by Jacob Whaler
He goes to the door and picks up his old backpack, swinging it over one shoulder.
Jessica joins him on the other side.
“See you kids later,” Matt says.
Slipping her fingers into Matt’s, Jessica turns to the two children. “Enjoy the dragon.”
“Be good.” Leo reaches out for Yarah and drops his hand onto her shoulders. “See you in a few days.”
Matt grins, and the air flashes white.
CHAPTER 9
“OK,” Ryzaard says. “Time to move on to the last topic.” He turns to Diego Lopez on his immediate left. “What’s the latest on your work with the location algorithm?”
Diego exchanges smiles across the table with Jerek and Jing-wei to his left. He faces in the direction of Ryzaard as he speaks.
“First of all, I’d like to thank our science whiz kid for boosting the power of the Stones.” Diego turns to his left. “And I also need to thank Jing-wei for her efforts in acquiring an array of thirty-six new geostationary satellites now orbiting the planet. We are close to having the capability to locate Stones anywhere on the planet in real time.”
“How close?” Ryzaard says.
Diego picks up a slate on the table and swivels to face the wall directly behind him. The wall screen shows the image of Earth as a blue planet covered with white wisps of clouds. As the planet rotates, a few scattered red dots appear above its surface.
“The current state of our technology allows us to track targets on a global basis within a window of thirty minutes. If we limit our focus to only one target, we can narrow that window to five minutes. We hope to reduce the time even fur—”
A sharp object pricks Diego’s palm, and his fingers automatically open, releasing the slate.
Kalani grabs it before it hits the floor and crouches directly in front of its holo screen holding his club in the other hand.
Diego sees the blood on his palm and lunges to grab his slate, yelling with a mixture of surprise and annoyance. “Hey, what are you do—”
Kalani’s shark tooth club comes swiftly up to Diego’s face, drops down and presses against his chest until he sits back into his chair.
“Easy, my friend,” Kalani says. “Just want to have a quick look.” He turns and faces the wall, still crouching on the floor, fingers dancing over the slate as he stares at its screen. “I can’t believe you already know where all the Stones are.” Kalani turns the globe with a flick of his hand and counts the red dots. “Egypt, Greece, Russia, Congo, Nunavut. Let’s have a look at Egypt.”
Kalani zooms in until the city of Alexandria fills the screen. The buildings, mostly drab greens and browns, clump together between the main streets like the cells of a honeycomb, with almost no space between them. A red dot rests on the still image of a person moving along the sidewalk.
Kalani stares in silence with rapt attention. “Behold, a Stone Holder.” The slate slips from his fingers to the floor.
Diego quickly scoops it up. “That was a half hour ago. Someone with a Stone was walking the street.” He brushes his finger across the slate, and the image fades.
“Hey, hold on.” Kalani jumps up. “I’m not done—”
“Thank you, Kalani.” Ryzaard puts a hint of firmness in his voice. “We all appreciate your enthusiasm. You can take your seat now and leave the demonstration up to Diego.”
Kalani grabs his club and shrugs back to his seat, flopping in it with his head resting on the table.
Ryzaard nods to Diego and motions with his hands for him to continue.
“As you can see,” Diego says. “We know the locations of the Stones, at least within the last half hour.”
“How long have you known the locations?” Elsa’s eyes narrow, and she leans forward with her elbows on the table.
Diego glances at Ryzaard and then back at Elsa. “The new location algorithm became operational as soon as the satellite array was in place, about two weeks ago.”
“Two weeks ago?” Elsa stands on her feet, palms on the table. “You mean to tell me that you’ve known where the Stones are for two weeks and you haven’t collected them?” She shoots a glance at Ryzaard.
“No,” Ryzaard says. “Actually, I’ve known where the Stones are for the last six months. Diego’s work has simply made it much easier to keep track of them.”
Elsa raises her hands, palms to the ceiling. “Then why haven’t we—”
“It’s simple,” Ryzaard says. “We’re waiting for the other Stones to appear.”
