by Marita Smith
Ariana unzipped the top of her jacket and a lizard skated out, taking up a position on her shoulder. “Yeah, this is Jericho.” She crossed her arms and the jacket crinkled. She wore Kara’s boots over tights and a skirt. The Doc Martens, a size too large, gaped at her calves.
Eva rolled over, shaking the leaves from her fur. “This is Eva,” Fletcher added. The bear huffed, glancing at Jericho.
Ariana squatted down next to Fletcher and curled her feet underneath her. Her dark hair flopped forward, shielding her face for a moment before she shook it back. Fletcher wanted to ask her a dozen questions about what it was like to hear Jericho’s thoughts. If she heard the shifting frequency of other voices around them, if she had the strange dreams too … Instead, he cleared his throat and feigned interest in the trees lining the clearing.
Jericho slid down Ariana’s jacket and plopped into the stream with a diver’s splash. Ariana shed the jacket and Fletcher caught a glimpse of blue light dancing on her skin. He blinked and it faded.
“Are you having the dreams, too?” Ariana asked. She yanked off the Doc Martens and piled them with her jacket and socks. “Dreams of others?”
She dipped her feet in the water, the blue light snaking up her calves. He hadn’t imagined it, then. Fletcher nodded. The dreams had become more vivid.
“I’m still not sure what they mean. It feels like I know all those people somehow, but that would be crazy.”
Ariana swirled her feet, sending eddying pools out into the centre of the water. “Me, too. I feel like there’s something here” – she tapped her head – “that’s just behind a door, like I’d understand if I could just figure out how to open it.”
Eva’s voice floated through Fletcher’s mind, thick like honey.
You bridge our two worlds. Eva’s voice, but heavier, laced with what felt like a dozen other minds.
What two worlds? Fletcher was frustrated. The dreams left him anxious and sweaty when he woke up, drained before the day even started.
The spirit world, young walker.
The humming noise began again and Eva’s coat bristled with green light. Jericho clambered onto Ariana’s leg, surrounded by a blue aura.
“Jericho … he says it’s time we learned.” Ariana’s eyes looked unfocused as she turned to him. Fletcher wondered if she heard the humming noise as well, or if her skin felt too tight.
“Learned what?” Fletcher said.
Close your eyes. Empty your mind. Focus on me.
Fletcher took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. The stream burbled away on its perpetual flow. Flow. Ariana sat completely still by his side, hands resting on her knees as if meditating. Jericho perched inert on her lap. Fletcher stared at the blue light flickering from the lizard’s body to hers, enveloping them in a bright flash of blue. It blazed before disappearing. Fletcher waved a hand in front of Ariana’s face, but she didn’t respond.
“Ariana?” he said, fear constricting his chest.
She has already crossed over. Come. They are waiting.
Fletcher closed his eyes again, heart thudding in his chest. Crossed over to where?
Eva didn’t answer his question. Tap into the infinite. The universe. You feel it there, just beyond your perception of the world around you. Dig deeper, pull aside the facade. Eva-but-not-Eva’s voice.
Fletcher squeezed his eyes shut, resisting the temptation to open them. The natural sounds of the forest began to dim and his heart rate slowed. The delicate boundary between his own mind and Eva’s blurred, merging in a heady rush. The ground disappeared beneath him, leaving Fletcher tumbling through empty space. Colours rushed behind his eyelids. He kept his eyes clamped shut.
“Fletcher?” Ariana’s voice. Fletcher hesitantly opened his eyes. They were in some sort of grove, surrounded by shimmering trees. The stream was gone. Fletcher blinked, staring at Ariana like he’d never seen her before.
Ariana stood entwined by an enormous, sinuous dragon with long, floating whiskers.
“Jericho?” Fletcher stammered. Ariana nodded, watching the dragon with an entranced expression.
Something heavy moved behind him and Fletcher jumped to his feet, heart pounding again.
