Outview (32 page)

I looked questioningly at Gibi.

“I sent the suggestion into your mind using
an old power known as Solteer. Now it’s your turn.”

“Can you give me a
little
more
instruction?”

She giggled. “Yes, if you’re going to be a
baby about it. Imagine something you want me to see. Picture it in as much
detail as possible. And then see my eyes, feel the presence of me. Send it to
my mind. Simple things are best, but eventually you can create very complex
ones.”

I tried but nothing happened.

“You have to feel me. Our conscious minds may
be separate, which is where we live as humans, but the subconscious is
connected and that is where you must go; it’s the way to your soul. It’s how you
Skyclimb and how you make Lusans. It’s the same with everything your soul does;
it is just manifested through the mind.” She twirled around, her blue skirt
spinning. “Now, make me something pretty.”

I wasn’t sure how to make something more
beautiful than where we were but I tried again, and she squealed even before I
saw it.

“It’s fantastic! I love it, thank you,
thank you.” She clapped her hands.

The waterfall came down from between two
redwoods, and we could not see the top. A misty pool not far from where we
stood was surrounded by wildflowers of every shade of blue and purple. She
hugged me and ran into the flowers and splashed in the water, even kicking some
of it on me. A minute later it was gone.

“Is there a way to make it last longer?” I
noticed we were both dry.

“Oh yes, with practice you can make them
last as long as you want, but only if you’re near the person. They won’t remain
after you’ve left a place.”

“I can’t believe everything that’s been
happening.”

“Your journey is just beginning. It’s
very
important.”

“When do I get to understand it all?”

“When it’s over . . . if you’re lucky.”

I pondered what she said. “Why me?”

“This life is your time. It’s true that
you’re young in human terms. Awakenings are much more common around age thirty.
But, Nate, you’ve had so many varied lives, and that evolution has brought you
very near to returning to your soul.”

I was quiet again. “I was a slave trader.”

“I know.”

I saw something in her eyes. “Oh no, were
you there?”

She nodded. We looked at each other for a
long time.

“I killed you? Please, tell me I didn’t
kill you.”

“I forgave you long ago.”

“I don’t know how you could.”

“Forgiveness is powerful. You may think it
benefits the other person, but it is all for the forgiver.”

I thought about Amparo and knew she was
right. It made me feel better. “I don’t ever want to live another life like
that.”

“We’ve all had many lives where we weren’t
nice. Everyone needs to go through the good and bad, as it’s the only way to
experience everything so that there is total understanding.” She placed her
hands on my cheeks and softly kissed my forehead. “Now, get out of here, silly.
Kyle’s looking for you.”

“Oh my gosh, Kyle.” I started jogging.
“When will I see you again?”

“I’m around.” She laughed as I raced away.

After the last turn in the trail, Kyle was
walking toward me.

“I’m sorry. I had no idea I would be that
long. So much happened.”

“I wasn’t going to worry until you were
gone at least eleven minutes,” he said sarcastically. He looked at me
strangely, a look I was getting used to from him.

“How long was I gone?”

“It’s been like five or ten minutes since
you got out of the car.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure. I’m not the one
chasing hallucinations.”

I tried to grasp how two days of my life
could squeeze into ten minutes of his. It was beyond bizarre.

“So did you catch up to the mountain lion?”

“No, but it got me where I needed to go.”
For the next twenty minutes I gave Kyle the highlights of my two days in the
redwoods. Despite his usual sarcastic comments, he believed every word.

45

 “Here’s for gas,” I handed him one of
Mom’s hundreds.

“Cool. We’ll fill up in Brookings.”

I still wanted to find Spencer before we
headed back to the lake. He knew more about Lightyear, and I needed his help in
order to free Dustin. I was incredibly hungry, but there was nothing until the
beach. After seeing the slum, I promised myself I’d never complain about being
hungry again.

After filling up with gas, we stopped for fish
and chips and a six-pack of Coke then drove straight to the guardrail above Tea
Leaf Beach. The trail was vibrant in the midday sun. I couldn’t help but think
that a few hundred years earlier this forest connected to the redwoods. It was about
one o’clock; Spencer was not on his boulder. We walked the beach in both
directions calling out loud and silently. I meditated, asked seagulls, and went
to the astral. Dustin was sleeping, Rose was as lost as ever, and Spencer
Copeland was nowhere. He told me to trust the universe, but it wasn’t providing
answers.

We drove to the beach house after picking
up supplies. Our plan was to return to the beach at sunrise. All I wanted was
sleep.

At the security gate, Kyle had punched the
first two digits of the code into the keypad when the heat rush hit me.

I grabbed his arm. “Something’s wrong.”

“What?”

“When there’s danger, I get outrageously hot,
like walking through fire. Get out of here, now!”

He threw it in reverse and sprayed gravel
as we flew backward and hit a neighbor’s mailbox. I looked up at Amber’s house
fearing they heard us but saw no movement. Still my temperature didn’t return
to normal until we were well down the coastal highway.

“How would they know you’d be at Amber’s
beach house?” His voice shaking.

“I don’t know. How do they know anything?”

“Amber knew we were going there,” Kyle
said. “She was the only one who knew.”

“So, you think she’s a Lightyear agent?
Linh knew, too.”

“We need to figure out how they keep
finding you.”

“They have freakin’ psychics working for
them, so how hard could it be?”

“Maybe.”

“Either way, they know we’re in Brookings,
so let’s head to Crater Lake.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

“We can be there by eight and get a tent up
before dark.”