“Other Stones?” Kalani stands next to Elsa.
Ryzaard rises to his feet. “Yes. The three other Stones.” He puts his hands behind his back and begins to pace the circumference of the table. “Based on the events of the recent past, I think you all know the three Stone Holders I speak of.”
Elsa drops her hands to her hips. “It’s all too clear who they are.” Her gaze moves to the floor. “And how they got away.”
Ryzaard glares at her. For a moment, the room freezes in anticipation of a confrontation.
Jing-wei clears her throat and leans into the conversation, looking back and forth between the two of them. “Any idea where they are?”
Alexa looks up and shifts in her chair.
“I have an idea.” Ryzaard eases back into his seat, releasing the tension in the room. “They’ve gone off-planet.”
“Off-planet? I don’t understand.” Jerek squints his eyes. “Are you saying Matt and the two kids have jumped to another planet?”
“Precisely,” Ryzaard says. “And I assume his girlfriend is with him as well. That’s why we haven’t been able to locate them.” He reaches and pulls out a cigarette from the black pack on the table.
“What are we going to do?” Elsa says.
“They’ll come back,” Ryzaard says. “Eventually, they’ll try to find the other Stones. I’m sure of it. It’s the only way. Just a matter of time. All we have to do is wait. And be ready.”
Elsa relaxes back into her chair. “I get it. The other Stones are a trap.” A smile crosses her lips as she nods her head in understanding. “That’s why you haven’t gone after them yet. You’re waiting for Matt to come back.”
“He already has,” Alexa says.
“What did you say?” Ryzaard turns to Alexa.
The room is instantly silent.
“I saw him, briefly, last night.” Alexa leans back in her chair, arms at her side, legs comfortably out in front, looking like the holder of a great secret. “I tried to kill him, but he got away.”
“Where!” Ryzaard demands.
Alexa’s eyes drop to the table. “In your office.”
“Why didn’t you tell me immediately?”
“You were gone.” Alexa folds her hands in her lap. “Besides, I did my best to send him into one of your traps. Told him there were still Stones waiting out there for him to take. Encouraged him to make a move. From the look in his eyes, I’d say he took the bait. But he jumped away before I could do anything.”
Settling back into his chair, Ryzaard strokes his goatee in deep contemplation. “Did he look afraid?”
“I would say consumed with fear is an understatement.”
“Good.” Ryzaard nods. “You should have told me immediately. But you were right to push him to make a move. When he does, we’ll be ready.”
“But now the stupid kid knows about the other Stones!” Kalani bursts as though he’s holding back a tidal wave of emotion.
Ryzaard dismisses Kalani’s outburst with a wave of his hand. “He already knew about them. From Naganuma.”
Kalani’s knuckles are white on the shark-tooth club. “You can’t just sit here! You have to go after them. So much power, just waiting for you. Or anyone. If you won’t go after them, then—”
“Then what?” Ryzaard says, eyes narrowing.
Looking at the table and relaxing his grip on the club, Kalani sinks back into his chair. “It’s just a waste.”
“Don’t worry.” Ryzaard’s face relaxe
s, and the tension in the room subsides. “I’ll go after the five Stones when the time is right. I’m not concerned about them. Gathering them will be easy. But if there’s a chance, even a slight chance, that we can use them to catch the boy and the two children, the source of so much trouble, then I’m willing to wait a bit longer. He’s dangerous, and I intend to see him dead the minute he sets a foot back on the Earth.”
“If he comes back,” Kalani says.
Ryzaard turns to the table. “He will.”
“How can you be so sure?” Jing-wei’s voice is almost a whisper.
“Because he’s the only one who can save them.”
Jing-wei cocks her head to the side. “Who?”
Ryzaard waves his hand over the place where the globe was floating a few minutes before.
“Everyone.”
CHAPTER 10
Matt opens his eyes and swings around to face Jessica. He wants to see the look on her face.
Her eyelids flutter open.
“Surprise!” Matt says.