“Eva,” he breathed. She looked like the drawing of a diprotodon in his science textbook, the one with a man standing to one side as a scale indicator. Fletcher had drawn in little lines of shock around the man’s head. Now he understood how tiny the scale man must have felt beside a lumbering dinosaur with claws as big as shopping trolleys. Fletcher had to look up just to see the underside of her jaw. Eva stamped her feet and the ground quaked, clouding her in green light. When it cleared, there was no trace of the jumbo-sized bear. Eva coughed as she emerged, and Fletcher had to clap a hand to his mouth to stifle his laughter. Now she was no bigger than a hamster. Eva lifted a tiny leg to examine it with a humph before prancing over to Fletcher’s side.
Fletcher scooped her up, shaking his head in disbelief.
How is this possible? He projected to Eva. The little hamster bear glistened with green light.
“Everything is more fluid here in the spirit realm.” Wrapped in an orange robe, a boy appeared in their midst. Fletcher jumped. The boy had materialised out of nowhere. “I’ve been waiting to meet you both for some time. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Lenti.”
It was dinner time and Robyn realised she’d seen neither Fletcher nor Ariana for hours. She’d lost track of time bent over the old gas chromatograph she’d salvaged from uni last year. Robyn shut the operating panel and dumped the screwdriver on the table. Brock had helped her heave it into the service elevator, hidden beneath a tarp. It wasn’t stealing, technically, just relocating. She felt the now-familiar pang of betrayal. Kara had shown her the emails. Brock had been spying on her for two years. Bile rose in the back of her throat. She’d made him pop-up birthday cards, and the whole time he’d been looking over her shoulder. Still, a small voice kept whispering in her ear that maybe he didn’t realise who it was for, what they were capable of.
Robyn rested an arm against the vibrating machine. Catherine had prepared new samples from both walkers. Ariana’s chromatograms lay splayed out on the table, identical to Fletcher’s. She couldn’t bear to look at them again. Robyn left the ancient loading arm whirring in the background as she pushed into the kitchen. She’d probably find them in there, feasting on chocolate-chip biscuits. Robyn sighed. Always worrying over nothing. Ms Responsible.
Derek poured over the textbooks Kara had lugged back. Robyn caught a glimpse of the Chinese Zodiac circle as she passed his shoulder. Catherine and Terence were curled up on separate couches, looking over the original testing results. No Fletcher or Ariana. Robyn stretched her hands overhead.
“I’m going for a walk to see if I can find those two.”
Derek tipped his head back. “I’ll come, too. I need a break from all these myths and legends.”
Robyn shrugged, secretly pleased. Catherine and Terence hadn’t moved. They’d been working together all day. It put her on edge without really understanding why, though she was more than relieved to give them creative control in the kitchen. Boy, could they cook.
“Sure.” Robyn waited as Derek shrugged on a jacket.
They walked in companionable silence for a while, soaking up the twilight. Derek broke it first.
“I, uh, realised I never thanked you properly. For coming to find me, for making me part of this.”
Robyn fiddled with the edge of her shirt and Derek’s hand grazed her elbow as they walked. He looked different, she realised. He had dark circles under his eyes and his gait was stiffer. She felt guilty for a second before remembering that Derek had volunteered to go with Fletcher.
“Part of what?” Robyn kicked at a loose stone. “I’m not sure how long we can hold our own against the MRI.” She rubbed her forehead. “I’m sorry, I’m tired. So many people ar
ound is a bit overwhelming.”
Derek’s hand closed the distance, curling around Robyn’s. She flinched at the unexpected contact. Derek didn’t seem to notice, and Robyn wondered when he’d become so touchy-feely.
“You’re doing a good job, Robyn.” She relaxed into his firm grip, closing her eyes for a moment. Duke, the barn in North Carolina, it all felt like months, not days, ago. By herself, she knew how to do a good job. This was much harder. And Fletcher and Ariana …
“It’s all happening too fast.” Robyn opened her eyes again. They’d rounded a corner and the creek lay dead ahead. She stopped in the middle of the track, staring over Derek’s shoulder. Ariana and Fletcher sat motionless by the bank. Too still.
“Something’s not right,” Robyn breathed. She wriggled out of Derek’s grasp and broke into a run, falling to her knees in front of Fletcher. She waved a hand in front of his face. No response. His eyes were glassy, unfocused. “What’s happened to them?” Robyn couldn’t keep the note of panic from her voice.
