by Imogen Rose
“How are you doing, Arizona?” he asked, as he drew up a chair and sat down opposite me.
“Nothing’s broken. I’ll be fine. I’m just bruised pretty bad. I need to keep the weight off my legs for a bit,” I said, nodding toward the crutches I had been given. “This wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t chased me!” I snapped, unable to stop myself. “This is your fault. So, you’ll have to help me get home!”
He nodded. “Arizona, I was only chasing you because I wanted to talk to you. You know I wouldn’t harm you, and, of course, I’ll help you get home. That’s no problem. Your mom and dad must be so worried.”
Mom. Why hadn’t I thought of her? The least she could do was help me get back to Dad. She was in California, after all! “We’re in Mountain View, California, right?” I asked, looking at David who looked perplexed.
“Yes.”
“Well, Mom lives here. I don’t have her number on me, but she should be easy to track down. She works at Ames, I think. Let’s call her. Do you have a cell I can use?”
David shrugged as he handed her the cell. “Arizona, you may not be able to reach her.”
“I will, too. Watch this,” I said, and got put through to Ames. I felt defeated as I listened to the lady on the other end insisting that she had not heard of an Olivia Stevens. Maybe she worked somewhere else. How was I going to find her? Even her home phone was not listed, that’s if she even had one. Maybe she only had her cell. I didn’t know what her cell number was, I had it programmed into my cell, but of course didn’t have that on me… so frustrating. I looked back up at David, trying not to well up with tears. He was sitting back, looking at me intently. I shrugged.
“Do you want me to get you home?” he asked gently.
I nodded. Duh, of course, I wanted that.
“Okay, I’m going to take you back home to my dad’s house. We can wait there until the arrangements to take you back have been made.”
I nodded. I guess it would take a while to get a flight booked. I was in no position to argue, and this seemed like a plan. Or did it? I mean it was a plan all right, but it could be a plan to lock me up again. I was having none of that! I shook my head vehemently.
“Arizona?”
“How do I know that you’re not going to take me back to a house and lock me up? Maybe there are others waiting there for me.”
“It’s okay, Arizona. It’ll be just you and me. Dad’s here at the hospital, still on life support. Why would you even think I would do you any harm?” he asked, looking decidedly hurt.
“Your dad’s on life support? Here? Can you show me?” I asked. If that bit of his story was true maybe the rest was, as well. Maybe he was just a do-gooder out to help me. He stood up, grabbed my crutches and started rolling my wheelchair through the hallways, into the escalator, then through the hallway again until we stopped by a door manned by a sour-looking cop.
“It’s okay,” David said to the policeman, nodding at me. “We’ll just be a minute.”
I was wheeled into a darkish room. In the middle, surrounded by equipment, lay a man in the bed. He looked like he was dying; he sounded awful.
“That’s my dad,” David whispered.
“What happened to him?” I whispered back.
David turned me around and wheeled me out of the room and then he went back in to talk to the nurse in his dad’s room. He was back moments later.
“Is he going to be okay?” I asked.
“Yes, he’ll be fine. Let’s go.”
As we rolled along the corridors, I asked him again what had happened.
He sighed. “Raj Sen stabbed him.”
“Stop!” I shouted. “Raj Sen? You know Raj Sen?”
He stood still and glared at me.
“Well?”
“Arizona, of course I do. What’s the matter with you?”
I couldn’t help but shake my head. This was bizarre. We needed to talk, but not here, everyone was staring at us, my shouting had brought us unwanted attention. “David, let’s go to your house and talk. Okay?” I felt safer knowing that his dad had been stabbed by Raj–warped, I know–but he wasn’t likely to be in cahoots with Raj under those circumstances.
He nodded and wheeled me to a cab.
“Where’s your bike?”
“It’s in the parking lot. I’ll come and collect it later. It will be easier to get you home in a cab.”
True. He lifted me gently and placed me in the back of the car and secured my seatbelt for me. We were driven back to the same house that Dan and Sophie had dropped me off outside before. Sigh. David carried me in, and put me down on a couch in the homey-looking family room.
“Can I get you something to eat and drink before we talk?”
I nodded and waited while he busied himself in the kitchen. When he came back, he was bearing a tray full of sandwiches and sodas. I was famished and dug right in, as did he. When we finished, I sat back and stretched, I was so tired. “Well, let’s talk. How do you know Raj?”
“The same way you do, Arizona! What the heck is going on with you?” He was clearly frustrated. “Raj kidnapped you, we rescued you, took you back home and here you are again! Acting really odd! How did you get back here?”
“Wait a minute now!” I protested. “Yes, Raj kidnapped me, but what’s all that other stuff? You hardly rescued me! I practically got dumped here. So, that’s really stretching your contribution to my predicament by quite a bit. And you certainly haven’t brought me to my home yet. This is your home! Although, I will be grateful when you do get me home.”
