Memories from a Different Future: Jump When Ready, Book 2 (6 page)

“How old do you think that kid was?” Henry said. “The one
with the gun.”

There hadn’t been much time but Nikki wondered the same
thing. He’d looked young—maybe fifteen or sixteen. She wanted to hate him but
couldn’t forget the terror in his eyes. In that moment, he’d already known the
magnitude of his mistake. Still, he’d raised that gun. Why had he done it? The
instinct of a trapped animal, Nikki supposed. Fear and desperation.

Henry started walking, without saying where he was going.
Nikki and Jamie fell into step alongside him. Before long, they walked that
familiar path they hadn’t been on since they’d been trying to figure out how to
save Bethany. So, they were going to Henry’s pond rather than whatever new
place he went to alone these days. It made sense to Nikki that Henry would
associate this place with the need to face a troubling issue. It was his place
to form a plan. It felt strange to think how much more mature Henry seemed than
when he’d first arrived, but what he’d been through had forced that to happen.

A few minutes later, they stood gazing out at the water.
Henry picked up a stone and threw it. They watched as the stone splashed into
the water and ripples spread.

“Maybe we should talk to Martha again,” Jamie said. “She
might have some ideas.”

Nikki shook her head. “She’ll tell us to let it happen,
to accept what’s meant to be. I know she has our best interest in mind. She
really does want us to move on but…” Nikki let her words trail off, stopping
herself from adding how she felt. What was the point of moving on if it meant
you lived one life and died miserable at seventeen followed by another cut out
from under you when everything seemed perfect?

“The problem is Martha’s probably right,” Henry said.
“She knew we barely had a chance last time. And we almost failed to stop them.
If it hadn’t been for that cop, Bethany probably would have died. Think how
much worse it would have been if we’d tried that hard and the same thing
still—”

“Bethany!” Jamie said. “You could speak to her. I could
emerge. Obviously, she’d know we were telling the truth about what’s going to
happen!”

Henry didn’t react the way Jamie expected, or the way
Nikki expected either. He plucked another stone from the dirt and threw it into
the air, following the arc of its flight with his eyes. When the stone hit the
water, he said,  “Yeah, I thought about that. I’m just not sure.”

Nikki thought back to that moment when Henry saw Bethany,
how his eyes had gone misty. Clearly, it really had been a long time since he’d
seen her. “Did you know she was teaching at the same school where Ian’s taking
classes? Did you even know she lived in Seattle?”

Henry shook his head. “I haven’t crossed over since
Bethany got married. That was thirteen years ago for them. But Bethany’s
husband is from the Northwest.”

“Why was that the last time?” Jamie said.

A moment passed before Henry said, “Because she knew I
was there. She always knows somehow, even if I don’t speak to her. I guess the
link we established when she was abducted just stayed strong. But on her
wedding day, it wasn’t like that was a good thing. It took everything I had to
convince her to not tell everyone, that she should just enjoy her moment. In
the end, she did, but she was also sad and I felt really bad about doing that
to her. So, that was it.”

No one spoke for a few moments.

Finally, Jamie said, “Still, it can’t just be a
coincidence, her working at the same college. Right?”

Henry turned to face them. “The strange thing is, I think
it is just a coincidence. I have a really strong feeling about it. To be
honest, if it wasn’t, I’d almost feel like someone was messing with us. With
me, definitely. And I don’t want to feel that way.”

Nikki supposed it could just be a coincidence, after all.
Certainly, stranger things had happened. Way stranger things. And Henry did
have a really good point. What would it mean if circumstances had fallen
together like that? She hadn’t thought of it before but it would definitely be
enough to make you paranoid. No wonder at least part of Henry didn’t want it to
be true.

“But we have to try, don’t we?” Henry said. “We don’t
have much time.”

Nikki felt for him. She really did. It couldn’t have been
easy for him to stay away from his family for so long, especially when they’d
accepted that he could actually talk to them. Now, after all this time, he was
going to make contact with Bethany about this tragic event in someone else’s
life. At the same time, Martha had told them that what they’d just experienced
was only three days away.

“I don’t see where we have much of a choice,” she said.

