Mitchell's Revenge
54. Orlov homestead at Noo, on Tarasov

Petr’s wounds from the attack ofthe night creature took a long time to heal. When Yuri and Anton got them backto the household they treated his arm with some kind of tar-like substance thatcauterised and sealed the wounds at the same time. They did it quickly andwithout anaesthetic. Anja could hear him screaming in agony as they applied it.

Elena stayed with Anja while therest of the family was occupied. Anton was busy shoring up the EM fielddefences. The night creatures became very agitated whenever they lost a memberof their pack. They would stop at nothing to get at the humans who hadinflicted the damage. It was another reason for the protection systems thatsurrounded the homestead.

Anja lay propped up on her bed,while Elena slumped exhausted in the chair at the desk on the other side of theroom.

“The creatures get energy fromhuman voices,” Elena explained.

“Why don’t we see them during theday?” Anja asked.

“They’re light sensitive. We’venever actually seen what an individual creature looks like. All we know is thatthey react to light and that we can destroy them with the photon cannon, likethe one you used tonight. Then they disintegrate into the clumps of dark matteryou saw.”

“What happens to the dark matter? Isn’tthat dangerous too?”

“Yes. It usually disperses byitself. But not before damaging everything it touches. That’s why we left ourvehicle out there. It will disappear overnight. The ground will look like acrater site by morning. And that’s why the roads around Achernar are in suchbad condition.”

“People who don’t get home beforedark,” murmured Anja.

“You got it in one kid,” saidElena.

“Will we be safe here tonight?”Anja asked.

“Safe enough. Anton has somespecial tricks that will help to dissuade the creatures from attacking the homestead.When the sun comes up they will disperse, and then we’ll be able to see theextent of the damage. I’d suggest you get some sleep now. I know that’s what Ineed.”

Elena rose from the chair, pulled aspare bed cover from the wardrobe, and grabbed a pillow from the bed. She laydown fully clothed on the floor, put the pillow under her head and pulled thecover over herself. Within minutes she was asleep.

Anja lay where she was and closedher eyes. All she could see was the bright red blood seeping from Petr’s armafter the creature struck him. She opened her eyes with a start. Tears ofexhaustion trickled down her cheeks. She lay staring at the ceiling for a longtime.

“Why do I always dream of crimson?”she wondered. She wiped the tears away and closed her eyes again. The imagesfaded and she drifted into a restless sleep.

The next morning she was allowed toride out to the breakdown site with Elena and Anton. They walked around themetre deep crater that existed where their vehicle had been. There was no signof the land carrier, or the creatures. The surrounding grass was blackened andthe area pockmarked with holes.

“And this is why we don’t stay outafter dark,” said Elena.

“Lucky you were so close to home,”said Anton. “Mother would not have been happy to lose her protégé after so muchhard work and expense.”

“It was not my fault,” said Anjaquietly. She stared at the hole in the ground. “We had a bad afternoon in thestudio. Givi messed up the measurements for my costume and we had to startagain. And Aleks was not his usual self.”

“I know,” said Anton. He hugged thegirl who was now almost as tall as him. “It’s OK. These things happen sometimes.I’m just glad you’re still here. I certainly was not going to let you die.”

“Thanks,” she replied, steppingaway from him. “Don’t let Daria see you do that!”

“You’re right about that,” Elenalaughed. “Come on, let’s get back to the house. I have to get back toAchernar.”

Petr stayed in his quarters forsome weeks afterwards. Anja missed her weekly trips into Achernar as theywaited for him to recover. The ballroom at the homestead seemed so small incomparison to Givi’s warehouse floor. Aleks was cranky at having to travel tothe homestead every second day. And Anja was anxious to know how her costumedesign was coming along.

The months leading up to theintergalactic championship dragged for Anja. Her days consisted of dancepractice, listening to music, and schoolwork. The closer the date came, thefurther away it seemed.

She knew that there was absolutelyno point in trying to escape from the homestead. If the family didn’t catch herimmediately, she would be food for the night creatures. She wondered how theplanet had been settled by humans in the first place.

The only bright spot was when Givicame to the homestead with her costume. The suit fitted beautifully with thenew measurements. Once the hologram was activated Anja looked like a blondprincess. The fireflies danced around the sky blue background of her dress asshe moved. They looked exactly as she had described to Givi all those monthsago.