Parallel (Travelers Series Book 1) (13 page)

After dinner (this time I’m allowed to help out with the dishes) I do a quick check to make sure my aunt is turned in for the evening and head downstairs. My plan is to do a little sneaking around in my father’s study. The door to her room is closed, so I take that as a sign that she’s already asleep. It’s time I play detective and do a bit of investigating on my own. I tiptoe down the stairs and enter my father’s study. I’m not sure exactly what I’m looking for, but I guess I’ll know it when I see it.

I run my hand along the wall, looking for the light switch and flip it. I know the light won’t carry upstairs and alert Aunt Maggie.

“I wondered when you’d finally find yourself in here,” my aunt says, scaring the crap out of me in the process.

I jump about ten feet. “Aunt Maggie! What are you doing here?” My aunt is sitting behind the desk, in my father’s chair. For a second I wonder if I’m in deep trouble, but instead, she reassures me with smile.

It’s the way she’s looking at me that tips me off. “You know.”

My aunt nods. “Well, yes and no. I’ve only just begun to figure things out. It wasn’t until I came down here that I realized what’s been going on.”

I take a seat in one of the wingback chairs that face the desk. “So, how did you find out?”

“You’re not the only one capable of sneaking around.” From the way she says it, it looks like I’m off the hook for snooping. “Yesterday, when you mentioned not talking to your father, I got a bit curious. I then wondered why I hadn’t heard from him. It’s not like him not to call while he’s away. So tonight, when I still hadn’t heard anything, I finally decided to check his study to see if he left any indication as to where he’d taken off to.”

Excited, I lean closer towards the desk. “Did you find anything?” She must have or we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Whatever she discovered, I hope it’s something that will shed some light on my dad’s whereabouts and my reason for being brought back here.

She appears to be lost in thought for a moment and then after a second, waves a piece of paper in the air. “Only this letter. It’s not much by way of an explanation. And just so you know, I don’t approve of any of it, but in the end, I expect his intentions were good.”

“What about you Aunt Maggie? Why are you here?” I hope this doesn’t come across as being ungrateful. Just the opposite. I’m lucky to have my aunt here and I want her to know that.

She rises from my father’s chair and motions me to follow her out of the study. “Come, let’s go into the kitchen and I’ll explain what the letter says.”

Aunt Maggie puts on a pot of coffee and joins me at the old farm wood table. “I came here right before you mother died. My husband, your Uncle Robert, had just passed, and well, my younger brother didn’t think it was right, my living all alone. Now mind you, from what I understand reading your father’s letter, these are the memories I have now. I don’t have any recollection of you not being here,” she starts. “But what I know now is that your father sent you away—to a whole other universe no less!” She pauses long enough to take a sip of her coffee. “This is what I found in your father’s study.” She pulls the letter out of her pocket and hands it over to me.

Dearest Margaret,

If you’re reading this, then I’m afraid something has happened to me. In the event of such circumstances, I have made provisions for you and Etta. As you know, darling sister, I have been something of an enigma, even as kids growing up. My fascination in the sciences was something our parents never quite understood. I’m not even sure you did. But you were the best older sister a brother could ever have. You supported me and my experiments and I am forever grateful for this and your own contributions to my cause.

Everything you know in this world is a lie.

I’m afraid I’ve gone and done something I’ve come to regret. I cannot go into more detail, as my personal effects could be compromised at any time. But please find it in your heart to forgive me. I only sent Etta away for her safety. If something has in fact happened to me, I can’t leave this world without you knowing that all your thoughts and memories of the past twelve years are the result of me and my foolish research. If she is with you now, then she has returned.

Whatever you do, do not contact the police or the federal authorities. To do so will ensure my research will fall under the wrong hands.

If you ever reunite with Etta, please tell my daughter I’m sorry and that I love her very much.

