She’s an hour away—give or take. Frankly, if it means more time alone with Davin, I kind of hope traffic is seriously backed up.

  “She’ll be here in about an hour. You really don’t have to wait with me if you’ve got things to do.”

  “Are you trying to get rid of me?”

  “Nah. I just wanted to give you an option in case you really want to leave.”

  “I’ll stay. Besides, it’s really pretty up here,” he says, giving me an appraising glance.

  Is he flirting with me?

  “This is one of my favorite places,” I remark.

  “Perhaps you could show me around someday? You know, give me a tour?”

  “I’d love to,” I say, because I really would.

  “So you don’t have a current boyfriend?”

  He is flirting with me.

  A blush spreads across my cheeks, and all I can do is stare, because my voice refuses to work.