The Misplacement of Lexi Robinson Read online

  The fruit was on another tree altogether, leafy and green, but much smaller than the one she was in. It was growing only a short distance from hers. Both trees’ branches crossed paths, and Lexi thought that, not only could she reach the second tree, but she could probably climb into it if she wanted to. The only thing was: the branches were much smaller on the other tree, and more likely to break.

  The thought of climbing down the fruit tree and making a break for it certainly crossed Lexi’s mind. But Blackbeard was tracking her progress from below, tripping on tall roots as he followed her every movement, waiting for the girl to lose her footing.

  His one arm was bent at an odd angle. Lexi had definitely broken it, but the crazy white-eyed man didn’t seem to care.

  Can he not feel the pain?

  The closer she got to the other tree, the thinner her bridge became. And one of the higher branches Lexi was holding began angling away, so she now only had a single other to support her.

  She might have misjudged the possibility of climbing into the second tree. The branches were thick and strong near the middle of her tree, and supported by vertical columns of vines that had grown into the ground and formed solid posts of wood. But way out here, the branch she was on was much thinner and seemed more likely to break.

  You’re eight and a half pounds lighter than you were two months ago, the girl reminded herself, as she inched her way out. Eight and a half pounds lighter than the twig you used to be.

  But it wasn’t just the weakness of the branch that Lexi was worried about. There was so much less to stand on, out here. Her bare feet were getting sore; not just from the texture, but from trying to grip the wood with her soles and toes. On top of that, the branch that she was holding with her hands was getting farther and farther away from her, messing with her balance. And both branches were springier, wiggling every which way as she bounced her way out on already shaky legs.

  But Lexi was almost within reach of the bright object. And, just as she’d hoped, it appeared to be an orange! If she just stretched a little, she could reach it …

  Blackbeard was below her, making strange groaning noises.

  Lexi didn’t dare look down.

  Her legs wouldn’t stop shaking, her grip on the other branch tested.

  She had to get up on her toes.

  The orange touched the tips of her fingers.

  If she could just get a grip on it …

  The girl was so hungry that she swore she’d jump for it if she had to.

  She had to lean farther. Lexi took a chance, and intentionally bounced the branch she was on.

  It dropped farther than expected, and she feared it might break.

  But then it flung her back up, and her hand closed around the fruit. Lexi squeezed it hard, and when her branch came back down, the orange pulled free.

  Lexi let out a breath and tried to stop the motion of the branches. She wanted to sink her teeth into the orange right there and then, but knew that she needed to get back to safety before slipping and ending up on Blackbeard’s dinner plate. All the girl could think about was getting into a position that would free up her hands so that she could get the alien device out of her mouth, and the most incredible looking orange in the history of oranges, into it.

  With only one hand to support her now, Lexi anxiously made her way back to Katniss’s Crook, wedged herself in, tucked the rod into her bikini, and sunk her teeth into the orange.

  It was, without a doubt, the best thing Lexi Robinson had ever tasted. Sweet and sour at the same time, and juicy beyond belief. It was citrusy, but different than any orange she had ever had. Better. Far better. Lexi devoured every bit of it – peel and all – and wondered if there were more.

  She heard Blackbeard groaning and rustling about on the ground below her, ruining the moment.

  Lexi leaned out far enough to stick her tongue out at him.

  Her head already felt clearer.

  Alone in a tree, with a dragon over her head, and a creepy zombie under her feet, Lexi knew that she was not in a good way. She had no clothes, and no idea where she was. But it would be dark soon, and the girl was sure that the tree was the safest place for her at the moment. Tomorrow she would figure out how to get past Blackbeard, and find her way to safety. Tonight, she would rest.

  And then something unexpected happened. The setting sun began to drop under the canopy, hitting her in the most perfect way. It warmed her skin from head to toe, reminding her of how wonderful the sunshine truly was. Lexi tipped her head back against the tree and soaked it all in, watching the sky and clouds turn beautiful shades of pink and orange.

  Things were perking up.

  7

  “Aghh!”

  Lexi put her hands to her stomach.

  She’d never felt pain like this before. It felt like a thousand knives were stabbing it at once.

  It was dark, and her bed was uncomfortable. Rough. She tried to straighten out, but couldn’t.

  The motion of the sea never made her this sick, not even on day one.

  She was sweating and cold. Where is my blanket?

  The girl leaned over the toilet and puked up her last meal, just like she’d done a hundred times before, then wiped her chin with the back of her hand.

  Why is it so hot in here?

  The pain was too much.

  The moon was out. Lexi could see it between the leaves. It looked weird for some reason.

  Where am I?

  Lucidity came back to her, as she remembered the events of the day. Alien. Monkey. Dragon. Zombie. And the best orange ever.

  Lexi leaned over and threw up. She could tell that she’d already been vomiting, despite having so little in her. It felt like her stomach was being squeezed and cut open.

  “Uhhh,” the girl groaned.

  Blackbeard echoed her from below.

  Lexi wondered if she had just puked on him. She hoped so.

