Dimension Drift

by Christina Bauer

  Not sure how I know this, but there’s no question in my mind: Thorne is standing behind me, looking over my shoulder. “I don’t like him.”

  I tilt my head, thinking. “I trust Fritz more than the Scythe.” All of a sudden, I’ve never felt more cold or tired. My body shivers from head to toe.

  “You need to sleep,” says Thorne.

  At the mention of the word sleep, I let out the mother of all yawns. “Yes, I do.” I turn around and realize how close Thorne and I are now standing to each other. “What about you?” My voice comes out a hoarse whisper.

  “I don’t sleep.” He takes a pointed step away from me. “I have work to do.”

  “Looking for Luci?”

  “Among other things.”

  “Okay, just don’t install any more major systems without telling me first.”

  That flickering smile is back. “Maybe.”

  Suddenly, I’ve never felt as exhausted as I do right now. It’s an effort to slog my way to my bedroom. Along the way, I check that Mom’s safe in bed. She looks so frail, curled up on her side. Shifting beams of greenish moonlight seep through the window, casting her in an otherworldly glow. The look makes sense somehow. After all, Mom made deal with someone from another world.

  I tuck the threadbare blanket under her chin. What did my parents really do? My head feels heavy with questions. They’ll have to wait until tomorrow, though. There isn’t an inch of space left in my consciousness for anything but sleep.

  I slog my way to my room and tumble into bed. The moment my cheek presses against the cold pillow, I fall asleep.

  Chapter Eight

  That night, I dream of the Merciless. I’m standing in the kitchen with Mrs L when a hoverdigger punches through the wall. Warriors in white body armor with destroyed faces pour into the room. Some are missing an eye. Others have skin that’s a patchwork of scars. I rush off to find Mom while the Merciless overrun the factory, smashing everything in sight. They topple over the vats of old chemicals, pouring blood-red liquids onto the floor.

  I race to Mom’s room, but she’s asleep and won’t awaken. I shake her shoulders, screaming her name. She doesn’t move, and that’s when I realize it.

  Mom’s already dead.

  I wake up screaming, my body covered in sweat. Thorne bursts through the door to my room, shattering the frame in the process. He stands in the green-tinted moonlight. The nanobots glisten on his arms, slipping down to his hands in a silvery stream. Within seconds they form a pair of short swords.

  I clutch my throat. “What are you doing?”

  “Guarding you.” He lowers his arms and the nanobots disappear. “I can’t make complex machines with my nanobots, but there’s always a sword handy.” He steps over to my bedside. “What happened?”

  “I had this dream…My mother.”

  “She’s safe now. You need to sleep…” He pauses, tilting his head. A frown mars his handsome face.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “The Merciless are coming.”

  Every nerve ending in my body seems to light on fire. “Mom.”

  “They’re not after her. You’re the one I’m worried about. We don’t have long.”

  A smash sounds downstairs as windows break. The security system wails a few long sirens before falling silent. Voices echo through the factory. I recognize one tone above all the others.

  “Ya, ya,” says Fritz. “You’ll find her upstairs. First room on the left.”

  On reflex, I set my hand on my throat. “The Scythe sold me out.”

  Thorne and I stare at each other in the moonlight. Downstairs on the factory floor, a chorus of bootfalls echo, along with the click of weapons being unholstered.

  The Merciless are here.

  I whip off my covers. “I have to get Mom.”

  “Go to her and you sign her death warrant. They don’t care about your mother.”

  Anxiety tightens my lungs, making it hard to pull in a breath. “I don’t understand.”

  Thorne cups my face in his hands. “I can help you. Can you trust in that?”

  That sense comes back. It’s like a warm blanket around my soul, assuring me that believing in Throne is the right thing to do. “Yes.”

  Thorne closes his eyes, and even in the dim moonlight, I can see his skin change color.

  “You’re blue.”

  “Yes.”

  “You really, really are an alien.”

  A small smile quirks his mouth again. “And you’re not frightened of me.”

