Lethal Influence Read online

  “What? Are you turning into a traitor?” said one of the other guys. “Cheering for the enemy?”

  “No. Just feeling tired.”

  Anthony was on the other side of the room. He met Kai’s eyes and nodded. Kai knew Anthony was aware of his feelings about the mission but Kai had said nothing to him about the other turmoil bubbling inside his chest.

  Kai rose. “I’m going to bed.”

  Lying on his bed, Kai pulled his phone out of his left pocket. Then he slipped the paper out of the other pocket. It wouldn’t be checking up on her if he called her now. It also wouldn’t be justifiable or even explainable if he were to get caught. He had no reason to call her that would not be clearly against the rules. The human incidentals were to be left to the careful scrutiny of the Trebladore Elites. He could inquire about her welfare with Lincoln. Lincoln was an Elite; he would have the information Kai needed. But he didn’t want information, he wanted to see her, talk to her, and get to know her better. Kai’s thoughts turned to the terrifying possibility of asking Beth to go somewhere with him. To spend a little time together. To explore this strange and powerful attraction.

  It was like a small drop of lava was planted in his veins and whenever the subject of Beth came up — and it was usually just in conversations with himself, he was aware — the lava flowed, setting fire to his blood.

  Kai thought again of the conversation he had had with his father when he returned home for the first break from boarding school. A twelve year old only child, he had found the experience of going away to school to be both traumatizing and frightening. At school, they told him the rules. Trebladores don’t marry humans. It was absolutely forbidden. They had reasons, of course. And they didn’t stint on telling the impressionable young boys and girls at the school all of them.

  “Dad,” he said that first night back. They had just finished eating supper, Mom was washing the dishes, and Kai and his father were sitting outside enjoying a quiet moment watching the late October sunset.

  “Yes?”

  “I have a question.”

  “I thought you might,” said his father. “I had a few the first time I came home from boarding school, too.” A smile flickered across his lips and he watched Kai with raised eyebrows. “What do you need to know?”

  Kai sat back into the cushion of his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “I know that we are what humans would call aliens. I know we came here to Earth from another planet and I get that we are here to help humans evolve. But I don’t understand why we can’t marry them.”

  “Didn’t they tell you all of that at school?” his father asked. He seemed surprised and Kai wondered if he had missed something.

  “Well, yeah,” he said. “They told us that when Trebladores and humans have babies, the babies die young.”

  “And you can’t see the difficulties that causes?”

  “I see them. And I know that it would be hard to watch your child die after only a few months … but why don’t they just choose to not have any? I mean, why not just agree to not have children at all? Or why not adopt a human child? Or a Trebladore child? Or do that sperm bank thing?”

  His father gave him a long, solid look and then sighed. “I guess you really are old enough to talk about this stuff, aren’t you?”

  Kai shrugged. He knew what caused babies. That was a conversation he’d had with his mother when he was so young he couldn’t remember not knowing. But now to find out that if he had children with a human the babies would die by the time they were five months old, he had to think about it.

  “So you understand the suffering that would cause your human wife, do you?” His father was gazing out at the yard now, watching the cat as she strolled through the raspberry bushes.

  “Well … I understand it would make her sad. I understand that it might make her not want to have children that were half Trebladore. But what about adopting?”

  “Well, son,” his father said, “it is quite a complicated thing. To have a wife who was human you would have to do one of two things. Either hide the truth from her or tell the truth to her.” Now his father turned to look at him again. “Do you have any idea how important it is that you enter into a relationship with a woman with honesty? Do you remember how you felt when your mother and I sat you down and told you that you were not human?”

  Kai’s gaze flickered momentarily to his father and then turned to watching the cat. This was a sore spot. He had just turned eleven when his parents sat him down and told him that he was a Trebladore from a planet called Treblane, and that when he went to boarding school all the kids attending with him would be Trebladores too. Surprise didn’t begin to explain his feelings about the matter. He felt betrayed. It was weeks before he could look at his parents with any sort of positive feelings again. Weeks of walking alone through his favorite park, watching the humans as they went about their business, totally oblivious to the aliens who lived right beside them.

  He had wanted to know who else was a Trebladore. Who among his friends would he be allowed to spend time with? Who would be going through the same gut-wrenching experience he was?

  He was glad to know that most of their close family friends were also Trebladores. His parents had, of course, chosen other Trebladores for their friends. It made things easier, they said. And they genuinely liked them. They had something in common with them. They could say things with the other Trebladore couples that they couldn’t with human ones. It was like they all shared an inside joke … one that the children didn’t know until it was time to head off to boarding school to start the seventh grade.

  Now they knew what some of the comments had been about. They got the joke … or at least the reference. But finding out he was not human had shattered Kai’s plans. His best friend from kindergarten was a girl named Jennifer. She was human. He always thought he would grow up and marry her and now that expectation was forbidden.

  As if he could read Kai’s mind his father spoke. “Does this have anything to do with a little girl named Jennifer?”

