Oscar looked up. “Yes, ma'am?” he said.
“By any chance, did Dr. Smith ring the desk?”
“No ma'am. I would have let you know,” he replied politely.
She pleaded, “So, can you leave another message?”
Oscar looked at her as if her request was ridiculous, but he answered, “Sure.” Then he dialed Joseph's room and started to leave a message, “Dr. Smith, this is Oscar at the front desk. A Miss...” He stopped and asked, “What is your name again?”
“Aimee Schmidt.”
“Yes, a Miss Aimee Schmidt would like to see you. She is waiting in the lobby. Thank you.” He hung up. “Done. Anything else I can help you with?”
Aimee just shook her head, then returned to the couch. Exhausted, but her brain still working overtime, she laid back into the cushion and closed her eyes. The video image of Dylan making out with Brandi haunted her. She tried to erase it, but it seemed to be permanently imprinted in her brain, and it did nothing but stir anger and hurt, then more anger, and more hurt. She wondered though, Since Brandi's hands were all over Dylan, who took the video, and how did they get Brandi's phone? And where the hell was Andrew? Nothing made sense. She knew Dylan was pissed, really pissed about the incident with Zane, but why would he do this, and with Brandi, a person he hated as much as she did? She heard a voice, and suddenly her eyes popped open. Joseph was entering the lobby with a young woman and a man. They all looked tired and dirty. Joseph quickly bid the two a good night, then walked over to the couch.
“Well, blow me. What the bloody hell are you doing here?” he asked with a shocked look on his face.
Aimee sat up, cleared her throat, then answered as tears started to well up in her eyes, “I don't know...I, uh...well, I couldn't stay in Eugene, and I didn't know where else to go, then all of a sudden I'm here, in Oceanside, looking for you.”
Slowly, Joseph sat down next to Aimee, then said, “You look terrible. What's wrong?”
Aimee couldn't speak. She just shook her head as the tears dribbled down her cheek. She wiped at them, and then glanced over at Joseph.
“Here, give me your backpack, and let's go up to my room. We can talk there where it's more private.” He glanced up and noticed Oscar was doing a poor job of trying to mind his own business.
Joseph stood up, swung Aimee's pack over his shoulder, then extended his hand. Aimee took it and he helped her get up. Quickly they got into the elevator and to Joseph's room. Aimee's stomach was tied in knots. She knew she shouldn't be here, much less with Joseph, but when he opened the door, she entered anyway.
Joseph slipped off his boots by the door, put the key on the table next to some binders, then set her backpack on the desk. He pulled out one of the chairs by the table and said, “Here. Have a seat while I go wash my hands.”
Aimee slowly sat down and looked around the room. It looked out over the ocean, just like the one she and Dylan had been in, but this was a suite, and it looked like it was Joseph's second home. Books and binders were scattered across the desk and table, and several maps were taped to the mirror.
After a short minute, Joseph was back. He started to open the refrigerator. “Can I get you something?” he asked.
Aimee noticed a bottled water in the door of the little refrigerator. “Some water would be nice,” she said. Joseph quickly grabbed the cold bottle and handed it to her. He snatched a bottle of warm beer from the pack sitting on the desk, twisted off the cap and tossed it into the trash, took a swig, then sat down. The two just stared at one another.
“So, you're here, looking for me. Something must have happened with you and Dylan,” he perceptively stated.
The tears started again. Aimee wiped them with the back of her hoodie sleeve and nodded. Her bottom lip quivered. She peered up into Joseph's eyes, those magical eyes, and she couldn't look away.
Joseph just stared back, waiting for an answer to Aimee's surprise visit. Finally, after a very long moment, he asked, “What happened?”
Instantly, Aimee looked down and broke the mystical hold of his stare. Through tears, she started to share what had happened, but suddenly stopped and jumped up. “I made a mistake. I shouldn't be here,” she stated through the wavering in her voice.
Joseph reached over and grabbed her wrist and looked up at her. His eyes nabbed her again. “Please. Sit. You're far too upset to drive. You came here for a reason. I want to help you, if you'll let me.”
