A Way (The Voyagers Book 1) (21 page)

CHAPTER 43

“I just need to make one stop before we head to the lake, ok?”

Jessie kept her eye on the road and answered Sammy’s question about where they were going.  She knew that Becky had seen the note that Jessie discovered in her father’s office.  Becky also had the combination to her locker.  That solved the mystery of how the piece of paper ended up on her father’s desk.  The question was, why?

She parked the car in Becky’s driveway and ignored Sammy’s protests, which reinforced her dislike of Jessie’s untrustworthy friend.

After she shut the door, Jessie leaned through in the window, “I’ll be right back.  Don’t worry, she won’t be with me.” 

Becky swung open the front door and stomped down the stone walkway. She blocked Jessie from going any further with her stare.  Becky’s hands were on her hips, which seemed to be her ‘go to’ stance, these days.  Jessie wondered what happened in just a week, to turn their relationship into something combative.

“Hi,” Jessie said, forcing herself to look cheerful. 

“What are you doing here?”  Becky did nothing to hide the edge to her voice. Jessie almost winced, she didn’t go there to fight.

“Sammy and I were just going to the beach,” she lied. Jessie knew Becky wasn’t fond of the beach.  If she didn’t know the lake was their true destination, she would be less likely to invite herself.

“So what are you doing here?  It’s that way.”  Becky waved a tanned arm in the direction of the beach, then locked it back into position, on her hip.

“I was just wondering, did you happen go through my locker?”  She didn’t know how else to bring up the subject, other than to just ask.  She watched as the color slowly seeped out of Becky’s face. 

“I did.  I thought you might need your text book. I noticed you didn’t have it with you on Friday. Remember, I brought it to your house yesterday morning? That’s why I dropped by so early.”  Becky was talking fast.  Jessie knew she did that when she was trying to sound convincing.  It wasn’t working.

“You don’t even know what text books you needed this weekend and you didn’t give me anything when you came to the house.  You said you were on the way to Will’s, oh and something about a strange salesman.”

That uncomfortable feeling she had when Becky stood dripping wet in her house, returned.  “Is this about Gerry and Alex?”  Her friend started acting strange the moment she spotted Gerry in the diner; since then, everything seemed peculiar.

“Why would it have anything to do with those two?” Becky stammered.

Jessie recognized the same shakiness she heard in her mother’s voice.  Becky’s denials made her transparent; there was a lot to do with those two.

“Do you know them, Becky?”  Jessie reminded herself that she had a different reason for her visit, but she wanted to hear her friend’s reply.

“For the last time, I’ve never seen either of them before.  I saw Dex for the first time yesterday at the diner.”  Her eyes bugged out and flashed back and forth, across Jessie’s.

“What did you say?”  Jessie managed to speak the words with the remaining air that hadn’t been sucked out of her lungs.  Dex, again.

“I said,” Becky stressed impatiently, “I haven’t seen that Alex guy before, or the blond.”

“You called him Dex.  Sammy called him Dex, yesterday.” 

How do I know that name? 
It didn’t just come up in her dreams, it echoed through her mind.
Jessie shook her head and tried to listen to Becky, at the same time she wanted her to shut up.

“You’re hearing things.  Alex, Dex, it doesn’t matter.  Aren’t they leaving town today?” Becky spat.

Jessie’s last nerve unraveled, standing there, exposed to the daggers, shooting from Becky’s eyes.  As if sensing her sister grasping for control, Sammy sounded the car’s horn.

“I don’t know, maybe.  That has nothing to do with why you went through my locker!”  Jessie snapped, and could feel herself teetering on an emotion stronger than anger.  The name Dex screamed through her head.

“We’re done here.”  Becky spun away, so fast she almost lost her balance, and then turned back to Jessie. 

“Maybe you should ask your parents if they know Gerry and AL-ex.  I never asked for any of this. You’ve already destroyed my life once!  And don’t think I don’t know what they’re up to!” 

Jessie’s mouth fell open, the ferocity in her friend’s words, putting the flames out on her own rage.   She watched Becky storm back to the house and slam the door, so hard, the windows vibrated with her wrath.

In a trance, she walked back to the car, opened the door and lowered herself into the seat.  Sammy was watching her, with eyes the size of saucers.

