OtherEarth
Page 27
Wayne cranes his neck as if looking around us. “I have to admit, I was expecting a bigger party up here. Where are Ms. Ogubu and Mr. Karaszkewycz? I’ve been looking forward to meeting the two of them.”
“They’re gone,” I say.
Wayne gives us a smug grin that makes me want to murder him even more. “Well, they haven’t left the hotel, we know that much for sure. We have all the exits covered. The manager has been quite helpful. Wherever they are, we’ll find them. It’s only a matter of time.”
At that, the door of the room flies open. The three men pull their guns as Busara and Elvis enter, holding hands. Elvis looks shell-shocked but calm. Busara is actually smiling. “We’re here!” she announces. “Thought we’d save you the effort of looking for us.”
I’d be absolutely certain that this was some kind of setup if it weren’t for the surprised expression on Wayne Gibson’s face. As Busara walks toward him with an outstretched hand, he rises to his feet. He looks at the hand she’s offered but doesn’t take it. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he was intimidated.
“I’ve heard a lot about you, Wayne,” Busara says. “I thought it was about time you and I met.”
Wayne glances back at Kat and me. I look over at Kat. No one but Busara and Elvis seems to know what’s going on.
“Busara—” I start to say.
“It’s okay, Simon. Remember what I told you in the ice cave. None of this is real.”
“But apparently I’m smarter than I thought,” Elvis says with a grimace. “She says I hacked the simulation.”
I’m starting to put the pieces together when I see Wayne Gibson’s body go stiff for a moment and a new look appear on his face. It’s as if another version of Wayne has taken over his body. This one isn’t confused. He’s furious. Kat grabs my hand and squeezes it tightly. Something has just happened, and I have no idea what it could be.
“What the hell is this?” Wayne demands. He’s talking to Busara. “You’re not supposed to be here.”
“I’m not?” she asks. “Are you sure about that? Where am I supposed to be?”
Wayne doesn’t answer. He storms past us all to the suite’s second bedroom. We hear the door bang against the wall. A few seconds later, he’s back. “Where is it?” he shouts.
“Where’s what?” Busara asks with a satisfied smirk.
“Where is it, you little asshole?” he shouts at me.
“I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about,” I say as I wipe his spittle off my face.
“What the hell is going on?” Wayne shouts at the top of his lungs.
“Maybe there’s something wrong with the tech,” Busara says. She’s clearly enjoying this.
“We’ll just run the simulation again,” he snarls. The simulation. There’s that word again.
Oh my God. I think I know what’s happening.
“Go for it,” Busara tells him. “This run bought us more than enough time.”
Wayne marches over to one of his men and grabs the gun out of his hand. In a single swift movement, he aims it at Busara’s temple and fires. There’s a bright flash, and I hear Kat scream.
Immediately afterward, there’s a second flash. Wayne has disappeared, but Busara is still here. There’s no way that Wayne’s bullet could have missed her, but she appears completely uninjured.
I remember what she told me back in the ice cave.
She turns to Elvis and wraps her arms around him. He’s just as surprised as I am when her lips meet his. But despite everything that’s just taken place, he still manages to kiss her back. You’d think the two of them had been together for ages. “I love you,” Busara tells him. “I’ll see you soon.”
“Busara—” I say.
She looks over at me with pity in her eyes. “I’m sorry you’ve suffered so much this time. I wasn’t expecting it to be so hard on you. You went back and forth to Otherworld so many times, the worlds got mixed up. I promise, things haven’t been as hard for you back in the real world.”
“Real world?” Kat asks. Then she turns to me. “Simon, what’s going on?”
“None of this is real,” I tell her.
JASON SEGEL is an actor, a writer, and an author. Segel wrote and starred in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and also cowrote Disney’s The Muppets, which won an Academy Award for Best Original Song. Segel’s other film credits include The End of the Tour; I Love You, Man; Jeff Who Lives at Home; Knocked Up; and The Five-Year Engagement. On television, Segel starred in How I Met Your Mother, as well as Freaks and Geeks. He is the coauthor of the New York Times bestselling Nightmares! series—Nightmares!; Nightmares! The Sleepwalker Tonic; Nightmares! The Lost Lullaby; and Everything You Need to Know About Nightmares! and How to Defeat Them. OtherEarth is his second novel for young adults.
KIRSTEN MILLER lives and writes in New York City. She is the author of the acclaimed Kiki Strike books, the New York Times bestseller The Eternal Ones, and How to Lead a Life of Crime. OtherEarth is the sixth novel Kirsten has written with Jason Segel. You can visit Kirsten at kirstenmillerbooks.com or follow @bankstirregular on Twitter.
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