“What if there are people here?” I whispered. There was no rationale to me whispering.
“We play stupid, walk into the tree line and disappear into thin air,” he laughed. His hands closed then opened, acting out a “poof” gesture.
Luckily the house was vacant. After a quick tour of the open concept, three bedroom, two bath house, I showered and cleaned myself up. I had packed some light clothing in anticipation of teleporting somewhere warm. As I brushed my hair, I saw the space above my cheekbones already starting to bruise from being hit in the nose so hard. My poor nose was taking a beating lately. Taylor was more concerned over the nose bleeds than I was. I chalked most of them up to “psychic overload.” I figured it was caused by overexertion. It probably wasn’t the best thing for my body to be dissolving all over the place let alone forcing myself to bring other people with me.
I met up with Taylor in the kitchen who was busy opening a variety of canned food with an electric can opener. He was showered and wearing a fresh t-shirt and shorts. The previous tenants had left some clothes behind along with a supply of unopened toiletries such as extra tooth brushes, deodorant, body wash and so on. I guessed they kept this place well stocked with items as you couldn’t just run to the corner store whenever you wanted.
“I’m so happy this place invested in solar panels since I couldn’t get the generator going,” he said as he continued to open his cans. “Unfortunately, there is no food in the fridge but there is plenty of food in the pantry.”
I sat at one of the stools by the breakfast counter. “So, your cousin Varian – who do you think he’s working with if it’s not your father?” My thoughts were on Triona. How else did not just one, but two bad guys seemingly working with different groups find us so quickly if they hadn’t been tipped off? We were only gone a few hours from the farmhouse when they appeared. I shuddered at the thought of what might have happened had we not decided to leave when we did. I bit my lip thinking about how awful I felt knowing that it was because of me and my stupid stones that we had returned. Then again, maybe this was supposed to happen so we could look at things from a different perspective.
Taylor carried a few bowls of food to the counter and sat down beside me. I opted for the canned peaches. I was going to pose my question again, but Taylor finally spoke.
“Of course Varian is working with my father. He was just trying to mess with my head.” He filled his face as he had a never ending appetite.
I swallowed the fruit. “I don’t know Taylor. He looked genuinely surprised when you questioned him about trying to kill me.”
Taylor rubbed his temple. “Yes, he did. And Varian isn’t the violent type. My father must have somehow manipulated his help by promising no one would get hurt.”
He could have fooled me that Varian wasn’t violent. I had seen the two of them wrestling in the living room fighting to their deaths. But Varian didn’t have a weapon like the bald man. Maybe the two of them weren’t working together after all. But what were the odds of Varian and the bald guy being at the farmhouse at the same time. Somebody had to be playing both sides. There was no other explanation.
“I have no idea what we’re up against, Lacey. Varian wasn’t even part of the time travel program. If he’s not working with my father then there are at least two separate groups hell bent on stopping us.” Taylor hopped off his stool and rummaged through cupboards until he found a bottle of scotch. He poured some into a glass and sucked it back like water.
I moved to his side. He lifted the bottle to offer me a drink. My stomach flipped and I held up the palm of my hand like a traffic cop. “No, no. I’m good.” My hangover was still fresh in my mind. “He said he was trying to help us.”
Taylor quickly poured himself another drink. He swallowed so fast, I doubted he had time to even taste it. Maybe that was the intention. “It was a lie. He was sent to intercept us. You heard him say he was bringing me home.”
“Maybe you should slow down a bit,” I suggested. Varian had also said the sequence of events wasn’t right. Taylor was in no mood to think about the possibility that Varian really was sent to help us as some sort of messenger.
Taylor let out a loud sigh. “You’re right. Maybe we should do something else to take my mind off of my good-for-nothing family betraying me.”
He took off his shirt and dropped his shorts and underwear to the floor. In a flash he was running naked towards the ocean.
I opted to join him for a swim but in my bra and panties. At least I would be somewhat clothed in case we had to teleport quickly.
BOOK TITLE
17.
NO JOKE
The island had a beautiful dirt running trail that I put to good use. The ocean was refreshing after my jogs and the clean air kept my thoughts pure. This place was paradise and I didn’t ever want to leave. Of course, I knew eventually we would have no choice. The logical side of me packed my bag, which I kept safely stored beside the bed, with supplies for the two of us. Just in case we had to depart quickly. I even made sure my stones were safe and secure in the side pouch.
My arm hung over the side of the bed. I didn’t know which woke me up first; the tingling sensation from cutting off the blood flow to my arm or the voices in the kitchen.
I heard the heavy glass door close and the thumping of bags dropping to the floor. Two distinct set of footsteps paced the front entrance.
“Dan, I thought you said the Austin’s had agreed to switching weeks with us?” asked a hoarsely female voice.
“They did. I have the email to prove it,” answered a deep male voice.
I shook Taylor who was still sleeping soundly. When he opened his eyes, I put my finger over my mouth and pointed in the direction of the unwelcomed visitors.
