Paradox (Travelers Series Book 2)

  There’s no emotion in her face, other than her eyes narrowing into slits at the mention of Thornberry’s name. “He’s the man that murdered my parents.”

  “We need your help to overthrow him,” I say.

  “¡Coño!” Her demeanor changes in that instant and gestures for Cooper to sit on the chair next to her. “Please, sit. Let’s talk.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  President Song

  I‘m exhausted after our quick foray into Mexico. In the end, Cooper was right. It didn’t take much convincing on our part for Jenny to agree to join us. She readily agreed to let him take her to the Thornberry alternate world in order to prepare. We were only gone a day, but it seemed like a week. Since I’d already skipped two days of school, I figured why not miss Friday too? I doubt I’ll be missed.

  After clearing my absence from school with Aunt Maggie—in which I claim jet lag—I take my breakfast outside on the deck. At this point, both my dad and aunt are at an impasse on how to handle my newfound role. My father seems to have made a one-eighty and has granted me permission to continue on with Cooper, enlisting all the others who are going to help me defeat Thornberry. My aunt on the other hand, while she still remains supportive, insists that my studies are still important. And it doesn’t help that I’m only a few weeks away from graduation. If I fail finals between now and then, I don’t graduate.

  “Senior Skip Day is still two weeks away,” I hear coming from the side entrance to the backyard. It’s Alex. I didn’t expect to hear from him after our break-up in the quad on Monday. I guess I underestimated my importance. Someone noticed my absence from school after all.

  “I haven’t been feeling too well,” I say. Why I’ve been avoiding school isn’t really his business anymore. Not that anything in my life has been any of his business. Everything up to this point has been a big bad secret. That’s probably why our relationship was doomed to fail. “What are you doing here anyway? Don’t you have someone else to bother?” Meaning Jenny, of course.

  “What can I say? I’m full of crap,” he says, pulling up a chair next to me. “I didn’t mean what I said the other day at school. I was just confused about the whole break-up thing.” He looks up at me with those crystal blue eyes of his. “Do you really not want to see me anymore?”

  My breakfast at this point has turned cold, so I put my fork down and look at Alex square in the eye. “I’m sorry, Alex. To be honest, I really don’t know what to say. I guess I’m pretty confused too. The night of the Spring Fling, Jenny hanging out with you whenever I’m not around; I just don’t know what to make of that.”

  “I told you, it was all a misunderstanding. Besides, I can say the same of you. Spending time with that older guy.”

  “Coop is just a friend.” Oh, yeah, and my future husband. “And for the record, he’s not the reason I want to take a break.” It’s because I am not the girl you believe me to be. The Etta he thinks he knows, is the girl I should’ve been, had I never gone to the other reality. I’m essentially a fraud. Even if I don’t have feelings for Cooper, Alex deserves better than an imposter like me.

  “Are you really not going to class today?” He eyes my plain blue p.j. set, as he waits for me to answer—I learned my lesson after the incident the other morning and threw the smiley cloud ones away. Even after everything I read in my diary, coupled with his reaction to our conversation earlier this week, he truly looks sad over the break-up.

  “Really, I’m just not feeling very well. It’s probably one of those twenty-four hour bugs. I’ll be back on Monday,” I assure him.

  Alex doesn’t seem too convinced, eyeing my plate full of food. “Does this have anything to do with Jaime? She hasn’t been around all week and everyone is starting to talk.”

  “What are they saying?” This is what I’ve been afraid of and if I’m honest with myself, this is one of the reasons why I can’t face going to school. It’s like a constant reminder that I’ve failed somehow. Sure, I know Oliver took her in his haste to escape, but it doesn’t make it any less my fault. I just don’t know how to deal with all the questions without breaking down.

  He kicks back in his chair, seeming more comfortable, now that the conversation’s switched from talking about us to someone else. “That her parents gave her back to the state, she has mono, and my personal favorite, she became addicted to meth and went to Aspen for rehab.”

  “Aspen?”

