A wave of exhaustion hit me and I lay back down, reluctantly falling back into a restless sleep.
After my nightmare and lack of quality sleep the night before, I was in no mood to deal with anyone at school the next morning. Unfortunately, I had my final interview with my college credit group.
We met in front of the school and then took the bus to the other side of town, where Lucy Gallagher lived. Lucy was a scientific journalist for the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Word on the street was that she was in line to win a Pulitzer and Mrs. Temely wanted us to interview her on her work.
We arrived at her high-rise apartment just as the sun began to lower in the sky, cooling down the temperature to bearable. Lucy was a small woman with dark brown hair and greying temples. She had warm brown eyes that sparkled when she smiled.
As soon as we were situated with cool glasses of lemonade in hand, Abby began her questioning. “So, what exactly is it that you research, Mrs. Gallagher?”
“Quantum Physics,” Lucy replied, settling in next to Jacob. “It’s the study of nature on a small scale.”
“How did you get interested in it?” Abby prodded.
“Well”—Lucy chuckled—“I’ve always had a crush on Albert Einstein. He was a brilliant scientist and when I was a kid I spent a lot of afternoons reading about his discoveries. When I was twelve, I learned he had published a paper on quantum theory. I began to research it and discovered the fascinating world of quantum mechanics.”
I scribbled notes. “Mrs. Temely mentioned that you’re also an award-winning journalist. What was your last award and why were you awarded it?” I asked.
Lucy smiled at me. “I was given the gold medal in the small newspaper category by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. I was very honored. They picked my piece on energy.” She leaned forward, cupping her glass of lemonade. “Physicists believe that everything in nature, including humans, is really just vibrating atoms that have a unique energy signature.”
“But we’re solid,” I pointed out, frowning.
Lucy shook her head. “No, we’re not. We just appear to be solid. Our atoms are made out of invisible energy, not tangible matter. It’s invisible.”
“Wait a minute,” Abby said, interrupting, “are you saying that we really don’t exist the way we think we do?”
“Exactly,” said Lucy.
“Then why don’t they teach that to us in school?” Abby asked.
“Because physics can be extremely challenging to understand and the object of grade school is to help you become knowledgeable about the basics,” Lucy replied. “Should you decide to pursue the subject further, you would do that in higher education.”
We sat quietly for a few minutes before Jacob piped up. “So your article was about atoms vibrating?”
“No.” Lucy laughed. “There are a ton of other articles about that. My article was about how we can influence those vibrating atoms and effect change.” She paused and looked at our confused faces. “What that means is that you can change something that seems to be solid. You can influence things around you...maybe with your mind.”
Nathan scoffed. “That’s impossible.”
Lucy quirked an eyebrow. “Is it?”
“Well, yeah,” Nathan argued. “If that were the case, we wouldn’t have disease. People wouldn’t die of hunger. You could just change the state of your body to not be hungry, right?”
Lucy laughed. “It’s not as simple as that, I’m afraid. But humans have shown time and time again that a few of us are indeed able to change something without realizing it. Some people attribute that to miracles.”
“But if that’s the case, what’s the point of modern medicine?” Abby pointed out. “We wouldn’t need it if we could fix problems with just our minds.”
“It’s kind of like prayer, right?” I asked Lucy. Everyone looked at me. “Mind over matter, healing hands, that kind of thing.”
Lucy beamed. “That’s right! Some people have reported praying over the sick and having them become ‘miraculously’ healthy. How is that possible?”
“It’s possible if we’re really more powerful than we think we are,” I mused out loud. Abby gave me a funny look but didn’t say anything.
We asked Lucy a few more questions and then thanked her for her time before heading to a nearby diner to grab something to eat.
“I think I know what our project should be,” Jacob said around a mouthful of fries. His mascara was running a little from the summer’s heat, but I didn’t bother to tell him. We were all sweaty and disheveled from the walk over. “I think we should try to bend a spoon.”
We all stared at him.
