Among the Stars

by Matthew Ellis

  She thought, “Now I’ve got you sons of bitches. I knew you were lying about Sylvia.”

  She put the two videos side by side and compared every frame. The only difference was the person holding the knife and the victim. She desperately needed to find a discrepancy in the video that proved the person holding the knife was not Sylvia.

  She said, “It’s not enough. They’ll say it doesn’t prove the video’s fake if I can’t prove it’s not her.”

  She watched the video a hundred times frame by frame. She saw nothing that proved the video was a fake. She was getting frustrated and punched the screen. She hurt her hand and shook it in front of her. Then she saw the discrepancy through her fingers.

  She said, “Damn, how’d I miss that a hundred times? “

  At the end of the video, there were two female faces in the fake video, but they were only millimeters apart. She made a note of the time on the video and put everything in a bag. She drove directly to the courthouse.

  A clerk asked, “Can I help you?”

  Jenni said, “I have evidence to enter in Sylvia Castellanes’ case. I need to see the judge in the case.”

  The clerk said, “You need to give that to her lawyer. That’s how things work around here. Then her lawyer will give it to the prosecution.”

  Jenni had a bad feeling about Sylvia’s lawyer. She thought he might be working with the psychiatrists. She really didn’t want to give him anything.

  Jenni said, “Her lawyer is unavailable at the moment. Can you just point me in the direction of the judge?”

  The clerk said, “His name is Ken Franklin. He’s in court right now, though.”

  Jenni said, “I’ll make my way to his chambers and wait.”

  The clerk said, “I must advise against that. Judges don’t like when random people show up in their chambers unannounced.”

  Jenni said, “I guess I’ll have to take my chances.”

  She thought, “Desperate times call for desperate measures, and this is about as desperate a time as I’m ever going to face. I don’t know how Sylvia does this so often.”

  She made her way through the courthouse to Judge Franklin’s chambers. She took a seat outside the chamber door and waited for him to return.

  Judge Franklin asked, “Who are you?”

  Jenni said, “I’m a friend of one of your cases’ defendants. I have evidence to support her innocence.”

  Franklin said, “You’re supposed to give that to the lawyers.”

  Jenni said, “I know you don’t have any reason to believe me, but I think her lawyer is in collusion with the prosecution. I don’t trust him.”

  Franklin said, “She’s free to fire him at any time if she so chooses.”

  Jenni said, “It’s hard to fire someone when you never see them and you’re sedated twenty hours a day.”

  Franklin said, “I’m going to allow this just once. I’m not even sure why I’m allowing it, but I feel that this case is somehow different from my normal caseload.”

  Jenni said, “You have no idea how right you are.”

  They went inside the judge’s chambers and Jenni set up her equipment. She took out her notes and showed the judge both videos. His reaction was what she expected. Then she showed him the portion of the video that wasn’t as perfect as the rest of the video.

  Jenni said, “It’s nearly impossible to match motion videos frame for frame perfectly. There’s always going to be a tiny mistake. I found it, right here.”

  Franklin said, “Well, this casts a new light on your friend and her accusers.”

  Jenni asked, “Do you think you can put this case on the fast track?”

  Franklin said, “I’m buried in case work. I’m sorry, but I can get to it when I get to it. The wheels of justice turn very slowly.”

  Jenni said, “Yes, I’m aware of that. I was just hoping you could give them a little push.”

  Franklin said, “I’ll see what I can do.”

  For the next two weeks, Judge Franklin tried to get to Sylvia’s case. He couldn’t find time for it until the third week. He called a hearing for the next day.

  At the hearing, Sylvia was groggy because she was still partially sedated. The lawyers were brought into the room, and so were the psychiatrists. Judge Franklin summoned Jenni, and she was at the courthouse promptly at 9:00, even though the hearing wasn’t until 2:00.

  Judge Franklin said, “I have been issued new evidence that has exonerated Sylvia Castellanes.”

  He played the videos and pointed out the discrepancy in them. He ordered Sylvia to be released from the custody of the mental health facility immediately. Judge Franklin was about to dismiss the court when Jenni spoke.

  She said, “There’s also the issue of Brian. No one’s seen or heard from him in weeks. I think they must know where he is because he was their star witness.”

  Karen said, “I don’t know anything about Brian’s whereabouts.”

  Judge Franklin said, “You’re already facing some pretty serious charges for this false charge. If you know where Brian is and you don’t tell us, you’re going to face charges of perjury and kidnapping.”

  Karen said, “I really have no idea where he is.”

  Judge Franklin pounded his gavel and dismissed the court.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Brian and Jenni

  Brian was waiting at his house when Sylvia and Jenni went there after the trial. They saw his car in the driveway and ran to his door.

  Jenni asked, “Where the hell have you been?”

  Brian answered, “Clearing my head. After Sylvia broke up with me, I had to escape.”

  Sylvia said, “Well, I think you’ve proven yourself to me. The break was just a test to see if you were going to be violent with me.”