Aimee cautiously sat back down. Without taking her eyes from Joseph, she grabbed a tissue from the table and wiped her face. He opened her bottle of water and handed it to her. She took a long sip, then set the bottle on the table. Finally, she felt the lump in her throat dissolve and she started, “I...I didn't know where else to go....but...(she stopped and sucked in a deep breath)...I couldn't stay in Eugene.”
“What happened? Did he do something to hurt you? Did he...” Joseph stopped suddenly. Aimee could tell he was agitated. “...hit you?” finally popped out of his mouth.
Shocked, Aimee quickly shook her head. “No, it's nothing like that! Dylan would never hit me. But...” she stopped, the image of him kissing Brandi in the video ever present in her brain, “...he did hurt me, like nothing I would have ever imagined him doing.”
Joseph reached over and placed his hand on Aimee's. She didn't pull hers back. She looked from his hand up into his eyes, the eyes that seemed to keep her in a spell. “Do you want to tell me what happened?” he asked.
Aimee shook her head. “No,” she said softly, “I can't. It's...well, I'm not sure what happened, but I know he couldn't have done what he did if he still loved me.”
“Ahhh,” Joseph said as he sat back into his chair. “Mr. Dylan Townsend did something with another woman.”
Aimee's face went ashen. Hearing someone else say it was worse than even thinking about it.
She felt ill again, just like she did at the stadium. “I think I'm gonna be sick,” she said as she quickly popped up and flew to the bathroom. A few minutes later, Joseph knocked on the door. “You okay in there?” he asked.
Just then, Aimee opened the door and came out with a washrag. She wiped her face. “I'm better. Thanks,” she said as she eased past him and returned to the table. She grabbed the water bottle and took a very long sip, then walked over to the sliding glass door. She looked out at the dark ocean. A bright moon lit up the sky and casted light over the water. After a minute, she turned back to Joseph.
“I'm sorry for coming,” she said. “I really should go. This doesn't involve you, and I...” she paused as he walked towards her, “...well, I wasn't thinking straight when I left Eugene.”
Joseph stopped a foot from her. “That's okay. You don't have to tell me what happened, but you can always talk to me, about anything. I'm here for you.” He stepped closer, then reached out and gently touched her cheek. Aimee instantly felt confused. She should feel guilty for being here, or at least anxious, but instead a calmness swept through her when Joseph touched her. That was the only way she could describe it. It wasn't the feeling of butterflies when someone you have an emotional connection with touches you and you go all mushy inside. It was a peaceful feeling, like you would feel from someone who you thought of as your protector. A smile slowly grew on her face, and she said softly, “Thank you, Joseph. I appreciate that, but I think I better go home now.”
Joseph swiftly snatched her wrist “No, it's late. You don't need to be driving back to Eugene in the middle of the night. Stay here.”
Aimee suddenly looked at him with shock on her face. “No, I can't stay here. I...”
Joseph interrupted, “I promise nothing will happen. You can have the bed. I have a sleeping bag in the truck, or I'll get you a room.”
Aimee looked at the bed, then at Joseph. There was no way she was going to stay in the same room with him, not after what happened to her with Dylan. She didn't want to give Dylan any reason to doubt her love for him, and even though nothing would ever happen between her and Joseph
, if Dylan ever found out she was here, and slept in his room, that would be the end of everything. Nothing could be repaired after that. “I can't stay, Joseph,” she said. “I shouldn't have come. I'm sorry.” She grabbed her backpack and started to leave. Joseph still held her wrist. Aimee jerked to a halt, dropped her pack, looked down at his hand around her wrist, then back into his eyes. No cues, none of the usual signs, gave warning. In a fraction of a nanosecond, they left together into the black tunnel.
Stuck together, they moved through time looking into each other’s eyes until the bright, white light hit them, and instantly they landed. Joseph hit first stretched out on his back, then he broke Aimee's landing. “BUGGER!” he screamed as Aimee swiftly rolled off him, then got up on all fours to check on Joseph.
“You okay?” she questioned anxiously.
