“He did send me,” Martha said.
Henry didn’t know what to say. Neither did Nikki, it seemed, but he suspected she had to be thinking the same thing. If someone with Martha’s experience and strength hadn’t been successful, how could they possibly be?
Lysrus’s eyes lingered on Martha’s for a moment, as if silently conferring about something. After a moment, Martha nodded.
Lysrus returned his attention to Henry and Nikki. “You should know that there are considerable risks involved.”
“What kind of risks?” Henry said.
Lysrus regarded them both, his expression grave. “You saw the entities surrounding Rose. You heard them as well.”
“I couldn’t see what they were,” Henry said. “They looked like shadows.”
“They can take any appearance they’d like. Which is just a small part of what makes them so dangerous. They feed on pain and suffering, exactly the kind of energy created by trapped souls. In Rose’s delusion, they perpetuate her dream by posing as the very people she once loved. They’d like nothing more than to trap others as well. It’s quite literally how they survive.”
Nikki’s gaze shot from Lysrus, to Martha, then back to Lysrus again. “Couldn’t someone from your level rescue her?”
“Nikki, what did you think when you first saw me?”
She thought for a moment and Henry knew it wasn’t easy to accurately recall that brief first encounter. The experience had been too powerful, too disorienting.
“I was kind of shocked,” Nikki said. “At first, I thought we’d been hit by lightning. There was all the light and that feeling like electricity. Then, I guess, I thought you might be an angel or something like that. I imagined seeing wings.”
Lysrus turned to Henry and waited.
“Basically, the same,” Henry said. “It was… I didn’t know what to think. But then I thought about angels too. I guess my brain kind of just went there.”
Lysrus nodded. “How do you think someone would react if they’ve been existing in a delusion for over half a century? Particularly, if that person believes she deserves going to hell for her mistakes? Do you think she might imagine seeing something other than an angel?”
3
Gazing Up at the Stars
Lysrus thanked Henry and Nikki for considering his request, then turned and walked toward where they’d just seen images of Rose’s life playing out. As before, the light parted to reveal an even brighter light. Lysrus disappeared into that gap, as if dissolving into the light itself. The Veil, Martha had called it, a barrier Lysrus had allowed them to look through just briefly. Henry couldn’t help wonder what more was held beyond it, what kind of realm Lysrus had just returned to. At the same time, part of him suspected he was better off not knowing. At least, for now. Eventually, maybe, he might know more but it was difficult to imagine when that might be.
A moment later, they followed Martha back to a point in the light she somehow knew led back to the level they’d come from. Together, they crossed through and into her familiar space again. Henry couldn’t deny the relief he felt at the sight of sofas and chairs, books stacked on end tables, paintings hung on walls and curtains framing windows, as massive as those windows were. Through those windows this time, Henry saw a meadow with tall grasses wafting in a breeze, beyond that rolling sunlit hills. He felt sure Martha had provided that scene for comfort and she’d been right to do so. There might be a point in some future where, like Lysrus, he and Nikki no longer remained tied emotionally to the physical realm but right now Henry embraced seeing a place that looked as if it belonged on Earth.
For once, Henry and Nikki didn’t wait for Martha to offer them a place on one of her sofas. They both shuffled toward them and plopped themselves down.
“Holy crap,” Nikki said. “That was weird as hell.”
Henry let his head fall back against the cushion and looked up at the ceiling, grateful to see one there. “That was a new record, definitely. And that’s just the level where we can meet. I can’t even imagine what’s happening on the other side of that.”
“I don’t want to freaking know,” Nikki said. “I think I’ll just hang onto having a body for now, thank you very much.”
Martha took a seat across from them, a gleam of mirth in her eyes. “It’s a bit much at first.”
Nikki shook her head and sighed. “Yeah, no kidding. Right now, I feel like having one of Naomi’s brownies and a big glass of milk. Followed by a seriously long nap.”
“Totally.” Henry felt his eyes starting to close.
