Portals

by Wilson, Maer

  Reo called to let us know he was popping in with Sloane and it wasn’t long before the four of us were in the SUV and on our way. Reo looked as sharp as always and Sloane had pulled his hair over his ears and donned dark glasses.

  Thulu drove across town to Daria’s apartment. The buildings were older in her neighborhood and had more character than some of the more modern ones elsewhere in the city.

  We found a parking place about two blocks away and walked companionably up hill. I felt muscles I’d neglected lately protesting slightly.

  Daria’s building had a small lobby and we pushed the button to take the elevator up to the fourth floor, where we were warmly welcomed by Daria and Lilia. We were introduced around to several other people. The apartment was comfortable, so Daria took mine and Thulu’s jackets and hung them in a closet near the front door.

  Sharda was probably in her sixties. A psychic, her long grey hair fell in a curtain around her pleasant, round face. Kim was younger, perhaps mid-thirties, with golden brown hair and warm brown eyes. She was a healer and she and Sharda shared a small book store.

  The two men were Martin and Zach and both were psychics, who tended to stay low key and didn’t use their gifts, except in rare cases.

  Everyone was very polite, although we were all fawned over a little, especially Sloane who was watched from the corners of eyes.

  “Two of the others are out of town, but Ken should be here soon,” Daria said as she handed around platters of cheese and crackers and pointed to salsa and chips on the coffee table. Bottles of beer and sodas rested in a tub of ice perched on a wooden chair. Bottles of wine stood on the counter next to glasses.

  “So, we heard you actually went through a portal? What was that like?” asked Zach.

  We spent the next ten minutes sitting comfortably in Daria’s living room, engaged in companionable chit chat. We discussed our various abilities and how they’d impacted our lives.

  The pleasant interlude was interrupted by a knock at the door.

  Daria looked through the peephole and told us it was Ken.

  She opened the door and ushered her newest guest into the room, shutting the door behind him.

  He took only a few steps into the room before uttering a low, guttural wail of denial. Ken froze where he was, staring at us in shock, his face contorted into an expression of deep anguish, fear and something else I couldn’t identify.

  Reo immediately stood, as did Sloane. I felt their alarm, and Thulu and I joined them as I realized Ken matched the sketch we’d seen of Reo’s shooter.

  No one moved for long moments. Ken’s eyes darted all over, looking for escape, but Daria had remained at the door, not knowing who Ken was to us. Reo and Sloane moved closer to Ken. When Ken realized he was outnumbered, his shoulders slumped in defeat and he hung his head.

  The others looked at us in surprise as they realized that things were tense and their friend might be in trouble.

  “What’s going on?” asked Daria.

  “That’s an excellent question, Daria,” said Thulu mildly. “Hello, Ken. Care to tell us why you shot our friend?”

  There were looks of shock and a gasp from Lilia, who had come in from the kitchen.

  “You’re all in danger associating with the non-humans.” He looked up and straightened his shoulders, defiantly. He turned to Reo. “I’m sorry you got shot, I wasn’t aiming for you, but for that creature with you.”

  Reo bristled at hearing his lover called a creature, but Sloane put a reassuring hand on his arm.

  “Why do you assume we are a danger?” Sloane’s voice was calm and betrayed only curiosity.

  “Don’t you all understand?” His voice became shrill as he looked at us, avoiding Sloane’s eyes. “I know others from off-world. They have nothing good in store for humanity. I’m doing my best to eliminate them as I find them. I’ve gotten a few of them, but not nearly enough.” He shook his head in despair. “Not nearly enough.”

  “Who exactly are you talking about?” asked Reo, with a glance at me and Thulu.

  “You know. The ones who kidnapped Daria. They are evil and they plan to take over Earth, but if we all band together, the off-worlders can’t do that. We must stand firm and work to get rid of them all.” His expression pleaded with us to understand.

  Thulu shook his head. “Not all of the off-worlders pose a threat to us. In fact, the elves and others have helped us and protected us from those you speak of. They were from another world and the elves made it crystal clear that they would not be allowed to harm humans.”