Joseph laid there trying to get his breath. At last, he could talk without pain. “Yeah...” he paused, “I'm okay.” He slowly sat up and looked at Aimee. “You?” he asked.
Aimee nodded, then stood up, brushed the hair out of her face, and surveyed the area. Joseph got up and stood next to her, also checking their surroundings, then both looked at each other with shock. It appeared they had landed on the bow of a cruise ship. It was night, and the multiple decks were lit up like Christmas trees. A few people were walking the verandas, and they spotted one deck up a couple dressed in formal attire, standing outside their cabin arm in arm. Before long the couple ended up tangled into a steamy embrace, then the female led the man into the cabin and shut the door.
“Well,” Joseph said. “do you see, or sense anything out of the norm?”
Aimee shrugged, then answered, “Nope, unless that man is at risk of getting laid.”
Joseph laughed, then tilted his head towards the midship. “Let's head this way to see if we notice anything out of sorts.”
The two slowly walked away from the bow, checking up into the levels, and then down the deck. It was quiet, unusually quiet. They stopped for a few minutes at the railing and looked out at the water. It seemed peaceful.
Joseph asked, “You ever been on a cruise ship?”
“No,” Aimee answered. “You?”
“Yes,” he said as he turned away from the water and propped one foot back on the railing. He stretched his arms out across the top bar, then he looked up at the decks above. “I went with my parents once when I was twelve, maybe thirteen. We sailed around the coast of Greece.”
“Was it fun?” Aimee asked as she turned around, too, then glanced over at Joseph.
Joseph sort of nodded, then shook his head. “A thirteen year old on a ship with a lot of hot sixteen and seventeen year old girls, bloody hell yes, it would have been fun, except I had to stay close to Mum and Dad to keep an eye on them. I never knew when they would disappear, or when or how they would return.”
Shocked, Aimee asked, “So, both of your parents traveled, too?”
Joseph glanced over at her before answering. “Yes, both of them.”
“Wow,” Aimee said shaking her head. “And I’ve wondered for years if I was the only gifted person in this universe.”
“Gifted?” Joseph asked.
“Yeah, that's what I call it, although it feels more like a curse most of the time.”
He just shook his head, then said, “No, trust me, there are, and have always been, people like us. It's such a secret to keep that it's hard to find someone else out there who also travels. I think they intentionally make our paths cross at some point. It's has to be easier carrying this burden with someone else then going through life alone.” He looked at Aimee, then said, “Like us.”
Aimee ignored his “like us” comment and revealed, “I think my mother is gifted, too, only I didn't know she was alive until last year.”
Joseph asked, “Where is she?”
“That's just it. I don't know. I thought my whole life she died giving birth to me, and suddenly last year I was sent on a mission to save her right after she had me.”
Joseph replied, “No way!”
“Yes way,” Aimee answered. “My dad and Mom’s sister, Aunt Lauren, had her committed to an institution of some kind because she shared the sacred secret and told them she was a time traveler, and that my real father was one, too. They thought she was mad, crazy as a loon, so they made up this horrible story she died giving birth to me, and they had my brother and me believing that crap our whole lives.”
“Seriously?!” Joseph asked in disbelief. “Your own father made you believe your mother died, except he had her locked away?”
“Yeah,” Aimee answered solemnly. After a long minute reflecting, she finally finished. “And before I could get Mom out of the hospital, I disappeared into the tunnel. Of course, Aunt Lauren denied it when I confronted her, and Dad, well, after my accident in England, I just decided it wasn’t worth hating him for what he did. He didn’t want to send Mom away, but he didn’t believe her, so of course Aunt Lauren convinced him she was nuts and needed to be committed. You know, it’s rare that the ungifted, like Dr. Payne, believe it’s for real.”
“You’re right. It can’t be proven, at least not yet, and anyone with any credibility is thought as a real twit if they profess they believe time travel is possible.”
Aimee shook her head. “Well, we know it’s real, and I’ve struck out trying to find out anything about my mom.”
“Bugger,” he commented, “that's a piece of friggin' bad luck. But, at least you know she's alive somewhere. Maybe I can help you find her.”
“Really?” Aimee said.
“Sure,” Joseph answered.
