Paradox (Travelers Series Book 2) (3 page)

“Uh, sure.” Well, if I’m running behind, I can just blame it on my dad. There’s no way April can fault me for spending quality time with him. While I’m still coming to terms with my feelings toward my dad, I still want to hear him out. He’s been absent most of my life, thanks to him, but I’m willing to at least listen to what he has to say.

As I walk into the study, my first instinct is to go directly towards his desk. Only, my dad isn’t seated at his desk. I do a quick survey of the room and spot my dad sitting in an old wingback chair in the furthest corner of the room. It’s almost like he’s hiding from something—or someone.

“Victor?” I was a bit emotional last night, after discovering my dad was locked up in Thornberry’s basement, that I immediately began to think of him in terms of my dad. But now, I feel a little uncomfortable about addressing him this way, especially since I hardly know the guy. So, while I think of him in terms of my dad, it’s hard saying it out loud for some reason.

“Come, sit next to me,” he says, motioning me over to the far end of the study. He doesn’t seem to be phased at all that I addressed him by his first name. I guess he understands it might be too soon for me to start referring to him as ‘dad’.

From what Cooper implied over breakfast, I have a feeling he know’s more than he’s letting on, but I’m not going to press the issue. He can either tell me what he knows or I’ll get the info out of Cooper. So, whatever it is he’s holding back, I’ll find out sooner or later. “As much as I hate to say this, I have to go meet—”

He waves his hand, motioning me to sit. “April can wait. What I have to say is important.”

I take the seat across from him and try to gauge his expression. He looks rather solemn and sad. This doesn’t look good. He better not be prepping himself to drop yet another bombshell. Like,
Hey, guess what? You’re not really an only child!
Or, better yet,
Um, this is going to be difficult to say, but we have to send you back to the orphan reality.

But what actually comes out of his mouth is, “Etta, I’m so sorry.”

“For what?” I kinda have an idea of what he’s sorry for. He sent me away and while apologies are certainly in order, it may take awhile before I can truly appreciate his obvious regrets about the whole situation. He may appear sorry, but it doesn’t mean I have to forgive and forget so soon.

“My goodness, child. For everything.” He throws his arms up in frustration. “I never meant for any of this to happen. For my daughter to be exposed to a life in another reality, to find out she’s some kind of science experiment, by my own hands no less. No father should have to subject their own child to what I put you through.”

“Victor,” I cut him off. “You apologized last night, but I would like to know why.” What else can I really say? I’m torn between resentment and acceptance. I mean, yeah, my whole life up to this point has been a lie. I have powers I have only yet to understand, but he is my dad after all. All I’ve ever wanted is to be part of a family and now I have one. Sure, it’s like twelve years too late, but I have the rest of my life to spend and get to know my dad and my aunt. It may take some time, but if he can tell me why he felt the need to give me these questionable powers and send me to that horrible reality, I might be able to understand.

He shakes his head. “It will never be alright. What I’ve done to you and the others wasn’t what I wanted my work to be about. My research was supposed to mean something. To help people. Not for power or destruction.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty crappy to find out you’ve been a lab rat and then thrust into another reality, but isn’t there a way we can fix it? With the others, I mean.” I’m referring to the other kids my dad and Oliver used to further their understanding of the science behind psionics, or psychic abilities. That’s how I got my powers of telekinesis and astral projection. While I haven’t been fully briefed on the specifics of his experiments, he and Thornberry apparently figured out a way to alter the way our brains work by expanding their capabilities through the use of genetic altering drugs, or something like that.

I can tell I struck a nerve. My dad’s eyes began to take on a glassy far off look. “You know, for awhile I thought what Oliver and I were doing was for the greater good. I’ve now come to the realization that what we were doing was nothing short of playing Dr. Frankenstein.” A hollow laugh follows the irony of what he just said.

“You know Frankenstein?” I was under the impression the books I grew up with in my orphan reality did not carry over here in this reality. The two worlds are pretty similar, but many of the books and movies I grew-up with don’t exist in this reality. Which is a real bummer since I’m a total t.v. freak and can’t catch-up on all my favorite shows.