“Why don’t we just sleep near Ashland so I
can go to school? Remember school?”

“You can leave the lake early in the
morning and still make first period.”

“Sounds fun,” he said sarcastically. “I
guess I can handle it. But why back to the lake?”

“Gibi said the answer to saving Dustin is
there.”

“Maybe we’ll see the Old Man again.”

“So you do believe he was real?”

“Sure. The Old Man was, but him being a
floating tree trunk, that’s something else.”

“Trees are mystical, and the lake is a
vortex. It’s all part of the journey.”

“Where’s this ‘journey’ going to end?”

“Ask Spencer. In the meantime, let’s hope Gibi’s
right about the lake.” I was silent for many miles. “Amber gave me a book on
animal meanings, and it says when a mountain lion appears, it’s time to learn
about your power. The mountain lion I saw is like a sign, a message from my
guides. Her book talks about young cats learning by trial and error. So when a lion
reveals itself, it gives its energy and traits to a person--in this case me--and
says it’s time to assert and show my power.”

“How are you going to assert your power?”

“The mountain lion is one of the few
animals capable of killing a porcupine without injuring itself. It’s developed
a special trick of flipping it on its back to expose its vulnerable belly. It
teaches that it’s time to make a choice, something we must do quickly and
strongly. We can use our power to defend ourselves or attack with equal
effectiveness.”

“So, what’s your choice?”

“Sanford Fitts is the porcupine.”

“You’re going after Fitts? That’s crazy! I
knew you were going to get all cocky.”

“That man killed my dad, he’s holding
Dustin hostage, my mom and Tanya are in the hospital, and who knows what he’s
done to Aunt Rose!”

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m not sure yet. I’m only just now
deciding this. The mountain lion teaches decisiveness in the use of our power.”

“Nate, this is a trained government agent
and by the very nature of him being that, it means there are others, lots of
them, backing him up.”

“I’m not going to wait anymore. He’s come
after me three times. It’s only a matter of time before he succeeds. Spencer is
wrong to wait. Where the hell is he anyway? It’s not like I’m going to do anything
dumb. I’ve picked up a few centuries of wisdom in the last week. There are
things I can do that I haven’t even told you about.”

“Like?”

I didn’t answer right away. “See that fire
truck up there?”

Kyle stepped on the brakes. “Where did that
come from?” he yelled.

“From your mind.”

“It’s not real?” he shouted.

It disappeared just before we passed it.
Kyle pulled the car off the road.

“Don’t mess with me, Nate.” He got out of
the car and stormed to the trees.

I went after him. “Kyle, I’m sorry, wait.”

He turned around as angry as I’ve ever seen
him. “Listen to me. I’m your friend, and I’ll help you and back you up. I’ve
put myself and my family in danger for you. I’m with you in this supernatural,
science-fiction world you’ve dragged us into. But you have to tell me right now
that you will never again mess with my mind. I need to know that whatever I see
is real.”

“I’m sorry. You wanted to know what I could
do, and I needed to practice and--”

“Don’t practice on
me
.”

“Never again, Kyle. I promise.”

“My mind, Nate, it’s all I have.”

“I’m sorry, I get it.”

He gave me a shove. “Let’s get back on the
road. Did I mention I’m also your stupid chauffeur?”

“I know, and I never say thanks. I take you
for granted, and I’m an all-around ungrateful, immature, self-centered jerk.”

“You’re not a jerk, at least not all the
time. Ungrateful and immature, maybe.”

We both laughed and went back to the car.

“So, you can make people see things that
aren’t there?”

“Yeah, it’s done using one of the great
powers called Solteer. Pretty cool, huh?”

“As long as it’s not on me.”

46

I fell asleep for the last half of the
drive. Kyle woke me as we pulled into the campground at Crater Lake just after
eight. With not much daylight left, we got to work on the tent, and hammering
down the last stake I heard a familiar voice.

“It’s the boy with many guides,” Old Man
said.

“Hey, Old Man, I was hoping we’d see you.”

“Because you need good wood?” he asked,
holding out a box.

“I need some advice, and yes, we want wood,
too.” I fished a five out of my pocket, handed it to him and waved off his
attempt at making change.

“What advice could you need, Many Guides?”

“It’s kind of a long story . . . ”

“No, no, something has changed,” he interrupted.
“I see the mountain lion in you, very strong.”

Kyle looked at me and then at Old Man.
“Unbelievable.”

“Yes, you have been through fires since we
last met.” He smiled slightly. “And now you return to the volcano.”

“You know about the mountain lion?”

“It’s your totem, one of the animals that
will guide you throughout your life. Mountain lion’s traits are part of your
power as you walk forward, wise leadership without ego and great intuitive
ability. The mountain lion carries messages from humans to the higher spirits,
a link to Mother Earth and Father Sky.”

“Sounds about right,” Kyle said.

“This totem means you’re a leader. Others
will see your power and follow you. The lion in you tells them to go in your
direction, if they choose, but not in your footsteps. The path they follow must
be their own. A mountain lion pushes her young toward independence. She remains
vigilant if they need help but allows them to find their own way. This is how
to lead.”

“I’ve never been a leader of anything,” I
said. “Can animals really pass on their traits?”

“Mother Earth and all her creatures will
teach if they’re honored. Mountain lion has granted you nearly perfect balance,
shown the way to conserve your energy and how to recognize the importance of
timing. A mountain lion does not hesitate when it attacks. Do you know what I’m
saying, Nate? It goes for the weakest place of its target.”