“So, what’s the plan?” Nikki said. “We only have a few minutes. I’m guessing three at the most.”
“I don’t know,” Jamie said. “How about I emerge in front of the cop? Try to get his attention so he doesn’t freak the kid out.”
Nikki nodded. “Good idea. Maybe that kid can just escape without shooting anyone.”
“I’ll try speaking to Ian,” Henry said. “See if I can get him to run out of the way.”
“Yeah, definitely.” Nikki wasn’t sure what she could do. Reading people took time and had no direct influence. She’d never admit it to either of them but, without someone having those other abilities, sometimes her own felt worthless. Then again, she’d gotten them here. She instinctively knew that neither Henry’s or Jamie’s skills would allow them to pull off a move like jumping them forward.
“I’ll try reading the kid,” she said. “Maybe I can get something to one of you guys in time.”
Ian opened the mall doors and stepped inside to the music and decorations. To Nikki, it felt like time slowed down as she looked around. She saw details she hadn’t noticed before, wreaths hanging from the ceiling and blinking white lights shaped like snowflakes. She noticed other shoppers nearby this time. A young couple entered one of the nearby stores, already carrying bulging bags of gifts. An old man took a seat on a bench nearby. A mother held the hand of her toddler daughter as they walked toward the doors, smiling as she said something Nikki couldn’t hear.
Just like before, the alarm split the air with a painful electronic squeal.
Nikki had experienced many strange things in the time she’d been on the other side, but one of the strangest things played out now as she watched that same dark-haired kid race around the corner just as he had before. The same terrified look in his eyes, the pumping arms and legs—all of it like a movie being played back. But this wasn’t a movie. This time she flew at the kid and closed her eyes as she tried to lock onto his thoughts. Nothing came back at her. Not in the sense that she didn’t get much or received only a scramble of confused thoughts. Literally, nothing. No images. No feelings. No words. She tried again, this time passing through him—once, then again. Still, nothing. Nikki opened her eyes.
The cop called out, “Police! Stop now!”
Henry strode alongside Ian, his face strained as he yelled. Ian kept walking forward, oblivious to Henry, his eyes locked on something else. Jamie stood in front of the police officer, a ridiculous, invisible teenager from a past era, running back and forth, waving his arms.
“Drop your weapon!”
Nikki tracked Ian’s gaze to the woman she’d just noticed, just as her daughter broke free and ran, eyes wide with fear and confusion. The woman froze in surprise for barely a moment, then ran after her daughter, calling out, her face a stretched mask of panic. Ian dashed toward her, arms outstretched as the woman was about to cross in front of the kid’s raised pistol.
The gun roared.
Ian lurched back, stumbling, his gaze fixed with shock.
People screamed, their voices nearly inaudible this time as the cop fired his gun, one, twice, a third time.
The cord snapped.
~~~
For the first time in Nikki’s experience, Martha looked upset. Not angry, just sad and flustered. Not quite sure what to offer for advice.
“I should have known you’d try,” she said, “but I was really hoping you wouldn’t.”
They sat on her sofas, still recovering from the trauma they’d just shared again—for Nikki, this time possibly even worse—themselves collectively also at a loss for words. Not much had been said when they’d found themselves again back at Halfway House, just a mumbled agreement that they had no choice this time but to seek advice.
Martha took a breath, collecting herself. “To be honest, I didn’t think you could do it—jump forward, that is. At least, not yet.” Martha locked her eyes on Nikki’s. “I’m assuming you were the one to make it happen.”
Despite there being no accusation in Martha’s expression or tone, Nikki couldn’t help feel defensive. Had she done something wrong?
Before Nikki spoke, Martha said, “No, it’s not like that. First of all, you have every right to explore wherever you’d like. Please bear in mind—and I realize I’ve said this before—that any warnings I give you are intended for your own—”
“Well-being and continued development,” Nikki said, her voice flat.
Martha paused, as if about to address Nikki’s evident frustration. Instead, she nodded and said, “Exactly.”
