EQUILIBRIUM - BK 2 Portal Chronicles

by Imogen Rose

  “Kell, how are you feeling?”

  “I’m good. Can you get me discharged? I need to look for Arizona.”

  “Are you feeling up to listening to me for a moment?”

  “Yes, of course.” Kellan replied. “But I really have to get out of here.”

  “We’ll get to that in a moment. But first, I need all of you to just listen. Okay?”

  Olivia nodded, wondering what on earth was going on.

  “You already know Inez, David’s mother.”

  Kellan started to interrupt, but Larry put his hand on his son’s shoulder, urging him to just listen. “Kell, I haven’t got a lot of time to relay this information to all of you. So please just listen. I’ll answer all your questions later. Okay?”

  Kellan nodded and Larry continued. “Like I said, Inez is David Skoog’s mother. She is also Kevin Sanderson’s ex-wife. Ollie, you know about Kevin, but I’ll briefly explain him to Kellan.” Larry glanced over at Olivia for confirmation and then continued. “You know about the portal, Kellan. Olivia manages this end of the portal and Kevin manages the other end. Kevin was carefully selected for the job and I trust him completely. Kevin and Inez used to be married when I first knew them and they have two children, David and Lena.”

  “Did you bring Inez and David through the portal?” Olivia couldn’t but help interrupt, wondering how many others had been brought through without her knowledge. Not that Larry needed her permission or anything, but she was curious.

  “Ollie, I’ll get to that later,” Larry said firmly, and then continued. “Inez received a message from Kevin. He’s had contact with Arizona.”

  Olivia, Rupert and Kellan simultaneously exploded into a muddle of questions. There was no stopping them. Larry waited for them to quiet down and then concluded. “Arizona is back in Princeton at Dillard’s.”

  Olivia felt as though she was going to implode, but she clenched down on her jaw, willing it not to open so that Larry would go on.

  Larry could feel the tension in the room as he continued. “She’s okay, unharmed physically. She’s aware of all that has happened to her in the last few weeks. I don’t know what that means exactly. She’s very confused and scared, mainly for Kellan. She contacted Ames to get some information and the call was diverted to Kevin. Kevin is on his way to see her.” Larry hesitated. Should he tell them that David was on his way over as well? Or, would that just complicate matters? He decided to wait. “Right, I’ll answer any questions I can.”

  Kellan jumped in first. “Was she taken through the portal? By whom?”

  That had been Olivia and Rupert’s first question as well. They looked at Larry for an answer.

  “I don’t know. Kevin doesn’t know. Immediately after he spoke with Arizona on the phone, he took off to see her. He didn’t wait to check the portal before he left. We know that someone has been messing with it, so we do need to head over to Ames to look into this.”

  “Can you send me through, so I can go find her?” Kellan asked hopefully.

  “I don’t know, Kellan. We need to investigate it first.”

  Olivia looked over at Inez. She or Kevin must have been through the portal, how else would she have communicated with him? “Inez, how was Kevin able to get the message to you? Did you guys use the portal?”

  This was it. Rupert knew the answer, of course. He wondered if Inez would share with Olivia now, especially with Kellan here as well.

  “Olivia, no. We didn’t use the portal,” Inez said. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She had to explain this to Olivia now. It was a pity that Kellan would hear as well, but it had to be done. She couldn’t lie. “You know how most people don’t believe that time travel is possible? It takes a receptive mind to understand the wondrous possibilities around us.”

  Olivia nodded, mystified. Kellan was wondering if Inez had her own little portal.

  Inez smiled and said, “I am able to time travel, to cross dimensions, as well.”

  “You built your own portal,” Kellan said triumphantly. “I can use yours!”

  “Kellan, no. I don’t have a portal. Not one like Olivia’s anyway. I am able to time travel, but it’s an ability within myself.”

  “What do you mean?” Olivia asked mesmerized.

  “I have the ability to bend in and out of time zones and dimensions.”

  “Wow,” was all Olivia and Kellan could manage.