Just then, three men came out to the veranda a couple decks above them. At first Aimee just thought they had been drinking too much, and were a little loud, but it didn't take long for her and Joseph to realize something was wrong. The man in the middle was loudly exclaiming, “No, I didn't do it!” over and over. The other two had him secured on each side and pinned to the railing.
“Johnny, I don’t think he gets it, does he?” one of the bulky men asked the other.
The other said, “Yeah, do you think we need to teach him a lesson?”
They both started to grab him and lean him over the railing.
The man in the middle started bargaining for his life. “Man, I didn't know. I promise, I didn't know it was the Boss's daughter. Hey, don't do this. I'll disappear like the roach I am. Just let me go and I'll be gone before Jenny wakes up.”
One of the men laughed. “You think we're that stupid. Do you think the Boss is gonna forgive us if we let you go?”
“He doesn't have to know,” the man pleaded. “I'll be gone, without a trace. Just let me go.”
Both men looked at each other, nodded, then without a blink of an eye, they picked up the young man and pitched him over the rail. But instead of dropping into the sea, the man hit the railing and fell back onto the deck about ten feet from Joseph and Aimee. They looked up, and the two men were looking at them. Aimee and Joseph stared at the men for a long second, then instantly ran to the injured man's aide. He lay twisted, and blood was dripping out of the corner of his mouth. Joseph flipped him over quickly, then placed his ear to the young man's nose. Aimee had her fingers around his wrist feeling for a pulse. She looked up at Joseph and shook her head, then added, “No pulse.”
Joseph started doing CPR. Aimee looked to the stern. The two men, who had thrown him over, were running towards them. She grabbed Joseph's arm, then noticed a couple men in uniforms running towards them from the bow. Joseph glanced both directions, then at Aimee. The young man suddenly sputtered and moaned. He didn't open his eyes, but Aimee felt life. “Joseph, we're gonna get caught,” she said anxiously. Both stood up quickly, then both looked down at the young man who now was groaning, but still unconscious. Joseph grabbed Aimee's hand, and started to go over the rail. She shook her head, but he didn't let go. Then before she could pull loose, they went over into the dark emptiness. The tunnel seized them. There was nothing above. Nothing
below. And in seconds the light ripped through and they landed into the hotel room. Aimee fell on the bed, and Joseph hit the side of the bed and bounced off onto the floor. Finally, he came to and gathered himself up to the bed to check on Aimee.
He shook her arm. “Aimee, wake up.”
Aimee moaned for a couple seconds, then abruptly became conscious and sat up. She screamed, “Omigod!”
“Shhh!” Joseph demanded as he grabbed her arm. Aimee looked down at his hand like a bear trap had her, yanked free, then jumped off the bed. She whipped her backpack off the floor and flew to the door. She looked back. Joseph was sitting on the bed staring at her. “Don't go,” he said.
“Joseph, I have to,” she replied. “You're special. So am I, but...well, my life is with Dylan, and somehow I'll get through what has happened between us. Only...” she stopped, “if I continue to travel with you, I don't think I can survive my relationship with Dylan.” With that she turned the knob and began to open the door. “I'm not stupid. I'm sure I'll see you again, and I'm sure they have more missions for us. Please just let me and Dylan be. Please,” she said.
Joseph just shook his head. “I can't,” was all he said.
Aimee grimaced, then went through the door and down the hall to the stairwell. She had to get back to Eugene. She looked at the clock in the lobby when she flew out of the stairwell exit. It read 1:26. Oscar watched her race through the lobby, then out of the front doors. Quickly he picked up the phone to ring Joseph's room. Aimee didn't stop until she jumped into her car and slammed the lock down. Swiftly, she snagged her phone from the pack, then sent a text to Dylan and James.
I'll be home by morning....don't call...i'll be driving...dylan i'll see you when you get home...
Aimee stared at the message for a few seconds, then hit the button to send it. She stuck the key in the ignition, turned it, threw it in Reverse, and took off as fast as she could get back on the main road heading out of Oceanside.
The Weird Travels of Aimee Schmidt: Seeking Others Page 29