A New Reality

by Clare Solomon

  “Like changing the timeline?” she asked, peeling an orange with fingers that had black polish on the nails.

  He grimaced. “Exactly.”

  “Hey, it’s not your fault,” Barve said, putting a hand on his arm. “Even if this is a result of what you did, that timeline had to be changed to protect the entire Nean race.”

  “Barve’s right,” Lila agreed. “You did what you had to do to help people.”

  “Except that now there’s the stupid Sapiens Purity Society that seems to be trying to get things back to how they were before.” He wished with all his heart that he could do something to put an end to such a hate-based group.

  “The SPS didn’t exist in your world?” Lila asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “No, but it didn’t need to. Neans had hardly any basic human rights and we didn’t know Izients existed, so the Sapiens had the control over everything and the power that mattered so much to some of them. Of course, it still didn’t stop them hating people of different colours or different sexualities. There were plenty of racist organisations and, of course, they feared people like me who had magic and did all they could to control us.” The explanation made him think of Callie spying on them and, before he could stop himself, he again glanced behind him to where she and Fal were talking. The conversation looked like an intense one.

  “That’s messed up,” Lila said and he looked back at her. “I’m glad we Sapiens don’t have as much control in this timeline as it sounds as if we’d just bugger everything up without the help of Izients and Neans.”

  “Izients more than us,” Barve said. “I don’t think Neans are natural leaders. We don’t think in those terms but just try to live on a smaller scale, focusing on family and friends.”

  “Your people have definitely had a positive impact,” Elliot said. “I can see the difference in the world and, as much as I like and respect Izients, they aim at being dispassionate, while Neans as a whole bring more joy and kindness to this reality.”

  Barve smiled. “That’s really good to hear.”

  Elliot caught a movement out of the corner of his eye and looked round in time to see Farlden and Callie stand up. Fal reached out and took her hand and they gazed affectionately at each other before walking out of the canteen side-by-side.

  They were back together. There was no longer any doubt. All Elliot’s happiness vanished as if it had never existed and misery surged through him. So much for thinking things were changing, that his life was improving.

  “I’m sorry,” Barve said, squeezing his arm.

  “What is it?” Lila asked.

  “He’s in love with my brother. They were dating in the other timeline.”

  “Sorry, Elliot.” Her tone was gentler than usual. “That must be a crappy thing to have to deal with.”

  He tried to ignore his aching heart and forced himself to smile at them. At least he didn’t have to feel alone anymore and he would find a way to cope with this.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  CALLIE CAUGHT a glimpse of Elliot’s expression as she and Fal left the staff canteen and she couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. On the one hand, he was her rival for Fal but, if it had been her in his place, having loved Fal in another world and suddenly lost him, she could imagine how horrible it would feel. Just two days without him had been a nightmare for her, convincing her of the strength of her own feelings, but now she could relax, knowing that Fal loved her. Elliot was no threat to their relationship.

  She heard a familiar voice around the bend in the corridor saying, “Dervyl’s doing nothing about the danger she caused. We have to...” Abbrin broke off as she and Fal came into sight. He was with three Izients she had never seen before who were, perhaps, from the other earth dimension.

  She and Fal passed them and entered their usual office but Fal stayed by the door, which he had left ajar, listening. “Abbrin’s talking again, although I can’t hear what he’s saying,” he whispered.

  “Do you think we should warn Dervyl that he’s trying to make trouble for her?”

  He closed the door and spoke at normal level. “He’s been outspoken in his criticisms of her in meetings. It must be pretty clear to her how he feels. We have to find a solution to the ghost problem fast, though, or that bastard will convince people to try to change the world back to the previous timeline, where my whole race was facing annihilation.”

  And where she and Fal weren’t together, although she knew it was petty to dwell on that, given what was at stake. “We’ll figure it out. Maybe we should see what progress others are making and compare notes.”

  “Good idea. Let’s see if we can get most of the teams together to talk it over.”

  They headed back out into the corridor and found that Abbrin and his friends had already vanished, probably into the office Abbrin and Mosrra sometimes used, wanting more privacy for their conversation. Callie and Fal got Al, Mosrra, Nariss, Amy, Elliot, Barve and Lila together, the group having to sit on the floor of their office to talk, as there weren’t enough chairs to go around in the small room.

  She glanced at Fal, who sat cross-legged at right angles to her, his blond hair falling over his shoulders and, when he nodded for her to speak, she said to the others, “We just got you all here to see if we could combine what we’ve discovered separately to try to find an answer to the ghost issue. Fal and Mosrra have been studying Time but haven’t discovered what brings the ghosts here.”

  “The ghosts seem to be real people,” Elliot said, focusing intently on her as if he wanted to avoid Fal’s gaze. His voice sounded strained. “I saw...”

  There was no warning before the creature appeared: one moment it was just their group in the room and the next there was a ghost amongst them, no more than three feet from her. Callie stared uncomprehendingly at it for a second, taking in its emotionless face and the fact that she could see through it to the window, not quite believing what her eyes were telling her. Then it moved and she realised the danger they were all in.