  “So, you’re some kind of supernatural being?” Olivia asked incredulously. It was one thing believing in scientifically-possible concepts like time travel, but this sounded like mumbo jumbo.

  Kellan did his best to try not to laugh. His face hurt too much, but this lady was obviously not all here, to say the least.

  Rupert and Larry could see the utter disbelief on the faces of Olivia and Kellan. Larry decided to speak up. “Inez is a Wanderer,” he said looking over at Inez, who nodded at him thankfully. “That means that Inez can transport herself through different times and dimensions at will. I know it’s hard to take in, but just take my word for it, for now. You both trust me, right?”

  “What about you, Rup? You’ve been pretty quiet. You’re not buying this, are you?” Olivia said, looking at him and shrugging.

  “Ollie, Inez is a Wanderer. I’ve known for some time. I wanted to tell you, but it was not my decision to make. It had to come from Inez. Let’s just listen to what she has to say.”

  Rupert knew? How? Why? Rupert and she needed to talk. Olivia swallowed her questions to be able to listen to Inez.

  “I know this is very hard to accept, especially in the little time we have at the moment,” Inez said kindly, not taking offence in their disbelief. After all, it was a testimony to the great job she and the others had done to preserve their privacy.

  “So, you transported yourself to Kevin, on a whim? Or was it a regular meeting?” Olivia asked, still incredulous, but on autopilot. Her investigative nature took over and she had questions that needed answers.

  “We are very close. I could feel his need for me, so I went to see him. He was rushing to fly over and see Arizona, so I didn’t get much information out of him other than just what I have already shared.”

  “Why didn’t you go with him?” Rupert asked.

  “I felt it would be more helpful if I came back to let you know what was going on. Besides I’m expecting more news soon.”

  “Is Kevin a Wanderer as well?” Olivia queried.

  “No. However, our son David is. I’ve sent him over to check on Arizona. He’ll get to her a lot quicker than Kevin will.”

  Kellan felt a pit in his stomach. David was with Arizona. He felt sick.

  “Kellan, are you okay?” Olivia asked, noticing his sudden pallor.

  “I am. Don’t worry. Just need a drink,” Kellan reassured them. He didn’t want to be drugged and forced to sleep again. He needed to get out of here, even more so now.

  “So you can transport yourself geographically as well?” Olivia asked, wondering why her mouth was asking these nonsensical questions.

  “No, Olivia. We’re unable to do that. David would have transported himself through to the same geographical point he was at here. Then, he would take a flight to New Jersey,” Inez explained. “He’ll get there quicker than Kevin simply because he is able to transport himself there earlier, time wise, and take an earlier flight.”

  This was blowing Olivia’s mind. She was having a hard time taking it all in. For now, what was important was that Arizona was safe, sort of–and that help was on its way to her. She wondered what Dillard made of all this. He could pose a real problem.

  “Inez, I’m guessing, since you didn’t mention it, that Ella and Harry are not with Arizona?” she asked, hoping to be wrong.

  “I’m fairly sure Arizona would have mentioned that to Kevin, but I don’t know for sure.”

  “So, what do we do, Dad?” Kellan asked impatiently. “We can’t just sit around and do nothing, just waiting for information from another dimension!”


  “You’re right, Kellan. I’m going to get a doctor to check you over and if he gives us the okay, we’ll head over to Ames so we can figure out who’s been messing with the portal and try to figure out why you were taken.”

  “Can you get the doctor to remove this stupid ring, as well? It’s really itchy and tight.”

  “Who gave you the ring?” Larry asked curiously.

  Kellan closed his eyes; everything was still pretty fuzzy. He had no idea where the ring came from. He didn’t wear rings or any jewelry, in fact. “I don’t know,” Kellan replied feeling stupid.

  “Did you have it on before you were abducted?” Olivia asked, her mind dissecting the possibilities.

  “No, I’m sure I would have noticed,” Kellan said firmly.

  “So, it’s likely that it was put on your finger when you were unconscious?” she mused.

  “I guess,” Kellan replied thoughtfully. “Why would someone do that, though? It doesn’t make any sense.”

