A Measure of Disorder

  Brandon was living outside the city for the time being, doing what he could to help with the rebuilding efforts, along with her other classmates that had joined Mogritas’s army.

  Once Crank arrived, he didn’t leave Jenni’s side. She was relieved that nothing had happened to him after she’d gone and was happy to have the attention. He was about three feet tall and had not grown any more since their return. Nor had he shrunk back to his original size.

  Ba’ize was keenly interested in Crank’s partial transformation. It answered the centuries-old question why none of the expeditions sent to Earth had ever returned. If those that went from Mother to Earth were transformed into humans, the Strodin’i would have lost their powers, along with the elemental spirits. The ability to perform the ritual to return would have been lost as well. There was also the obstacle that doorways could only be opened in certain places on Earth. It may have taken them days, or even longer, to find a suitable spot to attempt a return.

  Why the transformation seemed to be a one way, one time event, however, was something no one could explain.

  Later, Crank told Jenni what he and Mr. Kain had done after she left for Seren’naie.

  They had rested for the remainder of the night, then, in the morning, had gone to Crank’s village. It had been extremely difficult for him, but he’d needed to see it. To see how his family had died.

  Jenni tried to comfort him. Crank went on so say how he and Mr. Kain had followed the truck’s trail to where it had run out of gas. When they got there, Todd was nowhere to be found.

  Mr. Kain had Matt create a dirt and stone enclosure around the entire truck and its contents. He hoped it would keep the dangerous waste from contaminating the land, and keep it out of the hands of Mogritas.

  Jenni held Crank after that and let him cry for his lost family. They hadn’t gotten along well and his parents hadn’t understood him, but they were still family.

  A couple of days later, Jenni was able to be up and about again. She remembered bits and pieces of a dream while she’d been unconscious — vague impressions of Ms. Pap, and her Grammy — but it was all jumbled in her mind. She told Ba’ize about it, as much as she could remember anyway.

  “I think Mother saved you, Jenni. She has more in store for you I believe.”

  That night, all of them gathered for a dinner in Jenni’s honor. The Council and many citizens of Seren’naie came out to thank her for her bravery. Jenni was embarrassed by the attention, but it was good to see all of her friends again in the same place.

  After the members of the Council and others had left, they had a private get together. They held it outside, in the warm evening, so Brandon could attend too. Some of the old tensions were still there, but they were able to set them aside for the evening and enjoy each other’s company.

  They laughed and cried, and spoke of those who had passed, like Mrs. Minch and Ms. Pap, and of those who were still missing — Maggie, Vic and Todd — and wished for their safe return.

  Ba’ize stood up, late in the evening, and addressed them all. “Jenni, we have one more expression of thanks we’d like to give you.”

  Jenni looked up at him in surprise. She couldn’t imagine what it might be.

  “Mr. Kain, Mrs. Osorio, and the others would like to take you home,” Ba’ize said.

  Home?

  Mr. Kain stepped forward. “Jenni, the rest of us are either too changed to go back, or have little to go back to … but you, of all of us, can go and have reason to. We’d like to take you, if you want.”

  Jenni was shocked. She hadn’t thought about going back since she’d whispered her goodbyes in the dome Matt had created to bring them here safely. She ached to see her family, but all of her friends were here.

  An image of her mother on a grassy hillside flashed in her mind.

  “Yes,” she said, with tears in her eyes. “Yes, I’d like to go back.”

  Ba’ize smiled. “Very good. We’ll start preparations immediately.”

  “But only if you guys promise to come visit me!” Jenni added and everyone laughed, assuring her they would do just that.

  Crank stepped up to her. “I have a request, Jenni.”

  She looked at him expectantly.

  “Take me with you. Please.”

  Jenni immediately understood. Crank had no place here, no purpose. He wasn’t Nomenstrastenai anymore. He was something else.

  She nodded. “Of course.”

  * * * *

  A week later, after she’d said all her goodbyes, Brandon flew them up to the lake where they had first appeared.

  Saying goodbye to Sara had been extremely hard, but knowing she would come for a visit in a few months gave Jenni the courage to go through with it.

