Omniscient Leaps (3 page)

I shut my locker and turned to go to my class. In just a few simple sentences, no screaming involved, I’d released all my negative emotions and made peace with the shameful encounter. It was almost inspirational, though I doubted it had changed Gage for the better. Only time would tell.

“That was amazing. How did you do it?”

I turned around to see Jenna Mathews standing beside me. She was a classmate whom I rarely engaged in conversation. Her curly brown hair usually covered her chestnut eyes, as if she didn’t want anyone to notice how beautiful she was—like she didn’t want to be noticed at all.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Well Gage Parton never backs down. He thrives off humiliating people. Then, once he’s done, he moves onto his next victim.”

She seemed to speak from experience, and the brief twinkling I’d noticed in her eyes was soon replaced by pain. I smiled and nodded down the hall. “Let’s just hope I shut him up for a while. Did you have a bad experience with him or something?”

Her eyes flashed to the ground. “That was awesome, Kara. See you later.” The bell rang and Jenna darted away without answering my question.

I quickly made my way into the classroom and avoided the teacher’s stare. I knew he’d let my tardiness slide at least once considering I was always early. I pulled out my book and grabbed my notes. I’d do my best to pay attention and not zone out, but it would definitely be more difficult today.

Gage acted like he’d seen a ghost when he glimpsed into my eyes today.
There’s no way that was you. That was like ten years ago.
What did he mean by that? Maybe someone had said those exact words to him long ago and it freaked him out. Maybe I had actually said those things to him. But that would mean I’d traveled back in time.
Impossible
.

“Ms. Benson, you seem all out of sorts today. Do you need to do your presentation another day?” The teacher narrowed his eyes on me.

My pencil fell to the floor as my body reacted unexpectedly. “Presentation?” I asked confused. I looked over at Reyna who was trying to communicate something to me. Unfortunately I wasn’t very good at lip reading.

“You said you’ve been researching life in the late 1800’s and I asked if you’d like to share some of your findings with the class. You know, for some extra credit? We could all use a little enlightenment seeing that the prom theme this year is based on the Victorian era.”

“Oh yeah,” I said, scuttling to my feet. I had definitely lost my mind. Since when did I like to get up in front of the class or need extra credit? Why did I insist on sucking up to this teacher? Right, I needed recommendations for college and he gave me a notable one. Gosh, I felt humiliated. “Just give me a minute.”

I quickly riffled through a folder and pulled out all the necessary props and data. Thankfully I had pulled it together before I went out Friday night. No wonder Reyna had made a point of turning on the PBS special for me. I was so dense sometimes.

Once I had everything in order I made my way to the class podium. People were already snickering and I didn’t mind. I had no qualms about people saying my presentation sucked. Considering it was just for extra credit, I’d make it a quick one.

I worked to steady my quivering hands on the podium in front of me. “So, um, let’s start with… oh crap.”

I was cut off. The blinding white light sucked me into its familiar vortex without warning. I was no longer standing in my classroom. I was standing in front of a church, an ancient cathedral in the middle of a modern town. Built entirely out of stone with a myriad of stained glass windows, the chapel was breathtaking and mystifying all at once. Too spectacular to overlook, I couldn’t believe people were strolling down the streets around me without so much as a glance in its direction. Maybe it had something to do with the reflective cookie cutter buildings, beautifully spruced sidewalks and bustling street traffic.

“They don’t see it. Only we can see it,” a soft masculine voice announced.

I whipped my head around and suddenly felt faint. There before me was the most beautiful man I had ever set eyes on. He definitely wasn’t local. In fact, he didn’t even resemble someone from my time period.

His curly blond hair was well groomed, while his blue eyes stood out against the dark Victorian inspired vest and tailcoat he was wearing. His eyes reflected the wisdom of an aged man, but his face glowed like a boy in his late teens. My presentation notes must have inspired his sudden appearance. I’d clearly passed out.

“I’m definitely dreaming,” I whispered. “Or I’ve had an aneurysm or something. Maybe I’m suffering from a brain tumor. It would make sense considering—”

“I understand why you would think that, but you are most definitely living in this moment,” he smiled as he stuck his hand out to me. “My name is Luke. If you come with me I’ll explain everything to you.”

