“Miss Fleming, please see me after class.” I receive a stern look as she allows me to return to my seat.
Great, now I’m possibly facing detention—do they even have detention at a place like this? Or worse yet, additional homework. I sit through the rest of class with my head firmly focused on my desk. I’m afraid that if I look up, Miss Stone will only single me out again and give me her usual scowl.
The bell rings and I watch as everyone exits the classroom. Jaime shoots me a look before she leaves. Now it’s just me and Miss Stone. I’m tempted to tell her about my experience with alternate realties for real this time. At the very least, she’ll think I’m just unbalanced and let me slide.
“Etta. What seems to be the problem? Your progress has significantly dropped below what is required for this class. This is not the kind of work I expect coming from you. Is there a problem at home I should know about?” For a split second, she actually appears concerned. Then it’s gone. “Have you asked your father to help you with your studies?”
“Uh, my dad isn’t home at the moment. He’s away on business.”
She gives me a hard look. “I see. Do you know when he’ll be back? I don’t want you slipping in class.” Her eyes flicker, as if something suddenly occurs to her. “Etta, what lesson did we go over before we broke for winter break?”
Is this a trick question? “I think, well, I—” I lower my head, embarrassed. “I’m sorry Miss Stone. I don’t remember.” Hell, I don’t know why I have to apologize. It’s not my fault I don’t remember the damn lectures from last fall. I wasn’t even here! I raise my head to look back at her.
Her eyes widen. “I see,” she says again. “Well, then, I expect you’ll make a good faith effort on your assignments the rest of the semester. Is that understood?”
I sigh. “Yeah, I understand.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
My First Slumber Party
My aunt is thrilled I when I tell her I’m doing a girls night in with Jaime. Something about behaving more like a teenager, she says when she gives her permission. She has a point; I never really had much of a real childhood.
I quickly head up to my room to pack a few things for my sleepover. When Jaime first suggested it, I was hesitant, but I’m actually looking forward to it now. I stuff a few items in my bag: pjs, toothbrush and my hair brush. I figure I can just borrow anything else I need. This is actually going to be fun, I tell myself.
Before heading over to Jaime’s, I pop in the kitchen to say goodbye. I choke back surprise at seeing my teacher sitting comfortably in the kitchen. Aunt Maggie, the great hostess that she is, has already offered her coffee and homemade scones.
“Miss Stone, what are you doing here?” God, I hope she didn’t come by to tell my aunt I’m flunking physics.
“April,” she says, turning the stool around in order to address me. “You can call me April.”
“Am I in trouble?” I thought our little meeting after class was the end of the discussion. She didn’t say anything about coming over to discuss my poor grades.
“Maggie?” Miss Stone turns to my aunt for assistance.
They’re on a first name basis now?
My aunt tears herself away from the fridge and answers for her. “Honey, this isn’t about your studies,” she smiles. “I’m well aware of your poor performance, but that’s not why she’s here. April is your advisor.”
Huh? I’m supposed to get private tutoring now? How is this not about my grades? “Can’t I just study with Jaime?”
“What? Oh, no. She’s not here to mentor you on a scholastic level, April is your advisor. Every beginning traveler has a guide.”
Maybe I was too quick to keep Jaime and Alex out of the loop. It turns out everyone knows. I turn to face Miss Stone. “So you knew all this time?”
Miss Stone, uh, April, glances at my aunt for some kind of approval before saying anything. “No. I had my suspicions, but I wasn’t positive until this afternoon. When you couldn’t tell me last semester’s lesson, I realized you were back.”
Yeah, yeah, I know, reset memories. I get it. “So what, you’ve been just waiting around for me?”
“Something like that.” You’d think she’d lose the attitude, but she still has that annoyed look on her face. “My assignment, handed down by the Council, was to assume the role as your physics teacher. I’ve been teaching at Dominion for several years now, wondering if you would ever show up. Now that you have, it’s my responsibility to advise you in your role as a traveler.”
