by Carmen Caine
I just stood there a minute, looking at them both and memorizing their smiling faces. I’d never had real friends before.
With emotions threatening to destabilize me once again, I managed to croak, “You two take care of each other now, will you?”
They both looked at me in outright alarm. “Are you going somewhere? You’re not leaving, are you?” Grace’s brown eyes were huge.
“No,” I said quickly. I mean, I was leaving, but not because the Mafia had found out my hiding place. “It’s nothing like that. I’m just tired. And Tigger … well, the day has been a downer.” That was the understatement of the year.
Their eyes lit with understanding.
“Let me know if I can do anything, will you?” Ellison asked me then.
My heart tugged. I was really going to miss them. I really loved them, too. “Just keep each other safe,” I said.
They nodded seriously.
As I turned away, I saw them trade fist bumps out of the corner of my eye.
“Told you it was the Mafia,” Grace said to Ellison in an undertone as the back door slammed shut.
I expelled a long breath.
It was time to tell Al goodbye.
I found him in the garage, sitting on the floor and wrapping empty Snapple bottles with aluminum foil. I looked at the stack of bottles next to him, the card table littered with various meters, soldering iron, and a box of salt. It was obvious that he was really kicking into high gear.
He looked up and greeted me with a wide smile as I sat down next to him on a narrow strip of carpet.
“Still up?” he asked, reaching for a new bottle to wrap.
I handed it to him. “What are you doing?” I asked.
“Ever watch Ghost Hunters?” he asked with an excited gleam in his eye.
It was going to be really hard to tell him goodbye. Even in my removed state, just thinking that thought threatened to turn me into a puddle of tears.
He was looking at me, and I realized he was waiting for an answer.
“Ghost Hunters,” I repeated slowly, playing back his question in my mind. I’d never really enjoyed those TV shows where people would lock themselves in dark rooms and pretend they heard voices in static. “Yeah, I think so,” I finally said.
“Well, Jack faxed me the schema of his device. He’s a smart one,” Al said, chuckling as he set the wrapped Snapple bottle next to the thirty or so already complete. “I’ve got a pretty good feeling we’re gonna succeed here, kiddo.”
I handed him another empty bottle. “You’re going to find ghosts?” I asked in a weak attempt at humor.
A sharp bark of laughter escaped his lips. “Well, who’s to say?” he said.
After wrapping the bottle, he pushed himself up from the floor and moved to the card table.
I just watched him, my throat closing with emotion.
“So, what’s bothering you, kiddo?” he asked, looking me straight in the eye.
I just stared at him back, trying to memorize every line of his face as I gave a half-laugh and answered, “Nothing. Why do you think something’s bothering me? I haven’t said anything.”
He chuckled a little and searched through a cardboard box on the table to pull out a roll of duct tape. “The secret to good conversation is listening,” he said. “Very little communication is actually in the words.”
There was no doubt about it. Al was probably the most perceptive human that I’d ever met. I was going to miss him. Terribly. I couldn’t help it. I just threw my arms around him and hugged him as hard as I could.
“I never had a Dad,” I said, my voice raw with feeling. “But if I did, I’d want him to be just like you, Al.”
He grabbed me up in a great big bear hug and then set me back on my feet and chucked me under the chin. “Well now, kiddo, here’s where you’re wrong. You’ve got me now, if you want me. Not everyone is born into their family from the get-go. Sometimes in life, we find our family along the way.”
I just nodded. I didn’t trust my voice to speak.
He tapped his finger on a piece of paper on top of the card table and drew his brows into a deep scowl. “I’m gonna have to call Jack. This diagram just don’t make sense now. I think he’s forgotten a piece.”
I smiled. “Don’t change, Al,” I silently mouthed. “Ever.”
I took a deep breath. It was time for me to leave—before I ran out of the strength to leave them all behind.
Faking a wide yawn, I rubbed my eyes and said, “Well, I’m off to bed. I’m exhausted.”
“Night, kiddo,” he said, tousling my head.
I watched him flip on an old radio and as a burst of static came through the speakers, he grinned and jammed on a pair of duct-taped earphones.