  “You can’t know that or believe anything they tell you.”

  “I can believe it when I was there,” I said, impatiently. “We were all there when contact was made with them. You’re right. The others were planning on taking over Earth, but the elves, among others, stood with us and told them they wouldn’t be allowed to harm us. The elves closed their portals and are removing them from our world.”

  Reo, Thulu and Sloane all nodded at what I was saying.

  Ken shook his head, his stress level climbing by the second. “They can make you believe anything they want to. You might think you’re safe, but you aren’t.” In a movement that was too swift to catch, he backed up and suddenly held a gun in his hand and pointed at Sloane. “I’ll get you this time. You won’t hurt our kind anymore.” He pointed the gun squarely at Sloane.

  The room froze, as we all watched in disbelief. None of us wanted to chance him hurting someone, so we all carefully and slowly backed away a few steps. I had my gun, but it was in my purse on the floor across the room.

  “That’s really not a good idea,” said Thulu, as my phone sang and Nana Fae and Mama Deb popped in. Nana Fae probably picked up the slight panic and my increased heart rate.

  The other guests tried to tell Ken to put down the gun, but their attempts were quiet and it was obvious they were afraid.

  “Who do you want me to get?” asked Nana Fae.

  I looked at Thulu, then back at Ken. I didn’t want to alert Ken that I was communicating with Nana. “Jones and Lassiter,” I said under my breath and not moving my lips.

  She popped out right away and my phone stopped for a moment, only to begin its ringtone once more. It cut off abruptly, so I guessed that Nana had gotten to Jones.

  Ken’s hand was pretty steady, which I didn’t like at all. Several things happened at once. A portal began to form and Daria moved toward it. The attention on the portal took Ken’s eyes off Sloane for a few moments. Ken went flying backwards, fetching up against the door, feet dangling, while the gun went off with a deafening roar in that small room. Several people screamed as it did and something punched me in the chest knocking me backwards to the floor.

  The apartment was in chaos as I tried to stand, but couldn’t. The lights faded and the sounds turned into a jumble that I couldn’t understand. Finally I stood, more gracefully than I would have thought. The room was still dark, but Nana Fae and Mama Deb were standing next to me, clearer than I had seen them since they died. They kept gesturing at me and pointing down, their voices overlapping and not making much sense.

  “No, Fiona, go back!” Nana Fae’s voice was shrill, her mouth and face a taut mask of fear and horror.

  Before I could ask her where I was supposed to go back to, the lights brightened again and I blinked up into Sloane’s face as he bent over me. I lay on the floor, my head cradled in Thulu’s lap. Jones was there, too. He must have come through the portal. Reo knelt beside me, holding a gun - Ken’s gun? He divided his attention between me and Ken, who seemed frozen in front of the door. Nana Fae and Mama Deb floated near the fringe of the group, identical expressions wrinkling their brows. The others in the room had grave looks of concern, which were quickly followed by relief as I tried to sit up.

  “Stay down, La Fi,” said Sloane.

  I felt an intense heat in my chest and something moving in it. There wasn’t any pain, but it was a very weird feeling and I didn’t much like it. I looked down t
o see my lovely blouse covered in blood and realized I must have taken the shot.

  Sloane’s hand hovered and soon a bullet made its appearance. Thulu snatched it before it could roll off and fall to the floor. He stroked my hair and the worry on his face caught my attention. I don’t think I’d ever seen him so distraught.

  The hole didn’t heal right away and maybe my lung was damaged, since my breath was coming in uneven hitches. I could feel the heat continue to move in my chest, as whatever damage had been done was healed by Sloane.

  There was a knock at the door and a deep voice identifying himself as the police.

  Everyone in the room looked at each other. Jones stood quickly and said he’d come over when we got home. He released Ken from the immobility spell and went through his portal, which winked out behind him. It only took seconds and Reo quietly set the gun on the coffee table, while Martin and Zach moved to prevent Ken from going anywhere, each taking an arm. Daria carefully looked to see that the room was sort of under control before she opened the door.

