Chapter Ten: Drone Master
Stella looked up at the buzzing drone overhead… The buzzing drone that thankfully had a rudimentary autopilot which prevented me from crashing it out of shock.
I’d been in Texas for nearly two months and I’d never seen Stella out and about in the neighborhood before yesterday.
“That’s cool. Is that yours?”
“Yeah.”
“Adam’s a really good flyer.” Olly said, which was a nice compliment, although the thing practically balanced itself once in the air.
I brought the drone down and let it land softly in the grass so I could focus more on the conversation without worrying about the drone drifting away.
Stella nodded. “Cool.”
“Yeah,” said Olly again. “So, you just out for a walk?”
“Kinda.” I had no clue what that meant. How do you kinda go on a walk?
“Cool. Do you want to fly the drone? Adam and I are making geoglyphs… We made a face, see, it’s Adam.”
I flushed a little. “Actually, it’s Olly.”
Stella laughed. “That’s so cool. Um… sure.” I was a bit confused, but not upset. A few days ago Stella had shut the door in my face. Today, she wanted to fly my drone and hang out with us… She looked a little hesitant, but also, I felt so happy that she was out here with us. Like a friend.
I walked over to her and held out the controller.
“It’s pretty simple. Kinda like a video came controller. This trigger makes it go up, and it's pressure sensitive so the harder you press it the faster the thing will skyrocket. And this one…” I said, “Is the forward-backward and left and right.”
As I explained the drone controls to Stella, it struck me as the first time I was close to Stella. I mean really close. She stood next to me, shoulder to shoulder.
Stella reached out and I handed her the controller.
I felt goosebumps as our hands connected.
Stella stared down at the screen and then carefully began to lift the drone off the ground… Very carefully…
The propellers weren’t quite spinning fast enough for it to lift off. I knew she’d get there, but found myself reaching over. “Like this,” I said, reaching over and guiding her hand on the trigger. The drone shot into the air.
“There you go!” I said.
“Nice!” Olly exclaimed.
Stella remained focused on the controller. “Oh, I can see it. Ha, I see the smiley face.”
“Yeah.”
And after 30 seconds or so she began playing with the other controls, bringing the drone in a slow circle overhead. She was remarkably quick on the uptake.
Olly nudged me. “Trouble.”
I looked too and sure enough, I could see two tiny figures coming out from the front door of the house down the street.
As if she’d intuited their presence, Stella said, “I’m sorry for the other day, Adam. Addi and Zach are just…”
"Nightmares?" Olly finished, his eyes fixed on the twins now racing wildly across a neighbor’s lawn toward us. “Chaos incarnate?”
“No…” Stella said, pausing to find the right words. “Mischievous. And difficult at times…”
“You could say that.”
“Hey Stella!”
“Hey!!!” Zach and Addi were close enough to shout to us, still running, flapping their little arms and wearing their typical up-to-no-good grins.
“Hey,” Stella replied, noncommittally. “Go back to our yard and play.”
“You’re not our boss.”
“Yeah, you’re not our boss…”
“Can we fly?”
"Yeah, can we fly? I want to go first."
"You went first last time for something. It's my turn to go first."
“Not unless you pay me for a new drone,” I said.
“We won’t crash it!"
“Yeah, we’re really good flyers. Like really good flyers.”
“No, you may not…” The twins seemed to have forgotten that a little while back they’d thrown soup and stale rolls at me. AND balloons filled with oil. They crowded around me, apparently now my best friends. Insofar as I could tell, they weren't loaded up with any rotting fruit or other gross stuff today, but I still kept a close eye on them.
They were going for a cute, charm offensive. Which of course, wouldn’t work.
“Pretty please… we’ll pay you!”
“Yeah, we’ll pay you!”
“Actually Stella can pay you.” Zach showed me a wide grin. He was missing one of his front teeth, which was probably because he'd just lost it normally, but maybe because he’d tried something crazy and accidently smashed it out.
“Yes, I’m sure Stella totally wants to pay me to let you guys crash my drone…”
“Will you pay us, Stella?!”
“No. Go home, guys.”
“But you’ve paid us before, Stella.” Addi whined.
“Please…” Zach pleaded.
“No. Oh my word. Addi, Zach. Go play at home,” Stella said, exasperated. She was still focused on the drone controller as my drone continued to ride in a wide circle above us.
“You paid us to throw balloons at them,” Addi shot back.
“Go home!” Stella shouted, this time taking her eyes off the controller and staring at them angrily.
“Yeah, go, guys.” I told Zach and Addi, but then I noticed something very, very curious. Stella had turned bright, bright red.
“Wait, what did you say?” I asked Addi, feeling my heart beat faster – wondering if I heard correctly.
“Stella paid us to throw balloons at you.” Addi said, promptly.
I looked at Zach, who noticed I was looking at him and nodded vigorously. “Yeah, so she can definitely pay you to let us buy your drone.” I wasn’t sure how fly suddenly turned into buy but didn’t care.
Then I looked at Stella, whose hands were shaking as she held the drone controller, and was still flushed a deep shade of red.
If Stella hadn’t been there, I would never have believed the twins. I mean obviously. But now, ideas and doubts were swirling and careening like planes crashing in my mind.
I’d thought Stella had come out here to be friends. But if what the twins said was true, I’d just discovered something groundbreaking. Earth shattering…
Maybe the twins were monsters.