Henry thought for just a moment, then nodded. “Then let’s
go.”

~~~

As soon as they touched down, Nikki knew something was
wrong. She’d never been to the house they stood in front of but the sky was too
bright and blue, the air too dry and warm. She looked around, still hoping she
was wrong but the tall fir trees that stood everywhere in the Northwest were
nowhere to be seen.

Jamie swiveled his head back and forth. “Where are we?”

Henry spoke softly, his expression betraying his
confusion. “This is where I used to live,” he said, trying to keep his voice
steady. “We’re outside my old house.”

“Wait, we’re in Virginia?” Jamie said. “I don’t get it.”

Nikki thought back, remembering how Henry had once been
Banished from coming here. Obviously, that Banishment had long ago been lifted.
Even though it didn’t seem quite possible, their being here now could only mean
one thing.

“It’s the holidays,” Nikki reminded Jamie.

Jamie’s eyes widened, then he nodded, putting it
together.

Nikki didn’t have to ask how it was possible, even though
they’d just seen Bethany what felt like no more than an hour ago. Their time at
the pond had obviously accounted for way more time  here—eight hours, at least.
Maybe more. They were going to have to watch things closely.

“Exactly,” Henry said. “Bethany has already flown back
home.”

As soon as he said it, Nikki felt sure of one thing. Even if
they told Bethany everything they knew about Ian’s future, it wouldn’t matter.
She was now three-thousand miles away from anything that was going to happen
and there was no way she’d be able to stop it.

Lost and Found

Ian sat at the kitchen counter, staring at his flexlet while
his mother fried bacon and his father chopped onions, peppers and mushrooms for
one of his “world famous” scrambles. Margo remained upstairs, more than likely
scrolling through feeds on her wallscreen, earphones blocking out the sound of
family below in favor of whatever band she’d gotten into lately. It wasn’t lost
on Ian that Margo seemed to have kept getting more withdrawn over the past year.
His parents had commented on it too, although they’d tried to make light of it,
attributing her behavior to just another teen phase. Still, Ian had sensed at
least a grain of genuine concern.

Hopefully, it was just a phase. Margo was sixteen now and
high school was a bitch, especially for intelligent, artistic girls with a
tendency to remain slightly overweight. Her struggle with acne couldn’t be
making things any easier, Ian knew. At the same time, she was the kind of kid
who’d find her own way in college not long from now and start kicking some
serious ass socially while her high school cheerleader counterparts would
probably be waiting tables.

“Need a refill?”

Ian looked up from his flexlet to see his father poised
to pour more coffee into his mug. Ian slid his mug closer to where his father
stood on the other side of the counter. “Sure, thanks.”

It felt strange to have his father filling his coffee
mug. Sometimes, it seemed like just days ago that he’d sat there six years old
in his pajamas, eyeing the milk jug he couldn’t manage to lift on his own. Last
night, his parents had offered him a glass of wine. How had the time passed so
quickly? Ian wondered if he wasn’t too young to wonder about that.

Ian’s father gestured with his mug toward Ian’s screen.
“Anything interesting?”

“Nothing much,” Ian said. “Just the news, basically.”

“Let me guess, Democrats and Republicans can’t agree on
anything.”

Ian nodded. “Yep.”

“The economy is still struggling despite holiday sales
and all that good stuff.”

“True.”

His father looked at the ceiling. “Someone missing was
found but someone else went missing. A freak accident at a zoo, someone mauled
by a big animal or something like that. Oh, and of course a weather calamity to
top things off.”

Ian couldn’t help laugh. “Have you read this before?”

“Way too many times,” his father said. “Taking a break
from it while I’m on break myself.”

Ian’s mother turned and said, “Bacon’s done. You’re on.
Keep it legendary or you’re fired.”

“Legendary. No pressure.” Ian’s father picked up his
cutting board and approached the stove to start scrambling.

Ian hadn’t exactly told the truth about reading the news.
Technically, he was reading a very old archived news article—it felt strange to
be looking at 2-D images again—although, he actually was reading about someone
who’d gone missing and then been found.

It was so strange to think that Professor Russell had
once been one of those people. Ian had been trying not to think about it but
then his curiosity had gotten the better of him and he’d started searching.
Just before his father offered to fill his coffee, he’d pulled something up. A
weird abduction, ransom attempt from twenty years back. Some freaky tech guy