  “I’m jealous, Kershaw,” Sara joked. “All the boys are going to be fighting over whatever gorgeous body you decide to put on.”

  Jenni held her friend for a long time and made her promise to be careful.

  They went to the lake so Mr. Kain and the others could go back right away and not risk being seen or captured. They waited until nightfall, then began the ritual.

  Jenni awoke back on the lake shore with Crank and Mr. Kain by her side. It had been almost three weeks since their last visit, and the area was back to its peaceful self.

  She hugged Mr. Kain, then she and Crank said their goodbyes to Mrs. Osorio, Matt, Lori, and Bonnie. Taking a deep breath, she formed a strong set of wings and Crank climbed on her back. She took off and circled the lake once, waving to her friends, before heading toward the lights of Boise.

  Once over the city, she oriented herself and followed the streets back to her neighborhood in the northeast part of town. She found her house, and they landed quietly in the front yard.

  Crank climbed down and she reabsorbed her wings.

  She looked at him, then said, “You probably better wait outside for a couple minutes while I explain things.”

  Crank nodded and sat down on the grass with his small pack.

  Jenni took a deep breath and walked up the steps to the door. She opened it and stepped inside.

  “Mom? Dad? I’m home!”

  Epilogue

  Alisha had been sitting in the detainment area with nothing to do for what seemed like hours.

  Finally, a uniformed officer unlocked the door and came in with a glass of water, a candy bar, and a clipboard.

  “Afternoon, Miss. My name is Sergeant Cobb. I need to ask you some questions.”

  She looked at him skeptically. “What kind of questions?”

  “Let’s get started, shall we?” He set the water and candy in front of her. “First off, you are Alisha Hester, is that correct?” He then took out a pen and scribbled something on the clipboard.

  Alisha decided to play along. “Yes.” She took a sip of water and opened the candy bar.

  “Now, Miss Hester, please tell me everything that’s happened to you since you left on your field trip to Lake MacElroy.”

  Ugh. “You know, I really can’t. It would take much too long,” Alisha said.

  Sergeant Cobb blinked at her. “Excuse me?”

  Alisha held his eyes and let some of her power flow. “I’d really like to go home, Sergeant … can you be a dear and make that happen for me?”

  Afterword

  The Hanford Site in Washington State does exist, much as I’ve described, but the tunnels dug into Gable Mountain were, in fact, filled in and the area was restored to its original state. It was just an interesting “what if” to use for the story. You can find out more about the Hanford, Washington clean up at https://www.hanford.gov.

  The area of Lake MacElroy, described near Boise, Idaho, is also fictitious. There are thousands of acres of beautiful forest land and mountains there, but the lake and any mystical doorways are purely my fiction. At least, as far as I know!

  Glossary/Pronounciation Guide

  Ba’ize (Bah-eez´) — Mayor of Seren’naie

  Baer’naie (bay´-air-nay) — major rive
r that runs through the Lodir’naie forest

  Elvorstrastenai (el´-vor-strahs-ten-eye) — race that most closely resembles humans; slightly thinner, fairer skinned with softly pointed ears; primarily concerned with the arts, scholarship and nature

  Faerstrastenai (fay´-air-strahs-ten-eye) — race that are the primary caretakers of plants and animals on Mother; generally very small, some have wings, enabling them to fly on their own

  festri’i (fĕs´-tree-ee) — elemental spirit of fire

  Gobinstratstorai (gō´-bin-strahs-tor-eye) — animalistic race; often more self serving than the others; basic and primitive in many cases

  Lodir’naie (lō´-deer-nay) — massive forest that carries a consciousness; translated as “Mother’s mind”

  Mogritas (Mō´-gri-tas) — former Mayor of Seren’naie, only shapeshifter known to exist

  Nomenstrastenai (nō´-men-strahs-ten-eye) — race of builders and inventors; small in stature, generally one to two feet in height

  Saromstrastenai (sa´-rōm-strahs-ten-eye) — race of warriors resembling very fit humans but with a metallic sheen to their skin, varying from copper, to gold, to silver or platinum

