QUANTUM (Portal Chronicles Book Three)

by Imogen Rose

  “Well, how am I connected with all this? What did he want with me?”

  “Like you assumed before, it’s probably a case of mistaken identity. What we don’t know is whether Raj has realized this yet or not. He may have let you go because he realized that he had the wrong person. But we can’t be totally sure, which is why I’m concerned about taking you back.”

  He relaxed back into the couch, throwing his arm around my shoulder and pulling me back with him. I wasn’t going to spoil it this time. I clenched my jaw shut to keep from speaking again. Talking could wait.

  ~

  He didn’t want to get too far from the cottage, so Raj asked the truck driver to let him out at the third rest stop away from it. The truck driver’s singalong to Shania Twain was driving him crazy anyway. He would check over the blueprints while he waited for Simla to find out if his buyer was still available. It had been a year, so there was a good chance that she wouldn’t even be able to contact him at this point. In which case, he would force Olivia to reset the portal from this end to open back in the present. If that wasn’t possible, he would have to manipulate one of the Wanderers to take him back. These blueprints were useless without a buyer. He would need his data at the other end to find another buyer if Masterson wasn’t interested.

  He trudged along to the motel alongside the highway and got himself a room. It was simple, a bit threadbare, but it would do. The TV worked, and that’s all he needed for a week’s entertainment. Most of that time would be spent dreaming about the new yacht he was going to purchase from the proceeds of the sale. He smiled. Things were finally looking up. All he now had to decide is where he wanted to live. The world and its dimensions were his oyster.

  ~

  I woke up with my face firmly planted in a scented, soft pillow. I breathed in the lavender aroma and felt relaxed as I turned over onto my back. A white, distressed chandelier dominated the ceiling. The morning sunrays coming through the uncovered windows played off the sparkly crystals hanging from the chandelier, creating dancing patterns on the light blue walls. I sat up and looked around trying to figure out whose room this was. There were no personal items in the room, so I couldn’t tell if it belonged to a boy or a girl. The books on the bookcase were carefully arranged to look nice, and consisted of a collection of travel books.

  How did I end up in this room? The last thing I remembered was sitting back and relaxing in David’s arms. What was with me? I never get close to anyone, male or female. Yet, here I was, throwing myself at a stranger like a love-starved puppy dog. ‘Nuff! Get yourself together, Arizona!

  I got up and walked to the door, which had a cute plaque that said Loo on it. Luckily, I knew that meant bathroom in British English. Once I was inside the loo, I quickly realized that this must be a bedroom specially put aside for guests–the basket full of goodies indicated so, along with the tidy towels embroidered with the word guest.

  After a quick shower, I went back into the bedroom to find that a set of clothes had been left for me on the bed. I looked around to make sure that whoever had left them was gone and then proceeded to examine them–jeans, a plain white t-shirt and flip-flops. Perfect. I threw them on and pulled my hair back into a ponytail while it was still wet. I felt so much better.

  As I walked down the stairway, I could hear noises coming from downstairs. I followed them into the kitchen where David and his mother were sitting engrossed in conversation.

  “Good morning,” I declared, to announce my presence. I felt a sense of excitement as David looked up and smiled at me–get a grip!

  “Good morning, Arizona. Did you sleep well?” Inez inquired, beckoning me to a chair by the kitchen table.

  “Yes, thank you. I did. The room’s very comfortable. How did I get up there?”

  “Oh, you fell asleep down on the couch. I carried you up and tucked you in,” David replied, still smiling. “How are your knees?”

  The thought of David carrying me up to the bedroom was both uncomfortable and exciting all at once. “Thanks, David. I mean for helping me upstairs. My knees are much better. Totally okay actually.” The pain seemed to have magically vanished.

  Inez stood up and walked over to the toaster. “Let me get you some breakfast. Bacon and eggs okay?”

  “Perfect, thanks,” I said gratefully.

