by Imogen Rose
Additionally, how would I explain to Ella that she had another dad, no, two other dads? She’d never known anyone but Rupert as her dad. She didn’t even know about our real dad back in Princeton.
So, I decided to put those thoughts aside, it would open up a whole can of worms that was better left untouched. What I needed to do was to arrange to visit my dad in Stevensland. That would mean a trip through the portal, a not altogether comfortable thought, especially since the portal had been tampered with last year. Was it even safe? It was active again, thus the tremors. I would have to discuss it further with Mom.
How was I going to explain my year-long absence to Dad? What had he done when I went missing? Was the FBI out looking for me? I guess, even if they had been, with no results a year later, they would probably have given up on me. Dad would be devastated. I doubted that he would have remained at our house in Princeton; it would’ve been too painful for him. Would I even be able to find him? Had he tried to contact Mom and Ella when I disappeared? If so, he would have hit another brick wall. Although I had asked Monica to let him know that I was okay, that wouldn’t be of any comfort when he came up against multiple dead ends trying to find me.
One solution would be to head back to the other dimension back in time, to last year, so that no time would have been lost there when I went back. That way, I could just tell Dad that I had been away playing hockey or whatever. I wondered whether it was possible to reset the other end of the portal back to last year?
The roar of a bike approaching from behind the trees interrupted my thoughts. Kellan and I were on our feet as we saw a beam of light flickering through the branches. The bike came to a dead stop right in front of us. After our misadventure at the lake last year, we were on guard. We braced ourselves. I clasped a rock in my hand, ready to pummel it into the biker. There was just one, no match for the two of us.
The darkness made it hard to identify whom we were dealing with. However, once the helmet was lifted from his head and a shock of blond hair and the intense gaze of blue eyes were revealed, well... I threw myself at him. He lifted me up and bear-hugged me.
“David! What are you doing back here? It’s so great to see you. I’ve missed you!”
“Hey! What’s up?” Kellan added.
“Good to see you, Poppet. Hey, Kellan. Rupert sent me out to get you. He wants you both to come back with me.”
“Why?” I asked.
“He’ll explain when we get there. Come on, he wants us back right away.” David indicated an urgency revving his engine.
He seemed pretty intense about it, so we reached for our helmets. Something serious must be going on. I climbed on behind Kellan and we took off, zigzagging through the trees to get to the main road. I wondered what was up. It was odd that Rupert had sent David out to get us. Why was he back? He hadn’t been around much in the past year. David had pretty much started living with his dad. He hadn’t shared anything about his life for a while. I guessed he was going to school in the other dimension. Boy, it would be so odd, yet cool, to experience the same school in different dimensions. I wondered if there was any overlap between students or teachers, probably not. I bet David was the ice hockey captain for their varsity team. Hopefully he would stay around long enough for me to be able to catch up with him. I had really missed him. The last time we’d had any real kind of chat was at the Halloween dance last year. That had been fairly short and was mostly about Simla and the very unfortunate news that her dad had murdered her mom.
David and I shared a special bond. His Wanderer abilities had saved us from Raj last year and brought us even closer. The weirdest thing is that he seemed to be able to read my thoughts when he made physical contact with me. It would be so cool if I could do that, too! There was definitely an unusual connection between us, though I had been aware that he also like-liked me–in the human sense as well. I say liked because I had a feeling that David had gotten over that emotion. I noticed that at Christmas. He seemed a bit more detached around me. No more deep, piercing gazes or stolen touches. His mind seemed preoccupied. Certainly any romantic feelings that he may have had for me in the past seemed to have completely disappeared. I missed them in a strange way. Though I didn’t have any romantic feelings toward him, I felt very close to him. I guess it wasn’t that strange that he had withdrawn from me, especially after seeing how committed Kellan and I were to each other. Still, selfishly, I missed his closeness.
Kellan and I tore down the road behind David toward my house and stopped just outside the front door. Rupert stood waiting for us on the porch. He was in his jeans and t-shirt. He was running his fingers through his dark hair, his blue eyes studying us intently as we walked up the steps.
“Hey, kids. Come inside.”
“What’s up?” I asked. “You look worried.”
“Come inside and I’ll tell you.”
We followed him in. After a year of living with him, I could still not figure Rupert out. I had somehow managed to avoid calling him Dad–it just didn’t feel right. He seemed really nice and utterly devoted to my mom. There was something about him, though.
“David, thanks for driving out to get them. You’d better get back to your house. Your mom is waiting to take you over to Constance.”
David nodded and turned around to wave at me, before heading toward the door.
I stopped him. “David, I’d love to catch up with you before you go back to your dad’s. Are you going back soon or are you staying for a while?”
“That would be great, Poppet. I may be around here for a while, so we’ll get a chance, no doubt.”
“You will? I mean, you’re hanging around? How long?”
“I’m not sure, but I won’t go without catching up with you first. Okay?” He came over and hugged me. I wondered if he could still read my thoughts when he touched me. He smiled and nodded. Then he looked over at Kellan. “Later, Kellan.”