  Seren’naie (sĕ´-rĕn-nay) — city that is the center of knowledge and government; translated as “Mother’s reason”

  Strodin’i (strō´-din-ee) — caste of people with the ability to communicate and control the elemental spirits

  taebri’i (tay-ĕ´-bree-ee) — elemental spirit of earth

  Tolenton’naie (tō-lĕn´-tōn-nay) — fruit with phenomenal restorative powers

  undei’i (un-day´-ee) — elemental spirit of water

  venti’i (vĕn´-tee-ee) — elemental spirit of air

  For maps, news, reviews and other fun stuff, please visit:

  www.mother-earthseries.com

  Following is an excerpt from

  A Cure for Chaos

  Book Two of the Mother-Earth Series

  Available now

  1

  “Jen, how do you do it?”

  Jenni leaned against her open locker door and watched the receding back of Ty Harrison moving down the crowded hallway. She had to admit it was a lovely back to watch.

  “Tell me,” Rissa insisted behind her. “How do you do it?”

  Snatched from her reverie, Jenni turned to her — compatriot? acquaintance? hanger-on? — “friend” definitely didn’t seem the right word to describe Marissa Cowan.

  “Do what?” Jenni asked.

  Rissa looked at her in disbelief. “Turn down all these amazing guys that ask you out! You’re a freshman, and you just had the star of the soccer team — who’s a junior I might add — ask you to the Sweetheart Dance on Friday. And you told him, ‘No’. How do you do that?”

  Being beautiful and popular was nice, but being beautiful, popular and a shapeshifter was a lot more complicated than Jenni had thought to begin with.

  “My, uh, foster parents, won’t let me date yet.” Jenni paused to check herself in the mirror hanging in the door of her locker. Her shoulder length blonde hair seemed stable — as did her perfect nose, model-quality cheeks and the not-quite-Angelina-Jolie lips she had fashioned for herself. She tended to lose focus when under stress, and between rejecting Ty’s advance and being interrogated by Rissa, Jenni was certainly feeling stressed. The last thing she needed was to lose her shape in front of everyone at school.

  “I suppose having a hottie exchange student around 24/7 makes it easier, but come on, girl! You’re not going to do much better than Ty in this lifetime.”

  Jenni had to giggle to herself. It had taken just over a week for Crank to complete his transformation after they had returned to Earth. He had topped out at five foot ten, a far cry from the foot and a half he was when Jenni had first seen him — what? Nine months ago? So much had happened to them it seemed like much longer. He had kept his blonde hair, but it had become softer and curly. Jenni had eventually convinced him to shave his beard to fit in better, but he hadn’t been happy about it. His body was strong and athletic, though he was still adjusting to the huge difference in size. He had also kept his kind, blue eyes. Jenni smiled thinking of them.

  Crank, or Frank as he was known at school, had adapted well to his new world. He learned how to read and write with similar speed as he’d picked up English before he and Jenni had first met. They had enrolled him as a foreign exchange student from Finland. It was a stretch, but helped account for his occasional odd turn of phrase and unusual mannerisms.

  The bell rang, accompanied by a grunt from Rissa. “I’m gonna be late! See you later Jen.”

  Jenni waved and nabbed a notebook from her locker.

  “Oh, I’m glad I caught you!” Mrs. Wrightson, one of the school counselors, said from behind Jenni.

  Jenni closed her locker and turned to face Mrs. Wrightson. A girl stepped out from behind the counselor and Jenni’s heart tried to climb out her throat.

  “Jen, this is Alisha Hester. She’s just joined us here at Lewis High and I thought you might show her around.” A look of concern flashed across Mrs. Wrightson’s narrow face. “Jen, are you all right? You look like you saw a ghost!”

  Alisha smirked and Jenni forced herself to relax. She hoped she hadn’t let any of her features slip.

  “No,” she said after exhaling slowly. “I’m fine. But I have to get to English —”

  Mrs. Wrightson presented her a slip of paper. “Here’s a hall pass and I’ll let Mr. Feller know where you’re at.”

