Royal Hearts Read online

  “They’re probably holding off so they don’t have to raise the rate of tuition.” Ann sorted through the tapes until she found the one she needed. “Great. My teacher is as predictable as I thought.” Sure enough, Sister Clair had recorded yesterday’s speech.

  “You want me to check for subliminal messages on this tape?” Teresa asked.

  “Yes. I have a theory as to how Alexander is able to mesmerize so many people. I’ve noticed that people don’t fully accept the idea of getting these chip implants until they watch him talk about them on TV. When I heard the idea on the radio, I didn’t like it, but as soon as I saw him on TV, I would have done it right after seeing his speech.”

  “That is weird,” Stacey admitted.

  Ann handed the tape to Teresa, who shook her head. “Once you see there are no subliminal messages, you’ll give up on this crazy notion that Alexander’s a bad guy, right?” Teresa asked.

  “Okay, I will,” Ann replied.

  While Teresa worked on the tape, Stacey asked, “How is he going to make us his slaves?”

  “By inserting a chip into us. This chip will control our thoughts and actions.”

  “That sounds like science fiction.”

  “Well, didn’t you ever hear that real life is often stranger than fiction?”

  “I got it,” Teresa said. She stood up and played the tape so that it played in extremely slow motion. “Let’s see if your theory has any validity to it.”

  Ann held her breath as she watched the tape. It started out normally. She watched Alexander walk up to the podium, a big smile on his face.

  “This is taking forever,” Stacey said, glancing at her watch. “School’s going to start soon.”

  “He’s getting ready to speak. Just wait until he starts. I’m sure we’ll see what we’re looking for,” Ann said. Please let this work, she silently pleaded.

  Alexander opened his mouth and began to speak. As he spoke, his image began to change on the screen. His face mutated until they saw an alien with no hair, black eyes and an extremely white face.

  Teresa and Stacey gasped.

  Ann would have also gasped if she hadn’t been attacked by the female Paler the day before.

  “You will obey me,” the alien said. “You will take this chip into your hand. You will give your lives for me and do whatever I ask of you. Anyone who refuses to take this chip will die. I will not tolerate any dissenters.” The message looped.

  Ann released her breath. She should be satisfied that she was right after all, but instead of feeling justified, she was scared. How many people had already taken the chip?

  “This is awful,” Teresa said, finally breaking out of her adoration for the leader. “Who is he and where did he come from?”

  “He’s a Paler from the planet Pale. Pale’s in another galaxy,” Ann said.

  “How do you know this?” Stacey asked.

  “I’m also from another planet. Well, I will be in a few years. Right now I’m back in the past.”

  They looked at her as if they were seeing her for the first time.

  Ann sighed. “I don’t have time to explain. Teresa, can you get this tape on the school announcements this morning?”

  She nodded. “I can slip it in.”

  “Can you make a copy before you do?”

  Again, she agreed.

  “Great. Stacey, your dad works at a local TV station. Will you take me to the station so we can give him the tape? Then he can make it digital, and it’ll go viral from there. It will mean cutting class, but I don’t think we have any other option. I don’t want to wait too long to get this out to the world.”

  “You really expect this to go out around the world?” Teresa asked as she rushed to copy the tape.

  “Once people see what’s going on, they’ll be rushing to defend Earth. If there’s one thing we Earthlings are capable of, it’s defending ourselves in the face of danger.”

  Now that Ann had proof, she knew it was time to act. The sooner they got this out to the public, the better their chances were of saving everyone on Earth.

  ***

  Six years in the past

  Alexander Napoli’s Underground Chamber

  United Nations

  Planet: Earth

  Omin-2 knew the Palers were on their way to wage war against him. He had picked up on their presence at the far end of the Average Galaxy an hour ago. In response, he began ordering out shipments of his chips to every capable Earthling fighter on the planet. He didn’t intend to be here when the battle actually occurred, but he needed these humans to be a distraction for him so the Palers wouldn’t suspect his plan.

  For now, he still had some time to spare. He went over to Second Commander Jaz who lay helplessly on a table, her body badly bruised and bloody from his punishment.

  “Next time I tell you to kill someone, you will follow through or die,” he whispered in her ear.

  She barely made a move.

  “Escaping with your life is no way to win a war. I demand that my servants fight to the death,” he hissed.

  He looked down at her in disgust. Had all Palers grown soft since Omin’s reign? It was pathetic. He glanced at the two other Palers and the Olympians who stood silently before him, each waiting for his instructions.

  He took a deep breath then said, “There’s a large fleet of Paler warships heading our way. You are familiar with their technology and how they wage war, so your job will be to lead Earth’s defense. Do anything you have to in order to rally the humans together for this. Tell them whatever you have to, and I will program them so that those who have already taken my chip will believe whatever you say.”

  “Yes, Leader Omin-2,” they said and bowed.

  Satisfied, he went to work on his next plan of action.

