Paradigm (Travelers Series Book 3)

by Lefeve, Claudia

  On some level, I feel bad for Jaime, having her father use her, only to ultimately desert her once she’d done what she’d been asked, but I can’t forgive her. “Look, I’m sorry you got involved, but I think I need some time to myself. I think you better leave before someone gets hurt.”

  And just like that, I dismiss her.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  This Reality Bites Too

  Present Reality

  I storm out of the office, giving myself a couple minutes from Jaime’s own departure. I’m so pissed off, I don’t even know in which direction I want to go. Do I go home and vent my frustration in the privacy of the four walls I call home or do I go somewhere public and seethe in silence? The high level of anxiety that sparks my telekinesis is finally beginning to subside.

  There’s only one place I can think of to further reduce the level of stress I’m feeling. I’m calm enough now not to let my pent-up anger cause any mugs and saucers to go flying. I know caffeine is the last thing I need right now, but a hot steaming cappuccino is exactly what the doctor ordered—or a good shrink, anyway.

  I actually manage to find a spot in the corner of Battle Grounds, and I nestle against the worn armchair and watch the customers come and go. Do they realize that there’s an infinite numbers of realities going on at exactly the same time? Here, they’re simply enjoying their caffeinated beverage or eating a fresh-baked scone, while in another they may be dead, never been born, or worst yet, miserable in life. That’s how I feel. Miserable. I don’t know that I would be happier if I’d followed my destined past, but it can’t be any worse than what I’m feeling right now.

  Who is Jaime to change the course of my destiny? I play back the scene that happened no more than ten minutes ago. She just stood there and tried to justify her actions! With my life! I don’t know what’s worse, knowing that my life was totally altered because of her or that I just lost my best friend in the world. I remember our mantra after high school, “It’s us against the world.” Ha! Right.

  My hand immediately goes to the locket I’ve worn ever since Cooper gifted it to me. Only it wasn’t around my neck. It’d been a source of comfort for me these last few days, a talisman if you will, but it was gone. My eyes begin to well up at the thought of losing the one thing that connected me to my mother. I must have lost it when I traveled with Moose to the future.

  “You look like you just lost your best friend,” Cooper says, sliding a chair next to mine. “Either that or you found out this place only serves decaf.”

  He catches me off-guard, but I manage a nervous laugh. I wipe the sole tear that had just fallen down my cheek. “If I hadn’t just lost my best friend, your joke would be hilarious.” I don’t tell him about losing the locket. Maybe it’s still at the apartment and I didn’t lose it after all.

  “Ah, but you laughed anyway.”

  “Call it a moment of weakness,” I say, lifting up my cappuccino. “See? No shortage of caffeine here.”

  “So what happened? You sure you’re all right?”

  “No. Yes,” I say. “I don’t know.”

  “You know you can tell me anything.”

  After how my week has turned out, he’s not off the mark. “Jaime.”

  “What happened? Did you guys have a fight?”

  “The mother of all fights. She’s the link, Cooper. It was all her.” I say this with a touch of indifference, and it sounds like I don’t even care. Defeated is more like it.

  Confusion is written all over Cooper’s handsome face. The small crinkles around his eyes deepen as he considers what I just said. “Jaime? What does she have to do with any of this?”

  “She’s the one who interrupted us here all those years ago. Did you know that she’s not even from this reality? Her father, Thornberry, sent her here to make sure we don’t get together.”

  The deep etches around his eyes get even deeper. “Whoa, hold on. She was behind it?”

  “Well, her father, anyway. So now I have no best friend, no job, and no idea what to do next.”

  “Not to get sidetracked or anything, but what happened to your job?

  “Ha! That’s the kicker. Audrey, or April, works for Thornberry. Who is she, anyway, and why was she impersonating someone else? Is anyone in this reality actually from this reality?”

  Cooper slumps into his chair. “We certainly never figured her in the equation, but I’m not surprised. She was supposed to be your advisor in your other reality. To teach you about traveling and the Council.”

  “But she’s in on it with Thornberry and Jaime. How did this happen?”

  “April’s one thing, but Jaime?” He shakes his head. “We never expected that she’d be a part of this.”

  “And how is that? You guys manage to travel between universes with no problem, you can even travel in time. How can you not have foreseen Jaime’s involvement?”

  “That’s the funny thing about the future. We can’t always predict it. You of all people should know there are an infinite –”

  “– number of realities. Yeah, yeah, I know. But what exactly does that mean?”

  “It means we can’t keep track of it all. There is only one future, Etta… the one we ultimately end up with. To a point, we can see all of the hundreds or million future scenarios, but we don’t know the final score.

  “And that’s why we need you. We can’t foresee whether or not we defeat Thornberry in the end. All we can do is fight and have faith that we achieve the outcome we want.”

  “What’s the point of having a destiny, if it can change?”

  “Oh, I never said it could change, I just merely stated that as we move through the line of time, realities, or rather we, splinter off in the direction we’re supposed to be headed.”

  “So we can’t change time, but we can jump on into the timeline we want?”

