Indigo Incite

by Jacinda Buchmann

  The small Volkswagen, parked near the entrance of the building, belonged to his friend Jenna, who, no doubt, was already waiting for him in the physics lab. In her junior year, she was also working on an independent research project. They often made plans to meet at the lab, so they could toss ideas back and forth. Eddie suspected that her interest in meeting him went beyond the academic. The way she looked at him and would “accidentally” brush her hand across his left little doubt of her interest.

  Her back was turned to the door when he entered. She wore tight, curve-flattering jeans, and he couldn’t help but notice the shapeliness of her figure as she wiggled slightly back and forth with a mirror in hand. Two other mirrors were on a table propped up and facing each other, about six inches apart. A lamp was angled to shine down on a small object between the two mirrors.

  With a smile in his voice, he said, “Are we having fun, yet?”

  She turned to him with a grin. “Hey, buuudy! I was hoping you’d show up. I could use a hand for a few minutes, if you’ve got time.”

  Her gorgeous smile was contagious, and even though he was anxious to start his own project so he could make it home in time for Abby’s party, he couldn’t say no. “Sure. Just for a little bit, though. Today’s my baby sister’s birthday, so I have to get out of here a little early.”

  “Oh yeah? How old is she?”

  “Eleven.”

  “I don’t know how to break it to you, my friend, but your little sister isn’t exactly a baby anymore.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  He took off his winter jacket and hat and ran a hand through his short, tousled black hair. “So where do we begin?” He mischievously rubbed his hands together in preparation.

  “I’m working to prove the theory of parallel universes by using the reflection of photons. I’ve been working on it for a week. I’m just trying to figure out where to go from here.”

  Eddie wondered if a girl so beautiful was actually interested in him or if it was his imagination. Other than the black rimmed eye glasses he always wore, he didn’t fit the stereotypical appearance of a quantum physics major. He supposed that he could be considered good looking. His broad forehead, high cheekbones, and large, crystal brown eyes were a combination of his Native American and Mexican heritage.

  She had laid out several research books, and while she flipped through the pages of one, she unconsciously twirled a strand of long blonde hair that had escaped its ponytail.

  “Well, you’re on the right track with the mirrors,” he said. “That helps to prove the theory of infinity. The next step you need to work on is to prove that the electron can be in two separate universes at the same time. Once you get that figured out, you’ll be on the right track.”

  Jenna looked at him with raised eyebrows and tucked the strand of loose hair behind her ear. “It sounds like you’ve done this before.”

  “Oh, I have. I was fourteen.”

  “Fourteen? You certainly didn’t waste any time, did you? All of the fourteen-year-old boys that I knew were busy figuring out the theory of the best way to score with a girl. You probably had that figured out by the time you were eight, right?”

  “Not exactly. I definitely chased after a girl or two when I was in high school, but I wasn’t exactly head of the football team or anything. Most girls weren’t too interested in the president of the physics club.”

  She smiled. “Well, I don’t know why. Those girls didn’t know what they were missing.”

  “Oh yeah? You dated a lot of science nerds, did you?”

  Jenna paused for a moment. “Well, not exactly. Though deep down, I was a science nerd myself. I just didn’t announce it to the world. I had two older brothers who were both varsity quarterbacks. By the time I got to high school, my brothers had graduated, but my name was already known because of them. It didn’t take much to become the cheerleading captain. I was very talented at cheerleading, don’t get me wrong, but popularity will get you a long way in high school.”

  “And so naturally you dated the quarterback. You were probably the prom queen and no doubt the class president as well.”

  “Well, yes…and yes, but I wasn’t the class president.”

  He laughed. “Oh, well in that case, forgive me for assuming.”

  “I was the vice president,” she added, with a meek smile.

  He chuckled. “How silly of me to assume. How did you ever end up here?” He indicated the science lab around them. “Not exactly a place one would expect to find the cheerleading captain. Forgive me for being presumptuous.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I know what you mean. Like I said, deep down I was a science geek. While I was busy going to cheerleading practice after school, during school I was acing all of the science and math classes I could take. I just didn’t advertise it.

