DAWN ON THE INFINITY
A Young Adult Urban Fantasy by Jeff Provine
Chapter 1
Dawn was going to be late this morning.
It wasn’t her fault. At least, not totally, even though it was her fault. She hadn’t meant to oversleep, especially today. Now she was moving as fast as she could, the cool, twilight air rushing across her face.
It was her brother’s fault. If he had given her a ride to school, she wouldn’t be in this mess. If he had woken her up earlier, she wouldn’t be in this mess.
Dawn puffed frustrated air over her braces. As long as she was dreaming, she might as well blame him for not brushing her teeth for her.
Her parents had left the night before for her dad’s weekend astronomical conference. The only responsibility she had was to get herself to school Friday and not get into any trouble over the weekend. This was her chance to prove that she was growing into a responsible adult, and she was blowing it.
She had set her cell phone’s alarm last night as she always did. It had been later than she usually stayed up, but that was practically a law for teenagers whose parents were gone. Bleary-eyed from watching too many late night stand-up routines by comedians with funny accents, she hadn’t noticed that the battery was too low. Somewhere around three in the morning, it shut off with a beep, and Dawn slept through it.
The next thing she remembered was her brother Paul banging on her door and announcing, “Dawnie, I’m heading to school. You up yet?”
Dawn had sat straight up in bed. She grabbed her phone, which was stiff and lifeless. When she had her glasses on, the Mickey Mouse clock across the room warned she only had twenty minutes to be at her desk in homeroom. All she could reply to Paul was a short, horrified scream.
He had headed to his high school in his car while Dawn tore through her morning routine. She took the fastest shower she had in her life, slipped her contacts in, flew into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt proclaiming her love of NY, and leaped onto her bike, buckling her helmet while she rolled down the driveway.
Dawn checked her watch, finding six minutes to go. If she caught the crosswalk lights right, didn’t stop by her locker, and nothing else went wrong, she would just make it. She stood on her pedals and put all her weight into each stroke. The green leaves of the Jones’ hedges became a blur, matching the gray blur of the street on her left. Matching her breathing with each thrust, she determined that nothing would stop her now.
It was then that a blonde guy in a funny blue suit stepped out of the bushes in front of her.
Dawn grabbed both handbrakes with panicked squeezing. Her feet slipped and tangled in the spinning pedals. She was not exactly sure if she had flown over the handlebars or just fallen over, but she found herself sprawled across the sidewalk with her bike tumbled nearby. The blonde guy had simply stepped to the left and dodged the whole thing.
He walked calmly beside her and said, “Good morning.”
“Ow,” was all Dawn could reply.
She shook her head to clear some of the swirling around her eyes and looked up at the blonde guy.
He looked about seventeen, two years older than Dawn, but short and holding a strange air of majesty. That may have simply been the suit he wore. It looked like something out of the Napoleonic Wars, dark blue, carrying pomp with gray sash, starched, pressed creases, and ample pockets. Instead of gold buttons, it had what looked like silver or maybe polished platinum with stubby epaulets to match. A utility belt hung around his waist, looking like Batman’s except that it was silver instead of yellow. His face was blank, emotionless even though he had watched Dawn nearly kill herself. His blonde hair was shaggy, like dreadlocks that had been uncurled. His eyes were brown, deep, complacent, and in charge.
The guy reached out his hand to Dawn.
Dawn wasn’t sure whether to take it. She stared up at him, trying to decide whether she wanted to accept the help for scream at him for being an idiot. She decided on both.
She grabbed his hand. His grip was stronger than he looked, and he pulled her to her feet. Dawn dusted off her jeans, then pointed a finger in the guy’s face.
“What is wrong with you?” Dawn began. “What kind of person steps out in front of somebody barreling down the sidewalk? Didn’t you see me?”
The guy cleared his throat and rubbed his Adam’s apple. Dawn thought she saw some sort of prosthetic over his throat. Her heart froze. If she had been screaming at a mute guy…
Fortunately, the guy spoke. His voice was stilted, almost robotic. “I did see you.”
Dawn squinted. “Then why’d you step out in front of me?”
“First, allow me to introduce myself. I am Lexandrous Stare, Captain of the Infinity.”
Dawn blinked several times. Maybe he was some kind of escapee from a home for disturbed kids. She didn’t think one was nearby, but maybe he had been wandering for awhile. That would explain hiding in the bushes.
The guy continued, “And you are Dawn McCurtain.”
Ice ran up Dawn’s spine. He was some kind of stalker. She took a half-step back, enough to move away, but not too much to panic him. “How do you know my name?”
“I need your help,” he replied simply.
“Um, I agree, but… you know, maybe the help you need is more,” Dawn said, trying to pick a neutral, reassuring word, “professional.”
He shook his head. “No, it has to be yours. It is a simple task procuring a power generator, and I would have you home as quickly as possible.”
