The Spectrum Force Volume Two by Heather Ray (affordable ebook reader txt) 📕

The young waitress sighed audibly, clutching her empty serving tray to her chest. She took a deep breath to steel herself, and strode quickly to the table by the window.

Again.

"So," she said, leaning over the dead silent assembly, "can I get you anything yet?"

The five local college students seemed too focused on their own thoughts to pay her any heed.

The waitress' plastic smile remained steady as she cleared the table of empty water glasses. "I'll get these filled for you. Take your time."

With an impatient roll of the eye, she went back into the kitchen.

Tamara leaned her heavy head against her palm, glancing at her watch. "What do we do? It's almost nine."

"Something's wrong," Keith finally conceded, his tone heavy with concern.

Then, Craig stood up from the table. "We should get going," he suggested.

"But what if she shows up?" Jocelyn asked feebly.

"Three hours late?" Matthew pointed out, tapping his fingers against the tabletop, "If she went anywhere, it would be back home."

"Besides," Keith said quietly, "if something did happen to her, someone would call your apartment."

A grim silence once again fell upon the friends as their worst fear was finally verbalized.

"How am I going to do

this?" she whispered, staring at the purple gemstone on her finger.

Once it was merely an amethyst, a piece of relatively common mineral symbolizing the month of her birth.

But now, it was so much more.

True, Rachel didn't quite know what

it was. The stone was so small... how could it contain the kind of power Spectra had alluded to?

Doubts crept into her mind. What was she really given? Could it have been a hoax, or some sort of trap?

Or... could it all be true?

She had definitively ruled out hallucinations- her sore jaw gave testament to the reality of the subway encounter. And she did have five rings identical to hers, save for the colors of the gemstones.

But the alternative was so difficult to believe, even after what she had seen.

Earth was under attack. At this point, the attack was covert. The alien forces were underground, collecting information to aid their attack. And a benevolent alien came to intercept them, and form a team of humans to save the Earth.

Save the Earth...?

"They're never going to buy this."

That's why she hesitated. She'd been sitting there, amongst the trees decorating the outside of the Café Gallery, for twenty minutes. And every time she mustered the courage to face her friends with the truth, a voice in her head kept stalling.

"You know how silly this all sounds. An alien invasion? They'll put you on the first flight to Looney Island."

Still, no matter how ludicrous it sounded, or how hard it was for her to believe herself

, she knew in her heart it was true.

Spectra hadn't lied.

She really was given the power to save the Earth.

And she needed a team to join her in that mission.

"Keith, I think you should call the police," came a voice, just barely within earshot, "Just to be sure."

"And say what, Tam?" came the response, "Ray's only been missing for a couple hours. It needs to be twenty-four hours before the police can file a missing persons report."

"But what if there's been an accident?" another voice countered.

Rachel rose to her feet, and glanced through the branches. Around the corner, Jocelyn, Craig, Matthew, Tamara, and Keith walked in a tight group, obviously frustrated.

It hadn't even occurred to her how worried her friends would be at her no-show.

"They'll believe me," she assured herself, "They know

me."

With heightened resolve, Rachel slipped through the trees, and hurried to meet them.

"Guys! Wait up!" she called, waving.

All five stared at her with a mixture of confusion and relief.

"Where the hell have you been?!" Keith demanded, his brow wrinkled in confusion as he watched Jocelyn and Tamara greet their roommate with a hug, "No interview takes that long."

Rachel's smile then fell to a more serious expression. "I'll tell you. But not until we get home." She then paused, as if considering her next words. "And you've got to promise me that you'll hear me out, no matter how... weird my story gets."

She then gazed at her friends expectantly. She was met by five flabbergasted stares.

"Uh... okay," Craig offered, a frown of confusion wrinkling his brow.

"...and then she transported me into the trees beside the Café Gallery, to make sure I wasn't seen. That's where I was until you guys left the restaurant."

As she finished the story, Rachel slowly leaned back into the yielding cushion of the armchair. She wrung her fingers tightly, her dark eyes passing from one friend to another. The reactions were all the same.

Completely blank.

