Signed: The High Five Gang
Michael Ross
Mira Thomas Ross
Jonathan Ross
Lu Rose
Onie Peyton
Zachary Brian Ingram
(this name was added later)
Trina Johnson
(this name was added later)
The book entries started in 1987. She looked to the last entry—it had been made this week! But in between, the entries had stopped for the most part by 1996—the year of her birth! There were only a few entries here and there in between, mostly by her mom. She saw Stu was mentioned in some of these in-between entries.
Madison slid the book under the covers and went to the bathroom. When she came out, she quietly closed the door to the bedroom and listened for people. Hearing nothing, she opened the page to the first entry. Her parents log of other world adventures when they were young. How exciting! Oh, she was going to read this thing all right, and nothing was going to stop her.
***
Mira had finally stopped running blindly. She still sat, crying under a tree. Everything around her was dark and foreboding. Even the trees looked menacing. At least she was away from the woman who yelled, thought her four-year-old mind. She looked around. Nope, it was someplace worse. No yelling but everything was scary. It looked like it was about to rain, too. Mira crouched near a bush under a tree, her knees, and shoes covered in dirt.
She thought about going back to the yelling woman, because at least she was older, but by now, she had no idea which way she’d come. It all just seemed like one big, dark tangle of trees to her. It was just then that she heard a rustling in the bushes. Her heart started pounding. What if she got eaten by an animal? She tried to breathe quietly but was still half-panting from the run. The intruder was coming toward the sound of her breath. It seemed to be a person.
“Who took away my pretty sky!” said a small voice that sounded like it was pouting. “I’m going to get you!”
Mira stayed where she was, breathing quietly. The voice came closer. “I can hear you breathing! You might as well come out!” said the decidedly female child’s voice. This couldn’t be so bad, hoped Mira. She stuck her head out from the bush under the tree and looked up the path. The girl coming was still half hidden by the underbrush, but she was stomping up the path like a child throwing a fit. The little girl finally came to where Mira was hiding. “I know you’re there,” she said. “So you might as well come out!”
Mira turned and faced the little girl but did not stand up. They were about the same age, only Mira was dirty and wearing a sleeveless shirt while the other girl had on jeans and a T-shirt and was very clean.
“Did you do that to my sky!” asked the little girl.
“No!” said Mira. “It’s scaring me!”
“Well someone did. I’m Ada Jo.” She sat down next to Mira. “Why are you scared?”
“Because it’s dark and cold and the trees…it’s just scary. Plus I’m lost.”
“Don’t be scared,” said Ada Jo. “The first thing you need to know if you’ve never been here is that nothing is real.” And with that, she created a coat and before Mira could say anything, Mira was wearing it.
“So you won’t be cold,” said Ada Jo.
“Aren’t you cold?” asked Mira, after she’d gotten over the shock.
“I don’t feel cold or hot,” said Ada Jo. “I just know that others sometimes do.”
“Oh, thank you. I’m Mira...Nothing is real?” she asked, lost in more ways than one.
“Yeah,” said Ada Jo. “You know this dark forest has only been here a couple hours. Before that there was a town.”
This perplexed Mira even more. “I don’t remember a town,” she said.
“What do you remember?” asked Ada Jo.
Mira thought about it, and then answered, “Nothing before a woman yelling at me.”
“Hmm,” said Ada Jo, pursing her lips. “I’ve been here a long time and seen people come and go at different ages. Sometimes on purpose but sometimes it seemed like it wasn’t on purpose.” She asked Mira, “Did you hit your head or anything?”
“I don’t think so,” said Mira. She felt much better now that Ada Jo was here. The forest didn’t seem so dark after all. In fact, it was turning a little lighter.
Ada Jo inspected Mira’s head. “Well,” she said finally, “I can tell you one thing—”
“What?”
“You and I are not made the same.”
“You mean we’re different ages?” guessed Mira.
Ada Jo laughed. “Most people here are anything they want to be,” she said. “See,” she said as she gave Mira a demonstration, by growing into a tall woman with black hair in front of Mira’s eyes.