“So what’s up, Rupert?” Kellan asked, as we walked into the kitchen with him.
Rupert looked uneasy. His hands were firmly stuffed in his pockets and his lips were pursed. “I’m not sure where to begin,” he said, and ran his fingers through his hair again.
I could tell that something bad had happened. Could there be news from Raj? “Just tell us. Where are Mom and Ella?”
“Ella is at a sleepover. We–your mom and I–decided not to upset her. She’s safe where she is, we’ll pick her up in the morning.”
“Safe? Where’s Mom?”
“Olivia’s over at Constance’s house at the moment. I’m going to drive over there shortly to pick her up.”
“What’s she doing at Constance’s house?” It was weird for Mom to be over at her house. Constance was now the leader of the Wanderers, since she took over from David’s mom last year. Mom didn’t quite believe that Wanderers even existed, even though they’d been instrumental in saving us. She refused to believe in anything paranormal. The thought that there were beings that were able to travel through time and dimension was beyond her level of acceptance. She firmly believed that they, too, had manufactured some kind of scientific device that allowed them to travel through time. So as to not to upset anyone, Mom tended to stay away from Wanderer talk. So it was strange that she was now visiting with their leader.
Rupert glanced at his watch. He had done this a few times now, he was clearly waiting for someone to join us. “Arizona, the portal is functional again and we’ve had an unexpected issue with it.”
“Unexpected issue?”
“Yes, Arizona,” a voice said from behind me. “We have an issue that needs to be addressed.”
I turned around and met the smiling eyes of Gramadea–her real name is Amadea–which is what we (practically everyone) call Rupert’s mom. Yes, strange I know. I don’t think of her as my grandmother–she isn’t–but I call her that anyway, out of respect. Where did she come from? I hadn’t heard the door open. I was surprised to see her. I had only met her once before, last Christmas.
; Last Christmas had been an elaborate affair, as are most other things here in Darleyland. We had a full house and Gramadea appeared on Christmas Eve, laden with gifts for everyone. I had immediately seen the resemblance between Rupert and her, the same striking blue eyes, for starters. I had immediately felt a warm feeling of serenity exuding from her, the same as I did when I got close to the Wanderers. However, there was a difference, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I hadn’t felt comfortable asking her about herself, she seemed fairly reserved. Rupert didn’t volunteer any information either. So, whether or not she was a Wanderer remained a mystery.
On Christmas day, after spending a lazy morning opening gifts, we went over to Kellan’s place for Christmas dinner. The Fox house was dressed up in Christmas decorations and even smelled of Christmas. A giant tree decked out in silver ornaments dominated the three-story hallway. I was glad that Ella had insisted that I dress up for the occasion. Hard as it was walking in Mom’s pink Manolos, they did make me feel fabulous, and tall. And they complemented my pink-trimmed grey dress–so Ella declared. I brought the Medor clutch Mom had gotten for me last year as well, so I did feel quite adequate. But only adequate. Looking around, I could clearly see that this was a very formal Christmas dinner event. My heart skipped a beat as I spotted Kellan walking up to me. Beyond hot. He looked amazing in a black suit, seasonally dressed with a red bowtie.
Gramadea seemed to be best pals with Inez, David’s mom. They pretty much spent the entire afternoon chatting with each other and then Gramadea suddenly announced that she had to leave. So, we didn’t get the chance to get to know each other at all. Everyone around me seemed to sort of know her. Kellan said that she showed up once a year at Christmas. I asked Kellan about her and he, like me, assumed she was a Wanderer. Did that mean that Rupert was one, too?
Since it was traditional for Gramadea to show up just once a year, it was unexpected to have her appear here now. “Hi, Gramadea!” I said, looking up at her. “I wasn’t expecting to see you until Christmas.”
She smiled and nodded. “Yes. This is an unplanned visit. We have a situation, I’ve come to help out.”
“A situation?” Kellan and I asked in unison.
She came walking right up to us and threw her arms around Kellan and me. “Good to see you, kids. I have missed you. Where’s Ella?”
“She’s at a sleepover tonight,” Rupert replied.
“And Harry? Did you manage to make contact with him?”
“Yes. He’ll fly in if we need him. However, he’s busy at college, so let’s try to avoid that.”
Gramadea nodded and then took the cup of tea Rupert handed to her.
“Gramadea, what’s up?” I asked, getting slightly impatient.
She got right to the point. “Children, you both are aware of the existence of Wanderers. Right?”
Kellan and I nodded.
“Well, there’s more to it. There are different kinds of Wanderers. Most of the Wanderers you’ve had contact with thus far–David, Inez and the other Elders–are the most common type of Wanderer. These Wanderers are able to traverse time and dimensions. What they cannot do, however, is travel geographically–other than by using methods available to most humans, like air and ground transportation.
