A shadow falls over my paper brown bag lunch. “I thought for sure you’d be sitting with Jaime, plotting something.”
I jump, but don’t bother to look up. Even though he’s only ever spoken a few words to me, I know the voice belongs to Alex. I still can’t wrap my mind around the fact that he’s standing right here talking to me. Yesterday, I was having lunch at Alexandria High, where he was all over Jenny and didn’t even know I was alive. Today he’s all about me.
“Like how to get back at Jenny?” Aside from this morning’s lacrosse incident, Jenny had also tried—successfully, I might add—to humiliate me in English class when I couldn’t recall where we were in our lesson. I’m afraid to look directly at Alex for fear that he’ll figure out I’m a fraud.
“Don’t let Jenny get you all worked up. She’s just jealous.” He takes a seat on the patch of grass next to me, but at the same time keeping his distance. Like me, he keeps his focus on the view in front of us.
“Of what?” From what little interaction I had with her, she appears to have it all. Sure, I live in a real house now, with an aunt who cares about me, but not much else has changed. Even in this reality, I pale in comparison to a girl like Jenny. It’s not a matter of being bitter, I just can’t figure out why her anger is aimed directly at me.
“That’s a no brainer. Because I’m interested in you, not her.”
Seriously? I hesitate, but I turn to face to him. “Oh, I guess there’s that.” There’s no better way to have the most popular girl hate you than to have the one thing she wants.
“There you are!” Jaime exclaims, coming over to us. She takes hold of my wrists and pulls me up off the ground. “Spanish class is in five minutes, it’s time to vámonos.” She’s sounds pleased to be able to use her Spanish vocab words. I don’t know what it means—I took French back at Alexandria High—but judging by her sense of urgency, I figure it’s Spanish for “let’s go.”
Jaime has horrible timing. She always seems to appear whenever I’m in the middle of talking to a guy. I don’t mind being late for class if it means spending an extra couple of minutes alone with Alex. I take one last look at him before I follow Jaime back towards the main building. “Talk to you later.”
Chapter Ten
The Council
Cooper didn’t leave the parking lot until he watched Etta walk into the main building with Jaime. There was a moment when he had almost gotten out of the truck, when he had seen the group of skinny blondes mess with her, but he realized the importance of Etta having to take care of herself in this world and stopped himself. Satisfied that she could fend for herself, he had slowly made his way out of the lot.
The Council’s decision in recruiting Cooper for this operation had been the only logical choice if they wanted to be successful. Their mission depended on her return. When the Council announced Cooper as their pick, he hadn’t been surprised, he didn’t question it, but he did have reservations about the assignment. But at the same time, he understood their reasoning; he had the most information on Etta and had the best chance of bringing her back home.
It was a long shot, but he knew in his heart it was the only alternative. Still, he didn’t like keeping secrets from Etta, but he was well aware it was for her own safety. Too much information could confuse her and set their mission back. She appeared to be taking everything in stride and he hoped that he could dodge her questions for just a little while longer.
Minutes later, he jumped into his own world. He stared at the dilapidated buildings and smog covered sky. This is what Cooper’s home had been reduced to: a grey pit of darkness. His home had once been like any other run-of-the-mill town, devoid of pollution and destruction. There was no doubt in his mind that the events that had transformed this once charming capital city could be changed. One look at the conditions of the town only confirmed his belief that he was doing the right thing.
He stopped staring at the landscape and made his way inside the house. Not wanting to alert his wife to his presence, he had stood there quietly, admiring the way she moved around the room. Her dark brown hair slowly swept past her shoulders as she settled herself down in her chair to review some papers.
Lately, he had found himself feeling guilty about the quality of life they were living. She deserved better than this world and he would be damned if he was going to stand by and let it consume them. That alone was the only reason Cooper had agreed to take this assignment.
Like a voyeur, he continued to watch her movements, as she poured herself into her work. Her position on the Council meant working long hours, with most days spent working well into the night. Neither of them had imagined themselves being part of a rebellion, but here they were.
Feeling his presence in the room, she glanced up from the pile of paperwork, slid off her reading glasses, and smiled up at him.
“Did you see her off on her first day?” She rubbed the bridge of her nose where her glasses had been resting.
He loved it when she did that and smiled at his wife in return. There was no doubt in his mind that she was his soul mate and he couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have her in his life. “Yeah, she was nervous as hell, but you know as well as I do, she’ll be alright,” he said, approaching her.
She rose to meet him and they pulled themselves into a warm embrace, standing longer than necessary, neither of them wanting to let go of each other.
“Do you think we did the right thing? You know, bringing her back?” She whispered.
“You know as well as I do, darlin’, it was the only way.”
Chapter Eleven
The Old Town Theater
I head straight to the quad to meet Jaime after my last class. For my unofficial first day of school, it wasn’t as bad as I’d expected. Maybe I was a bit rash in dismissing private school, but other than my unfortunate encounters with Jenny, it was just like attending any other school—except for maybe cleaner bathrooms.
“So, what do you want to do?” Jaime swings her purse like a pendulum, obviously bored.
