by Jacob Long
"He's actually out of town until tomorrow," I repeat the information to the rest of them as I receive it from RT. "Oh great," Callum says. "Now we have to wait." "No, this is good," I reply. "This gives us time to come up with a plan." I start to feel a little faint. Xyla notices. "We should get that knife out of you." She grabs the bed sheets and walks over to me, gesturing to the chair nearby. "Here, sit down." I pull the knife out, and she places a bandage on the wound. She applies pressure as if she's done this before. She looks to Callum and Real Jayden. "Can one of you grab the medical kit out of my backpack?" "It'll be okay. I heal quickly," I say. "You're going to need stitches," she replies. "Do you always tend to the wounds of your stab victims or am I just one of the lucky ones?" A slight smile forms across her lips.
It's the first of its kind that I've seen. I'm surprised. I guess I didn't expect to see a smile from such a stern warrior. Maybe she's more than just a soldier with a tendency towards physically attacking me. First impressions are incomplete, after all. Real Jayden brings the medical kit over, and Xyla stitches me up while RT informs us about the Senator's schedule for the next day. We spend the next few hours working out a plan. RT tells me that he is working on an imitation device designed specifically for the car. That way we can use the other three devices for us. I manage to get Xyla to smile a few more times.
Real Jayden talks to her quite a bit as well. It seems as though he may be crushing on her. We finish up the planning, and Real Jayden sits back on the couch, stretching his arms out. "Who wants to order pizza?" "Sure," says Callum. "What does that mean?" I can't say that I wasn't thinking the same thing myself. "Do you guys not order out for food on your world?" Neither Callum nor I know how to respond. Real Jayden stares at us strangely for a moment and quickly turns his attention to Xyla. "What about you? Do you guys order food in your dimension?" "Yes, but it's a lot healthier than most of the stuff that they prepare here." "Oh, so does it taste nasty?" Real Jayden asks.
"Actually, all of the restaurants are regulated by a team that is made up of dietitians and culinary experts. They have spent decades developing healthy and delicious food." "Huh, wow," he replies. "Your world sounds wonderful. Let's go there and order out." Xyla laughs. "Yeah, I don't think we have time for that. We'll have to settle for some greasy pizza from your world this time," she teases. For a moment, it's almost as if the two of them are in a room alone. Then she turns to Callum and I. "What do you guys think, should we trust this guy to order us some good food?"
"He hasn't let me down so far," I say. "What about the pool incident?" Callum asks. "Oh, yeah. There is that." I reply. "Well, I think I'll give him another chance. Besides, I think you were the one that got us in trouble with that." Callum smiles as if he is proud of his doggy paddling adventure that got the police chasing after us. "Fair enough," he says. "Let's order some pizza." The pizza comes. We eat. We relax. I don't say much, but I almost feel like I may be enjoying my time spent with these people. Even Callum is not that bad.
While sitting and talking with everyone, I find my thoughts wandering off. Mostly, I think about Elena. She's the place that my mind lands whenever I have a spare moment, which lately hasn't been very often. I look over to see Real Jayden looking at me. Does he know that I've been thinking about Elena? Who knows, but it seems like neither of us feels like talking about it right now. He gets up and grabs the guitar from the corner of the room. Finally. He's been eying that thing all night, almost as much as he's been eying Xyla. I can't say I blame him though. She is a beautiful girl and easy to talk to when she's not throwing knives.
Since he's been warming up to her all night, I have a feeling that a serenade is coming on. He may try to keep it subtle, although, I don't see that happening. He walks over to the guitar and picks it up. As he starts tuning it, everyone else takes a seat on the couches. Real Jayden looks around. “Oh, you're all going to listen? Oh good.” He seems a little nervous. Xyla leans forward, ready to listen intently. “Yeah don't worry about it. There's no judgment here. Right guys?” Callum nods. I sit back and relax into the sofa. “Oh yeah, no worries. I've always wanted to hear myself play the guitar.” Real Jayden smiles. “Alright, well, this is an original song I wrote a while ago while I was thinking about girls and alternate dimensions. I know that it seems fairly fitting given the circumstances, but I promise you, I'm not a psychic.
He looks at the guitar and lifts his arm up as if he's about to play. Then he looks up and around at everyone. “Okay, I'm just going to start now.” He turns his attention back to the guitar and starts strumming. It's actually not bad. The intro doesn't last very long before he belts out-
“Somewhere in the cosmos,
I know you're looking for me
You're funny, and you're smart
and terribly pretty
Take my heart and watch it unfurl,
for you my alternate universe girl
I don't know how, but I'll get to you someday
Maybe I'll build an inter-dimensional gateway
Pack my bags and get out of this town
My life will never be complete without you around
You're the greatest thing
that's never happened to me
Maybe that's cuz I just don't do dating
I'll get to know all the things that you like to do
I'll cheer you up whenever you're feeling blue
Take you out to get some ice cream
Sit and talk about all our life schemes
Go to a park and play like we are small
Hey, that's what it's all about after all
And if you get sick,
I'll hold your hair back while you hurl
You know, I'd do anything for
my alternate universe girl
I'd be with you through the good times
and the bad
You're one of those girls that's so beautiful even when you're sad
I wanna laugh with you until we both cry
I wanna wipe the teardrops from your eyes
Break through the gates, and into your world I'll fight to the end just to be with
my alternate universe girl
Not bad. Real Jayden even managed to make Xyla blush a little. She starts clapping and we all join in. "That's really good." "Wow," says Callum. "You must be really in tune with the universe or just a really big nerd to come up with that song." Those are my thoughts exactly. The lyrics resonated with me a little too well. It's as if, Real Jayden and I had some sort of mental connection before I even came to this world. "I think it's a little bit of both," he replies. "Fair enough," Callum says. "How long have you been playing?" Xyla asks. "For about five years now," he replies.