“There are Wanderers who can travel geographically. We call these kinds of Wanderers Sigma-Wanderers or Sigma-Ws. Sigma-Wanderers have the benefit of being able to travel anywhere, even inter-galactically, if they wish.”
I could feel my head exploding. I had so many questions, but Gramadea was not a lady one interrupted, so I held my tongue and listened.
“You may have been told that the Wanderers are a peaceful species whose sole purpose is learning. That’s precisely right. The Wanderers report all their findings to the Sigma-W. You may think of the Sigma-W as the controlling entity. There is, of course, a hierarchy within this group. And, like with most other groups, there is a rogue element as well. So, you are wondering why I am telling you all this?”
“Yes, and how do you know all this?” I asked.
She smiled at me–one of those annoyingly evasive smiles.
“Arizona, as I said when I first came in, we have an issue. The issue may involve the Sigma-W, which is why I had to explain their existence to you. Granted, my explanation is very simplistic, but sufficient for now. As you know, the portal is functional again. What you don’t know is that Olivia used it today.”
“Mom went through? Why? Where to?”
“Arizona, she was being blackmailed by Simla Sen. Simla had Olivia transport her through the portal so that she could meet with her dad.”
“Simla went through?” I repeated, sounding like an idiot, no doubt. “She met with Raj? So he’s still around. How did they know where to find him? A whole year has passed….”
Gramadea nodded. “She had your mother transport her back in time, to last year. As you probably know, Erica–Simla’s late mother–was a Wanderer. This means that Simla has latent Wanderer ability, which could be activated by the Elders if they choose to do so. However, as Simla has proven herself unworthy that was never an option. Her defiant personality has provoked interest from the rogue Sigma-W group, who has been tracking her moves.
“When we found out that Simla was going to travel through the portal we were naturally a bit concerned. We obviously don’t have much experience with Wanderers traveling through the time/dimension continuum other than using their natural abilities. However, much to our relief, the transport didn’t seem to affect Simla on her first passage through. Olivia reported back that all was okay and that Simla had successfully met with her father.”
“What happened between Simla and her dad?” Kellan asked.
“I’ll get to that later. It’s not particularly relevant at the moment. What is of more concern is what happened to Simla on her way back here. As Simla reentered the portal, she started to shake violently and then began to fade. Olivia tried to grab hold of her– unsuccessfully. Olivia describes the incident as Simla fading into a mist. She just disappeared, leaving Olivia on her own. Needless to say, Olivia is totally stumped and devastated. Larry–Dr. Fox–brought her to Constance for guidance. Constance contacted me.”
“Wow, so Simla is gone? Disappeared in the portal?” Geez, this was unbelievable.
Gramadea shrugged. “We have no explanation for what happened. It could be biological–her Wanderer body reacting to the artificial transport. The only other time that a Wanderer has transported through the portal is that one time when Olivia brought Gertrude through and she has not displayed any effects from it, though we still haven’t worked out how she affected you, Arizona.”
“What?” Kellan voiced what I was thinking. “Gertrude? How is she relevant?”
Rupert looked over to his mom and then spoke. “We may have overlooked telling you that Gertrude is a Wanderer.”
“What the heck?”
“Language, Arizona.” Rupert reminded me, sternly.
“I’m sorry, but this is all so insane. How can a dog be a Wanderer?”
“Wanderers come in different forms,” Rupert explained. “Gertrude was assigned to Arizona Stevens because of her issues with humans.”
“Why did I need a Wanderer assigned to me at all?” I asked flabbergasted.
Gramadea sighed. “Arizona, all that may become clearer if you let me finish explaining. Okay?”
I nodded.
“So, we don’t know if transport through the portal could have somehow affected Simla biologically.”
“I don’t understand,” Kellan interrupted. “Affect her biologically, what does that mean? What do you think happened? Did she just implode and then vanish into thin air?”
“I doubt that would be the case. It’s more likely that the portal triggered her wandering abilities and she… wandered away. That’s what Olivia’s description of what happened seems to indicate. However, we have no way of knowing that.
“There is another possible scenario that we are looking into. Lik
e I said before, the rogue Sigma-W group is interested in her. It’s possible that they took her.”
I shook my head, looking over at Kellan. I wasn’t sure what to make of it all. Had we suddenly woken up in a bad fantasy movie? This was beyond insane. I snorted. Not on purpose, it just sort of happened.
“Arizona?” Gramadea inquired.
“I’m sorry. Something tickled my nose,” I said, making sure not to catch Kellan’s gaze. “So, what’s this got to do with us? I mean, I’m concerned for Simla, but I’m not sure that I can help in any way. Mom’s okay, I assume. Or you wouldn’t be here,” I said, looking over at Rupert.
“Yes, she’s fine, very concerned obviously. She’s still over at Constance’s house,” Rupert reassured me.
“Why did Mom take Simla over to see her dad in the first place? Why couldn’t one of the Wanderers have taken her?” I could see Rupert hesitating at my question.