Nikki wanted to pretend she didn’t know what was coming next, but she did. And the fact was, she also knew it to be true.
“From this realm,” Martha said, “we see things from a larger perspective, of course. I know you understand that even things that seem profoundly painful and tragic on the other side are, in fact, just fleeting moments in time. ”
“That still doesn’t make it okay,” Nikki said. It wasn’t fair to just look away from what could have been Ian’s future. Even if that very future was also fleeting in the grand scheme of things.
“I realize how unfair it seems but it’s all part of the plan.” Martha waited and then made eye contact with each of them. “Yes, for reasons that I don’t know. From what I’ve been told, if one even tried to leap from one level of understanding to the next, it would be impossible to comprehend. Just as you’ve experienced on this level, there are aspects that seem completely alien to what you knew in the physical realm. So it goes for each level. And I can still hear you thinking.” Martha smiled. “Not literally, by the way. But what I strongly suspect you’re thinking is that I’ve experienced more than you. Yes, that’s true but not really very much more. Time is infinite, as are we. Even trying to wrap your brain around just that part can be overwhelming. Regardless, what the three of you just experienced was a glimpse of yet another level of being. And, what I was getting at before, Nikki, was that I wasn’t sure any of you could bring yourselves to have that kind of experience yet. Let alone, take others along with you.”
Nikki felt both a surge of pride and fear. Was it possible she was approaching some sort of new level? What did that mean and how did it tie in with the feelings she’d been having lately—that she might be ready for some sort of change after all this time?
“Can you explain what happened?” Henry said. “I realize we didn’t have much time, but nothing we did worked.”
“I was totally invisible,” Jamie added.
Nikki knew that part had confused all of them. Sure, they’d only recently learned how to use their skills but they’d gone completely unnoticed.
“Here’s why,” Martha said. “That moment hasn’t happened yet. You can experience it because of your connection with Curtis. I mean, Ian. Which is not the same as actually being in it. I know I said before that the future and the past are always happening, but Ian’s present life has its own linear timeline as well since he’s in the physical realm. I realize that’s a paradox and it’s difficult for us to comprehend. To put it simply, in that moment, for those people, you don’t exist. Neither do they, in that moment. Not yet. Not until it happens on the timeline of Ian’s present life.”
Nikki thought back to that feeling when they’d first entered the mall again—as if she’d been watching a movie, something horrifyingly real to experience but not truly happening. A representation of something that had happened—or, in this case, something soon to happen. “So, we can’t change it,” she said.
Martha finally sat back, allowing herself to rest against her sofa. “Not until it happens in the physical realm.”
“But can we have an effect then?” Henry said.
Martha nodded, just slightly. “Theoretically, yes. But it’s just a few minutes from start to finish. That’s all the time you’ll have.”
~~~
Tears streamed down Naomi’s face as they sat together at the kitchen table, for once her latest baking creation—chocolate chip brownies—l
eft ignored. “That’s just so sad,” she said. “When were you going to tell us?”
“We just now had the chance,” Henry said. “We were trying to think of something fast.”
“We’re really sorry,” Jamie said. “Basically, we just found out ourselves.”
Naomi reached across the table and tore off a chunk of brownie, then plopped it back down onto the plate. “None of it worked?”
Nikki shook her head. “No. We’ve been trying, believe me.”
Naomi sniffed hard, then her eyes welled again. “Do you think he’s really going to die? That’s just not fair!”
Simon touched the back of Naomi’s hand. “Well, technically speaking, you’re already dead. Try to keep that in—”
“Between lives,” Naomi said.
Nikki narrowed her eyes. “Simon!”
Simon flinched. “What? I’m just trying to cheer her up.”
Jamie sighed and rolled his eyes. “I know that always works for me when I’m down. All I have to do to cheer myself back up again is remind myself that I’m—” He stopped, seeing Nikki’s stare. “—between lives. Honestly, how cool is that?”
