I nod. Given the signal out here is non-existent, I don’t have anything else to distract me, and being cut off from the world is terrifying. Almost as much as sleeping next to a freaking lake. Hunter disappears down the beach, and Cheryl gives me a soft smile as I approach the truck she is unloading with the help of two other women, one being Rose, her daughter, who gives me a curious look. They are all doing that; side-eyeing the strange hacker woman who has the attention of their VP. I feel exposed that I’m not wearing any masks right now. Judged.
“You feeling better?” Cheryl asks as she scans me from head to toe.
I was... “Yes.” No need to freak everyone out with my tales of horror.
Cheryl narrows her eyes. She is a lot like Hunter, seeing too much even when I give so little. “Can you take these over to the fire the boys are building?” She hands me a couple of heavy duffle bags which I cart over to the impressive bonfire they have already amassed. Most of the camp is set up, since we arrived late to the party. Guilt at letting others do the hard work is probably the right emotion, but I’m happy to spend as little time here as possible.
William takes the heavy bags from my hands, and I breathe a sigh of relief. My arms still ache from the release of rage. “You ever been camping before?”
My nose wrinkles. “I’m more of a five star hotel girl.”
He laughs, dropping both bags on the ground. “Hopefully we can surprise you.”
Doubtful. I give him a small nod as Hunter appears with another guy, each gripping the end of a long tree trunk. “Found the seating,” Hunter rumbles as he slides his gaze over me. It causes a lick of heat to trail down my spine. He stares like he hasn’t seen me in days, not minutes. There’s a tether tugging me toward him, wherever he is, and it’s disorientating. Something I have never experienced before. I’ve made a living out of avoiding people, and even the few I’ve allowed in have never been like this.
The next hour is a flurry of activity flowing around me while they get their belongings tucked away in their respective tents and start up the barbecue. Everyone seems to know their role and what they’re expected to do. They move seamlessly together, and I feel like a barrier they need to adjust around. A few people make polite conversation but don’t intrude too much or too deeply, which I appreciate.
The sun begins to sink over the lake by the time we are enjoying burgers served on napkins. Hunter is a gentleman, ensuring I always have a drink in reach, alternating between DrPepper and water. My heart squeezes. I can’t remember anyone ever paying this much attention to me to know what my true preferences are.
The chit chat spans from events Cheryl is planning for the approaching Halloween season, to the upcoming retirement of the preschool teacher, Lorraine. There’s never a lull in the conversation and laughter is abundant around the fire. This is an MC?The two night camp out is always one night for the adults, and another for the full family. I wonder if Steph has ever been to one. It’s sad to think she’s missing out on a relaxed bunch of people enjoying casual inside jokes and yummy food. The atmosphere is unthreatening and disarming, much like the man that hasn’t left my side, and I find myself leaning against him as the sky bruises. Charlie lies on my feet, perfecting our little unit. This dog has stolen my heart as much as Hunter has. I think Charlie managed to steal it first, perhaps it’s because dogs don’t have ulterior motives, and they love without reservation. All they want is yours in return.
An unfamiliar man takes the spot on my free side. He’s an older guy, somewhere in his sixties, with a long gray beard and a bald head. He’s kept himself in shape, as have all the men I’ve seen.
“Ian, this is Eleanor,” Hunter says. Unusual. He hasn’t introduced me to the others in the group. Not that they haven’t been friendly, but they all know my name already.
“Hi,” Ian says with a little wave.
“Hi.”
He tilts his head as he takes a bite out of his burger. “You know of Project Blue Book?”
That’s quite the introduction. I think I might like him.
Hunter stifles a laugh. “Ian, we talked about this.”
“Yes, it’s the code name for the US Air Forces’ study of UFOs which ran from 1953 to 1969,” I offer.
Ian gobbles the last of his burger and smirks. “Over seven hundred objects remained unidentified.”
Seven hundred and one, to be exact.
“What do you think? Are we alone?”
“Jesus Christ, Ian,” Hunter mutters.
I twist to give the excited man my full attention, and Hunter’s arm slips around my waist, keeping me grounded and with him. “In terms of the entire universe, the probability we are alone is less than one in ten billion trillion. So, no I do not think we are alone.”
Ian leans his elbows on his knees and glances around before beckoning me toward him. “Do you think they have visited here?”
“I think it is more likely we are not the first advanced species to exist on Earth. Perhaps they left our planet or, more likely, were wiped out by a catastrophic event. In fact, there is evidence this may have happened multiple times.”
“Who are you, and what have you done with my trouble?” Hunter asks, resting his chin on my shoulder.
Ian wipes a hand over his mouth as he contemplates my words. “Your theory isn’t that aliens have visited us, but that we are simply a generation of humanoids?”
“The ninth, at least, according to the evidence.” I lean forward. “But more importantly, what if we are the alien species put on this planet as an experiment?”
Ian sucks in a shocked gasp. “That’s certainly an interesting theory.”
