Rosa began her incantations and brought to bear all of her training as a healer and a shaman. She chanted and shook the flowers of the plant over Marie. Dillon thought she looked like sleeping beauty with the tiny white flowers in her hair. The wind began to rise again, but this time it didn’t whip itself into a froth as it had in Times Square. This time it blew in only one direction. It blew over them and soon all the flowers and powder were at Marie’s feet. Whether it was wishful thinking or the result of the wind Dillon didn’t know, but Marie’s cheeks began to pink up and even her lips were starting to look red.
Dillon felt it before he saw it. Hardly at all, at first, but then stronger and stronger, he felt Marie squeezing his hand. The wind kept blowing and Marie began to stir. At the precise moment that she opened her eyes, the wind ceased and everything became very still and quiet.
“What happened?” Marie asked as she tried to sit up. Dillon and Danny’s hands both held her still.
“What happened is that you scared us nearly to death,” Dillon said as he brushed the hair from around her eyes. “Try to take it easy for a minute before you sit up. You’ve been out for a while.”
Marie was about to tell Dillon about the strangest dream she just had when she looked around and realized that it wasn’t a dream, and it wasn’t over.
“How do you feel?” Rosa wanted to know. “I think you will be okay, but go slowly for now.” With that, she held out her hand and Marie took it.
“Thank you . . . I, I feel okay now,” Marie stammered. Rosa helped her up and steadied Marie on her feet. Dillon and Danny flanked her on either side when Rosa stood back. “We must go,” Rosa declared. “We have much to do here and time is running out.”
Dillon and Danny looked at each other, and then Marie did the strangest thing. She looked right at Danny and said, “Thank you.”
Dillon just had to know: “Can you see him?”
Marie nodded. “Yeah, but I’m sure it’s just the head injury talking. I see a guy a little older than us, but I don’t know who he is. Is he a relative of yours? You guys look a little alike, but he seems kind of pale.”
Christmas Eve 2011
Back in Times Square, Michael and Ryan glared at each other with shocked expressions on their faces. At first neither of them understood what just happened. The cyclone was whizzing around them and sparks were flying. Then the loud cracks in the air made it clear that something big was about to take place, and then it was over. A single pop and that was it. Dillon, Danny, Rosa, and someone else just disappeared. Ryan couldn’t see who brushed past him in the last seconds before the pop. All that was left now was the hot chocolate spilling down the steps.
Ryan looked accusingly at Michael. “What have you done?”
“Me? What have you done? Who was that girl who went with them? Don’t you realize that the more people involved in this, the worse it is for everyone? If they change the wrong thing, our whole existence could be threatened.” Michael looked a little sick.
All around them, the city was springing to life. Cabbies honked their horns and store owners lifted the metal gates that protected their stores through the night. It was Christmas Eve and every shopping second mattered. People were moving in and out of the area, and no one even noticed the two men near the TKTS booth who looked like they might very well kill each other.
“Take us to them. I know you know how. Bring me to my son.” Ryan clenched his fist. He didn’t know what awaited the boys when they got wherever Rosa took them; he only knew he didn’t want them facing it alone.
“Give me back my crystal and I’ll take you,” Michael said with a quiet stillness that made Ryan shiver. All at once Ryan was out of words. The man who made his living drafting documents and making compelling arguments had absolutely nothing left to say, so he used body language instead.
Ryan hurled himself at Michael and together they tumbled down the stairs in front of the TKTS booth. When they landed at the bottom, Ryan tore into Michael and pounded all his fear and frustration into Michael’s chest. The weird thing was Michael didn’t hit back. In fact, he smiled, almost as though he was enjoying seeing just how unglued Ryan had become.
Michael had been looking for an opportunity like this. He needed Ryan out of the way and this forced Ryan to play right into his hands. Michael let Ryan hit him for a few more minutes, just to make sure the security cameras all over Times Square caught the whole thing, and then he made his move when he saw the cops running toward them.
Michael reached up and grabbed Ryan by the collar. He threw Ryan off and used momentum and sheer brute strength to fire Ryan right into the oncoming traffic. Ryan looked up in time to confirm that the cab coming at him would never have enough time to stop.
New Years Eve 2049
Rosa led the group through what looked like miles of bramble, and as the sun set, Danny began to wonder if they were in the right place. Until this trip, when he and Dillon crossed into another dimension, they were always right where they needed to be. Danny was trying to figure out a polite way to ask if maybe she was lost when Rosa turned around. She whispered for them to be very quiet.
“Be quiet and stay out of sight; we don’t want to frighten her,” Rosa warned. “This is a time in the future, but it is also a time in your past.” They took a few more steps and saw a young girl writhing on the ground under a big tree. She was bright red and sweating, and her hands were bunched into fists. She sat up and groaned and then there was a gush of blood underneath her. That’s when Danny understood. He wanted to rush over to try to help, but Rosa held up her hand.
“That poor girl is giving birth!” Danny hissed. Dillon wasn’t so sure until they heard the sounds of the first baby's cries. They expected her to be relieved, but the baby's cries were met with screams from the mother instead, and soon it was obvious that she was still in agony. A couple of minutes later two babies were crying and the mother was silent. She had lost a lot of blood, and when they saw her face, it looked almost peaceful. This time it was Dillon who started over to her but again Rosa held them back.
