Owen

"What did you find out?"

I didn't know anyone from Mars, but I knew several people on Earth who did. After contacting all of them, and then contacting their contacts on Mars, only one knew of the Ma'amaloa's.

"First, what about our deal?"

The man projected through my volo was skinny in that way that seemed unhealthy, a small black mustache, sallow skin, but he was supposedly one of Vai's neighbors back on Mars.

"The deal is ready to go through on my end," I said. "You should be receiving the mechatronics by the end of the month."

The man's cheek twitched slightly.

"As long as I receive the information I need," I added.

The man frowned.

"Owen."

I had muted the phone call as soon as my dad had said the O in Owen and temporarily cut the visual projection.

The door slid open and my dad stood in the door frame with his viola in one hand and bow in the other.

"Yes, dad?"

"What are you doing?" He came in and sat at the edge of my bed. He fiddled with the pegs.

"Reading up on the Brist system," I lied. I was sitting at my desk - my okulus was on my desk in front of me. I glanced down at my okulus. The call was still connected, but the man wouldn't wait long and I needed to know what he found out. My volo floated around near my head.

My dad nodded. "Do you want to try the restaurant on deck 6 later? What was it called again?"

"Museum Delectables because it's on the same level as the museum."

"Right," dad said. He began to randomly pluck the strings on the viola.

"Sure, Dad. Let's go there tonight, but let me finish this first."

Dad nodded, stood up, walked to the door, but paused there. "Everything's going all right, yes? No troubles? Making new friends?"

"Yes to all that," I said. "I'll tell you about school and new friends tonight at dinner okay? I really should finish this."

Dad nodded and left. The door slid shut behind him.

I opened up the visual connection again and unmuted the man from Mars.

His arms were crossed tightly. The muscles in his forearms moved underneath his skin. His cheek twitched more than before.

"Sorry about that," I said to him. "I had an unexpected visitor. Now, do you have any news on the K'thaktra kid named Thrissko?" I had changed my background for phone calls so it looked like I was sitting in an office and not in my bedroom.

The man let out a low sigh that went on longer than it should have. He looked at me in a pointed way to make it clear he wasn't happy to be put on hold for so long.

"I can just cancel the mechatronic order now and tell my associate not to do business with you in the future," I said.

"No, no," the man said. He held up a hand for emphasis. "I haven't found out anything about the K'thaktra kid yet, but I do have some news for you on the Ma'amaloa's house."

"I don't need news on the Ma'amaloa's house. I need . . ."

"People broke in and were removing things."

"Maybe they were movers," I said. But Vai and his father were already on board the Shadow. There really wasn't a need for them to move from their house.

"In the middle of the night? Sneaky like? I have a video. I'll send it to you."

My okulus chirped as I received the file.

"That will buy you an extra day," I said. "I'll call again tomorrow. You should have information on Thrissko by then."

I called my contact on Earth that supplied the mechatronics. "You got the shipment information?"

"Yes," the Bundu-jo woman said. "But what about the discount on Lithium you said you'd be able to get me?"

"Don't worry," I said. "The supplier said he would give you a 20% discount. I'll be back in touch with you tomorrow around this time to finalize everything."

She nodded and disconnected.

I called the Lithium supplier. A human male answered. "You can confirm the discount?" I asked.

"As long as the Bundu-jo Os'slin slugs you promise arrive by the end of the week. You said you knew of a supplier on Earth, but I haven't met any supplier's on Earth."

"Don't worry," I said. "I've got it all under control."

I disconnected and contacted Professor Rufus. "Everything in order?" I asked when he answered.

"The slugs are ready to be shipped, but how can I be sure you'll get me the specimens? You won't be returning to Earth for a year."

"Professor, my friend, have I ever let you down? No. No, I haven't. In fact, I'm going to be up close and personal to the Brist Slpsis tomorrow."

The Professor smiled and leaned in closer to his okulus. "A Slpsis? Really?"

I nodded.

"I would love to have a sample, a hair, a nail, skin, stool, anything really. Could you get me something?"

"Of course," I said. I wasn't about to get a stool sample, but he didn't need to know that. "I'll call you back tomorrow to finalize, but it shouldn't be a problem."

I disconnected the call, changed the background on the call settings to remove the office effect and called Vai.

"Hey," he said when he answered. From the visuals projected through my volo it looked like he was in his room. Warpaint stood behind him. Vai frowned at the mechatronic and tried to push him away, but Warpaint didn't budge. I really wished Warpaint was my bodyguard, but there was no way my parents could afford a mechatronic bodyguard. I might be able to buy myself one in a few years though. My savings weren't too bad.