  “I should be.” In fact, I should really be screaming and running right now, and for multiple reasons. Instead, I can’t help but stare at his lips.

  “Never be frightened of me, Rosa Meimifloria Archer.” Thorne gently rubs his thumbs across my cheeks in soft arcs. “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe. And for me, my people, a kiss connects our minds.” Leaning in, he gently moves his lips across mine. That energy I’d felt before—the one that was more than attraction—returns now with a vengeance. It crackles in the air around us.

  “What was that?” I ask.

  “The only way I can keep you safe.” A sad light shines in Thorne’s brown eyes. “Although it will start a war.”

  “Over me?”

  Thorne nods.

  Fresh panic streams through my veins. “Don’t do that. I’m not worth it.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong, Meimi. You’re remarkable.”

  “Because I can see drift voids?”

  “No, because you’ve a true heart, stellar mind, and fighting spirit. Because you’re all I think about. I’d tear apart any number of universes for you.”

  I wish I could think of something dramatic to say at this moment, but Thorne’s speech simply floored me. All I can manage is one sound. “Oh.”

  This time, we both lean in until our mouths touch. The kiss quickly deepens. Around us, the energy turns stronger than ever. Bootfalls sound on the metal staircase outside. The Merciless. Thorne and I break apart. The kiss is over.

  “So we’re connected? How?”

  Thorne gives me a sad smile. “When the time is right, that kiss will help you remember.”

  “I could never forget it.”

  Thorne moves to stand against the far wall just as the door bursts open. Fritz stomps across the threshold, followed by a half dozen Merciless. My pulse goes through the stratosphere. The warriors look just like they did in my dreams: white body armor with ruined faces.

  Fritz points at my nose. “That’s her.”

  My gaze automatically shifts to the spot where Thorne just stood. Now, there’s no sign of him. I repeat the words in my mind like a mantra.

  Thorne got away and Mom will be safe.

  I clutch my thin blanket around my shoulders and glare at Fritz. “How could you?”

  “We had to report you.” Fritz drops the fake accent for once, and I take that as a sign that I’m in deep trouble indeed. “There was just too much money in it. The things you can do, Meimi.”

  One of the warriors steps forward, but Fritz holds out his arm. “Let me explain things. It will go more easily.” He steps closer. “We’re taking you, but I’m moving your mother somewhere safe.”

  “Thanks a lot, Fritz.” My words drip with hatred.

  “Don’t you worry. You’re far too valuable to be killed. You’re going to New Boston.” Fritz reaches behind him. When his arm comes back out, he’s holding a black bag in his hands. This is the same one Fritz used when he brought me to the Scythe.

  I lift my chin and keep right on glaring at him. “We had a deal.”

  “A deal means equal parties, Meimi.” Fritz’s eyes widen with sadness. “That’s never how it was with us.” He snaps his fingers, and four Merciless guards leap toward me, holding me in place. Fritz slips the black bag over my head as something pinches my neck.

  A needle.

  They’re giving me an injection.

  My head turns murky. It takes a lot of concentration, but I’m
able to speak once more. “You can’t take me. You can’t touch my family.”

  “How right you are,” says Fritz. “When the Merciless are through with you, you’ll have a new identity, family, and everything else. This will be better for you, Meims. Your mother was holding you down.”

  I lick my lips as my consciousness fades. My final thoughts appear before the drugs overtake me once and for all.

  That kiss from Thorne. It will help me, I know it. I’ll remember.

  The End

  Read on for a sample chapter from ALIEN MINDS, The first full novel in the Dimension Drift Series

  Author’s Note

  Thank you for reading the first Dimension Drift Worlds novella! Please leave a review--I love to hear from readers! Also, if you’d like to catch the story from Thorne’s point of view, be sure to check out Umbra, Dimension Drift Worlds Novella #2, which releases in the Fall of 2018. Plus, the first full novel in the series is Alien Minds, and it releases in the Spring of 2019.