And then I did the hardest thing I’d ever done. I forced myself to turn and walk away from him, from the only real father I’d ever known.
Stepping into the kitchen, I drew up short to see both Rafael and Jareth leaning lazily against either side of the doorway. They’d both taken the time to change. Rafael wore an olive-green coat, black tank top, and some kind of fashion cargo pants while Jareth was dressed from head-to-toe in black leather, and he had his guitar strapped to his back.
“Going somewhere?” I asked, eyeing Jareth’s guitar and patting my Faraday cap to make sure it was still in place.
“Not really,” he said. Locking his hands behind his back, he strolled to the middle of the kitchen and then turned on me. “You’re acting strange, Sydney. What are you up to?”
I just rolled my eyes at him.
He had the audacity to roll his eyes back at me.
But then Rafael’s hand covered mine and I glanced up to see him looking down at me from under his long, black lashes. I wanted to stare into his gray eyes forever. I wanted him to hold me and tell me everything was going to be okay. And I wanted to kiss him and be with him until I was a wrinkled old lady. But I knew none of that would ever happen. I couldn’t even dare let myself think of telling him goodbye. It hurt far too much.
“What has you so distracted, little pixie?” he asked.
His velvet-smooth voice actually made me shiver. I just shook my head and said, “Bad day. That’s all.” I nodded at myself, relieved I’d managed to hold myself together for those few brief words.
Jareth coughed and, withdrawing a coin from his pocket, began flipping it over his fingers.
“Well then,” Rafael said. A slight smile lingered on his lips as his eyes skewered mine. Taking my arm, he wrapped it casually around his waist before he continued. “Shall we go?”
I jerked. “Go? Where?” I panicked. Had they somehow found out my plan? Were they trying to stop me?
“Across the street,” Jareth supplied acidly. “What’s gotten into you?”
“You should stay with us for a bit longer,” Rafael said, flashing an easygoing smile. “At least until we find the portal. Brock’s standing by to take your place. Betty, Grace, and Ellison are in the backyard. We’d better go before they come back in.”
I followed his gaze to the hallway where Brock stood, leaning against the wall. I nodded a bit numbly, wondering how long he’d impersonate me when I never returned. What would they tell Al and Betty?
I was on the verge of a breakdown when I felt Rafael’s warm lips brush the tip of my ear. His long fingers squeezed mine.
“It’s been a hard day, Sydney,” he said, his smile deepening. “It’s time now to quit thinking. Time to relax.”
“Yawn,” Jareth said in a sarcastic tone as he folded his arms. “Are we going to leave sometime in this century?”
I was actually grateful for his obnoxiousness. It jolted me back into control. And if I hadn’t known better, I would have said he’d done it on purpose.
“Oh, have some patience, Jareth,” I snapped, relieved to be scowling at him again.
“I don’t have to. I’m perfect just like I am,” he said with a shrug. “And perfection such as mine is actually a burden as it’s always making the people aro
und me feel inferior.”
“If you’re so perfect, why do you care how they feel?” I asked, not really worried if I made sense or not. His outrageousness enabled me to distract myself once again.
“It’s just tiresome,” he was saying as we left Al’s house to cut across the street.
“You’re certainly exhausting,” Rafael chimed in good-naturedly.
They kept talking, but I didn’t pay much attention. I just followed them into Rafael’s house as I formulated my plan of escape. I couldn’t stay in their company for long. I had no doubt they would find out my real plan if I did.
And anyway, I didn’t think I’d have luck calling the Tulpa in the middle of the Fae Command Center. I was going to have to return to my bedroom to do that.
As soon as we entered the house, I stretched and yawned. “Well, I’m going to catch some sleep. I’m tired,” I said.
They both stopped talking to glance at me. I didn’t dare look at either of them. Instead, I ran up the stairs to the room with the couch, where I’d slept before. They didn’t try to stop me.
I waited a bit before sneaking halfway back down the stairs. From that vantage point, I could see into the Fae Command Center in the living room. Both Jareth and Rafael were standing with their backs to me, peering at one of the crystals.