  “Maybe.” Kai didn’t really want to admit this to his dad, but he needed his questions answered.

  “Well. I see. Let me ask you this. Which of the two things would you choose? Would you live a lie or tell the truth? I know you have been having some very deep discussions at school about hiding who we are from the humans. You know how they are. Humans tend to fear what they don’t understand and destroy what they fear. Trebladores would be rounded up and shot, or worse, if they knew about us.”

  “Don’t you think some of them can be trusted with the truth?” Kai had asked. He had hoped his father would see that hiding the truth from the humans was just as damaging as telling the truth might be.

  “It’s not that some couldn’t be trusted. The question is how do you know who can be trusted without letting the cat out of the bag. Without putting every Trebladore’s life in danger. What if you told the wrong person? What if the person you told decided to go to the authorities with the information and they came and took you away? What do you think they would do with you?”

  Kai squirmed uncomfortably in his chair. He had been through this with his teachers at school. All the possibilities had been discussed and Kai knew, deep in his bones, that he couldn’t tell anyone the truth about being an alien. They trusted him to keep their secret. They had to protect each other from exposure and to continue the work they were here to do.

  “I see the problems it would cause,” he mumbled.

  His father looked at him again. “It’s not that the humans are incapable of keeping the secret. But what if she got mad at you? What if you did something that upset her and to get back at you she turned you in? She might regret it later but the damage would be done. How many of us do you think would survive that? How many of your friends do you think would die because you wanted to tell the truth?”

  “Okay,” Kai said, “What i
f I didn’t tell the truth? What if I kept it from her? We could still marry … hypothetically of course … and not have children.”

  “I thought you wanted to be an Influencer?” his father said.

  “I do!”

  “Well, how do you think you could go on missions without explaining what was going on? How do you go undercover without letting her know what you are doing? We talked about this before you left for school. Your mother and I are Influencers. We do most of our missions together. It is by working together — knowing everything there is to know about each other — that we can be successful. It’s what makes our marriage work. If you marry a human you have to lie to her and that’s not fair.”

  Kai had remained silent for several minutes after that, processing the discussion.

  He had to admit that his father was probably right. He shouldn’t lie and telling anyone that he was an alien would most likely get them all killed.

  He had gone back to school after the break and found that being away from Jennifer wasn’t that hard. He made new friends, met new girls, girls who were Trebladores, and who he didn’t have to hide things from. Jennifer had become a memory by the time he was thirteen.

  Now he found that he didn’t want to think of the consequences or the rules that had made so much sense when he was in school. Instead he thought of spending time with Beth and he smiled. Would she say yes? Maybe he was reading more into a few passing comments than she meant. Maybe he didn’t have anything to worry about; maybe he would ask her out and she would say no and that would be the end of it. He was surprised by the anxiety he felt at the thought. He had to see her again. He would take precautions to be sure they weren’t seen but he couldn’t step out of her life completely. Not yet.

  The voices in his mind that quoted Trebladore rules became fainter as he allowed himself to replay the scenes from his first few meetings with Beth. She had captivated him in a way no other woman, human or Trebladore, had ever done.

  He rose from the bed and locked his bedroom door. He felt like he was standing on the edge of a cliff. Danger and excitement coursed through his veins. He sat on the bed and smoothed the paper with Beth’s phone number, written with carefree, rounded numbers. Surely she didn’t write her numbers with such a flirtatious quality when she did her science experiments. This was a sign she liked him. Maybe.

  “Just call her,” he whispered. His thoughts quieted. He dialed the number, asked Beth for a date on Saturday, and she accepted.

  Kai felt slightly nauseous.

  Chapter Eight

  Saturday morning he drove to the grocery store and stowed the goodies he purchased in his large cooler in the truck bed and the small backpack in the cab. They could be friends — and that’s all. He wasn’t doing anything wrong he thought as he found places for the roasted chicken, buns, mayo, vegetables, and a nice selection of strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries. The berries seemed romantic, the sorts of things that lovers would feed each other. There were two large bottles of juice and some smaller water bottles. The cooler was full and he placed the bag containing a variety of potato chips, pretzels, and roasted almonds in the cab.

  He found Beth’s apartment complex, bounded up to the front door, and rang the buzzer. The door hummed and he pulled it open. He climbed the stairs to her apartment. She answered the door and he was once more struck with her exotic eyes and the smile that captivated him. “You look nice.”

  “Thank you. You too.” They were silent for a moment. “You said to dress for the outdoors,” she said, “but how heavy a jacket do I need?”

  “That looks fine,” he said, looking at the thick hoodie she was wearing. “But maybe bring a warmer one. And if you have hiking boots, you might want them. I don’t know.”

  “Hiking?”

  “More of a walk. Nothing super strenuous. But the trail might be wet this time of year.”

  Beth went to retrieve her boots and jacket and Kai wandered around her living room looking at pictures and rows of books in a beautiful wooden bookshelf.

  “I can’t believe you’re taking me hiking,” she said when she returned.

  “Is that okay?” He took her boots so she wouldn’t have to carry them.

