Redux (The Variant Series, #3)

by Jena Leigh

  Must be a heavy sleeper, she thought. Thank goodness for that.

  Alex studied the details of the VidChat request. The source of the call read as a series of unintelligible letters and numbers. No proper name attached.

  For a long moment she simply stared at the computer, curious as to why someone would be placing a call to one of the guys at two o’clock in the morning.

  And then very quickly realized that she probably didn’t want to know the answer.

  The call request timed out.

  Closing out the web browser she’d used earlier, Alex prepared to stand up and return the borrowed computer to its home on the entertainment center.

  It was obvious her search for Declan wouldn’t be getting any results tonight.

  She reached out to close the laptop and douse the glow illuminating the living room, then hesitated when another incoming call alert lit up the screen.

  Persistent, aren’t they?

  Shaking her head in amusement, Alex began to push the laptop closed. She’d lowered the screen barely an inch when it lit up with yet another notification.

  This time, a white dialogue box appeared on the right hand side of the screen with a message from the caller. Before she could stop herself, Alex skimmed the text of the message—and nearly yelped in surprise.

  BG150801 (2:07:32 AM): Answer the call, Alex!

  The incoming VidChat was for her? But how? Who could possibly know she was there?

  Unless…

  Declan!

  Alex’s finger slid across the trackpad, racing to answer the call before it could time out a second time.

  As the VidChat window opened up, a green light appeared next to the camera mounted into the laptop screen. A few agonizing seconds passed with nothing but a black box to stare at before the caller’s camera feed initiated.

  When the caller’s face appeared in the box, Alex’s heart sank… and then her eyes narrowed in confusion.

  The face staring back at her didn’t belong to Declan. It belonged to Brian Grayson—Declan and Nathaniel’s adoptive brother and John Grayson’s only biological son.

  He was younger than the boy she’d left behind in her own time, his cheeks round with baby fat he hadn’t yet outgrown.

  The boy smiled shyly at her through the camera and offered up a small wave.

  “Brian?” she whispered.

  The boy nodded and began typing something into his laptop’s keyboard.

  Two new messages appeared below the first.

  BG150801 (2:08:52 AM): Can you turn the speakers back on? Don’t worry about Nate. He’s been awake for a while now.

  BG150801 (2:09:01 AM): Call him over.

  Alex sighed as she adjusted the volume controls. On the floor across from her, Nathaniel still hadn’t moved. He must have been feigning sleep in order to keep an eye on her movements.

  “I know you’re up, Nate,” she said, without looking away from the computer.

  In her peripheral vision, she watched as he pulled himself into a seated position. Still blinded by the glare of the computer screen, Alex couldn’t make out his expression.

  “Come here for a sec,” she added.

  Nate lumbered slowly to his feet.

  “Feeling an urge to check your past self’s e-mail?” His voice was rough with sleep and laced with accusation. “Or catching up on current events?”

  “Neither,” said a small voice from the computer speakers. “She was googling the news reports for unusual atmospheric events that might be indicative of a second temporal rift… red lightning, to be specific.”

  Alex smiled. If it was odd to hear a ten-year-old Brian speaking with the vocabulary of a college professor, it was downright surreal to hear it coming from the mouth of an eight-year-old.

  Nate knelt beside Alex at the laptop. His expression transformed from wary apprehension to bemusement when he caught sight of his little brother.

  “Brian?”

  “Hi, Nate.”

  “You’re the one calling me on my laptop at two in the morning?”

  The boy’s shy smile returned. “I wasn’t calling you, Nate. I was calling Alex.”

  “You were… what?” Nate asked, staring dumbly at the screen.

  Alex arched an eyebrow. “How did you know I was here?”

  The boy shrugged. “I saw it a while ago. Knew you’d be there to answer. It’s a pleasure to meet you, by the way.”

  The overhead light flicked on, revealing Aiden at the entrance to the hall, his jade eyes half-lidded and his clothes wrinkled from sleep.