I stood there, my heart sinking in my chest like a lead weight. I stared at Rafael’s blond head. I loved him. I’d never met anyone like him. Nor would I again.
And Jareth. As I watched, he flipped his dark hair back and with a scornful laugh, punched Rafael on the shoulder.
I could only smile. I’d really miss Jareth, too. He was like my favorite, obnoxious older brother.
I waited until they were distracted and then slipped down the remainder of the stairs and out the front door. I didn’t look back as I ran across the street and into Al and Betty’s backyard. I couldn’t risk bolting through the front door if Brock might be in the kitchen pretending to be me. Instead, I ran to my bedroom window and peered inside.
Brock was there, lounging on the bed and reading a book as himself. The moment he saw me, he shifted outdoors to join me.
“I just need some clothes,” I said by way of greeting. “Maybe I’ll just stay for a bit and spend some time with Jerry, too.”
“I’ll be back in an hour, then,” he agreed readily.
I figured an hour would be long enough.
He whistled then, and Ajax bounded out of the darkness to join us. With a salute, Brock was gone.
I expelled my breath.
It was getting close to the time that I’d have to face my emotions. Close. But not yet.
I glanced down at Ajax sitting by my feet. He was going to ruin my plans. I was going to have to ditch him, otherwise, he’d alert everyone about the Mutant Tulpa’s arrival.
“Let’s go inside, buddy,” I said, heading for the back door.
To my relief, it was unlocked. Ajax dashed inside and I followed. Betty, Grace, and Ellison were in the family room watching a movie. They didn’t notice as I ran past the door to the kitchen where I could hear Ajax’s toenail’s clicking across the floor.
I entered just in time to see him smacking the ice button on the refrigerator with his paw. Several ice cubes flew from the dispenser, straight into his mouth. Chomping on them, he turned to give me a strikingly devilish grin.
It figured that he’d prefer ice over hot dogs. He definitely wasn’t a normal dog.
I chuckled and for a moment, he ducked his head in what almost looked like embarrassment and yawned a little.
“Oh, did those just magically jump into your mouth?” I asked, and then grew serious as I stared into his dark eyes. He stood there in a protective stance, all sleek and black. He knew I was admiring him. “Thank you, Ajax. You’ve been a good friend.”
To my utter shock, he wagged the tip of his Twinkie-sized tail. It was the tiniest, minutest of wags. But it was a wag all the same and we both knew it.
I grinned. “Guess I’m growing on you.”
Ajax shot me a withering look.
It was time, time to lure Ajax out of the way, and there was only one place that I figured would work. The hen house. It was a big Faraday cage. It had worked on Jareth before. I just hoped it worked on dogs as well.
“I forgot to get Betty’s eggs,” I said, crossing my fingers that he wouldn’t catch me fibbing.
Luck was on my side. Or maybe it was just my Blue-Threaded destiny. In either case, no one appeared as I slipped outside to the hen house.
Ajax followed, strangely subdued but still watchful and protective. But ditching him was harder than it looked. He didn’t enter the hen house at first. He just stood there, guarding the door. I had to lie to him to get him to come inside.
Flipping the light on, I pushed one of the sleeping hens aside and squinted at the wall to ask, “Hey, is that a Mesmer paw print?”
He was there in a flash.
But just as quickly, I leapt out the door and slammed it shut.
He thought it was an accident at first. I’d left the light on and through a crack, I could see his head tilted sideways as he waited impatiently for me to rescue him.
I felt bad for lying to him. But I didn’t want him to get hurt.
I looked at him and whispered, “I love you, Ajax.” And I did. Somehow, the arrogant, persnickety, demanding beast of a Doberman had squirmed his way into my heart.
With a sharp bark, he pawed at the door but, hunching into my sweatshirt, I just hurried away, fervently hoping the chicken wire would interrupt his communication with Rafael. If it didn’t, I’d have some explaining to do.
All too soon, I stood in my dark bedroom. Alone.
The time had really come.
