by Bryan Davis
“That’s impossible.” I nodded toward my reflection. “I remember being here before I went over there. And I never saw this shirt before this morning.”
“Fair enough. You’re the Nathan I know. But there are still mysteries aplenty. First, and I think of this one because I am directly involved, there must be a copy of me in that other world.”
“Most likely. What about it?”
“That Clara probably played the same role I did for you. She was the other Nathan’s tutor.”
“Okay. Where are you going with this?”
“Think about it. How could that other Nathan get together with the other Kelly unless …” She gestured with her head as if waiting for me to fill in a blank.
I whispered, “Unless his parents were dead.”
“Or he and the other Clara thought they were dead, just as we were thinking your parents are dead. It’s the only reason that Clara would take that Nathan to the Iowa safe house.”
“But who’s right? About which parents are dead, I mean?”
Clara’s expression turned grim. “Maybe both. The set of parents we saw might be from yet another world.”
“That seems unlikely.”
“Why unlikely? Has anything that’s happened lately seemed likely to you? Think about what you saw. How did the light appear in your mother’s eyes? Have you ever seen that happen to her in our world? And what was that dark chamber she was in? With all the reflections and colors, it looked almost like another house of mirrors. And that story about playing the violin strings? What was that all about?”
I heaved a sigh. “Thanks for killing my hopes.”
“Your hopes aren’t dead. They’re just on life support. We have the email now. It’s a good start.”
“True.” I picked up a pencil and tapped it on my knee. “Okay, let’s get back to the clues. Dad wrote that Dr. Simon maintains a steady state. Any idea what that means?”
“Maybe. Here’s how I would piece the puzzle together.” She set a finger on the screen. “The part about sealing the hole makes me think someone figured out a way to open passages between the worlds. Somehow this hole threatens to bring about some kind of catastrophic state called Interfinity, and Dr. Simon is keeping that from happening as long as he can.”
“But he killed them. Why would Dad think Simon was on his side?”
“Your guess is as good as mine.”
“And now Simon’s dead, so Interfinity is probably on its way.” I kept my eyes on the message, reading it again absentmindedly. “Didn’t you say Dad had an assignment for a company called Interfinity?”
“Yes. And that reminds me. With all the excitement, I forgot to tell you that the police called this morning. They found your parents’ bodies, so I have to go to Chicago early tomorrow morning to finalize the funeral arrangements. I’ll pay Interfinity a visit after everything’s settled.”
As the image of their dead bodies blazed once more, I sank in my seat. My hopes plunged to new lows. The police in our world had a pair of bodies. Either they were my parents or they were from another world. The latter option seemed too ridiculous to be true.
I glanced at the suitcase on the floor of my closet, still not fully unpacked. “What time do we leave?”
“We?” She patted my knee. “You have to stay here.”
“What? Why?”
She rose and stretched, speaking through an extended yawn. “You have to register for school on Monday.”
“Can’t school wait till we get back?”
“Not a chance. We set up your secret identity and filed your transcript, and I already informed them you’ll be out on Tuesday for family matters. When you and Kelly come to Chicago for the funeral, we’ll talk about what I find at Interfinity. Since your father says it’s dangerous for you to be peeking through cosmic peepholes, you might as well stay here.”
I let my shoulders droop. “Is Kelly’s father coming to the funeral?”
“I asked him to, but he says he has to stay here. Kelly will have to drive.”
“Why? I have my license.”
“Because it’s their car.” She planted a finger on my chest. “And you’d better get used to the idea. Tony rides his motorcycle to his morning shift at a machine shop, then to the school for coaching in the afternoon. That means Kelly will be driving every day.”
I sank another inch in the chair. “I guess I can deal with that.”
“Of course you can. Kelly’s a sweetheart. She even volunteered to help you through the registration process, and she’ll probably want to introduce you to her friends.”
I tightened my grip on the pencil but said nothing. Was the prospect of meeting Kelly’s friends supposed to cheer me up? Still, if they were as cool as she was, meeting them might not be so bad.