Mira screamed. The new Ada Jo reminded her of the adult who had yelled at her, and the change was too rapid.
Ada Jo changed back fast. “It’s okay,” she said, putting her arm around Mira. “I didn’t mean to scare you. See, it’s me again.”
“Wow,” said Mira, “How did you do that? She looked nothing like you!” In the excitement of meeting her new friend, Mira had momentarily forgotten her predicament.
“It’s easy!” said Ada Jo. “Just put a picture in your mind then um...stretch,” she said, indicating stretching her body.
Mira concentrated and tried it, unsure of the outcome.
“Oh my! You pulled it off so easy” said Ada Jo with surprise as Mira changed. “This can’t be your first time.”
“It feels like remembering,” said Mira.
“Hmm,” said Ada Jo. “I think you’re lost, and, until you remember, you better come with me.”
“Really?” said Mira. “I’d be really happy to be somewhere other than here,” although the forest by this time showed a dawn rising.
“Yeah,”. “we need to figure you out. Plus, I have a much nicer set-up near here. We can go there. It went away when the dark forest came, but I put it right back!” she said with defiance.
Mira smiled. She liked this tough little girl who was afraid of nothing.
***
Madison put down the book. She had spent the last two hours reading. She could not believe the adventures her two solid, boring, loving, parents had been into when they were younger. And their friends! Everyone she thought of as Uncle Zac and Aunt Onie—they had all been hell-raisers!
The things they did!
And all of this stuff I don’t know about the other world. Oh my.
She knew about traveling, but it wasn’t really discussed. It was like her parents didn’t want to encourage any questions . Too late!
Wow!
Madison was excited. She knew what she wanted to do with her life. She couldn’t wait. And she knew exactly who to go to, to teach her. She had just been introduced.
But first, her best friend… Madison carefully put the book back under the bed where she found it, then ran to her room to get her mobile and text her partner in crime, Amber.
“U there?” she typed.
“Yup” Amber texted back. Amber was online as always.
“AMB- OMG BIG NEWS!”
“Orly?” she sent back.
“Up for fun?” Madison texted.
“PLZ!” Amber typed back “WTB a life?”
“Family EMRGNCY here.”
“U ok?” sent Amber
“Meh,” typed Madison “But when over- get tgthr, k?”
“Kewl!” sent Amber and signed off with “HMU L8R!”
Madison wanted her mom back desperately. But she was also already thinking of names for her own gang of travelers.
Chapter Fourteen
Cavalry
The plan was simple. They would go in as children. Stu had a feeling Mira had regressed in age and lost control, which is why they could feel her fear. He didn’t know the trigger though, so they were going in blind. They felt if they went in as kids around Mira’s own age, it would be less frightening, and they could win her trust.
As if putting on a performance, they were to all appear before Mrs. Ross astrally first, in the study, for her inspection. It would not do to have beard stubble or anything else forgotten that might scare Mira away. It was too important.
She gave them thirty minutes to prepare. During which time she went to her room and closed her door. When the time was right, she returned to the study. Michael was going in as he had before, at twelve in case Mira recognized him, or it triggered her memory. They were supposed to go in only with their astral body, as Mrs. Ross assured them that they could get Mira back by touch without the unnecessary risk to all of them from being there physically too. Only Mira was in danger from that at this point. Going there with your real body would be a contingency only if needed. Besides, going back as children with a full adult real-body was beyond even Stu’s capability now. But masking wasn’t. Michael decided to go back full-bodied without telling anyone. Who knows what would be needed once they were in the other world. Someone had to be prepared. Besides, his mother had already given him the antidote out in the hall.
One teenager, one boy, and a little girl showed up in front of Mrs. Ross. Michael and Jonathan looked at the girl. She looked to be about six.
“Wow!” said Jonathan.
“Well, I thought three boys might intimidate a little girl. So,” Stu looked down at his dress and sashayed, “here I am!”
“Good improvisation,” acknowledged Mrs. Ross. She inspected them all carefully. They passed. Children they were.
They were also loaded up with astral flashlights and the like. Since only Stu could create things instantaneously, and they had no idea what they were walking into, preparedness was also in their plan.