  Everyone reacted at once, jumping up and backing away from the creature, chairs scraping along the floor as they were pushed out of the way and cushions kicked aside. If the ghost tried to speak to any of them or touch them, it would drive them crazy. Callie couldn’t imagine what it would feel like to have your own mind destroyed in a matter of seconds and she sure as hell didn’t want to find out.

  She looked over at the door and thought they might all get out safely as long as they moved quickly. “We have to leave here now.”

  The ghost looked directly at Fal and her heart lurched at the thought of it targeting her boyfriend, but it didn’t move or try to speak. It simply watched him with those dead eyes. The group of them made for the door, some running while others – closer to the ghost – began to edge round it, trying to avoid getting close enough for it to touch them. Fal tried to keep his body between her and the ghost, moving ahead and she clenched her nails as he passed within touching range.

  She followed him, keeping her gaze on his feet so she wouldn’t make eye contact with the ghost. They both got beyond the creature, the door just ahead of them, but from out of nowhere another ghost appeared, blocking their path. Lila swore colourfully behind her as Callie froze, Fal’s hand on her arm. Both ghosts began to move towards them from different directions, crowding in on them. She gave a shriek, backing away with Fal while everyone else did the same, scattering in different directions, half of them able to escape out of the door, the rest trapped.

  “No!” Fal yelled, making her jump, afraid of what might have happened to him. She could see no ghost near him but followed his gaze and saw that the first ghost had reached out and touched Barve. Fal tried to get to his brother, who had gone still as if mesmerised, and Callie pulled Fal back with all her strength. “If you touch him it will destroy you too.”

  “Barve,” he yelled, “Come here now.”

  There was no sign that his brother could hear him, Barve’s expression as blank as that of the ghosts.r />
  “Barve!” Fal tried again, his face twisted with grief and anger.

  From the door, Elliot shouted to them, “You have to run.”

  Her gaze whirling back towards him, Callie saw that there was space to get out, Lila and Al hurrying past him out of the room to safety, Elliot vanishing last.

  She desperately yanked on Fal’s arm. “Please,” she begged him. “We can only help Barve now by staying alive to stop the ghosts.”

  His eyes were still on his brother, though, and she saw the first ghost say something to Barve but she blocked out the sound, humming aloud, afraid of becoming lost the way she could see Barve was. Farlden’s hand was clenched over her arm, keeping them both from moving, and still Fal hesitated, clearly desperate to save his brother when it was already too late for that.

  She saw the second ghost drift forward until it was close enough to touch them.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  ELLIOT HEARD Callie’s scream and realised, with a sick sensation, that she and Farlden hadn’t followed him out of the room after all. They were still trapped with the ghosts. He ran back to the door but a hand on his arm stopped him.

  “You’ll be driven crazy if you go back in there,” Lila said, her complexion paler than usual.

  “I can’t leave him. Dervyl will figure out what to do if I don’t come back. Trust her.” He gently pulled free of her grip and she released him with clear reluctance.

  He raced back to the door but opened it slowly, not wanting to be caught by a ghost. The scene inside made his heart clench. Barve was sitting on the floor beneath the window, talking to himself and, on the other side of the room, the two ghosts surrounded Farlden and Callie. Elliot could see through the translucent bodies to the people beyond and there was no way for him to get to them without all of them touching the ghosts. Farlden met his scared gaze through the creature and Elliot knew he couldn’t lose Fal like this.

  He looked around frantically, trying to think of anything that might work as a weapon. There was nothing and, anyway, what could possibly harm a ghost? For lack of anything better to do, he grabbed a chair, hurling it towards one of the creatures. The chair went through the ghost and hit the back wall, and Elliot thought he had achieved nothing, but the ghost reacted to it, turning towards Elliot and moving slightly away from the others. Elliot shouted to Farlden and Callie, “Come on – run!”

  They both managed to slip round the ghost that was now gliding towards him, and Callie ran forward but Farlden moved away, jogging to his brother’s side. Fal knelt down beside Barve, who looked at him without recognition, speaking rubbish. Farlden spoke urgently to his brother but it was clear that Barve couldn’t understand him.

  “Fal,” Elliot shouted and ran round the ghost standing between them to pull the man to his feet. Farlden wouldn’t let go of Barve, though, who refused to move, and Elliot looked over his shoulder to see a ghost reaching to touch him. Before it could make contact, Farlden got Barve to his feet and, pushing Elliot out of the way of the ghost, Fal tried to get them away, hampered by Barve’s refusal to cooperate. Barve was in no state to understand what was happening and shuffled a few steps forward before stopping. Elliot caught hold of Farlden and they got Barve moving again but it was too late.

  The ghost that had been behind him before had managed to get ahead and stood in their path; Elliot recognised it but he couldn’t afford to think about that now. Remembering how he had successfully distracted it before, he let go of Farlden, tore off his jacket and hurled it at the creature. The jacket passed through the ghost’s body as if it were no more than a projection. The ghost moved away slightly, though, glancing down at the jacket as if unable to differentiate between what was living and what wasn’t.

