And All the Stars

Chapter Eight

"Back up," Noi ordered, gripping Emily and Madeleine’s arms and drawing them toward the edge of the surf as the watermelon-sized ball slowed to a stop about ten feet above the sand.

All those immediately around the light moved similarly, though others came forward, until there was a large circle of people south-east of the lifeguard tower. Some kept going till they were well distant, and Madeleine spotted the Jabbours pausing near the ramp off the beach, and thought it strange that no-one outright left. They’d surely all seen enough movies where the alien arrives and starts disintegrating the people not sensible enough to run.

Yet she, too, stayed and waited because she wanted to know.

Pan hurried up behind them, and poked his head between Noi and Madeleine. "Is it singing?"

"I’ve heard that before," Madeleine said, frowning. "A couple of times."

"It’s like an out of tune radio."

"A theremin," Nash said, leading Gavin and Shaun to stand with them at the edge of the surf. "Or very like."

"Shit, is this thing just some kind of speaker? We come from beyond the stars: it’s time for a concert?" Pan started forward, but Nash snagged the back of his shirt and pulled him to a standstill.

"Where’s Fish?" Shaun asked, looking about. "He’d hate to miss this."

Nash pointed to Fisher and Nick in the lifeguard tower, watching through the glass. "That makes a good vantage. Let’s relocate. Move slowly, so we do not draw its attention."

"But I want to draw–" Pan began, and broke off.

The glowing ball of light was changing shape.

Triangular strips opened out like the petals of an unsymmetrical flower. The shortest triangle pointed up, while two of equal length stretched left and right, with the longest unfurling downward until the ball had become a different form of star, four-pointed, glimmering white. An uneven centre band of dark blue reminded Madeleine vaguely of the body of a butterfly, though it was not actually separate from the rest of the star, merely a concentration of colour which thinned out into a filigree lace of veins.

"An angel!" someone shouted.

Madeleine blinked, but she could see the connection. The central band of blue could almost be a narrow human outline, though one with feet which trailed to a point, and no arms, or arms crossed on the chest. The thing was shaped more like a kite than any angel, a fluidly rippling one without any rigid frame. The weird, oscillating noise came again, louder, and the star-kite moved, a lazy undulation only a foot or so forward, sparking an immediate backward scatter from its audience.

"How are we going to know if it’s saying take me to your leader?" Pan asked.

"I agree with Nash," Noi murmured. "Let’s–"

The star slid sideways, quick as a piece of paper caught by the wind, turned in a moment and settled across the shoulders of a bulky, sunburned guy, who tried and failed to dodge as it landed. For a moment it looked like a hooded cloak, then it sank out of sight.

"The hell–?" Pan and Noi said in unison.

The sunburned guy stood unmoving, face blank, as the crowd around him drew back. Then he blinked, looked sharply left and right, lifted one hand and closed it, opened it.

"The noises are coming from him now!"

The sunburned guy looked toward the woman who had shouted, and she flinched back, then firmed and asked angrily: "Why have you done this? What do you want from us?"

"To–" The man paused, repeated the word, a stutter of sound, frowned then said clearly, in a distinct Western Sydney accent, "To stand still."

"Stand…?"

"Fuck."

Pan pointed, the crowd turned. Then, as one, they ran.

The stars came from the east, dozens, hundreds, dropping out of the sky.

Madeleine raced with Emily directly for the lifeguard tower stairs, but the cross-current of people before her was too thick, and she diverted left, angling for the nearest ramp off the sand. Almost a hundred metres from the shoreline, those who had wisely left early were already jamming onto it, others diverting again for the ramp further west. But Tyler’s car was right near the head of the first ramp, and Madeleine took a frantic glance over her shoulder, trying to decide whether to forge into the press or just dash west, and keep running.

The leading edge of stars were unfurling behind her, dropping down onto the shoulders of those slowest to move. And one, distinctly brighter, bluer than the rest, was so close, sliding unmistakably in her direction and she gasped and snatched at Emily’s hand and darted left, giving up the ramp in preference for speed. But the things – kites, butterflies, angels – moved faster than any runner.

The lightest touch, the breath of the sun.

A response roared inside her, an instinctive outflow, and she found herself lifted off her feet, sailing forward to plough into the sand. Around her others had been similarly knocked down, and were struggling to their feet.

"Shield!" Gavin shouted, staring back. "You can shield! Shield against them!"

The very blue star which had been chasing Madeleine had curled partially closed and dropped close to the sand. The other stars were clustering toward it, filling the air with their oscillating song. Noi grabbed Emily up and took off, and Madeleine was about to follow when she saw Shaun. One of those she’d knocked down, he was lying unmoving to her left, Nash trying to rouse him.

"Is he–?" With a frantic glance at the star cluster, she grabbed Shaun’s arm and tried to lift.

"I think shield paralysis," Nash said. "On two."