  Two uniformed police, a man and woman, came in with guns drawn. The second they saw the gun, they yelled at us to clasp our hands behind our heads and get down on our knees. I tried to comply, but my position on the floor made raising hands a bit silly and getting to my knees was not possible yet.

  A uniformed woman quickly spoke into her radio when she saw me covered with blood and called for an ambulance. Her partner quickly moved into the other rooms.

  “That won’t be necessary,” I protested, as the other cop returned to utter a terse, “Clear.”

  Someone had gotten towels and had used them to mop most of the blood off my chest. Sloane had continued his work and the skin healed around the bullet wound, which looked like it had been very close to my heart. The woman and her partner looked on in disbelief and within moments there was nothing to show that I’d been shot, except for the blood.

  Once the two realized that no one was moving or giving them any cause for concern, the cops relaxed a little. Not much, but their stances eased somewhat. They still kept their guns drawn, although pointed at the floor.

  Reo looked at the cops and indicated Ken. “You’ll probably want to cuff him and make sure he doesn’t go anywhere.”

  The two cops looked at each other and around the room, as the others nodded.

  “Yes, it’s his gun,” said Martin.

  The woman shrugged and efficiently cuffed Ken.

  I took a deep breath, this time just a smooth intake of air.

  “Thanks, Sloane,” I said with a smile. He sat back on his heels and raised his hands in the air and clasped them behind his head.

  We stayed that way as more cops arrived. The first two kept them out of the crime scene and the new arrivals took turns peeking in the door.

  It wasn’t long before the paramedics showed up. The tiny apartment was jammed with people and equipment. Someone I assumed was a crime scene tech took photos of everything. I heard the creak of leather belts, as the cops holstered their guns. The first cop donned gloves and picked up Ken’s gun from the table.

  The paramedics took in the blood on me, Thulu and the floor, but finding no wound they were perplexed.

  Thulu explained that Sloane had already healed the wound. They quickly began an examination, flashed a light into my eyes, put a blood pressure cuff on my arm and took my pulse. They looked up at the cops and said I was surprisingly fine, although I might be weak for a little while from the blood loss.

  I was made to fill out a form when I refused to be transported to the hospital. I gladly signed it. If Sloane said I was okay, that was good enough for me.

  Lassiter showed up soon after the paramedics left, Kevin Brown right behind him. I sighed. His presence wasn’t good at all.

  Lassiter gave me a worried look when he saw all the blood, but we quickly told him I was fine. He flashed me an apologetic smile and a slight shrug when he saw me frown at Brown’s presence. He also noted that Ken was being guarded and told the rest of us to sit down.

  I was a bit woozy when I stood and Thulu quickly took my arm to steady me, with Sloane on the other side. We all found seats and scrunched together or sat on the floor.

  “Not you,” Lassiter said, pointing at Ken, as he started to rise.

  Lassiter looked at Thulu. “Tell me.” He then put up a hand and said, “Wait.” He looked into the kitchen area.

  “May we use the kitchen?” he asked Daria. I wondered how he knew it was her apartment, before remembering he probably had been here during her kidnapping.

  Daria nodded and Lassiter led Thulu into the kitchen, followed by Brown. Their voices were low as Lassiter and Brown listened to Thulu, only interrupting to ask a question now and then. Thulu handed Lassiter the bullet Sloane had pulled from my chest, glancing at me through the doorway as he did. That was the point I realized something was off with my husband. He gave me the oddest look, and I raised an eyebrow at him questioningly. He shook his head slightly, but Brown pounced with a question. Whatever answer Thulu gave, it was sharp and Brown immediately backed off.

  At one other point Brown looked up from his note-taking. He asked a question and Thulu nodded toward Sloane. Brown had a triumphant gleam of excitement in his eyes as he looked at Sloane with interest.

  Lassiter went to the door and opened it, calling for one of the officers who had been waiting. The two original cops came back in and pulled Ken to his feet. Ken seemed dazed and in shock. His skin was pasty under a deep tan and his eyes seemed almost glazed.

  “Take this guy in and book him for two counts of attempted murder. Be sure to read him his rights,” Lassiter instructed.