  “Well, I want to head over to the hospital soon. I’ll leave you in David’s capable hands. You don’t have to be at the airport until five this afternoon, so I’m hoping that David will keep you entertained until then. David, perhaps you could show Arizona some of the sights?”

  David nodded as his mother put a plate in front of me and waved as she headed out the door. I picked up a fork and started shoveling the food into my mouth.

  “Hungry?” David laughed.

  “Mmm haa,” I mumbled.

  He sat back and watched me eat, sipping on a cup of coffee. When I was done, I carefully wiped my mouth–slobber is never a good look–and reached for some orange juice. “So, what are we going to do until we have to leave for the airport?” I asked.

  “Whatever you’d like. We can stay here and maybe play video games. Or we could go out. Whatever you want.”

  “Hmm. You know how I told you that my mom lives here in Mountain View?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, I really hate her and don’t particularly want to see her, but I am wondering where she is. I mean, no one seemed to know her at Ames and yet I’m fairly sure she said she works there.”

  “Well, Ames is a fairly big institution. Whoever you spoke to could be mistaken. Or perhaps she works at one of the satellite departments….”

  “I guess. I’d like to call Ames again, though.”

  “Sure. Once you’ve done that, I’d love to take you out to the lake. It’s one of my favorite places. We could stop and pick up some sandwiches on the way for a picnic. Sound good?”

  “Yup! Can I borrow your computer to get the info I need for Ames, and your cell?” I asked.

  He nodded and handed over his cell and pointed to the computer before he left me alone with them.

  I hit a brick wall again. No signs of Mom at Ames. Oh well, it’s not like it mattered. I didn’t really want to see her; it was just a bit strange, that’s all. I turned the computer off and went to find David.

  He was sitting waiting for me in the living room. My heartbeat instantly quickened as he smiled at me. I’m sure I went beet red–so embarrassing.

  “I’m ready to go.”

  “No luck?” he asked.

  “No, but it doesn’t matter.”

  “How so?”

  “Oh, I’ll tell you later. Let’s go. I feel house sick. I need to get out in the fresh air. You mentioned a trip to a lake. That sounds perfect.”

  The drive out to the lake was exhilarating. David tore through the streets of Mountain View and then we off-roaded through trees until we came to a spectacular lake. We brought our blankets and picnic over to the grass and sat down to enjoy the sunshine.

  David lay back and looked over at me as he shielded his eyes from the sun with his hand. He was so hot–not temperature-wise but looks-wise. I would guess he was about six-two or thereabouts. His messy blond hair and blue eyes (which twinkled in the sunlight)–hot. His most striking feature were his lips, though. I was totally mesmerized by them, especially when they broke into a smile revealing his perfect teeth–I wondered if he had needed to endure years of braces like I had.

  “So, tell me about yourself, Arizona,” he drawled.

  “What do you want to know?”

  “Everything.”

  “Why?” I couldn’t imagine why he would have any interest in my relatively boring life.

  “Well, we don’t have anything else to do at the moment,” he laughed. “Besides, I’m kinda curious.”

  “Not much to tell, really. I live with my dad, Dillard, in Princeton. I go to Princeton High, where I suck at my classes but I’m pretty good at ice hockey. I play for the varsity team. M
y parents are separated. My mom and my sister, Ella, live down here–apparently. I don’t have a lot of contact with them. I have issues with my mom, which I don’t really want to get into.”

  He nodded.

  “I have a dog, a Chihuahua, called Gertrude. She’s my favorite everything, I love her to death. That’s really it. Not much to know. What about you?”

  David reached for my hands and pulled me down beside him, resting my head on his shoulder.

  “What do you want to know?”

  “Have you lived here in Mountain View all your life?” I asked.

  “Pretty much. I go to Mountain View High and play ice hockey as well.”

  “Get out of here! Really? I had you pegged as more of a football player.”

  “Well, I do play football, as well. However, I had to choose, so I picked hockey. Do you like playing for the varsity team?”

  “Yeah, I love it! It took a while for the guys to accept me, but now it’s great!”