With desperate energy they lifted, Nash doing most of the work until Gavin dashed back and helped.

"Can you shield again when they come?" Nash asked, gasping with effort.

"I don’t know! I’ll try!" Their speed carrying Shaun meant she would have to.

But the stars swooped past them to settle on runners on the ramp. As each runner was embraced they stopped short, and the way was quickly becoming blocked.

"Go back past the lifeguard tower," Gavin panted. "Up the wide stairs."

It was longer to run, but Emily was already standing at the head of the lifeguard tower stair, signalling wildly and pointing east, so they dog-legged back. And the stars passed them.

"They’re avoiding us!" Gavin said.

"They might be – tack left."

People were running toward them, some moving slow and hesitant, but others picking up speed. Shaun’s rigidity abruptly lapsed, and he groaned and flinched in their hold, sending them stumbling.

"C’n r’n," he groaned, thrashing and gulping.

Remembering the agonies of the pins and needles, Madeleine sincerely doubted it, but he surprised her, managing to at least make it easier for Gavin and Nash to haul him.

Two women ahead were on an intercept course – they wouldn’t make it past them.

"Go straight through!" Nash ordered.

Madeleine shuddered, but knew they couldn’t risk the delay of a collision and held up one hand. Trying not to think of twisted metal, of tumbled cars, she pushed some of the energy inside her into a punch at the two women.

Their shields were just visible, a protective glimmer which appeared as the punch struck them and sent one tumbling backward. The other was only knocked a little off course, spun onto her knees, but this was enough to get them past and in sight of the stairs. Emily was running along the level above, Fisher trailing behind her, and they met in a group and dashed up the next set of stairs to where Nick was waiting in the white hatchback, Pan and a couple of other boys already crammed into the back seat.

"Noi’s…coming…" Emily gasped, and clutched Madeleine, trying to catch her breath as Nash and Gavin helped Shaun into the car.

"Go!" Nash told Nick. "Meet you at Rushies."

"Keep moving," Gavin added, as Nick obediently tore off, narrowly missing a small van trying to get past.

They ran all-out alongside the one-way road in front of Bondi Pavilion, and Madeleine’s legs were jelly, rubber bands, not forgiving the energy cost of shields and punches, nor her general disinclination to run long distances. She was falling behind, her breath burning in her throat, but then there was a newly-familiar growl of expensive engine and she straight-out dived into the rear seat of Tyler’s car as Noi slowed, then surged forward to collect the others, the car soon over-crammed with panting, gasping escapees.

The undersized rear seat was not a good fit for Madeleine, Fisher and Nash, particularly with Madeleine at the bottom. She wriggled out as Noi came to the end of the long one-way street and slewed right onto the main road.

"Hook a left at Blair," Gavin recommended, balancing Emily on his lap. "Are they coming after us?"

Fisher stared back, his expression closed. "They don’t seem able to move as fast as a car," he said slowly. He looked at Madeleine, currently sitting mostly on Nash’s lap. "Did you do that on purpose?"

She shook her head.

"I think you hurt it," Gavin said. "They weren’t keen to come near you after."

"What do we do now?" Emily’s voice was high.

"I don’t see any other option than to get out of the city," Noi said. "Even though everyone’s going to be totally paranoid about Blues and Greens, and there’s a huge chance of getting locked up if we’re found. But better locked up than possessed. Did anyone from your school get taken?"

"Chris." Nash glanced at Fisher, but didn’t find any answer in Fisher’s puzzled expression. "Hammad and Ryan were there as well, but I didn’t see what happened to them."

"We’ve no way of knowing how much they can learn from the people they take over. Language, obviously, but they might know about your school from your friend."

Nash nodded. "We need to warn everyone there – if they don’t know already – then grab what we can and go."

"This car has about a quarter of a tank left." Noi pushed down on the accelerator. "But we’ve been collecting car keys back at Finger Wharf. And boats, though they’re probably not much advantage for getting away from flying balls of light."

Emily distracted them then by pulling a bag of coconut ice from the glove box and passing it around. In a car full of Blues this was an immediate silencer, and Madeleine was particularly grateful, shaking as she grabbed a handful of pink and white squares and worked her way through them.

At Noi’s speed and with clear roads it was a short trip to Rushcutters Bay, and Gavin directed them through a wide-open iron gate to a small car park surrounded by clipped hedges and many-windowed buildings. The white hatchback was there waiting for them, its occupants clustered around Pan as he stood arguing with a dozen boys holding cricket bats.

"I’m going to turn the car for a quick getaway," Noi said, after a brief survey.

She was speaking to empty seats, as Gavin and Nash were already out and bounding forward. Fisher was slower to move, glancing up into the sky before following.

"What the hell’s this, Matt?" Gavin said, striding up to confront a tall, tanned boy with brown hair. "We’ve got to move, not argue."

"You’ve got to move," the boy, Matt, replied. "All you Blues. We won’t stop you going, but there’s no way you’re staying here when any of you could have one of those things inside you."

