Paradigm (Travelers Series Book 3)

by Claudia Lefeve

  “Make that a Pinot Noir for me, thanks,” Jaime chimes in. “Looks like you’re on your own on the te-kill-ya front.”

  “Suit yourselves,” I say, motioning for the waiter to come take our drink orders.

  We’re having a great time now that I am able to relax and enjoy the company of my bestest friends. I don’t even allow myself the simple pleasure of watching the crowds, like I normally do. That is until tall, dark, and handsome catches my eye. There’s something familiar about the guy, but I just can’t seem to place him. Focusing my attention on him, I tune out everyone in the booth and watch the figure move aimlessly across the room. Maybe it’s the tequila talking, but I’m positive I know this guy from somewhere.

  “Hey, whatcha looking at?” Jaime inquires. She takes a look around the crowded bar, trying to find the object of my undivided attention.

  “Oh, nothing. Just thought I recognized someone I know.”

  “Anyone I know?” Alex asks, taking a look himself across the booth.

  “Yeah, Etta. Someone we know?” Jaime asks.

  Jaime knows pretty much everyone I know, as we’ve been best friends since forever, so there’s no way I’m saying. If I even hint at who I think I saw, I’m sure she’ll have plenty to say on the subject.

  “No, I think I’m just seeing things,” I say. Secretly, I keep an eye on the mystery man as I focus my attention back to my friends.

  “Anyone hungry? We could order some appetizers or something,” Brett offered.

  Jaime looks over to her boyfriend. “How can you be thinking about food again? We just had a big dinner like two hours ago. Besides, I’ve already wasted enough calories on Etta’s cake. I’ll pass.”

  Watching the two of them always amuses me. They recently started dating, and poor Brett doesn’t seem to mind that Jaime is the one to call the shots in their relationship. No doubt he’s awed by her natural model good looks and platinum blonde hair. It’d stop any guys in their tracks.

  “None for me, thanks,” I say, keeping one ear on the conversation at the table and one eye on Mr. Mysterioso.

  “Anything wrong, Etta?”

  “Huh? What?” I stammer, looking into Alex’s clear blue eyes. I feel bad for ignoring him, but there’s something about the stranger that has me fixated. “Everything is fine. I think it’s just the tequila and cake. Sugar and alcohol does not an alert person make,” I jest.

  Alex gives me a knowing smile. “How about we call it a night and let me take you home,” he offers.

  On one hand, I don’t want to leave, still trying to figure out the mystery behind the guy, but at the same time, I really am tired. Eating two slices of carrot cake and a shot of Mexican gold really isn’t much of a joke after all; it can make a girl drowsy.

  In the end, I take Alex’s advice and allow him to take me home. I’m starting to see things, and perhaps I went over my limit tonight. I bid my goodnight to Jaime and Brett, who opt to stay at the bar scene.

  “I’ll give you a call tomorrow,” Jaime shouts to be heard above the crowd as Alex and I slide out from the booth.

  As we make our way to the double doors, I take one last glance over my shoulder. The guy I’d been eyeing all night is looking directly at me. Our eyes lock for this briefest of moments, and my knees buckle. Alex holds on to my waist to steady me. I’m sure he’s thinking it’s the tequila shot.

  Never before have I ever experienced the chill that’s enveloped itself around my body. Staring right into his eyes has brought all those memories back. It really was Cooper. The man who approached me all those years ago in high school and the man whose offer I turned down.

  If I were alone, I’d have no problem walking right up to him to demand he tell me why he’s back. But I’m not alone. Jaime would no doubt start in on how creepy it is for him to be back after all these years, and Alex would want to know who he is. So it’s probably best I leave it well enough alone for now.

  Alex, not noticing my preoccupation over the crowd, tugs on my elbow. “Come on, hon, let’s go. Jaime and Brett will be fine without us. Don’t forget, I have an extra birthday surprise for you tomorrow afternoon. I want you to be clearheaded before I pick you up. ”

  “Okay,” I say, almost at a whisper. The thought of celebrating my actual birthday with Alex does have its appeal, but I’m still reluctant to leave now that I’d made contact with the mysterious Cooper. Knowing this isn’t the right time revisit old ghosts, I allow Alex to guide me out the door, although I have no doubt in my mind Cooper will reappear. It took four years for me to get over the fact that he would never come back.