  Alex shrugs. “Isn’t that where they send folks for drug rehab? To some fancy resort?”

  “Seriously, Alex. They’re saying all that?” I’d hate to think what they’re saying about me and I’ve only been absent two days. It’s probably why Alex came by to see me this morning. To make sure I wasn’t sick, dead, or my personal favorite, lost in some alternate reality.

  Now he just looks embarrassed at having spread the gossip. “Yeah, but I wouldn’t worry too much about it. By Monday, the vultures will find someone or something else to talk about.”

  Yeah, me. “I suppose. Look, I really appreciate you coming over to check-up on me, but I’m fine. I just need to rest for awhile.” It’s my way of indicating it’s his cue to leave.

  Alex takes the hint. He rises from his chair and heads towards the side entrance. “Sure. See you on Monday?”

  “Yup.” Only, I hope he doesn’t take this as a sign that I’m willing to give him another chance. Making decisions that could very well jeopardize my future is not something I want to mess with. I just don’t think I have it in me.

  • • •

  My mood is kinda sullen after Alex’s visit, so I go up to my room for a nap. I’m super tempted to try to astral to search for Jaime again, but my desire to not get into trouble, after I specifically promised Aunt Maggie I wouldn’t, definitely outweighs any decision to go back to the government facility, where I’m likely to get caught for sure. As I debate on which punishment would be worse, I fall asleep.

  I wake-up to find I’m starving, having left most of my breakfast on my plate this morning. I make my way down to the kitchen and spot my aunt, already working on lunch. Looks like tuna salad is on the menu for today. It’s getting close to summer and my aunts says it means no more heavy rich foods to fill our bellies. I make my way to the island where she’s cooking and take a seat on the kitchen stool, so I can watch my aunt work her culinary magic.

  “I see you had a visitor today,” she says, chopping up the pickles that will go into the salad.

  How’d she know that? “Were you eavesdropping again, Aunt Maggie?”

  “Of course not. I just happened to see Alex walk across the lawn towards the back earlier this morning. Consider it deductive reasoning.”

  I don’t know why I’m being so defensive about Alex coming over to visit. Somehow it feels as if I’m going behind Cooper’s back, just talking to Alex, and even though my aunt doesn’t know about my future with Cooper, it still feels sneaky and that she’s judging me.

  “He stopped by to see if I was okay since I haven’t been in school.”

  “Ah, yes,” she says, taking a moment to stop whatever it is she’s feeding into the bowl and joins me at the counter. “Tell me honey, do you really think all this is worth it? I know you think the last few weeks of school aren’t important, but they are. You have college to think about.”

  I consider it for a second. “I thought you were on my side. Besides, do you really think that’s an option at this point? I’m supposed to take on this great role as a leader of a group I don’t even know that much about. I don’t think studying English Lit is going to do much to prepare me.”

  “Let me tell you something about the future.” She leans in to make sure I’m paying attention. “Nothing is set in stone, dear girl. I know you’ve been tasked with a great undertaking, but you must be open to the possibility that everything you know now can change at any given moment. You’re living proof one’s life can be altered in an instant. Don’t ever settle for what you think is going to happen. Take life as it come
s and don’t prepare too much for what might be. Live for the moment.”

  And with that, my aunt goes back to the counter to finish prepping lunch and leaves me to ponder her wisdom. So what? I’m supposed to ignore everything I’ve come to learn the last few weeks? I’ve gotten used to the idea of me serving as the Council’s leader and even being married to Cooper at some point in time. I don’t know if I want to consider the possibility that my life can become uncertain again.

  As all these thoughts run rampant through my mind, Cooper strolls into the kitchen with a glint in his eye. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything. I thought I’d stop by and see if Etta wants to join me for the day.”

  His presence immediately lightens the mood. “See, Aunt Maggie? You give him an inch and he takes a mile,” I giggle. “I told you to install those double bolts.”

