Harry’s grin grew wider, as he said, “Child prodigies have natural abilities that are remarkable for children their age. My father believed that the reason for this is because their brains are able to process data and information like computers. His tests proved that they use fifty times more brain cells than average children or adults. They theorized that if we placed a gifted person at a location where a black hole or portal exists, it would be the key to unleash the energy to open up the portals.”
The expression on Kerim’s face said loud and clear that he wasn’t buying anything they were saying to him. He sat down on the edge of the desk.
“So is that how the earthquakes happened?” Kerim inquired. “Gabriel’s apartment is one of the locations of a black hole?”
Kerim leaned towards Harry and pointed his finger at him.
“That’s why you wanted Cristal to go there. And you needed me to keep her safe. Is that it?” He paused. “When the earthquake happened, I saw a white light coming out of Cristal’s chest that shot up to the ceiling and it went right through to the ground.”
Cristal’s heart started beating faster. I can’t believe Harry set me up. She clenched her fists and felt her face turn red. She stepped closer to the door but kept herself from entering.
Kerim now had Harry and Dr. Saeed’s full attention.
“What do you mean a white light?” Dr. Saeed asked, crossing his arms and tilting his head.
“Can you describe what it looked like?” Harry interrupted.
Kerim took a deep breath.
“The light came from the ceiling down into her chest and then it went into the ground. I saw images above her head like a movie playing on a screen.”
He paused, as if trying to recollect what he had seen.
“Go on,” Harry said.
“Well, I saw you, Cristal, Dr. Saeed, Gabriel, Rinaldo, and Adel. I was there, too. There was another guy, dark-skinned, brown hair. I couldn’t see him very well.”
Dr. Saeed glanced at Harry and then looked back at Kerim.
“Could be Sami?”
Kerim continued, “We were standing outside somewhere, and it was hot. The sun was hitting the grey wall behind us. Cristal moved to the center, and all of a sudden there was a white light coming out from her chest. It was weird, because it looked almost like a mirror of what was happening in front of me.”
He sat back down on the edge of the desk and fell silent.
“Don’t stop now,” Harry said.
Kerim looked at Harry. His eyes narrowed as he spoke.
“Harry, it was all about you, all this time! Right?”
Harry arched his eyebrow and stole a glance at Dr. Saeed, who was intently listening to Kerim.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Harry said.
Cristal heard the sincerity in his voice.
“You and Dr. Saeed over here are in on this, right?” Kerim demanded, pounding his fist onto the table.
Dr. Saeed showed no facial expressions, but said, “Kerim, tell us what you saw,” he said calmly.
Kerim stood up and turned towards Harry, his grey eyes piercing into his.
“You walked into the light,” he said in a low voice.
Cristal had to step closer to hear him.
“Then the light disappeared.”
Harry’s eyebrows arched up.
“And that’s it?” he asked.
Kerim replied, “No, that isn’t it.”
Harry stood up, his gaze never leaving Kerim’s.
“Okay, so tell us.”
“It wasn’t just the light that disappeared. You disappeared with it.”
Harry had a shocked look on his face, and his eyebrows were arching even higher. Dr. Saeed’s eyes widened slightly. He leaned over and whispered something into Harry’s ear. Harry smirked in agreement.
Kerim had turned around, seemingly oblivious to what was around him. He ran his hands through his hair in exasperation.
“And that’s when the earthquake stopped. The light and the images vanished,” he said.
A smile crept onto Harry’s face.
“In your vision, I must have traveled into the future!”
Cristal could feel her face burn red. She could not contain her fury any longer. She marched into the room. Everyone turned to look at her with stunned looks on their faces.
“That explains a lot, Harry,” she said, her voice shaking with anger.
Cristal looked straight into his eyes.
“But guess what? This prodigy wants nothing to do with your time traveling theory.”
She whirled around, poking her finger onto Kerim’s shoulder.