I have to admit; I think I'm a little bit jealous. I've always wanted to play the guitar but never got around to it. Real Jayden smiles, a little embarrassed. Callum turns to me with a smirk. "Why don't you play something for us?" I stare at the guitar for a moment. "I'm afraid that wouldn't be much to listen to. Maybe I'll have Real Jayden give me some lessons when this is all over." "Yeah, no problem. And you can teach me how to create fire with my bare hands." "Yeah, I'll see what I can do about that."
The four of us spend the rest of the evening going over the next day's plan for capturing the senator. They tell some stories and some jokes. They try to get me in on it, but I subtly redirect the conversation back to anyone else as soon as I can. When it gets too late, we divide off to our sleeping quarters. Xyla takes the master bedroom, and Real Jayden takes the guest bedroom. That leaves Callum and me with the two couches. Fortunately, the furniture is so comfortable, it's like sleeping in a bed. For the first time in a while, I think I might get a decent nights sleep.
I press down the accelerator of an unrecognizable sports car. It accelerates down the winding road as we come out of the canyon. The vehicle is similar to the Lamborghini Urus, but it is much more like a race car than what Real Jayden refers to as an SUV. The top is down, and the breeze feels amazing. I look over to see that
Elena's black hair is flying into her face. We smile at each other, and I hand her a rubber band from the center console. She ties her hair into a ponytail and reaches over, grabbing my hand.
I take us to the movie theater where Real Jayden works, or perhaps used to work. I park at the edge of the hill, overlooking another parking lot. Real Jayden is standing inside the box office when we walk up. He's dressed in my ISF uniform, and I'm dressed in his civilian clothes. He smiles and passes us two tickets through the hole under the glass barrier. Xyla walks up behind him, and takes his arm. They smile at us as Elena takes my arm and we walk through the doors.
Elena and I walk up to RT who bows to us. We smile and bow in return. He rips our tickets and hands them back to me. That's when I notice that the abbreviation: G, O, T, G 3 written by hand onto the ticket with a pen. RT directs us straight ahead. Once inside of the theater, Elena takes her ponytail out. We lift the armrest up, and she nestles into me as we watch the movie.
After the movie is over, we go outside, and I open the car door for her. Once she gets in, I go around to the other side and do the same. We gaze at each other and scan around the area to see that we're the only ones in this parking lot and the one below. We look at each other again. She leans over, and we start to kiss. The center console is making this difficult, so after a few seconds, I scoop her up by her thighs and lift her up, pulling her over to my seat.
A loud blare of noise disrupts the peaceful night. Elena's butt is pressing up against the car horn. I slide my hand down to the seat lever and lean us both backward. The seat drops abruptly, and her face nearly smacks into mine. We hold still for a moment in shock before bursting into laughter. We look each other in the eyes as we catch our breath and calm down. Then I reach up and brush her hair out of her face. My hands move to her hips as she leans in and presses her lips against mine. As we kiss, my lips begin to warm up significantly.
It quickly turns into a burning sensation, and Elena pulls away. I open my eyes, to see that she is on fire. I reach out to hold her, but the flames singe the skin on my hands. It's been a while since I have felt that kind of pain. I look around to see that the entire car is on fire. “Spasi Menya, Zvezda Moya,” Elena cries as she stares into my eyes. Suddenly, the car is gone, and she is lifted into the sky. I reach out for her, and
I sit up on the couch, yelling only to see Real Jayden do the same thing. My lungs are pumping violently, I look at him. Did we just have the same dream? Neither of us decides to say anything about it. After a moment, I get up and walk over to the kitchen. Real Jayden readjusts himself on the sofa and goes back to sleep. I get a drink of water and stare out into the city. I have that feeling like I'm not going to be able to go back to sleep, so I decide to go over the details of the plan again. After me, Callum is the first one up. He walks in and heads straight to the bathroom without saying a word.
He seems groggy, and his hair is disheveled. I guess that he must have transformed into his wolf form last night and rolled around on the floor. After a twenty minute shower, he emerges a new man. Xyla and Real Jayden are still sound asleep. At this point, I decide to make breakfast. Maybe the smell of sizzling bacon will wake them up. It works like a charm. At least for Real Jayden anyway. Of course, Xyla is behind a closed door so she might not even smell the bacon. Almost as soon as I finish cooking the food, she emerges from her room, dressed for the day.