"Anything about, Thrissko?" Vai asked.

"Not yet," I said. Vai frowned. He clearly doubted my abilities. "My friend," I said and for once meant it, "I will know something by tomorrow. I have a contact on Mars now. He was your neighbor. Mario. You know him?"

"Sort of," Vai said. "I know who he is anyway. I never talked to him. My father didn't seem to like him."

"I think that was a wise judgement on your father's part."

Now that I thought of it, I should have asked Vai in the beginning if he had someone he just wanted me to call on Mars. Mom always said I made things too complicated. I liked complicated though. And it reminded my contacts of why they should help me so in the end, I guess it all worked out anyway.

"He's looking into Thrissko, but in the meantime, he sent me a video. He said someone broke into your house." I sent him the file. "I haven't looked at it yet. I thought I should get it to you right away."

"I'll look at it. Thanks, Owen."

"No problem, my friend. Warpaint is coming planetside with us tomorrow right?"

"I don't think my father would let me go alone."

"Of course not, sir," Warpaint said. "I must be with you at all times."

Vai raised a hand in Warpaint's direction as if that proved his point.

"Good," I said. "I'll see you tomorrow, Warpaint." I disconnected the call.

My door slid open at that moment and my dad and mom walked in. Mom was still wearing her engineering uniform. I was only slightly taller than my mom. I was pretty sure I had stopped growing. My dad was taller than both of us by about 0.4 meters.

"I'm hungry," Mom said. "Let's go eat."

"Okay."

The Museum Delectables was okay by Earth restaurant standards, but it was great for a G.E.F. restaurant. It served mostly sandwiches, but that was sandwiches with ingredients from Earth and not the ship grown algae. Their fresh supplies would run out at some point. The decor was what you would expect from a quaint little cafe.

It was crowded. Spencer was there with his dad, but they sat across the room and he didn't seem to notice me. He wouldn't bother me with our parents around. Chocolate was on their dessert menu, but it was expensive as expected.

Honestly, I did feel a little guilty when my mom ordered one piece of chocolate for the three of us to share, especially since I had a box full of gourmet chocolates hidden in my room. But I had to make a living too. I was just waiting for the opportune moment. The moment when the ship's restaurants ran out of chocolate and the ship's occupants got tired of the algae after taste of the ship's chocolates. People would pay almost anything for chocolate then.

And there was the girl. I blinked and looked twice to be sure. She sat at a table by herself. Her hair was brown, her eyes were brown, her clothes were brown. She blended in so that no one took special note of her. No one thought it was strange that she was alone. She sat, but there wasn't food on the table in front of her. Her eyes met mine.

I started to lift a hand in greeting, but her eyes turned away from me and she stood up and walked out.

"I'll be right back," I said to my parents. I didn't allow them to time to give me permission. In the corridor outside I saw her walking towards the museum.

"Hey," I said and ran to catch up to her.

She stopped to stare down at me in front of the museum doors, but didn't say anything to me.

"Are you a ghost?" I asked. "Did you met some untimely end in the K'thaktra war?"

"No," she said. Her voice was alto. Lower than I had imagined it to be. It was cold.

"Then why weren't you in school?"

She turned and walked down the corridor towards the elevators before I had finished my sentence.

"Hey," I said again and grabbed her forearm to stop her. Her body tensed and for a brief moment I thought she was going to throw me, which was a strange thought because people don't usually go around throwing other people.

She looked down at my hand on her arm and said, "Let go." I let go before I realized it and she was walking down the corridor again.

She couldn't be a ghost if I could touch her. I took a step towards her and opened my mouth to call out to her again, but she turned around to face me. I stood there with my mouth open to speak. I quickly closed it. There was a deep intensity to her eyes as she stepped closer to me and whispered. "There are more dangerous aliens than K'thaktra. Could you fight them? Would you run away if you knew? They are already here. They've always been here."

A long finger touched my forehead.

"Owen?"

I blinked.

"Owen."

A hand was on my shoulder. I blinked again and looked up at my dad.

"Are you all right?" My mom asked.

I blinked again and looked to see where the girl should have been. The corridor in front of me was empty.

"What have you been doing?" My dad asked. "It's been ten minutes."

"Ten min . . .? But . . ." I looked down the corridor. "A wizard."

"What?" my mom said.

I looked at her and said, "She's not a ghost. She's a wizard."

"Don't be ridiculous," my mom said. She took my arm in hers and led me towards the elevators.