The clatter of a metal pan rang from the hallway. “That reminds me,” I said. “What are we going to do with Francesca?”
“What choice do we have? I should take her with me. She can’t stay here by herself, and we can’t very well send her home.”
“Right. With Gordon and Mictar stalking her, it won’t be safe for her here or there.” I replayed our escape from Francesca’s house. It looked like the burglar killed her mother in that world just like in my own world years ago. Apparently Gordon and Mictar had planned to kill this other-world Francesca and make sure the burglar got the blame. That meant I had at least done something right. Even though I had altered the events in Francesca’s world, I had saved her life.
Clara clasped her hands. “So it’s settled. I’ll take Francesca with me to Chicago. She’s not dressed for cool weather, but we can make a quick stop and buy something suitable.”
I rose from the chair. “Thanks for taking good care of my mother.”
“Oh, I’ll take care of her. I’m going to warn her about the crazy son she might have some day.” She gave me a sly wink and turned toward the bedroom door. “Let’s go and see what Kelly came up with for lunch.”
“Wait.” I picked up a screwdriver from the top of the bookshelves and took it to the mirror. Kneeling at the bottom left corner, I inserted the blade behind the square I had placed in the matrix.
Clara walked closer. “What are you doing?”
“This is the piece Dad gave me. I put it here, and it wouldn’t come loose. If I’m supposed to look in the mirror whenever I get into trouble, I want to take it to school with me.”
“Good idea.”
I pried the square from the wall and grabbed it. “Done.”
A burst of light flashed from the mirror, making a hollow popping sound. Like a splash in a pond, ripples of radiance emanated from the center, fading as they approached the edges. After a few seconds, the light disappeared.
“Well,” Clara said, setting her hands on her hips, “I think the big mirror’s back to normal.”
I balanced the extricated piece on my palm, eyeing it as I turned it slowly. “I feel like I’m holding another world in my hand, like billions of people are in there who have no idea that someone’s got them all teetering in his grasp.”
She shook her head. “That’s too deep for me to think about, especially on an empty stomach.”
“Then let’s get some grub.” Tucking the mirror under my arm, I climbed to my feet and headed for the hall. “But I hope eel pie isn’t on the menu.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Sitting in the front passenger’s seat of Kelly’s Toyota Camry, I stared at my watch. It was already five minutes later than she said we needed to leave for school. Being new was going to be hard enough. Getting there late would make it worse.
I lowered the sun visor and looked at my eyes in the mirror. Yep. Red streaks. Nightmares again last night. This time about me driving Kelly’s car in a crazy highway chase. No wonder I was so sleepless, knowing Mom and Dad were in trouble and I couldn’t do a thing to help them. And worse, I had to go to school when I should have gone with Clara to Chicago to investigate Interfinity and learn more about the strange mirror.
I unzipped a red backpack sitting on the floorboard between my feet. Inside, the Quattro mirror lay wrapped in a Gatorade towel and a sweater, safe and sound. Without any books for padding, I’d have to be careful to keep it from knocking against anything.
Although it was somewhat muggy this morning, the radio had mentioned the possibility of a cold front coming through, maybe before school let out in the afternoon. Apparently the weather was going crazy. The temperature was supposed to drop below freezing tonight.
I opened the backpack’s external pocket and checked for my phone and debit card. Everything was exactly where it was supposed to be. Now if only we could get going.
The door slammed. With keys in hand, Kelly scooted toward the car. The legs of her loose-fitting beige slacks swiped together as she hustled. After opening the car door, she brushed her short-sleeved navy polo shirt, smoothing out a wrinkle where it overlapped her waistband.
She slid behind the wheel and pressed a button on the car’s visor, triggering the automatic door opener. As the door rumbled upward, she thrust a key into the ignition and cranked the engine. “Good,” she said, patting the dashboard. “Lando’s behaving today.”