  “I’m guessing you date one of the guys on the team?” he murmured.

  “Fishing?” I laughed.

  He turned to look at me. “Maybe.”

  “Well, no. I don’t date.”

  “You don’t date? Why not?”

  “’Cause it’s stupid.”

  “So, if I asked you out on a date, you’d say no because it’s stupid?”

  “I guess.” I said, standing up. “This is a stupid talk. Let’s walk.”

  He got up and we walked along the lake, throwing the occasional pebble in and watching the ripples in the water. My knees had totally recovered, not a twinge. Would I say yes to a date if he asked me? This was kinda like a date and I had said yes. I liked being with him. He was easy company and he made me feel safe. He was easy on the eyes, as well–more than easy. Every time he smiled my heart seemed to skip a beat and I seemed to constantly yearn for his touch.

  “I would.”

  “You’d what?” he asked looking puzzled, throwing his pebble into the water and then turning to look at me.

  “I’d say yes if you asked me out on a date.”

  “You would?” he asked smiling, taking my hands and pulling me down to sit on the grass beside him. “Really?”

  I nodded, feeling a bit silly now. Why did I have to voice that out loud? Stupid mouth.

  “So, will you go out on a date with me?”

  “Yeah, but I don’t know when, I’m flying home today.” The thought of possibly never seeing him again made me feel oddly sad.

  “How about right now? We have a while before we have to head to the airport.”

  “Sure, why not?”

  “How are your knees?”

  “Good as new!”

  He took my hand and we walked back to the blankets. I thought he was going to lie down and we would spend our first, and possibly only, date relaxing in each other’s arms passing the time away. That would be perfect. However, he must have had other ideas. He quickly gathered the blankets and walked me back to his bike.

  “Where are we going?”

  “You’ll see,” he said mysteriously, as he secured my helmet. I climbed onto the bike behind him and held on as we rode back through the trees. A date–my first one. Well, first since that one with Jake in second grade, but that didn’t really count. It’s not that I hadn’t been asked out. I’d had pretty much the pick of the hockey team at school. I guess I was a bit shy in that aspect of my life. I didn’t quite know how to handle myself with boys other than to thump them. They did seem to like that.

  I felt differently around David than I did with other boys. I felt connected. Not that this could go anywhere. We lived way too far away from each other. So, I was going to savor every moment that we did have together, starting with the feel of hanging on to him as we rode through the streets.

  We stopped outside an ice rink. Perfect. A good skate around was exactly what I needed. My legs felt great. David took me by my hand as he led me through the doors into the rink. We had the best time, chasing each other around the ice. Then I fell. My knees were obviously not back to normal yet and just gave way. David scooped me up and carried me to the bleachers.

  “I’m sorry, Arizona. I shouldn’t have brought you here. Your knees aren’t okay, are they?”

  “It’s okay. I didn’t fall on them, no harm done.”

  He sat down and checked my legs out. I sat next to him, resting my head on his shoulder, breathing him in. As I looked up, I bumped my chin against his. He brushed his lips against mine and I felt like I was going to explode. I grabbed the back of his neck and brought him closer to me, kissing him right back. His lips were soft and warm, I felt like I was drowning into him. We sat there for ages, completely immersed in each other. Until his cell rudely interrupted us.

  “Hey, Mom. Yes, we are going to head over soon. How’s Dad?”

  I listened to David talk to his mom and then he gently lifted me off the bleachers, standing me up.

  “See if you can walk.”

  I took a couple of steps. I was fine, just a twinge, but I could walk. I nodded at David.

  “Good, let’s try not to put any unnecessary weight on them, though. Lean on me as much as you can.”

  We made our way back to his house on his bike and then waited for a cab to pick us up to take us to the airport.

  Once the flight was airborne and we were served refreshments, David sat back and took my hand. He pursed his lips and nodded, clearly needing to say something.

  “What?” I asked, a little concerned.