I’m a traveler? Aunt Maggie didn’t mention any of this when she talked about arranging jumps. Is anyone around here going to start telling me the full truth? Full disclosure goes a long way.
To her credit, my aunt looks apologetic. “I only just found out myself. I had no idea that you were marked to be a traveler until April showed up and explained things.”
“What about Cooper? Why isn’t he my advisor, since he’s the one who brought me here?”
April almost spewed her coffee. “Cooper? That’s how you got here?”
“Well, yeah. Don’t you know that? I’d think that would be something you’d know if you were my advisor.” It feels good being able to stand up to her, now that’s she’s on my turf.
She straightens herself up, obviously caught off guard. “There was never any definitive information, as to whether or not you’d ever show up. Frankly, I was never pleased with this particular assignment, waiting for a girl who may never return.”
It sounds like they just threw her here to sit and wait for me. They probably forgot about her. That’s gotta suck. No wonder she always looks at me funny. I’m the reason she got stuck with the loser job of waiting for me.
“Look. I’m tired of all these new revelations about my new life. You two can sit and chat while I’m keeping my plans to hang out with Jaime.” I sling my bag over my shoulder. “Aunt Maggie can fill you in on everything, including Cooper.”
Before either of them can say a word, I storm out of the kitchen.
It only takes a couple of minutes to reach Jaime’s. Even though I lived in this very house as a foster kid, I’m still a little hesitant walking through the door of the Thornberry’s. I knock on the door and hear Jaime yell for me to come in.
Jaime squeals when I arrive and leads me up the stairs and announces that we’re hanging out in her room. Wow. Her room has a small sitting area that’s separate from the main bedroom. This part of the house is new. I guess they did a bit of remodeling here in this reality. She even has a small balcony, complete with a backyard view.
“So what do you want to do first?”
“It’s your place, you pick.” I take a seat on one of the sitting chairs.
Jaime plants herself on her bed. “Oh, no, this is your night. You need a break from everything that’s going on. You’ve been acting strange the last week. Besides, I promised Maggie that I’d do my best to distract you and give you a night of some good ol’ fashioned teenage fun.”
I’m not sure if Jaime is talking about my switching realities or the stress I feel over my dad being missing, but I’m touched that she’s reaching out to do something nice for me. “Okay, how about a movie?” She did say movies were part of the agenda.
“Perfect! And afterwards we’ll do pedicures.”
Hopefully it won’t get to that point. When she said slumber party, I envisioned us watching movies and gabbing until the wee hours of the morning, but I didn’t sign on for pedicures. “Sounds like fun,” I lie.
“Hey, can you do me a favor? While I’m setting up the movie, can you make the popcorn? The bag’s already in the microwave. All you have to do is hit start. Oh, and the bowl is on the counter.”
“Sure.” That sounds easy enough. Good thing for me I already know my way around the kitchen.
I make my way down the stairs and find the kitchen easily enough. It’s amazing what you remember. The layout was exactly the way it was when I lived here—albeit in another reali
ty—all those years ago. The kitchen isn’t as updated as the one over at my house though. Looks like the remodeling started and ended on the second floor. I bet it’s because no one spends any time in here. Mrs. Thornberry wasn’t much of a homemaker if I recall.
The popcorn finishes popping and I pour it into the bowl, careful not to burn my fingers from the steaming bag. I’m almost out the kitchen when I hear, “Well, hello.”
I almost drop the bowl of popcorn. Jaime said her parents were supposed to be at some dinner function. “Oh, hi. I didn’t realize you guys were home. I mean, Jaime said you two were at a dinner function.”
I’m greeted with another one of his creepy smiles. “Actually, the wife is still out. I decided to come home early and spend the evening at home for a change. Is my daughter upstairs?”
