On their way out of the bank, they didn’t bother stopping to say good-bye to Ms. Jane Jansen. They didn’t want to disturb her game again. They left the vault, walked through the lobby, and were almost to the front door when—
“Children! One moment please!” It was Ms. Jane Jansen. She hurried up to them, her heels clicking on the marble floor. Her cheeks were rosy and her eyes flared.
“I want you two to understand something,” she said angrily. “You may be clients of this bank, but that does not entitle you to messenger service.”
Mark and Courtney looked at each other. They had no idea what she was talking about. “Translation, please,” Courtney asked.
Ms. Jane Jansen held up a brown paper bag, about the size of a grocery bag, with wet stain marks on the bottom.
“When you two went inside the vault, someone came in and asked that I give this to you,” she explained. “This is not appropriate, this is not a service the bank provides, and whatever is in this bag smells.”
Courtney took the bag with curiosity.
“Who was it?” Mark asked.
“I have no idea and I didn’t ask,” Ms. Jane Jansen replied. “As I said, I am not a messenger.”
Courtney cautiously unfolded the top of the brown bag and looked inside. What she saw were three white containers, along with a Dew and two cans of ice teas. She showed the bag to Mark. He looked inside and was just as confused as Courtney. There was also a folded piece of paper inside. Mark pulled it out and read aloud, “Never too early in the morning for Garden Poultry fries. Meet me in the pocket park.” Mark looked to Courtney and added, “It’s signed ‘B.’”
Could it be?
“Do we understand each other?” Ms. Jane Jansen asked.
Courtney reached into the bag, pulled out one box of fries and handed it to the cranky bank lady.
“Absolutely,” Courtney said. “Here, have a party.”
Courtney and Mark ran out of the bank, leaving Ms. Jane Jansen holding a greasy box of French fries. She was just about to toss it in the garbage, when the oily-delicious smell finally got through to her. She took a deep whiff, looked around to make sure nobody was watching, then turned back to her desk with the greasy treat.
Mark and Courtney blasted out of the bank and ran down the Ave, headed for the pocket park. The Ave cut straight through the middle of downtown Stony Brook. It was loaded with small shops, restaurants, and bookstores. It was definitely the biggest kid hangout in town, but since it was so early, no kids were awake and around.
The pocket park halfway down the Ave was a familiar meeting place. At one time there had been a building where the park stood. Now it was an empty space between two other buildings that had been landscaped with grass, trees, and benches.
Courtney arrived first and looked into the park.
The place was nearly empty. There was only one person there, and it wasn’t the person they wanted to find. Mark finally caught up to Courtney and saw the guy. His shoulders sagged. It wasn’t Bobby. This guy was older and taller than Bobby. He had really short, spiky, blond hair and wore thin wraparound sunglasses. He looked like a hip-hop skateboard kid from New York, not Bobby Pendragon from Stony Brook. Courtney and Mark walked cautiously up to him.
“Did you send us this?” Courtney asked while holding up the greasy bag.
The guy was slouched down with both elbows on the back of the bench. When he spoke, he didn’t even look at them. He was being very cool.
“I guess that answers my question,” he said.
“Wh-What question?” Mark asked.
“The question of whether or not anybody would recognize me around here,” he answered.
The guy then pulled down his sunglasses to reveal his eyes. He looked right at Mark and Courtney and broke into a huge grin. “Read any good journals lately?”
Oh yeah, it was Bobby.
SECOND EARTH
Mark and Courtney were totally stunned. Bobby jumped to his feet and the three of them clung to each other in a three-way hug. Nobody said anything. No words could add to the feeling. Finally Bobby pulled back.
“We gotta be cool,” he chuckled. “The last thing we want is to have people checking me out.”
“I swear I didn’t recognize you,” Courtney said with excitement. “You’re…older.”
“Yeah, well, you guys are too,” Bobby said. He gave Courtney an extra look up and down. “Like, a lot older.” Courtney wasn’t sure if she should slug him in the arm, or blush. She did both.
