“Okay, thanks. That means so much to me.” She sniffed and wiped the tears from her cheeks. Duane’s words calmed her heart rate a bit, helping her gather the strength needed for the next part of her confession.
Her eyes locked onto Derek’s. “I’m sorry to do this in front of other people, but there’s not going to be a better time, and I can’t see a better way. Besides, Jim and Duane need to know, too, because they’re the people we’re going to have to rely on. They’ll be able to help us.”
He nodded, but the tilted angle of his head and the look on his face signaled he wasn’t entirely sure.
“Derek,” she said, pausing to muster the last bit of courage she had remaining in her bones. “I’m pregnant. And you’re the father.”
“What?” Derek shrieked, sitting back in the chair like a gust of wind had just smacked him the face.
Jim grunted and shook his head.
Duane let out a low whistle. “Wow. Not what I expected to hear.”
“Me neither,” Jim added. “But that explains it.”
“Yep,” Duane added. “Now we know why Nora was so pissed before.”
“At least it wasn’t the other thing we thought it was,” Jim added.
Duane nodded. “That’s one good thing at least.”
“But—” Derek said, stammering. “How? We only, uh, did it—”
“I know, Derek, I know. But it happened. And now there’s nothing we can do about it.”
“Why didn’t you say something?” Derek asked, standing up. He raised his voice. “Where did you go? Why did you go?”
Jim stood from the couch and put a hand on Derek’s shoulder. “Easy now, son. Sit. You can’t be mad at her. Put yourself in her position. Put yourself in Duane’s position. Think about Nora. You’re way down the list of who gets to be upset, here.”
Derek shook his head and looked around the room, making eye contact with everyone. “You’re right, Jim.” He sat back on the chair. “I’m sorry, Em. I overreacted. It’s just that, uh, I’ve missed you so much. I hate this. All of it. You being all secretive. Why can’t anything be normal?”
“Sweetie, I would’ve told you if I could. There just wasn’t time. I took a home pregnancy test in the bathroom of Burton Barr Library. It came back positive. I freaked out, and, well, then I went away. I can’t control it. I’m sorry. It just happens. Don’t be mad at me? Okay?”
Derek nodded, though he did look confused. At least he was looking at her and engaged in the moment.
Emily took another deep breath, then exhaled slowly. She was beginning to feel dizzy and flushed.
“I think I need to sit down for the rest of this. There’s so much more I have to tell you,” she said, pulling an ottoman across the floor. She plopped down in front of all three guys, who were now leaning forward in their seats.
“Okay, here goes . . . On the Saturday before Easter in 1985, my mother and I were on our way to late-night Mass. We took a shortcut across a vacant lot, and when we did, uh, I don’t know any other way to put it—a ship just appeared out of nowhere. It was right above our heads and it took my mom. Then it took me. It was like we were in that show, The X-Files. Total craziness. Next thing I know, we were being tortured. Eventually, I managed to escape, but my mom was killed. She just vanished, right there in front of me.”
Emily took a few seconds to take in more air before she continued. “They—the ones who took us—they did these horrible experiments on us. I got the feeling they were injecting us with some kind of experimental drug they were working on. I think they were all sick and looking for answers. Why they chose my mom and me, I have no clue. It was like they were using us as guinea pigs or something. They kept injecting us with that stuff and waiting to see what happened. It was so awful, I just wanted to cry. It happened over and over. I can still see my mom’s face in my dreams, right before she died. It hurts. It really does.”
“Who were these . . . beings?” Duane asked with a blank expression on his face. His voice sounded curious, but cautious.
“I don’t know, exactly. Aliens, maybe? But they spoke English in my thoughts. Weird, I know. They had these big heads covered with all kinds of sores. It was gross. I mean, totally gross. They were—I guess you’d call them humanoid—I mean, I could see them in my mind somehow. Some kind of connection, I think. I can’t explain it exactly. I just sense stuff. It comes to me out of nowhere. But they had arms, legs, and bodies. Kind of like ours. Their heads even had eyes, nose, and a mouth. I know this all sounds crazy, but it’s true. My mom and I were abducted by someone on a ship and they changed me. That’s how I got this way. I mean, where’s my tin-foil hat, right?”