“Lando?”
“A friend of mine gave the car that name, and it stuck.” As she pressed the gas pedal, the engine revved, then idled at a slow, rattling hum. “Sorry I took so long. I couldn’t decide what to wear.”
I gave her another quick scan. Her hair, pinned back neatly with a pair of silvery barrettes, provided a full view of her face. “You look fine.”
As she zoomed out of the garage and down the driveway, she smiled. “You think so?”
“Yeah. Kind of dressy. And modest.” I bit my tongue and faced the front. “Sorry. That’s crossing the line.”
When the car straightened on the road, Kelly stepped on the gas. Her smile vanished. “Why? You don’t think you can talk to me about modesty?”
As warmth flooded my cheeks, I fingered my backpack zipper and slid closer to the door. “No. I mean, yes I can talk about it. I just thought it might be … I don’t know. Sensitive?”
She turned onto the main highway and accelerated again, her lips thin and taut. After a few seconds of silence, she spoke barely above a whisper. “You’re right. It’s sensitive.”
I pulled the zipper back and forth along its track. “Are your friends going to notice a change?”
“Most likely.” She glanced at me for a half second before refocusing on the road. “No offense, Nathan, but I’m not looking forward to this at all.”
“Are you worried about what I’ll think of your friends?”
She breathed a nervous chuckle. “Not exactly.”
I checked my own clothes. I didn’t have many options, only what Clara had bought after our luggage went for a swim in the river, but no one would think jeans and a black polo shirt were too geeky, would they? “This isn’t going to be easy for me, either.”
She kept her stare on the road. “Why is that?”
“I’ve never been to a real school before. I’m sure to do something that’ll make me look like an idiot.”
“You’ll be fine.” Kelly withdrew a phone from her pocket and glanced back and forth between the road and the screen as she manipulated it with her thumb. “Just relax and be yourself.”
She slid the phone back to her pocket and flipped on the radio. The wail of an electric guitar screamed from the speakers, scratching out note after note in a cacophonous frenzy. She changed the station and scanned through the frequencies. “You like classical, right?”
“Sure. Classical, baroque, romantic. It’s all good.”
“The classical station isn’t one of my presets, but I’ll find it.”
“No worries. I like almost anything with a melody.”
“Okay.” She punched a button. “Country music usually has a melody.”
“That’ll do.” I closed my eyes, leaned against the window, and lost myself in the wash of warbling steel guitar riffs and lamenting lyrics about a cheating wife. Every few seconds, I partially opened one eye and sneaked a look at Kelly. With her stare trained on the road and both hands firmly gripping the wheel, she displayed the perfect portrait of a careful driver. Yet, with her knuckles turning white, something more had to be going on. I let my gaze wander up to her face where a tear began to trickle toward her cheek.
She punched the radio power button and swiped at the tear. “Did you hear something strange?”
“You mean besides the singing?”
“It’s kind of a moaning sound. Sort of muffled. It didn’t come from the speakers.”
“Nope. Nothing like that.” I reached into the backseat and pulled my violin case into my lap. “Could this be talking again?”
She angled her head. “I don’t hear it now.”
I flipped up the case’s latch but left the lid closed as I caressed the cool black surface.
“Whose violin is that?” Kelly asked. “Yours, Francesca’s, or your mother’s?”
“Francesca took hers to Chicago. I wanted to make a good impression with the orchestra, so I brought my mother’s.”
“The way you play?” She rolled her eyes. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about. They’ll think you’re the second coming of Mozart.”
“I didn’t want to take any chances.”
She pointed forward. “School’s right around this corner.”
As she turned onto an oak-lined road, the building came into view, a modern, two-story brick structure, L-shaped with a tall flagpole just outside the crook of the elbow. In front of the pole, a long white banner extended from one yard stake to another, red block letters spelling out Cardinals.
I leaned forward. “It’s bigger than I thought.”
