The Realms of Ethair Read Online Free Page A

that. He doesn’t
have the creepy vibes.”
    “ But we don’t know each other. Also, that
was the first time we met. Foreigner or not, why embrace me in the
middle of a street during a storm?”
    “ The ques tion is why did you let him?”
     
     

Chapter 3
Kristina
     
     
    The graduation ceremony finally ended. Excitement
buzzed as the class had arranged to stay at a resort after the
commencement exercises. They had decided to rendezvous at Fred’s
apartment. Kristina and her friends were the last to arrive.
Luggage lay in one corner, the chairs and sofa were occupied with
glum faces in the cramped living room. Ina, who coordinated with
the resort, had been told that the venue was suddenly reserved and
paid for by a TV network for the shooting of a drama series. The
personnel had assured them that their deposit would be returned in
a week. They waited for
Fred, who was talking on the phone with a friend who might just
help them find another venue.
    A whoop rang from the adjoining room. Fred burst in
with a wide grin plastered on his face. His eyes scanned the crowd
and rested on Kristina briefly before telling them the good
news.
    The subdivision’s security staff had been
expecting them at the gate. The guard waved to them to enter and
gave directions to the house they’ll be staying at. “A white house
with a hard-to-miss garden,” the security personnel
said.
    The description turned out to be accurate.
Unlike the well-manicured lawns in the other houses, plants and
flowers were left to grow wild around the residence. A bench
positioned at the front was the only thing that demonstrated order.
The two-story house they entered was airy, well maintained and
decorated with art pieces. Some of the paintings depicting nature
were signed with initials “A.M.”. Art’s house looked something that
may have been featured in a magazine. It appeared new and untouched
as if he never really lived in it. It was a stark contrast to the
condition of his grounds but seemed to support the idea that the
owner seldom stayed home.
    They found a note and a diagram of the
house stuck on the refrigerator with instructions of which rooms
they could use and to enjoy the swimming pool at the back. This
lightened the general mood of the class. After they had settled in,
some swam in the pool, drinks and food circulated, one of the guys
played the guitar while the others sang or listened. It was more of
a relaxing night rather than a party; after all, they didn’t want
to cause Art any trouble by disturbing his neighbors.
    Liza and Mindy sat away from the others with
their heads close together. Nica played chess with Jake while
Kristina and another classmate watched the match. Kristina knew the
discussion going on between her two friends. Peter had managed to
throw a wrench in a decade-long friendship.
    Kristina stood up from sitting
cross-legged on the floor. Thumping her thigh with a fist to get
the blood in her leg circulating again, she headed for the kitchen.
Their bags of groceries were placed on the counter; while food,
drinks, paper plates, and disposable cups and utensils were left on
the center table. She got herself a glass of water and was about to
return when a glint of an object caught her eye.
    It was coming from outside. She opened the
front door and saw a single firefly hovering near the kitchen
window. She sat on the bench and looked at the sky. Street lamps
lit up the neighborhood against the darkness. The cloudless night
sky offered a clear view of the stars. She studied them. Carefully,
she scrutinized one of the stars. After a few moments, she realized
these weren’t stars! They were UFOs. Three of them had made a bee
line across the sky and stopped just as suddenly. At closer
inspection with the physical eye, they moved in minute distances;
thus, the twinkling effect. It was impossible for them to stay in
one place. Kristina had read about it on the internet. UFOs were
being sighted everywhere in the world. She