Arctic Rising Read Online Free Page B

The appeal of soaking in warm water until she’d chased every last chill from her bones was strong. But she was tired enough that she feared she would fall asleep in the tub.
    Instead she took a shower so hot it felt like it would burn the top layer of her skin away.
    Then she crawled into the thick sheets and comforter under the gaudy poster of an airship advertising an old Nollywood movie.
    For once, the beams of light from around the corners of the shades didn’t bother her. She fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillows.
    And what felt like seconds later, she sat up.
    The house phone rang again, and she rolled over and picked up the old headset.
    “Nika!” said the scratchy voice. “Is that you?”
    She hadn’t even gotten in a fuzzy hello. Her father sounded scared, hopeful, nervous, and angry, all at the same time.
    “Father…” She blinked against the light streaming in around the darkening blinds. Hearing his voice, even if transported from so far away, made her feel better.
    “I cannot believe you did not call me. Here we are, hearing this news that says an airship was blown out of the sky near Baffin Island, and you have not even called us to let us know you are okay, or even sent us a message? I called your phone over and over and over again. Then your aunt says to me that she has another number for you and that’s how I finally reached you. I almost died from the worry.”
    Anika braced herself against the headboard from the onslaught of clipped, angry words from her father as he lectured her. “I fell asleep,” she said, rubbing at her eyes. “And yes, it was me they shot at.”
    “I … what did you say?” Her father lost his train of thought.
    “They shot me down. Me and the other pilot.”
    A long silence dripped from the other side of the phone. Then finally her father collected himself. No more yelling now. “Are you okay, Anika?”
    Anika slumped forward around the phone. “I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it all yet. I am just … still thinking over what happened. And trying to figure out why.”
    “But you’re not hurt?”
    “No.” Suddenly she now wanted to hear him drone on about her cousins, and who was pregnant, and what was coming into season in the markets. She wanted to hear about the air conditioner that kept breaking down in the window of his Lagos apartment and hear him complain about the heat. All those mundane details of life back home, that she usually wanted him to skip on past, now sounded like delicious nuggets of familiarity and normalcy.
    “I thought you flew normal patrols,” her father said. “I don’t understand. I thought you had taken on a less dangerous job. This isn’t the Sahara.”
    The phone beeped. Anika looked at the incoming call. Commander Michel Claude, the phone blinked. “I thought so, too. But I have to go,” Anika said.
    “You should call your mother,” he said quickly. Anika sat, letting the words roll past. “You are close enough to visit her. Whatever our pasts, she will have heard the news story. She will want to know her daughter is safe.”
    Anika pursed her lips. “It was good to hear your voice. But my commander is calling. I have to go.”
    “Well, be careful, Anika,” her father said. “And think about it.”
    “I will,” Anika promised. Then she switched to the incoming call. She took a deep breath. “Commander?”
    Michel sounded tired, his voice scratchy from lack of sleep. “Anika … I’m very sorry about this.…”
    Anika’s stomach lurched. This couldn’t be good. “Commander?”
    “I know you were just with him, but Tom passed. I’m so very sorry.”
    Anika closed her eyes and bent over on the side of her bed. “I was just there. He seemed okay to me. He made jokes.”
    “I saw him as well, Anika. But it happened.”
    She gripped the phone and heard a piece of plastic in the case crack. There was no going back to bed. No time for curling up and waiting to process what had happened.