  “It’s more than okay.”

  “You did say you liked hiking,” he said as she locked her door and they started down the hall.

  “I’m surprised you remembered. Most guys wouldn’t. I … I think that’s very nice.”

  Kai smiled. They left the building. It was a pleasantly warm day for early March. He opened the passenger side of his truck and Beth hopped in. “Where are we going?” she said.

  “Lake Louie. It’s quiet this time of year, but the lodge is open if we need anything.”

  The hours’ drive seemed over in a matter of minutes as they talked and laughed. When they reached the lake, they donned their warmer jackets, and Kai threw the small backpack over his shoulders and stowed the cooler in the cab. They walked to the trailhead just south of the lodge. “I found this hike online. It was listed as one of the best spring hikes. Have you done it before?”

  “No. I haven’t done much hiking here, but it’s beautiful.” The late morning sun glittered off the water and warmed their faces. The scent of pine was a pleasant, earthy reminder that they’d left the congested urban world behind. The tall trees surrounded the lake like guardians and were reflected in the glassy surface of the water.

  They walked on the trail through the evergreens for several minutes, simply enjoying the crisp outdoors. The trail was dry and the conditions pretty near perfect. It was a good thing the trail was not very steep as it left them breath for conversation, something Kai found he really wanted with this human.

  They talked so easily. She told him about her passion for science and how she always chose studying over a social life if there was a test or assignment she needed to work on. When the talk turned to his work and interests, he tried to shift the conversations away, keeping the focus on her, but she was persistent. “I’ve had some challenges at work lately,” he admitted. “It feels wonderful to leave that behind today.”

  “What sort of challenges?”

  “The projects I work on are sensitive and I’m not allowed to talk about them with anyone not directly involved. Freedom of Information, and all that. Just work stuff. It’s like it followed me home but can’t get past the city limits.” Kai chuckled.

  “That’s exactly how I feel about hiking. I can leave the problems of work and reconnect with who I really am. Feel my lungs fill with air.” She spread her arms and inhaled deeply. Kai found himself watching her appreciatively. “It’s almost like I connect with the ages of humanity that have gone before. We see the same majestic mountain, and have the courage to climb it, not to conquer but to experience it.”

  “I like that.”

  The trail undulated gently. Kai swung his backpack off. He handed Beth a bottle of water and took one for himself. “This is more than just a walk,” said Kai. “The online guide misled me.”

  “It’s okay. I’m enjoying it.” She drank a few gulps of water.

  When the trail leveled off Beth said, “Tell me what you were like as a child?”

  “I was a regular kid.”

  “What did you like to do?”

  “I had a great time camping, sometimes with my family and sometimes at summer camps.”

  “Do you still camp with your family?”

  Kai swallowed. “My parents died in a car accident several years ago. “

  “Oh. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”

  “No, that’s okay.”

  Beth stopped walking, resting a hand on his arm. She met his gaze with a steady one of her own. He had the overwhelming desire to kiss her but he swallowed it back. This was crazy. What was he doing?

  “You look … scared,” said Beth.

  “I guess I am
,” he admitted.

  “I’m not that scary,” laughed Beth.

  Kai didn’t trust himself to speak. After so few meetings he liked this girl in a remarkably powerful way. He reached down and, trembling inside, took her hand in his. She smiled and they continued walking. The trail became steeper, and as they reached the top of the incline a gorgeous view of the entire lake was visible. Releasing his hand, Beth leaned against a large rock at the lookout point, breathing hard from the climb. Her face was rosy with exertion and Kai couldn’t take his eyes off her. He could see the pulse beating in her throat, its tick strong and quick. He fought the urge to touch her; he wanted to dust the rose on her cheeks and run his thumb over the softness of her lips.

  Voices approaching on the trail made Kai step hastily back. It was another couple about their age. No one Kai knew, and thankfully, not a Trebladore. He reached up surreptitiously to wipe away the sweat on his brow that had nothing to do with the hill they’d climbed.

  They spoke with the other couple about the nice weather and good trail. Then the strangers retreated, taking one of the trails that branched out further. Kai took a bag of trail mix out of his pack, opened it, and handed it to Beth.

  “Oh, I love the kind with M&Ms in it.” She grabbed a handful.

  “There’s also beef jerky and dried fruit, so help yourself,” he said, propping the open backpack on top of the rock behind them. “I have a proper lunch back at the truck, but this should tide us over.”

  They ate, sitting side by side with their backs against the rock. Their silences were pleasant, their conversations unforced. Kai couldn’t remember feeling so comfortable with another being, Trebladore or human. After a half hour, they headed back down the trail. The shade of the trees seemed chilly after basking in the sunshine at the viewpoint, but soon their movement warmed them. He wondered if her hand was still as warm as the first time he held it. But he didn’t find out. The trek back was much shorter, as return trips usually are, but no less enjoyable. He asked about her family and learned she was an only child and very close to both her parents. They laughed at her mother’s very enthusiastic hug at the hospital.