  I saw the frowning glances at Ken from his group as he was led away and felt bad for their betrayal. The Thulukans certainly knew what that was like.

  Lassiter went back to the kitchen and Thulu returned to the living room. He settled himself next to me and took my hand. There were smears of blood on his hands and the front of my blouse was still sticky and clung uncomfortably.

  Daria noticed me picking at it and called to Lassiter, “May La Fi please be allowed to go wash off and get a dry shirt?”

  He looked at me and back to her before nodding. I was grateful when she motioned me to follow her to the bathroom. She got me a clean towel and cloth and turned the hot water on and pulled the door almost completely closed behind her as she left me to peel out of the sticky blouse and bra. I set them aside, wanting only to dump both in the trash, but assuming the police might want the blouse at least.

  I quickly rinsed my now completely healed chest and dried off.

  “I’m afraid your beautiful blouse is ruined, La Fi,” said Daria, as she returned, carrying what I was sure was one of her own best blouses. It was a beautiful embroidered pale blue blouse.

  “Daria, this is far too nice to trust to me. Don’t you have something like an old T shirt? Something you won’t mind if I ruin it.”

  She smiled. “I won’t mind.”

  “Are you nuts? The embroidery on this is gorgeous. Please don’t make me walk out there half naked, because I’m afraid I’m not to be trusted in something this nice right now.”

  She sighed and left, to return a few moments later with a dark T shirt that didn’t make me feel awful borrowing. I hugged her for her thoughtfulness and rinsed out the cloth and hung it on the rack to dry. Daria took another cloth and ran it under the water. She grabbed another small towel and we stepped back into the living room.

  I settled in once more next to my husband, while Daria handed him the wet cloth and towel for his hands. He thanked her as he took them, leaned over and kissed the top of my head and stood up. He threw a look to the two in the kitchen, but didn’t bother asking before he headed toward the bathroom. He didn’t close the door, though and we could see him as he scrubbed his hands and nails before returning to my side.

  Lassiter and Brown still conferred in the kitchen. It was no surprise that Sloane was called in a few minutes later.


  Brown picked up on the fact that Sloane was already known to Lassiter and turned to the detective with a frown, but refrained from saying anything. He peered with curiosity up at Sloane’s decidedly non-human eyes. He must have asked about Sloane’s ears, too, because Sloane pulled his hair back to show very pointed ears. Brown seemed very pleased about something. That rather surprised me. I wondered if Sloane or Reo were doing anything empathic to him.

  For his part, Sloane remained his usual unflappable self, answering questions and soon he too was released to return to the living room.

  I was called in next and kept my statement brief and to the point. I told them how Reo and Sloane had recognized Ken from the night he shot Reo. And how we knew him from the sketch they’d drawn. When Ken had arrived and saw that we had identified him, he drew his gun and pointed it at Sloane. Somehow he went flying backward, hit the wall and the gun discharged.

  “How did he go flying backward?” asked Brown.

  “I don’t know,” I answered slowly. “It was very odd.” I wondered which of the supes in the room had done that. Certainly there was no shortage of candidates, with only Lilia not being likely to have done it.

  “They said you were dead for a minute or so, before Sloane got you back. Did you see anything while you were dead?” asked Brown.

  “I wasn’t dead,” I protested.

  Brown and Lassiter exchanged a look.

  “Well, La Fi, both Thulu and Sloane said you were. That the bullet went straight into your heart and that Sloane immediately began to heal you.” Lassiter’s voice was gentle.

  “Oh?” I looked at Thulu over the breakfast counter that separated the kitchen from the living room. He was watching me closely and I looked deep into his eyes, but my brain wouldn’t connect with his. Suddenly, I was just too tired to put up with any more.

  “Well,” I continued a bit sharply, “I don’t remember being dead, but then why would I?”

  Which wasn’t quite true, was it? At least in retrospect? That would explain Nana Fae and Mama Deb’s frantic gestures and the statement to go back. Funny how I deal with the dead all the time and when I myself was dead, I didn’t even realize it. Of course, it was for barely a minute, so that could have something to do with it.