They stand on a beach and look out at glassy turquoise waters gently lapping on white sand extending to the horizon in each direction. A line of palm trees ten stories high runs parallel to the ocean a hundred meters from the water. Another hundred meters beyond that, they see the wall of a primordial jungle, full of giant green ferns and trees with brown trunks and hanging flowers of red, purple, and yellow. A massive mountain range that would dwarf the Himalayans rises up from the jungle floor, its slopes covered in white from top to bottom.
“Why did you bring us here?” Jessica’s eyes scan in a circle. “We don’t have time for this.”
“It’ll just take a few minutes. I want to show you before we go back to Earth. Just in case.”
“In case what?”
“You know.” Matt’s face goes dark. “Something might happen. Things could get ugly. There’s no telling what Ryzaard’s done to the world. We need to have a place like this, our own Garden of Eden, just for the two of us. Even if it’s only just this one time. For memories.”
“OK.” Jessica nods. “Show me what you’ve done.”
“I’ve made a few improvements since the last time we were here.” Matt eyes drift up to the peaks. “There’s 100,000 feet of vertical on those mountains. Enough to ski on all day.” He grabs Jessica’s hand and pulls her toward the jungle. “The house is a little different. Come and see. We don’t have much time.” He kicks off his shoes, cool sand between his toes.
Jessica does the same.
They run, hand in hand, up the beach past the line of palm trees and into the jungle.
Matt hopes that Jessica notices the difference. He’s filled the jungle with the small furry animals she loves. Foxes, chinchillas, ferrets and cats, all with coats of white, roam at will. The occasional water buffalo chews on green foliage off the path. Multicolored fruit of a dozen varieties hangs from the branches of trees made for climbing. The music of songbirds and gurgling streams floats through the air. Koi fish swim in clear ponds lined with smooth rocks. The fragrance of vanilla plants and pineapples invigorates the air.
“Where did you find the time to work on this?” Jessica’s eyes move from left to right, taking in scenes cut from the Book of Paradise. “It’s so much better.”
“Don’t worry,” Matt says. “I’ve had lots of time the past few months. And it helps that Yarah hasn’t built any restrictions into her world. I can jump away whenever I like.” Reaching up, he pulls down a fruit resembling a barbell with two round purple spheres connected by a brown stem. Snapping the stem in two, he hands one of the fruits to Jessica. He brings the stem to his mouth and sucks on it like a straw. His eyes roll back into his head. “The nectar of the gods.”
Jessica grins. “Don’t tell me.” She brings a stem up to her lips and takes a long pull, closing her eyes.
Matt holds his breath.
“Impossible.” She brings the stem up to her mouth and takes another long sip. “It starts out as coconut, then moves to banana, past vanilla and peanut butter, and ends up with raspberry. All my favorite flavors.”
“That took some doing to perfect. There’s a lot more surprises on this world, but I’ll let you discover them later on your own. If we ever have time.” Matt takes her hand and pulls her back onto the path. “Close your eyes.”
Jessica obeys.
Matt pulls her closer. “No peeking.” They walk the winding dirt path for another thirty seconds until they come to a clearing.
“Happy birthday.”
Jessica’s eyelids lift. Her mouth drops open. Her eyes pan back and forth. When she finally moves her lips, it’s just a whisper.
“How did you know?”
Matt’s hand drops and squeezes her fingers. “Know what?”
“About this.” Jessica stares forward. “You even have the sign of the unicorn over the front door.” Her head slowly swings to face Matt. “I never told anyone. How could you have known about this?”
“You told your journal. When you were ten years old. As I recall, you wrote My Dream House over the top of that picture you made.” Matt looks back into Jessica’s eyes, grins and looks back up at the three-story house that vaguely reminds him of an old English manor, but with larger windows and a slide going from the roof to the green lawn that surrounds it.
Jessica’s eyes narrow. “Matt Newmark,” she says, turning her body squarely toward him and putting the palms of her hands flat on his chest. “How did you get my journal?”
