Authors: Chris Stevenson
Sebastian walked her through a complete show at faster than normal speed, sans music. This time the trapdoor worked without incident. Sebastian explained that their ticket-taker would arrive thirty minutes before show time. Her name was Mindy. Sebastian had hired her for her efficiency at keeping the receipts straight and disallowing sneak entries into the theater.
People began showing up at five-thirty, filling the first two rows, eager to get close to the action. Sebastian explained that they always did so in an attempt to spot the hidden wires or trick gismos.
Just before show time, the ticket booth was closed. The house lights dimmed. Sebastian began the music. Avy stepped out on stage, a smile plastered across her face, determined to dazzle the crowd.
The show began. She had no idea what to expect, but when she moved to hit her marks in the first act, she began to fall into a comfortable rhythm. She had acted in theater stage plays before, but those audiences seemed dignified compared to these viewers. The audience members “ooohed” and “aaawed,” often calling out, clapping after each trick. Sometimes they raised such a din that Avy couldn’t hear the music. She feared she might get out of sync.
The second act went without major mishap. She had to put some tissue in one of her shoes, since she hadn’t counted on getting a blister with the new pumps so soon.
The third act was a near perfect performance. When it came time to release the doves, she did it with even more gusto than before, but this time without the wardrobe malfunction. She vanished through the trapdoor and appeared stage left, just like it was supposed to happen.
The second show of the night mirrored the first performance. She felt she had entered the “zone.” The second crowd filled up just a third of the house, but they were a riotous bunch. The whistles and catcalls shrieked with a persistence that began to get annoying. But she ate it up, knowing that it was for her. After they made their last bows, Sebastian turned the house lights on. Avy squinted, watching the crowd depart. She couldn’t believe she had pulled it off. The boost to her confidence was indescribable—like a mountain that had been lifted from her shoulders—her grand initiation into the realm of professional theater.
A man walked down the aisle toward the stage. Funny she hadn’t remembered seeing him in the audience. Although anyone sitting in the back row dressed in black would have been close to invisible. Yet this man stood out above the rest.
It was the priest.
Janus gave her an energetic applause. “That was marvelous. I couldn’t take my eyes off you. What a performance. She is a quick study, yes, Sebastian?”
“That she is,” said the magician, holding out his arms to retrieve his pet doves. Avy watched the birds fly to perch on him one at a time. “Nice to see you, Janus,” said Sebastian. “Glad you caught the act, although you have me feeling a little self-conscious. Did anyone see anything I did?” He giggled.
“Stop it, you guys,” said Avy. “You’re giving me a big head.” She hurried back to the storeroom to change into her jogging clothes and let her hair down. When she stepped out of the bathroom, she found the two men sitting on the cot, drinking from coffee mugs. They were speaking in hushed whispers. She made herself a cup of instant coffee, then pulled up a metal chair across from them. What she really wanted to do was sit between them—sandwiched between two beautiful hunks. It couldn’t get much better than that.
Now that she had both of them together, it was time to straighten out a little matter. She favored Janus with a smile. “I remember you telling me that Sebastian was once a member of your parish. I was wondering why he’s wearing a Star of David around his neck.”
Sebastian answered, “It’s just a star—an ego stroke. It’s symbolic of my entertainment achievement.”
Janus held up a hand. “It’s a legitimate question. I think we’ve gone far enough, Sebastian. You are correct. Our friend is Jewish. It was discourteous of me to relay otherwise. I hope you won’t hold that small fib against me. There was a reason I held back some truths. One cannot pour too much wine into a goblet if the vessel is incapable of holding the amount.”
“My cup runneth over already,” said Avy, giving Sebastian a surprised look, which prompted him to shrug. She couldn’t understand why Sebastian would lie about the true meaning of the star necklace unless he felt ashamed to admit his faith to her.
“Let me see if I can’t make this a little easier from the beginning,” said Janus. “You see, I knew your mother. I was aware of her predicament from the start. I found it imperative to intercede on her behalf.”
Avy raised a brow. “Wait. You mean you knew my mother eighteen years ago? Why would you get involved with her? I don’t get it.”