“Hello, you two,” Martha said. “Please, stay with me for a few minutes.”
They straightened up to pay attention.
“Still with you,” Nikki said.
“I just wanted you to know that there’s another reason Lysrus asked you to try helping Rose. I did tell him that if anyone had a chance, it was probably the two of you. Partly, because of what you’ve done before. But it’s also because you’re still teenagers, like her. For different reasons entirely, of course. It’s impossible to say how Rose will perceive you. It’s her dream, after all. But we suspect she’s more likely to open up to people she senses to be of a similar age.”
Nikki perched forward. “What happened when you tried?”
“I couldn’t manage to get close enough,” Martha said. “The world Rose has created around herself is very small, with just a few who she views as trusted souls. Like all wounded creatures, her self-preservation instincts are keen. In this case, by self-preservation I mean her desperate need to stay locked inside her fantasy.”
“But the same thing that might make us successful might also get us trapped alongside her,” Henry said. “Do I understand that part right?”
“That’s right,” Martha said. “You’ll have to become a trusted part of her dream. However, if you succeed at that, you’ll also be at the risk of being influenced by others helping to ensure that the dream remains a trap.”
“But you could just come get us out again, right?” Nikki said. “I mean, if it goes wrong?”
Martha hesitated. “I could try. The fact is, you might not recognize me. Not if you got sucked in far enough.”
“But we don’t have to do this,” Henry said. “Lysrus made a point of saying that.”
“Absolutely, and that’s important to keep in mind. This is truly a dark world you’d be entering. These entities around Rose are basically parasites, feeding off her misery. They’d gladly welcome more of the same. Please take your time to think about the risks involved. I realize it’s not an easy decision to make.”
Martha rose from the sofa, signaling that their time with her was over for now. Henry wondered if she had some task to carry out related to Service. He couldn’t be sure, of course, but clearly she wanted to give them some time to discuss what they’d been told and to weigh their decision.
When they got to the door, Henry turned to her. “I understand what you said about Rose possibly trusting us—that we might be able to get through to her. But you’ve also spent all this time making sure we’re okay. After all that, why would you suggest to Lysrus that we face this kind of danger?”
In Martha’s expression, Henry saw warmth and concern, as always. But he saw even more this time, an emotion she’d never displayed before. Fear.
Martha’s eyes glistened. “Because I think the two of you are ready,” she said.
She didn’t explain more.
~~~
One thing that had always been comforting about Halfway House was that usually everyone kept to a similar schedule. They got up at roughly the same time, they shared meals and typically they did something as a group at least once each day. At times, of course, they split off from one another but they always ended up together again. And, usually, they all went to bed at around the same time each night. The fact was, they cared about each other and enjoyed being together most of the time. All of this meant the world to Henry. After all, in order for him to let his own family o
n Earth get on with their lives, he’d created a new one for himself here.
Tonight, though, he needed some time alone to think. Once everyone had gone back to their rooms, Henry descended the stairs quietly, hoping not to draw attention. The irony wasn’t lost on him that, while in the physical realm, he could have simply floated above the stairs, here that wasn’t an option. This world could be rearranged to suit their imaginations in many ways but their shared agreement held some Rules in place. One of them being that in this realm they couldn’t pass through walls or fly through the air at will. Here, they agreed it was probably better to keep things as “normal” as possible.
Henry stepped out onto the veranda, carefully closing the door, and took a seat in one of the Adirondack chairs. He could have gone to his pond, he knew, or the stretch of beach he sometimes walked alone, but he needed to stay close this time. He needed to be near these people, his second family. If he and Nikki decided to do what Martha and Lysrus had asked, Henry suspected it would affect all of them. Either way, whether or not he and Nikki were successful. The look in Martha’s eyes had told him as much. They were ready, she’d said, and Henry had sensed deeper meaning in her words. Things were likely to shift soon. He could feel it.
