Bolts from the Blue

A M Jenner

Copyright 2016, The Electric Scroll

Smashwords Edition

All rights reserved. Published in the United States of America by The Electric Scroll. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without written permission from the publisher. For information contact The Electric Scroll, 745 N. Gilbert Rd. Ste 124 PMB 197, Gilbert, Arizona, 85234.

The characters in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and entirely in the imagination of the reader.

All designs are copyrighted to the designer, and the images used (unless provided by another means) are used under usage rights only. The photographers each hold those copyrights and provide the designer with a license to use them, which is not transferable.

Cover Design: Linda Boulanger - Tell~Tale Book Covers.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Notice

Bolts from the Blue

About the Author

Books by A M Jenner

Connect with me Online

One

Thick bloody red ribbons spiraled around Lexie, hampering her vision. She tried to dodge out of their path. Some had bristling black spikes with deep blue darts. They were attacking as if they knew she could see and thwart them unless they got rid of her.

She ran a short distance toward the safety of her car. To stop her, they intensified their movements, calling hundreds of others to join with them. The number of ribbons increased until Lexie could only see where she was going by following the edge of the sidewalk.

In the last ten feet before she reached her car the ribbons actually struck her. It felt like being bombarded with small, sharp rocks.

Lexie cried out in pain as she opened the door and jumped inside. She slammed and locked the door, looking out the window at her attackers. Fortunately none had gotten into the car with her.

Instead of moving away now they could no longer reach her, the spiky ribbons beat furiously upon the car, denting the hood.

There were so many ribbons involved that the car began to rock back and forth like a boat in a heavy storm at sea. Lexie buckled the seatbelt to keep from being thrown around inside the erratically swaying car. The barbed, angry ribbons scrabbled to get at her.

Unbelievably, the car tipped up onto its side and hung there for a long moment before it finally overbalanced and rolled onto its top, crushing the roof towards her head. Cracks spidered across the windshield but the safety glass remained intact. She ducked down, making herself as short as possible without unbuckling the seatbelt. The pounding continued against the doors of her car. The unsatisfied ribbons were still trying to reach her.

Lexie screamed.

All action stopped. The ribbons fell to the ground where they disintegrated into greyish puffs, as though her shriek had killed them.

She sat up. She was in her bed. She took a deep breath and put her hands to her cheeks. Her face was drenched in sweat. Her heart was beating a rapid dance of its own within her rib cage.

She was home. She was safe. It had only been a nightmare. Lexie took a deep breath and blew it out in a rush of sound.

Without turning on the lights, she got out of bed and went to her windows. She moved the curtains slightly to see out. All seemed quiet. A few email ribbons careened across the sky in a normal nighttime pattern.

Not for the first time Lexie wished she couldn't see emails flying through the air, but wishing made no difference. She could see them; and after the intensity of her nightmare she felt they could see her. She shivered.

Lexie decided to play computer games for an hour or so before trying to go back to bed. She was too keyed up to sleep. She walked down the hall to her office and turned on her computer. A cup of cocoa would be soothing.

On her way to the kitchen, she gently massaged her arms. The spots hit by the nightmare's angry ribbons were tender. She turned on the light and saw red welts.

How could things in a nightmare inflict real pain and leave marks on her skin? It didn't make sense, but neither did the fact she could see ribbons of information flying through the air towards people's computers in the first place.

She turned on the burner beneath the kettle then readied the ingredients for the cocoa, adding an extra spoonful of sugar to the mix tonight. She thought about the nightmare as she stirred the rich beverage and trembled again. Picking up her cup she left the kitchen.

Back in her office, she saw several emails heading for her computer. Three thin, pastel colored ribbons floated over, entering in the usual manner she'd come to know. There was also a black ribbon trying to beat its way in, much like those from her nightmare. She froze, hoping it wouldn't notice she was in the room and attack her. She didn't move until it finished climbing inside.

As far as Lexie knew, she was the only person who could see emails. The decorated ribbons attracted her gaze. Some patterns were stunning, like a master artist's painting. She'd watch the colorful arrays as they dipped and swayed in a soundless dance moving through the air.

She didn't know what the different colors meant. The backgrounds came in just a few basic colors, but each email had a different design to it. She thought the patterns were as unique as fingerprints because she'd never yet seen two ribbons exactly the same.

She sat down at her desk and opened her favorite game. Another black email, this time with red markings, came into the room and circled her head once before diving down to enter her computer. Two pastel blue ones followed the black ribbon but floated over to the computer without dancing or circling at all.

What made the black ones different? Once the ribbons entered her computer, she could no longer see them or tell what message had been which color. Another shudder slid down her spine, raising goose bumps on her arms. The nightmare had been too real.

Two

A week later, Lexie was typing a report at work when a colorful ribbon moving past her desk caught her eye. She watched it head for the side of Machelle's computer when the middle chunk of it disappeared. The remainder of the message flickered and dropped to the floor where it pulsed for the space of two heartbeats before it evaporated.

Lexie blinked twice and shook her head slightly. Focusing her attention back on her own work, she continued typing. She'd nearly finished the page when an identical ribbon whizzed past her desk.