  The tree had felt so comfortable when she dozed off. Not anymore. This was the most awful sleep of her life. She tried to adjust, but knew that any other position would lead to her demise.

  It was then that Lexi realized the Imperative Rod was no longer in her bikini. She felt around for it, as if it would somehow miraculously be under her, like her cellphone in the seat of the couch.

  But, of course, it was not.

  There was only one place it could have gone.

  To the ground with Blackbeard.

  Now, Lexi had nothing.

  She hoped that it had hit him in the head.

  “Lexi!”

  She heard her name through the dreams of aliens and dragons.

  “Lex, wake up!”

  Monkeys. Who knew monkeys were so tricky?

  “Wake up, this is important!” That was Parma’s voice!

  No, it couldn’t be Parma. Not anymore. Lexi opened her eyes. It was Parma! Thrilled to see her best friend, the girl sat up and gave her the biggest hug ever.

  She heard Parma laugh in her ear. “Well, great to see you too!”

  Lexi didn’t want to let her friend go, but Parma repeated, “Lex, this is important.”

  Sensing the urgency, Lexi leaned back, letting her friend say what was on her mind.

  “I’m not sure how to tell you this, but … Katniss tied herself to the tree.”

  Lexi’s eyes shot open.

  There was a blur of brown.

  Nothing beneath her.

  She felt a hard impact in her side.

  A branch.

  She tried to cling to it, but it was already gone.

  Something on her leg – another branch.

  Lexi kicked at it, but all it did was spin her around.

  “Unghhhhh …” Air shot out of her lungs.

  Her brain had to piece together that she was lying on her back, between two tree roots, staring up at the branches high above her.

  She tried to take a breath, but couldn’t.

  Something moved beside her. Her body wouldn’t turn to see it.


  A long, black beard dangled above her, only for a split second as the zombie lunged down at her.

  8

  Lexi’s flailing hand caught hold of something. A rock? Maybe a stick …

  Energy.

  A flash of blue light interrupted the maw of vicious teeth trying to chomp at her.

  The biting stopped instantly. Blackbeard’s mouth of long teeth was still open, but his jaw looked limp. Lexi thought that his eyes rolled back, but it was impossible to tell.

  All she knew was that the crazy man was on top of her, and she couldn’t breathe.

  Lexi took in the slightest whistle of air, and wriggled his weight off her, realizing that she was holding her fist to his temple. No, not just her fist – the Imperative Rod.

  She pulled it away, and blinding blue light erupted from Blackbeard’s head.

  Not exactly spilling from his skull, the light – the energy that Lexi felt – was coming from within the alien device.

  And here she thought that she had clobbered him with the end of the rod. This was not what she was expecting.

  “Heeeeeeeeh,” Lexi sucked in a long sliver of air, ignoring the smell of vomit and ozone that came with it.

  Her next breaths were constricted and labored as the girl fought her way out from under the brute, trying to understand what on Earth she was holding.

  There was a segment of blue light – electricity or something – sticking out from one end of the metal shaft. Once free of Blackbeard, she threw the rod to the ground, watching the light blink out as she backed against the tree.

  Lexi stood there, watching the rod, and the dead creepy-white-eyed-zombie-vampire-guy, until she was finally able to catch her breath.

  This was weird.

  This was really, really, weird.

  The girl backed around Blackbeard’s body, pressing herself against the tangle of tree roots to keep as much distance as she could. She had just killed someone. In her defense: the man had tried to eat her. Nevertheless, Lexi didn’t know how she felt about it. Alive, I guess.

  She moved closer to the Imperative Rod, afraid to touch it, but wanting to be closer to it than to Blackbeard.

  Lexi leaned forward, partly to get nearer to the rod without actually touching it, and partly because she was still struggling to breathe properly. But each breath was deeper than the one before. She was thankful that the morning air was clean and fresh. At least it was now that she was away from her puke pile. Wait … I did throw up on Blackbeard! Under the circumstances, Lexi considered that to be completely acceptable behavior.

  She nudged the Imperative Rod with her bare foot. The girl didn’t know what she was expecting would happen. But nothing did. It just lay there on the ground, as motionless as the corpse.

  Except …

  No. No, no, no, no, no!

  Blackbeard was moving.

  Without a moment’s hesitation, Lexi snatched up the alien rod and held it in front of her as she backed away from the stirring body. The end of the shaft didn’t light up like she thought it might, but it was still better than nothing. She could feel the energy inside of it, but Lexi didn’t have a clue how to make it work.

  The girl continued to back away, wondering what on Earth she was witnessing. She had been certain that the beam of light from the Imperative Rod had killed Blackbeard. Is he healing? What’s going on?

  If he stood up, Lexi was ready to make a run for it. Run for what? But he didn’t seem to be trying to stand. It was more like his clothes were just … bubbling.

  Or, not his clothes – his body.

  Blackbeard’s freakishly hairy arms … they were turning, like the bones were twisting around inside of him. Not just twisting – lengthening.

  What the …

  Lexi took a sharp breath when the bones began to make cracking and tearing sounds. But the most shocking of all was when they pushed through his skin, shooting out from the tips of his fingers, and the bends in his elbows; even the crooked spot where his arm had been broken.