He shook his head. I could see him struggling. “Arizona, tell me, what happened to you? How did you get here?”
“Well, I was home in Princeton–that’s where I live– when Raj and his little entourage of Dan and Sophie broke in, drugged me and took me on a road trip that culminated in a cottage, here in California by the look of things. Then he, Raj, disappeared, and Dan and Sophie couldn’t be bothered with me anymore, so they dropped me off here. They asked me to ring the doorbell and said someone would help me get back home. I’ve no idea why Raj took me in the first place, the idiot!”
“They took you from your house in Princeton?” David mused. “How did Raj get back there and then come back here?”
“How am I supposed to know? How do you know Raj anyway?” I retorted.
“How do I know Raj?” he repeated, looking at me like I was deranged. “Arizona, I have to call my mom. I’ll be back in a little while. Make yourself comfy. Here are the controls to the TV,” he said, as he stood up. Then he left and I switched on the TV. I was too tired to concentrate and my mind was churning with muddled thoughts. Who was this guy? He still hadn’t told me anything. I was going to tackle him and get some answers as soon as he came back. I stretched letting my head fall onto the cushion at the end of the couch and closed my eyes.
~
As soon as Arizona had asked him how he knew Raj, David knew that he needed to take a breather away from her. He needed to clear his head. She appeared lucid, but still unaware of obvious stuff. One thing was clear: Raj had gotten to her again. David really needed to let his mother know. He called her, hoping she was back by now.
“David?”
“Mom, I’m glad you are back. How did it go? Are things crazy at the Darley house? Is anyone else missing?” His mother was silent at the other end. “Mom?”
“David, we have to talk. Where is Arizona now?”
“She’s here at Dad’s house with me,” he said, walking over to peek through to the family room. “She’s sleeping on the couch,” he relayed, as he noticed her passed out in a deep sleep.
“Good. I’m on my way over. See you shortly. How is Kevin?”
“The same. The hospital will call us when he wakes.”
David walked over to the couch where Arizona lay sleeping soundly. She looked so peaceful. He gently placed a blanket over her and sat down to watch her sleep. She looked different. What could have happened to her? She didn’t see
m confused in any way, but she obviously was. When he heard his mother’s car in the driveway, he got up and quietly let her in, making sure not to awaken Arizona. They walked through to the kitchen.
“I just got a call from the hospital. Kevin has woken up. He seems to be doing better. I’m going to head over there soon, but I wanted to talk to you first.”
“I bet things are crazy over at the Darley’s. Did you tell them that we found Arizona and that I’ll bring her back soon?”
“Well, no.”
“No? Mom? What’s up?” David asked surprised.
“Well, Arizona is home at the Darley residence. They’re all fine. No one is missing.”
David’s jaw dropped. “What?”
“David, Arizona is home, with Olivia and Rupert.”
“So who’s that girl in the living room? What I’m saying is, Mom, I know that it’s definitely Arizona!” David insisted.
“It can’t be, David. Maybe it’s someone who looks like her. You did say that she was different. Maybe that’s because it isn’t Arizona.”
David let out a frustrated sigh. “Mom, it is Arizona! I’m a hundred percent sure. She answers to the name Arizona and she looks exactly like her apart from her hair color which is now brown–and she told me that Raj abducted her.”
“Well, she can’t be in two different places at the same time, can she?” Inez shrugged.
“Mom, are you sure that Arizona is at home? Did you actually see her?”
She nodded. “I talked to her. She’s worried about you. Worried about how you coped with Simla as well as how you are coping with your dad. I need to talk to the girl in the living room.”
David nodded. “Yes. Let her sleep for now, though. There’s no point waking her up. She’s not going anywhere.”
“Are you certain about her?” Inez asked. “I mean you would know, right?”
“I’m certain.”
“I wonder if she’s from the future?” Inez mused.
“From the future…?”
“Maybe Raj managed to open the portal in the future and brought her through?”
David shook his head. This was blowing his mind. “Mom, could you explain that, I don’t follow.”
“Well, fast forward this dimension by a year. Imagine that during that year Raj somehow manages to seize control of the portal. He transports his way over to the Darley dimension, also a year in the future. He kidnaps Arizona–who has maybe changed a bit during a year–and resets the portal to bring him back to the past.”
David closed his eyes. “Mom, that still doesn’t explain why she didn’t recognize me. Besides, she called herself Arizona Stevens, so if anything, she’s from the past.”
“Hmm,” Inez mused. “However, it’s a possibility, right? That Raj went and got her somehow?”
“Well, it’s easy enough to check. I’ll head over a year into the future into the Darley dimension,” David suggested.