The shock of seeing two messages with the same pattern dragged her attention from her work. For the second time it nearly reached Machelle's computer before a large portion was snatched away. The remainder of the ribbon faltered and again fell on the floor where it throbbed a few seconds before it died and vanished.

If emails weren't alive in the first place, death wasn't the correct term for its demise, and yet that's exactly what it looked like.

Today was the first time Lexie had seen an email not reach its destination computer, and the first time a pattern had been repeated.

Whatcha looking at? inquired Machelle. Did I drop something on the floor? she asked, stretching to look on the floor between them.

What? Oh! Uh, I, uh, thought I saw something fall onto the floor, but when I looked, nothing was there. I must have imagined it. Sorry, Machelle, I didn't mean to bother you.

Lexie could feel her face getting hot and knew her blush was visible. Drat it, she needed to concentrate on her own work and not worry about the ribbons flying through the air. She couldn't afford to get fired for being too distracted to work. Again.

Keep your eyeballs on your own work and off the ill-fated emails dying all over the place, then.

Her stern inner voice was loud in her mind.

The company she worked for had just switched to a new wireless internet office package and they'd been up and running now for three days. She missed the old wired system, because the emails used to be delivered through the wires, where she couldn't see them. Still, she'd worked around wireless internet before, and today was the first time she'd noticed emails going astray before they were allowed to reach the right person.

Were allowed to reach the right person?

Why did her brain come up with that phrasing? Lexie closed her eyes. She shook her head to clear it, opened her eyes and went back to work.

Moments later, the identically patterned ribbon came again, but this time it was able to escape its killer and reach Machelle's computer, flying inside before part of it was confiscated.

Sighing, Lexie finished her report and checked her work as she printed the pages out. Contemplating the weird idea of some outside force killing email messages, she took her work forward to Bonnie, the chief secretary, and slid the report folder into the inbox.

She checked her watch. I know it's about ten minutes early, she told Bonnie, but I'm at a really good stopping place right now. I'm going to go to lunch, and then I'll start the summary report as soon as I get back; all right?

Will you be able to have it on my desk by three o'clock? A sneer was on Bonnie's face and sarcasm filled her voice.

I should be able to have it to you by two.

Well, Bonnie said crossly, I guess you can go then. Remember, Lexanne, be back on time. Just because you're leaving early, don't think you have the right to stay at lunch until the others come back. Got it?

Yes, Ma'am; I promise not to be late, Lexie said, and bit the inside of her cheek to keep from saying anything else. She left the area, still biting her cheek to remind herself to stay in control of her often-unpredictable tongue.

Bonnie had been cordial and helpful for the first week after Lexie had joined the company. As she became familiar with the work and needed less instruction, Bonnie became increasingly hostile although she was usually discreet about it. If a co-worker was nearby, there were simply hateful looks sent in her direction. If the boss or anyone from corporate was in the vicinity, she was all smiles and sweetness until their backs were turned.

Bonnie had perfected the art of snide asides and rude, two-faced behavior to the point she'd earned the nickname 'The Bonnie Dragon' from her co-workers.

Bonnie so carefully nurtured and protected the image of anything wrong being not her fault that Lexie doubted the corporate bosses had Bonnie's measure. She wasn't about to enlighten them, either. She needed to keep her job.

Three

Lexie walked to her favorite deli down the block, but her thoughts weren't on food. The sight of the emails dying on the office floor kept replaying in her brain.

The descriptive terminology for whether the messages were allowed to reach their target troubled her. It was a unique concept. No one ever couched emails in terms of whether or not they 'were allowed' to reach someone's computer.

Yes, but since you don't know any other person who can see the blasted ribbons in the first place, no one else is going to know, believe, or care that some of them die before they arrive. It makes sense, though, when some people claim to have sent you something you never received, and vice versa.

Lexie reached the restaurant, pushed open the door, and took a small moment to breathe deeply. She loved the delicious scents wafting about the small shop, reminding her that their fare was her idea of comfort food.

She took her lunch out to the patio, where her favorite table in the corner was empty; wonderful. She may have to try leaving early for lunch more often to get no lines and her favorite table. If Bonnie would let her.

Having no line to wait in today gave her enough time for a leisurely walk back to work. As she sauntered, Lexie looked at the sky and wished, not for the first time, she could appreciate what a clear blue sky looked like. She hadn't seen one since she'd been ten.

During office hours, there were so many ribbons flying through the air, she could hardly see any sky. Luckily there were fewer messages at night; she could see a few stars between the softly glowing auras wrapped around each ribbon.

Lexie would love to have had a friend to discuss the ribbons with, but the stigma of seeing things nobody else could had taken its toll.

As an adolescent, when she'd tried to share what she saw; she was branded as crazy. Parents wouldn't let their children play with the weird girl who saw things that weren't there, so she stopped sharing her ability to see the ribbons.

As an adult, her friends were mostly online; none of them lived close by. They treated her like a normal person. They didn't know about her crazy uniqueness because she didn't tell them, and she didn't sit in the same room with them where they could watch her eyes follow invisible things.