  My aunt wipes her hands on her apron and embraces him. “Why Cooper, it’s so nice to see you. Don’t listen to Etta, she’s still a little mopey about the little conversation we just had.”

  “Yeah, I couldn’t help but overhear the tail end of it and I think I might be able to help.”

  “How?” my aunt and I ask in unison.

  “Perhaps Etta would like to go on a field trip.” He notes my aunt’s stern expression and I’m sure he caught the part of our chat where she told me I needed to be more responsible. “Now, hear me out. I’d like to take Etta to a college campus. You know, to get a little taste of what college life is like.”

  My aunt’s expression changes. She’s practically beaming with approval. “Why, that’s a great idea Cooper. There are so many schools in the area you can take her to. Let’s see, there’s Georgetown, George Washington, George Mason—”

  “Any chance there’s a school without the name George in it?”

  “Of course, dear. There’s also Catholic and American,” she says, finishing her list of schools.

  I look over to Cooper. “Really? You’re going to take me on a college tour?” Since when does he side with my aunt on the subject of school? I thought he was here to help guide me, not serve as my guidance counselor.

  “Well, yeah. I thought it’d be fun for you to see what college life is like.” I can tell he has something up his sleeve, but I’m not going to voice my suspicions in front of Aunt Maggie.

  “She’d love to go,” my aunt agrees for me. “If you’re not going to go to school today, you might as well make good use of your time and go visit some colleges. Perhaps Dominion will excuse your absence if they know you’re doing something educational.”

  “Yeah, sure,” I mumble. This is not how I expected to spend my day. I can’t say that I’m not intrigued by checking out some schools, but I’m still under the impression that I’m not going to college. Especially not the kind of schools my aunt just rattled off. Way too top tier for someone almost flunking science.

  I slide off the bar stool and join Cooper. “I guess I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. Let’s go.”

  “Have a great time, dear,” my aunt says as we leave.

  Now that we’re out of earshot, I ask Cooper, “Are we really going to visit schools?” I can’t imagine this is really what he has in mind.

  “Of course we are,” he says, opening the door of his Land Rover. I always wondered how he could afford such a nice SUV, but I’m afraid to ask.

  I sigh. “Fine. Which one of the George’s is up first? Are we stopping by all of them?”

  “Nope, just one. Ever heard of MIT?”

  Chapter Seventeen

  The Dyson Twins

  The Year 2018

  The Warehouse Lab

  “So what are we working on today, guys?” Etta always approached the Dyson twins with extreme caution. Rather, she always used caution when entering their lab. She never knew what experiments the brothers were cooking up. They may have had limited resources, but the brothers were inventive, if not creative, with their experiments. They were like the MacGyver of the alternate world. It was because of them they were able to procure the technology that not only assisted their mission, but created the program which allowed them to travel to other realities.

  Just the week before, they tried, unsuccessfully, to flip the switch on a small-scale particle collider in a vain attempt to recreate a miniature version of the big bang. They claimed their idea stemmed from a much larger collider project they had read about several years back. Fortunately, their efforts failed, but whatever small success they had in constructing the collider nearly blew out the wall that connected the lab to Etta’s office. She could still smell the smoky scent lingering in the hallways. She finally got fed up with the stench and had to move her office to the far end portion of the warehouse. That is why she tread with care. Unless she specifically had to call on the twins, like today, she rarely bothered them.

  She stopped suddenly. There was something in the air that reminded Etta of chocolate chip cookies. Whatever it was, it was heavenly. She asked them again, “What are you guys working on and does it have anything to do with that delicious smell?”

  “Ganache,” Chance said, clearly preoccupied with what he was concocting in one of the chemistry beakers.

  “As in flamboyant?” Damn, she could have thought of another way to phrase that, Etta thought. She had a feeling Chance played for the other team, so she hoped he wasn’t offended by her comment. She eyed the beaker he was holding and wondered what the sugary scent had to do with the dark slimy substance in the cylindrical glass.