“Ow!” Bobby shouted. He then smiled and said, “Man, it’s been almost a year since I’ve seen you guys. Happy Birthday, Mark.”
“Thanks, man,” Mark said. “This is a pretty amazing present.”
“What’s with the blond hair?” Courtney asked.
“I had ’em do this at the hotel beauty shop before I left First Earth. They thought I was nuts. It’s not exactly a 1937 look. But I didn’t want anybody recognizing me here.”
Mark said, “I’ve got a million questions.”
“Let’s go someplace else,” Bobby suggested. “This is a little public.”
The three of them walked farther down the Ave toward Long Island Sound and a big, woodsy town park. There they could lose themselves in the trees and not be bothered. The three friends found a secluded spot in the shade and sat down to a picnic.
“Man, I miss these,” Bobby said as he chomped another mouthful of fries. “Best fries in the world. Any world.”
Courtney and Mark weren’t interested in eating. They had Bobby, right here in front of them. There was too much to say to waste time chewing.
“How did you know we’d be at the bank?” Mark asked.
“I figured if you got my journals on your birthday, last Saturday, then this morning would be the earliest you could get back here to check them into the safe-deposit box.”
“Smart,” Mark said, impressed.
“Lucky guess,” Bobby said modestly.
“Why did you come home?” Courtney asked. “You wrote you were going to Veelox.”
Bobby didn’t answer right away. It seemed to Mark and Courtney that the answer troubled him.
“That was the plan,” Bobby answered thoughtfully. “But at the last minute, I couldn’t.”
“Did Saint Dane turn up somewhere else?” Courtney asked.
“No,” Bobby said. “I just thought that, well, to be honest, I need a break.”
“I don’t blame you,” Courtney said.
Bobby continued, “But it’s more than that. I’m afraid the more I learn about being a Traveler, the more I forget about being Bobby Pendragon. I feel like I’m changing. I guess that has to happen, but I can’t say I’m happy about it.”
The three looked at each other. It was true. Time does that. Bobby’s memory of Mark and Courtney was absolutely solid, but the two kids sitting in front of him didn’t quite fit that memory.
“I guess I needed a reality check,” Bobby said. “I didn’t want to forget who I am, or where I come from. I thought maybe I could hang out here for a few days, just to chill. You guys know everything that’s been going on with me. I want to know what’s been happening with you. Is it okay if we hang out for a while?”
“Okay?” Courtney shouted. “It’ll be great!”
“But risky,” Mark added. “There’s still a big search going on for you and your family.”
Bobby laughed. “Yeah, I figured. But if you guys didn’t recognize me, I don’t think anybody else will.”
“Aren’t your parents in Florida this week?” Courtney asked Mark.
“Yeah,” he answered tentatively.
“They leave you alone?” Bobby asked with a smile.
“Hey, I’m fifteen,” Mark answered defensively. “They trust me.” Then under his breath he said, “And my aunt lives two blocks away.”
“Then it’s perfect,” Courtney declared. “Bobby can stay with you!”
Bobby looked at Mark. “Is it okay?”
Mark thought for a bit, then broke out in a big smile. “Are you crazy?” he shouted. “I’m psyched!”
For the next week Bobby did his best to put any thoughts about being a Traveler out of his head. For these few special days he was going to pretend that he was simply Bobby Pendragon.
Most of their time was spent at Mark’s house. Courtney would come over, and the three would sit for hours talking about everything. They filled Bobby in on what bands were hot and who dropped off the face of the earth. They rented movies, and listened to music, and watched bad TV, and gossiped about who was going out with who at school.
Courtney told Bobby all about the softball championship she had been part of, and Mark gave him a demonstration of the killer battle robot that won him first prize in the state science fair. Mark told Bobby about his dreams to one day go to engineering school and maybe get into the space program.