  Take a look at Thorne’s story below…

  Description: Umbra

  One day, eighteen-year-old Thorne will become the Emperor of the Omniverse, the single being who rules countless worlds. Trouble is, his father Cole–who’s also the current Emperor–is a sadistic freak. In fact, Cole won’t even keep his promises to the very humans who got him his throne. Thorne won’t stand for it. He decides to travel to the human world and make good on his father’s promises. What he doesn’t count on is falling in love…

  Available for order now at a retailer near you

  Alien Minds

  Book One of the Dimension Drift series

  Chapter One

  I force my eyes open, and that hurts like hell. Both my eyelids are crusted together. Gross. Even worse, it feels like someone’s beating on my face like a drum. I can feel my brows lifting, but my eyes aren’t opening.

  I’ll give another, harder try in three.

  One.

  Two.

  Three.

  My eyes flutter open at last. My head still feels like someone’s tap dancing on my brain, but at least I can look around.

  I’m in a hospital room. That’s weird in itself. Plus, why is it strange that the place looks…nice? The walls are all white marble with tall arched windows that let in a lot of sunlight. And it’s yellow sunshine, too. Why is that strange? Black and white fashion photography covers the walls in between tall machines that monitor my vitals.

  But fashion photography…in a hospital?

  I tilt my head to find a fancy high-tech calendar set into the wall. It’s October 23, 2612. That date seems about right. So why does everything else feel all wrong?

  One of the tall stainless steel machines starts to beep. An older couple rushes into the room. He looks tall and lean, with a heavily dimpled chin and slicked back hair. She is curvy with a blonde beehive and a short red dress.

  The woman rushes to kneel by my bedside, taking my hand in hers. “Wisteria, you’re awake.”

  At those words, one thought echoes through my mind: Who’s Wisteria?

  The man kneels at the other side of the bed and takes out the pipe from between his teeth. “We’ve been so worried, ever since the accident.”

  I gently pull my hands free from theirs. “What did you call me?”

  “Wisteria,” says the woman. “Wisteria Prim. That’s your name.” She focuses on the man. “Oh, Ollie, she doesn’t remember.”

  “Now, no need to worry, Bertie. The doctors said it’s totally normal for her to have some memory loss after the accident. You were hit by a hovercraft while trying to cross the street in downtown New Boston. Don’t you remember?”

  I scan my memories, but nothing appears at all. “I don’t remember that.”

  Ollie motions around his face with the stem of his pipe. “What about your old man’s face?”

  “You’re my father?”

  Bertie pops her hands over her mouth. “Oh, Ollie.” She rises and steps away like I’m on fire. “I need some air.” With that, she ruses out the door, her high heels clacking on the fancy floor.

  That was my mother running away from me, and I don’t feel anything. What’s wrong with me?

  At that moment, an older man in a lab coat strolls into the room. He has short gray hair and long jowls. “The patient is awake, eh?”

  “Yes.” I eye the doctor, but his face isn’t ringing any bells, either. There’s something about his lab coat, though. I want to reach out a touch it for some reason.

  The doctor picks up a data pad from the foot of my bed and starts typing in notes. “You gave your parents quite a scare, Wisteria.”

  My gaze locks on the door where Gertie just left. “You say they’re my parents, but I don’t remember them at all.”

  Ollie leans in to pat my hand again. “But you feel sorry about that fact. Don’t you, Wisteria?”

  “Well, that other lady left crying, so yes, I was sorry to see that.”

  The doctor beams. “That’s a good sign, Oliver. Her unconscious mind knows who you and Gertrude are, even if she can’t access the information yet.” He turns to me. “Your name is Wisteria Prim. Does that mean anything to you?”

  “No.” I have a vague sensation I have an unusual name, but it’s not Wisteria. On reflex, my hands start brushing across my lips. A thought appears in my mind.

  Someone kissed me. It’s important.

  I shake off the notion. If anything, thinking about random kisses is a sign that something’s wrong with my mind.