  “Not quite. This is why we’ve carefully mapped out the most opportune moments in time to find you. It may seem like we’re changing the future, but we’re actually trying to correct it. It’s like the butterfly effect. If we were to change the course of history, then we’d disrupt the paradigm of continuity. You’re friend Jaime, err, ex-friend Jaime, succeeded in disrupting that constant. In order for you to jump back into your destined role, we have to try to approach you during a time that you’ll be more receptive to the idea, so as not to create chaos.”

  “What about free will? Doesn’t that come into play in this paradigm of continuity or whatever?”

  “That’s like asking what came first, the chicken or the egg. Some would argue that we cannot change our past nor our future and that it is all predetermined. Others believe we cannot go back and change the past, but our future remains unwritten, still following the linear laws of causation. We now know that it’s the latter, based on the research the Dyson Twins have been working on.”

  I ponder that for a moment. Nothing’s set in stone until we make it happen. Our futures are intertwined with our actions and the choices that we make. Some are predicted, others are a creation of our own will.

  “This future is our responsibility,” I whisper, repeating the phrase I heard only this morning.

  “What was that, darlin’?”

  “Something Moose said when he showed me the future. Tell me, is the future I glimpsed part of this reality?”

  He shakes his head. “No. It’s a reality Thornberry traveled to years ago. He needed a world that was prime for taking over. We recruited our team and went after him.”

  “Because we feel obligated to protect it,” I say, almost as if on autopilot. I’m slowly starting to understand my role in all this and I chose to take the lead in my own story. “Count me in.”

  “You sure about this? We are only as strong as our leader and if you don’t –”

  “It’s time to take charge of my destiny, Cooper. I’m tired of people getting in the way and meddling in what’s supposed to be my life. So if I say, I’m with you, I’m with you.”

  “What made y
ou change your mind?”

  I take this opportunity to liven up the mood. “I’d like to say it was your endless pursuit of me, but it was actually something I saw.”

  Cooper leans in closer, curious. “So it wasn’t my good looks or charm?”

  I giggle. “Don’t flatter yourself. But in all seriousness, I can’t keep the images of what I’ve seen out of my mind. If everything I’ve seen is true, I want to help set things right.”

  “Just where exactly did Moose take you?”

  “What makes you think it was anything Moose showed me?”

  He shrugs. “Moose is an empath, darlin’. He has a way of feeding off your emotions and knowing exactly what you need to hear, or see, for that matter.”

  Yes, I suppose he does.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  The Kids Are Not Alright

  The Past / Alternate Timeline

  “Are we still in the future?” I ask Moose as I glimpse a new scene before me. We’re now standing in a dank hallway, with blank walls, and the absence of any clues as to where we are. The building is dark and uninviting, but familiar, like I’ve roamed these halls before.

  “Somewhat. It’s not necessarily our future, but it’s what sets the chain reaction towards the future I just showed you. It might just put things in perspective.”

  We walk along the cold barren hallway and Moose suddenly stops in front of a closed door. It has a small window towards the top, like a classroom door. It was just low enough for me to see what was behind that door.

  Because of my height, and having to look up towards the window, I’m immediately drawn to the ceiling. There are bright colored balls that levitate almost as high as the room. The primary colors of blue, red, yellow, and green circle like a whirl, as it gets closer to the ceiling above. I’m so distracted by the scene that I almost don’t notice the little girl, centered in the middle of the room, staring at the rainbow above.

  I know the little girl. She is me and I am her. I can’t make sense of what I’m actually seeing, but Moose can sense my trepidation.

  “It’s okay, she can’t see you from here,” he says, urging me to keep looking.

  Nothing happens for a moment, other that the girl watching the balls with interest. Her focus is completely fixated on them, and I realize that she’s the one making them hover around her. She’s using her power of telekinesis. In a way, it makes me jealous that I’m not able to manipulate objects with such mastery. Maybe instead of suppressing my ability, I should have figured out a way to control it.

  “That’s me,” I point out.

  “Keep watching.”

  I stop looking at the younger version of myself long enough to notice there’s another door near the far left corner of the room. It suddenly opens and I immediately tense up, somehow expecting an adult to walk through the door—I feel like I could get in trouble for spying or something—but it’s another small child. A boy that looked to be about ten years old.

  He doesn’t seem to be awed by the show the young me is putting on. In fact, he plops himself down, sitting Indian style, and instead of watching the balls reach the top of the room, he stares intently at the little girl.

  He says something to her, but I can’t make out the words. The door that separates us is too thick for me to hear anything they’re saying. That and my lip reading abilities are lacking as well. The boy pauses, and then continues to speak. The odd thing is, she doesn’t seem to be talking back to him. It’s as if he’s having a conversation all by himself, with little me as his audience.

  “That’s Cooper,” Moose reveals.

  I’m totally confused. Then it all makes sense. The boy isn’t talking to himself, he’s listening to her and communicating telepathically. “What’s he doing there? What is this place?” Although I have a pretty good idea of what this place is.

  “This place was once known as Dominion Synergy. It’s where your father and Oliver Thornberry ran their research studies.”