To be honest, her brain reminded her, you have few nearby friends because you don't try to make any.

Well, I'm not a glutton for punishment, she argued with herself. I can only take so much rejection. It's easier to skip making friends and not endure the looks on their faces when they find out I can see things they can't.

Plus it's only been in the last handful of years I realized what they were. No one else knows emails are ribbons that fly through the air. My online friends can't see me when I stop to watch a few pretty ones fly past. It works for me, so don't push it.

As she neared work, Lexie turned her musings to the email that tried three times before it made it into Machelle's computer. It had been dark red streaked with little black marks.

Lexie reached her building and went in. Because she'd gone early, she was the only one back; even Bonnie had not yet returned from lunch. Good; perhaps she could get the report done before being interrupted.

Lexie typed in her password and opened the manila folder holding the report information she needed. While she riffled through the pages, she saw another red-patterned email come to Machelle's computer. Two feet from the unit, a chunk of it disappeared. The rest fluttered to the floor and pulsed several times before it died, just like this morning. This one had a more vibrant red pattern and seemed to take longer before it faded into nothingness.

She finished organizing the papers in her hands. She tamped the pages straight as the second ribbon came flying at Machelle's computer. Lexie watched it. This time, just before the ribbon got to the computer, she saw a little black spot in the air open up. It sucked part of the message into the hole before the spot disappeared. The balance of the message once again fell to the floor to pulse a few times before it died.

Unmoving, Lexie watched where the little spot had been, but nothing more happened. She turned back to her report, a shiver playing up and down her spine. She'd never seen that happen. What could open thin air and suck an email into it? She shuddered again.

About one minute elapsed since the little hole had sucked up part of the message when the same patterned ribbon came again. This time, it entered into the computer and stayed there.

Lexie began entering the data for her report, tuning everything else out, resolutely ignoring her curiosity about the little hole that scooped up emails.

Machelle came back from lunch and moments after sitting down began working on the papers on her own desk.

Lexie continued to work flat out so she could turn in the report on time. She didn't need the Bonnie Dragon breathing flames down her neck. The report finished, printed, punched and slipped into a report folder, Lexie looked at the time. Five minutes before two. She slid a title page in front and with three minutes to spare, she walked to Bonnie's desk.

Unwilling to simply put this report on top of the others in the inbox, she tried to hand the report to Bonnie. Lexie wanted to ensure the woman knew what time it was being submitted.

Bonnie looked at the clock first, then at the report and asked, Is it complete and accurate?

Yes, Ma'am; I've checked the data in it more than once.

You were very nearly late, Lexanne. Try not to cut the time so close next month.

Yes, Ma'am, Lexie said. Admirably she refrained from retorting it would be easy to do the report faster if Bonnie got her the data in a more expedient manner. She mentally gave herself ten brownie points for keeping her mouth shut.

Bonnie reached out and all but grabbed the report from Lexie's outstretched hand. She didn't even look at the report, but simply tossed it into the inbox on top of the others and turned her back on Lexie.

Mentally, Lexie stuck her tongue out at the exasperating woman as she turned away.

Bonnie must be an unhappy person, she thought as she walked back to her desk, to feel the need to be so rude to others to make herself feel important. It's too bad.

Lexie reached her desk and smiled as Machelle looked at her, but saw immediately something was wrong. Machelle was crying.

What's wrong? Lexie stepped to Machelle's desk in her concern for her co-worker.

I got an email from my mother, she sniffled. Gran had a heart attack this morning; they don't expect her to live through the day. Gran and I've always been really close! The tears ran down her cheeks and dripped onto her blouse.

Lexie grabbed a box of tissues from her own desk and handed them to Machelle.

Thanks, Machelle said, pulling out several tissues and blowing her nose.

Does she live close by?

She's at Mercy Hospital, over in Gilbert. Machelle hiccupped.

Have you told Bonnie you need to leave?

No, not yet; the email was there when I got back from lunch, but I had to finish the summary report for Bonnie before I dared look at my emails. I'd just barely finished the report and opened my email when you left to turn in your report.

Do you want me to ask her for you?

No, I'll do it. If you said anything she'd turn me down flat because I didn't have the courage to ask her myself. You know how she is.

Too true; and really, you'll have better luck if I stay out of her sight when you ask. She's ticked off at me today. She accepted my work just now with her usual inelegance, almost throwing it into the inbox. For a second I thought she was going to trash it. I wish I could help you other than by just saying a prayer.

You can't, but thanks for the thought.

Well, let's hope Bonnie doesn't have indigestion or she won't grant your miracle.

I know, but that's the way she is, and we both know it.

Right.

Machelle took three more tissues from Lexie's box, mopped up her face and blew her nose once again.

Well, wish me luck! She picked up her report, gave a small smile which was more grimace than grin and set off for Bonnie's desk.

Lexie straightened her own desk, placing a copy of her current summary report in the file, and looked at her inbox for the next assignment.

She'd hardly picked up the bundle of papers when Machelle was back, a large satisfied smile on her face.

"How did it go; is she going to let you