“No offense,” I began as I tried to keep my cool. Everything about him made me feel like a boy band fanatic who has just met her idol—dizzy, giddy and scatterbrained. “But I don’t even know you. You could be some kind of serial killer camouflaged in a beautiful package.”

“Excuse me?” he asked innocently. He didn’t seem offended by my remark, just confused. His eyes shimmered like two small bodies of water reflecting a sunset. I made myself turn away for a second.

“Then again, you do appear harmless,” I murmured. “And attractive men like you just don’t exist, so this must be a dream.” Gosh, I was rambling.

Luke blushed a deep shade of red. “You have my word that I am just here to help you. If you come into the church with me I will answer your questions.”

I raised an eyebrow. “The church no one else can see?”

“Yes,” Luke smiled. He gestured for me to go in ahead of him.

Since I was convinced my situation was nothing more than a delusion, I willingly made my way into the church. A piercing light fell upon me as I opened the interior door. Awestruck, I dropped to my knees. The overwhelming radiance, magnified by the multicolored stained glass windows, was clearly not the result of the overcast sky I had witnessed outside.

“I must be dead,” I declared as I paused to take notice of the warmth I was feeling. It felt like home.

Luke grabbed my elbow and helped me to my feet. “I promise you, Kara, you have not died and you are not dreaming. What you are feeling is God’s presence.”

“I don’t go to church. Maybe a few times with my dad when I was younger, but not since then. Is this what it is like?”

Luke pulled me over to a bench and sat down. “I think the experience of worshiping is different for everyone, so I can’t really say. Every individual has his or her own traditions and I imagine they all experience God in a different way.”

I turned in my seat to face him. “So if I’m not dead and I’m not dreaming, what is going on?”

“You said a prayer and it was answered. Now I am here to help guide you on your new path.”

I stopped to study his face. He couldn’t possibly know what I prayed to God unless he was God.
Oh no, did I have lusty thoughts about God?
The shame on my face must have shown because Luke immediately appeared frazzled.

“I assure you that I am not God. I am more like a shepherd.”

My eyes widened in horror. “Did you just read my thoughts?” I turned away and put my head on my knees. The last thing I wanted him to know was how attracted to him I was.

“Not really… Well, kind of,” Luke replied. “I’m just tuned into you. You are one of my leapers and I can pick up on certain feelings, thoughts and emotions. It’s very sporadic, I assure you.”

I turned to face him. “A leaper? What does that even mean?”

He sat quietly for several minutes before answering. He seemed to think I could figure it out on my own. I was an intelligent girl, but when it came to spirituality I was dumbfounded. Nothing he had said made sense. Furthermore, he hadn’t done a very good job of convincing me that I wasn’t dreaming.

“I am sure you’ve heard the saying that God works in mysterious ways, correct?” I nodded my head. “Well, a leaper is just one of the many ways God uses us to help others. You get to leap through the folds of time, help people and then go back to your life without missing a second.”

My mind was whirling. “Wait. So when I experienced a flash of light and a conversation with a little boy ten years ago,
that
really happened?”

“Yes. That was your first jump.”

“That’s amazing,” I said, finally relaxing. “What about the flash of light before that? When I prayed to God?”

Luke paused. The peaceful demeanor that settled over him when he breathed was intoxicating. I wondered if he was an angel. He glanced over at me with a curious grin and I immediately broke away from the trance that had consumed me.

“I think that was probably another leaper,” Luke finally said. “Or maybe God himself. It wasn’t one of my flock so I can’t be sure. I’m just glad you got your prayer answered.”

“Exactly how many people do you have in your flock, Luke?” My eyes met his and I held his gaze for as long as he would allow.

“That’s really not. You really don’t need to—” Luke stopped to ruffle his hair. “I have never been so flustered by someone in all my years of doing this. I… just know that I am here to help you whenever you need it and I will teach you what you need to know.”