  “The Prometheus Project.” It doesn’t take a genius to put two and two together after having gone over the records in my father’s stuff. From my father’s detailed notes, I know both Cooper and I were here at the same time. “I thought Cooper was older when he became part of the project?”

  Moose looks shocked for a second. “So you’re already aware of it?”

  I nod. “I read about it in my dad’s files.”

  “And what makes you think Cooper was older?”

  “I read his file. It said he was born in 1967. Why is that he’s younger now?”

  Moose smiles. “When we were recruited for this project, you father pulled children from various realities and time periods. After the experiment went corrupt, many of the kids involved returned to their proper realities, but Cooper stayed.”

  “Wow. So if he’d gone back, he’d be twice the age he is now,” I say in wonderment. That explains a lot.

  “I guess you can say that.”

  My attention goes back to the room and while we were talking, four other children have joined me and Cooper. They range in age from about five to twelve. There is one little boy in particular that catches my attention. He’s one of the older ones, standing in the far back corner of the room near the door, and I recognize him immediately. I’d recognize his scars anywhere.

  “And that’s you.”

  He nods in confirmation. “We were all here.”

  “Why are you hanging back?” I tilt my head towards little boy Moose.

  “I was young. I had just been recruited for the study and I hadn’t yet learned how to control my powers. Being around everyone and their own abilities was just a little too much for me at the time. So I guess I kinda held myself back from everyone.”

  “What happened to you?” I don’t have to elaborate. He knows I’m referring to his scars.

  “My dad wasn’t a very kind man. In many ways, having an abusive father wasn’t exactly the worst thing. Because I’m an empath, not only did I feel the physical blows, but I had to endure the pure hatred that emanated through my father.”

  I grasp his arm. “I’m so sorry.” For both the man standing next to me and the little boy in the room. My heart breaks for him standing there all alone in the corner. I can only imagine being able to feel other people’s emotions, especially when it’s other kids experimenting with their own powers and abilities. It must have been horrible.

  He shrugs. “I’m over that now. It’s all in the past.”

  I don’t have to be an empath like Moose to know he’s still hurting inside. Even beneath all his bravado, I know he’s still not over the pain he endured as a child. I’m sure taking me here, to this place, is a reminder for him. For him to bring me here shows how important all this must be.

  I decide to change the subject. “Why can’t I do that anymore?”

  “What? The telekinesis?”

  “Yeah, I mean, I can still move stuff,” I admit. “But I can’t control it like that. Is that another version of me that’s mastered the art of moving stuff through the air?”

  Moose laughs. “No. It’s not another you. And it’s like the old saying, ‘use it or lose it.’ After you left Dominion Synergy, and your father sent you here to this reality, you naturally suppressed your abilities. It’s a wonder you can even do them at all now, even on a small level.”

  “What happened to the rest of you?”

  “That’s not important. What’s important is that we’re together now.” He looks at me with wide open eyes. “Correction, we could be.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Memoirs of an Invisible Etta

  Present Reality

  The Past / Present / Future

  Cooper leaves me at Battle Grounds so I can contemplate my decision, one which I don’t take lightly and have to do for myself in private. We’re scheduled to meet back at my apartment in an hour so he can take me back where I belong. Actually, it’s a hell of a choice I’m faced with. But I know that it’s not about me anymore, how my life
is affected. By going with Cooper, I realize I can help the lives of others.

  Since I don’t have any loose ends to tie up, except maybe go see my aunt Maggie, I don’t anticipate taking long to get my affairs in order before we go. Maybe he’ll take me to go see my aunt on the way.

  But there’s something I have to do first.

  Everyone I’ve come into contact with has mentioned that aside from my power to move objects, I also have the ability to astral project. It’s a power I never knew I had before and in truth, it kinda freaks me out. If you had told me a few weeks ago that my life would be turned upside-down and that my freak power was actually a part of a grander scheme, I’d have insisted you were the freak.

  If my ability of telekinesis is still active—and I know only too well that it is—perhaps my power of astral projection is still within my reach, and I’m going to use it to make a difference in this whole mess. To make things right. Not because Cooper or his friends have persuaded me, but because it’s in my power to do so.

  I have no clue as to where to begin, but I have an idea of where to start looking. I can’t go to Cooper or Maggie, because I know they’ll only prevent me from doing it. Maybe that should be a clue that I should not be doing what I’m about to do, but it’s my life, right?

  I glance around my efficiency apartment for what I know to be the last time. It’s small. Nothing more than a living room, a kitchenette, and bathroom with only an old clawfoot tub. But my bedroom feels like a palace of infinite possibilities. When I fall asleep in my room, it’s like I’m transported into other worlds. My dreams have always been my escape, and I have a feeling that it has something to do with this newfound ability. I realize now that they weren’t merely dreams, but snippets of other worlds, other lives that I’ve once lived. Some are memories, yet others felt real, and I suspect my body has traveled this world and beyond as I lay sleeping.

  I go straight to my eStorm tablet (thanks April) and type “Wikipedia” into the search engine, my only source for information and guidance at this point. Making myself comfortable on my bed, I look up how one can astral to another plane. This time, I plan on traveling on my own conscious terms, not my subconscious.