“And you,” she said, her voice rising higher.
She looked at her hands briefly realizing that they were beginning to shake.
“I was beginning to trust you. Now I know better. I can’t believe you told them about the light.”
She turned around with full intentions of running out the door, but she stopped. On the shelf, among stacks of books was an 8x10 photo in a silver frame. In the photo, Dr. Saeed was standing on the far right. She recognized the man in the middle as Harry’s father. She had seen his YouTube videos on the Truth Seekers’ discussion forums. But it wasn’t Aaron Doub that caught her eye. It was the woman on the other side of him.
She stepped closer, wondering where she had seen this person that appeared in the picture. Harry and Kerim walked up and stood beside her.
“That’s her,” Cristal managed to say, pointing to the picture.
“Who?” Kerim asked.
“After the earthquake, I looked up into the sky and saw a face. It was her.”
She could feel her heart pounding harder and faster.
“Are you sure?” Dr. Saeed asked.
“I’m positive,” she answered.
Her words seemed to stick in her throat like chalk dust.
Harry grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her towards him. His blue eyes were wide with excitement.
“That’s Bina Schwartz. My mother.”
“Are you serious?” Kerim asked.
“Yes!” he said. “She went missing last year.”
Chapter 13
Kismet
SHE COULDN’T STOP RUNNING. Minutes earlier, she had exited the Physics building, stumbling down the stairs. She could hear Kerim and Harry calling her name as she ran out into the street. The air was heavy and humid and clung to her like a wet bathrobe. It was late in the evening and the sky was an angry purple. The moon was low in the sky, a crescent shape with a burnt orange color.
“Cristal, wait!” Kerim cried out, running toward her.
Something in his voice made her stop and turn to face him.
“Leave me alone.”
He stopped in front of her.
“We need to talk.”
She looked past him to see if Harry was there. He wasn’t. She shifted her eyes back onto Kerim, crossing her arms.
“Okay, explain to me how come when I’m near you, I feel like you are inside my head. And it seems you know what I’m feeling and thinking.”
He took a deep breath and then looked away.
“So, are you going to tell me?”
She stepped closer to him.
“Or are you just going to stand there?”
“Okay, let’s sit,” he said, pointing to a bench a few feet away.
His voice was distant yet soft. His tone didn’t exude its usual confidence.
He walked over, sat down, and placed one arm on the back of the bench. She followed him and sat on the far end of the bench. Maybe he wouldn’t be able to read her mind if she created a larger expanse of space between them. She raised her chin slightly and focused her energy on watching his steel grey eyes.
“So, go ahead.”
He began speaking, but his words were spoken so softly that she couldn’t understand him. She inched closer and closer, straining to hear him. She realized at that moment that if she were to move any closer to h
im, she might end up in his lap.
He gave her a wicked grin but then tried to cover it up with his hand.
Oh, this guy is driving me nuts!
“Like I said before…I was in the Turkish Army serving as underground intelligence. I was trained to do a lot of things, one being, understanding and reading body language.”
She tried to focus on his words. “I can tell when someone is lying or if they are nervous,” he continued. “I needed this for gathering intelligence for my covert missions. But when I left the Army, the skill was really useful with the ladies, if you know what I mean.”
He made that statement as if it were a fact and nothing more.
She rolled her eyes, then stood up, and said, “Oh, please!”
Kerim reached out and grabbed her hand. “Let me finish,” he said, and pleaded with his eyes.
Cristal sank back down onto the bench. This was Kerim’s last chance to explain himself. Patience was never her strong suit.
“I don’t know what it is, but when I’m with you, I feel something more.” He held her hand tight. “I can sense what you are feeling, especially when you are under stress.”
She didn’t know why she was still holding his hand. He looked down at her hand and released it from his grip.
“You mean like this?” she asked. So you can read my thoughts.
“I sense what you feel. It’s like you’re sending me messages with your mind. Never in my life have I experienced something like this with anyone.”