had figured he could screw over his rich boss by kidnapping the guy’s niece.
Weird shit. Who would ever think of doing something like that? Ian turned his
attention to the article again. Yep, Virginia. Lisa had said it happened
somewhere down south. The girl’s name, Bethany Connors. Professor Russell’s
first name was Bethany. Kind of an unusual name. This had to be—

“Toast or bagel?” Ian’s mother said.

His father looked over from his place at the stove.
“There’s some muffins too. Cinnamon or blueberry.”

Ian barely looked up. “Actually, a bagel sounds great. Do
we have any cream cheese?”

Ian’s mother called upstairs. “Margo, breakfast is
ready!”

“She probably can’t hear you,” Ian’s father said. “Try
texting.”

Ian’s mother sighed and said, “Ridiculous,” but she typed
on one of the counter screens. A few moments later, Margo’s boots sounded on
the stairs. She took a seat at the end of the counter without removing her
earphones.

Lisa had said something about a brother who died. Sure
enough, there was a link in the article about the abducted girl’s other family
tragedy. Ian clicked the link. His eyes widened and his heart jumped. Damn,
that kid looked just like the one he’d imagined the other day—the long dark
hair streaked with purple, the brown eyes. Freaking weird. How was that even
possible?

Ian read about how this kid, Henry, had died in a freak
drowning accident. He’d gotten caught in some rapids on the James River. Ian
remembered the name of that river from history books. God, the poor kid had
only been fifteen at the time.

“Must be a bigger news day than you’re letting on.” Ian’s
father set a plate down in front of him.

Ian’s mother took a seat next to him on his other side.
She raised one of the counter screens and tilted it back. Ian figured she
planned on checking one of her new sites.

“How about we all just talk,” Ian’s father said. “Ian’s
only home for a few days. Design can wait.”

“Good point.” Ian’s mother tapped and the screen slid
back down again, becoming part of the counter. She gestured at her daughter to
remove her earbuds. “Margo, turn off your music.”

Ian kept staring at the kid’s picture, especially at his
name. Henry Connors. He’d barely noticed at first but now all he could see was
the letter “H” as if no other text remained on the screen. That weird psychic
lady, Julie—she’d asked if he’d known someone whose name started with the
letter H. She had, hadn’t she? He wasn’t just imagining that part, right?

Someone you knew on the other side. I’m getting H. His
name begins with H.

Ian hadn’t thought about that first part until now. He’d
only told her he didn’t know anyone whose name began with H. What could she
possibly have meant by that other thing?
Someone you knew on the other side.

“The plan was talking to you.” Ian’s father tapped the
top of Ian’s flexlet. “How about eating your breakfast and joining us?”

“Oh, yeah. Sorry!” Ian collapsed his flexlet and set it
off to the side. He could have sent it to the other side of the planet, though,
and he wouldn’t have been able to stop thinking about what he’d just
discovered.

“This looks great,” his father said.

Ian’s mother laughed. “If you do say so yourself.”

“Hey, I meant the bacon too!”

“Just kidding, honey. That’s a splendid scramble, perhaps
even
legendary
.”

“Yeah, it looks awesome.” Ian cut into his eggs with his
fork and took a bite. He forced himself to snap out of it, telling himself it
had to be a coincidence. After all, lots of names began with H. Howard, Hugh,
Hunter, Harrison. Hagrid! Ian smiled inwardly thinking about the old
Harry
Potter
movies. Oh, right. Another one. Harry.

Toward the end of their meal, Ian’s father sat back in
his chair. He looked back and forth between them. “So, you three. We have some
time off together. What should we do today?”

“I’m meeting up with Donna,” Margo said.

“Of course you are,” Ian’s mother said.

I’m getting other names now. Someone whose name starts
with J. Also, N. Do you know anyone whose name begins with N?

“I have to do a little shopping,” Ian said. “By myself.
Secrets.” He felt bad saying it, since he’d planned on spending the day with
his family. But he figured they’d go along with the need for some privacy while
shopping for gifts. “Just for a couple of hours,” he added, seeing the hurt in
his parents eyes. After all, he hadn’t been around for months.

His mother smiled. “Back for dinner?”

“Oh, way before! How about we meet back here at, say,
two? Then we can spend the afternoon together.”

That did the trick. His father got up and started clearing
dishes. “Two o’clock it is, then.” He turned to Margo. “Same goes for you,
okay?”

Margo sighed. “Yeah, I guess.”

Ian’s father pretended to ignore the attitude. “Okay, go,
you two.” He checked the time. “See you both back here in four hours.”