  That Gertie lady peeps her head in. “I have good news. Some of Wisty’s friends want to come in and say hello. Do you think that would be all right?”

  The doctor eyes me carefully. “That’s an excellent idea. Best to immerse her in all the things of her life before the accident.”

  “Accident?” I sit up straighter. It seems like every inch of me is wrapped in bandages. I look like a mummy. “Oliver said something about that, but I’ve never been to New Boston. I’d remember crossing into a plasma dome.”

  The Oliver guy grins. “See that? She knows about plasma domes. Her mind is still sharp. That’s a great sign.”

  Gertrude leans steps just inside the door. “Come in, children. Wisty is ready for you.”

  A group of teenagers walk in. They’re all tall and perfect. For some reason, it shocks me that they’re wearing new clothes instead of something picked out of a landfill. I scan each face carefully, but I don’t recognize anyone. After a few seconds, one guy steps forward and grabs my hand. “Wisty. I’ve waited by your bedside for days.” He leans in as if to kiss me, and I pull back.

  “Whoa there.” I hold up my hand.

  “You don’t remember me?” he asks.

  The Gertie lady sniffs into her handkerchief. “I told you she wouldn’t.”

  The boy leans back. “It’s all right. I’m Porter Saint-Claire. We were dating before the accident.” He stands up. He’s dashing in a white jacket with black trim. He even has a white hat in one hand. His hair is short and black and his features even. I suppose most people would think he’s handsome. Porter gestures behind him. “And these are our crew. We’re all in the mansion together.”

  “Mansion?” I ask.

  “At ECHO Academy. You know what that is, right?”

  “Sure.” Everyone knows about ECHO Academy. It’s an exclusive high school for science prodigies in New Boston.

  “That’s it,” says Porter with a white-toothed smile. “At ECHO, everyone is divided up into houses. We’re the perfected version of the old MIT, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Don’t you remember?”

  I shake my head. “Not really.”

  “Well, MIT divided up their student body into houses. We’re in the mansion. It’s only the most exclusive place on campus.”

  As Porter goes on about the mansion, I can’t help but notice another guy who’s stepped into the room and now waits by the door. He’s about my age, broad and muscular with a military haircut. There’
s something about his square face. It’s familiar. A deep voice echoes through my mind.

  “That kiss will help you remember.”

  My fingertips brush my lips once more. I know that boy. He means something to me.

  Porter is still talking, so I raise my hand, palm forward. The room falls silent.

  “What is it, Wisty?” asks Porter.

  “And what’s his name?”

  “Who?” asks Oliver. He leans over my bed, blocking my view. “Are you feeling all right?”

  “Yes, I’m fine.” I point at the doorway. “I just want to know his name.”

  Porter turns around. “Who?”

  Oliver leans away from my line of vision and now? There’s no one standing in the doorway. All of a sudden, the story about my having some kind of mind-changing accident is looking more likely by the second.

  I scrub at my face. “Look, if I’ve been in an accident or whatever—”

  “It was so horrible, Wisty.” Gertie sniffles into her handkerchief again. That doesn’t seem like something my mother would do. But then again, I’m in a hospital with bandages on my head. What do I know?

  A sinking feeling settles into my bones. I scooch lower in my bed. “I’d like to take a nap now.”

  “Of course,” Ollie ushers everyone toward the door. “We’ll let you rest.”

  All my visitors parade out into the hallway. A low whir sounds as the blinds auto-close on my bay windows. The door closes with a soft click, leaving me in darkness.

  I should go to sleep.

  Or I should try to remember something.

  But all I can do is stare at the ceiling and think about the mysterious boy who waited by the doorway and then disappeared. He really was there, I know it. And why does that fact not surprise me? And why do I keep hearing his voice in my head?

  “When the time is right, that kiss will help you remember.”

  It takes me a long time to fall asleep, and when I do, I can only dream about that disappearing boy. I chase after him through some mist, trying to catch him.

  He’s always out of reach.

  End of sample

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