  “Looking back on it now, I would have done things differently,” she continued. “I had nothing in common with my quarterback boyfriend, and my lab partner in chemistry was one of my best friends. He was pretty cute, too, but I never gave him the time of day, even though I’m pretty sure he had a crush on me. If I could go back and do things differently, I would. These days I know exactly what I want and I’m not afraid to say so.” She looked at him with a twinkle in her eyes.

  Eddie caught the slight innuendo, and even though she presented the perfect opportunity to advance their friendship to the next level, he didn’t pursue it. A relationship would only get in the way of his research. He would have plenty of time for dating, in the future. Perhaps after the semester was over, he would ask her out. Instead, he turned the subject back to her parallel universe study.

  Time flew by easily as they laughed and chatted and occasionally remembered to work. Jenna’s laugh made him smile. Yeah, when this semester is over, he thought, I really need to ask her out. He glanced at the clock and was shocked to realize the time. “We’ve been here for two hours? I need to get going, pretty soon.”

  Jenna followed his gaze to the clock on the wall. “We haven’t accomplished much today, have we?”

  “No, not really.” He picked up his gray and black, knit hat and casually played with the dangling tassel. “It’s all good. Sometimes the best work comes from just formulating thoughts. The next time I come to the lab, I’ll be ready to rock and roll.”

  “Oh? You formulated a lot of thoughts today, did you?”

  He tapped his head. “There’s a lot more that goes on in here than you’d ever believe. Sometimes it’s scary.”

  At this, Jenna laughed out loud. “Scary, huh?”

  “Mmm…unbelievably. I should get going. I don’t want to be late for my sister’s party. According to the forecast, the snow’s supposed to continue to fall, and the roads are probably going to get nasty. You might want to get home before the roads get too bad. Can I walk you out?”

  Jenna hopped down from the table and looked at the mirrors and other objects scattered about. “Sure. I don’t think I’ll be getting much more done here today anyway. Like you said, I need to formulate my thoughts.” She smiled sweetly. “Just give me a minute to put this away and I’ll walk out with you.”

  *****

  “Come on Eddie! Give it a swing!” his father called. “I can’t stand here all day. My arm’s going to fall off and I’m freezing. Get this thing open so we can get inside! One good swing, that’s all we need.”

  “Yeah! Come on, Eddie. You can do it!” his sister encouraged.

  As a crowd of giggling girls gathered around, Abby handed him the bat.

  “All right, stand back, girls.” He pushed his black glasses firmly in place and swung the bat a few times in preparation.

  One quick, hard swing at the piñata was all it took; suddenly, the girls swarmed his feet. They laughed as they dug through the snow in search of lost candy. His dad stood by to watch over the clean-up, and Eddie turned to his grandmother, who was huddled and shivering, in a snow parka.

  “Hey, Grandma, want to go inside? I’ll make you a
cup of tea.” He held the door open for her.

  She smiled and patted his arm. “What a treat. Thank you.”

  With a warm cup of tea in hand, his grandmother sat at the rustic wood table in the kitchen and observed him. “You seem tired. Is everything all right?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine. I just haven’t gotten a lot of sleep the last few nights. I’ve had these dreams, really vivid dreams. Each night it’s the same, and as soon as it’s over, I wake up and can’t stop thinking about it.”

  His grandmother sat in silent contemplation and sipped her tea. “You know, our people have always accredited vivid dreams to prophecy. The elders, your great-grandmother included, used to say that if we listen to our dreams, we will meet our destinies.”

  “And if we don’t listen to our dreams? Then what happens?”

  “Well, it is said that if we fail to receive the message that is brought to us, we will either continue to receive the message through other aspects of our life or we may miss the opportunity to learn altogether.”

  “Learn what?”

  “That all depends. What is your dream telling you?”