I knew I just had to be afraid in order to call the Mutant Tulpa to me. And being afraid was actually the easy part. I was already pretty much terrified at what I was about to do anyway. And I wanted to leave the light on, but I knew I couldn’t. I really had to wallow in fear if I was going to succeed.
Almost as if in a dream, I moved to my bed and sat down.
There was no more denying it.
I was leaving.
It was the end.
Fear stronger than I’d ever known leapt into every fiber of my being. The effect was immediate, and in less than a second, I knew I’d succeeded. The Mutant Tulpa was coming for me. Already, I could see the vortex forming and its black tentacles stretching my way. I couldn’t bear to look at it inching my way like some evil, overgrown spider.
I wanted to run screaming from my room, but I couldn’t. I was paralyzed.
But then the shadows by the door dropped into the familiar shape of the Man in the Top Hat. I wasn’t really surprised to see him there. He’d been showing up a lot of late, trying to warn me. I guess it was fitting that he’d show up now. At least I wasn’t alone.
He wasn’t trying to warn me this time, though. He just stood there with his arms folded like he was waiting.
The Mutant Tulpa was just hanging there, trying to reach me. I knew it would soon.
Taking in a deep, shaking breath, I managed to gasp at the Man in the Top Hat, “So this is it, my Blue-Thread? I have to get to the Second Dimension?”
I wanted him to tell me no, that it was a mistake. But I didn’t get that response.
Despair—complete despair—as I saw him nod. Once. But once was enough.
It was almost impossible to move. My entire body seemed made of lead. As if in a dream, somehow, I began inching off my bed as part of me dimly became aware of tiny little feet scrambling down my arm.
Jerry.
My mind screamed for him to jump off before it was too late. I couldn’t drag him with me into this nightmare. But then terror made me forget everything else.
Taking a large, sobbing gulp of air, I inexplicably managed to stand up and stumble forward.
The Mutant Tulpa had formed a large gaping black hole suspended in midair. I was quickly running out of time. Already,
it showed signs of retracting as the Mutant Tulpa crouched, ready to latch onto me with its many tentacles.
And then, I leapt.
Chapter Ten – TopHat
Complete darkness swallowed me whole, a darkness so thick that I felt like I was smothering in tar. Icy terror washed through me as I lurched down in sickening drops as if invisible floors were collapsing under me, one after the other.
And then it was all too much and I blacked out.
* * *
I woke with a jerk, that sudden sense of having fallen back into my body.
It was dark. Silent. I was lying sideways in black sand with my cheek pressed against cool, smooth pebbles.
Slowly, I sat up.
Glowing purple clouds of mist drifted across a pitch-black, starless sky. A short distance away, I could see what looked like a river of lava under red-glowing cliffs. They illuminated everything for some distance, revealing the tops of what looked like trees before it all became shrouded in shadows.
Suddenly, I heard a voice I’d never expected to hear again.
"What took you so long?" Jareth drawled.
I jerked back.
Jareth slouched just feet behind me, his arms crossed and his dark hair falling over his face.
Rafael stood by his side, but he was glowing like someone was shining a spotlight just on him. He strode towards me with his strong arms open wide and, having taken one look into his expressive gray eyes, I didn’t care about anything else.
I met him halfway, hugging him so hard I wondered why his ribs didn’t crack. He laughed a little. I could feel his heartbeat. I stayed that way for a bit, simply hanging on for dear life and just grateful they were there.
Finally, reality crashed in, robbing me of my fleeting sense of peace. Stepping back, I found my voice and asked in a gasping sob, “My Blue-Thread? Did I make the right choice?”
I stood there with my fists clenched, wincing as I waited to hear their answer, but when neither of them spoke, my heart sank.
“I did it wrong?” I choked. How could I have possibly made the wrong choice?
“Your Blue Thread is still there, Sydney,” Rafael’s soft voice filtered into my rising hysteria.
It made me pause. I was stunned. I felt betrayed. Beyond angry. No, I felt duped. The Man in the Top Hat had told me it was, and the experience had been a horrible one. I shuddered, wondering if that wasn’t my Blue Thread, what could be worse?