The fact was, he wasn’t sure what to do. Was trying to save this person they’d never met a risk they should take? Mostly, he didn’t want to influence Nikki. He knew that around him she’d act tough and unemotional. She always did and Henry suspected he knew why. She’d helplessly watched her family slip away even as she’d been able to read their thoughts and feel everything they’d gone through. Until the end of their lives, she’d kept trying to reach out to them. After that, Nikki had built her own sort of shell around herself. Nothing like that girl, Rose, had done, but the purpose was the same. Nikki too was a wounded soul, and the last thing Henry wanted was to cause her more harm.
The stars sparkled above and Henry looked up, no longer questioning whether they were real or created as part of this in-between existence. This was the same night sky he’d looked at as a child and wondered about as his imagination had continued to expand. Some things were instinct and Henry instinctively knew the truth of at least that much. He searched inside himself, hoping instinct would tell him which way to go now. But too many thoughts and feelings crowded in. What he felt was new to him, something he’d never known before. Something he’d imagined, definitely, but just a few times. After all, he’d been so young when he’d left the world he’d known for this one. But lately he’d felt himself changing and those around him changing too. Sure, they all tried to act like things were the same but they weren’t and, on some level, all of them knew.
Henry tried to push thoughts of Nikki, and the others, away so he could focus on making a decision. Rose needed someone to help her—someone who could possibly succeed where others had failed. It seemed strange to him that Lysrus thought they were capable of doing just that. It seemed somehow even more strange to think that Martha hadn’t been able to accomplish what clearly she too thought they might. Henry tried to tell himself he didn’t know Rose, that her life—no, her afterlife—wasn’t his concern. That he and Nikki had no reason to put themselves in danger. At the same time, part of him knew—had known even before he’d come outside to be alone—that he couldn’t just turn his back on her and pretend things would be the same tomorrow. There was no going back now and Henry knew it, just as he knew Nikki had probably already reached the same conclusion.
Henry sat for a few minutes more, gazing up at the stars, then decided to go upstairs and knock on Nikki’s door. She’d still be up. He had no doubt about that. And there was no way he’d be able to decide what was right without talking to her.
4
All I Have To Do
Nikki could tell that Naomi was already in the kitchen when she came downstairs the following morning. Naomi’s music was something new and she’d installed a transistor radio on the counter, its antennae cocked toward the window so she could get better reception of the oldies station she preferred. Nikki couldn’t help smile, remembering herself and the others trying to convince Naomi that better technology existed now—that she didn’t have to put up with the static and the occasional need to adjust the antennae. It had also occurred to Nikki that there was a certain amount of irony in the fact that Naomi had developed a typical teenager’s obsession with music while ignoring the music being recorded today.
Nikki knew, of course, that Naomi’s radio and her taste in music were both throwbacks to the era she’d known. Nikki couldn’t imagine how Naomi had found a station featuring artists like Elvis Presley, Fats Domino and Buddy Holly but clearly she had. That the station actually existed surprised Nikki a little. She’d just figured stations featuring music that old had all gone by the wayside. But it was a real station and not just something streaming from Naomi’s imagination, made evident from the commercials pushing present day products. How they received the signal confounded Nikki, for some reason even more than the fact that they could go on the internet. Why, she wasn’t sure, since essentially it was the same concept.
As Nikki walked into the room, Naomi stood at the kitchen counter mixing batter while tapping her foot to the music. Nikki wouldn’t have recognized the song before but now she knew it had been recorded by the Everly Brothers.
“How’s it going?” Nikki said.
Naomi jumped back, the whisk flying out of her hand and clattering onto the counter. “Jeez, you scared me.” She spread her hand against her chest and laughed.
Nikki couldn’t help laugh too seeing her wide eyes and the trail of splattered mix. “Sorry. I guess that’s one of the pitfalls of rocking out while you bake. You can’t hear people sneak up on you.”
Naomi turned down the radio.
“Here, I’ll get that.” Nikki grabbed a sponge and started wiping up the mess.
