Starcrossed: Perigee - A paranormal romance trilogy by Tracey Lee Campbell Read Free Book Online

goose bumps. I blushed and shoveled mashed potato on to my plate in an effort to cover my awkwardness.
    "Hey, are you going to leave any for anyone else?" Uncle Tom eyed the mounds of potato in front of me, amusement in his eyes. I'd unthinkingly spooned eight big piles on to my plate. My blush deepened.
    "Sorry," I murmured. "I wasn't really paying attention."
    Uncle Tom grinned. "Evidently," was all he said.
    "Anyway," Michael continued, oblivious to my discomfort, "the science fair starts at six tomorrow. You're coming, right Dad?"
    "Of course."
    "And Aric, you're coming too, right?"
    Aric swallowed a mouthful of peas. "I wouldn't miss it!"
    "What about me?!" I asked, after waiting for an invitation.
    "You and Mom always come to my stuff. You don't need an invitation. It's a given you'll be there."
    I was kind of pleased by his answer. It was nice to know he was under the impression I was always there for him.
    "Aric's going to help me set the star gate up after school. I'll just stay after school and you can meet me there at six." He had it all worked out. He was elated, and even ate the zucchini Aunt Janet placed on his plate without complaint. It seemed, compared to the night before, Aric had produced a miracle in the form of a 'star gate', and Michael felt invincible.

    * * * * *

    On the day of the science fair, I decided to walk from my high school to Michael's school and see how he and Aric were getting on with setting up the project. I spotted Aric's truck in the parking lot, and, as usual, gave myself a stern talking to as my heart began to beat faster at the prospect of seeing him again soon. His affect on me was ridiculous, and Alison's words 'be cool' reverberated around my head. I wondered whether he'd even noticed all the times I'd acted like a blushing, infatuated idiot around him. He didn't seem to react or give anything away which would point to him noticing my silly antics. He was either being very polite, or was used to that reaction from women.
    I followed the hand-made signs which pointed the way to the science fair; it was being held in the school auditorium, the projects set up on various tables positioned about the room. The audience was expected to go from table to table to watch the budding scientists give a short talk and demonstrate their area of 'expertise'. I noted there were no less than eight volcano displays dotted about the room. Michael had been right - 'everyone' seemed to be doing volcanoes. There was one massively tall, elaborate volcano in pride of place at the center of the room. Its six foot high clay sides were adorned with bushes, trees and plastic animals much like the ones Michael used in his model railway back at home. This was one super volcano; the kid who had made this one had put a lot of effort into it.
    I found Michael and Aric at the back of the room. Aric was holding up a poster, while Michael, standing on a chair, was pinning it to a portable notice board with thumbtacks. They had tied a large string of balloons together to form a big colorful arch over the table, and it made a big improvement to the table's rather unimpressive setup: a green plastic bowl from the kitchen, some wire fashioned into a loop with a handle, a few lengths of rope, and the bottle of dish washing liquid.
    "Hey, it's looking pretty cool! Love the balloons!" I ducked under the balloons beside the table, and immediately regretted it.
    "Watch the string!"
    I realized, too late, that fishing line, so fine it was barely visible, was strung between the balloons and the top of the notice board in a fine, interweaving mesh. My hair tangled in the web.
    "Lucy! You're wrecking it!" Michael jumped down from his chair. His head cleared the mesh easily.
    "I'm sorry!" I tried to untangle my hair from the fishing line, but my useless endeavors just resulted in the balloon archway listing to one side. Aric was there in an instant.
    "Hold still," he said, as he proceeded to untangle my hair. "You really should