He spoke so differently from people she usually hung out with. He spoke in plain English—straight to the point and blunt. Not like the vague way Harry spoke to her. She closed her eyes and tried harder to take in what he was saying. “Are you okay?” he asked.
She opened her eyes. “Yes, I’m fine. Just trying to process the info.”
He patted her hand and gave her a small smile. “Do you believe in fate?” he asked.
“Not really. I hope you’re not going to tell me you believe in destiny and all that fluff.”
Kerim raised his eyebrow. “Well, not really. But I was told that kismet or destiny would bring me to someone who would change my life.” He paused for a second as he searched for his words.
“When I first met you, the word ‘kismet’ entered my head. Honestly, I don’t know why.” He looked into his hands.
Thoughts were swirling in Cristal’s mind. Kerim had just admitted to hearing her thoughts. And now he’s given her a bunch of stuff about them being destined to be together.
Kismet? I don’t know what to say, she thought to herself.
Suddenly, a dark blue four-door sedan drove up, slowed down in front of them and then stopped. They both glanced up to see Harry sticking his head out from the passenger window. He had a crazed look on his face.
“Cristal, get in the car.”
Who the hell does he think he is?
She could see Dr. Saeed was in the driver’s seat. She stood up, clenching her fists while trying to keep her cool.
“Like I said, I’m not going to be part of your experiment anymore, Harry.” She shot a look at Kerim who was a few steps behind her. “Come on, Kerim. I want you to take me home.”
Harry flung open the car door. He stepped onto the street, his intent gaze never moving away from Cristal. He walked up to her with long strides and stopped only when his face was inches away from hers.
“Get away from me, Harry,” she said in a low whisper.
“You have to let me explain,” he said.
Cristal couldn’t believe her ears. Harry had a 200 IQ but the social skills of an ass.
“Explain what? Explain that you planned all of this, because you want to find your mother?” She jabbed her finger into his shoulder. “You never told me she was missing. And to think I thought we were friends.”
She blinked her eyes hard, trying to stop the tears from coming.
Harry paced in front of her, like a black panther ready to pounce on his prey.
Kerim stood up from the bench. With Harry walking around her as if claiming her as his property, Kerim seemed unsure of himself.
Cristal hoped he wouldn’t leave her there. Kerim, please stay.
He looked intently at her, as if affirming that he wasn’t going anywhere without her.
Harry stopped and turned towards her. “There were times when I thought about telling you about my mother. About everything, but…”
“But what?” She could feel the anger wrap its fingers around her heart.
“But nothing. I’m not very good at sharing. You know that about me.” His voice sounded tired.
“Is that it? Are you serious? You used me for your experiment like one of Dr. Saeed’s lab rats? I trusted you, Harry. How could you do this to me?”
The tears she didn’t want to cry started burning her cheeks.
Harry didn’t let down his guard. He was never good with expressing his feelings and she knew that. But knowing that wasn’t enough. She had shared with him everything about herself—all of her deepest, darkest secrets and fears.
Cristal didn’t want to hear any more excuses from Harry. She waved to Kerim to come over. “Take me home.”
He walked up to both of them. Harry stepped in front of her, giving Kerim a dirty look.
“Sorry, Harry,” Kerim said, “but you got yourself into this on your own.”
Cristal reached out for his hand. “Let’s go. Where’d you park?”
Harry grabbed her by the arm. “No, you’re not going anywhere.”
She froze, unsure of what to do. Harry Doubt wasn’t a touchy feely kind of guy. For all the years she knew him, she never witnessed him even pat a guy on the back before.
“You can’t stop her from going, Harry,” Kerim said. His words were respectful but firm.
Harry didn’t move, but his hand squeezed her arm tighter. “When I asked you to be a Truth Seeker,” Harry said, “I never promised to tell you everything. You knew that and you accepted the invitation. I’m not going to apologize for not telling you about my mother. I didn’t tell anyone about her.”