  But now he has.

  Chapter Two

  The Magnificent Freaks

  Thornberry Reality 2017

  “To us freaks!” The group chortled after Etta.

  For the first time in a long time, the group forgot about what was going on in the world outside and enjoyed the camaraderie and laughter going within the confines of Etta and Cooper’s little house. It wasn’t often they came together for such a social occasion, but it was a much-needed distraction for what faced them outside those walls.

  Mission accomplished, Etta thought, as far as her birthday dinner was concerned. It allowed them to enjoy themselves as friends, versus remembering why they were brought together as a group in the first place. Their ragtag team that would have never become friends had destiny not brought them together.

  The group gathered around the Everett living room after enjoying the lovely chicken Cooper and Moose had received from one of the local farmers. It wasn’t an occasion they shared often, so they made sure to make the best of it. After a few jokes and laughter was had all around, they retired to the living room to figure out their game plan.

  “So, how do you suppose we go about approaching Etta this time?” Jenny asked. “I mean, obviously it all works out ‘cuz she’s still here and all… ” She stops to look at Etta. “But we all know the timeline can split again at anytime and poof!” She snaps her fingers. “She’s gone.” She looks over at Etta. “No offense.”

  They’d attempted to bring the past Etta back to her true reality. And while their mission had been successful, something or someone had interfered with the course of events and changed the path Etta was supposed to take. The Council immediately went to work on a way to get her back, and while they succeed in bringing her back a second time, several years off-schedule, they knew it was only a matter of time before she could disappear on them again.

  Etta shrugged off her friend’s comment. “None taken, besides, it’s a good question. I’m not exactly known for being a pushover, so what do you guys think? Any ideas?”

  After the split in the timeline, the task of rounding up their team fell on Cooper. He could have waited until he jumped back to retrieve Etta again, but the task of recruiting their team needed these last couple of years to hone in on their powers in order to take down Thornberry. Time was of the essence, and he couldn’t afford to wait for Etta in the event he failed in his mission to get her back. So he gathered the friends that now sat before them without her and waited for another opportunity to get Etta back.

  The efforts to get Etta back to this future reality wasn’t without its leaps and loops. Literally. Cooper had attempted to bring her back several times throughout various phases of her life. The first successful attempt had been when she was a teenager. However, the course of events changed and she never traveled to her destined reality in 2011. Since going back to that point in time could strain the paradigm of time, they had to come up with a different plan. One that has already proved successful, but because they were in the future, the efforts must be replicated.

  “I’m scheduled to go back two years in the past. That would put you at twenty-two. Is there anything about that time you’d relate to the most, darlin’?” Cooper asked.

  They key to bringing Etta back to the right reality was approaching her when she’d be the most receptive to the news that she was from another reality. The fact that she
was here with them now in the future world was not lost on them. The shifts in the timeline altered various realities, and while she was here, they still needed to ensure she remained in this reality.

  Moose chimed in next.“You know yourself best, Etta girl. What approach do you think will convince you that your life was basically a lie and that you’re needed here in this reality to help us stop Thornberry?” Moose, ever so blunt, had a point.

  Etta suddenly had a idea. “Did any of you ever read Dickens?” she asked.

  “Who?” Tyler, the quietest member of the group, responded first. “Never heard of Dickens, and I read a lot in the psych ward.”

  Moose squirmed in his seat next to Taylor. He had a major crush on her and hated when she talked about her time in the Dominion Hospital. He knew she wasn’t the one responsible for setting fire to her family home, and it killed him to know she spent most of her life in involuntary commitment. “Nope, me either.”