“I’m not stupid!” Naomi said. “I get it, you know. But I don’t want Curtis to die again. I hate the dying part! It’s just awful. I still have nightmares about it.”
“You do?” Nikki was honestly surprised. Naomi had never mentioned it.
Nikki had noticed recently how Naomi seemed to be changing too. While she remained basically a child in many ways, she also seemed to be growing up. Just at a glacial crawl compared to how people changed in the other realm. Still, there were small signs, like the baking she liked to do these days when, before, Naomi could pass vast amounts of time just watching cartoons or drawing and painting. To a tiny degree, she had started to assert herself a little too, especially after discovering her ability to manifest.
“I just have bad dreams sometimes,” Naomi said. “In my next life, I’m staying on the ground. I hate heights.”
Considering that Naomi had chased a butterfly off a cliff in her last life, Nikki totally understood. She wondered if, when the time came, Naomi might take that fear into her next life. Henry said that Curtis told him—just before jumping back in again—how his mother in her present life avoided driving because she’d died in a car crash. Nikki wondered if she herself might have a fear of bikes, even though she rode one here. Or busy streets. Impossible to say, although she supposed one thing definitely held true—all of these things would change over time. It was dizzying to think about how much might have come before or how much still might come. But, for now they had to keep their head in this game.
“We don’t know how much we can do,” Nikki said. “But we’re thinking we’ll need all the help we can get.”
Both Henry and Jamie nodded in agreement. Simon glanced around, surprised.
“Really?” he said. “I mean, I’m absolutely happy to help but I’m not sure exactly what I can do. How did you guys do it before? I mean, did you just know somehow that the moment was right or that someone might happen to notice you? I remember one time—back when I was just a kid—that I could have sworn someone was standing right—”
Finally, Nikki, Jamie and Henry all turned and said, “Shut up, Simon!” at the same time. Nikki couldn’t help crack a smile. Henry and Jamie both laughed and fist-bumped.
“What?” Simon said, but the look in his eyes told that part of him understood too. Simon had the whole Simon thing down and he was definitely good at it.
Naomi wiped tears from her cheeks. “What can we do?”
“That’s just it,” Nikki said. “We don’t know yet. But can you totally stay on the radar?” She shot a look at Simon, then brought her eyes back to Naomi’s. “When we need you, we might need you really fast.”
“Of course,” Naomi said. “Anything I can do. We just have to stop this from happening.”
Nikki brought her attention to Simon again, which flustered him a little. She couldn’t deny it—she really did enjoy messing with him. “So stay focused.”
“Definitely,” Simon said, his gaze for once serious.
“Then we go from here,” Nikki said. “That’s all we can do.”
~~~
They knew what they were in for crossing over with the hope of intervening. If they got enough involved it could mean days without sleep, even the possibility of ghosting out. With that in mind, they decided to rest up for two hours first while Simon kept an eye on Earth time to make sure they didn’t sleep for days or weeks.
Henry, Jamie and Simon left the kitchen but Nikki lingered while Naomi washed her dishes. Part of her meant it as a kindness—after all, it didn’t seem fair to just walk out and leave her to clean up alone. But Nikki also sensed that it might be a good opportunity to talk to Naomi. She felt bad about it but she really didn’t spend much time with her alone and it seemed like lately Naomi might just need another woman to talk to. Even as she thought it, Nikki paused in thought. Woman, not girl. Was she herself somehow becoming a woman finally? Was that even possible here?
“Everything okay?” Nikki said, as Naomi scrubbed a bowl in the sink. Nikki knew that, of course, she didn’t have to do that. But she also supposed that this kitchen was Naomi’s version of her own garden. A place to create things and at least sometimes be alone.
Naomi nodded, stopping to gaze down into the foamy suds. “I guess. I’m happy to try and help, if that’s what you mean.”
“I meant more, overall. You never mentioned those nightmares before. Are they new?”
“Kind of,” Naomi said. “At least, I’ve had them more lately. Whatever lately means.”