“Don’t listen to her, Jessie.  She’s mean.  She’s always been like that.”  Sammy reached across to pat Jessie’s hand that felt like it spent the night in a freezer.

“I’m so confused,” Jessie murmured, more to herself, than her sister.  “Why is everyone talking like they know something I don’t?  I feel like I’m going crazy.” 

“We should go to the lake,” Sammy said firmly.  “Just forget about Becky.  She was never your friend.”

Jessie looked over at her sister.  In that moment, Sammy seemed older than she was, her eyes consumed with a certainty that Jessie wished she possessed.

“Ok,” Jessie said.  She backed the vehicle out of the driveway and cautiously, looked back at the house. Becky was watching them through a window on the top floor, fury distorting her features.

CHAPTER 44

“I’ve made up my mind Gerald, I’m telling Jessie today.”  Dex woke up in a better mood than he’d been in for a long time.  “I know she’ll listen.”

“She might listen, but will she understand?”  Gerald was doubtful.

He was accustomed to playing devil’s advocate.  If he didn’t, Dex would’ve walked up to Jessie on the street, weeks ago, and scared the hell out of her. He wasn’t sure today would be any different, but he was tired of trying to convince him otherwise. Gerald missed Jessie and Sammy too.  He was starting to lose what little patience he had left.  Dex’s had left his in the last realm they searched.

“She has to.  If she doesn’t, then the next step is confronting their protectors, with her there.  I’m done wasting time.”  Dex was adamant, there were no more points left to argue.

Gerald felt sick to his stomach when he thought about facing the people, he once thought of, as his parents.  He hadn’t seen them since he left the realm, after he found out they betrayed Jessie.  He hoped it wouldn’t come to that.  He had underestimated what they would do to save the gateway; there was no indication of what they would do again, and he didn’t want to find out.  The easier option was explaining everything to Jessie, hoping she believed them, then letting her decide if she wanted to leave.  He had little doubt what Sammy would do, she confirmed that yesterday.  The last thing they would have to do, before gaining full control over the gateway, was find Peter. 
Easier said than done
, he thought, considering what they just went through to find his sisters.

The ticking of the clock above the kitchen sink, only heightened Dex’s anxiety.  They were just finishing their morning coffee.  Gerald stopped him from leaving for the lake at the crack of dawn; they weren’t positive Jessie and Sammy would even be there.  Dex didn’t see that as being an option.  He didn’t want the battle, that had been brewing for decades, to occur at their house.  His jittery leg rocked the entire table. Gerald grasped his mug firmly, to keep the coffee from splashing over its lip.

“Calm down.”  That was the wrong thing to say.  Dex’s dark eyes shot up to meet Gerald’s, challenging him to an argument he had no intention of starting.  “Sorry,” he apologized, preemptively.  “I want this to work, just as much as you do.  I’ll do anything to make sure it does.”

Dex’s irritation subsided; he tried to smile through the nervousness that pulsed through his body. “I know you will.  I know how much they both mean to you.”  He reached across to shake his long time friend’s hand, released it and backed away.  “I’m going to get changed.  We’ll leave in half an hour.”

He strode out of the kitchen, leaving his coffee untouched, and Gerald with a feeling of dread that he couldn’t shake.

*******

The heat was smothering.  Not even the coolness of the water could free them from it.  Dex and Gerald had been at the lake for over an hour, with no sign of Jessie and Sammy.  The more the minutes ticked by, the more agitated Dex became.  Gerald suggested they swim out to the island and back; a trip that would take them less than fifteen minutes, but Dex declined, hesitant to move more than a few feet from the shore.  He wanted to be close enough to see their car, as soon as it entered the small parking area. 

“Maybe Jessie had to work today?”  Gerald suggested, giving his friend a smile of false encouragement.  “We could go check it out.  It’s almost lunch time.” 

He saw Dex considering his suggestion and wasn’t pleased with his counter statement.

“If they don’t show up in the next half hour, we’re going to their house.”  Dex didn’t want to alert Gerald that he had a feeling something was wrong.  Really wrong.  He refused the possibility that his fears might have come true; that Gerald’s past protectors had left with his sisters, taking them to another realm, one in which they might never find them.