“Stay here, I’ll get the others.” A hand on her shoulder, then nothing. Derek was gone.
“Hurry,” she shouted at his retreating form, eyes locked on Fletcher.
Lenti was shorter than Ariana, with a wide forehead. Or maybe that was just because his head was shaved. Ariana instantly felt guilty – she was sure she’d look weird without any hair. She imagined looking into a mirror at the skin stretched taut over her knobbly skull and shivered.
As he sat down, Lenti arranged his robes and brought his fists together in a reflexive way, as if he’d done it hundreds of times before.
Ariana glanced at Fletcher and followed suit, minus the fist bumping. Jericho wound his way around her torso, hovering above her but tethered to her body. His whiskers tickled her chin and made her sneeze.
“This world lies parallel to your own,” said Lenti. His head gleamed in the light. Ariana looked around; anything to avoid accidentally blurting out something unkind about Lenti’s lack of hair. Borehead, that’s what they’d call it at school.
It definitely wasn’t the clearing by the stream, but it didn’t look strange enough to be a parallel anything. It reminded her of photos of the old-world forest in her mother’s National Geographic collection, with huge trees cloistered together. She squinted as she caught a glimmer of light. The closer she looked, the more the forest seemed to change. Ariana gasped as the trees began glimmering with light, their trunks pulsing with colour like a programmed set of Christmas lights. It was disorienting, like being dumped into an Escher painting mixed with Disney’s Fantasia. Ariana stared. This definitely wasn’t in National Geographic.
“What took you so long?” Lenti picked at a thread on his robe.
Ariana blinked, forcing her attention back to the strange boy. “Huh?”
“It’s been over two hundred years since the last walker. You couldn’t have spread yourselves out a bit better?”
Ariana glanced at Fletcher, who shrugged, eyes wide.
“What are you talking about?” Ariana said.
Lenti stared at her, then rested his head in his hands. “Buddha help me.” He cleared his throat, pointing to Eva and Jericho. “You two, you haven’t instructed them? They haven’t opened the channels?”
Eva humphed, though it came out as a cute squeak. Fletcher stroked her back.
“What are you talking about?” Fletcher’s voice mirrored Eva’s frustration.
“To your lineages. Earth and water. You are not the first, you realise?”
Ariana felt Jericho’s tail contract around her stomach. “The dreams,” she breathed. “I dreamed there were others like us.”
“Praise be,” muttered Lenti. “It’s a start.”
Robyn squatted beside Fletcher’s inert form. Terence checked Ariana’s pulse.
“Steady,” Terence said. “They’re breathing fine. It’s like a trance, or something.” The veins sticking out on his neck belied his calm tone. Robyn backed away, careful not to bump into Eva. Both the bear and salamander were in identical comatose states. Terence stayed, whispering to his sister.
“Damn it.” Derek struggled with two dome tents. From what Robyn could see, the tents were winning. She took a step toward the carnage. She hadn’t thanked him for bringing everyone so quickly. She wasn’t sure if she could have lasted much longer sitting with the silent walkers.
“Don’t.” Catherine flicked a glance in Robyn’s direction. “I already tried to help him.”
Robyn pivoted toward Catherine, taking in a deep breath laced with cardamom and coriander. Catherine scrutinised her as she stirred a pot over an open fire.
“Are you okay? It must have been a hell of a shock, to stumble on them both like this.”
Robyn sighed. “Yeah, well, that’s an understatement.” Her legs felt wobbly, as if she’d cycled too far. She focused on staying upright, wondering if she should stay with Fletcher. She felt an almost parental responsibility for him.
Instead, Robyn peered into the pot, her hunger surfacing in a rush. It was late. Dusk formed a heavy blanket on the trees above. “This smells amazing.”
Catherine smiled. “Chicken korma.” She tapped the spoon against the rim, then balanced it against one of the handles, looking down at Robyn with concerned eyes.
“Hey, come here,” Catherine beckoned with wide arms. Robyn hesitated for a heartbeat before folding into the hug. “The cooking, it’s my way of dealing,” Catherine murmured into her hair. The ghost of her breath tickled Robyn’s ear. Robyn nodded into Catherine’s shoulder and her stomach flooded with confusing warmth. Her heart thudded in her chest as her shoulders relaxed and Catherine seemed to pull her in tighter.