  Etta sighed. She knew her friends came from other realities that didn’t always share the same literature as she had growing-up. “Well, it was worth a shot. Charles Dickens was a legendary writer in my orphan reality. You couldn’t get through school without reading one of his classics.” As an orphan, or rather, when she lived in the reality in which she was lead to believe she was an orphan, she had developed a sort of kinship with the writer. His characters touched her in a way no author could. He would always remain one of her favorites. “I’m thinking a little Christmas Carol is in order,” she said, already scheming.

  “But it’s May,” one of the Dyson twins pointed out. “What does any of this have to do with Christmas?”

  “Yes, I know this, thank you, Chance. In the story by Dickens, Ebenezer Scrooge was visited by three ghosts,” Etta started.

  “I think you’re thinking of the three wise men who visited Jesus in the manger,” Jenny chimed in. “Is that the Christmas story you’re thinking of?”

  “No, Jenny. A Christmas Carol. I just said it was a story by Dickens.” She really did love Jenny, but sometimes she could be a bit spacey. “As I was saying, Ebenezer was visited by three ghosts: past, present, and future. If Cooper expects me to believe that he’s not only from the future, but a future in another reality in which I lead the rebellion against Thornberry, he’s going to need to bring in the big guns.” Etta looked around the room to make sure they were all listening. “And by that, I mean you guys.”

  Chapter Three

  Sweet Home Alexandria

  Present Reality

  The hangover I was afraid of getting is a massive understatement compared to what I actually feel like this morning. I know for a fact I didn’t have that much to drink last night, other than the tequila, but still—oh, my pounding head! Maybe it’s a combination of the tequila shot and my mind still buzzing over seeing Cooper again. After the incident at Battle Grounds all those years ago, I’d convinced myself that he’d never return, and now here he is. Why now, after all this time?

  As I try to forget the lasting image of Cooper at the bar last night out of my mind, I drag myself out of bed and head straight to the kitchen. Thankfully, I remembered to set the timer on my most prized possession: a Cuisinart Extreme Brew 3000. It’s not in my nature to buy something so extravagant as a two-hundred-dollar appliance when a simple, yet inexpensive, Mr. Coffee would do, but Audrey gifted me the Cuisinart for Christmas last year. It took brewing coffee to a whole other level.

  Mug in hand, I make my way over to the sofa and realize that my earlier assessment wasn’t too far off the mark. After sipping a few precious drops of caffeine, the tension I felt upon waking up begins to subside. My headache is now reduced to a dull annoyance, so I can rule out the amount of alcohol I drank, so it has to be Cooper weighing on my mind. People say everyone has regrets, and for the longest time I considered myself someone without any. But every now and then, I think back to that night at the coffee shop and wonder what my life would have been like had I left with him. Even after all these years, I never brought the subject up with Jaime, and I certainly never told Alex about my brief relationship with Cooper. Can one even call it a relationship when it was only a few chance encounters? Nonetheless, it was a chapter of my life that remained hidden in the back of my psyche.

  There’s a part of me that finds my internal musings about what happened all those years ago completely without reason. I still don’t have a clue why he sought me out and what it was he wanted. There’s a part of me that feels that it was something grander and it had to do with my future. My destiny. That, and he still haunts my dreams.

  Work is oblivious to what day of the week it is, even if it is my birthday. It’s business as usual at the office, as Audrey hands me cases to file and clients to call back. I don’t even mention my special day. Not even when she has me run errands all over town.

  By the end of the day, I’m just about ready to call it quits, when Audrey approaches me at my desk. I only hope she doesn’t hand me another brief to review.

  “You didn’t really think I’d forget your birthday, did you?”

  Actually, I did. But I can’t say that, so I opt for, “Of course not.”

  “Here,” she says, handing me a brightly colored wrapped box. “Happy Birthday, Etta.”

  Her words sound pleasant, but her tone is dry. Audrey is actually pretty gorgeous, with short blonde hair and an awesome figure. It’s just too bad she’s always so surly. Don’t get me wrong, she’s a pretty great boss to work for, and yeah, she always has me working long hours, but sometimes I wish she’d just learn how to smile or even appear to be jovial. I guess working as a family law attorney can drain the spirit out of you.

