“Over there is the head—a star called Omicron. And the star in the tail—way over there—is called Alkaid. See it? Can everybody see it?”
Slowly, following Bron’s enthusiastic gestures, the kids start to make out the shape of a massive beast overhead, with thick legs and a snout pointed east. As one group of kids picks out the pattern, they nudge another group—and so forth across the crowd, until everybody ooohs and ahhs with recognition. Very cool.
Like kids who grow up bored by a view of the Empire State Building, these kids have never really seen the sky as anything special. It’s just there. But now it’s a huge screen—filled with ancient warriors and fierce animals and mystical creatures. The sky is alive. Way better than a slide show.
Now it’s on to some of Bron’s personal favorites. Lyra, the largest musical instrument in the universe. Pegasus, the majestic horse. The heroic Hercules. Cassiopeia, the original beauty queen. He could go on all night… and he practically does.
For the kids, the best part is when Bron challenges them to spot patterns of their own and name some new constellations on the spot. Gonzalo breaks the ice, shouting “Sidewinder!” Then the ideas come thick and fast, ping-ponging across the plateau—“Elephant’s Butt!” “Tarantula!” “Snotball!” And the one that gets the biggest laugh of the night: “Mister Vern’s Hair!”
Through it all, Sunny is nestled in a blanket, surrounded by a group of giggling middle-school girls. As the girls stare into the sky, Sunny stares at Bron, silhouetted against the galaxy, with a hundred kids in the palm of his hand.
He is now officially her favorite customer.
Chapter 26
Many hours later
“They look like pod people,” Sunny whispers.
She and Bron are making one final patrol through the camp of sleeping kids. The night is getting cold and most are tucked with their heads inside their sleeping bags, grouped in pairs and clusters stretching over a quarter acre. It’s a slumber party on an epic scale.
“I’ve never seen this many kids so quiet,” Bron whispers back. “I guess I really know how to put people to sleep.”
Sunny punches his shoulder.
“Don’t be stupid. They loved every minute of it. And you better watch out—I think a few of the eighth-grade girls have a thing for you.”
Beyond the fringe of the crowd, behind a small outcrop of rocks, Bron spreads out the sheet he borrowed from his hotel room. Sunny lays down her own blanket for an extra layer of cushioning. They lie on their backs, side by side, with a few inches between them.
Bron finds himself wondering if this girl is too good to be real. But he buries the thought, like he always does. His heart is pounding just to be this close to her. He feels like a school kid himself.
“How did you learn all that… about the sky and the stars?” asks Sunny. “How do you remember all the names?”
Bron gets a quick flashback from his childhood—a pleasant one for a change.
“When I was a kid,” he says, “we lived near the ocean. On summer nights, I used to sneak out by myself and just lie on the beach for hours, looking up, memorizing patterns. I remember thinking that in some ways I’d rather be up there than down here.”
Sunny tilts her head back to take in the entire expanse overhead. “This is pretty incredible. Where I’m from, I hardly saw any stars at all. Just streetlights and store signs.”
“You mean you’re not a local?” Bron asks.
Sunny laughs. “Not even close.”
She’s resting on her elbow now, propped onto her side. Her face is right next to his. She can see that he’s tired, finally coming down from the high of the show. He puts his hands behind his head and closes his eyes. He’s perfectly still, except for his chest rising and falling. She leans toward him slowly, deliberately, until her lips are almost on his.
“Mr. Bron! I really gotta pee!” A high-pitched call from a few pods away.
Bron and Sunny lurch up to sitting positions. Bron rolls over onto his knees, struggles to his feet and heads off for bathroom duty. He’s so groggy that he’s not sure what just happened—or almost happened.
But Sunny knows.
Chapter 27
SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!
The feed is messed up. The monitors are pure snow and the speakers are crackling with static.
It happens at least once a week, but this time for some reason, Daisy has had enough.
She wheels around and shouts at Karl—who happens to be at the console closest to her. “Get the glitch out of this bitch!”
Karl pops out of his chair and heads for the bank of seven-foot-tall IBM mainframes, where the problem usually starts.
I admit I’m always a little amused when Daisy loses her cool. Sometimes I even egg her on just for the fun of it.
But this time, something stops me.
Get the glitch out of this bitch. It’s an unusual expression.
I should know—I wrote it. In my first novel.
Which almost nobody read.
Chapter 28
FIRST THING tomorrow, I need you to look at the Durango out front. Something with the computer. Right up your damn alley.” It’s quitting time for Pico. Bron is wiping the grease off a set of wrenches.
“Will do,” says Bron.
Pico’s a great boss, but the shop is not really big enough for two people, especially when one of them weighs about three hundred pounds. Bron prefers the times when Pico is in his office sorting through invoices—or when he takes off early, like tonight.
Especially tonight. Because Bron has plans.
As soon as he sees Pico’s taillights fade, he starts gathering what he needs.
From a bin of discarded parts, he picks out some thin pieces of sheet metal and plastic pipes, some rubber tubing, and scraps of insulation. A rusting metal cabinet in the back of the shop contains a few decades’ worth of discarded chemicals of all kinds, organized in a way only Pico could explain. Just about every element in the periodic table is in there somehow. Bron finds a half-empty box of stump remover, some random solvents, and a few ancient steel wool pads. Perfect.
He packs his treasures into a cardboard box and hoists it onto his shoulder for the walk back to the motel. He was hoping Luke and Timo wouldn’t be out on the deck tonight. But no such luck.
They spot Bron and hear the rattle of metal in his box as he tries to slip past.
Caught.
“Hey! What are you making there, Einstein—your own margarita machine?” says Luke.
Bron is too tired to explain. “Nope,” he says. “A vibrating bed.”
“Smartass,” says Timo, grinning.
Luke and Timo look at each other, still curious. But not curious enough to stop drinking. Bron gets a pass.
“Night, guys,” he calls out.
Bron closes the door, lowers the shades, and tucks the box into the closet. He realizes that the contents of his cardboard carton are almost enough to put him on a no-fly list.
And he’s about to carry them into a classroom.
Chapter 29
ONCE UPON a Starry Night. This is one of my favorites. It’s the best! You’ll love it!”
Willow is signing out a picture book at the library. She stamps the card and slips it back inside the jacket, then hands the book to the eager five-year-old boy standing on tiptoes in front of the desk.
The boy’s mother tells him to say thank you, but all he can manage is a quick nod. He grips the book to his chest like a priceless treasure. As they walk out, Tyler Bron is on his way in.
“Hey, Willow,” says Bron.
“Hey,” she answers brightly, then turns mock serious. “I’ve got a bone to pick with you.”
Bron has no idea what she’s talking about.
“Thanks to you, we’re totally out of books on constellations. Gone. Finito. The shelf is empty.”
In the week since Bron’s open-air astronomy lesson, the town has been buzzing—especially the kids. Bron had never been asked for his autograph before. But now it’s happened a few times.
“Sounds like I’m good for business,” says Bron.