  “It would if it contains a message,” Larry replied.

  “There could be a message on the underside, or inside it. If it’s hollow, there may even be a microchip in it,” Olivia mused. “If so, we have to know what it says.”

  “We could call that FBI agent,” Rupert said, looking for her card in his pocket. “Claire Adams.”

  Olivia nodded. They needed this ring removed properly and examined, now. She didn’t have the time to do it herself. Much as she hated the FBI being involved with this, the ring may provide an important lead to finding Ella and Harry. “I’ll call her,” Olivia offered, reaching for the card Rupert was holding out for her. She left the room to make the call, trying to focus her thoughts.

  “Agent Claire Adams here,” answered Claire on the first ring.

  “Agent Adams, this is Olivia Darley. I’m with Kellan at the hospital. We’ve just discovered that he has a ring on his finger that was not on it before he was knocked unconscious. I have a feeling it may contain a message of some sort, but I’m not sure.”

  “Thanks for calling me, Dr. Darley. I’ll be over with a team as soon as I can. Please stay where you are until then. We’ll be there shortly.”

  When Olivia returned to Kellan’s room, she noticed that they had company.

  “David has just got back from seeing Arizona and Kevin,” Inez said, noticing Olivia come in. “He was just about to update us. David?”

  “Most importantly, Arizona is fine. She’s just very confused and scared for Kellan. I wish I had known that Kellan was fine so I could have put her mind at rest. Any signs of Harry or Ella?” he asked.

  “No,” replied Inez. “I was about to ask you the same.”

  “Does Arizona know how she got there?” Olivia asked.

  “No,” David replied. “She woke up in her own bed in Princeton. She thinks that she was drugged.”

  “Has she seen a doctor?” Olivia asked, very agitated at the thought of Arizona being drugged.

  “No, not yet. She seemed fine when I saw her. Just confused and scared.”

  “Dillard didn’t take her to a hospital?” Olivia asked angrily.

  “She’s barely seen him,” David said. “He took off to Atlantic City the morning she woke up there. They didn’t even have a chance to talk before he left. She woke up with no time having been lost there, so he’s not noticed that she ever left. He didn’t even notice her blond hair. Arizona was very relieved to see me.” David noticed Kellan’s fists clenching into a ball as he said this. He wished he hadn’t. It wasn’t his intention to cause Kellan any more discomfort. “She is desperate to find you, to know if you are all right, Kellan,” he said nodding at Kellan. “She’s also so frightened for Ella and Harry. She’d no idea they were missing until I told her.”

  “Did you meet up with Kevin?” Inez asked.

  “Yes, the three of us talked. Dad’s gone back to Ames to try to figure out if the portal was used to bring Arizona over.”

  “Of course it was used! How else would she have been transported?” Kellan asked.

  “Kellan,” Inez said gently. “Wanderers have the ability to transport non-Wanderers with them. One requires special permission to do so, but it is possible. I think that’s what David was suggesting. However, I seriously doubt that such could be the case. It goes against our fundamental nature to transport someone against his or her will and without permission. It’s unthinkable. A Wanderer would never do that,” she said firmly.

  “What about Simla or Justin, Mom?” David asked.

  “Simla or Justin?” Olivia, Kellan, Rupert and Larry repeated in unison.

  Inez explained. “Both Simla and Justin have a parent who is a Wanderer, so they may have been afforded the gift as well. However, they haven’t, so it’s not an issue.”

  “They have Wanderer parents?” Olivia repeated. “Erica and Grayson?” She had noticed the same serene quality in them that exuded from both Inez and David. There was no way Raj was a Wanderer. She shook herself, such nonsense anyway.

  “Yes,” Inez confirmed. She wondered how long it would take Olivia to work out their connection with Rupert. For now Olivia’s thoughts were totally focused on finding her kids.

  “So how can David wander but Simla and Justin can’t?” Olivia persisted.

  “They don’t possess the right qualities,” Inez said simply. They didn’t. They didn’t possess the pureness required for wandering.