  “It’s about a boy, a teenage boy, who I’ve never met. He keeps telling me that I need to meet him somewhere, that I need to help him.”

  “And where does he want you to meet him?”

  “I don’t know. I never asked. I keep waking up before I can get that far. It just seems so real. I don’t know how to explain it. I’ve had vivid dreams before, but never anything like this. When I wake up, I can’t stop thinking about the kid. It’s like, if I don’t help him, something bad is going to happen, and I can’t stop thinking about it. Silly, huh?”

  His grandmother slowly sipped her tea. “My boy, nothing you have ever said or done has ever been for nothing. I have no doubt that if this dream seems serious to you, then it probably is. If you have the same dream again, I would suggest you focus on it instead of push it away.”

  “But how can I have control over what I do in my dreams?”

  “Even when you are asleep, you are always aware. Dreaming is just another state of alertness, of consciousness. Stay with your dream, remember who you are and why you are, and you’ll learn what you need to learn.” She smiled and patted his hand. Her own hand was weathered and wrinkled, strong and warm. It held kindness and years of wisdom, and as she touched him, he felt assured that if he had the same dream again, he would pay attention.

  *****

  A family of wild turkeys startled him when they squawked and thundered out from behind a tree. Large wings flapped, and they half-ran, half-flew across the path and were gone from sight just as quickly as they had appeared.

  “A little jumpy, aren’t you?” came a familiar voice off to his right.

  The sun had almost set below the horizon, and it took a moment for Eddie to focus on the dark forest. Then he spotted him. He was tall and lanky, with shaggy brown hair that hung below his eyebrows and over his ears.

  “I’ve been waiting for you to return,” the familiar stranger said. “I hoped you’d be here. Did you think about what I said last time?”

  “Um…you’re going to have to remind me. My memory’s a little foggy. You wanted me to help you with something?”

  “Not just me. You’d be helping yourself, my brother, and the others.”

  “Others? What others?”

  “The others like us, with special abilities. If you don’t help, we’ll all be in trouble, including you.”

  They walked side-by-side, along the path. The snow continued to fall in hushed whispers, around them.

  This was where Eddie’s dream had always ended, but from somewhere deep inside, he heard his grandmother’s voice tell him to stay with it and hear the message. “What do you want me to do?”

  The stranger stopped and turned to him.

  “I need you to find my brother. Find him and then the two of you need to find the others, before it’s too late. They’re going to come after you. You don’t have a lot of time.”

  “Who’s going to come after me?”

  “The same people who took me.”

  Eddie was thoroughly confused. “Someone took you? What do you mean? You’re right here.”

  “No…I’m not. It appears that I’m here with you, but it’s just a dream. I came here to warn you, to get your help. They’ve captured me and they’re going to capture you, too, if you don’t help.”

  “Who are they? And where are you?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t know who they are and I don’t know where I am.”

  “Well, that’s not a whole lot of helpful information, is it? How am I supposed to help you?”

  “The first step is to find my brother. If you find him and then find the others, you’ll find a way. You need to hurry before it’s too late. I told my brother that you would meet him at the rodeo, in Wickenburg, tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow?”

  “You have to. That’s the only day that he’ll be there and be able to get away.”

  “How will I know him when I find him? What does he look like?”

  “He looks exactly like me. He’ll be waiting for you.”

  “What am I supposed to do, once I find him?”

  “Fly to Seattle.”

  “Seattle? As in Washington? What are we supposed to do there?”

  “You’ll need to look for a girl. Along with you and my brother, they’re also after her.

  “So, we fly to Seattle, and then what? How do we find her? Do you know where she is?”

  “Not exactly, but I’m working on it. I’ll contact my brother once I know where she is. You need to get to her before they do. She’ll be able to help. Once you find her and the others, you’ll have to figure out a way to find me.”

  “What others?” Eddie asked, not for the first time.

  “The people who took me are looking for others like me, like you. They know who you are, and they’re going to come after you.”

