And that thought set her to determined work because Lainey was always up for a challenge—and she didn’t want Kirov to think she was unintelligent, especially since he was a quote unquotetechnology advisor, whatever the hell that meant.
The object was a small metal sphere, but despite the material, it felt impossibly light. It was iron in color and she turned the sphere over in her hands, looking for some sort of switch or button.
Finally, she found a tiny circle outlined into the metal and she poked it with the side of her nail, dropping the ball in surprise when it suddenly unfurled in her hands, like a blossoming metal flower, until it resembled a small…well, a small UFO, if she was being honest. It was raised slightly in the center, the sides flaring out.
She gasped when a strange series of beeps emitted from the object and it hovered just in front of her. She studied it warily but when it simply hovered, she relaxed. Hesitantly, she reached out a hand, waving it underneath and around its sides, but the object was still. It was silent, though a stream of some kind of energy flowed from the bottom, which was what Lainey assumed powered it.
Eyeing the mini-UFO, she tried to make out what it could be, or why Kirov had given it to her.
She reached out a hand slowly, placing her hand on the metal, wanting to turn it to see if there was another hidden button. But before it could, another series of beeps sounded and her hand felt slightly hot as the metal reacted to her touch.
Lainey jerked her hand away and then the UFO flew over her head, hovering about four inches directly above her skull.
What in the world?
She walked towards the bed, trying to get out from underneath it, but it followed her, zipping quickly to keep up with her.
She darted back to the window, but again, the UFO stayed close.
Was this some sort of joke? She wondered, staring up at the UFO in bewilderment.
But then it hit her.
She knew what it was and as realization dawned, she couldn’t help but laugh. And when she was done laughing, a small grin remained on her face as she closed the window to her room and walked out to the living room, wondering if she would see him there.
Disappointment made her smile drop a little when she saw Vixron standing near the door. He straightened when he saw her, frowning when he saw her UFO friend.
“About time, sleepy head,” Crystal remarked, though her voice was distracted and she didn’t look up at her. As Lainey drew closer to the fire pit, where Crystal was sitting among the cushions, she saw something that resembled a tablet in her lap.
Like an…iPad.
Lainey’s chest warmed, her stomach fluttering in a way that made her press a hand to it. Kirov had remembered what she’d said, about Crystal liking to draw. He’d been true to his word and Lainey liked that he kept his promises.
The blonde was drawing away. Using a black, slim pencil-like device, she drew on a back-lit tablet in her lap. Then, she clicked on a button and the tablet beamed up shafts of colored light and to Lainey’s amazement she saw the image that Crystal had been drawing—an intricate and detailed sketch of the Santa Monica pier—become a 3-D image. Crystal manipulated and twirled the drawing, spinning it to see it from every angle.
“It’s so cool, isn’t it?” Crystal gushed and Lainey heard the smile in her voice. Finally, the blonde looked up, still beaming, but her smile faltered when she saw the UFO. “Um, what the hell is floating over your head?”
Lainey snickered and dropped down onto the cushions next to Crystal, wanting to see more of her drawing. Her UFO buddy followed her.
Smiling, Lainey answered, “It’s my hat.” Crystal looked at her like she’d grown two heads…which was kind of true. “Looks like Christmas came early this year.”
All thanks to a certain alien Ambassador.
* * *
Later that afternoon,Lainey was sitting on the balcony of the terrace. The railing ledge was wide enough for her to feel safe, considering that the drop was considerable. Vixron had protested when he’d first seen her perched there, but Lainey was stubborn, something he should know by then.
Despite the heat, she had a fur blanket draped over her legs and a similar one wrapped around her shoulders to protect her exposed skin from the sun.
Tilting her head back, she eyed her mini-UFO, which kept her face shaded from the sun perfectly. It even seemed to sense where the sunwasand adjusted accordingly to keep her in the optimal amount of shade.
It was a cool little gadget and it made Lainey wish she had one back on Earth. It would’ve saved her from a lot of painful sunburns.
Her ears perked up, her back straightening when she heard a hovercraft approaching. And sure enough, a moment later, a speck in the distance grew larger and larger as it made a beeline for the terrace.
Lainey’s heart pitter-pattered in her chest and she took a sip of water from her pitcher, which she’d brought outside with her for her afternoon of relaxation. All she needed was a lounge chair with a big umbrella and margaritas and she would be set.
Kirov came into view, but his face was unreadable. It surprised her when he landed his hovercraft directly in front of their house, not in front of his.