Yours,

Victor

I flip the letter over, hoping there’s more to the letter. There isn’t. Is this a joke? This note doesn’t say anything at all! My father doesn’t offer any explanation or information other than what I already know. And everything he says in the letter has all been confirmed by Cooper. I hand the letter back to my aunt.

“From what I remember, I moved here when you were around five. Not only did your father feel responsible for taking me in after Robert passed away, but he insisted I remain here after your mother’s passing.” My Aunt Maggie says this so quietly, I almost don’t hear her. “She had gone to visit friends in Florida and well, you know how that turned out.”

I sit without saying a word and I am content to merely listen to my aunt, not wanting to interrupt. I’m afraid that if I do, she’ll lose her train of thought.

“That’s when dad sent me away.” It was only my mother that boarded that flight.

My aunt nods sadly. “You sitting here, right in front of me is proof that you’ve come back. The moment you arrived, all memories of your absence vanished. It’s as if you never left.”

She pauses to see if I have anything to say and I shake my head. “Aside from your father, I’m the only family you have. I only agreed to live here so I could help raise you.” She gives a weak smile.

At this point I do cut her off. “Wait, hold up. If you are the only other family member I have, where were you when I was an orphan in the world I grew up in? I didn’t have to be shipped off to foster home after foster home. I could have stayed with you.”

From across the table, my aunt grabs a hold of my hands and squeezes them tightly. “Oh, Etta, I don’t know where you father sent you. It could have been one of the many realities where I don’t exist. But I assure you, if I’d been around in that world, I would have raised you as my own daughter.” Her wrinkled eyes fill with tears. “Make no mistake, I would do anything to be with you.”

“You mean you—”

“Know about your father’s work? Yes.” Her tears dry up and her expression brightens. “I make my living designing graphics for a boutique design firm in D.C., but I also coordinate travels. Monitoring windows, time, and travel conditions. After reading your father’s letter, I went back to look at my records. Right around the twelve year mark, the period your father claims that my memories were altered, I scheduled an opening for him. Only he never told me what the jump was for.”

I absorb everything she just said. It’s hard to picture my aunt as a computer geek. She seems so at home in the kitchen, like a thinner version of Paula Deen. But an alternate dimension travel agent? “So you know about traveling to other dimensions?”

“Of course. Your father and I are very close. He told me all about his experiments and travels to the beyond,” she explains. “Obviously he didn’t tell me everything—I didn’t know about you. The second he took you out of this world, was the moment you were lost to me. And here I thought he’s just gone on one of his experimental trips.”

“Do you schedule trips for other people?” This conversation is getting interesting. It never occurred to me to question Cooper about the possibility of other people traveling to different dimensions.

“Yes, but not many. Travelers are a unique group. Usually they have their own methods or employ trusted individuals for scheduling jumps. You father used me because of my experience and knowledge of computers.”

“I’m glad you’re around in this world,” I suddenly say.

“The feeling is mutual dear.” She reaches for my hand across the table.

“That’s not all my father did to me is it?” Aunt Maggie hasn’t said anything about my powers. I wonder if she even knows. Maybe I’m wrong, but I if my dad could travel to other dimensions, he must also have something to do with my powers.

She knows what I’m referring to. I can see it in her face.

“Your father is considered somewhat of a revolutionary. He modernized the scientific field, combining elements of chemistry with physics. Not that many people knew what he was doing, but he developed a serum that can trigger dormant psionic abilities.

He didn’t go into detail about his experiments, mind you, but he often talked about the possibility of our minds reaching its full potential in order to achieve extraordinary powers. As you know, we only use a small percentage of our brains. That’s where his research came in. The serum he created was a kind of kick-start, allowing the brain to function to its full capacity.”

I let out a whistle. Something like that can be pretty beneficial to the government couldn’t it? I now see where he’d be an asset to the Department of Defense. Another thought occurs to me. “I was a guinea pig wasn’t I? He used me to test his serum.”