  ***

  Six years in the past

  Hathor’s College

  Dayton, Ohio

  Planet: Earth

  Four hours later, Hathor anxiously paced around his dorm room. He wanted to be with Ann, to help her. He knew she was at school. She wouldn’t get out of school until almost three. He glanced at his watch. It was only noon. He groaned and sat on his bed. The waiting was agonizing.

  An impatient knocking on his door interrupted his thoughts. He breathed a sigh of relief, hoping it was Ann. Instead, it was Kent.

  “You won’t believe this,” Kent said. “You’ve got to see it to believe it. Come with me to the Student Union. There’s something important on TV.”

  Curious, he obeyed Kent. He knew Kent wasn’t one to exaggerate, so this had to be serious.

  The Student Union was filled with more students than usual. Hathor and Kent wove their way through the crowd, slowly making their way to the TV. Most of the students had already seen the news broadcast, but they hung around, talking about what they had just seen.

  What could be going on? Why did so many students seem scared?

  “Here we go,” Kent said as they got close to the TV.

  Hathor blinked when he saw Omin’s clone in true form talking about the chip. He was talking in slow motion, and the words were different from what he had seen yesterday when the two students were watching him, disguised as Alexander Napoli, on the television in the cafeteria.

  “You will obey me,” the clone said. “You will take this chip into your hand. You will give your lives for me and do whatever I ask of you. Anyone who refuses to take this chip will die. I will not tolerate any dissenters.”

  “They keep playing this tape over and over,” Kent told him. “Apparently, Alexander Napoli, the leader at the UN, is really an alien who plans to take over Earth. It’s unreal. I feel like I just stepped into a movie or something.”

  Hathor only nodded. He wasn’t as shocked as he was curious about how the humans on Earth exposed the Paler’s plans.

  As if he heard his silent question, Kent said, “You won’t believe who uncovered the alien’s identity and plan.”

  “Who?”

  “The girl
you’re dating. Ann Kerwin.”

  “Really?” He raised his eyebrows, impressed at her quick thinking. So that was why she was anxious to get to school. She had a plan to expose Omin’s clone to the world. “Good for you,” he whispered. She was indeed showing herself to be the queen of Raz, even if she didn’t remember it.

  A colonel of the United States Armed Services appeared on the screen. “We need to act quickly. Anyone who has taken the chip must be seized at once and taken into custody until we can have the chip safely removed from their hand. This procedure shouldn’t last long but might be uncomfortable. We have just managed to capture the President and Vice President, but we have identified other key officials in our nation who have this chip. It is my understanding that these individuals will wage war on those of us who do not have the chip. We estimate that approximately one hundred thousand Americans have the chip right now. We are searching for those individuals now.”

  Kent shook his head. “I still can’t believe this is happening. I thought Alexander Napoli was a good guy. I was actually going to take that chip when it became available.”

  “I need to see Ann. Can I inconvenience you for a ride?”

  “To take you to her high school?”

  “Yes. I was going to wait until after school to see her, but I don’t know how much time we have now that Omin’s clone knows she’s uncovered his plans. I’ll explain everything on our way over there,” he added when he saw Kent’s startled look.

  “Okay. I guess I can give you a ride.”

  “Before we go though, I need to go back to my dorm room to get the Book of Spells. I have a feeling that I won’t be coming back here.”

  “You need to get the what?”

  “I’ll explain on our way over,” he promised.

  With a nod, Kent followed him.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Six Years in the Past

  William’s High School

  Dayton, Ohio

  Planet: Earth

  It had been five minutes since the principal decided to let everyone go home early. There was a sense of panic in the air regarding the impending invasion of the aliens.

  Carson was overwhelmed as he tried to get to his locker. Students around him were rushing to their cars or the buses so they could get home. He was sure the panic was worse outside. He still wasn’t quite sure what was going on, despite the fact that Lisa had told him what she knew about Ann. How did all the pieces fit together?

  He finally got to his locker. He wondered what the point of doing his homework was. If there really were aliens heading to Earth, would humans survive the attack? Would he even know how to tell which humans took the chip and were working on the aliens’ side? There were far too many questions and not enough answers.

  He opened his locker, feeling as if he were going in slow motion. Everything around him was happening so fast. He almost felt dizzy from all the students rushing past him. After he got the books he needed for his homework, he shut his locker. Why was he getting his homework again? He shook his head. It was hard to think clearly.

  He turned to leave the school when he bumped into someone. Looking up, he was surprised to see it was William, smiling slyly at him.

  “You didn’t succeed,” William sneered.

  “Whatever,” he muttered, not caring to talk to his ex-best friend.

  “Listen to me when I talk to you.”

  “I don’t have to.”

  “Here’s a warning,” William said as he grabbed his arm.

  Carson struggled to get away from him, but William was stronger.

  “Ann will be mine before the day is over, and one of the first things I’m going to do is make you apologize for all the things you did to prevent me from being happy.”