“What do you mean? Isn’t your mom picking you up after school?”
Jaime rolls her eyes. “Nope. On the way over this morning she said I had to find a ride back home. I guess her parental responsibilities only go so far.”
“I don’t know. I thought maybe I’d go straight home and see if I could help Aunt Maggie around the house.”
“You can do that any ol’ time. Let’s go to Old Town and check out the scene.”
Apparently, she’s forgetting the part about being grounded and how her mom busted her the day before for her failure to come home on time.
“What about being grounded?” I don’t want her to get in trouble again. I’d hate to see her grounded indefinitely.
“Consider my restriction off. The folks are going out tonight.” Jaime’s sly smile spells t-r-o-u-b-l-e. “No doubt that’s the reason why mom ditched me this afternoon. She’s probably at home as we speak getting all dolled up.”
This isn’t exactly how I planned to spend the afternoon, but I don’t have any other ideas. “I guess we can go for awhile. I’ll call Aunt Maggie and see if she can pick us up later.” I grabbed my cell phone in such a hurry this morning; I didn’t have time to check my contact list. But I have a hunch that I’ll find my aunt’s number programmed, so I’ll just call when we’re ready to be picked up.
“Great.”
As we walk around Old Town, stopping occasionally to window shop and people watch, I remember Cooper explaining to me that the differences between worlds would be subtle. He wasn’t far off in his statement. King Street is still busting with foot traffic and Battle Grounds is still in business, just waiting for patrons to sample their savory drink concoctions. After getting our drink orders, we find an empty table outside.
Over cappuccinos, Jaime begins to reminisce over the fun times we’ve shared. Slipping an anecdote here and there, sprinkling the conversation with one liners and quotes—things I had said—it’s as if she ins
tinctively knows I need to hear this information, it’s like listening to a montage of my life. Hearing her speak so fondly of our friendship makes me feel sad in a way. Sad that I don’t share the same memories, sad that the girl Jaime recalls never really existed until now, and most of all, sad that my life in this reality has the kind of relationships that I’ve only ever dreamed about. But all these memories only exist because I came back. They aren’t really real—I have to remember that.
I don’t want to rehash the good times anymore, so I change the subject. The topic is beginning to spoil the pleasant afternoon Jaime tried to create. There are so many things I want to talk to her about, but I’m sure my questions will only make her think I’ve gone nuts. Although I have my suspicions that she already thinks I’m nutty. So I stick to a subject that I know Jaime will appreciate—boys.
“So, what do you think about Alex?”
“You know, I’d rather talk about the hunky guy that keeps picking you up. Where is he now? You should call him and have him meet us.”
Not a chance. “I don’t know. He probably has other things going on.” Besides, I don’t even know how to contact him. He never gave me a number where I could reach him and I’m certain his number isn’t programmed in my cell. “Besides, I already told you. He’s just a friend, nothing more.”
Jaime points a finger at me. “You are such a liar! There’s no way you can only be just friends with a guy that hot.”
If only Jaime knew that just a few short days ago, she feared he was some kind of stalker. Now here we are, at the same coffee shop, only now she’s telling me she thinks he’s hot stuff. It’s enough to send me to the brink of laughter.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing.” I wave it off. “I was just thinking.”
She squints her eyes at me, clearly indicating her skepticism. “You’re going to keep him a secret aren’t you?”
“Yup.” This world is throwing me some curve balls, so I figure I’m owed a little bit of fun.
“Have it your way.” She gives up and slumps up against the chair. “But I can’t promise I’ll back you up when Alex finds out something’s going on between you and Hunk.”
I know for a fact Jaime will keep any secret I share with her, but now isn’t the time. “I’ll keep that in mind.” Cooper never said I couldn’t tell anyone about my switch, but I know that telling my best friend, or even Aunt Maggie for that matter, what’s really going on will land me straight into a private room at the local loony bin. For now, I’ll keep whatever secrets I have to myself.
We stay a little while longer, enjoying our coffee and it’s hard to imagine all the nuances that set these two realities apart. If I sit here and don’t think about it, I can almost picture myself back in my other world, sipping coffee with Jaime before heading back to Dominion House before curfew. The coffee in front of me stills sends off an impressive aroma in the air. While the inner nerd lurking inside understands that the term “alternate” implies a variant, my teenage situational awareness can only see as far as what’s in front of me.
“Hey, let’s go see a movie.” Jaime leads the way, tugging at my sleeve as we cross the street, towards the movie theater. The Old Town Theater isn’t like a normal multiplex that features tons of movie selections—at least it wasn’t where I came from. Instead of the normal dozen or so new releases, The theater features only two first run films at a time. The place even has a deli and if you’re over twenty-one, you can also buy beer.
“I’m not really in the mood to watch—” I start, but the movie posters stop me mid-sentence.
We walk up to the marquee and while I’m pleased to see the theater is still the same in concept, I don’t recognize any of the actors, with the exception of Tom Cruise. The Old Town Theater must be some kind of independent movie theater here. Even the titles are foreign to me. None of these films were playing a few days ago: a supernatural flick entitled Under the Dark Moon and Sunset Retirement, a comedy about old folks.
