Chapter 12
Hi, it's Brittany. Quinn, Santana and I have just finished cheerleading practice. It is Friday afternoon and we haven't seen much of the Miller family all week. We don't normally have spectators at practice though John stopped by to watch us perform. He was alone which was unusual. Lord Tubbington has a theory that his sisters need to pick up their cat suits from the cleaners before they close for the weekend. He might be right.
"Hi girls, I hope I'm not intruding," said John.
"Well, maybe just this once. Where are your guard blondes?" enquired Santana.
"I think you've heard the rumours about another panther sighting?"
"Yes, though we're not taking them seriously," said Quinn.
"Well, maybe you should. We detected a juicy scent in the air this week and my sisters are tracking it," warned John.
"When you say a "juicy" scent, do you mean oranges?" I asked.
"No Brittany, I mean unusual."
"So, do you mean an animal scent?" asked Quinn.
"It could be. All we know is that it isn't human," said John.
"Hold up, you're not suggesting more aliens?" asked Santana.
"We're not sure. All I can tell you is that scent is always the same and that it quickly disappears when my sisters get close. Also, Quinn, the creature has a particular interest in you."
"How do you mean?" asked Quinn.
"Barbara tracked the scent to your home. She has been staking out all week. The creature is cunning, it has detected Barbara's presence and hasn't returned since," said John.
"What about Santana and I, do we have anything to fear?" I asked.
"No, Glenda and Grace will be watching you. Grace is hoping the creature will show itself so she can catch it and tear it apart," said John.
Santana smiled broadly when she heard that. We said goodbye to John and headed home. The walk home was uneventful. We didn't see or hear anything - not even an alley cat. Santana, Quinn and I will be spending the weekend with the Millers. It has become a regular thing now. Barbara and Quinn spend a lot of time together. Santana and I are just intrigued by the whole alien panther thing.
On Saturday morning we arrived at the Millers and knocked on the door. Alice answered the door and invited us inside.
Alice looked worried and the house was strangely quiet.
"Alice, your eyes…!" I cried.
"I'm sorry, I hadn't completely phased back."
"No, it's okay. What is the matter?" I enquired.
Alice's eyes looked fierce and sad at the same time. I had never seen her like this before. We all sat down and listened intently.
"I have sad news. John lapsed into a coma last night. I can't revive him and I need your help."
"Where are your sisters, can't they help?" asked Santana.
"No, they can't help me. Glenda is a mess. She gets like this when she can't telepath with her brother. She phased and ran off. Barbara and Grace are looking for her. I am glad they are gone. They are angry with me and I need the house to myself."
"Why are they angry, what have you done?" I asked.
"They found out that John and I had kept his medical condition a secret. John knew that Earth's atmosphere was toxic to him. He desperately wanted to come to Earth and knew his sisters would be against it if they knew."
"We all knew he had been feeling tired. Didn't your sisters think that was strange?" asked Santana.
"No, it is normal for John to feel tired. We don't get tired and don't need to sleep. We have spent our lives watching him sleep. He is very human that way."
"Yes, that's true. Barbara watches me sleep all the time," offered Quinn.
"John discovered through his research that the energy of three human girls could be used to revive him. He called his theory "The Power of Three."
"What do we have to do?" asked Quinn.
"Very little, I have a crystal which will transfer your energy to John. It is time we got started, please follow me."
We followed Alice upstairs into John's bedroom. We were each given the crystal which glowed bright blue as we held it. Alice told Santana and I to hold the palm of our hand above John's head and heart. Quinn would monitor his pulse which would quicken if we held our palms the right distance from his body. We each took turns in checking John's pulse and transferring our energy. Three hours had passed and John's condition remained the same. We were getting tired and impatient.
"Alice, could you come here please?" called Santana.
Alice flew up the stairs to see how were going.
"Could you check to see if we are doing this right? He still feels ice cold."
Alice checked John's pulse and smiled broadly.
"He is getting better, his pulse is stronger. His condition is stable now."
"That's good, we're starving, can we can get something to eat!" I asked.
"Yes, of course. Please come down stairs, I have prepared lunch for you."
We went downstairs to the kitchen. Alice had prepared more food then we needed though it didn't matter. We were hungry enough to ask for seconds.
"Alice, Grace told me of your close relationship with John. Is this what she meant?" asked Santana.
"Yes, telling you that I was his physician was not a good idea at the time."
"What about sitting on his lap, you have to admit that it is pretty weird?"
"Yes, I like to embarrass my brother though there was method in my madness. What do you remember about the incident in Glee Club?"
"I remember watching you smile as you draped your long legs over his lap. I could imagine everyone in the room wishing they were John," said Santana.
"What are your thoughts Brittany?" smiled Alice.
That wasn't fair. I wasn't ready for that question and started to blush.
"It was really cool. The only difference was that I imagined I was you and John was Santana," I explained.
"That's good. My plan was to create a diversion. I didn't want anyone to notice that I was taking John's pulse." said Alice.
"Well, I think it worked. All anyone spoke about was your lap dance," offered Quinn.
"Why couldn't you take his pulse the normal way?" asked Santana.
"I did sometimes. I couldn't do that in Glee club. A lap dance was cute option," explained Alice.
The Miller girls had just arrived home. Barbara smiled at Quinn and gave her a hug. Grace scowled at me like I had just stepped in her kitty litter.
"So, how is he?" asked Grace.
"John's condition is stable. He will be okay though we will have to be patient," explained Alice.
"Were these humans any help?" scowled Grace.
"Brittany, Santana and Quinn were amazing, you should have seen them," beamed Alice.
"That's right, Hell Cat. John would have died if it weren't for us!" cried Santana.
"Don't flatter yourself, Poca Hotness. We were capable of nursing John back to health," snarled Grace.
"Ooh, I so want to growl at you right now," hissed Santana.
While the girls were fighting, Alice called me aside to talk to me.
"Brittany, Glenda is outside and is still upset. Could you talk to her for me?"
"Is she still angry?" I asked.
"Yes, she is angry though not with you."
I went outside to find a sleek black panther staring at the stars. It was dark now and cold outside.
"Hi Glenda, can I sit with you?
Glenda turned and growled softly at me.
"It's kinda cold; do to you mind….."
Glenda obliged by nuzzling closer to me.
"Please don't blame Alice. She didn't want you to worry."
Glenda's growling grew louder now. I needed to change the subject.
"John's condition has improved, why don't you come inside?"
There was no response as Glenda continued to stare at the stars. I decided not to say anymore. I just wrapped my arm around her black fur coat as we stared at the stars together. I could tell she appreciated my company by the way she swished her tail down my back.
Glenda eventually did phase back to follow me inside the house. No sooner had Glenda sat down to eat her meal, than we heard an ear splitting growl coming from the backyard. We ran to the door to see what was going on. I will never forget the Miller girl's reaction. Each of the girls had tears streaming down their face as they looked at each other. They then turned to the beautiful panther looking back at them and cried out in unison, "MOM!"
To be continued…