She could see Janus looking perplexed for a moment. Why was he hesitating or measuring his next words with such care?
“Avy,” said Janus. “Have you ever had strange recurring dreams or visions of another time or place? Have you ever found yourself en route to a destination where you ended up lost or a step out of dimensional reality?”
She squirmed in her chair. “I’ve had some strange dreams, but everyone has them. Dimensional reality? I can be absentminded sometimes, sure. I’ve had some weird things happen in the past. I chalked it up to a stressful home life, schoolwork and other things.”
Janus inched his chair closer to her. “The most prominent reoccurring dream you’ve had has been the one where you’re standing on the threshold of a wondrous land—a utopia that promises peace and serenity. Do you remember that one? The reason it’s ingrained upon your mind so well is because you completed that journey by entering that Gate. I took you there. It is where a part of you resides. To be more accurate, a part of the old you resides there. Heather hills of green, spring flowers, a cascade mountain range with billowing rose-colored clouds—that is the palate painted upon your mind—the one that you know so well.”
“How do you know about that dream? It’s written down in my diary. No one knows anything about that, or should, least of all you.”
His expression turned grave. “Your mother’s physical life was cast off, leaving half of her soul-light in stasis—that part of her rests in the paradise dream. I know about the dream because I’m the author of it. Your real diary is the new beginning. That is the other half of you that lives on in this day.”
Avy couldn’t believe she was going along with this. “You’re speaking like there are two of us here now.”
“Half of a soul-light in the paradise dream,” said Janus. “The other half remains with you. The two will be joined when your vessel has withered. The sun and the moon, the key in between.”
Avy leaned forward to sniff his breath. She didn’t smell alcohol. “Why would somebody go to all this trouble for us? Or me, or is it just my mother?”
“Few are chosen for redemption. Your mother’s case was unique, special over the others. She suffered an injustice. For that, an intervention was called for. She’s innocent of the charges brought against her. The case required my interaction—a renewal. I am the guardian of pasts, futures, and new beginnings. Your mother received a new vessel to complete an assignment. You are the vessel.”
Avy looked at Sebastian. “Do you believe any of this pile?”
Sebastian avoided eye contact. “He’s telling you the truth. You’ll have to hear all of it so you can decide for yourself.”
“That figures.” She stiffened. “You’re in cahoots.” She looked askance at Janus, but her eyes drilled Sebastian. “So what am I supposed to do about all of this?” Sebastian didn’t answer.
“You have the chance to right the wrong and derail further disaster,” said Janus. “The choice is yours. Your suspicions have already set you upon the path. Your investigation at the library was the first step. The instincts you feel are correct, but the solution is more complicated than you realize. I cannot help you solve the puzzle. I can only point you in the right direction. Your path from here on becomes a super highway. You have the license to travel it. It will have to be done with haste before the merchant of death strikes again.”
“You’re talking about Drake, aren’t you?” She shook her head. “Jesus, Sebastian, you told him everything we talked about!” She tried to stifle the rising anger that surged, unable to believe he’d violate her confidence.
“He told me nothing,” said Janus. “I was there, bearing witness to the commission of the crime. I monitor the Gates when—”
“Yeah, yeah, I know—during new beginnings or endings. That was thirty-two years ago. You don’t look a day over forty. Unless you were cruising along on your skateboard in the dead of night, then just happened to see something.” She squinted. “None of this is funny. Who the hell are you, anyway?”
Janus cleared his throat. “I am the keeper of the Gates. I’m also a Walker.”
“Big deal,” said Avy. “I’m a runner.”
Janus went on unperturbed. “It requires a certain finesse to negotiate a Gate string. Depending upon the speed by which you travel, the time continuum can be altered. Sometimes it can be altered with severe results. I use this mode of travel, which affords me glimpses or prolonged stays in different time references. Practice is the primary goal for new initiates. You have already experienced a taste of the skill—it has lain dormant in you for most of your life. It happened yesterday—the trapdoor accident. But it was no accident. You are a Gate-Walker.”
“It’s like moving from midnight to sunrise in the blink of an eye,” said Sebastian.