Emily paused, looking at them, trying to gauge their reactions.
Derek looked like he was in shock.
Duane and Jim didn’t seem to be as disturbed as Derek. Almost like they’d expected her to tell this exact story. She didn’t know what to make of it, but it was comforting. Well, sort of. At least they didn’t stand up and call her a complete nut job.
“Anyway,” she continued. “The night my mom and I were . . . taken, I waited for a chance to escape and I did. I got off the ship and tried to run, but they attacked me with these beams of light. Somehow, I managed to damage their ship with some of my new powers. You see, I think their experiments changed something in my DNA. When they took me and my mom, I think they were almost done with their experiments. I think they were using us to perfect the drug that they were trying to make to cure themselves. But something went wrong. Something backfired when they injected the drug in me, and I developed side-effects that let me turn their beams back on them and blow up their ship.”
“You did what?” Jim asked, finally showing a look of shock. For some reason, she found this look more comforting than his steadfast expression from before.
“I caught their beams in the palm of my hand. Then something in my body, something they’d done to me during their experiments, allowed me to absorb their beams somehow, and . . . amplify ‘em. The energy ran through my body, and then, when it came back out, it was more powerful than before. I turned all that energy back on their ship. I trapped them—their ship, I mean—in some kind of feedback loop, and part of the hull exploded. Not enough of it, though, because as soon as the explosion happened, the ship shot away into space.”
“Holy shit,” Duane muttered.
“Yeah, crazy, right?” she said.
“You could say that,” Jim said.
“But that’s not all. That’s just the beginning,” she added, feeling like she was on a roll. This was it—her confession. It felt amazing to come clean. She’d waited a long time to tell someone all about what happened and she wasn’t about to stop. It was liberating. She had to finish. She had to tell them everything.
“After the ship disappeared, I was standing there alone in the desert. I was crying for my mom and in a total panic, and then . . . something really crazy and painful happened. I felt my body fill with energy from the inside out, and I jumped. That’s what I call it, at least. Jumping. I jumped two years into the future. In the blink of an eye, I went forward in time and came out in the parking lot of a shopping mall. Metrocenter Mall, to be exact. That’s when I met you, Duane.”
She looked at him. “You’re the first person I met after my first jump. After all that happened to me and my mom.”
“Lucky me,” Duane said.
“No, lucky me,” Emily replied. “I was so scared and didn’t know what was happening. But then you came along and helped me.”
She jumped up from her seat and hugged him, lingering long enough to feel his warmth energize her soul. She let go and sat back in her seat. “Thank you, Duane. I’m not sure I ever really said thank you before, but thank you. I really mean that from the bottom of my heart. You saved my life that day.”
Jim slapped Duane on the back, then looked at Emily. “He’s a good man. That’s why I hang around this old dog.”
“Yeah, same to you, buddy,” Duane
said to Jim, wearing a toothy smile.
Emily smiled, looking at each of them one at a time, stopping with Derek. “You’re all good men. All of you.”
Derek cleared his throat, sounding a little choked up. “Sorry, Em. I didn’t realize. Now I understand and I’m sorry for being such an asshole all the time. Like today.”
She hugged Derek and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek before she sat back on the ottoman. “It’s okay, babe. I understand. It must suck trying to date a time jumper.”
“Yeah, sometimes. But shit happens, right?”
She nodded, then continued her confession. “It’s been happening on and off ever since then—almost two years, my time. Emily time, I call it. Almost thirty years . . . wait. What year did Nora tell me it was in the car? Is it really 2017?”
No one said anything for a moment. Then Jim spoke up to break the silence. “Yes. It’s March 9, 2017.”