“From your bedroom, of course.”
Her eyes grow wider. “You’ve been back to my house?”
“Only once.”
Jessica’s fingers curl into fists gripping his shirt. “Did you see my parents? How were they doing? And my little brother. Did you see him?”
“It was the middle of the night. I just popped into your room for a few seconds and found the journal.” Matt slowly inhales. “They think you died in an accident during your internship with MX Global. You were on a heli-transport that fell into the Pacific on the way back from Japan. They received a big payment. I saw the plaque on the wall in your bedroom.”
Jessica stares at the ground. “They think I’m dead?” Her fingers uncurl from Matt’s shirt and drop down. She goes into a crouching position, palms resting on the grass, staring in silence. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“I couldn’t, Jess. You don’t deserve this. You’ve already sacrificed so much for me. And now your family . . .”
Jessica looks up, eyes brimming with tears. “I’ve tried not to think too much about them. It’s just too hard. Knowing I may never see them again. If only there was something I could do, a way to let them know I’m OK. So they wouldn’t have to grieve.”
“Someday, when Ryzaard is gone, we’ll go back and make it all right.”
“Do you really think Ryzaard will ever be gone?”
“All I can do is hope. And not think too far ahead. Right now, we just have to be grateful Ryzaard didn’t kill your whole family. If your mom and dad knew you were alive, Ryzaard would—”
“Don’t say it.” Jessica puts a finger on Matt’s lips. “Just promise me one thing. Don’t ever go there again.”
“All right.” Matt takes Jessica’s hand and starts walking to the house, stepping onto the perfectly manicured lawn. “Come on. I want you to see the inside of the house.”
She stops and pulls back. “Matt, wait.” She turns him and stares into his face again. Her eyes move back and forth like she’s reading words etched in the depths of his mind. “You’ve been jumping back and forth to Earth. You went to my house. You went to Ryzaard’s office. Did you go anywhere else?”
Matt lets his eyes float up to the open blue sky above the clearing. It’s a beautiful day. No time for arguments. Especially with Jessica. He tries to smile at her with a look on his face that says: Who? Me?
“You’ve always been a terrible liar,” she says. “Now tell me the truth.” Her fingers curl into his shirt a
gain, and she pulls him close to her face. “Where have you gone? I need to know.”
Her eyes grow wide. Somehow, she sees the truth in the smile he’s trying to suppress.
“Your own house?” Jessica’s face goes pale. “Please tell me you’re kidding.”
CHAPTER 11
“The stars are all different from before, back when we lived in the favela.” Yarah looks up and arches her neck back, pointing her eyes into the darkness above. “I can’t ever find Grande Ursa.”
“The Big Dipper? It’s not up there anymore.” Leo smiles at the way Yarah mixes English and Portuguese without thinking. She hasn’t done it for a long time, but the absence of Matt and Jessica has brought it back. Even now, when he speaks to her in Portuguese, she looks at him in a funny way and always answers in English.
She turns her big eyes to face him. “Where did it go?”
Leo pulls up the blanket, the thick grass of the riverbank underneath. Since Matt and Jessica left, Leo and Yarah have been sleeping out every night. The castle is too big and empty with just the two of them.
“We’re in a different part of the sky now, maybe a different galaxy.” Leo looks up at the points of light burning in the dome of night like pinpricks in the fabric of space. “We might even be on the other side of the universe, or a completely different universe.”
“But we always used to see it on summer nights back home.” Yarah yawns. “I miss the night sky back home. I miss Mommy and Daddy.”
“You mean Matt and Jessica?”
“They’re my mommy and daddy now.” Yarah turns in her blankets again. “How much longer do we have to wait? Hasn’t it already been a month?”
Yarah’s tiny hand touches his shoulder.
“Only three days,” he says. “Still almost a whole month to go. The time will go fast. We’ll keep having fun every day. I’m sure they’ll be back soon.”
Yarah giggles. “When Mommy comes back, I’m going to run to her and give the biggest hug in the whole world.”