“Like the boy in The Matrix?” Abby asked, her eyebrow raised.
“Yup,” he said. “One of us should try to prove Lucy’s theory about affecting change.”
“Not it!” Nathan shouted. Abby and Jacob quickly shouted it right after him and looked at me.
“Aww, come on,” I said, laughing. “I had a mouth full of hotdog!”
“Too bad, so sad.” Abby giggled. “Besides, you seemed like you were pretty into this stuff anyway. So at least you won’t have to fake it.” She quickly pulled her long, blonde hair into a ponytail before taking another swig of her large strawberry milkshake. I watched her enviously. How did she eat like that and not gain weight?
I sighed. “OK, fine. I’ll do it. Maybe that’ll prove to Mrs. Temely that I really have participated in this stupid project and she’ll get off my back.”
The others made noises of agreement. Temely wasn’t popular with anyone in our school. It was slightly comforting to know that I was in good company.
“Did you guys see the latest Vin Diesel movie?” Nathan asked, pouring more ketchup on his fries. “I hear it’s really good.”
“We saw it last night,” Abby said, blushing at Jacob. My eyes widened. They were dating?
Jacob read my face and smirked. “Yes, we. It’s possible for two human beings to hang out together, you know.”
I held up my hands in mock surrender, but Nathan interjected before I could say anything. “Man, you’ll have to tell me your secret!” He laughed. “I’d love to get a cheerleader on my arm for a movie!”
Abby playfully threw a fry at him and he threw one back. I giggled and swiped one of his, only to earn a fry in the middle of my forehead. I tossed a fried pickle slice at him, laughing at his horrified face as the pickle slid down his cheek.
A warm feeling overcame me. Was this what it felt like to be normal? I’d never had too many friends, so hanging out with a group was new to me. Was this what Nia had felt with her friends? It was so nice to be able to enjoy company without planning an attack or talking about war. I finally felt like I belonged on my own home planet.
I was busy shoveling the rest of my hotdog in my mouth when I felt my pocket warm and buzz. I excused myself to go to the bathroom, making sure no one else was around before pulling out my DiGi. It projected a screen on the wall, big bold letters flashing at me:
KAY. 911. GET TO TURGOR NOW.
The message was from Nia. My heart pounding, I placed the device back into my pocket and raced to grab my things from our booth.
Abby studied me as I quickly put on my coat. “Everything OK?”
“Yeah,” I said, forcing a smile. “My sister isn’t feeling well, so she asked me to swing by the drugstore on my way home. Figured I’d do it before she pummels me for taking too long.” Everyone chuckled, but mine was a little too high-pitched. I said my goodbyes before hurrying to the bus stop. When I arrived home, I saw a note from Grandma letting me know that she would be out late with her local “stitch and bitch” crew. I scribbled a quick note back that I was going to bed early with a headache and raced upstairs.
I shucked my clothes and dove into the bed, but sleep wouldn’t claim me. My mind was racing, making it hard for me to get to sleep. The more I tried to relax and couldn’t, the more I panicked. Finally, in an act of desperati
on I ran downstairs and mixed warm milk with a dollop of honey. It was always guaranteed to put me right to sleep. Back in my room, I put on my CD of ocean waves and chugged the milk before lying back down. Then I closed my eyes and gradually allowed sleep to claim me.
Chapter 17
“This is getting ridiculous, Kay,” Annie the Mince squeaked, frowning at me. Before finding Turgor, I would have never thought that a small blade of blue green grass could ever strike fear in me. I could barely see her tiny little features, but the censure in her voice was loud and clear.
“I know, I know,” I groaned, sitting up. I was back in the Mince field instead of in my own bed.
My head was throbbing. I quickly looked around and then closed my eyes as the world began to spin. I felt drunk. “What happened?”
“You almost crushed Uncle Morty again, that’s what!”
I sighed. “Sorry, Annie. It won’t happen again.” I closed my eyes and stood up, waiting for the swaying feeling to abate before taking a step forward. The cold wind whipped around me. I looked down and realized I was in the same pajamas that I’d worn when I’d fallen asleep on Turgor the night before. So why wasn’t I in the same place?