“How would you know all of this?” Avy challenged, glaring at Sebastian.
He pointed to Janus. “I’ve seen him do it.”
Avy stood up, swapping hard looks between the two. “Dear God. I didn’t think the joy of this night could have been ruined, but between the two of you, you’ve smashed it to bits with your talk of gates, walking, new lives, and all this other crap. I’ll admit I’ve had my suspicions about Drake all along. That doesn’t mean it takes any potions or magic to set those things right. It was the lack of good detective work, bad lawyers, and a clueless jury that ruined my mother’s life.”
“Janus is just trying to help,” Sebastian offered. “He understands what you’re going through.”
Avy rolled her eyes. “You’ve sure got bizarre ways of showing sympathy! I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and I’ll thank you for your concern. It’s over, done with. Now if you’re finished screwing around with me, I’ll be leaving. I’m tired, stressed, and more than a little bit fed up with all of this mumbo-jumbo reincarnation crap.”
Janus stood up. “I know this is upsetting to you. These revelations could test the sanity of anyone. If you allow this to pass, there will be additional funerals—other innocent victims. I’m asking you to reconsider.”
Avy turned on the priest, fuming. “You should be ashamed of yourself for masquerading as a priest. Forget it.”
“Permit me to leave,” said Janus. “I’ve caused you grief. It was not my intention. Please listen to your inner voice. Soon it will be screaming.”
Instead of walking down the length of the room to the back door, Janus stepped through the workbench counter and into the wall beyond, vanishing. The wall he’d disappeared through seemed to ripple like waves in a pond until returning to solidity a moment later.
Avy looked at the spot. “Awe, crap.” She dropped her coffee cup.
Chapter 8
It was no surprise when Drake read the report that indicated Cyberflow lacked the funds to break ground on a new plant in China. It was one more financial snafu that gave him a reality slap across the chops. He wondered if any of the underling departments were solvent enough to support the venture, something that might let him reroute the necessary funds. But the fact remained, he was having a serious brush with not meeting his payroll. Never mind venture capital. He could fire twenty technicians, then add a couple hours to the shift so they could maintain the production quota. He could even sell off a few acres of the parking lot for a premium price. Still, he would have to combine all three ideas to make the new plant happen. For once in his life he regretted the absence of Tom Labrador. Not the man, just his head for business—the ability to keep Cyberflow in the black and making a decent profit.
Thinking about Tom brought back uncomfortable feelings. He remembered how he had tried not to cry after Tom received his first puppy when they were little. He hadn’t been jealous after being forced to attend Tom’s Eagle Scout ceremony, when the whole school had turned up to give praise and acclaim. He hadn’t expressed anger when it was Tom, not he, who had been offered a college education. He hadn’t resented it when Tom had been given a new car upon graduation, even when Drake’s time came and he’d found a secondhand vehicle parked in the driveway. It always seemed that the attention made its way to the firstborn. His parents constantly ran out of praise, energy, or money when it came to him. Oh, they made a good show of it by giving Drake the parental love he yearned for. But in the final tally, there was no getting over the favoritism. He wondered if the ghost of Tom Labrador hadn’t returned to doom him to failure all over again.
Linda Wu blew a huge bubble that snapped over her nose. A few strands of hair snagged in the gum. She whined, trying to extricate her hair. The distraction reminded Drake of a cat stuck in a cardboard box.
“Cease!” Drake said. “Please go to the restroom if you have to overhaul your face. I’m tired, and I can’t think. Don’t I have a company rule against chewing gum? Aren’t you supposed to get docked for it or something?”
“No,” she said, pulling a stringy thread that snapped against her cheek.
“Well, I should. Find something on your monitor that’s interesting. Please don’t bother me until you have something.”
“I have something.”
“What could it be?”
“It could be an email from security. If you had checked your inbox, you would have seen it.”
“That’s what I have you for. At least that’s what I keep telling myself day after day. What does it say?”
“It’s from Auggie. He wants to know if you were aware that your daughter used a pass code to enter the Cyberflow database yesterday. He just wants to confirm that you know about it. He says she’s never been online before. It looks like she was probing some sensitive areas.”