“So, over thirty-one years now. Almost thirty-two of what I call objective time—regular people’s time. You know, your time. And in all that time, this is the first time I’ve ever told anyone all these things. And I mean ever. Not even Junie knows,” Emily said, thinking of her precious little friend from the homeless shelter. “Oh my God, Junie!” She looked at the three of them. “Do any of you know where she is? Is she okay?”
“She’s fine,” Jim said. “I saw her two days ago. I’m working on a story about her.”
Emily was relieved. “And her mom?”
“Jail,” Jim said, like it was a foregone conclusion. “She got busted for a third time. So that part is not so great—but Junie’s doing well, despite her mom. She’s in a good group home now thanks to Nora and Duane, who helped arrange it.”
“I have to go see her.”
“Maybe you could finish your story first?” Jim asked.
“Right,” she said. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’ll find her this afternoon. That’s what I meant. Do you know what school she’s in?”
“Same place I am,” Derek interjected. “A.S.U. Prep.”
“Really? Prep?” she said, smiling. “That’s amazing. I’m so happy for her. And you. Now, where was I? My time jumps, right?”
“Yep,” Jim said.
“So they just happen?” Derek asked. “Do you know why?”
“Well, I kind of know what triggers them. They happen when I get really emotional about something. You know, scared or panicked. There’s usually adrenaline involved, but other stuff happens, too, right before I jump. I’ve never been able to control it, but sometimes I can stop it from happening.”
“How?” Duane asked.
“If I catch the feeling in time, I can use meditation-type breathing exercises I learned. They calm me down, and they can keep a jump from happening. And Derek, too. Derek,” she looked at him. “Something inside you relaxes me. Remember the night on the street with the biker guys? The Devil’s Breed?”
“Yeah, of course I remember.”
“I almost jumped that night—I got the feeling, but you being there helped me stop it. And today—just a little while ago. Before I jumped, I willed myself to come back here, to you, and it worked. I came back here. How long was I gone?”
“Maybe five minutes, tops,” Derek said. He looked at Duane. “Right?”
“Yeah, I’d say that’s about right.”
“Emily,” Jim said, “earlier, when you mentioned something about the ship and the, uh, aliens, or whoever it was that abducted you, you said they were sick. How do you know that? Did you see them? I don’t doubt your story. I just want to understand it.”
“Well, that’s another part of what happened to me that night—they communicated with me using their minds. I got pieces of their thoughts and their feelings, like they were transmitted right into my brain.”
“Telepathy? Is that what you’re saying?” Jim asked.
“Yeah, telepathy. They kept calling me ‘invader’ over and over. The only way I can explain it is to call it telepathy. Some kind of direct mind link. I could read their thoughts. They came here—I think they came back through time—to try to fix something that they think is our fault.”
“Invader? That doesn’t make sense,” Jim said.
“I know. But that’s what was in their thoughts. At least, that’s how I took it. I was under a lot of stress at the time, so who knows? Maybe I was hearing what I wanted to hear.”
“Hmmm,” Jim said, pausing. “So, I don’t want to put you on the spot, but you also said that other stuff happens right before you jump. What kind of other stuff?”
“Hold on a sec,” Derek said, breaking in. “You’re a psychic?”
Duane and Jim chuckled at the same time. Emily looked from one to the other. She didn’t have to use her second sight to know what they were thinking, but then Duane said it out loud anyway.
“Kid, don’t you know by now that all women are psychic? It’s how they keep us men in line. Nora’s a master at it, trust me.”
Emily giggled. “Works for me.”
CHAPTER SEVENTY-FIVE
Emily was glad Derek had diverted Jim’s attention with his remark about being a psychic. Jim’s question penetrated an area of her situation that she didn’t want to share.
Yes, she wanted to tell her story, but she’d gotten ahead of herself—there were pieces she wanted to keep secret. Pieces like the fact that time slowed down right before she jumped, which allowed her to run through the scene and change things. Some things, she thought, a time-jumping girl has to keep to herself. To protect herself, and others including Julius.
