Prophesy could tell this was not a good omen for the rest of their visit.
15 HIDING IN WAIT
Zeddy and Zadie sat, crammed into the big empty metal supply cabinets in the laboratory. They were very scared. Zeddy was almost too terrified to breathe, but he thought maybe that was good, since he didn't want to make a single sound. Zadie sat across from him in the dark cabinet, silent. Zeddy thought his mother must have been very uncomfortable in the cabinet. Luckily, she was only a little over 5 feet tall and thin; otherwise she would never have fit. Still, she had to feel awkward and uncomfortable stuffed in the cabinet. He even felt cramped, as small as he was.
Outside the cabinet, they could hear the knocking again. And again. There were muffled voices for a few moments, then what sounded like a door shutting. Minutes passed, but each one felt like a year. Zeddy and Zadie sat like statues in the cabinet. The little zutterfly's red glow of warning grew darker and darker; until, at last, the zutterfly turned black. As the petrified mother and son watched the zutterfly disappear into the blackness of the cabinet, they heard the door open and shut again. Then they heard the deep, booming voice.
Zeddy had never been so afraid. He closed his eyes tight and clenched his lips together, in hopes that no sound would escape. Escape. Zeddy's mind raced at the thought of the word escape. How? When? Where? His mind seemed to be spinning in circles of glowing red against the black of his closed eyelids. The voices in the front of the house seemed to fade. All he could hear was the constant thumping of blood surging through his heart and speeding through his body. The stale air in the cabinet felt like it was sucking the oxygen out of his lungs, rather than bringing it into them. Zeddy was worried. What if the police took Prophesy? What if they took them all? As Zeddy's mind spun and spun, he suddenly remembered their duffle bags left in the hall near the front door. Oh, no! If the IMP saw the duffle bags, then it would be over.
Zeddy thought as hard as he could for a way to keep the IMP from discovering their bags. Maybe he could sneak out of the cabinet and down the hall to get the bags and hide them. He looked anxiously at the dark shape of his mother, wishing she could hear what he was thinking. He had to do something; the muffled voices were still there. If he didn't act soon, they might get caught. Zeddy tried to see Zmally, but the danger must still have been high because the little zutterfly was nowhere to be seen. It wasn't as if something as tiny as the zutterfly could move the bags. Zeddy would have to do it. He had to save them from the IMP!
Zeddy reached up to push the cabinet door open. Zadie saw his movement, but in the sliver of dim light she saw Zeddy shaking his head. Zadie was so confused. What was Zeddy trying to do? He was sure to be caught if he opened the cabinet. Zadie reached over and grabbed Zeddy's arm, letting the cabinet door fall silently shut. Zeddy whispered as quietly as possible, "Mom, we left our bags in the hall. If the IMP noticed, they will definitely arrest Prophesy, and then they will come to find us. I have to go hide the bags!"
"No, Zeddy! You can’t risk it!" Zadie whispered frantically.
"I have to do this, Mom!" Zeddy whispered back.
Zadie knew he was right. There was no way any of them were going to escape the IMP, if they saw those duffle bags sitting in the hall. Zadie sadly nodded her agreement, although her heart was breaking. Zeddy nodded back. He was scared, but he knew he had to do what he could to save them. He reached up and pushed the cabinet door slowly open. He could hear the voices more clearly now.
"So, you are telling me that the explosion was just an accident? It seems more logical to us that you were trying to cover up an enormous blunder. The Nevada Province is still in quarantine, and radiation from the nuclear reactor you were using has caused a tremendous amount of environmental damage. How does a nuclear reactor reach meltdown level without the person who designed the machine knowing it was happening? Why didn't you cut the reactor off and follow protocol? Why!" a deep voice was yelling in a room down the hall.
"I told you! It all happened so fast that I didn’t have time to follow protocol! I could save the life of my partner or follow protocol!" Prophesy's raised voice bellowed back.