But the monsters had a master.
I’d been in Texas for nearly two months and I’d never seen Stella out and about in the neighborhood before yesterday.
“That’s cool. Is that yours?”
“Yeah.”
“Adam’s a really good flyer.” Olly said, which was a nice compliment, although the thing practically balanced itself once in the air.
I brought the drone down and let it land softly in the grass so I could focus more on the conversation without worrying about the drone drifting away.
Stella nodded. “Cool.”
“Yeah,” said Olly again. “So, you just out for a walk?”
“Kinda.” I had no clue what that meant. How do you kinda go on a walk?
“Cool. Do you want to fly the drone? Adam and I are making geoglyphs… We made a face, see, it’s Adam.”
I flushed a little. “Actually, it’s Olly.”
Stella laughed. “That’s so cool. Um… sure.” I was a bit confused, but not upset. A few days ago Stella had shut the door in my face. Today, she wanted to fly my drone and hang out with us… She looked a little hesitant, but also, I felt so happy that she was out here with us. Like a friend.
I walked over to her and held out the controller.
“It’s pretty simple. Kinda like a video came controller. This trigger makes it go up, and it's pressure sensitive so the harder you press it the faster the thing will skyrocket. And this one…” I said, “Is the forward-backward and left and right.”
As I explained the drone controls to Stella, it struck me as the first time I was close to Stella. I mean really close. She stood next to me, shoulder to shoulder.
Stella reached out and I handed her the controller.
I felt goosebumps as our hands connected.
Stella stared down at the screen and then carefully began to lift the drone off the ground… Very carefully…
The propellers weren’t quite spinning fast enough for it to lift off. I knew she’d get there, but found myself reaching over. “Like this,” I said, reaching over and guiding her hand on the trigger. The drone shot into the air.
“There you go!” I said.
“Nice!” Olly exclaimed.
Stella remained focused on the controller. “Oh, I can see it. Ha, I see the smiley face.”
“Yeah.”
And after 30 seconds or so she began playing with the other controls, bringing the drone in a slow circle overhead. She was remarkably quick on the uptake.
Olly nudged me. “Trouble.”
I looked too and sure enough, I could see two tiny figures coming out from the front door of the house down the street.
As if she’d intuited their presence, Stella said, “I’m sorry for the other day, Adam. Addi and Zach are just…”
"Nightmares?" Olly finished, his eyes fixed on the twins now racing wildly across a neighbor’s lawn toward us. “Chaos incarnate?”
“No…” Stella said, pausing to find the right words. “Mischievous. And difficult at times…”
“You could say that.”
“Hey Stella!”
“Hey!!!” Zach and Addi were close enough to shout to us, still running, flapping their little arms and wearing their typical up-to-no-good grins.
“Hey,” Stella replied, noncommittally. “Go back to our yard and play.”
“You’re not our boss.”
“Yeah, you’re not our boss…”
“Can we fly?”
"Yeah, can we fly? I want to go first."
"You went first last time for something. It's my turn to go first."
“Not unless you pay me for a new drone,” I said.
“We won’t crash it!"
“Yeah, we’re really good flyers. Like really good flyers.”
“No, you may not…” The twins seemed to have forgotten that a little while back they’d thrown soup and stale rolls at me. AND balloons filled with oil. They crowded around me, apparently now my best friends. Insofar as I could tell, they weren't loaded up with any rotting fruit or other gross stuff today, but I still kept a close eye on them.
They were going for a cute, charm offensive. Which of course, wouldn’t work.
“Pretty please… we’ll pay you!”
“Yeah, we’ll pay you!”
“Actually Stella can pay you.” Zach showed me a wide grin. He was missing one of his front teeth, which was probably because he'd just lost it normally, but maybe because he’d tried something crazy and accidently smashed it out.
“Yes, I’m sure Stella totally wants to pay me to let you guys crash my drone…”
“Will you pay us, Stella?!”
“No. Go home, guys.”
“But you’ve paid us before, Stella.” Addi whined.
“Please…” Zach pleaded.
“No. Oh my word. Addi, Zach. Go play at home,” Stella said, exasperated. She was still focused on the drone controller as my drone continued to ride in a wide circle above us.
“You paid us to throw balloons at them,” Addi shot back.
“Go home!” Stella shouted, this time taking her eyes off the controller and staring at them angrily.
“Yeah, go, guys.” I told Zach and Addi, but then I noticed something very, very curious. Stella had turned bright, bright red.
“Wait, what did you say?” I asked Addi, feeling my heart beat faster – wondering if I heard correctly.
“Stella paid us to throw balloons at you.” Addi said, promptly.
I looked at Zach, who noticed I was looking at him and nodded vigorously. “Yeah, so she can definitely pay you to let us buy your drone.” I wasn’t sure how fly suddenly turned into buy but didn’t care.
Then I looked at Stella, whose hands were shaking as she held the drone controller, and was still flushed a deep shade of red.
If Stella hadn’t been there, I would never have believed the twins. I mean obviously. But now, ideas and doubts were swirling and careening like planes crashing in my mind.
I’d thought Stella had come out here to be friends. But if what the twins said was true, I’d just discovered something groundbreaking. Earth shattering…
Maybe the twins were monsters.
But the monsters had a master.
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