Taylor nodded. I reached for my bag and held Taylor’s hand. We had decided earlier that we would avoid confrontation in the event that people suddenly showed up. We knew this place wouldn’t be vacant for long. People paid good money for this timeshare.
We landed softly in some bushes outside a resort. Hawaii maybe? The woman had said the name Dan when speaking to her partner. I thought of the line “Book ‘em Danno” from the TV show “Hawaii Five-O.” I laughed inside at my silly thoughts and how they took me to the most unexpected places.
Taylor and I changed into clothes from our bag as we hid behind the bushes and waited for our chance to blend in. Once the coast was clear, we walked hand in hand down the pathway towards the sandy beach.
As it was Spring break, the beach was packed with vacationers. I still had some money in my bag and a fake credit card. The odds were slim that a room would be available anywhere but we walked along the beach to another path that led to the lobby of a fancy hotel.
A dark skinned man with a goatee and sporting a bright flowered shirt greeted us at the counter. My hair was still a mess from waking up and my teeth felt furry. I grabbed one of the mint candies from the ceramic bowl on the counter. I peeled off the wrapper and chewed it rather than sucking on it. There was nothing worse than speaking to someone with bad breath. Plus I had to try to work some of my charm.
“Aloha,” he said.
“Aloha,” I replied smiling and patting down my frizzy hair. “I know this is a long shot, but the hotel down the road double booked our room. The guy at the desk suggested we come here to see if maybe you had something?” I batted my eyes in a poor attempt at flirting. Taylor coughed beside me trying to hide his laugh.
“Oh, you must have spoken with my cousin Akoni.” He typed on the keyboard in front of him. “It looks as if we had a no show for one of our suites. Hmm….there’s a note in the comments – death in the family – so they won’t be coming at all. It’s available until the end of the week.”
“We’ll take it,” I said a little too eagerly. I grabbed my wallet from the side pouch of my bag.
“It’s pretty pricey.” He arched his brow. We weren’t exactly dressed for success.
I slapped a credit card on the cou
nter. “It shouldn’t be a problem.” I batted my eyes again.
Before heading to our room, we stopped at the gift shop to buy some more toiletries and bathing suits. Somehow Taylor convinced me to buy a red bikini.
The suite had one king sized bed, a kitchenette and a living room with a flat screen television. A metal balcony over looked the beach. Below the balcony to the far left was a kidney shaped pool.
“I’m starving,” said Taylor.
“Order some room service while I freshen up. Then we’ll go sun bathing and swimming.” I dangled the bikini in front of him as I walked backwards towards the bathroom.
Taylor’s green eyes lit up and he swallowed hard. That was exactly the reaction I was going for.
After cleaning up and donning my so out of character bikini, I grabbed a plate of food and walked to the balcony to join Taylor. I placed my plate on the table and headed back inside to grab a cup of coffee.
For some unexplainable reason, I searched my bag for my two stones: apophyllite and Jet. I cupped them in one hand and carried my coffee in the other. I placed them in the middle of the table and sat down to eat.
Taylor eyed me impassively. I shrugged my shoulders. “I like them,” is all I said.
The next day, Taylor insisted that we allow ourselves to let loose and do things that normal vacationers did. He suggested scuba diving but we eventually compromised on snorkeling.
There were two reasons why I was not comfortable scuba diving. The first was that a scuba course was required and during the busy Spring break, this was easier said than done. We obviously didn’t pre-book due to our unexpected arrival. I’m sure we could have found someone on the island to teach us, but I couldn’t be certain that they were qualified.
The second reason was because of my strange dream. I didn’t share this second reason with Taylor because he would have said it was stress induced or paranoia. Maybe it was a little of both but I was not willing to take that chance. I was leery of my dreams.
It had started off as a happy dream. Taylor looked sexy as usual in his wet suit. The two of us were on a boat that had taken us just past an island to a bay of blue and green water. The tour guide said it was his favorite spot to dive.
Taylor and I each put on our air tanks and breathing apparatus. Like a pro, Taylor flipped backwards over the edge of the boat and into the water while I opted to jump off the side feet first.
Once under the water, Taylor gave me a thumbs up. I swam to him and grabbed one of his hands. Together we descended to the bottom. There was remnants of a fishing boat that sunk and was now part of the ocean floor and home to multicolored fish and other spectacular water creatures.
Taylor released my hand and swam to the front of the boat to investigate. I watched a school of fish go by and put my hand out. I laughed to myself as they changed directions.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a bigger creature moving towards me. It was a turtle. I didn’t think they swam this deep below the surface but what did I know? He moved faster than a turtle should. I turned my head to where I had last seen Taylor but he was gone.
Panic was setting in. I turned again to face the turtle that was still swimming towards me. But then he started to change right in front of my eyes. He grew human legs and arms and transformed into a bald headed dark spirit! I kicked at him but he was too fast.
He grabbed my leg and spun me around in the water. Then he pulled out a knife and cut the tubes that were connected from my tank to my mask. I tried to swim to the surface but I was blocked. Every stroke only knocked me farther down, deep into the dark abyss below.