  “Nothing. Well, I guess that’s not entirely true. I’m gonna miss you.”

  I nodded and squeezed his hand. I was going to miss him, too. In the short time we’d been together, we had totally connected in a way that I hadn’t with anyone before. The thought of never seeing him again was unbearable. I could feel myself welling up with tears and I hastily shook myself.

  “Arizona?”

  “David, why did you call me Poppet when you first saw me?” It was one of the questions that had been bugging me. It was almost like he thought he knew me.

  He flinched. “I mistook you for someone else I know.”

  “Who?”

  “Just a girl, I know.”

  “Know? Is her name Arizona? Should I be jealous?”

  He laughed. “No, you shouldn’t. And yes, strangely she is called Arizona as well. She’s a family friend. I’ve known her for a long time.”

  “Kinda odd, mistaking me for someone you’ve known for a long time….”

  “Well, she has blonde hair, but you guys look a lot like each other apart from that.”

  “All right, I guess that explains it. So, you’re not seeing anyone?”

  “No. I’d like to be seeing you,” he whispered.

  “I’d like that too, but we live so far apart. Chances are that we’ll never see each other again. Unless I start visiting my mother in Mountain View! She’s supposed to come up to Princeton soon for her vacation, so I’ll get all her info off her then. I never took any interest before. I’ll consider putting up with her if it means I can see you.”

  David leaned forward and kissed my brow. “We’ll work something out.”

  I spent the rest of the flight telling David about myself–my childhood in London and our move to New Jersey. We both nodded off toward the end of the flight and were woken up by a flight attendant beckoning us to secure our seatbelts for landing.

  As we made our way through Newark airport, I was overcome with gloom. I hated the thought of saying goodbye to David. I wasn’t the least bit ready to let go. He was going to accompany me back to the house, but had decided to not come in to make explaining things to my dad less complicated. He had to get right back to catch his flight home anyway.

  As we stood outside my house, beside the cab, saying our goodbyes, the front door to the house opened.

  “Arizona, is that you?” Dad shouted.

  “Yeah, I’ll be right in.”

  “Hurry up!”

 
“I’m coming, hold on! David, I have to go.”

  “Bye, babe,” David whispered into my ear, kissing it gently, before letting go of me and stepping back in the cab.

  A tear trickled down my cheek.

  Agent Claire Adams shook out her blond wisps of hair and studied the crumpled note in her hand. Perhaps she ought to put it into storage, cold-case it with the rest of the stuff from the Darley-Fox case. She looked at the note again.

  time travel

  Two simple words, written on a white, crumpled piece of paper, handed to her secretively by Ariele Moreau. It had to be some kind of code, of course. She hadn’t been able to crack it. Neither had any of the techies. She scrambled around looking for a picture of Ariele in the cardboard box sitting on her desk. She had brought the box out for one last look before she filed it away. Claire studied Ariele’s beautiful face staring back at her from the photo. Claire had always been slightly envious of such flawless, natural beauty–the chestnut hair cascading down Ariele’s shoulders framed her heart-shaped face perfectly. The haunting green eyes had a story to tell, she was certain of that. She’d been unable to get permission from her parents to talk to Ariele on her own. It was pointless talking to her in their presence; after all, it was them she had hidden the note from in the first place.

  She glanced over at the unopened book beside the box. Time Travel in Einstein’s Universe by J. Richard Gott. She’d ordered it ages ago and then became busy with another case–a case she had successfully wrapped today. She should be out celebrating. So, why ponder over this old case?

  The case was now a year old and still unresolved, and for as long as it remained so, there was always a chance that the children were at risk. She and her team had concluded that Raj Sen’s disappearance was permanent. Conclusions, though, could be flawed. No one, including his daughter, had seen or heard from him. His wife, Erica, had disappeared–off to join her husband, no doubt. Apparently, life in Mountain View was back to normal. Claire should let it rest. She should move on, forget about it. The kids were back, her work was done. She should file it, at least while the case remained static.