Alien Rain by Ruth Morgan

Author:Ruth Morgan
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
ISBN: 111-1-11-111111-1
Publisher: Firefly Press Limited
Published: 2016-04-10T16:00:00+00:00

‘I’m sorry, I can’t tell you what’s been going on. I’m not allowed to tell anyone,’ I whispered hoarsely. An hour after my fright in the fossil room, we were sitting next to the open front door. Robeen sat patiently beside me, looking confused but at the same time sympathetic.

‘Is it something to do with your celephet?’

I nodded. I could admit that much.

‘Wow. I’m glad mine didn’t work after all. Sorry. I mean, I’ve never seen anyone look so scared. You were petrified. Are you sure you’re all right now?’

I nodded but I was so cold that I couldn’t stop my teeth from chattering. Outside, the bright sunshine was marred by the masses of flies, a grey mist even on the sunniest days. I wanted to walk outside, fling back my head and soak up some of that sunshine, warm my bones and rid myself of the darkness, but of course, that was impossible.

After a while, she said, ‘It’s pointless my asking you any more, I suppose?’

I nodded.

‘Well, if Doc Carter’s putting you through this, I wish he’d stop.’

‘Thanks,’ I said. ‘But it’s something I have to do, you don’t understand.’ It was an odd echo of that fraught conversation we’d had about her cello practice on board the Byd, which seemed so long ago now.

Even at that moment I knew I would go back in there and carry on. Why? Because the worst fear of all was my fear of losing this new important sense of myself. I had travelled all those millions of miles to empathise with the unknown and get an answer to the biggest question facing our species, to further our Great Quest and Purpose. I had to succeed or I was nothing and didn’t deserve my place on board the mission.

‘You’re brave, Bree,’ said Robeen. ‘If I’d had the kind of fright you’ve just had, I wouldn’t want to do it, whatever “it” is.’

I felt suspicious. Was Robeen trying to put me off, jealous of my getting all the attention again? But no, her eyes were full of worry and she wasn’t that good an actress; with Robeen what you saw was what you got. The mission hadn’t been a success for her, but at least those endless hours she’d spent as Nisien’s sidekick seemed to have worn down her big-headedness. She’d changed for the better, it seemed.

‘Thank you,’ I said.

‘What for?’

‘Just what you said then. It helps.’

She smiled, sort of. It was still a bit of a non-committal, Robeenesque smile but it was genuine. There was a lovely person in there somewhere, all it needed was a bit of encouragement.

‘Oh, I’ve just remembered something.’ I hesitated, in case what I was about to say turned out to be stupid. In the end I couldn’t not tell her. ‘You haven’t done much cello practice in a while?’

‘The virtual cello’s worse than useless.’ She frowned. ‘I’ve stopped playing altogether.’

‘Well, I don’t know if this suggestion’s any good, but when I was here with Halley the other

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