  Brian said, “I still don’t understand why you think I meant to hurt you. I would never do that to you.”

  Sylvia said, “I can’t tell you how I know, but I know.”

  Jenni said, “It’s safe to tell him. I can’t tell you why I know that, but I do.”

  Sylvia said, “I thought I was the only one with secrets.”

  Jenni said, “Well, you’re not. Let’s go in the living room, and Sylvia will tell you all about her last few weeks.”

  As Sylvia told him about the psychiatric hospital, he was amazed and shocked that such things really happened. Then his body went numb as she started to tell him about her gift. He didn’t understand what was happening, but he wasn’t scared. It was as though the universe was letting him know that everything was going to be okay.

  Jenni played the videos for him and pointed out the discrepancy, so he could see the way they tried to frame Sylvia. He was astonished at the lengths the psychiatrists went through to make sure Sylvia was neutralized.

  Brian asked, “Why are you such a threat to them?”

  Sylvia answered, “I’ve been trying to figure that out since this whole thing started on the train.”

  Brian said, “So that’s when you found out.”

  Jenni said, “I’ve known since that day, but the universe wouldn’t let me tell you or even remember when I’m not around Sylvia. You won’t remember any of this if Sylvia’s not close to you or on the phone.”

  Brian asked, “So I can’t tell anyone about this, either?”

  Sylvia said, “You’ll have no idea about any of this when I’m not with you, so it’ll be difficult to tell someone something you don’t know.”

  Jenni said, “Even when you are near her, the universe stops you from divulging too much to anyone other than Sylvia. Hell, I couldn’t even tell her that I couldn’t tell anyone else.”

  Sylvia said, “Now that we all know, maybe we can go on like nothing ever happened.”

  Brian said, “I can’t believe that I killed you in that other place. I would never want to hurt you. I love you and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”

  Sylvia said, “That’s because in this universe, you didn’t make that choice. In a lot o
f other ones, you did. I just know not to order ham on a pizza ever again when you’re with me.”

  Jenni asked, “How does that make any difference?”

  Sylvia answered, “I know it doesn’t seem to make sense, but sometimes it’s the smallest decisions that have the biggest impact on our lives. There’s no such thing as an insignificant decision.”

  Brian said, “That is some profound shit. You just blew my mind.”

  Sylvia said, “Now that I’ve forgiven you, it’s not all I’ll blow.”

  Jenni said, “If you’re going to start that, I’m going to leave.”

  Sylvia said, “Not until later on. I have to see if my boss will take me back at the convenience store now that I’ve been gone so long.”

  Jenni said, “Okay, good luck.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Decision

  Sylvia racked her brain trying to realize what her power was. She knew she could bring the universe to its knees, but she didn’t know how.

  She thought, “If I wanted to, I could blackmail the Gylvanian psychiatric guild to give her whatever I want.”

  She just had to be careful not to be diagnosed with a mental illness. Once a person from any race was diagnosed with a mental disorder, their power was lost forever.

  Sylvia thought, “How do I want to proceed?”

  She considered the blackmail approach, but it was very risky. If she got too close to the psychiatrists, they could publicly declare her insane.

  She thought, “That won’t do. I can’t put myself in danger. The risk far outweighs the possible reward.”

  She thought about going public with her knowledge of the multiverse and the afterlife. That was just as dangerous. She’d be declared insane in the eye of the public before she ever got anything she wanted.

  She yelled, “I’ve got it!”

  Riches were the ticket to getting what she wanted. She had knowledge of other universes. She could place wagers for which she already knew the outcome.

  She thought, “The only danger in the plan is if I die and come back in the wrong universe.”

  She called Jenni and told her about the plan. Jenni was immediately confused because Sylvia’s plan made no sense.

  Jenni asked, “How does knowledge of alternate realities make a good wager?”

  Sylvia said, “It’s kind of like having advance knowledge of an outcome because of time travel.”

  Jenni sarcastically asked, “Does your gift suddenly allow you to travel between realities at different times?”

  Sylvia replied, “No, I just have knowledge of alternate realities. I know there’s a way to monetize it.”

  Jenni said, “I don’t think there is. The psychiatrists must have more at stake than money.”

  Sylvia said, “I just don’t get how I’m dangerous. I can’t tell anyone about what I know without being accused of mental illness. I can’t make money off the knowledge I possess, and I can’t blackmail anyone to come forward with knowledge of the universe’s nature.”

  Jenni asked, “Why not?”

  Sylvia answered, “Because they’ll think I’m fucking crazy. I know I’m not crazy, and you know I’m not crazy; but the rest of the world will think I’m fucking crazy.”

  Jenni said, “So why does an alien race’s psychiatrists give a fuck if you tell anyone what you know?”

  Sylvia replied, “I have no idea. None of this makes any fucking sense.”

  Jenni thought, “This makes even less sense to me Why does the universe take my memory from me when I’m not with Sylvia?”

  Sylvia said, “I know there’s some grand secret they’re trying to keep me from finding out, but I’m pretty damned determined to find out what it is.”