The thought of Grandpa’s theory of someone being powerful enough to interrupt my transport came to mind. Someone had sent me here. I patted my gown pocket and found my DiGi. Nia’s message was flashing on it. Was it possible that whoever had sent me here knew about Nia’s message as well?
I started to run toward the gate to Brozek when another wave of dizziness hit me. I fell back to the ground and moaned. Why couldn’t I stay upright?
The stars twinkled in the sky. I could hear the Minces muttering around me as they fanned out to accommodate my body. A cold breeze swept over me again and I shivered. I was so tired. So tired. I needed a lift.
“Please,” I whispered, touching my neck where Yolanda should have been. I’d left her on my nightstand to recharge. It was suddenly hard to speak. “I need help. Please.”
I closed my eyes again. Maybe a quick nap would help... Rough hands grabbed me and pulled me upwards. Cool air rippled through my hair. I was too weak to open my eyes, but I recognized the scent.
“Kris?” I mumbled.
“You’re safe, Kathleena. I’m taking you home.” His voice was low and soothing. Kris scooped me up against him and dragged me away.
I gave a grateful sigh and passed out.
Chapter 18
“Shh. She’s coming to!” someone shouted. I felt a damp towel on my forehead and a weight on my chest. I frowned and opened my eyes. Rena and Nia were hovering above me, both with wide eyes.
“Are you OK?” Nia asked, leaning over and giving me a tight hug. “We were so worried.”
“I’m OK,” I croaked. I cleared my throat and tried again. “Someone messed with my transport again.”
“This has got to stop happening,” Rena muttered. “You were completely drained of your energy this time. We had to give you a reboot.”
“Agreed,” Yolanda chimed in before I could ask what exactly Rena had meant by “reboot.” I gripped Yolanda automatically, thankful she was back on my neck. She warmed against my touch until I released her. “We can’t very well have you stuck on either planet, afraid to go to sleep.”
“So what are we going to do?” I asked, sitting up in bed and moving the very heavy blanket off of me. I wasn’t dizzy anymore, so that was a plus. “What’s the emergency?”
“Grandpa’s looking into it right now,” Nia said, sitting next to me in bed. She continued before I could open my mouth. “I’d love to sit and speculate, but we have bigger problems.”
“Kay, the KaKonians and spelled Death Walkers have vanished,” Rena blurted out.
I arched my eyebrow. “Is that a bad thing?”
“It’s a very bad thing,” Nia said. “It means they’re making a move.” As I opened my mouth to protest, everything went sideways. A loud explosion sounded off as my house shuddered from the impact. Dia cried out in pain, Nia and I fell off the side of the bed, and Rena went flying back against the door. Yolanda instantly warmed, sending gentle pulses of healing energy throughout my body. Rena grabbed her Evrode, who must have been doing the same for her. Nia stood up, her eyes angrily flashing.
“We need to get downstairs!” she yelled, sprinting out the door. I stood up and followed in bare feet, hot on her heels. We bounded down the stairs, almost being knocked over again with another blast. Dia howled and I arrived at the bottom to see a large hole where her front door should have been. My heart clenched. Whoever was hurting my house would pay.
I ran to the kitchen door frame and touched it. “Dia, I need you to trust me.” I closed my eyes and whispered, “You are alive...but you cannot feel. Pain, the wind, the warmth of the sun. You are cold, immovable, unable to feel.”
Dia cried softly as the color in the house slowly disappeared in accordance to my magic. She would now live a half-life until we could fix her. At least she wouldn’t be in pain anymore.
“Kay, watch out!” Yolanda shouted. I whipped around and found she had projected a thin shield around me. An energy blast hit me, knocking me off of my feet. I flew across the kitchen table and hit the floor with a thud.