His jawline was tense and she felt like his words were coming at her like sharp knives.
She tugged at her arm, trying to remove it from his tight grip. “I don’t want to play your game anymore, Mr. Doubt,” she said. Her words revealed the bitterness she felt in her soul.
Harry stepped closer to her. His gaze was magnetic. His eyes were a deeper blue than she had ever recalled seeing before.
“It’s not about me, or you, or any of us. And you know it. Your dad still communicates with you. You told me that yourself.”
Her eyes widened. She glanced over to see Kerim’s dark frown. Turning back, she could feel her heart pounding wildly against her chest wall.
“What does that have to do with anything?” she cried. The shrill tone in her voice could have broken glass. She looked over her shoulder to see Dr. Saeed standing with them.
“It has a lot to do with everything,” Dr. Saeed said. “Your dad and all your friends’ missing loved ones are trying to communicate. We need your help to find out what your dad and the others are trying to say.”
Part Two
Nothing is What It Seems
A beacon bright in the blackness,
Fragile sanity within all this madness.
They fill her dish with love and
Broken promises.
AR Vasquez
Chapter 14
Land of Milk and Honey
THE SUN WAS POURING into the musty hotel room. Cristal walked over and closed the shutters, which were made out of flimsy aluminum, the white paint peeling on the edges. They made little difference blocking out the blistering heat or the sounds of car horns blaring and the chatter from the street below. She had arrived in Tel Aviv ten days earlier, but she still could not adjust to the climate or the culture.
The days were blurred with meetings at the GN office in Haifa in the day and mission meetings with Harry, Dr. Saeed, G
abriel, Kerim, and Rinaldo at night. After the earthquake one week earlier, many GN computer networks had a melt down. Harry used the opportunity to get a temporary transfer for Cristal and himself to the GN Haifa office citing that the data that she had recovered all point to Israel being the location where their missing family were being held. Dr. Saeed must have made arrangements, too, because he arrived a few days after they did.
She could have pretended that she was vacationing, if she wasn’t staying in a shabby two-star hotel where the only good feature was that it was close to the Bograshov Beach and restaurants. Global Nation proudly stated at their regular all-staff meetings that they did not misuse their donors’ funds for unnecessary travel expenses. Of course, that same rule didn’t seem to apply to senior management. She recalled how her senior manager, George Beaver once bragged that when he went with Lionheart to a convention in Brazil, they had stayed at a “Five Star All-Inclusive Resort.”
Her room was on the fourth floor and was modestly furnished. It had a queen-sized bed with a mattress that had a huge depressive dent in the middle with wired springs that jabbed into her back when she slept. Two wooden chairs were positioned by the window that looked like they were held together with rubber bands. The other furniture included a wooden side table and a small twenty-four-inch old style Cathode ray tube television that sat on a metal bracket hung from the ceiling in the corner of the room.
Although she had a “non-smoking” room, she spent the first morning “airing out” the room to get rid of the cigarette smoke stench. And despite the fact there was an air conditioner, she preferred to keep it off, because instead of the box spewing out cold air, it filled the room with smelly dank air. To top it all off, the bathroom was so small that she could do her makeup, have a shower and sit on the toilet all at the same time.
She spent the first day by herself staring at the worn marble tiled floor and at the walls with their ugly strokes of lumpy plaster covered with salmon-colored paint.
Instead of staying at the same hotel, Harry had decided to camp out with his aunt who lived fifteen minutes away. He had told them that he needed to connect with his family in order to help them with their missions.
Kerim had been busy arranging accommodations for Gabriel and himself. He found an ex-military friend who lived close to the hotel, which left Cristal by herself in her miserable room.
To pass time, she flipped through the photos on her cell phone, and stopped to enlarge a photo of Kerim where he was smiling at her and his fingers gestured a peace sign. The photo was taken onboard the flight to Israel.
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