“Not huge. About a thousand kids.” With the parking lot nearly full, she rolled into a space in the back row. “Let’s get moving. First period’s in five minutes, and we have to get you registered.”
Pulling along my backpack and violin, I ducked out of the car. Kelly had already charged ahead. I balanced my load and followed her, trying not to look like a doting puppy trotting in her wake.
As I passed between two parked cars, a driver flung open his door. With a deft twist, I lifted my load high and squeezed through the narrow gap, then accelerated again while glancing back. The driver, wearing a dark blazer, got out of his Lincoln Town Car and crossed his arms, watching me run. Although I had swept past the man in a hurry, I saw enough of his face to give me the feeling that we had met before.
Now jogging more slowly, Kelly made a wide circle around a clique of girls and breezed past the flagpole before waiting at the main entrance’s double doors. With a brisk wind kicking up, the pole’s ropes snapped against the metal, tapping out a rhythmic jangle.
I raced across the expanse and joined her as she held one of the doors open. I brushed past, pulled open the closest of a second set of doors, and propped it with a knee while Kelly entered.
After striding to the middle of a circular lobby, she paused and pointed at a hole in the ceiling where a circle opened to the second floor. “We call this area the rotunda.” From the floor above, two girls leaned against a railing and looked down at us with blank stares.
“Let’s go.” She led me toward the adjacent office.
A girl wearing jeans and a red T-shirt emblazoned with a logo that was probably fashionable bustled through the office doorway. “Hey, Kelly girl,” she said. “You’re looking …” Her gaze drifted up and down Kelly’s body for a moment. Then, flashing a nervous smile, she continued. “Prim today.”
“Thanks.” Kelly pinched the girl’s cheek. “And you look positively conformist.”
As the girl walked away, she looked back and aimed a finger at Kelly. “I’ll get you for that, my pretty.” With a wide grin, she added, “And your little dog, too.”
I pointed at myself. “Am I supposed to be your little dog?”
“Oh, don’t mind Daryl,” Kelly said with
a wave of her hand. “That’s a Wizard of Oz quote. She’s a computer genius and a movie geek.”
As Daryl jogged down the hall, her long red hair flapped against her back. Her height, build, and facial structure matched Kelly’s. If not for her hair and freckles, she could be Kelly’s clone.
“Is she your friend?” I asked.
“My best friend. Why?”
“Just wondering. You said her name’s Daryl, right?”
Kelly nodded. “Daryl Lin Markey. I’ve known her since third grade.”
“Third grade,” I whispered as I closed the door to the hallway. It was kind of cool to see best friends poking fun at each other like that.
Inside the office anteroom, two women stood behind a counter looking at a clipboard together. When we drew near, one of them stepped up to the counter. “May I help you?”
Kelly smiled. “Good morning, Mrs. Washington. I brought the new student my dad told you about.”
The silver-haired lady pushed her half-lens glasses down her nose and peered over them. “Kyle Simmons. Correct?”
“Uh-huh. He’s staying with us for a while.”
I set my pack and case down and extended a hand over the counter. “I’m pleased to meet you, Mrs. Washington.”
After shaking hands, Mrs. Washington searched through a stack of file folders on her workspace. “Daryl had your paperwork out on Friday. I’ll have to find it.”
A new voice breezed in from the side. “He’s good looking and polite, Kelly. Nice catch.” A tall, shapely girl sashayed along the office’s inner hallway. She propped three books against her waist, her fingers interlaced underneath. “Or should I say, nice rebound?”
Kelly spoke in a condescending tone. “Better stick to makeup and hairspray, Brittany. Basketball terms are a bit out of your league.”
I looked at the two girls. Obviously this wasn’t playful banter, and Brittany was about as genuine as press-on nails. But what could I do? This was their territory, not mine.
Apparently unfazed, Brittany strutted closer in her low-neck ribbed tunic. “Kelly and Kyle has a nice ring to it.” She winked. “I guess living together gives you … well … opportunities.”