I nod as I try to exit the kitchen. I am still embarrassed over the whole bathroom incident at Alex’s. Not to mention standing here totally uncomfortable, hanging out in his kitchen making popcorn without Jaime around. “Yeah, we’re watching some movies upstairs.”
“Well, don’t let me keep you,” he says, blocking the entryway that leads back into the hallway. “Oh, and Etta, I know it’s the weekend, but don’t stay up too late.”
“Sure,” I say, trying to wedge myself between him and the doorframe. I couldn’t get out of there fast enough. Then something makes me stop. “Mr. Thornberry, you wouldn’t by any chance know when my father is due back would you?” I don’t even know if he works closely with my dad or if he even knows him on a personal level, but I have to give it a try. I mean, after all, my dad does contract work for the defense department, right?
His stare makes me regret asking. “No, Etta. I’m sorry,” he says. “I wasn’t even aware he was out of town. I’ve been trying to reach him the last couple of days myself.”
Uncomfortable once again, I point to the popcorn. “I probably should get back to Jaime. She probably thinks I burned it by now.”
“Of course,” he says, unblocking the exit from the kitchen. “Have fun.”
“Sure.”
Three hours, a bowl of popcorn, and ten freshly painted toes later, I lay next to Jaime on the queen bed. I can hear Jaime’s rhythmic breathing as I struggle to fall asleep. It’s pointless. I’m stuck thinking about April. I guess I’ll have to deal with her tomorrow when I get back home.
Just as I’m finally drifting away to sleep, the bedroom door opens. I can hear soft footsteps shuffle along the hard wood floors. It’s probably just Jaime coming back from the bathroom, so I don’t bother to open my eyes. I don’t even remember her getting up. Oh well, no need to alert her to the fact that I am still awake. She’ll end up talking to me till dawn if I do.
I feel a small impression in the bed and before I can tell Jaime she was crawling onto the wrong side of the bed, a cold hand clamps over my mouth. There’s a slight pinch to my upper right arm and I fight the urge to scream out loud. I try to look over to make sure Jaime’s okay, but the hand is so strong it prevents me from moving my head.
“Don’t make a sound,” a voice whispers.
It’s Mr. Thornberry.
My legs thrash against the bed. Within seconds, my body begins to feel heavy and numb. Everything is happening so fast, I don’t have time to use my powers. I was caught off guard. Then my mind goes fuzzy.
I’m not having any problems falling asleep now.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Basement Confessions
The last thing I remember is being in Jaime’s bed. I don’t even know if she’s okay. I’m totally disoriented at this point. One minute I’m in her bed and the next, I’m sitting here in the dark. After a few minutes, my eyes adjust to the darkness of the room. I’m in some kind of basement. Two narrow windows sit near the ceiling. They are way too high for me to reach and too small for me to crawl out, even if I can manage to get up there. Since there’s no moon tonight, there isn’t much light coming through the windows, only a small glimmer coming from the lamp posts.
Afraid to move, I scan the area. Against several storage boxes, I see a dark outline of a person crouching in the shadows in the corner of the room. I just hope it isn’t a dead body.
“Etta?” I hear the shadow figure say. This time it isn’t Mr. Thornberry.
“Who are you?” There’s no chance in hell I’m crawling over there.
“How did you get here?” He asks. He doesn’t answer my question.
Now I’m positive it’s not Jaime’s dad. “That’s a good question. Who are you?” I ask again. Maybe he’s kidnapped too. If he’s stuck here like me, I now have someone willing to help me get out of this. Then again, if he could, he would have already gotten out himself.
The shadowy figure moves in slow determined steps over to the center of the floor where I’m currently standing. I shift further back, but then realize at some point I’ll be pinned up against the wall behind me, so I stay where I am. Thinking over my options, I figure I have nothing to lose. “I was at my best friend’s house, her dad injects me with some kind of drug, and the next thing I know, I’m stuck here in this basement. Is that what happened to you?”
His footsteps get closer and what little light from the outside lamp posts offers gives me a better view. “Do you know who I am?” He asks.