  “I have nothing to apologize for.”

  William pushed Carson against one of the lockers. “I don’t know what I hate more. Your self-righteous attitude or your hope to see me miserable.”

  One of the football players ran into William, knocking his backpack off his shoulder. A couple of items fell onto the floor. Carson saw the same smartphone-looking device that made William so touchy yesterday, but there was also a chip injector. William swore as he let go of Carson and bent down to pick them up.

  “What are you going to do with those?” Carson demanded, suddenly angry.

  “None of your business!” William grabbed the chip injector and quickly stuffed it back into his backpack.

  Before he could reach for the other device, Carson kicked it across the hallway.

  “Hey! Don’t mess with my stuff!” William shouted.

  Carson rushed to the other side of the hallway and picked up the device. This had to be what Ann needed to get her and Hathor back to the future. He recalled how Lisa had told him about it. He had to make sure William didn’t get his hands on it again. As William lunged for him, Carson slipped between several students and ran out of the school. William might have been stronger than him, but Carson could run faster.

  It took all of his energy to avoid William, but as soon as he got into his car and drove off, he knew he could relax, at least for the moment. The traffic was heavy but manageable. He had to find Ann. He didn’t know where he would find Hathor, but he knew where he might find Ann. He turned his car so that it was heading in the direction of her high school.

  ***

  United Nations

  Planet: Earth

  Omin-2, disguised as Alexander, stood before the representatives of the various nations around the world. All of them had the chip, so they would willingly obey him.

  “As you know, there is a preposterous lie being spread about my being an alien who’s trying to control you,” he said. “These are vicious rumors being spread by people who oppose the peace I am desperately trying to give to you. They are enemies of the peace.”

  “Enemies of the peace,” the representatives repeated in unison.

  “We must oppose them or risk losing all we have worked for. Gather the best military fighters from your nations for this moment. We must come together and either kill them or implant them with chips so that we can preserve the peace.”

  “Preserve the peace,” they mindlessly repeated.

  He introduced Zeus, Athena, Apollo, Ares, and Guards Falon and Lino, who stood at attention in the front of the room. “These will be your leaders. You will follow their orders.”

  “Follow their orders.”

  “These two leaders, Falon and Lino, are in the form of the Palers who are coming to destroy us. This way they can easily slip in with our alien enemies and find their plans for conquest. Then we can act accordingly,” he said.

  “We need to act,” the representatives replied.

  “The set time for the alien attack is in approximately one hour. We don’t have much time. What you must do, do it quickly!”

  “Quickly!”

  Then, as if the spell was broken, they rushed out of the room, finding a way to inform their countries of the impending attack.

  “You are on stage,” he told the gods and Palers who stood behind him. “Make your act a good one. Remember, whoever finds Queen Ann will be greatly rewarded.”

  Then, with a smile, Omin-2 left the room.

  ***

  Dayton, Ohio

  Planet: Earth

  Kent drove Hathor by Ann’s high school. Hathor groaned when he saw the vacant parking lot.

  “Should we go to her house? Many people want to be with their families right now,” Kent said.

  Hathor sighed. “I wish this book would tell me where she’s at right now, but it won’t because she’s not in any danger.”

  “That’s a good thing, right?”

  “Yes, but it also makes it harder for me to find her.” He turned to Kent. “Let’s try her home. Here’s her address. I wrote it down, just in case.” He handed the piece of paper to Kent.

  “I know where that is,” Kent said. “I had a friend from Xenia in that area. I’m sure if she’s anywhere,
she’s there.”

  She might want to tell her parents about her destiny at this point, Hathor reasoned. He knew she wouldn’t go to William’s house to find the device without him there to protect her. That wasn’t something she’d be likely to do considering the fact that she wasn’t one to take such risks in the time that they had known each other.

  “I still can’t believe you’re from another planet,” Kent said. “I knew you were different, but it never occurred to me that you were an alien. A good alien, I mean. I thought you were Amish or something. Those people don’t do much with modern technology.”

  As Kent continued to drive down the street, the driver behind them honked his horn several times.

  “What’s his problem? I’m already going ten over the speed limit,” Kent grumbled.

  Hathor glanced back and recognized Carson, who was motioning for them to pull over.

  “I know him,” Hathor said. “I think he has something to tell me.”

  Kent found the nearest parking lot and pulled into it.

  “He’s a friend of one of Ann’s friends,” Hathor explained as he tried to undo his seatbelt with no success. He still had trouble figuring these things out.

  Carson quickly ran up to his window, urging him to roll it down.

  Hathor did as Carson wished. “Carson? What is it?”

  “Does this look familiar to you?” he asked, handing Hathor the device.

  Hathor studied it then nodded. “It’s from Pale. It’s how they do time travel.”

  “So it is important. William had it with him at school, and I took it. I thought it might have something to do with how you and Ann got back to this time.”

  “It does. I’m glad you got this.”