Zeddy was shocked to hear the professor yelling. Prophesy was actually yelling at the International Military Police. That had to be who was here! The IMP was interrogating Prophesy about the explosion and the project, and Prophesy was yelling at them! He was the bravest man in Amerasia. Zeddy knew his father's stories were truthful on that account. Prophesy was more courageous than Zeddy had ever imagined, and his courage inspired Zeddy to be courageous, too. Zeddy silently slipped out of the cabinet and shut the door, leaving his mother and Zmally inside. Slowly, he stood up and peered around the room. It was then that Zeddy remembered that he still had the Rosetta crystal in his hand. Zeddy opened his hand, and glimmering in the darkened crystal was Nimueh's golden eyes.
"Young Zeddy, in your hand you hold the key to the problem you face. Only you can unleash its power. Now is the time. You know how. You all must escape! In my crystal viewer I have seen your father's face glimmering in a place called Jungle Island. You must get there and find him! You will know what to do," Nimueh's voice echoed in his head.
He looked around, but no one must have heard her voice but him. The IMP were still arguing with the professor in a room down the hall. The crystal must have allowed Nimueh to speak to him in his mind. He wondered if he could ask her a question the same way. Now, however, was not the time to find out whether or not he could. He had to move those bags from the hall. Is that what the crystal was going to help him do? Move the bags? But how?
As Zeddy stood frozen in thought, he was jolted back into reality as he heard the deep voice bellowing, "So if all this was an accident, then why are your bags packed? Where were you going professor? Where!"
16 DISCOVERIES
Zeddy froze. It was too late! The IMP had already seen the bags! What was going to happen? What should he do? He had to act, but his feet felt glued to the floor. Finally, he turned and headed towards the cabinet. Down the hall, the deep voice boomed, "Search the bags! Find out what he's hiding!"
"Oh, no!" Zeddy thought. "They'll know we're here!"
Zeddy ran to the cabinet and threw open the door. He grabbed his backpack and pulled the zipper open. Quickly he dug in the bag to find the little worn leather book Nimueh had given him. He felt it! He pulled the book from the bag and opened it.
"What was that noise? Check the rooms! This man is hiding something!" the deep voice bellowed.
"No!" yelled Prophesy.
"Zeddy! What are you doing? Get out of here! Run! Run!" yelled Zadie, emerging from the cabinet as two large International Military Police officers ran into the room.
"Freeze!" yelled one of the men.
Zeddy stood there, the crystal hidden, clenched in his right hand, and the open book in the left. His mother stood beside him, silent tears rolling down her face. A third large man who looked almost exactly like the other two men entered the giant room, dragging the professor behind him. He looked crossly at Zeddy and Zadie, and then he pushed Prophesy towards them. The professor almost fell from the force of the shove. Zadie reached to steady him, and Prophesy joined the two of them facing the IMP officers.
"Now, what do we have here?" the man who pushed Prophesy asked in his deep loud voice. "Who are you people, and what are you doing in here?"
"I can explain…," Prophesy began.
"I've heard enough of your lies!" the deep-voiced man yelled. Looking at Zadie and Zeddy, he continued, “I am Special Agent Ire. I represent the International Government. I demand you tell me who you are and what you are doing in this man's house! Now!"
Zadie started to step forward, but Zeddy grabbed her arm. She froze and looked at him in surprise. Zeddy shook his head no very slightly so that only she could see. Zeddy, Zadie, and Prophesy stood very still, staring at the IMP officers. Ire was not happy in the least.
"I believe I identified myself properly as a representative of the IG. I also believe
I asked you to identify yourselves. I order you to answer me." Ire sneered.
At that moment, Zeddy raised his right hand, pointing the Rosetta crystal at the IMP officers and screamed, "Zarashmiha!"
A giant red flash of electric light shot out of the crystal in Zeddy's hand. It soared across the room in a tidal wave, engulfing the men who stood in front of them. The light was blinding, and the force behind it almost knocked Zeddy over. He stumbled backwards, as he watched the blazing light sweep over the IMP officers and across the room. As quickly as it had appeared, it seemed to vanish. Zeddy blinked several times, his eyes unable to focus after the intensity of the light.
Zeddy watched the men in front of him, not sure what he had done. The IMP officers appeared frozen. Ire's mouth looked painted on his face, half-open as if he were about to scream something. The other officers were motionless, as well. Even their lungs had ceased to moved, as if they had no use for the air they usually inhaled and exhaled. As Zeddy looked around, everything was motionless except for Prophesy, his mother, and himself.