Just then, her baby woke up and became active. “Hungry. More food, Mom. Please. I’m really hungry,” he said, sending her a swirl of vivid images to go with it.
She didn’t recognize any of the snapshots of machinery and brilliantly lit empty rooms, and that was very odd. She figured Julius could only know what she knew and could only have seen images and places that she’d seen and been. Where was he getting this from?
Her son’s feelings and imagery suddenly made her stomach queasy and her palms started to sweat. But it didn’t stop there. Her fingers began to tremble right before she felt short of breath.
Emily did her best to hold down and ignore the uncomfortable sensations, and answer Derek’s question. “But seriously, no, I’m not psychic. Not like you think. It’s more like a sixth sense. I can read thoughts if someone is focusing on me and their thoughts are energized with emotions. All I can tell you for sure is that the baby inside me is hungry all the time. How do I know that? Well, believe it or not, I can communicate with him telepathically. And right now, he’s famished.”
Emily stood up to make her point, but was immediately overcome with a wave of dizziness. She thought the disorientation was going to pass, but instead, it got worse. Black flecks and floating globs covered her vision.
“Oh my God,” she said as her heart started to race. Then her skin went cold and clammy. “I don’t feel so good. I think I’m going to—”
* * *
Jim watched Emily wobble on her feet like she was losing her balance, but she didn’t fall right away. First, her body went stiff and her eyes rolled back into her head before she dropped hard to her knees. A second later, she pitched forward, landing with her chest, head, and arms in his lap.
“Emily!” Derek said, springing forward from his seat. He knelt next to her in front of Jim on the couch.
“I’ll go get the first aid kit,” Duane said before he bolted out of the room.
Jim slid aside carefully to let Emily slip onto the couch. Derek helped him reposition her legs so her entire body was lying on the couch, face up.
Jim felt around her neck for her pulse, which was strong but rapid. Then he bent down and listened to her breath sounds. Again, strong and rapid.
Duane appeared in the doorway holding a bright orange E.M.T. bag. “You gonna need this?”
“I don’t think so, but keep it handy,” Jim said, taking a moment to think through his field medic t
raining when he was in the service. “I think she just fainted. But we should get this girl medical help right away. Know anyone?”
“Well, Nora for one,” Duane said, swallowing hard. A pained expression crossed his face, then passed a few moments later.
“Anyone else?”
“Nora has a friend who runs a woman’s health clinic. Maybe I can call her.”
“I would. See if she’s available this early.”
“Is she gonna be okay?” Derek asked, his face full of concern.
Jim didn’t answer, only raising his eyebrows. “You should go get a glass of water—in case she wakes up.”
“Ummm . . .” Derek said, looking from Jim to Duane. “Okay. Be right back.”
Jim watched him leave, then stood and faced Duane and put a hand on his shoulder.
“I saw that look a minute ago when you mentioned Nora. You okay, buddy?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“You sure about that?”
He nodded with a serious look on his face. ”Nora’s gonna come back to me, Jim. To us. I have to believe that. She’s the toughest damn woman I’ve ever met. She never quits, on anything. If this little teenage girl can escape,” he said, gesturing to Emily, “then my Nora can as well. Like I said before, it’s them that need to watch out. They won’t know what hit them. Trust me.”
Jim searched Duane’s face for anything to indicate he was hiding his emotions. His time in combat had taught him to recognize when men were bluffing and when men could handle the pressure.
Duane’s expression of grim determination told him that his longtime friend could handle the situation. It would be hard, but he knew Duane could handle it.
Duane held his gaze, then looked down at Emily and frowned.
“What is it?” Jim said, turning to see what had drawn Duane’s attention.
It was Emily. Her arms and legs were moving, shivering violently, then she sat bolt upright on the couch.
“Nora!” Emily screamed, gasping with eyes wide. “I can see Nora!”
“Jim! Duane!” Derek yelled from beyond the TV room.
Glassford Girl: Boxed Set (Complete Series) (Time Jumper Series) Page 52