  “Okay, people,” he grumbled. “We obviously need to set some ground rules about midnight partying and the importance of an uninterrupted REM cycle.”

  “Morning, Aiden,” said Brian.

  “Brian?” Aiden shuffled closer and Alex turned the laptop so that the camera would catch him as he approached. “What the hell are you calling so early for?”

  Alex cut the boy off before he could answer, in order to pose a much more important question. “If you saw me coming, does that mean you saw Declan, too? Do you know where he is?”

  The boy frowned, then shook his head.

  “He appeared here in New York earlier tonight,” said Brian. His sorrowful countenance caused Alex’s heart to falter as an icy fear constricted her chest. “But I wasn’t able to reach him in time. He took off before I got there.”

  “Where?” she asked breathlessly. “Where is he now? Is he alright? Was he hurt?”

  “He arrived okay. His landing wasn’t anything like yours. It’s just that I’m not sure where he is now.” Brian’s voice was sad, weighted down with disappointment. “I’ve been trying to conjure a vision of where he went, but I haven’t had much practice with all of this. And nothing I’ve seen so far has told me where he might go next.”

  “Son of a…” Nate mumbled. “When did you… does the boss know about this? Have you told him?”

  Brian seemed genuinely confused by the questions. “You mean, does he know about Alex and Declan? No. Why would I have told him?”

  “No, not that,” said Nate. “I meant does your dad know that you’ve started having visions?”

  The boy winced. “Not yet. Please don’t tell him, Nate. It’s better that he doesn’t find out for a while.”

  Brian’s abilities had only just emerged? No wonder he was having trouble narrowing down the specifics of his visions.

  Alex frowned.

  They were getting off topic. The fact that Brian was keeping his ability a secret from his dad was interesting and all, but there were far more important matters at hand.

  “What have you seen about Declan?” Alex prompted. “Even the littlest thing might help us find him.”

  Another shrug. “Most of what I’ve seen so far pertained to his arrival—a horse’s head and a long green rectangle. Turns out it was a pool table at the Corner Pocket. And I saw Declan’s face. Only older, and he needed a shave. When I saw him I just knew—same as I did when I saw you fall into the ocean, Alex—I knew that he wasn’t from this time. And I knew that you’d be looking for him.”

  “But you’re not sure about where he went after he got here?” asked Nate.

  “Not a clue,” said Brian. “All I know is that he left with someone from the bar. A guy he knows. Problem is, I didn’t see where they went. And everything else I’ve seen about Decks won’t happen for a while, so it wouldn’t be of any use to us in finding him right now. But I promise I’ll keep trying. And you’ll be the first to know when I locate him.”

  Alex deflated.

  Brian sensed her disappointment and added, “You’ll see Declan again soon, Alex. Don’t worry.”

  Silently, Alex nodded.

  Aiden sighed. “And what are we supposed to do with the girl until then?”

  Alex bristled. “The girl is sitting right here, you know. And she has every intention of returning to Bay View first thing tomorrow morning. If Declan’s looking for me, that’s probably where he’ll sta
rt.”

  Brian made an odd noise. “I wouldn’t. At least, not yet. In fact, Nate, you should probably keep Alex with you in Seattle for a while,” he said. “To keep her safe until we locate Declan.”

  “Safe from what?” asked Nate.

  Brian chose not to answer. “She’s going to need your help, Nate, so don’t let her out of your sight.”

  Great, thought Alex. You know, just once I’d like to go an entire week without being baby-sat by one of the boys.

  “And whatever you do,” he added, “don’t let her go back home to Florida yet. That would be an exceedingly bad idea. The timing isn’t right. If she goes back now, everything will fall apart.”

  Everything will fall apart? Alex mused. Well that sounds ominous.

  Nate nodded. “Alright. She can stay with us here in Seattle until you find Declan, then.”

  “Anything else we should know, Edgar?” asked Aiden.

  Brian rolled his eyes. “Now I know how Dad feels when you call him that. Edgar Cayce wasn’t even a Variant, Aiden. He was a con artist. And a lousy one, at that.”