When I awoke from this horrible nightmare, I was gasping for air. My body relaxed when I realized it was only a dream. It probably was due to stress but just to be safe, I would stay closer to the surface. Snorkeling was the only adventure I was willing to partake in.
Armed with our snorkels, masks and fins, Taylor and I hopped on a boat that brought us to a shallow bay. It did not look anything like from my dream so I felt better about that.
Taylor held his breath and ventured deeper underwater. I was perfectly content swimming along the surface. Plus I hadn’t mastered the technique of blowing out water through my snorkel. Knowing my luck, I would choke to death on the water. No thank you.
Taylor rose to the surface. “Come under the water, Lacey. It’s amazing under here,” he said after removing the snorkel from his mouth.
I smiled. “I’m fine here, thanks.”
His face became serious. “Is everything okay with you?”
“Of course,” I lied. I forced a smile for good measure. Taylor put on his snorkel, blew out some water and went back under the water.
The truth was that I didn’t feel okay. My nightmare had rattled my nerves. I tried not to let it interfere with my vacation but it was constantly in the back of my mind.
I thought of Zed and Triona and wondered what they were doing. I had the emergency cell in my bag back at the hotel room but we hadn’t received any calls. No news was good news.
Then I thought of Kate and our fake memory about the time we did not really go deep-sea diving in the Caribbean. I wondered if she still recalled those silly stories.
Taylor and I would certainly remember this time together. An ominous feeling ran through my body. If Taylor and I were successful in our missions, the future would change.
It would be as if the original future never happened. The population would never even know about the nuclear disaster. They would live a completely different existence.
Taylor wouldn’t remember me!
I was quieter than usual at supper that night. I only picked at my food. It was only a matter of time until Taylor finally confronted me.
“I know something is wrong. Please don’t shut me out,” he pleaded.
That was the last thing I wanted to do. I finally gathered the courage to spit it out.
“This time travel thing is very technical and of course I don’t really understand all the aspects to it.”
Taylor eyed me curiously. I was trying to get straight to the point but the words wouldn’t come together properly.
“Okay, here it is. If we change the future, how on earth can you remember coming back in time and all of this?” I waved my arms around at my sides.
“You’re not the only one that has thought of that. The scientists have a theory that anyone who travels through time will remember both realities. They think that the “essence” is like a sponge with a one way valve. All information is stored and can never be erased.” He looked at me for my reaction.
Since Taylor had experienced both realities, he would remember both. “I’ll buy that. But what about those who do not travel through time?” I squinted my nose.
“Well, the information about the time travel program and my current future has all been saved on microchips. The scientists and all personnel involved will be implanted with these microchips so that they too will have both sets of memories.” He took a drink of water.
I nodded. It seemed plausible. I couldn’t be certain that these theories were accurate but I couldn’t argue with the logic. I didn’t quite understand how the microchips could keep information stored that didn’t happen even if the first time around they did happen. Hmmm. Too complicated for me. After all, I was a mind reading, telekinesis using, teleporting controller who sat across from a cloned individual from the future.
“Is that all? Is anything else bothering you?” he asked as he placed his hands over mine.
“I’m good. I’m just nervous about the next mission. May is just around the corner.” I stared directly into his dazzling eyes so he would know that I was being truthful.
After supper we went back to the hotel for some much needed rest.
Taylor always had to be doing something. The next day we toured around the island. I should have worn my running shoes but wore my sandals instead. I complained that my feet were sore so we headed back to the hotel.
Once we were back in our
room, Taylor jumped on the bed and stretched out to watch television. I sat in the lounge chair on the balcony wearing my bikini so I could soak up some rays. I grabbed my stones that had been on the table since I had placed them there days earlier.
I closed my eyes and drifted to sleep. Immediately I dreamt of the nuclear power plant. A voice screamed out to me. “Lacey, I need your help NOW!”
I bolted from the chair and ran inside to slip on shorts and a t-shirt. Taylor was still lazing on the bed watching a comedy.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“Triona’s in trouble.” I threw him his shoes.
“What? No. They would have communicated with us.”
“She called out to me. We have to go. Trust me.” I slipped into my sandals.
“Is this a belated April Fool’s joke?” he asked still not convinced.
“No joke, Taylor,” I yelled.
He must have sensed the panic in my voice because he jumped out of bed and slid on his shoes. There was no time to grab anything else. Taylor squeezed me tightly.
I was thinking of the room with the computer monitors but we had landed on a yellow metal walkway over looking the floor of a large bay. Sirens wailed as employees scattered towards the exit.
I turned around to see Zed holding Triona’s head in his hands. Her body was limp. I was too late.
“Triona!” I yelled. Maybe she was just unconscious.
“She’s gone,” said Zed. “She’s already activated her retrieval sequence to the mainframe.”
“What’s going on?” demanded Taylor. “It’s not even May yet?”
Zed stood up. “It’s all gone to shit.”
I didn’t see it happen but I heard it. Taylor banged his head off one of the support posts and fell onto the walkway. When I turned, I saw that his forehead was bleeding badly.
Broken - Afflictions of the Evolved (The Evolved Trilogy) Page 12