Nikanatedanniell

Chapter 8 Lost a Sister

She got the second shock of the day after she climbed up into the bus expecting a dimly lit interior as she hadn't seen any windows on the outside. Sunlight streamed in through twelve large, square windows, six lining each side. Paired up with each window were two royal blue, crushed velvet, high-backed, over-stuffed armchairs. Royal blue, gray and light brown was the color scheme, from tiled ceiling to carpeted floor. There wasn't a back window, but when she threw out her arms, squealed in delight and turned around, Nikki stared in amazement at the front one. It wrapped from door to door and from the ceiling to the floor. The two men were facing her, sitting in chairs similar to the others and grinning.

"Wow, that's a cockpit," she exclaimed while she approached the various controls and readouts behind the men. "This thing is downright posh. It's amazing, you can see out but you can't see in. Where did the doors go? I mean, I heard them shut, I can see the steps and the gorgeous railings (are they brass?) but not the doors. There's just wall."

Niel chuckled as he answered, "the doors were engineered to seal seamlessly to withstand the vacuum of space. A pressure leak could be deadly. Have a seat and we'll go."

Watching the field move past was the only way Nikki could tell the bus was moving. She closed her eyes and sunk into the soft upholstery. She quickly sat upright when Niel said something in surprise. He stopped the bus a few yards from the house. Nikki jumped up and stood between the pilot's chairs. Niel was leaning forward staring at the house. Liam was swiveling slightly, checking some of the controls and typing rapidly on a panel with the same rune type symbols as on the outside. He said something in alarm.

"Niel, what's happening to our house? It's fuzzy," she asked. The outlines of the house were alternating blurred and sharp. "There are sparks on the windows. What's going on?"

"I do not know. Liam just told me our sensors are reading massive electrical activity inside."

"Massive electrical," Nikki started and then gasped. "Oh crud, the Angel's Eye! We have to get in the house."

She ran to the nearest steps. "Open the doors, we have to go," she shouted.

Niel twisted his chair around. "The Angel's Eye," he exclaimed. "The Eye of Angels is in your house?"

"Yes, and so are Debby, Andrea and my mother. Aaaaaaa!" she screamed and jumped back to the control console.

Niel whirled around and sat in stunned silence. Liam gasped and held his head. Nikki froze in horror as bolts of lightning shot from the house. Some went straight up, the rest arced back shattering windows and inflaming shingles. Then all the bolts fused and engulfed the house in a ball of brilliant white light. All three closed and shielded their eyes. As quickly as it had flared, the light blinked out. The horror that had filled Nikki drained out leaving her numb. Before her, where her house had stood, was a pit.

In her mental haze, she heard her sobs as if they came from far away. She barely felt hands guiding her down the stairs. A freezing blast of wind brought her back to her senses. She bolted out the door and sprinted to the back gate, stumbling once but not caring. The men were right behind her as she shoved the gate open against the drifted snow. They stopped a few feet into the yard and watched the wind whip up a dust devil of fine, pale gray ash from the pit. There's ash but no smoke or heat. Before Nikki could put her thought into words a panicked scream rose out of the ashes.

"Debby," Nikki yelled and ran to what should have been the back door. Ash filled in over half of the roughly rectangular dirt pit. On top of the ash to Nikki's left was Debby. She was kneeling on a circular piece of linoleum, starring at the mini twister and screaming for her mother. Her arms clamped the Angels Eye to her chest.

"Debby, it's Aunt Nikki, I'm coming to get you." she shouted and jumped. She landed chest high and sent a cloud flying. Coughing heavily, she tried to push her way over to the little girl. This sent up more ash with each move.

"Nikki stop," Niel commanded. "You are choking both of you. She is afraid of the spinning cloud. I can help."

Nikki held still. Niel pulled a slender object out of his pocket, twisted the top and held it out to the dust devil. The object made a short, high-pitched squeal and the spiral of ash fell. Niel answered Nikki's surprised look with a shrug and the words, "sonic screwdriver."

"Debby, my name is Niel," his voice was soft and friendly. My friend Liam has gone after a pulley. We will get you both out of there in no time."

"Nikki I'm scared," Debby wailed and held her arms out.

"Hang on Squeak, I got in to get you out and got myself stuck. We'll get out and then you can tell me what happened. Okay?"

Debby's bottom lip quivered as she answered, "okay. I'm cold and Mama and Grandma are killed."

Liam arrived carrying a long bag. The two men rapidly set up a sturdy tripod and beam at the edge of the pit. They threaded a cable through a set of pulleys on the beam and attached a large ring on the end. Liam then pulled a small black box from the bag and nodded to Niel.

"Ladies," Niel announced, "Liam will guide the life ring to each of you. Put the ring over your head to your waist and hold on to the rope. Tell us when you are ready and Liam will pick you up. Debby, do you want to go first?"

Debby hesitated so Nikki encouraged. "If you go first, you won't get all choked up when I get pulled out of this stuff 'cause it's gonna fly. It's okay, he's Danniell, from the cube and my locket."

Debby opened her eyes and mouth wide and nodded vigorously. She closed her mouth but kept her eyes wide as Liam guided the black ring to her by simply waving the box and tapping his thumbs on it a couple of times. The ring hovered just in front of her. Gingerly she reached out, touched it and pulled her hand back fast.

"Squeak," Nikki said, "it won't bite. Pretend it's a hula hoop."

"Okay," Debby said cautiously. She grabbed the ring and slid it over her head. As soon as she put it around her waist, it inflated to fit snugly. "Aakk," she squeaked.

"Hold onto the rope and we can pull you out and get you warmed up," Niel said.

Debby clutched the rope with one hand, the Angel's Eye with the other and shut her eyes. Nikki covered her face against the ash and felt cold air rush past as Debby went sailing up and over. When she looked, Niel held Debby snuggly wrapped in his coat.

"Feel better?" he asked with a smile, Debby nodded. "Good. Can you slide the ring off so Nikki can have a turn?"

She could and did.

"Now I will open my coat quickly so you can hand it to Liam. Thank you."

Nikki relaxed as she saw Debby relax. She slipped the ring on and held tightly as she was pulled out. As she dusted herself off, she asked Debby, "you okay in there?"

"Un-huh," Debby answered, "I'd give you a hug, but it's really warm in here."

Nikki smiled and stroked her small friend's head. "Tell you what, we'll go in that nice warm bus of theirs and you can give me all the hugs you want. Does Liam need help putting the beam back?" she asked Niel.

"No, thank you for offering," he replied. "The others have put it away."

"Others?" Nikki turned and said, "oh, hello. How did they get here?"

Three other people were standing nearby. A Felis woman, was zipping up the long bag. Two human men, were talking to Liam. Nikki looked around for another bus, but could only see one. The taller of the men walked to Nikki, nodded and extended his arm to the bus.

"Nikki, this is my captain, Zonas Senvalle," Niel said. "Condar, enrikeem Nikki Jessop a Debby Loboth."

Captain Senvalle's eyes widened and his mouth formed an "O". Then he turned abruptly and signaled the others to follow him. They walked in silence to the bus. Niel carried Debby up the steps and set her down when all had entered and the door was shut.