  “Um, okay. Thanks.” Jenni took the hall pass and stared at Alisha as Mrs. Wrightson hurried off. Alisha hadn’t changed. Unless someone could become more perfect. Her blonde hair curled in ringlets over her shoulders and framed her delicate neck. Alisha’s designer top and jeans accentuated every curve flawlessly, and pedicured toes peeked out from her Italian pumps.

  “Take a picture, it’ll last longer.”

  Jenni blinked. “Sorry. So, um, are you new to town?”

  Alisha laughed. “You’ve done all right for yourself, Kershaw.”

  Blood rushed to Jenni’s face. “W-what do you —?”

  “I mean you still need some major help in the fashion department. Who would wear those shoes with that outfit? But, everything else is a definite improvement.”

  Jenni was speechless. Her carefully constructed world was crashing down before her eyes.

  “Oh, don’t worry,” Alisha continued, “your secret is safe with me. It took me months of work to get back to a normal life. I’m not going to throw it away by blowing the whistle on you.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  Alisha leaned in close. “After I ran away from Brandon and the others, I was taken into custody by the Army. It took me forever to find someone who could get me released. I just want my life back.”

  Jenni considered this. “So, you’re okay with me being here … like this?”

  Alisha smiled. “Yeah, we’re cool, Kershaw. Now, why don’t you show me around this dump?”

  Jenni giggled. “Sure.” She had to admit it would be nice to have someone to talk to who knew. Even if it was Alisha. Jenni had Crank, of course, but he was a boy. It just wasn’t the same.

  She replaced her notebook in her locker and they wandered the halls of the school.

  “So tell me,” Jenni asked, “what gave me away?”

  “Well, when the counselor told me ‘Jen Kershaw’ was going to show me around, I was kinda expecting it.”

  Jenni laughed. “I actually have a cousin on my Dad’s side whose name is Genevieve. So we came up with this story that she, my cousin, came to live with my parents for a while. Since our names are similar, it made it easy not to mess up when someone shouts my name from across the room.”

  “Ah, that makes sense.”

  “Yeah. Crank was a little tougher to fit in but —”

  “Wait. Crank is here?”

  Jenni nodded. “He started to change when we were here, chasing you guys. Then, after everything was over, he
came back with me and finished turning human.”

  “You followed Brandon and Mrs. Minch back to Mother?”

  Jenni shuddered, recalling memories. “When I finally got back, Seren’naie was destroyed and Mogritas’ army had launched some of the barrels of waste … I was able to clean it up — make it harmless — but it almost killed me.”

  “Wow. So what did Mogritas do then?”

  “Actually, Mrs. Minch finally realized he was just using her and she fought him off with a bunch of the elemental spirits. Mogritas ran away, but Mrs. Minch died in the fight.”

  Alisha’s eyebrows rose, but she didn’t reply.

  Then Jenni asked, “Why did you guys do it anyway?”

  Alisha shrugged. “It seemed like the only way to get home.”

  They turned a corner and entered a long hallway with a glass wall on their left. A central courtyard, covered in a light blanket of snow lay beyond. A weak, February sun did its best to penetrate a layer of misty gray clouds. Farther down the hall, the smells of what passed for lunch at the school drifted their way.

  “Over there,” Jenni said, “is the site of many attempted murders: the cafeteria.”

  Alisha giggled briefly. “School lunches were one thing I didn’t miss.”

  “Down here,” Jenni pointed to the right, “is the gym.”

  Red, pink and white streamers adorned railings and sports equipment all through the gymnasium in preparation for the dance on Friday. Jenni thought again about Ty and whether she might be able to trust herself on a date.

  A sharp sting on her neck interrupted her. Reaching up, she felt a small object protruding from her skin. She plucked it out and saw it was a tiny dart with red feathers.

  The world tilted and Jenni found herself on the hardwood floor. Dimly she saw several men in suits and dark glasses running toward her.

  Darkness.

  What Some Readers and Reviewers Are Saying…

  Praise for A Measure of Disorder, Book One of the Mother-Earth Series