  Elliot grabbed Farlden’s hand in a death grip and they got past the ghost, nearly reaching the door and the safety of the corridor beyond when a scream sounded. Farlden came to an abrupt halt and Elliot paused behind him, looking round. He had thought Callie safely out of here but she had tripped over one of the cushions left on the wooden floor and a ghost was inches away from her.

  Farlden yanked his hand out of Elliot’s and it was obvious what he intended to do. Elliot refused to see him risk his life again and put a hand on Farlden’s chest, stopping him. “Get Barve out of here. I’ll help Callie.”

  Farlden hesitated and Elliot feared he would refuse and get into danger all over again, but he finally nodded, leading his brother away just in time, the other ghost right behind them.

  Elliot dodged to one side of the second ghost and turned towards Callie, who had managed to crawl further away but was being pushed into a corner, the first ghost closing in on her. Elliot had no idea what to do. He didn’t have anything left to throw and there was no way for him to get near Callie.

  As he hovered there, unable to think what to do, it occurred to him that the only answer was to leave her there. If there was nothing he could do without falling victim to the ghosts too, he couldn’t be blamed. Why should he sacrifice himself for her?

  He glanced towards the door and then towards Callie’s terrified gaze, seeing the second ghost join the first and begin to reach for her.

  Elliot took a step back towards the door, away from her.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  ELLIOT HEARD a shout of protest from behind him and recognised Farlden’s voice but he couldn’t pause to respond or it might be too late. He bent down and grabbed the cushion Callie had fallen on, throwing it with all his strength towards one of the ghosts.

  He already knew that the cushion wouldn’t hit the ghost but he saw the creature look up as the cushion went through its body and take a step towards it, as if drawn by the movement.

  Just one more step, he thought, and Callie would be able to move but the ghost stopped. With a growl of frustration, Elliot yelled, “Over here – look at me!”

  Against all odds, this actually worked and the creature not only turned but glided towards him. Callie didn’t hesitate, scrambling to her feet and darting forward. Elliot backed away from the ghost, facing it until Callie reached him.

  He put an arm round her and they both sprinted for the door where Farlden was coming forward, reaching out to help pull them to safety. Farlden slammed the door closed behind them but, having seen objects have no effect on the creatures, Elliot wasn’t convinced a door would prove any barrier. Panting, his heart beating so fast it felt as if it would burst, he gasped, “Get out of the building.” He saw the rest of their team was in the corridor, approaching, and he tried to wave them back. “It’s still not safe. We have to go outside.”

  Farlden helped him, an arm round Callie’s shoulders, her own around his waist as Farlden shouted for people to leave, ushering them out. Elliot followed them, feeling exhausted and numb as he watched Mosrra lead Barve with a hand against his back. Barve let himself be led but his gaze was above all their heads, gibberish falling from his lips.

  This shouldn’t have happened. It was Elliot’s fault that the ghosts were here and now they had destroyed the mind of one of his best friends.

  The rest of the people took the escalator but he chose the staircase, needing a moment to get control of himself, his limbs going uncoordinated and shaky after the attack, as he took in the full extent of the disaster and how much more deadly it could have become. He rejoined the group as they poured out of the front door of the building, congregating on the London street in the manner of people following the directions for a fire drill. If only it were something as harmless as that.

  Callie and Farlden walked over to him and he was glad they were safe, of course, but they were the last people he wanted to talk to. He felt as if he had lost Farlden all over again and, after what had just happened, it was almost more than he knew how to bear.

  “Thank you for saving me,” Callie said with a smile which he tried to respond to. “You were really brave.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Dervyl approached and led Callie off to talk about the events and
Farlden said, “For a second, I thought you were going to leave her with the ghosts.”

  “It crossed my mind. I thought we’d both end up touched by those creatures, but I could never have lived with myself if I didn’t try to help her.”

  “I’m grateful.”

  In another timeline they wouldn’t have just stood here having a stilted conversation; they would have thrown themselves into each other’s arms. In that other world they had loved each other, though, and here it broke his heart to stand alone and face Farlden, as if they were strangers.

  Someone shrieked and his head shot round in time to see two ghosts appear out of nowhere behind him, probably the same two they had just got away from.

  “Not again,” he said as they both glided towards him and Farlden.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  TIME SEEMED to slow down and perhaps that was more than a saying in this instance as he had no idea what the ghosts might be capable of. Elliot and Farlden turned and backed away from the approaching creatures, people shouting and screaming around them in the street.

  “No!” a female voice exclaimed nearby.

  Elliot caught a glimpse of Callie’s panic-stricken face and followed her gaze behind him, where he saw several more ghosts. One of them was inches away from Farlden, who was only beginning to look round, and, too late, Elliot saw it lift a hand. He grabbed Farlden, to haul him out of the way, at the same time as the ghost touched the man.

  A sensation like water or a strong wind ran through Elliot’s body. It was vaguely familiar, something he had felt before when using magic. He had only glimpsed Time once before as the Izients saw it, like a sentient being, but he could sense it now trying to communicate with him, although the attempt felt as if it was ripping his brain apart, the pain building up in his head to terrifying levels.