“You must stay here. You may witness, not interfere,” Rosa warned. Dillon and Danny looked at each other and knew in an instant where they were. This was the place they were born, in a field on the outskirts of some future skyline of a big city.
Dillon looked again. “Oh my gosh, is that New York?”
Rosa crouched down again and beckoned them beside her. A moment later they saw what they would never believe: a much younger looking Michael McIntyre arriving in a space-age car. He stepped over the mother’s body and put the two babies in the large basket he carried. He got back into the car and took off. Rosa held out her hands and they all linked up. More incantations, and soon they found themselves in the futuristic city. It looked a little different to be sure, but Dillon recognized it in an instant.
“This is New York,” he stammered as they came down behind a small church around the corner from Times Square. Times Square was crowded with people and the lights were so bright it was hard to believe it was nighttime. They went inside the church and waited.
Soon the younger-looking Michael hurried inside with the basket in his arms. He placed the babies up near the altar and disappeared into the shadows. You had to know exactly where to look, to see him take a seat in the last pew. Outside, the crowd was cheering as a new year was welcomed in Times Square. Danny was stunned when he heard the announcer wish everyone "Happy 2050!"
A moment later they watched a young Rosa and her father enter the church. They only stayed a moment and then they left. When they were gone, another Rosa, as she looked now, hurried up the aisle. She knew exactly where to look and she was so focused on her task that she didn’t even see Michael following her. Within ten minutes they were all gone. It was bizarre to hide with Rosa as she watched herself play her part.
“I believe you know the story from there. I took you to the families you would need in order to fulfill your destiny.”
Danny and Dillon and
Marie just looked at each other. Dillon stammered “Is Michael McIntyre our father? He just left our mother to die in some field? How did he know where she would be? Who is she?” Dillon was still trying to understand, but Danny had already made his decision: Michael McIntyre would pay for this with his life.
Christmas Eve 2011
The Plaza Hotel was bustling with activity. Flowers were being delivered and the lobby was festooned with holiday decorations of every kind. This would be a whole new kind of Christmas Eve for Sara. Instead of baking pies, she was going to the spa. She had a facial appointment, a hot stone massage and then a manicure and pedicure to round out the day. That would give her and Clint enough time for a great dinner before they headed to St. Patrick’s Cathedral for Midnight Mass.
Clint left early and promised to be back soon. He said something about wanting to see if the lights went off in Times Square at dawn. Sara doubted that they ever went off, but she also doubted that was the only reason Clint went out. If she knew him, he would be up to some last-minute Christmas shopping.
On that account Sara was right. Clint was almost done with his shopping and proud of his gifts. He had bought Sara some new running shoes and a jacket with reflectors on the back, but he was most proud of the little white box. Inside was a new smart phone that contained the gift he knew she would love the most. When they were dating, he used to make her mix tapes where he recorded all their favorite songs. She especially liked the love songs.
The way Clint saw it, a guy could still get the old "mix tape mojo" with a little technology update. So he spent at least five hours last week putting together a playlist. Clint was convinced he was a real techie now except for one thing: when he wrapped the gizmo, he realized that Sara would need better earphones if she was ever going to hear it.
That was the real reason he went to Times Square. He wanted to try to beat the crowds and be back at the hotel in time to watch the Jacksonville Jaguars get trounced, by the Tennessee Titans. Football on Christmas Eve was Clint’s gift to himself.
Now, riding along in the cab through Times Square, Clint thought about what an amazing, fun, and alive place this was. No wonder Danny had always wanted to go. It was exactly the right place for someone who was young, strong, and full of life.
He was jolted from his happy reflections when the cabby swore loudly and slammed on the brakes. The cab began to skid on an oil slick and Clint lurched forward in his seat. He could barely tell what was happening until they screeched to a halt inches in front of a man lying on the street. Clint leapt from the back of the cab and rounded the hood of the car a moment later. What he saw changed his life forever.
January 1, 2050
Rosa looked directly at Danny. It was almost as though she knew what he planned to do to get justice for his mother. “You will not stain your soul with murder. There is always another way.”
Dillon looked at Danny and nodded. There really was a special connection between twins, and Dillon understood what Danny must have been thinking about. “I’d like to make him pay too, Danny, but right now we have a bigger problem. We left my dad alone with Michael back in Times Square.”
“Wait a minute. Can somebody help me understand what the heck is going on? I know I hit my head, but it seems like I am still missing huge pieces of this puzzle.” Marie’s gaze settled on Dillon.
“Marie, what I’m about to tell you is quite simply unbelievable, but I need you to believe it anyway,” Dillon began. “The short version is that I have a twin brother named Danny. We were separated at birth and didn’t even know about each other 'til this past summer.”
Marie looked amazed. “That’s incredible! How did you find out . . .”