  Jenni thought, “And the loss of control. Why the hell can’t I move when she’s the one with secrets to keep?”

  Sylvia was quietly thinking and staring at a piece of paper. It had her birthday, phone number, address, and every other significant number in her life written on it. She tried to find a pattern, but she couldn’t find one.

  Sylvia said, “I’ve been looking at these fucking numbers for weeks, and I don’t see any patterns. I’ve tried every formula on their damned pamphlet. I told you this was nothing but a bunch of hooey.”

  Jenni said, “At least you gave it a chance. You were just going to let my help go to waste.”

  Sylvia said, “But it still doesn’t give me the elusive answer.”

  Jenni opened her mouth to speak, but choked. The universe wasn’t going to let her accidentally tell Sylvia about the nature of traveler’s secrets.

  Jenni thought, “Something I have to say must be pretty damned important if I’m never allowed to tell her. What the hell is going on here?”

  Sylvia panicked and asked, “Are you alright, Jenni?”

  Jenni replied, “I’m fine; I just swallowed some spit wrong.”

  Sylvia said, “Gross.”

  Jenni asked, “Did you find a pattern in the numbers?”

  Sylvia answered, “No, that guy must’ve been smoking crack.”

  Jenni said, “Or maybe there’s a different set of rules for travelers.”

  Sylvia said, “I just wish I could find out what the different rules are. Why the hell are the psychiatrists so scared of me?”

  Jenni said, “Maybe it’s something you’ve overlooked.”

  Sylvia asked, “Like what?”

  Jenni answered, “Maybe you made an incorrect assumption about…”

  Jenni started choking again. The universe was not going to allow Jenni to give Sylvia any answers, even if she was going to do it accidentally.

  Sylvia said, “You need to be more careful. You choke on anything.”

  Jenni said, “I need to be a lot more careful. Sorry.”

  Jenni thought, “I must’ve been on to something there. I wish there was a way to let her know that there’s something simple she’s overlooking.”

  Sylvia continued to think. She considered Jenni’s point carefully.

  She said, “What am I overlooking?” She wasn’t talking really to Jenni, but to herself.

  Then Sylvia had an epiphany. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t already considered it.

  Sylvia said, “I wonder if I could choose which universe I jump to?”

  Jenni said, “Um, there’s only one way to test that.”

  Sylvia said, “I know. I have to die.”

  Jenni said, “If you die, I won’t have you in my life anymore.”

  Sylvia said, “We’ll still be friends; just not in this universe.”

  Jenni said, “Right. If you die, I won’t have a best friend anymore. I can’t go with you.”

  Sylvia said, “This isn’t about you. It’s about finding the truth.”

  Jenni cried, “Don’t you see how selfish you’re being right now?”

  Sylvia said, “I’ve died dozens of times. There are a number of versions of you that have gone on without me.”

  Jenni, still crying, said, “I don’t care about the other versions of me. It’s too late for them. I need you in my life.”

  Sylvia said, “You’ll find someone else to be your best friend. You could even date Brian.”

  Jenni protested, “I don’t want to date Brian, and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t want to live without you, either.”

  Sylvia hadn’t considered Jenni’s feelings when she had her epiphany, nor had she considered Brian’s feelings. She just needed to know if she had unlocked the answer to the universe’s greatest secret.

  ***

  Dr. Henley shot out of his chair. He had a sudden realization that a traveler was getting close to discovering the greatest secret of the universe. He called Dr. Johnson into his office.

  He told her, “I just remembered what the greatest secret in the universe is. This means someone is close.”

  Johnson asked, “So what do we do?”

  Henley said, “We have to send a telepathic message to every psychiatrist in the universe.”

&n
bsp; Johnson said, “When did we become telepathic?”

  Henley said, “We’ve always been telepaths. We only remember when we have an emergency like this.”

  Johnson asked, “But if we’re telepathic and other species aren’t, how are they going to receive the message?”

  Henley replied, “It doesn’t matter if the species isn’t telepathic. All psychiatrists receive telepathic training. It’s part of the getting into their heads I talked about earlier.”

  Johnson asked, “Will we remember any of this after the emergency?”

  Henley said, “No. We only remember these things during a crisis. It’s always on a need to know basis. That’s one reason the residency’s so long. Sometimes we have to wait to get an emergency to actually train you on how to recognize it.”

  Johnson asked, “So what is the universe’s greatest secret that we’re determined to stop travelers from discovering?”

  Henley said, “.”

  Johnson said, “●●●.”

  Henley said, “●●●●●.”

  Johnson said, “That doesn’t sound so dangerous.”

  Henley said, “Until they tell a few thousand other travelers, and they end up in a universe where they rule everything with an iron fist.”

  Johnson said, “That seems very unlikely.”

  Henley said, “The time people saw that universe, and swore to prevent it from ever happening.”

  Johnson asked, “If they saw it, doesn’t that mean that it already happened and nothing can stop it?”

  Henley said, “Perhaps, but we’re going to delay it as long as we possibly can.”