  “No, that’s panache,” Chase/Chance corrects her. “Ganache, is the French term for a chocolate and cream concoction used to make a frosting or filling.” Etta realized it was Chase, answering for his brother. Even after all these years, she still got the two brothers confused.

  “Huh?” She wouldn’t have been more surprised if they said they were developing a nuclear reactor—which, for these two, wouldn’t be a stretch of the imagination.

  “Confectionery,” Chance said slowly, placing the beaker down on the counter, as if Etta was a slow learner. This was followed by an exasperating sigh. “You are familiar with the term?”

  “Yeah, like gourmet chocolates,” Etta said. Not that she knew where they were going with this. In addition to confusing the two brothers, she still hardly understood anything they said. The brown sludge looked like something they gathered up from the mud holes that surrounded the building, but smelled delicious nonetheless.

  Another heavy sigh followed, but from which brother, Etta couldn’t determine. “We were becoming a bit homesick, so we decided to create a batch of truffles.”

  “Actually, Chase has an ulterior motive for the truffles,” Chance said.

  “I do not!” His brother’s face turned beet red.

  Chance looked over to his brother. “Didn’t you say you wanted to give Jenny a present?”

  Etta’s eyes almost popped-out. It occurred to her that crafting chocolate goodies from scratch might be Chance’s thing, but Chase’s? “This is all for Jenny?”

  Since when did Chase harbor feelings for Jenny? Sure, she was beautiful, she thought. But she wasn’t sure he realized Jenny might just be a bit out of his league. This was not a personal affront towards Chase on Etta’s part, but girls like Jenny didn’t really appreciate men like the Dyson twins. Both brothers were good looking in their own right; both had dirty blond hair and green eyes, which complimented their caramel skin tone. The only thing that set them apart was Chance’s hair, which was a tad bit blonder than his brother’s. But the bottom line was, in Jenny’s world, they were still nothing more than science geeks.

  “They are not. They’re for everyone,” Chase insists.

  She wanted to spare Chase the embarrassment. “Look, guys, what I really want to know is—” She was almost afraid to ask, but did anyway. “Where’d you get the chocolate in order to perform this culinary experiment?” Items like chocolate, coffee, and liquor are considered luxury goods, and, are therefore, banned in this reality. After two years of living in this re
ality, she was still coming to terms with being without coffee. Every once in awhile, Cooper managed to jump over to her true reality and bring over the coveted provisions. It was becoming more dangerous to jump to other realities, but he’d been traveling more frequent as of late, spending time with the younger version of Etta. She would do it herself, only she had to remain here in this reality to watch over the progress of their group. That and it was difficult to plan a jump without the possibility of bumping into herself.

  “Cooper. He brought over some fine cocoa powder the last time he jumped,” Chance said. “When we last spoke, we mentioned to him that both Chase and I were involved in the MIT Chocolate Lab and he promised he’d get a hold of some.”

  While the majority of their group had mastered traveling, the twins never seemed to be interested in jumping. It didn’t matter to them that they were the ones who developed the syncing of portals which allowed them to travel to alternate universes. They were content playing in their lab and basically having free reign in their experiments—with the exception of dabbling in mind altering drugs that is. Etta had a strict rule about that.

  “So you mean to tell me you guys were actually part of a chocolate lab?” Etta tried to keep a straight face, but in the end it didn’t matter. The two brothers were notorious for missing any signs of humor. Even the concept of sarcasm was usually lost on them.

  “Yes. It’s considered gastronomy science in some circles,” Chance said.

  This time, she did laugh as she left the twins, not wanting to disturb them further. They tended to get ornery when interrupted for too long. “Well, just make sure you two don’t blow it up. I don’t think I can stand wasting perfectly good chocolate by having to wipe it off the walls.”

  Etta was almost out of the lab when she realized she had a reason for stopping by, but the smell of the chocolate was so intoxicating, she forgot why she was there to begin with.

  Chase looked at her before she exited the room. “Not likely. I can see the future, remember? I can tell you our chocolate truffles come out quite well. You eat three of them.”