Dex dunked his head under the water, exhaled, and let himself sink to the muddy bottom of the lake.  The underwater silence did little soothe the negative thoughts that pierced his mind.  He was sure they would see Jessie and Sammy at the lake, today.   Why did he let Becky interrupt them so easily, yesterday?  He had Jessie right where he needed her so that he could let her in on the secret, that had been kept from her for so long; one that she spent her whole life, unknowingly, keeping.

He broke the surface.  Gerald swam back to the shore and looked up anxiously, when he heard another car approaching through the trees, on the rocky path.  They shared the disappointment, when it didn’t match the one they knew Jessie would be driving.  Dex had given it enough time, maybe too much.  He lumbered out of the water, to Gerald, and let him know that time was up.

“We go to the house now.  We’ve wasted too much time,” Dex said firmly, leaving no room for discussion.

No matter how much agitation he felt, Gerald could do nothing but agree. There was no way to avoid a confrontation, with the people he once referred to as his parents.  He would try, but he knew that everything he had rehearsed to say, would not convey his true feelings.  He looked back at the island; hoping the next time he saw it, they would be with Jessie and Sammy, on their way to the gateway, with no resistance.

CHAPTER 45

There was a lone car parked in front of Jessie’s house when they turned onto the street.  Dex didn’t recognize it, there was no reason he should, but the sight of it made his blood turn to something colder than ice.  The house exuded a quiet, empty feeling as they stopped directly across from its looming shape.

“So, are we just going to walk up to the front door, knock and announce – we’re here to take your daughters?”  Gerald asked.  He hoped Dex would be able tell he was joking and not take his ludicrous proposition seriously.

Without responding, Dex opened the driver side door and swung his legs out the car.  There was no plan, but an unrecognizable determination pulled him towards the door that Gerald wanted to avoid. 

Gerald, realizing he didn’t have any other choice, and to stop Dex from getting them both arrested, hurried to catch up to him.  Dex quickened his steps; he knew Gerald would try to convince him, there was a better plan, than the one that was about to play out.  He was so focused on trying to form the words to support his argument that he didn’t notice Jessie’s mother, methodically rocking in a chair, on the corner of the porch.  Dex lifted a tight fist to pound on the door before he heard her clear her throat.

“They’re gone, Dex,” she said, staring straight ahead. A look on her ghostly, pale face he couldn’t identify.  The negative energy surging from her, kept Gerald from climbing the stairs to stand, in solidarity, with Dex. 

“What do you mean, they’re gone?”  Dex spit the words at her.  She, like his protectors, had become the enemy.  He held the same amount of distain for them, as he did for Rebecca; they all worked together to keep him from Jessie.  He was done playing their games.

“They were heading out to the lake, I’m assuming to find you.” Her eyes pitched daggers at Dex. “Jessie stopped by Rebecca’s first, and she was able to alert Jed to what, she thought, you were up to.  You have never taken Rebecca seriously, she’s been watching the two of you for months.  Did you really think she had no idea you were here? You forget who she is, Dex.” She glanced at Gerald and Dex saw, what he perceived to be, regret, flicker through her eyes. 

“The only thing we’ve been up to, is trying to help Jessie remember everything that was taken from her.  We would never hurt her the way her protectors, who are supposed to love her, continue to do.  Now, WHERE ARE THEY?”  Dex voice reached a volume, that caused her and Gerald, to jump.  

She wasn’t intimidated; she had planned for this day, for a long time.  He and Gerald watched, as she stood up and seemed to slither to the spot directly in front of Dex.  The frostiness in her words matched the coldness of his insides, when he first saw the unfamiliar car in her driveway.

Before she spoke, the color started to fade from Dex’s face.  After hearing the words, the remainder drained away.

“Like I said.  They. Are. Gone.  You will never find Jessie or Sammy, again.”

“Where did he take them?”  Dex forced the question out between his clenched teeth. 

A diabolical laugh came from the behind the screen.  Dex hadn’t noticed when the inside door opened, but now he could clearly see the outline of Rebecca. The shadowy figure moved forward into the light and stood beside her ally.

“You and Gerald just couldn’t leave it alone.  Did you think the voyagers were going to let the five be reunited, and destroy everything, they have protected for so long?” Rebecca asked.

“You really shouldn’t have left the lake, Dex,” the older woman said.  “If you were as smart as you think you are, you would have known we were on to you, and figured out where Jed would hide Jessie and Sammy.  Call us what you want, but we are and will remain, their parents, their protectors.