He gives me a look of surprise. “Well, of course. Mary Shelley was one of the finest writers of her time. I am well versed in classic literature within many realities. It is a shame she never got the inspiration to write Frankenstein in this world. From what I understand, she never married Percy Shelley in this reality, in turn, never having had the opportunity to conceive the inspiration for the story. In this reality, Mary Godwin was still an influential writer, but not to the acclaim she achieved in various other realities.”

As he gives me a brief history in British Lit, I remember being a little girl, before being sent to live as an orphan, where he would tell me stories about fascinating people and historical events. “You used to tell me stories like this,” I say. “I don’t remember much before I was sent away, but I recall bits and pieces the more time I spend with you.”

“I should never have sent you away.” His head drops down. “I should never have done half the things I’ve done.”

It’s not much of an explanation, but it’ll have to do for now. I’m late for my session with April. “It’s okay. We can fix it.” I don’t know how, but if there’s a way I can make things right, I’m going to try.

His gaze is still in some faraway place I probably can never imagine, but I’ll let him deal with his own internal demons. I rise up from my chair. “I hate to do this to you, but I gotta go meet April. She’s going to kill me if I’m any later,” I say as I head out of the study.

I take a last glance back at the brilliant man who is my father. Whatever he’s feeling, it looks like it’s aged him. Not that I know what he looked like before, but I can tell whatever guilt he’s carrying around has defeated him. I’m now more than ever determined to make things right. And unfortunately, the only way to do so is to cooperate and make an effort to listen to everything April has to teach me. She’s my advisor and if I want to learn about being a traveler, I guess I have to pay attention to whatever she says. Even if it means being nice.

“You’re late.” April is already seated at the kitchen counter, looking annoyed.

“Sorry,” I mumble. Why does she always make me feel like a total turd? She’s a guest in my house, not to mention I’m supposedly her leader in the other reality. Why do I continuously let her treat me like this? I have no control over how she responds to me in the classroom, but this is my house.

I make myself comfortable at the head of the table. Earlier this morning we decided it would be much easier to work in here in the kitchen, closer to the coffee pot. Apparently, coffee is the one thing we share in common. I pour myself a cup from the carafe on the table and wait for her to begin.

She taps her pen against the table, which is totally annoying. “We are wasting valuable time Etta, I hope in the future, you will be mindful of the time,” she chides. “I’m not here for myself, but rather for you. It would behoove you to make an effort.”

“Sorry,” I say again. “So, where do we start? Do we get to focus on my powers? I think I’m getting the hang of the whole telekinesis bit, but the astral projection part is a bit unnerving.” My biggest fear is that I astral someplace and I never come back. I had a few years to adjust to being able to move objects with my mind through my powers of telekinesis, even if I didn’t understand it at the time, but astral projection is still new to me. I didn’t even know I was capable of doing it until I was trapped in Thornberry’s house.

April looks at me with her usual demeaning stare and snorts, which I assume is her way of laughing at me. “What makes you think we’re going to work on your abilities?”

“But I thought that—”

“We start with the basics. From the beginning. Being a traveler isn’t about fancy powers, Etta. It’s about learning how to navigate the portal so we don’t screw up past, present, and future, not to mention the timelines of other realities.”

Okay, I’ll give her that. “Aren’t they both related though? I mean, my powers and being a traveler?” Isn’t that why she’s here to guide me? My aunt already showed me how she arranges travels for my through a program she developed for my dad in order to allow him to travel and Cooper made traveling appear easy. So, why do I need a tutorial if it isn’t about my powers?

Another snort. “No. The so-called powers you have are a direct result of the experiments your father conducted. It has nothing to do with being a traveler.” She says this with such distain, it’s almost as if she’s jealous.

If she really wants my powers, she can have them. It’s not like I asked for these psionic abilities. Then again, her constant belittling of my abilities makes me wonder if she just thinks I’m a freak.

“So, you don’t have any abilities like me or Coop?” April comes from the same reality as Cooper, so I just assumed she had some sort of power like Cooper’s telepathy. I don’t know if she was part of the drug trials, but it’s not a far-fetched assumption.