I stare back at the figure emerging from the shadows. I strain my eyes for a better look at the man. For a split second I fear he isn’t real. But he has to be. In my heart I know he’s the real deal. The shadow-man is my dad.
“Is it really you?” I ask.
Over the years, what little recollection I had of my parents slowly faded over time, but seeing my dad again after all these years spark something in me I can’t explain. All those lost memories come flooding back.
“Etta,” he says with a cracked voice.
I try to reach out to him, but my hand goes right through him. I try to touch him again. Why can’t I physically touch him? The drugs that were pumped into me must have numbed my senses. I can’t feel a thing. My dad is finally in front of me and I’m not even able to hug him. What’s wrong with me?
He didn’t seem alarmed over my failure to assume physical contact. “You said you were at your friend’s and then you just appeared here? Which friend would that be?”
I nod vigorously. “I don’t know what happened exactly. I was at Jaime’s. At some point in the middle of the night, her dad comes in the room, subdues me, and bam, here I am. That’s the last thing I remember.”
“You’re not really here,” he explains slowly. “You’re undoubtedly being held in some other room in this house. I always wondered what other abilities you were capable of. It appears as if you can astral project.”
“What? You mean like leaving my body?” Jeez, I wondered what other powers were lurking within me. So that explains the all the dreams I had.
“It’s rare, but it seems as if your mind has voluntarily opened itself up to other psionic abilities. I certainly did not induce that in you. But it makes perfect sense.” He’s getting excited at the prospect. “It’s complimentary to your other power. Both psychokinesis and astral projection are governed by the same principle. Not only do you have the ability to move objects, you can project your own body and motion.”
I slowly back away from my father, suddenly remembering that he was the one who put me in this situation in the first place: the power of psychokinesis, placing me into a world where I have to fend for myself, and now, the ability to astral project.
“So what does this mean?”
“I don’t know honey,” he says, his shoulders slumping.
“How do I get back? Jaime’s dad is going to realize I’m not just sleeping.” That’s how astral projection works right? At least that’s the way they portray it on TV.
“You’re going to have to snap back to where your body is,” he agrees.
I’m a little peeved at my dad for everything that’s happened, but he’s still my dad. I’d talked myself into thinking he was one o
f the bad guys for everything that’s happened to me because of him. I wasn’t prepared to feel genuine love for him. “But I can’t just leave you!”
“I’ll be alright,” he assures me. “Once you get back into your body, you must be very careful. You cannot let him know of this ability. Oliver is already well aware of your telekinetic ability to move objects. He doesn’t need to know you can astral project.”
Now I’m determined more than ever to get us out of here. “Okay, show me how to get myself back into my body.”
“All you have to do is concentrate on the location of your corporal body. But before you go, I have something to say, as I may not get another chance.”
I don’t want to hear whatever he has to say. It seems so final, the way he says it. “Don’t talk like that. I’ll be back to save you.”
“Just let me say this,” he insists. “I’m sorry Etta, for everything. It never occurred to me that leaving you in that reality would turn out like this.”
“Well, it’s not like you can see the future.” I instantly forgive him.
“But that’s where you’re wrong. I can.”
You’d think with my knowledge of alternate realities and everything that’s transpired the last couple of weeks, I’d take this bit of information in stride. I don’t. Instead, I just gape at my father.
“You were too young to remember this, but when you were a little girl, I used to take you traveling with me. Your mother often worried about us traipsing around, but you always loved our little adventures. It wasn’t long before I realized that you’d become a traveler one day like myself.”
He’s wrong. I do remember. The longer I stand here talking to him, the more it all comes rushing back. I remember being taken to the most extraordinary places: the San Diego Zoo, Buckingham Palace, Niagara Falls, and once, we even explored the Australian outback. Granted, I was only four or five at the time, but having my father right in front of me brings back all those memories—as if our jaunts occurred only yesterday.