~~~

Ian got into his car, entered his
password into the start pad, set the browser to audio and told it to search for
archived news articles about Bethany or Henry Connors. To weed out unwanted or
coincidental information, he added, “Richmond, Virginia.”

He backed out of the driveway, shaking his head at his
own foolishness. As he drove toward the University District, he continued to
ask himself exactly what it was he thought he was doing. He was supposed to be
spending some time with his parents during the holidays. Hanging out and
recharging his batteries after a fairly brutal semester. Now, he was obsessing
about some weird stuff that made no sense at all and driving toward the
apartment building he’d fled the other afternoon when the psychic chick freaked
him out. Did he even have any questions for her? Come right down to it, no, he
didn’t. So, why was he going there? Because he owed her money, Ian told
himself. Which was true. He hadn’t paid her and that just wasn’t right, even if
he hadn’t liked the experience. A deal was a deal, after all.

The browser kept reciting different versions of the same
information, essentially. Two sad events striking the same family a long time
ago. A teenaged boy who’d drowned, followed by a sister who’d gone missing just
weeks later. God, that must have been incredibly painful for the parents. Some
articles offered more information than others, such as background information
on the family. Professor Russell’s father had also been a college professor
who’d taught Sociology. Funny how that ran in families. Ian himself was
considering going into education like his own father. Another random bit caught
his attention. She’d once played lacrosse on a team that won a regional
championship. Damn, pretty impressive. Ian could imagine it easily, though. He
guessed Professor Russell to be in her late thirties but she remained totally
fit. He suspected she probably worked out often. Another article reported that
Henry’s death had been speculated as a possible suicide.

Ian slowed the car as he listened but didn’t learn much
more than that. Evidently, at the time, there had been reports that Henry had
walked directly into the rapids that killed him. At least, that’s what
witnesses had said. Suicide stories always caught Ian’s attention for some
reason he couldn’t understand. He tried to avoid them but somehow they hit home
with him every time and he found himself wondering how anyone could sink that
low. At the same time, part of him understood that sometimes people
despaired—that they could no longer imagine a future worth bothering with. What
really struck him most was how that feeling would resonate for him, almost as
if he’d felt the same way once when he never had. His life was amazing, he
reminded himself. He enjoyed almost everything about it. Okay, maybe not the
college workload so much, but still. Even that brought with it a feeling of
achievement he appreciated at the end of the day.

He pulled up in front of the apartment building and sat
in the car, more of Julie’s words coming back to him. Words he’d made himself
forget.
Almost like you have a group of friends there who still think about
you. Wait, I’m seeing something else. Yes, definitely. I’m getting an image.
A
chill rippled up his spine. Was he really going to ask again about whatever it
was that made her go pale? No, he wasn’t. He’d driven here to pay her—if she
was even home. Besides, she’d said the image was random, unrelated stuff.

Ian climbed the staircase and knocked on her door. He
could have sworn he heard someone moving around in there, then footsteps
approaching. If they were footsteps, they suddenly stopped. Ian waited,
wondering if he’d instead heard something from a different apartment. Another,
less certain, instinct made him wonder if he was being viewed standing there in
the hallway from the doorscreen. Julie had mentioned a roommate. That was
probably it. Whoever she was, she’d have no idea why he’d be knocking on the
door. Ian typed a quick message on the doorpad.
I forgot to pay for my
reading. Sorry. You have my info. Ian.

Ian walked back downstairs thinking it was all for the
better just to put the whole ridiculous thing behind him now. Amazing how, if
you let it, your imagination could just run away like that. What had he even
been thinking going there again in the first place? He could have just phoned
in the payment. Obviously, he had her information too.

As he got into his car and started it, Ian looked up at
Julie’s window. For one brief moment, their eyes met before she stepped back
and disappeared.