***
Maggie glanced out the window as she sorted her laundry. The day was overcast and windy. A storm would be here by noon.
Nearly three weeks had passed since her return to her old life, and this was the first morning she’d had to herself.
Of course Jonah and her parents had refused to leave her side ever again. One of them had slept on her couch every night since her return. Only recently had they begun to feel normal again, which meant they were willing to leave her alone for longer periods of time, at least during the day. Maggie wouldn’t be at all surprised if Jonah showed up again tonight.
Not that she minded the company. She didn’t relish being left alone to dwell on everything. She just wanted her family around for different reasons than they thought she did.
No one had been able to make heads or tails of her story. The police couldn’t prove any of it, but they couldn’t disprove any of it either. Maggie could tell several of the detectives thought she was hiding something, but it wasn’t as if they could suspect what it was.
What did it matter? She had the morning to herself, which meant that it was all starting to blow over. Everything was getting back to normal.
Maggie picked up her hamper and headed into the laundry room. She’d been dragging her feet since returning home, but she had to find something to occupy her or she’d go mad wondering when she would see Marcus again. It had to be something she could really sink her teeth into—something that would distract her completely. Yet she had to be able to drop it at a moment’s notice if certain friends who hadn’t been born yet came to call.
Maggie woke up this morning, deciding that she would start by cleaning her house top to bottom. She tossed lumps of denim and colorful cotton into her washer. At the bottom of the hamper the jeans she’d worn both times she’d time traveled were balled up. She picked them up, examined them for answers, and finding none, threw them into the bottom of washer. A loud clang announced that something was in the pocket.
She’d completely forgotten about the bracelet Marcus had given her until she pulled it out. It was like one of those plastic children’s bracelets strung on a rubber band so they can expand to fit over your hand without unclasping anything. The only difference was that there was no elastic band that Maggie could see. It was like the metal itself was stretching. On it was what looked like gold nuggets, interrupted periodically by colorful jewels. It made for a beautiful piece.
Maggie remembered the night Marcus first gave this to her. He’d taken her down into one of the deepest caverns below Interchron. The walls sparkled with un-mined diamonds, and an underground waterfall splashed rainbows over any artificial light. He’d wrapped his arms around her, and they’d spent hours there together, watching rainbow water drops dancing in front of the diamonds.
Maggie’s head snapped up. Where had that memory come from? Had she had it before?
She shook her head, trying to rise above the recollection so she could think clearly. She couldn’t. She kept losing herself in the memory. Soon, there were others.
Waking up in the compound…where was she? Who were these people?
Meeting the team…they all seemed nice. Colin kind of gave her the creeps, though. And why did the one called Marcus keep staring at her like that?
The prophecy…what was her role? Going on missions…trying to infiltrate the collectives…the ships, they must be on the ships…the one called B cornering her in a glass room…Karl washed up on some jagged rocks, bleeding from the neck…Joan holding a baby…Clay on his knees, mouth open in a silent scream…Lila curled up in a ball, crying…Doc burning parchment by candlelight… Karl… Joan… Clay… Colin… Doc… Marcus… Marcus… Marcus!
Maggie’s basket dropped to the floor, forgotten. She fell onto her knees, holding her head. The tears came unbidden, and everything behind her nose, all the way up to her eyebrows, was on fire.
The memories flooded back so fast that she couldn’t breathe. They melted together, becoming blurry collages, spectrums of colors and emotions. Unable to separate them or her feelings about them, she writhed on the floor, gasping.
At first, each memory had a particular emotion attached to it, but as they came faster and faster, the emotions ran together as well, threatening to consume her. She opened her mouth but couldn’t control her voice box to scream.
She tried to focus on the first memory she’d recaptured—the one of Marcus giving her the bracelet. It was a pleasant memory, and focusing on it took the sting out of others as they came. She’d felt safe, then. Protected. Happy. She would feel that way again. She believed that.
The barrage went on for more than an hour. Eventually it slowed, but it was another ninety minutes before it stopped completely. The memories were all in her head now, there for her to examine, but she suddenly understood what the Remembrancer meant about going mad.
How could Maggie be certain all the memories were there? Despite the overflowing recollections, she felt emptier than ever. She felt lonelier for the team—and for Marcus—than she would have thought possible.
She focused on the memory of Marcus again, held it close to her chest, and eventually was able to rise. She felt like she’d been walking through the desert for days. She made it to her bed where she collapsed, pulled her knees up to her chest, and amidst cascading tears, slept.
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Author’s Note:
Thank you for joining Maggie and the team on their adventures. Like Persistence of Vision? Book 2, Quantum Entanglement, is available from most major retailers!
If you loved the book and have a spare moment, I would really appreciate a short review. Your help in spreading the word is gratefully received.
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Also by L.K. Hill
Do you enjoy other genres? Visit L.K. Hill’s website to check out her crime fiction and historical fiction series.
Crime Fiction:
Dark Remnants, Book 1 of Street Games (Writing as L.K. Hill)
Desolate Mantle, Book 2 of Street Games (Writing as L.K. Hill)
Historical Fiction:
Citadels of Fire, Book 1 of Kremlins
Bastions of Blood, Book 2 of Kremlins (coming soon!)
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Liesel K. Hill is an award-winning author who writes across three different genres. Her historical fiction and crime drama is written under her initials, L.K. Her sci-fi, fantasy, and dystopian are written under her full name, Liesel K. Hill. A graduate of Weber State University, she comes from a large, tight-knit family and lives in northern Utah. She plans to keep writing until they nail her coffin shut. Or the Second Coming happens. You know, whichever happens first. ;D
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