Dawn held up her hands slowly. “Um, I can’t. I’ve got to… go to school.” An alarm went off in Dawn’s mind. “School! I’m going to be late!”
“Forget school for one day. Come with me. I’ll reward you with whatever you ask.”
Dawn paused. “What do you mean, ‘whatever I ask?’”
“Anything. Gold, jewels, a pony, your own amusement park, knowledge, adventure.”
Dawn lowered her hands. She rubbed them softly and walked to where her crashed bike lay. The brown eyes of Captain Stare followed her.
Picking up her bike, Dawn said, “I’ll want a new bike. Thanks to you, this one’s scratched up.”
“Absolutely.”
“And a million dollars,” Dawn added.
“Reasonable.”
Dawn leaned on her bike. One million dollars was reasonable to this guy? He was definitely crazy. “Better make it three million, to account for inflation during my lifetime.”
He took a deep breath. “Very well.”
“And a rocket ship,” Dawn continued. She might as well make up whatever she wanted now. Slowly, she slipped her hip onto the seat so she could mount her bike in less than a second.
The captain frowned. “Rocket ship?”
“You know, so I can go to the moon and stuff.”
His frown deepened, and his eyes seemed to darken. “That would be difficult.”
“You said anything.”
He took a seething breath, then nodded slowly. “I did, but I warn you that your demands should be reasonable. Do not anger me.”
Dawn swallowed. Angering the disturbed guy was indeed a bad idea. She considered leaping onto her bike and making an escape. Once she got up to speed, there would be no catching her, but he might do anything in those first few seconds. What she needed was a distraction.
“Okay, take it easy,” Dawn said. “No rocket ship, just the three million dollars. And the bike. Now, what about this power generator?”
“There is another world in another reality, a world with a power generator I must have. You are the key to my obtaining it.”
The crazy guy had an entire back-story dreamed up. It would’ve been interesting if she weren’t the center of it. Dawn bit her lip. “How, exactly, am I the key?”
“I will explain later. The sooner we return to my ship, the better our chances.”
Dawn looked at Captain Stare. His face was still blank, emotionless, and his eyes seemed brighter, almost hazel now. She wondered if it were the rising sun behind her, illuminating him. Part of her wanted to humor him, go along for a bit until she could find a policeman to take him off her hands. The rest, however, was sensible.
“Listen, Lexandro… whatever,” Dawn said as calmly yet forcefully as she could. “I really do need to get to school now, and I appreciate your offer, but I’m not the key of anything. I’m just a freshman.”
The captain’s eyes flashed red. Literally, the irises shifted from a charming hazel to bright red. It was as if his pupils bled. “You must come.”
Dawn inched backward. Her heart began pounding, but she controlled her breathing enough to keep from panicking. “Can’t you find someone else?”
“There isn’t time for another jump,” he replied, his voice cold and sharp. “I must use you.”
Dawn glanced over her shoulders, looking for someone, anyone to help her. The Joneses had already left for work and their house was locked up. No one was out in their yards in the cool morning. The madman had chosen his ambush spot well.
The end of the street led to Washington Street, which usually had some kind of traffic. No cars had turned up while he was talking to her, and statistics suggested something would come soon. She had to stall him for a few more seconds.
“Listen, just don’t hurt me or anything,” Dawn said slowly.
He took another seething breath. “I do not want to hurt you, but if I have to restrain you, I will. Now, come with me.”
Dawn checked over her shoulder again. Nothing.
She turned back and stalled again. “Where are we going?”
“My ship is hidden in a vacant lot near here. Just a few minutes walk. Come.”
Dawn glanced once more. Slowly, almost plodding, a blue car turned onto the suburban street. Dawn felt her heart skip. She just had to make her escape.
“Okay, which way?” she asked.
The captain pointed down the street to a short alley between houses. His eyes softened to a crimson-brown again.
“Mind if I ride my bike?” Dawn asked and climbed onto the seat before he could reply.
“If you must,” he replied. He turned and walked toward the alley.
Now! Dawn mentally screamed at herself. She turned her handlebars and stomped on the pedal, rushing over the curb and into the street.
The blue car was only yards away. Dawn met eyes with the old lady driving. The lady made an inaudible shriek behind the windshield and brakes squealed. Dawn pedaled faster, swooping in front of her and dodging the car’s bumper. When her path was clear, she shot down the street and headed to Washington, where there were plenty of cars to watch for her.
Just before turning, she looked back. The old lady’s arms were waving in the car, pointing at the blonde guy. He was behind the car, apparently where he had run to catch her but stopped when he realized it was too late. His face was emotionless, but he stared with rage in his red eyes.
“I haven’t time for this!” he shouted.
Dawn looked away and muttered to herself, “Neither do I.”
She turned onto the sidewalk along Washington and followed closely to the cars slowing for the school zone. Dawn was going to be late this morning, and it wasn’t her fault. Not that anyone would believe her.