  “But why?”

  “You’re powerful. They need you.”

  “Powerful?” This dream seemed crazier by the minute. It made no sense.

  “Think about it and you’ll know what I’m talking about. Now, can I count on you to meet my brother tomorrow?”

  “He’s just supposed to come with me? What if I get charged with kidnapping or harboring a runaway or something? How old is he?”

  “He’s sixteen, and kidnapping is going to be the least of your worries if you don’t help. Can I count on you?”

  Eddie couldn’t believe that he was ready to give serious consideration to this crazy scheme. But before he could consider the wisdom behind his words, he said, “Well, I guess it couldn’t hurt to at least go and meet him. You said he looks like you? What’s his name? What’s your name for that matter?”

  “I’m Toby. His name is Tyler.”

  CHAPTER 4: THE RODEO

  Tyler found Cybil in front of an open pantry, a bag of potato chips clutched in one arm. From the doorway he silently read her thoughts and attempted to gauge her mood. He hoped to find something in her head that he could use to his advantage.

  I need to add dish soap to the shopping list, she thought. Then, she ran her fingers through her hair. My roots are starting to show; I should see if I can get an appointment to get my hair done, before the dance, tomorrow night. I wonder if I should get a new dress, too? While I’m at it, I should buy Kirby a bigger shirt. I don’t want his fat belly to be hanging out, as he swings me around the dance floor.

  Tyler chuckled under his breath as he imagined Kirby on the dance floor with his fat belly jiggling and exposed to the world. It was true though, Kirby had put on a few extra pounds since Tyler had been sent to BRATS.

  With a game plan set, he took a deep breath and entered the kitchen. “Hey, Cybil, would you like me to finish the dishes?”

  She bit into a potato chip and turned to him with glaring suspicion. He never offered to help around the house, and she undoubtedly wondered what he was
up to. With a mouth full of chips, she said, “Sure, kid. Have at it.”

  He said nothing while he loaded the dishwasher but continued to listen to her thoughts, waiting for the perfect moment to make his pitch. With his back to her, he listened to her open the fridge and take out a beer. He waited until she had popped the top and took the first sip. It was now or never.

  “So, the rodeo’s tomorrow. I’ll bet Kirby would like to take you to the dance. You two should get out and have some fun.” He hoped this was the right thing to say. When it came to Cybil, nothing he said was ever certain to be safe.

  “Oh, I was thinking about it.” She reached up to stroke the dark roots of her hair.

  “Oh, yeah, by the way, I got an offer to work tomorrow at the fairgrounds. They need someone to pick up trash and stuff, for the rodeo.”

  The rodeo would be an ideal location to get lost in the crowds and meet Eddie. He had talked to his brother the night before, and everything had been arranged.

  You’ve been back for less than a week and you’re already a pain in my ass. I don’t have time for this, kid, he heard her think. I have to get my hair done and go shopping and—

  Before she could think of another reason why he couldn’t go, Tyler said, “It’s okay if you can’t drive me; I’m sure I can get a ride from a friend.”

  He could hear her trying to think of another reason why he couldn’t go, when Kirby walked in the back door.

  “Hi, honey.” He brushed past his wife, gave her a brief kiss on the cheek, and then made a beeline for the fridge, in search of beer. With his prize in hand, he plopped down in a chair, leaned back, and propped his dirty work boots on top of the kitchen table.

  “Sorry I missed dinner, but with all these extra people in town this week, everyone’s calling me to come fix somethin’. The motel out on the highway had plumbing problems, and that new diner in town already had a broken toilet and it’s not even a month old yet. Tomorrow I need to head out to the fairgrounds to fix a few things I didn’t have a chance to get to today.”

  “Oh,” Cybil began, “I thought maybe you’d like to take me to the dance, tomorrow night.”

  “Hey, that sounds like fun. I won’t be working all day. It’ll just be few hours in the morning. Then I’ll have time to come home and pick you up.”