Nikki couldn’t help smile. “Good point. But, say, within the last ten years or so?”
Naomi smiled too. “Yes, definitely.”
“Wow, so they’re new!”
Naomi laughed and reached for a towel to dry her bowl. “Like they came out of nowhere!”
Nikki burst out laughing. It wasn’t like she’d never laughed at anything Naomi said before but this time it felt different. She wasn’t laughing at the words of a little kid, she realized. Naomi might still be in the body of a girl but that was a totally teenage attitude she’d just heard.
“Why do you think you’ve just started having them?”
Naomi went about drying her spatulas and mixing spoons, carefully shining each before placing them back into the drawer where she kept them. Nikki suspected she was taking her time to think before answering.
“I’m not sure. But there’s something else.” Naomi turned and their eyes met. “Lately, I’ve been thinking about them more. My family. I mean, my mother and father. I didn’t have a sister like you did.”
“Do you wish you had?” Nikki said, the words just coming to her, somehow knowing.
Naomi hesitated, then nodded. “Yes, I think so. I never went back, you know.”
Nikki had never been entirely sure but she’d suspected. It seemed strange, given how much longer Naomi had been here in Earth time. But then she’d been so young when it happened. She wasn’t sure what to say.
“I never found out,” Naomi said. “I mean, what happened to them. If they ever had another child. Or maybe even more. Do you suppose it’s possible?”
Again, Nikki wasn’t sure how to respond. She wasn’t sure if Naomi would feel better knowing her parents went on with their lives after she’d left them or if it would be too painful for her to realize that, at some point, they might have had to shift their focus onto someone new.
“Would you be okay with it?” Nikki said.
“I think so,” Naomi said, her voice small again. The little girl’s voice Nikki knew. “Yes, I think it would have been for the better.”
Nikki couldn’t stop herself. She went to Naomi and put her arm around her shoulders. When Naomi turned, Nikki wrapped her into a hug.
After a moment, Naomi drew away and dried her eyes with the back of her hand. “The dreams aren’t so bad. Usually, I have
better ones. Do you ever, well, think about it? I mean, what it felt like to die.”
Nikki shook her head. “Not very often. I used to. These days, I’ve been sort of, I don’t know, too busy I guess.” Which wasn’t entirely true. There had been a time when she’d had to make herself stop thinking about it. Not the day when her life ended but more how angry she’d been about not getting to go where she’d thought she was going. But lately she’d been thinking about a different direction entirely.
As if Naomi read her mind, she asked, “Do you think about going back again? Do you feel ready yet?”
Nikki thought for a moment, then said, “More lately. But I’m not sure I’m ready.”
“What do you think it takes?”
A simple question but at the same time the only question. This time, Nikki felt her eyes start to fill and she had to look away before Naomi noticed. She gazed out the window to where sun shined on a patch of wildflowers that she felt sure originated somehow from Naomi’s imagination. At first, she didn’t think she’d have an answer but she did.
“The need,” Nikki said. Even as she said it, she knew the truth of it. The need for more.
Naomi untied her apron, took it off and hung it on the hook near the back door. “What do you mean?”
Nikki thought for a moment. “The need to see how the rest of it goes next time.” She wasn’t sure if she should add more.
“Like maybe to grow up?” Naomi said.
Nikki nodded.
“Maybe get married and have a family some day?”
Clearly, Naomi had thought about similar things. Again, Nikki nodded.
It was like Naomi read Nikki’s mind when she asked, “But we must have before, right?”
Nikki had definitely thought about that from time to time. Why didn’t they remember the other lives? She’d figured that’s how it was meant to be, at least for a while. Clearly, the others didn’t either or they would have mentioned it by now. Nikki had no doubt there was a reason behind it—one that maybe Martha understood at least to some degree—and this time she didn’t resent it. Something told her it just wasn’t something they were ready to handle. At least, not yet.
Memories from a Different Future: Jump When Ready, Book 2 Page 8