“I still don’t feel like I know anything,” I admitted. “I leaped through time and talked to a little boy, but I don’t think I helped him solve anything.”

“Then you’re not done yet,” Luke replied as he continued to pace in the aisle. “You might visit the same place several times before you figure out your purpose or you might visit several different moments in time. It works differently depending on who you are helping.”

Suddenly the air around Luke glowed in a brilliant yellow light. He checked his watch and shook his head. He obviously had other places to be. With a flock of leapers I could imagine he kept himself very busy.

“Kara, I have to go.”

“But I didn’t really get to ask you anything. Can I control these flashes? How long do they last? How do I contact you? Why is this happening to me specifically? It’s not like I’m a devout follower of God.”

“Just think of this church when you have concerns and I will be here waiting for you. This job takes a little practice.” Luke’s encouragement did nothing to alleviate my fears.

His image was slowly fading like an angel moving on into the folds of heaven. “Please, Luke. I need some kind of outline here. I don’t know what I’m doing.”

Luke smiled. “You’ll be fine. God doesn’t make mistakes when it comes to this job. In fact, He doesn’t make mistakes at all. I will see you soon.”

Without another word Luke vanished from sight. I slumped down on the pew and glanced around. My mind was mush. I couldn’t remember what I had been doing before I met up with Luke outside the church. Getting distracted was not something I took lightly. I was good at staying on task. Luke’s company had made it hard for me to even think clearly.

While I waited to get flashed back to the present time, I leaned forward and grabbed the nearest book. It was a bible. Although I’d never even opened a bible before today, I figured now would be a good time to start familiarizing myself with its contents. Thankfully the book I’d selected explained the passages along the bottom of the page. Without explanation, I might as well have been reading Greek.

“Ms. Benson, are you feeling alright? You are swaying on your feet.”

I looked down at my notes and focused on my classmates as soon as the room stopped spinning. They were all staring at me, waiting for me to speak. Unfortunately, I couldn’t remember what I was even doing at the front of the class.

I turned to face the teacher. “Did I black out?” I croaked.

“What?” he asked, putting his hand to my forehead. He immediately pulled me out into the hall.

I spied the water fountain beside the door and ran to it. I gulped the water at an alarming rate. I felt like my insides had been dried with a blowtorch. When I finally pulled away from the dispenser, I realized my teacher was not impressed by my behavior—mortified was more like it.

“Ms. Benson, you are one of the finest students I have ever come across. I really hope you have not gotten yourself involved in some kind of trouble. Hanging with the wrong crowd can lead you down an injurious path and I wouldn’t want that for you.”

“Oh, I couldn’t agree with you more,” I replied as I wiped my mouth. “Have I ever mentioned how much I dislike public speaking?” He eyed me suspiciously. “Well it makes my mouth terribly dry and I also lose my train of thought quite often. I’m sorry and I assure you that I’m quite ready to focus now.”

“Fine,” he said, gesturing to the door.

I presented my research, sketches and opinions on the varying differences of life during the Victorian era and now. I wasn’t sure if my classmates had even paid attention, but at least I’d attempted to clue them in on what to expect for our prom this year. We were all supposed to dress and act as authentic as possible—an unimaginable undertaking in my opinion.

“You okay, Kara?” Reyna asked as we departed from the classroom. “You seemed a little off today. You’re always on your game when it comes to schoolwork.”

“When was the last time you saw me present anything? I’m not a skilled public speaker and I don’t know why I thought anyone would even listen to me. Did you learn anything?” I paused to take note of her face. Unfortunately she confirmed my worst fears. “This prom is
so
going to be a disaster.”

“Oh relax. People have been working on their costumes since September. It will be fine.” I headed to my locker as Reyna took off down the hall.

“So I was wondering if you wanted to come to a party at my parent’s cabin in the woods this weekend,” a male voice asked.

I looked up to see Matthew Jones staring down at me. He was a jock and a close pal of Gage. His broad shoulders were blocking my view of the clock. “Not interested,” I said as I slammed my locker.

“Look, I know you and Gage didn’t…well you know. He clarified that situation up earlier today.”