I wonder if Twilight was ever made. Not that I’m a fan of the franchise, but that Taylor Lautner guy, the one that plays the lovelorn werewolf, is totally hot and I’ll admit I watched all the movies just to watch him shirtless—but only when it got to DVD, I wouldn’t have been caught dead watching it in the theater. The vampire, whose name I forget (both the actor and character) does nothing for me. He’s way too possessive and wimpy, plus he’s too pasty for my taste.
“Did you see any of the Harry Potter movies?” I ask Jaime while she’s deciding on what movie we should see.
“Harry who? Never even heard of him.”
“Really?” This is another series I never read or watched at the movies, but a world without Harry Potter truly means I’m in a whole other dimension.
“Nope.”
I have to ask Aunt Maggie where she keeps the DVD player so I can catch up on all the latest movies. Well, actually, more like every movie ever made. I have some major movie watching to make up for. The thought of my favorite movies not existing is too much.
Jaime decides on Under the Dark Moon. At least it isn’t the Tom Cruise movie. Come to think of it, I think his religion believes in aliens. I bet he sold his soul to the head alien in exchange for fame in all alternate realities. He seems like the type.
“You’d think Hollywood would come up with something more original than a movie about werewolves,” I say as we pay for our tickets. Paranormal romances are so passé. I can’t believe they’re just as popular here too.
“Hollywood? Etta, where do you come up with this stuff?”
As Jaime continues to go on about my flakiness, I learn that the state of California doesn’t exist anymore either.
• • •
After a full afternoon of exploring new my reality, we head back home. Over the phone, Aunt Maggie is only too happy to agree to pick us up after the movie. On the way back, Jaime regales my aunt with stories about my weird observations and behaviors.
“Okay, that’s enough fun at my expense.” Even though I hate for them to make fun of me, I feel like I truly belong now. It’s a nice feeling, being around people that care about me. The only person that’s missing from the equation is my dad.
Ultimately, we decide to drop Jaime off at home, rather than have her walk back from our house. This way, she can sneak back before her parent’s realize she stayed out late again after school. Aunt Maggie pulls into the driveway of the Thornberry house and snippets of my memory, from the time when I lived here as a foster kid, flash before me. The house still looks the same. Actually, it’s similar to the one I live in now, but instead of stone masonry, it was laid in red brick with white shutters.
“You better not get in trouble again,” I warn Jaime as she gets out of the car. “I’d hate to lose you as friend.” If she continues to get grounded, I’ll never see her. I should tell her what happens to kids when they threaten public opinion in the Thornberry household. Then again, she’s adopted now, not a foster they can easily give back—like they did with me.
“Nah, they aren’t back yet. I’m good. I’ll call you later.”
My aunt waits in the driveway until she’s sure Jaime is safe and sound in the house. “I don’t envy that girl’s parents.” Aunt Maggie comments, making her way back to our house.
I giggle in agreement. “I think she just likes the attention.”
“I love you both to pieces, but she’s a wily one, that girl.”
We settle into the kitchen for dinner (leftover stew, yay!) and I finally muster up the courage to ask what I’ve been itching to ask since my arrival yesterday. “Hey, Aunt Maggie, has dad called?”
“No, hon. I haven’t spoken to him since last Tuesday. Why? Is anything wrong?”
Today is Wednesday. That means he’s been missing well over a week now. Cooper led me to believe it’s been only a few days, but he’s right on one count—all evidence pointing to his disappearance is probably long gone. If my aunt hasn’t heard from him, I’m at a loss as to whom
else to ask. “No. I just haven’t heard from him, that’s all.”
“If he calls, I’ll make sure you get a chance to speak with him,” Maggie promises.
“Thanks. Look, I’m going to my room for a little while before dinner if that’s okay. Let me know if he calls.” A few minutes ago, I was sitting in the car laughing and now I can’t even bring myself to think about eating. The cappuccino I had earlier is now sloshing around in my stomach, almost to the point of nausea. Maggie just nods and excuses me.
Finding out you’re from a whole other world, whose father is missing, with a boyfriend you don’t even know—not to mention having a six foot version of Barbie who hates you, is a lot to take in for one day. Struggling with my thoughts, I crawl into bed, but instead of taking a nap, I toss and turn with a million thoughts still rummaging around in my mind.
Lying on my side, I notice a green notebook protruding from the bottom shelf of the nightstand. Reaching down to pick it up, a photo falls from between the pages. It was of me and Alex at some kind of formal. It’s kinda freaky looking at a photo of myself with no recollection of having taking it or even the event itself. It’s like looking at someone who looks exactly like you, only it isn’t you, but at the same time is you—just another version.
My fingers flip through the notebook. There doesn’t appear to be much written in it. I go to the first page and find a bunch of doodles. The second page contains random phone numbers and to-do lists, which is weird since I’m not a list person. After scanning through the first couple of pages, I notice the notebook has transformed into some kind of journal, almost like a diary. I find it odd that this version of me would suddenly start writing in an otherwise haphazard notebook. I’ve never been into journaling before, so why would I capture my thoughts in this world?
February 17