The Glass Wall (Return of the Ancients Book 1) by Carmen Caine, Madison Adler Page A

Betty came home. Grace had decided to stay the night with some friends.
    My mind was screaming that what I was seeing on tape was impossible. Were they really vanishing? Or had they turned into clouds of mist?
    Still in shock, I waited for Al to take off his costume. He had dressed up as General Patton, so it didn’t take long for him to remove the replica Purple Heart and row of medals pinned to his fatigues.
    “Take a look at this tape.” I cleared my throat and shoved the screen his way as he sat down.
    “Did we get something?” His eyes lit up. He rubbed his hands in anticipation.
    I managed a grunt.
    I sat across the table, watching his face as he viewed the video. When he got to the part where the stranger disappeared, he frowned. His thick brows burrowed into a trench as he rewound the tape several times.
    I felt an ominous chill sweep through me.
    “Well,” he finally said, leaning back and folding his arms. “This only means one thing!”
    “What?” I croaked. My heart was pounding.
    He got up, still frowning. “This camera is defective! It’s already dropping the signal. I can’t believe that they’d actually try to market this as top-rated spy equipment! From now on, I’m only buying equipment made in the U.S. of A!”
    I watched him stalk to the living room, calling for Betty to look up the return policy on the Stealth-Twig, but I knew he was mistaken. There was nothing wrong with the camera.
    The stranger had really disappeared.
    I watched the video several more times before Al came back to pack it away. Apparently, he had to mail it the next morning to get his money back.
    Escaping to my room and still in a daze, I sat down on the bed, listening to the soft squeaks of Jerry’s hamster wheel. Gradually, my numbness wore off and I grabbed my science notebook. Finding a blank page, I wrote down the question What are they? And underneath that, I jotted down A cloud of mist appears after they disappear .
    That meant Harmony had disappeared in the greenbelt incident, as improbable as it sounded.
    I brushed aside questions of my sanity and kept on writing.
    They talk strangely because they aren’t human was my next sentence.
    Jerry began to run in earnest, making his cage vibrate and inch across the dresser. I watched his little feet zooming along and then a new thought struck me.
    And then I wrote They can talk to animals or read their minds.
    That would definitely explain how Rafael had known Jerry’s name.
    I shivered.
    How many of them were there? Were they aliens? If they could disappear, what else could they do?
    I eyed the list again. Using this logic, the fact that my room had been drenched in moisture meant that Rafael had materialized in my bedroom. He hadn’t needed a door.
    I did panic then.
    Stuffing my notebook into my backpack, I left my room and found Betty and Al.
    “Anyone want to watch a movie?” I asked. My voice was a little high-pitched. I didn’t want to be alone.
    Betty looked up and smiled. “Sure, honey.”
    Since he had to work in the morning, Al declined. Telling us both good night, he went to bed.
    I found some random movie on TV and sat next to Betty, but within the hour, she was snoring softly with her feet propped up on the coffee table.
    I couldn’t sleep. I stayed up all night. Feeling a little guilty about not waking Betty up to go to bed, I got her a blanket and covered her up on the couch. I couldn’t bring myself to wake her up. I didn’t want to be alone.
    When I heard Al’s alarm clock buzz, I went to the kitchen and started his coffee.
    He didn’t say much when he came into the kitchen. He wasn’t much of a morning person, but he smiled at the coffee. Picking up his packaged cameras, he left the house.
    Shortly afterwards, someone dropped Grace off. As she walked up the driveway, I suddenly didn’t feel like talking to anyone. Exhausted, I stumbled to my room and lay down on the bed. Since it was daylight I felt safer, even though I knew it probably