"Wow, a warrior and a chef. I'm impressed," she says as she takes the middle seat at the bar in between Real Jayden and Callum. "Well chef may be a bit of a stretch, but I do know my way around a frying pan." When breakfast is over, I grab a sponge, turn the water on, and start cleaning the dishes. Xyla looks at me and chuckles. "You don't want to leave any traces behind huh?" I smile as I rinse off a plate and set it in the drying rack. "I mean, I know we've stolen this guy's food, but that doesn't mean we can't be respectful of his dishes." She looks to Real Jayden for his opinion. "Don't look at me. I feel the same way," he says. She smiles. "Of course you do."
She pushes herself away from the bar. “I'm going to go get my gear on.” “That sounds like a good idea,” says Callum. As they walk back to their rooms, I set the last plate on the rack. I grab the silverware and use the sponge to scrub the food off. As I do so, I remember the first time that Elena and I cooked together. We both washed the dishes afterward. Washing dishes is one of those things that I have done countless times, but when I think of it, I always think of the times that I did it with her. It's the same with everything. Sometimes I feel like I can't take a breath without thinking of her taking a breath. Like when she would get frustrated and let out an exasperated sigh. Everything reminds me of her.
I turn the water back on to rinse the silverware, and I notice Real Jayden gazing out toward the patio. "Are you good, man?" It takes a few seconds before he shakes out of his haze. "Huh? Oh yeah. No, I was just thinking... I was thinking about playing the guitar last night. I've never played in front of strangers like that," he says. I get the sense that he's telling the truth, but there's something that he's leaving out. "Well, I couldn't tell at all. Seriously, I wish I could play like that." He stands up and walks over to the guitar. "Maybe you can. Have you ever tried?"
He picks up the guitar and holds it out to me. "Come on." "My guitar back on the first island was destroyed. I played a few chords. Nothing much," I reply. "Let's hear it," he says still holding it in the air. "All right. I'll see what I can do." I walk over, grab the guitar and sit down. "What do you want to hear? How about the G chord followed by the C chord followed by the D chord? Because that's all that I can remember."
He smiles. "Play my song." I look at him, puzzled. "Your song?" Yeah. The one that I played last night." "I've never played your song. I've only heard it once." "Go ahead," he says. Just try it." Although I feel crazy for doing so, I decide to try it out. As I begin strumming, it starts to come back to me. It's as if I had played the song several times before. I don't get every word right, or strum every chord as well as he did, but I manage to play the first verse. I stop playing and turn to Real Jayden. “How did you know I could do that?” I ask. “I had a hunch,” he smiles.
"When I was playing the guitar last night, I felt more confident than ever before. I think that your confidence rubbed off on me. I mean, I know you don't have particular confidence with playing guitar, but I could feel your general sense of confidence. Just how you picked up the guitar and started playing with only slight hesitation even though you have only played a few times in your life. And you were able to play my song even though you have only heard it once. I think there is some a crossover effect that is created between us the longer that we are around each other in the same world." "That makes a lot of sense," I say. "That's why we began to recall each other's memories back at the theater," he continues.
I just hope that there aren't any complications with the crossover effect. "I think you're onto something. Although, we need to make sure that we don't let this distract us during the mission," I say. "Yes, of course," Real Jayden replies. The master bedroom door opens, and Xyla walks out. She stops to look at me holding the guitar. "Oh, so you do play?" she asks. I didn't notice all of her gear before. It's very similar to mine, except for a few differences. One alteration is that she doesn't have manica on her forearms. All of her tools and equipment are either in her backpack, vest, or belts. Aside from her waist belt, there are two smaller belts tied around her thighs. Each one has a small pistol. She is dressed to kill. Literally. “It was more like a beginner's luck type of thing.” I hand the guitar back to Real Jayden. “Right,” she says.
Another difference between her's and my suit is that her's has a lot of purple throughout the design. She has a flag on her left shoulder. In the center of the flag is an outline of the earth. On either side of it are two hands with the palms facing slightly upward as if they are about to catch it. “Is this your United Nations flag?” Real Jayden asks her as he stares at it with fascination. “Yes. It is somewhat different than the one that you
have here, isn't it?” She replies.
"Yes, it is. I mean, I guess it would be considering our United Nations are a bit different from one another." He smiles and looks over at my flag patches. He takes a step back to admire both of our suits and our gear. "You guys look awesome." He looks down at his clothes. It's the same dress suit that he was wearing at his job. "I guess, I should just be grateful that I got to wash these last night." "Maybe we can get you something when we go back to my world," I say.
"Sounds good, but first we have to complete this operation," says Xyla. "Does anyone have a guess at how long furball is going to be? We have a Senator to kidnap and alternate dimensions to get back to." "Furball is ready now," Callum says as he walks into the room. I hand them each an imitation device. Even though we won't be setting up the devices until later, I give them a basic rundown of how to operate them in case something goes wrong. Hopefully, nothing goes wrong. We go over the plan once more, although everyone is tired of hearing it at this point. Then after rigging the Lamborghini to look like a regular 'real' world car again, we head out about six hours before the Senator's private jet is scheduled to arrive.