"All us Blues?!" Gavin exploded. "What shit are you pulling now?"

"They’re not interested in Greens, Gav," a different boy said apologetically. "We were watching on TV, and they ignored all the Greens. They only went for Blues. Matt’s right – even if none of you are…whatever, there’s too much chance you’ll draw them here."

"And in what way are the cricket bats going to help?" Nash asked, his beautiful voice mild yet commanding. "We are only here to warn you – unnecessary as that is – and to get our bags and be gone. I would suggest you do the same."

He walked straight at the heart of the crowd, head high and stride scornful, and they wavered, wilted, and stepped aside.

"Tossers," Pan muttered, following.

"Oh, eat it Rickard." The boy called Matt threw the cricket bat after Pan, which was a mistake since Pan had been waiting for it, and the thick wooden bat bounced spectacularly off his shield and through a window.

Nash whirled protectively to stand by Pan, and the two groups tensed, but further words or action were cut short by Noi, leaning on the horn of Tyler’s car.

"Can we save the dick swinging until after we’ve escaped from the aliens?" she shouted into the silence the horn left behind. "Seriously, Blue, Green, Purple, whatever – now is the time for running and hiding. You think just because those things are only possessing Blues they’re going to happily ignore Greens? Go get your stuff, all of you, get into cars, and get the hell out of the city!"

They listened. Within moments only Noi, Madeleine and Emily remained in the car park.

"What were they thinking?" Emily asked, close to tears. "A Blue could turn a Green into a smear without even trying."

"They’re afraid." Noi sighed, and ran a hand over her eyes. "When you’re afraid, sometimes it’s easier to be angry."

Madeleine, suffering a raging thirst after her handful of coconut ice, spotted a tap on one side of the car park and fished an empty, dented water bottle out from her well-mashed shoulder bag. She was drinking thirstily when a thin, oscillating sound made her gulp and then desperately try not to cough. Noi pulled Emily behind the nearest hedge and ducked down and Madeleine followed suit, though the hedges near the tap were half the height, forcing her to lie full-length between bush and building to have any hope of concealment.

Eyes streaming from suppressed coughing, Madeleine peered up through dense leaves, trying to track the source of the noise. Was there – yes. Floating lightly over the roof of the building opposite was a ball of light. She pressed down into the dirt and leaf litter, sure she could hear an echo of the thing’s song. More than one of them.

The memory of the lightest touch stopped her breath, and she guessed, knew, that it was the same one, the bright, rich blue one which had been so close. It had followed her, and no amount of branch or leaf could hide her.

The song died down as the star moved further into the school, giving no sign it was aware of three Blue girls. Madeleine lifted her head cautiously, but across the car park Noi immediately made a lowering gesture. They would wait.

Boys began appearing. Three Greens, running straight through the gates without even glancing around. One of the younger Blues who’d been at the beach, slipping into the back seat of the white hatchback and crouching down into the foot well, sitting his bag on top of him as partial camouflage. Another group, all Greens, piling into a four wheel drive and gunning the engine, waiting for a final friend before roaring off, swerving around Tyler’s empty car.

Pan and Nash emerged from Madeleine’s side of the car park, crossed without seeing her and paused beside the two driverless cars until Noi beckoned them over for a hasty, whispered conference. Then, as Shaun, Gavin and Fisher appeared among a large clump of Greens, she signalled a dash for the car.

Tensed for the return of the oscillating song, Madeleine was unprepared for a sudden chorus, louder and yet more distant than the encounter at the beach. It wasn’t coming from anything in the school, was strangely pervasive, overwhelming. Ahead of her the group of boys stopped and turned, orienting toward it.

"That’s the Spire," Emily said, as Madeleine reached the car.

Noi didn’t pause, leaping into the driver’s seat and starting the engine. "Care later. Leave now."

Madeleine obediently climbed in back as Pan and Nash headed for the white hatchback.

"Shaun?" Gavin, about to join them, darted back. "C’mon man, we’ve got to move."

Shaun didn’t react, listening intently to the wordless, fluctuating noise.

"He’s got the keys," Pan said

With a swift, comprehensive glance at a dozen boys, all Greens, all standing motionless staring in the same direction, Nash reversed course, he and Pan climbing into the sports car. Fisher, who had stowed his bag in the boot, took the front seat and a lap full of Emily.

"Gav! Come on!"

Trying to shake some response out of Shaun, Gavin glanced back and that was the worst of timing because he saw their horrified reaction but not the deep blue kite shape which flowed down from the roof and settled in an embrace around him.

Noi let the clutch out, then stamped immediately on the brakes as the hidden boy erupted from the white hatchback and threw himself across the sports car’s back seat, heavy bag thumping against the car door until Pan dragged it in.

The car leaped forward, engine rising from a purr to a roar, and they left the school and a dozen unmoving boys behind them.