“Well, we’ll need to discuss that with the Elders. They are unlikely to grant you permission to pop into the future for a look. It will be less complicated to try to find out from Arizona what’s going on. She’s slept long enough. Let’s wake her.”
~
I stretched and let out a yawn. I was awake, but didn’t feel the least bit refreshed. My knees still hurt; Tylenol would be welcome. I looked around. It was dark, but there was light coming from the hallway and I could hear muffled sounds. I sat up and stretched again. Then as I contemplated getting up, David came walking back into the room. He had a lady with him. She was older, older than my mom anyway. She was short and blonde. Her face had a serene quality to it, but she did look surprised, her eyes wide.
“Ah, you’re up, Arizona,” David said, when he saw me.
“Yup.”
“This is my mother, Inez. Do you feel up for a chat?”
“Yeah, but I wouldn’t mind some Tylenol first, if you’ve got some,” I said, pointing to my knees.
“Sure, I’ll get some. Be right back.”
The lady–Inez–walked over toward me and sat down on the couch opposite me. When she smiled at me, I felt instantly warm and relaxed.
“How are you, Arizona? Do your knees hurt a lot?”
“Yes, but I’ll be okay, just need to rest them.” I noticed David coming back and he handed me the pills and water, and sat down beside his mom, nodding at her.
Inez looked me over carefully. “Arizona, do you recognize me at all? Do you recognize David?”
“No. Should I?”
“I’m not sure. We are trying to work out how we are connected–if we are. You seem to know Raj.”
“Know is a bit of a stretch. He abducted me. That’s all I really know. Wait… he’s my friend Simla Sen’s dad, which is kind of odd. But I never knew that before. I mean before he kidnapped me.”
“You know Simla Sen?” David asked smiling.
Something about that smile just drew me in, gave me butterflies, so weird. I shook myself. “Yes, I go to school with her. Do you know her?”
Inez interrupted us. “Arizona, can you tell us how you were abducted by Raj, as much as you can remember, please. We want to help you get back home and the more we know, the more we can prevent Raj from trying this again.”
“Well, I came back from hockey camp and….”
“Hockey camp?” David interrupted, his brows furrowed.
“Yeah, an all-girls ice hockey camp. It was a five-day camp. I left on Saturday and came back home to Princeton on Thursday. I was hoping Dad would be back from Atlantic City by then, but he wasn’t.” I could see David and his mother shooting each other quizzical, pointed looks. “What are those looks all about?”
“Oh, nothing. Please do continue, Arizona,” Inez encouraged.
“All right. As I said, I came home to an empty place. Christian, one of my friends, picked me up from school and drove me home, not that it’s relevant, but anyhow. I was tired. It was late. I had been up since very early so I went to bed. I didn’t even change. I’m not sure at what time, but I was woken up by the sound of glass breaking and I was then seized by Dan–one of Raj’s pals. The other one, Sophie, drugged me and I was put into the back of a van. They drove me to a cottage here in California. Nothing much really happened there. The important stuff seemed to have happened when I was locked up in a bedroom. Next thing I knew, Raj had apparently disappeared and Dan and Sophie just wanted to get rid of me. So, they dropped me off outside this house and told me someone would help me. I was standing outside thinking about the pros and cons of knocking at a completely strange door versus trying to find a cop when you came riding up on your motorcycle,” I said, looking over at David. “You know the rest. Can you help me get home? If not, I’m sure the cops will be able to help. My mom actually lives here in Mountain View. We could try to find her.”
“What’s your mom’s name and where do you think we could find her?” Inez asked, looking at me intently.
“Her name is Olivia Stevens. She works at Ames, I think. She is a physicist. I tried to contact her from the hospital with no luck. But, I’m sure the cops could track her down. I would much prefer it if you could help me get back to my dad, though. Mom and I don’t get along. So, can you?”
“Yes, that’s no problem. Why do you think Raj took you?” Inez continued.
“Haven’t a clue. At first I thought it was mistaken identity. But then I thought maybe my dad had gotten into some gambling debts and Raj was holding me until my dad paid him back. But, I really don’t know. The fact that he’s Simla’s dad is really strange. I suppose they may gamble together, I don’t know. Can I ask something now? How come you think you know me, David? And how do you know Raj?”
David cleared his throat, throwing his mother a glance and reaching for her hand. This was getting too weird. “Arizona, I guess I don’t. I thought you were someone else.”
“Someone else called Arizona? Why were you wondering about my hair? My friend, Christian, said something about it earlier as well. What’
s going on?”
“I’ve no idea,” David shrugged. “Raj stabbed my dad, right here in this house. He is very dangerous. Can you try calling your dad again? Mom and I are going to go to the kitchen and get on the computer to figure out how to get you home, okay? Here’s my cell.”
I watched them walk back out and then dialed Dad and waited for his answering service.
“Hello?”
“Dad, it’s me! Arizona!”