She consciously regulated her breath in an effort to remain calm, and waited for some response.

She waited through a solid minute of silence.

"Guys?" said quietly, planting her elbows on the arms of the chair. "Don't you have anything to say?"

The first to respond was Matt, who cracked a small smile. "I get it... it's Senior Prank Day! Wow... that was a real whopper, Ray."

"It isn't

Senior Prank Day," Keith muttered, his gaze never wavering from Rachel, "I would've known about it. Rachel isn't the only senior here."

Tamara then nodded her head. "You're rushing for a sorority," she realized with a knowing smile, "When I tried out for Phi Sigma, they made us drink this weird punch made with ketchup. It was sooo gross-"

"Rachel wouldn't rush for some stupid sorority," Keith interrupted, his eyes still planted on his oldest college friend, "Would you?"

It was true... of all of them, Keith knew her the best. They were friends the longest, since the first week of their mutual freshman year.

If anyone would believe her, it was him.

"It's no game, or joke, or stunt," Rachel assured them.

Craig then rose from his seat at the kitchen stool, and began pacing, chewing his lip pensively.

Jocelyn watched him acutely from her seat on the rug. "What're you thinking?"

"Paranoid Schizophrenia," was his thoughtful response.

Jocelyn blanched, rising to her feet. "I need some air," she breathed, hurrying to the window in the kitchen. She thrust it open, and began taking long breaths.

Matthew's incredulous gaze turned from Jocelyn to Craig. "What are you trying to do? Scare everyone?"

"What does it sound like to you?" Craig challenged, "Maybe she just watches too much Sci-Fi Channel?"

Matt's eyes narrowed. "Rachel's definitely not schizophrenic! Just because you took a semester of abnormal psychology, doesn't make you Sigmund Freud!"

Craig crossed his arms. "Well, maybe not schizophrenic, but definitely

paranoid. Suffering from paranoid delusions."

"You think I'm delusional?" Rachel whispered, her eyebrow arching.

That hurt.

Craig's determination faded, and he weakly sat back down on the stool. "It just... can't be true, Ray. It's impossible."

"What part?" she challenged meekly.

Craig rolled his eyes. "Fine," he conceded, meeting her challenge, "If there were aliens running around the subway station, why didn't anyone else see them?"

"They weren't looking. I saw something flash while I was in the train, and then again after I got off. I decided to check it out, but everyone else left."

"And why

would you investigate that?" Craig interrogated, "Aren't their security guards for that?"

Rachel nodded. "Yes... I really don't have a good excuse for that. I guess it was just curiosity." She then met Craig's gaze. "But that's definitely not

proof that I'm crazy."

Craig sighed. "Fine. But if you fought an alien so much stronger than you, how come you're not at all hurt?"

"I told you, Spectra healed me."

"Yeah right... the magical sorceress waved her wand, and you were cured!"

Rachel glowered at Craig's mocking tone. The tall young man immediately saw his failing.

"Sorry," he whispered.

"Alien medical technology could be better than ours," Keith proposed, after another long silence. Rachel turned around, staring at her friend in shock.

So did all the others.

"You... believe all this?" Tamara whispered incredulously.

"I can't think of a solid reason not to," Keith answered, throwing Rachel a small smile.

Rachel squeezed her eyes shut to hold back the moisture.

"I mean, sure it's possible that she's wrong, but what if she's right?" Keith pointed out, turning around to glance at everyone present, "What if Rachel is the one chosen to save Earth? Think about the consequences if we do nothing!"

Keith then looked back at Rachel. "I'm in."

Rachel grinned, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "Thanks, Keith."

She reached into her blazer pocket, and cradled five rings in her palm. After gazing at them for a moment, she smiled as she selected the ruby red one.

"I think this one suits you the best," she decided, handing it to Keith. Keith looked at the ring with interest before sliding it onto his finger.

"Perfect fit," he marveled.

Rachel then looked at Tamara, who nervously toyed with a curl of ebony hair.

"Well..." she considered, her large brown eyes passing along the rings in Rachel's grasp, "...when have I been one to decline jewelry?"

She winked to Rachel as she selected the yellow ring. Rachel released a