“Of course not. That would be absurd.”

Yeah, she thinks I’m a freak. “You don’t have to be all rude about it.”

Her lips form a thin grim line. “I’m still your teacher. Some respect would be appreciated.”

“Today, you’re in my kitchen. Respect goes both ways.” I’ve had enough of her attitude. If I don’t stand up to her from now on, she’s going to continue to keep treating me like this.

April’s eyes turn into slits as she stares at me. “Fair enough. Shall we begin?”

S
everal hours into the mechanics of traveling, I thought I’d never get rid of April. Going over the technical side of traveling isn’t what I had in mind when she told me she was sent to guide me. Thankfully, she doesn’t over welcome her stay here and finally goes home, but not before she promises to come back tomorrow morning at seven sharp. It was nice of my aunt to extend an invitation to crash here last night, due to all the drama with the kidnapping and all, but two nights in a row is stretching it.

Soon after she leaves, I take a book from my aunts’s bookshelf and head outside. Not that I can concentrate enough to read, with all the other pressing matters I have on my mind. Instead, I try to replay everything April and I went over today. I realize I don’t remember a thing she said about quarks and portals as I sit here bundled up in front of the outdoor fireplace. It’s not unusual for the temperature to drop this time of year, so I’m grateful for the outdoor heat.

“Long day?”

I was so lost in my thoughts, I didn’t hear Cooper come out to the back deck.

“Coop! You scared the crap out of me!” I’m only mad for a second, after seeing his sheepish grin. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of his smiles.

“Sorry, you looked so peaceful sitting there with that book in your hands, I just couldn’t resist. Anything good?” He takes a peek at the title.

“I have no idea.” My hand goes straight for the decorative outdoor pillow that lay at my feet and I chuck straight at him. “So not cool, scaring me like that.”

He ducks and the pillow narrowly misses him. “Hey, I said I was sorry.”

“So,” I start, getting down to business. “It looks like you have a lot of explaining to do.” There are things he hinted at during breakfast and I’m bound and determined to figure out exactly what those things are. I know my dad isn’t going to tell me, so now it’s time to execute Plan B—get the scoop from Cooper.

He takes a seat on the edge of the lounge chair. My bare feet come close to touching his thigh, which immediately shoots off waves of nerves in my insides. The seating arrangement seems so intimate, despite how far apart we actually are. I pull my legs up, offering him some more room. My insides are still squishy, like a big pile of mush, and I’m at a loss about how to handle my emotions.

“I guess I do, darlin’.” He scoots himself further into the chair and makes himself comfortable. “But first, let me just start off by saying, whatever happens from this point on, I want you to know I’ll never leave your side.”

Now, my nervous stomach subsides, only to be replaced with a big bad case of the butterflies upon hearing that. After everything I’ve been through, it feels pretty damn good to hear him say it. “You know, somehow I have a feeling we’re in for something big, aren’t we?”

He grins and lightly punches me on the leg. “Once again, nothing gets past you, Etta.”

“So, come on, give me the run down. You’re from the future, the past, and obviously you can time travel. Oh, and let’s not forget you’re my husband. What else am I missing?”

“Always taking things in stride. That’s what I love about you.” He says, holding back a laugh, but I can tell from his expression, he’s doing his best to get to the point. “Okay, darlin’, you want the whole unabridged version? Well, here it is.”

I don’t move a muscle.
This is it
, I tell myself. He’s finally going to tell me something important, something useful to prepare me for the other reality. This has to be better than April’s boring ol’ lecture. I do my best to keep quiet, allowing Cooper the opportunity to talk. The last thing I want to do is get him all side-tracked on an entirely different topic.

“But, before I get into the sordid details of my life, let’s start with you first. Just for fun, why don’t you tell me what you think you know of me.”

Is he kidding me right now? It’s supposed to be him doing the talking and me listening. I manage to hide my frustration. “I don’t know Coop. It’s your story, your life. Right now, you’re the one holding all the cards, while I sit here and try to figure them all out. I was kind of hoping you would spill it and tell me what’s going on for once.”