A triumphant sound startled her, and she stepped back from Catherine to see Derek fist pump the air. Two tents stood semi erect on the grass. The hug left Robyn groggy.
Catherine’s fingers lingered above her waist for an instant before she ladled curry into bowls. Robyn took a deep breath, trying to clear the light-headedness that had descended on her. Just the shock, she scolded herself. She took the bowl of curry from Catherine without really registering it and collapsed in front of the campfire. The others followed. Derek left the second tent swaying with one of the poles bent at an impossible angle.
Terence even dragged himself away from Ariana, though he kept throwing glances in her direction.
Robyn felt Catherine watching her across the flames, but every time she checked, Catherine’s gaze slid over her. Terence and Derek focused on demolishing their food. The sound of scraping spoons and the crackle of logs shifting in the fire won out over attempted conversation.
“I’ll keep watch,” Terence announced as he put down his bowl.
“I’ll take second shift,” said Catherine, surprising Robyn. Catherine turned to Terence. “Just wake me up, okay?”
Terence nodded, looking grateful.
Robyn pushed the last few grains of rice around in her bowl. When she looked up, she caught Catherine’s eye. Catherine stared at her, eyes thoughtful.
“I’m going to bed,” Robyn declared, rising to her feet and avoiding Catherine’s gaze. She wasn’t quite sure why it made her skin feel prickly. Tired, she must be tired.
A hubbub of chatter roused Robyn from her sleeping bag, and she was greeted by feeble dawn light. Catherine’s sleeping bag lay empty next to her, the tent flaps wide open. The daytime version of somebody differed to the pyjama version; there was something unexpectedly intimate about sharing sleeping space with somebody when you were too old for sleepover parties. The sleeping bag was starting to become synonymous with Catherine. Her silent presence was comforting. Robyn yawned, feeling its absence. She hadn’t heard Catherine come in last night. Her stomach contorted when she remembered the hug, the way Catherine had stared at her across the fire. She shrugged the memory away. They’d all been in shock and needing reassurance, that
’s all. Catherine’s gay, a little voice in the back of her mind reminded her. Robyn ignored it. Friends hugged all the time, it meant nothing.
The voices came from the creek. Catherine sat next to Ariana and Fletcher. They were awake. Robyn stumbled out of her sleeping bag onto the dewy grass, ran to the creek and engulfed Fletcher in a loud, squealing hug before turning to shake Ariana’s shoulders.
“You’re all right,” she stammered.
Catherine smiled as she wrapped a thick jacket closer around her shoulders. Robyn recognised it as Terence’s. A zipping noise preceded the arrival of the two boys. Sleepy and bed-headed, Terence and Derek straightened, squinting in the light, their annoyance replaced by excitement when they found the source of the commotion. Terence bounded over, gathering Ariana in a hug that half-knocked her over. Robyn felt a twinge at the understanding that passed between them. Catherine held up a hand. “Breakfast. Then the walkers will explain.”
Terence rummaged around for the clean pot. “Coming right up.”
Robyn cradled her porridge bowl in her lap, content to listen. It was a lot to take in.
“Spirit walkers?”
“Jericho’s a dragon –”
“– a monk?”
Terence raised an arm, and everyone quietened.
“Yeah, apparently only we can walk between this world and the spirit world.” Ariana dolloped more oats into her bowl. Terence passed her the maple syrup and watched wide-eyed as she set the porridge adrift in a sugary sea.
“Lenti says the walkers are part of a reincarnation cycle designed to keep the earth in balance.”
Derek snorted into his bowl. “Seriously?” He frowned when he registered the silence around him.
“Why not?” Terence wiped his glasses on the hem of his shirt. “Is it really so crazy, after everything we’ve seen?”
Derek searched out Robyn for support. She wavered. Science can’t explain everything; not yet, anyway.
“This convergent bond is different,” Robyn said. She wondered if she’d hurt his feelings, felt a weird urge to defend herself. Don’t ask for forgiveness or permission.