They even went to the town library to do some research. Bobby wanted to know what had become of Jinx Olsen and Winn Farrow. The Second Earth library had about one zillionth the information that the library had on Third Earth, but it was enough. They discovered that Winn Farrow didn’t live long enough to enjoy his victory over Max Rose. He was killed during a bank robbery in June of 1937. The secret of who really brought down the Hindenburg died along with him.
The news about Jinx Olsen was much better. Bobby was thrilled to learn that when World War II broke out, Jinx joined the Army Air Corps, pretending to be a man! She flew several bombing missions over Germany and received the Distinguished Flying Cross for heroism in flight. Jinx had lived her dream, and then retired to Maine, where she got married and had three kids.
And they ate. Pizza, spaghetti, Chinese food, ice cream, burgers, burgers, and burgers. At least once a day they got fried chicken and fries from Garden Poultry.
They went swimming at the Point, where Courtney was sure to wear the pink bikini Bobby mentioned in his journal. Bobby appreciated that. He also noticed that Courtney filled it out a little better than the last time he’d seen her wear it, but didn’t say anything. That wouldn’t have been cool. They also watched Courtney pitch a two-hitter fast-pitch softball game. She hoped to go to a big college to play softball and soccer. Her true love was soccer though. She had dreams of getting on the national team.
When they traveled around, they took pains to make sure Bobby wouldn’t be seen and recognized. There was only one close call. The three of them were riding bikes toward the beach and were stopped at a light when Lieutenant Hirsch, the guy who was handling the Pendragon missing persons investigation, pulled up in a car right next to them.
Mark’s heart nearly stopped. Courtney was cool though. She smiled and waved. Bobby didn’t know who the guy was, so he didn’t know enough to be nervous. When the light changed, Hirsch drove on without a second look. It wouldn’t have mattered anyway. Bobby didn’t look the same anymore.
The three friends packed a year of fun and friendship into one week. In all, they probably didn’t sleep more than three hours a night. There was only one rule: Nobody was allowed to talk about anything to do with being a Traveler. No exceptions. There were a couple times when Mark touched on the subject, and Bobby pretended not to have heard him. Mark got the hint. Nothing more was said. They all pretended like there was nothing more important going on than deciding what DVD they should rent, or if the Yankees would whup up on the Red Sox again. It was exactly what Bobby needed. It re-charged his batteries and made him feel human.
But after several days, Bobby began to grow restless. It’s not that he wasn’t having fun—he absolutely was—but he knew it couldn’t last forever. The change started when he reached the point where he was totally relaxed. That’s when his mind started to turn the other way. As much as he tried to forget about it, he always knew that Saint Dane was out there somewhere, plotting a world of grief.
Mark began to sense this in Bobby. It took a day or so for Bobby to relax and get back to his old, fun self. But then Mark noticed Bobby wasn’t talking as much. It seemed like there were times when his mind was a million miles away. Mark didn’t dare to ask him about it. He was afraid Bobby would close up again, or worse, it would somehow break the magic spell that had given them this great week together. Mark didn’t want it to end, though he knew it would have to.
Then one night, while the two of them were trying to fall asleep in Mark’s bedroom, Mark took the chance and brought up the taboo subject.
“Bobby?” he asked tentatively. “I want to become an acolyte.”
This caught Bobby off guard. “Whoa,” he said. “Where did that come from?”
Bobby didn’t cut him off this time. It encouraged Mark to keep going.
“You know, the acolytes,” he said. “The people who help the Travelers. They live in the territories and bring the clothes to the flumes and help you get around and—”
“Yeah, I know who they are,” Bobby interrupted. “But I don’t know anything about them. I never met one.”
“But they’re out there,” Mark insisted.
“Yeah, I guess so,” Bobby said with absolutely no enthusiasm. Reality had returned. Bobby knew he couldn’t ignore it anymore. Vacation was over. Time to put the game face back on. He took a deep breath, hesitated one last moment, then clicked back into Traveler mode.
“Why, Mark?” he asked. “What makes you want to be an acolyte?”
“A lot of reasons,” Mark answered. “I want to help. It’s hard sitting around doing nothing when there’s some guy out there trying to bring down the universe and hurt your best friend. Reading your journals has changed things.”