  Aiden’s smile suggested he already knew that.

  “But is there, Brian?” asked Nate. “Anything else we need to know?”

  He shook his head. “No. Like I said. Just keep an eye on Alex. She’s everything she’s told you… and she’s so, so much more. Keep her safe.”

  So much more?

  He must be referring to her absorption ability. What else could he have meant by that?

  Somewhere in the depths of Aiden’s bedroom, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s lead singer, Peter Hayes, began insisting there “ain’t no easy way out.”

  Alex turned her head toward the source of the catchy vocals.

  Aiden, on the other hand, threw his head back and groaned.

  “Just when I thought this night couldn’t go any further off the rails,” he said. Rubbing tiredly at his eyes, Aiden left to retrieve his cell phone.

  Alex stole a glance at Nathaniel, hoping to find some insight into Aiden’s curious reaction. Nate was still watching his cousin’s retreating form, his mouth twisted in an expression of wry amusement.

  “That ringtone… she’s still speaking to him?” asked Brian. “I thought they hated each other’s guts.”

  Nate swiveled back toward the screen. “Geez, Bri. Just how much have you seen?”

  The boy shrugged. His shy expression returned. “Little of this, little of that. I’ll call you when I know more. Just be sure to do what I said, okay? Don’t leave Seattle yet. And keep Alex safe.”

  Nathaniel sighed, but nodded his understanding. “Should I start calling you ‘boss’ now, Bri?”

  Brian made a face. “Hilarious,” he said, before adding, “He misses you, ya know. We all do.”

  It was Nathaniel’s turn to grimace.

  “Alex.” Brian’s shy smile had returned. “It was nice to meet you. I think I can see why my family and I like you so much. Or, at least, why we will like you so much.”

  Alex smiled. “Take care of yourself, Brainiac.”

  “You too, Alex.”

  On the laptop screen, the VidChat feed cut to black.

  So that was it?

  Alex was relieved to know that Declan had arrived okay. But what was she supposed to do now? Just sit around and wait for Brian’s phone call? For days? Weeks? Months?

  How long would it take for them to locate Declan?

  The thought of sitting there in Seattle twiddling her thumbs while Declan was on his own out there, searching for her, was about as appealing as taking a barefoot stroll down a path of broken glass.

  She sighed.

  Then again, Declan was nothing if not resourceful, and he was more than capable of taking care of himself. He’d be okay until they found each other again… wouldn’t he?

  “And how is this my problem, Jezza?” Aiden’s voice demanded angrily from the other room. “It’s two in the goddamned morning. No. I’m not going to… what?… Of course I don’t want you to… Jezza. Jezza!” A heavy sigh. “Then call a freaking plumber!”

  Nathaniel and Alex shared a glance. Judging from the furrowed brow, Nate was just as perplexed by Aiden’s end of the conversation as Alex.

  “Who’s on the phone?” she whispered.

  “Jezzabell Stone,” said Nate. “Aiden’s latest ex. Sounds like she’s trying to get him to come help her with something.”

  Aiden stormed back into the living room, a black look on his face, fastening the top button of his jeans and tugging on a dark blue henley over his t-shirt as he went.

  “Looks like she’s getting her wish,” Alex observed in an undertone.

  “What’s happened?” asked Nathaniel.

  Aiden was scouring the kitchen, searching for something.

  “I don’t know,” he said dismissively. He pulled a long-handled Maglite from a drawer, flicked it on and off to check the battery, then began his search anew. “From the sound of things, Jezza and Lincoln are doing their damnedest to flood the Seattle underground. Whatever it is she’s done, she can’t fix it by herself and… for the love of Mary, where are my freaking keys?!”

  Getting to her feet, Alex crossed the living room, picked up the folded pile of clothes from beside the couch—the only outfit she now possessed—and grabbed Aiden’s keys from the coffee table.

  “Aiden,” she called.