  “Oh my God, it’s an eStorm!” The new version just came out and I’ve been dying for one of these computer tablets for years. Audrey may be lacking in the warmth department, but she certainly doesn’t lack when it comes to gift giving. “You shouldn’t have.”

  “That’s so you can work from home,” she says, knowing I don’t have a computer at home.

  Well, so much for having fun on the internet or streaming video. Then again, I can still enjoy it when she doesn’t have me researching stuff at home. “This is great, really.”

  “You’re welcome. Now, don’t you have to be somewhere tonight with Alex?”

  That’s right! Alex is supposed to pick me up in an hour to take me for my birthday surprise. Hanging out with the gang was fun last night, but I’m looking forward to spending some quality alone time with Alex. That’s when I feel a twinge of guilt over thinking about Cooper. How can I think about him, when I have such a great boyfriend?

  I thank Audrey once again for the gift that’s now tucked carefully in my bag and head straight home. I don’t live far from the office, so I walk the few blocks home and barely make it in time to get ready for my date.

  “Happy birthday, Etta!” Alex’s voice carries throughout my small apartment. This is an example of those times when I actually regret something, like giving Alex a key to my place. I’m sure the neighbors next door can hear him whoop through the walls, but the irritation only lasts for a second as I find a grinning Alex waiting for me in the living room.

  “How’s the birthday girl today? Not still hungover, are we?”

  Sometimes his gushing over me can get a bit annoying, but I don’t push him away as he pulls me into a hug. I embrace him back and have to remind myself that I’m happy being with him. How can I not be? I mean, the guy is gorgeous and he’s going to law school for crying out loud. Isn’t stability something I’ve been waiting for all my life?

  Is this really what I want, though? Back in high school, the prospect of dating Alex was too much to hope for, and I have no reason to complain about having Alex as a boyfriend. But there’s that lingering feeling deep down inside where I know something isn’t right, and I’ve been feeling this way for months. I’ve never believed in soul mates, but if I did, I don’t think Alex is the one. I love him to death, but I’ve never felt that zing, the butterfli
es in the stomach reaction, that connects my soul to his. Then again, life isn’t a fairy tale. This is reality, and I have everything I want, which is more than some people get.

  “Not too shabby, all things considered,” I say, my voice muffled against his chest.

  “I was afraid you overdid things a bit last night.”

  “Me? Nah. Just a little sleep-deprived, that’s all.” I’m not going to mention how long it took me to fall asleep, nor all the work I had to do for Audrey today. I’m completely wiped out.

  “Well, I hope the surprise I have in store for you tonight will snap you back into the world of the living.”

  “Don’t keep me hanging. What are we doing?”

  “Oh, you’ll find out soon enough. Why don’t you finish getting dressed, and we’ll head on out? And don’t bother getting all dolled up just for me, we’re keeping it casual.”

  I snort as I hurry to the bathroom to freshen up. Fancy is hardly a term used to describe my fashion sense. If it weren’t for Audrey and her cast-offs, I’d probably wear jeans and a t-shirt on a daily basis.

  Alex isn’t kidding about making our outing a casual affair. When we leave my apartment, we don’t get into his car, but rather walk a couple of blocks until we reach our final destination. Good thing I decided to wear flops. Walking in heels would have proven difficult with the cobblestone streets in this part of Old Town.

  I’ve lived in this area for years, but I’m not familiar with this section of town. From the outside, it looks like a storefront. I hope we’re not going shopping. Alex knows how I feel about that. So now I’m even more curious about my birthday surprise. Alex leads me by the arm as we enter the store that boasts the most enticing smells. Lunch?

  “Welcome!” The salt-and-pepper-haired woman greets us as we walk into the studio kitchen. Looks like there are others already here, so I’m a bit embarrassed that Alex and I are one of the last ones to arrive. “My name is Maggie Thompson. Thank you for joining us today. I hope you will enjoy this lesson in baking basics!” The woman points to a shiny stainless steel stove.