"What did you do? How did you …" Prophesy tried to ask.
"Zeddy, are you okay? Are you hurt? What was that?" Zadie asked frantically, as she grabbed Zeddy in her arms.
"I … I … I don't know. I just opened the book and knew what to say," Zeddy tried to explain.
"You unleashed the dark energy of your Rosetta crystal," said the little zutterfly, as he fluttered out of the cabinet, still dark in the presence of danger. "You have temporarily stopped time. Dark energy can affect many things, especially time. The stone is rightfully yours, Zeddy. I know you will use it wisely."
"Thank you, Zmally," said Zeddy. "How long will this last? Will these men be alright?"
"Yes, they will be fine. Unfortunately, I do not know how long it will last. You have exerted a powerful force for someone so young. I do know that we should have enough time to escape after a dose of dark energy that strong. I will show you one of my gifts."
Zadie and Prophesy were not going to take any chances that the effects of whatever had just happened might wear off before they could get out of the house. They needed to get as far from this place as humanly possible. Zadie grabbed Zeddy's backpack, and he stuffed the little book and the crystal safely inside and zipped it shut. He slung the backpack over his shoulders and stuck his arms through the straps. Zeddy and Zadie ran down the hall hand-in-hand, after Prophesy. The professor was already throwing their things into the bags. Zadie scooped up the tram tickets and three sets of falsified identification papers.
"We need to get as far from here as we can. We need to get on the next tram out of here," Zadie stated, with a sense of urgency in her voice.
"It will take too long for the taxi to get us there," Prophesy stated. "Perhaps we can run through the fields and find a place to hide. We have to …"
"We have to go to Jungle Island!" Zeddy interrupted. "Sorry, Prophesy! It’s hard to explain, but Nimueh spoke to me through the crystal. She said she had seen Dad's face in a place called Jungle Island. She said we need to look for Dad there."
"Jungle Island? That is a tropical island in a place that was once known as the Bermuda Triangle. Why would your father be there?" Prophesy asked.
"Maybe that is where he is being held," Zadie offered.
"It is possible," agreed Prophesy.
"We will have to use these falsified identification papers and tram tickets that Nimueh provided us," Zadie said. "It's the only way we will be able to go undetected, at least for a while. We will be outlaws after this. Hopefully the IG will not post our pictures. They will surely frown on letting the constituents of Amerasia know they lost three people they tried to arrest."
"But how are we going to get there? We will never make it to the tram station before we are found," said Prophesy.
"I beg to differ," said Zmally. "Get your bags. We must go outdoors."
17 PLAYING WITH DARK MATTER
The three fugitives walked out into the dimming day. Everything was frozen. The limbs of the trees that had been blowing in a summer breeze hung in stationary waves. A bird perched on a branch sat immobilized, with wings outspread in its attempt to take flight. The silence was almost unbearable. Nothing moved, except the three people and the little zutterfly.
"Where is this tram station?" asked Zmally.
"It is five kilometers east of here," Prophesy answered. "We will never get there without being seen."
"Come," said Zmally, "and do not be afraid. Dark matter bugs have tricks of their own. I can get you to the tram station in a matter of moments. Just be sure to hold your bags tightly and try not to move."
Prophesy, Zeddy, and Zadie watched in amazement as the darkened little zutterfly began to flap his wings very, very quickly. He flew in a large circle above them. As they watched, the zutterfly flew faster and faster and faster. Within seconds, he was spinning above them so rapidly that they could not even see him anymore. Zmally looked like a dark drawn circle above their heads. The three did not even notice that they were no longer touching the ground, until they looked away from the zutterfly's circle. The air spun around them in a dark cloud of swirling wind, but they didn’t feel the slightest breeze. It was as if they were standing in the eye of a hurricane, looking out at the worst storm ever. They all looked up at the little zutterfly in amazement. Then, as quickly as it began, it was over.
Zeddy felt a little disoriented as he looked around him at the still-frozen world. He looked at the now light pink zutterfly and asked, "What was that?"