  In the kitchen, Aiden looked up just in time to catch the keychain Alex tossed his way. The keys jangled against his palm as he plucked them from the air.

  “Give me two minutes and I’ll go with you,” she said. “I might be able to help.”

  Having made up her mind, Alex walked toward the apartment’s only bathroom, intent on changing out of her borrowed pajamas.

  If she was going to be staying with them, then she wouldn’t be able to keep the truth about her abilities secret for very long, anyway. Closing the bathroom door behind her, Alex could only hope that she was making the right decision.

  As she worked her legs into the stiff material of her jeans and tugged on her black tank, Alex caught sight of the massive purple and reddish-brown bruises that wrapped her right side all the way from her lower back up and around her waist, ending just below her sternum. Her scar from the computer lab incident was a stark white line that shone brightly against the mottled skin of her injury.

  She sighed.

  Alex prayed that the damage wasn’t as serious as it looked. She was still up and moving around with what was, for the most part, an endurable amount of pain, and that was good enough for right now. She’d worry about convalescing tomorrow.

  Reaching out, she twisted the tap open. Water began flowing steadily into the sink. As an experiment she held out a hand, then gently summoned an orb of water away from the stream.

  A sphere roughly the size of an apple shimmered and rippled rhythmically above her fingers.

  As expected, the ability she’d absorbed from Aiden was still coursing through her system, more or less at full strength. She let the water fall into the sink and turned off the tap. It was time to show the boys what she was capable of.

  Ten

  Alex tugged at the sleeves of her lightweight hoodie, biting back the complaint lurking at the tip of her tongue.

  It was flippin’ cold outside.

  The thin layer of cotton she could only jokingly refer to as a “jacket” made for a lousy defense against the damp and the chill. If she was going to be sticking around for a full-fledged Seattle fall, she would be needing a better coat.

  And more than one set of clothes.

  Her stiffly dried jeans had already begun to chafe her legs as she walked. Why she hadn’t tossed her clothes into the washer at Aiden’s earlier when she had the chance, she didn’t know.

  Alex sighed.

  Clean clothes and a new wardrobe were problems to be solved tomorrow.

  Tonight, however, her attention would be better spent trying to navigate the dicey waters she’d recently sailed—bett
er make that fallen—into.

  There was still one more bombshell to be dropped on Aiden and Nathaniel tonight, and Alex was eager to get it over with.

  Lying awake on the couch earlier, she’d considered just telling the guys what she could do, straight out.

  “Say, boys, you know that psychopathic murderer, Samuel Masterson? …Yeah. That Samuel Masterson. Funny thing… Turns out I’m exactly like him, only with a fraction of the control and none of the natural-born skill that he had in adapting to new abilities. Basically, I’m a loose cannon in high heels.”

  Or in Chuck Taylor’s, anyway.

  Alex blew out a breath. It trailed behind her in a hazy fog of mist.

  That ought to go over well.

  She supposed she could just skip the explanation and move on to manipulating a stream of water from the kitchen sink, while using Nate’s ability to simultaneously rearrange the living room furniture as her hosts watched on in confusion.

  Though she had her doubts that a display like that one—done within the confines of Aiden’s small apartment—could possibly help them to understand the true scope of her powers.

  It was one thing to shift a couch with Nate’s ability.

  It was another thing entirely to shift a line of Mac trucks without breaking a sweat.

  Alex could only hope that this “crisis” that Aiden was being called in to mediate might allow her to more effectively illustrate her point. And with any luck, there wouldn’t be too many witnesses for what she was about to do.

  She wondered again if she was wise to trust Aiden and Nathaniel with the secret of her ability.

  The Nate and Aiden of her own time could be counted on without question. But what about the ones in this time?

  As of right now, the boys didn’t know her from Eve.

  Brian’s endorsement was certainly helpful, but a lot could change over the course of two years. Who’s to say these younger versions of her friends would react in the way she hoped?

  Alex stared at the back of Nate’s head as they walked.

  Aiden looked roughly the same as he had in Alex’s own time, but Nathaniel…