Dillon raised his hands. “Hold on, that’s not even the crazy part.” He took a deep breath and plunged in. “Danny and I were born in that field we just came from. Apparently we were born on New Year’s Eve in 2049, but we didn’t stay there for very long. This part is a little sketchy, but I’m guessing Michael McIntyre was or will be or whatever way you say it, Michael McIntyre is our father. After that poor woman, our mother, died giving birth to us, he took us to the church. I guess he didn’t feel like having to take care of twins.” The gravity of what Dillon had just learned hit him as he spoke.
“I guess he abandoned us at that church on New Year’s Eve and Rosa came to get us. Rosa?” Dillon asked. “You knew where to come because that man brought you when you were younger? Is that right?”
Rosa nodded. “My people have been healers and time travelers for generations. That was my father who brought me to the church. He said it was my job to bring you to the families and times that would fulfill your destinies.” Rosa looked sad. “I brought Danny back to 1985 and there we met the family that would raise him.” Danny’s hand covered his mouth and he shook his head trying to take it all in.
“Dillon, you had a more complicated journey. That night in 1985, there was another young woman who learned to time travel. I met her in 1996 and I knew she was for you. I sent her back to the field in 1985 to collect you. That woman became your mother, Maggie. Your father, Ryan, was also there, but he was too young to help you.”
Marie was overwhelmed. “So you are twins who are eleven years apart?”
Dillon smiled and nodded. “Now for the hard part.”
Marie felt behind her for a church pew and sat down on the first one she found. “The hard part?”
“OK, here goes.” Dillon looked nervous. “My brother is technically eleven years older, but there’s more. He died in 2004. When I met him, he was technically a ghost. Turns out he owned my guitar before I did and when I started to play it, we were able to communicate,” Dillon blurted out in a rush.
Rosa took over from this point so Dillon could catch his breath. “The boys have time traveled to the past and the future. Coming together was necessary for them because they are learning to bridge the gap between the spiritual and physical worlds. My people are more spiritual, like the condor. You, from the north are more physical, like the eagle. The world needs both to find cures and discover lasting peace. That is the destiny of my sons.”
Dillon and Danny looked at each other stunned. “Your sons? What?” Danny looked like he might faint.
“You are mine. I have lived to become an old woman only because I am literally living on borrowed time. I was in love with Michael but he betrayed me. I have waited a long time to give him what he deserves.”
Dillon and Danny were on overload and Marie was still figuring out what she had just heard, but the thought of giving Michael what he deserved snapped them all back into focus. Michael was a dangerous and cruel man, and Ryan was back in 2011 with him right now. There would be time for long discussions later. Right now Dillon just needed to get back to his dad.
Dillon looked at Rosa pleadingly and she nodded at him. “We must return at once. Danny? Do I have your word? Michael is mine and mine alone to handle.”
Danny nodded but said nothing. In that moment he was all about plausible deniability.
It wasn’t long before they were out of the church and back at the site of the future New Year’s Eve celebration around the corner in Times Square. 2050 looked like it would get quite a welcome, but they weren’t there to celebrate. The crowds of people were singing and lining the streets. People wore funny glasses that said "2050" around the eyeholes, and balloons and confetti were everywhere. Dillon, Danny, Rosa, and Marie struggled to the top of the TKTS booth steps and made their way to the same spot where they had stood back in 2011. This time, Danny and Dillon surround Marie and told her to try to relax her mind during the fall. Experience had taught them that it was the only way to arrive unscathed.
Once more Rosa lifted her arms and began to chant. Danny, Dillon, and Marie held onto Rosa and each other. Soon the gentle breeze around them became a fierce wind that created a vertical tunnel around them. Revelers nearby barely even noticed the flashes and loud cracks as the light encircled them. Those nearby seemed to think it was all a pa
rt of the celebration. The air grew colder and then they were on their way. Again the ground opened to swallow them, but this time they were ready. They fell and fell, and then they could see the lights of New York City shining below them. On they went and soon they were able to make out a commotion on the street. A cab was twisting itself up and onto the curb and it looked like there was a man on the street right in the line of the cab’s front tire.
Christmas Eve 2011
When they landed back on the steps, no one even noticed because everyone was staring at the accident unfolding before their eyes. Dillon raced down the steps, pushing past a laughing Michael. He got to the bottom just in time to see his dad close his eyes as the cab lurched forward.
Ryan knew they were back. He would never be able to say just how he knew, but he did. He also knew there was no way the cab driver could stop in time. Ryan felt the grit and salt hit his face as the tires skidded toward him. He smelled the oil and asphalt and heard the cab’s gears grinding in a last-ditch effort to stop. Ryan felt sorry for the driver.
The sun set early in New York at this time of year, but it still felt like the longest day of Dillon’s life. It was about 5:30 in the afternoon when they finally let Dillon, Marie, Maggie, and (even though they didn’t know it) Danny in to see Ryan. He was sitting up on a stretcher in the ER looking equal parts embarrassed and relieved. St. Vincent’s Hospital was a busy place any time of the year, but it was especially nuts today. Not only was it Christmas Eve, it was a Saturday, so there were people everywhere.
Ryan looked tired and sore, but apart from the cuts and bruises on his face and hands, the only sign of the impact was the yards of bandage around his chest. Maggie spoke to the doctor and Dillon overheard something about “broken ribs” and “very lucky.”
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