Naomi retrieved her whisk and went back to mixing. “Actually, I’m not baking right now. I’m making crepe batter.”
“I love crepes,” Nikki said. “Are they hard to make?” It was kind of a silly question since Naomi was such a natural with food. Lately, she’d been branching out even more, creating breads, muffins, croissants and quiches to go along with the desserts she’d mastered.
“The batter is easy,” Naomi said. “Not sure about the actual crepes yet. What’s new with you?”
For Naomi, the question wasn’t just automatic. She remained genuinely interested in learning about those around her. The fact was, Naomi was a great listener. Which, Nikki had to admit, was part of the reason she’d decided to join her in the kitchen.
“Not much,” Nikki said, “Just thought I’d hang out for a while. If you don’t mind, that is.”
Naomi smiled. She might have been changing lately too but Naomi still smiled like a kid. Happy, open, not the least bit reluctant showing how pleased she was to be with you. “Of course! Do you mind grabbing the crepe pan? I’ll get the stove going.”
Nikki opened the cabinet and squinted at Naomi’s various pots and pans. Which one was the crepe pan? You needed a special pan to make those?
“It looks like a frying pan,” Naomi said. “Just not very deep.”
“Oh, yeah. I know,” Nikki said. “The one that looks like a crepe pan, only it’s a crepe pan.”
Naomi giggled. She knew Nikki too well and didn’t buy it for a second. “There’s something you wanted to talk about, isn’t there?”
The fact was, Nikki did tend to seek out Naomi’s company when trying to work something out. And, as usual, she hadn’t gotten to the point right off. Nikki knew that about herself—she could be a little standoffish emotionally. Unlike Naomi, it took her a while to open up. Still, Nikki felt hesitant telling her about what had happened yesterday. Mostly because she didn’t want her to worry.
Nikki passed her the crepe pan. “Well, sort of. I mean, I’ve kind of had something on my mind.”
“Is it about Henry?”
“What makes you say that?”
<
br /> Naomi thought for a moment. “I don’t know, really. Just a feeling, I guess.”
“Well, it involves Henry,” Nikki said. “And, in a way, it also ties in to what happened with my sister.”
Naomi kept her gaze on Nikki’s. “You said she married a man who wasn’t very nice.”
“That’s right,” Nikki said. “And there wasn’t anything I could do to help her. Even though I was right alongside her, reading her, knowing how unhappy she was.”
“That’s really sad.”
Naomi set aside her preparations, the burner glowing forgotten on the stovetop. Nikki felt bad for having ruined the lighthearted mood but it was too late now.
“It was sad,” Nikki said. “But that was a long time ago. Yesterday, though, Henry and I learned about a girl who was about to marry a very bad man herself. Some things happened—bad things—that left her trapped. Martha and Lysrus spoke to us and asked if we’d be willing to help.”
Naomi’s eyebrows shot up. “You spoke to Lysrus?”
That part, Nikki had also been hesitant to mention. Until now, they’d shared all experiences as a group. At the same time, she wasn’t about to lie. She knew from their talk last night that Henry felt the same way.
“It was…interesting,” Nikki said. “I’ll tell you more about it later. But the thing is, what Lysrus asked us to do might be dangerous.”
“And you’re worried about Henry,” Naomi said.
How was it possible that Naomi could sense that so easily? After all, she’d guessed it before Nikki had even started talking. Then again, Naomi was changing in many ways. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that her intuition was maturing as well.
“Yeah, I am,” Nikki admitted. “The thing is, I want to help her. This girl. Her name’s Rose. I know it can’t change how my sister’s life worked out. There’s nothing I can do now about that. There never was, I guess. At the same time, it’s almost like I can feel my sister next to me. Like she’s looking on from somewhere, wherever she is, and she wants me to do this. Almost as if it will set things right for her. I guess that doesn’t make any sense.”
Stepping into the Sky: Jump When Ready, Book 3 Page 3