I moaned and slowly stood back up, keeping my eyes trained on the dim figure in the dust that was advancing on me. I could hear sounds of others fighting outside. Nia screamed and the ground shuddered. “I need to get out there,” I whispered to Yolanda.
“Agreed,” she muttered.
The figure began to run towards me. Another blast came through the wall next to me, barely missing my legs. I lurched across the table but caught myself from going completely over it, instead spinning and ducking out of the open hole.
As I ran, I could hear the person behind me. My legs pumped as fast as they could, my eyes darting for my sister. I could hear her shouting, but there was thick dust and debris flying everywhere.
A cold hand touched my shoulder. I stopped, the adrenaline I’d had now gone.
“I’ve got you now, you little brat,” came a voice from behind me. The person’s breath was ice cold and rank. I shivered but couldn’t will myself to move. Even Yolanda felt cold. “You’re going to pay for what you did to my people.” The person spun me around until I was staring at a bluish-grey chest that was clothed in tattered rags. Dirt and blood stained the figure’s shirt. I swallowed slowly to keep from puking and somehow managed to raise my eyes up enough to see that a Death Walker had caught me. Grey eyes were narrowed with so much hate that my body instinctively wanted to take a step back. His white hair was cropped so short, I could almost see his skull. Thin lips were pulled back into a ferocious smile. Another wave of nausea hit me as his other hand gripped my throat and began to squeeze.
My head pounded as darkness began creeping in on the edges of my vision.
He leaned down and whispered in my ear, “You are going to die.”
“Not today,” another voice growled before slicing the Death Walker’s head off in a clean motion. A trickle of energy flowed back into me and I weakly pushed at the hand around my throat. Kris stepped around the Death Walker and caught me before I fell to the ground.
He began to run with me in his arms back to Dia, but my strength was returning full force. “Stop!” I yelled as I began to wiggle.
Kris ignored me and kept running.
“Kris! I’m fine!” I hit him on the shoulder, causing him to cast down an ugly look. “I need to help the others. We both do!”
He paused and looked around, thinking. “You’re OK?” he asked. I nodded. He placed me down gently, frowning. “Try not to get caught. I’ll be right behind you.”
I spun on my heels and headed back towards the shouting, grateful that Yolanda had cast another shield around me. Using my ears to guide, I found Nia and Nahime fighting off a group of KaKonians and Death Walkers. Nia’s hands were steadily flashing, creating different portals behind them as Nahime pushed them through. Nia looked exhausted,
half of her face caked in blood.
“Kay!” Rena shouted, running over towards me. Behind her were three Death Walkers. Rena looked terrified.
“I got them,” Kris snarled, grabbing Rena by the wrist and yanking her towards me. He intercepted the Walkers, slicing one’s head off before whipping around and skewering the other two in the heart. They dropped with a thud as he pulled his sword out to face us again.
“We have to get out of here—we’re outmatched,” Kris said.
“Agreed!” Mimi shouted, flying over to us. She was covered in dirt and KaKonian blood. “We can’t hold them off for much longer.”
“Where’re Grandpa and Jala?!” I shouted. “We can’t leave without them!”
“Behind you,” Jala yelled, running towards us. She was dragging Grandpa, who was doubled over and stumbling. Nia and I both rushed to his side to help lift him up.
“Nia! Make a portal now!” Kris barked, slicing another Walker before he could grab Jala.
She gave a sharp nod and waved her free hand behind him. “Go!”
Mimi, Jala, and Rena ran through first, followed by Nia, Grandpa, and me. We emerged on the other side in a small cellar. Sounds of laughter and music echoed above us. The warmth of being inside was a stark contrast to the cold air we had just been out in.
I turned around to see Kris and Nahime jumping through the portal. Nia immediately closed it. The side of her head was still wet from blood and she looked a little pale. We all sat in complete silence for a few minutes, catching our breath. Jala was holding Grandpa, who had his eyes closed. If he weren’t wheezing, I would have thought he was asleep. His shirt was torn at his stomach, but he didn’t seem to be bleeding.
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