"That is why Zamira changes shape," answered Zmally. "Dark matter bugs have their own gravitational pull. If we decide to dance, we can create vortexes that people cannot see from the outside. You can only see a vortex from the inside. Unfortunately, it does take a good bit of energy to create a vortex. I can only do so one time per day. I am also a young zutterfly, less than 10,000 years old. If I were older and stronger, I would create a vortex to travel back to Zamira. Alas, I am not. But I hope that my talents may come in handy on our journey."
"Amazing!" exclaimed the professor. At last, he knew his theories were correct! He smiled happily. He momentarily basked in the magnificence of this scientific discovery.
"You are amazing!" said Zeddy. "I know you will be very useful on our journey! I suppose it has already begun."
"It has," answered Zmally. "Now we need to find your father. Only he can clear the professor's name, so that they might help me return home. As a team, I know we can do it."
"As do I," said Zeddy.
"And I," said Zadie.
"And I, too," said Prophesy.
They stood there for a moment smiling hopefully at each other. Unfortunately, the happiness was short-lived. A slight breeze began to blow around them.
"Time is restarting," explained Zmally. "I will ride in your backpack, Zeddy, please. I do not wish to get separated, and I am very tired now. I think I will nap."
"Of course," answered Zeddy.
Zadie unzipped the backpack, as the little zutterfly faded into his normal light glow and fluttered into Zeddy's bag. Then she handed Zeddy and Prophesy their fake papers and tram tickets.
"I guess we will be the Hutton family, for now. I will be Sadie Hutton. Zeddy, you will be Eddy Hutton. Prophesy, you will be William Hutton, my father-in-law and Eddy's grandfather. Let's try to remember not to use our real names. People are moving. Let's hurry to the line," Zadie said.
As the frozen world came back to life, Zeddy looked in wonder at all that was around him. He was scared and excited as he boarded the tram with his mother and new grandfather. So much had changed in so little time. His entire world was upside down. Yet, somehow, he felt braver than he had ever felt before. As he bustled down the aisle and took his seat with his family of fugitives, Zeddy wondered if things could get any stranger than they already had gotten. The three fugitives took their seats, and Zeddy gently placed his backpack under his seat. He rested his forehead on the window pane. As the tram left the station, Z
eddy watched the beautiful orange and pink sunset expand over the city. His eyes grew heavy, and he leaned against his mother's shoulder to rest his head.
"Rest, my sweet Zeddy," his mother whispered. "It’s been a long day, and our journey has just begun."
Zeddy closed his eyes, and soon he was floating in the blackness behind his eyelids, past yellow and blue stars. He knew he was on his way to Zamira.
End of Book 11
Please enjoy a special preview of Book 12.
~Chapter 1~
(Preview of Book 12)
"Eddy. Eddy. You need to wake up, dear," a soft voice called through the vast expanse of sleep. "Son, you need to wake up. Wake up, Eddy."
The voice sounded familiar in the young boy's head, but the name did not. The melodious beauty of that voice reminded him of lullabies his mother had sung to him, once upon a time. Was his mother talking to someone else? If so, why did it sound like her whispers were floating inside his head? His mind was clouded with sleep. He was floating into the blackness of exhaustion. Up ahead, he could see the blue and yellow stars he soared through each night to the land of his dreams. They seemed more inviting than the strange name being whispered in his ear. He felt himself beginning to fly through the blackness, moving rapidly towards those magical stars up ahead.
"Zeddy," the beautiful voice whispered in the faintest sound imaginable, as if someone were trying to speak to the departed.
The flying boy halted in mid-air, some unknown force pulling and drawing him away, as if a vacuum had been turned on, and there was no way to escape. That one whispered word drew the boy out of the land of dreams, and the rushing force of reality flooded his mind. He opened his eyes, rubbing them and blinking several times to cast away the last traces of sleep. Slowly, his eyes began to adjust to the darkened room around him. The mugginess of the room was magnified by the extreme heat that had persisted from the long summer day into the night. In a sliver of light from the windows high on the towering, rusty walls, Zeddy's mother's violet eyes glittered. Her hair, deep brown just three days ago, now radiated red from the hair dye she had used to disguise herself. Zeddy was sure his hair looked the same. Even in all this unfamiliarity, his mother's smile felt like home.
The Boy Who Played With Dark Matter Page 6