  His knees. His feet – the man’s boots were pushed off as the bones stretched out from the tips of his toes.

  What is going on?

  Lexi didn’t even realize that she had tripped on a root, and fell on her back, until after she had pushed herself back up to her feet.

  What is wrong with this place?

  The girl turned and ran as fast as her legs would carry her.

  9

  After running as far as she could, Lexi forced herself to slow down and catch her breath. She had no idea what was going on in this place, and just wanted to be away from it.

  Far, FAR, away.

  Thankful to have found a descent trail, Lexi pushed her way through the jungle with the Imperative Rod at the ready, prepared for just about anything.

  She went through a mental checklist of things to be on the lookout for …

  - Smelly little aliens: Check.

  - Box stealing monkeys: Check.

  - Monkey eating dragons: Check.

  - White-eyed zombie-vampires whose bones grow out of their bodies after you kill them with your magical alien rod thingy: Check.

  Oh, and: spiders, snakes, leaches, lizards, bugs of all sizes and varieties, alligators, panthers, asteroid strikes, and poop on the trail.

  God I wish I had some boots!

  As Lexi calmed down, she realized that she was feeling pain all over. Her stomach. Her hip. Her side. Her back. The bottoms of her feet were sore from climbing trees and traipsing through the jungle barefoot. She had cuts and scrapes on every part of her skin. Every joint on her body throbbed. Muscles that the girl didn’t even know existed felt like they’d been used for the very first time. Even her butt hurt; maybe from sitting in the tree – maybe from falling out of the tree – she didn’t know. But it hurt nonetheless.

  She needed to figure this place out before it killed her.

  No sooner had the thought entered her head, than the jungle opened up to a clearing at the crest of a hill. Lexi wasted no time scurrying to the top, thrilled to find a place where she might actually be able to see something.

  She felt the warmth of the sun hitting her skin the moment she stepped out of the jungle, and wished she could trust her surroundings enough to relax and take it in. But Lexi had learned enough to know that it wasn’t an option in this crazy place.

  So she crouched on guard at the top of the hill, ready to bolt in any direction at the sound of a pin drop.

  WOW!

  From her vantage point on the hill, this retched jungle was somehow masked as the most beautiful place on Earth.

  After pulling the tangle of hair out of her face, Lexi peered through her slow-to-focus fist.

  Steep cliffs reached to the sky on two sides of her – green in places, but mostly black rock – narrowing together higher up the valley. A towering waterfall cascaded down a series of tiered rocks where the two cliff faces met, disappearing into the misty jungle below.

  In the other direction, the rock walls opened up, spreading apart to let sunshine pour over a lush tropical forest. Green hills rolled all the way down to what looked to be ocean, dotted with steep islands that towered out of the water.

  Excitement filled Lexi’s blood.

  Ocean meant civilization. Rescue.

  The ocean. I have to get to the ocean!

  Lexi stood up, feeling better about having an idea of where to go. Something seemed odd about it, though, but she couldn’t put a finger on it.

  Everything is odd about this place.

  With the Imperative Rod in hand, Lexi trotted down the hillside, making it only a short distance before beginning to think things looked familiar for some reason.

  She happened across a long stretch of flattened bushes and pushed over trees that ended in a huge black and yellow circle of dying foliage and smoldering brush. What the heck?

  It took her a moment to realize that this was the very spot that the flying saucer had been parked. The craft was massive, and Lexi couldn
’t see past it at the time. But it was gone now, and she could see the long, rough path that it had taken to land. Not what one might expect from a hi-tech alien ship …

  Oh my God.

  Lexi’s heart nearly stopped when the realization set in.

  The long stripe of pushed over foliage …

  A ship full of dead or dying aliens …

  The urgency to get out of the craft …

  The flying saucer didn’t bring her here, it crashed here! Wherever here was.

  Oh my God.

  She realized what seemed odd about this place …

  The mountains and steep cliffs.

  Towering islands.

  Lexi hadn’t seen anything like that on the cruise. Everywhere they had visited seemed flat compared to this place.

  This looked like … somewhere in Asia, or …

  Oh my God.

  There aren’t dragons and white-eyed zombie-vampires in Asia. At least, not that she was aware of.

  It hadn’t occurred to her … She’d crawled out of a UFO – a freaking UFO! – and it still hadn’t occurred to her …

  No. No, no, no, no, no! Lexi’s heart started thumping out of control.

  She began trying to convince herself that it couldn’t be possible.

  This place looks like Earth. The trees look the same. The hills look the same. It has monkeys, for crying out loud! The sky looks the same. There’s a Sun, there’s a Moon … Wait. She remembered thinking the Moon looked weird, and found herself searching every which way in hopes that it was up.

  There.

  Her fist went to her eye the moment she spotted it.

  Oh my God.

  It was different. Not a bluish white. Yellower.

  Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God!

  Lexi was sitting on the mossy ground with her hands on her temples.

  She didn’t remember sitting down.

  What does it mean?

  The girl had to force herself to calm her breathing. To calm her heart. To not panic.