“I believe now that he did. When you were little, he claimed he was developing a new type of vaccine booster. Now I realize he was using you as a test subject. His funding didn’t allow for human test subjects, so yes, I believe now that he was testing it out on you.”

“Are you sure?” I’m not just some girl who randomly has these psychokinetic powers. My father did this to me.

“Like I said before, I wasn’t privy to a lot of the experiments your father was involved in. When you were little, I recall him involved in some kind of drug trial—”Aunt Maggie’s hand covers her mouth in shock horror. “—and the participants were children.”

“How could he do this to me? And to other children?”

Her eyes moistened up with tears again. “Don’t let this information dampen your feelings about your father. He may have been misdirected in his quest for power, but Victor was still a good father. I truly believe he tried to protect you, once he realized his mistakes. That should count for something,” she says, trying to convince me to forgive him. “I often wondered if he ever tested his serums on you. But by the time my suspicions grew, you were already gone from this world and I had no memories of you. I had nothing to question him about.”

“Yeah, well, now I know why I’m such a freak. I think I’ve learned enough for one night.” I wasn’t being rude. I really was tired and everything I had just learned was weighing heavily on my mind. I meant what I said to my aunt—I’m a freak and by my own father’s hand.

“You are never a freak in my eyes, but I do agree that you need your rest. We’ll talk more about this tomorrow,” she offers.

Relieved that my aunt finally knows the truth, I make my way up the stairs to my room. I pull my notebook to read another one of my journal entries. At first, I felt like I was prying into a different person’s life, but now, reading my thoughts brings my alternate self closer to me somehow. I begin to view her as an extension of myself, which, for all intents and purposes, she is.

I flip the pages of the notebook until I find the spot where I previously left off.

March 6, 2011

I had another dream last night. This time, I was looking down at myself, like I was watching a movie. I was eight years old and a woman was helping me take a bath. She wasn’t Aunt Maggie and I didn’t know who she was. It was almost like the bathroom I have here only it was different. The wallpaper was pink with silver stripes. I don’t know why, but it felt more like a memory than a dream. The woman reminded me of my mother. I miss her so much.

I woke up pretty disoriented and cold. It was like I had actually gone somewhere that took all the energy out of me. I hope I don’t have another dream like that again. They say that waking up soaking wet is a sign of night terrors. But it was more like a cold sweat and they definitely weren’t nightmares, I’d remember. I just felt even more tired after waking up. Weird.

On the home front, things are finally settling down between me and Jaime. She’s spoiled, but in truth, I love her. She’s my best friend after all and I shouldn’t write bad things about her. It must be tough to be in her shoes, being an orphan and all. Always being insecure and wanting to be the center of attention. I guess I can’t really blame her for simply being herself, even if she is selfish and spoiled.

‘Til next time!

The notebook almost drops out of my hands. I re-read the first couple of paragraphs. I was describing the bathroom in one of the foster homes I had grown up in. I remember the house with the pink wallpaper with silvery stripes. How in the world did I have memories of me over there? Is it possible that I actually saw myself in that reality, even if it was only in my dream?

A
fter last night’s revelations, I only end up getting about four hours sleep, so needless to say, I’m a bit of a wreck when Jaime shows up to pick me up for school. I still haven’t heard back from the Mini dealership, so I have to rely on Jaime for a ride, now that she has her driving privileges back. Her parents finally gave in and she’s no longer grounded. I’m in the middle of picking at the eggs benedict Maggie has prepared for me.

“You look like hell,” Jaime says, helping herself to breakfast.

Now I know why Aunt Maggie spends so much time in the kitchen. Someone must have appointed her the responsibility of feeding all the neighborhood kids.

“Gee, thanks.” I sop up the remaining hollandaise sauce with the last piece of my English muffin and pop it in my mouth.

“Seriously, what’d you do? Stay up all night? And why wasn’t I invited?” Jaime pours so much hollandaise on her plate you can’t even see the rest of the dish. It’s absolutely gluttonous. I wonder how she manages to stay so thin.