Bobby nodded. He understood where Mark was coming from. “Funny thing,” he said thoughtfully. “In a couple of days you and Courtney are going to start Davis Gregory High, and all I really want is to forget about being a Traveler and go with you.”
“But you can’t,” Mark said.
“No, I can’t.”
“There’s another reason,” Mark added. He took a pause before saying this, because he knew it was a tough subject. “I won’t let you down. Not the way Spader did.”
Bobby winced. “Spader didn’t let me down,” he said sharply. “He just lost sight of what was important.”
Mark realized he had touched a raw nerve. “I know that,” he said quickly, doing damage control. “I just want you to know that I’d always be there to cover your back. No matter what.”
“How does Courtney feel about it?” Bobby asked.
“We haven’t exactly talked about it,” Mark answered. “But I guarantee, if we got the chance, she’d jump right in. You know Courtney.”
Bobby chuckled. Yeah, he knew Courtney. “Tell you what,” Bobby said. “I’ll find out what I can. If there’s a chance for you guys to do something, I’ll let you know.”
That was good enough for Mark. He now had hope that he might join Bobby on his mission after all. He had trouble falling asleep that night because his mind was so alive with the possibilities.
Bobby had trouble getting to sleep too, but for a very different reason. He knew his time here on Second Earth was over. He needed to be somewhere else, doing what he was destined to do. Tomorrow he would say good-bye to his friends one more time and jump back into the game. That’s what rolled through his brain while he tried to get to sleep. But it wasn’t easy nodding off to dreamland while one thought kept pushing all others away…
Where is Saint Dane? What is he up to? And when I find him, will I be strong enough to beat him?
SECOND EARTH
Courtney arrived at Mark’s house early the next morning, all set for another day at the beach. She had made a bunch of salami sandwiches and wore the famous pink bikini under her shorts and T-shirt. There were only two days left of summer vacation, two days before they would begin Davis Gregory High. She knew that once they began this new school, life would change again. Not only would they be leaving the familiar comfort of junior high, but Bobby would be gone. There was no way around that one. These l
ast few days felt like the end of an era. She wanted to make the most of them.
But that wasn’t meant to be.
She knew it the second she stepped into Mark’s house. The atmosphere had changed. Every time she had come over before, the guys would be playing Nintendo, or watching a game on TV, or cranking up music. Today the house was quiet. Bobby and Mark sat in the living room, talking. The air was heavy. It felt to her like a pregame locker room where everyone had the butterflies.
“You’re leaving today, aren’t you?” she asked Bobby.
Bobby nodded.
Courtney plopped down on the couch next to him. “That’s it then,” she said. “The next time we hear from you, it’ll be in some journal?”
“Probably,” was Bobby’s answer.
There was an awkward silence. They knew that as soon as Bobby walked out the door, their lives would all officially change. It had been a great week, but it was over.
That’s when the telephone rang.
“Probably my parents,” Mark said, and answered the phone. “Hello?”
A deep voice came through from the caller. “Hello. Is this Mark Dimond?”
“Yeah.” Mark didn’t recognize the voice. “Who’s this?”
“You don’t know me, Mark,” said the voice. “My name is Vincent Van Dyke.”
“Gunny?” shouted Mark in surprise.
Bobby jumped to his feet and grabbed the phone away from Mark. “Gunny?”
“Howdy there, shorty. Enjoying your vacation?”
“What’s wrong? Where are you? Are you okay?”
“Whoa, whoa, slow down,” Gunny said with a laugh. “Everything’s fine. I’m here on Second Earth.”
“Yeah, I figured. But where? What are you doing here?”
“I need to see you, Bobby, right away,” Gunny said. “Is there someplace we can meet? I can come to you, no problem.”
Bobby looked at Mark and Courtney and said, “Gunny wants to meet me. Can he come here?”
“No way,” Mark said. “My parents are due back soon.”
The Never War Page 28