An alarm went off in Dex’s mind, the one he should have listened to earlier.  Jessie and Sammy’s father had taken them to the island, to the gateway.  Dex was standing here and their souls were probably already in another realm. 

“Dex, let’s go.”  Gerald bounded up the stairs and grabbed his friend’s arm.  “There’s still time.  If we go now, we might be able to get to their souls before they exit on the other side.” 

Dex knew they were too late.  Gerald’s former father, like his son thought, had been a step ahead of them.  He would make sure finding his sisters again, wouldn’t be that easy.  He decided to find out as much information as he could from Rebecca and Jessie’s mother, without making it obvious that he was interrogating them.

“It’s the tea, isn’t it?”

“Of course it’s the tea, you insipid boy,” Rebecca spat.  Droplets of spit, hit his neck, making his stomach churn.  “The amount in the lemonade her father took to the lake – always so worried his girls would get thirsty in this heat – will knock you and your pitiful love affair, from Jessie’s mind, for at least the next two, hopefully three, realms.”  She turned to Jessie’s mother.  Dex thought they looked like they were about to high five.

“How could you be so selfish?”  He directed this question to the person, who once insisted, he call her Mary.  “Don’t you want Jessie to be happy?”

“In case you missed it, Dex, Jessie is happy.  She has friends here, was just starting to date a nice boy and loves her little sister.  Now, because of your actions, we can’t risk them having a relationship again.  Who’s the selfish one, now?”  She calmed her voice, but Dex still detected the anger that simmered in it.

Rebecca picked up where Mary left off.  “The voyagers have given you a chance at lives that you would never have had before.  Why would do you insist on trying to take that away?  Do you really think Jessie is worth it?” 

“Let me ask you something, Rebecca.”  This was the only part Dex had rehearsed; he had wanted to say this to her for years. “Do you even know how to love, or are you a hateful bitch in every realm that your black soul chooses?” 

Her eyes narrowed.  “Nothing makes me happier than knowing, this time, I’m the one who took Jessie away from you.  It’s nice to return the favor.  As soon as I find where her soul travelled to, I will do everything in my power, to do it again.”  Dex advanced towards her, but Gerald, who still had a firm hold on his arm, gripped it even tighter, to pull him back.

“She’s not worth it,” he said to Dex, under his breath, but loud enough for Rebecca to hear.

“How are you going to explain the disappearance of your two daughters to everyone, mother?  Not to mention, manipulating the gateway for your own purpose.  Isn’t that a big voyager no-no?”  Gerald demanded.  The word, mother, left a sour aftertaste in his mouth.

Dex brightened when he heard his friend’s question.  “Yes, Mary, you just insinuated how popular and loved Jessie was in this town.”

Her mother collapsed into fake tears, accompanied by a loud wail.  She easily pulled herself together again, and grinned like the Cheshire cat. 

“It is all so tragic.  Our beautiful daughters were killed in a horrible accident, on the way to the lake, this morning.”  She looked over at Rebecca. “What do you think, Becky?  A dog ran across the road and Jessie tried to avoid it, or did Sammy distract her?”

“I like the dog story,” Rebecca replied.  Dex couldn’t believe what he was hearing; they were insane.

“Think about where my husband works, Dex.  It will be easy to spin.  Besides, sixty percent of this town is made up of voyagers.  They will be so grateful we thwarted an attempt to destroy the gateway, they’ll gladly help us with the cover-up.”

Gerald lowered his head in resignation.  Dex moved from under his friend’s grip and stood so close to Mary, that her hot breath stung his eyes.

“Did you remember to get the necklace back from her, before Jed tricked her into the gateway?”  Jessie’s mother turned the color of starch, and licked her dry lips to stop them from trembling.  “I take that to be a ‘no’.”  For the first time, since he stepped on the porch, he felt something close to being triumphant.

“That’s it, isn’t it?”  He directed this question to Rebecca, who looked like her knees were about to give out.  “Jessie started to recall things and have more vivid dreams after she put on the necklace: the one I gave her, the one she promised she would never take off.  Now, instead of hiding it from her, or just destroying it, she is wearing it into the next realm.  Give her all the magic tea you want, it does little to counteract the visions the necklace creates.”  He grinned, and was surprised to feel his twisted muscles start to relax.