  Olivia turned back to David. She needed to focus. Her mind was all over the place. “David, so is Arizona all by herself?”

  “I stayed at the house last night, so she wouldn’t be alone,” he said carefully, making sure to avoid looking at Kellan. “She’s at school at the moment and I hope to be back with her later tonight.”

  “She’s at school?” Olivia said surprised.

  “Yes. It’s best for her to be with her friends. It takes her mind off the constant worrying, although I don’t know that it’s helping much.”

  “So what’s the plan?” Olivia asked, directing her question to Rupert and Larry.

  “As soon as that ring has been extracted from Kellan’s finger, we should all head over to Ames and try to figure out who’s behind this. We need to find the other kids,” Larry said.

  “Can you transport me through the portal, Dad?” Kellan demanded rather than asked.

  “I don’t know, Kellan. We’ll have to see when we get there. If we can, we may all head through.”

  “There is another way, Kellan,” Inez suggested quietly. “David can take you over.”

  I stood trembling outside my bedroom door. It was slightly open so I nudged it further in with my foot, opening it slightly more. Then I stood, silently, for a long time listening for sounds. I tried to remember back to what the initial noise had sounded like. It had been a loud crash, followed by footsteps. I was positive that it had come from the bedroom.

  Something brushed against my leg and I nearly jumped out of my skin. My cell phone fell from my hands. It was just a random piece of clothing that I had dumped on the floor earlier.

  There were no further sounds, so as quietly as I possibly could, I tiptoed into the bedroom remembering that my hockey stick was just by the door in case I needed it. I looked around the darkness. It was so dark that I couldn’t see a thing. I stood by the light switch, my finger hovering over it for ages. I finally flipped it.

  Ella and Harry lay sleeping on my bed.

  I gasped loudly, but quickly stifled it with a firm hand over my mouth so as not to make another sound. I walked over to them, hoping that they were alive. I noticed that my bedroom window was wide open and rushed over to close it. Someone had come in and dumped Ella and Harry in my bed. Who? The same people who had brought me here, no doubt. I walked over to my sister and checked her pulse and then checked Harry’s. They were still alive. They were breathing. I should call a doctor.

  The doorbell rang, causing me to jump in fear. Please let it be David. I peeked out the window trying to see who it was. After what had happe
ned, I wasn’t going to just open the door. It could be anyone. I couldn’t see through the darkness, but it looked like there were more than two people by the door. I was only expecting David and Kevin.

  Punching 911 into my cell phone and having my finger positioned ready over send, I shouted, “Who is it?”

  “Poppet, it’s David. Open up.”

  I opened the door and then stopped dead. My eyes locked on the person in the middle. “Kellan,” I whispered and threw myself into his outstretched arms. “Kellan, it’s really you,” I smiled into his neck, feeling both relief and surprise wash over me.

  “Shrimp, are you okay?” he asked, as I awkwardly pulled him inside while still attached to him.

  I nodded, and then loosened my grip on him and turned to Kevin and David. “You won’t believe this, but Ella and Harry are asleep in my bedroom,” I whispered. I put my finger on my lips to hush them and beckoned them to follow me. We all stood together round my bed looking down at them sleeping.

  Then Ella stirred.

  “Guys, you have to go,” I whispered to David and Kevin. “You’ll frighten her. Wait outside.”

  They both nodded and left quietly.

  Ella stretched her legs out and then the expression on her face turned from calm to pain. Her mouth started to twitch and she let out a loud howl.

  “Ella, it’s okay. It’s just me, Arizona. Kellan is here, too. So’s Harry.”

  “My head hurts! Where’s Mom?” she wailed.

  Kellan put his hands on her forehead and started massaging it. “Shrimp, get her some water, please.”

  I ran to the kitchen and was back with the water in seconds. Ella was sitting up in bed, in Kellan’s arms.

  “Here, drink this, Ella,” I said, as I brought the cold water to her lips.

  She drank a bit and then looked at me angrily. “Where am I, Arizona? Where’s Mom?”