“Remember,” said Mrs. Ross, “Stu has the most skills so listen to him for ideas, but Michael has Mira’s heart, so follow Michael’s instincts as to where to go. Do you understand? There should not be any conflict, no matter how bad it gets—that will only make the astral landscape worse for Mira.”
“And everything by unanimous vote,” she added.
“Understood,” said Michael, Stu, and Jonathan. They were going to go to the Emergency Meeting Place first, as all figured that area would still be there, no matter what. They had spent years putting energy into its staying power.
***
They landed on the gravel road with their eyes closed. Jonathan immediately bumped into someone. “Hey!” he said. “Watch it! You’re supposed to leave space.” Then he opened his eyes.
“Jonathan!” yelled Trina, and did an astral version of a non-bodied hug. “Michael! And who is this? Stu?” She obviously had a lot to catch up on if Stu was with these two. And as a girl! “I’ve been waiting so long for someone to show! And Mira—” she paused. “Something’s happened!”
“We know,” said Michael, “we sensed something happen. That’s why we’re here. But if we had realized you’d be here we would have come sooner. I’m so sorry.”
“Um...Trina...you’re dead, you know.” Stu thought someone should probably bring that up.
“I know,” she said, her face hot with tears again. “I don’t know what to do! But Mira—”
The boys looked around at the new landscape. Except for the Emergency Meeting Place, there appeared to be a thick, dark forest with a lot of undergrowth. Michael guessed that was Mira’s doing. Then he looked at the sky.
“Yeah, the sky changed about a half hour ago,” said Trina. “Before it was stormy and completely dark. Now its lighter and dawn rose.”
“Hmm,” said Stu.
Trina told the boys exactly what had happened.
Michael wanted to be upset, Trina was always so hotheaded. But she hadn’t known about the deadline, and she was in trauma. Thinking of triage in the real world, he considered what to do next.
He pulled Stu aside. “Stu, you’re the most advanced. Is there any way to help Trina?”
Stu sat down and thought for a minute. Trina was busy gesticulating to Jonathan about Mira.
“There might be,” said Stu. “But it’s not an ideal solution, and I need to talk to someone in the real world first.”
Michael thought it over. “Do what you have to do. Trina deserves a chance. Jonathan and I will continue on for Mira.”
“Are you sure?” asked Stu.
“Yeah, I’m sure,” said Michael.
Trina was shaking her feet when they walked back over.
“What’s wrong?” asked Michael.
“My feet are all tingly. It’s weird.”
Michael and Stu looked at one another. Jonathan looked worried.
“What?” said Trina. “What’s wrong?”
“Trina, we’ve decided to split up. We don’t know how much time you have here in this state,” said Stu. “Your real body isn’t alive anymore.”
Trina put her head down.
“But I have an idea,” said Stu. “So I’m going back to the real world real quick, and the guys are going to continue to look for Mira.”
“Do you know which direction Mira went?” asked Jonathan. “Just toward the forest in general?”
Trina replied, “She just ran like her life depended on it. She went deep in there, guys. Really deep.”
“And her house and everything was gone right?” asked Michael.
“Yep,” said Trina, although she could see faint outlines of buildings, transparent, like they were starting to come back.
“If the town comes back, it’s hard to tell where Mira might go,” said Michael. He stopped as he looked at Trina, still shaking her feet. “Stu, you better get a move on.”
“Right ‘o,” said Stu. “Trina, I’ll be back as fast as I possibly can.”
***
“Okay” said Trina. What choice did she have? She was worried about Mira, but the situation she was facing scared the hell out of her. What would happen to her if the boy’s plan didn’t work? Would she die here too? She was too afraid to think about it. In fact, she was shaking. Her life was in the hands of a nineteen-year-old boy currently masked as a six-year-old girl. She would laugh if she wasn’t already holding back tears.
Jonathan took off his coat and put it over Trina. “Here,” he said, “maybe this will help.” But they both knew her shaking wasn’t from the cold.
“Since the houses are coming back, we should probably check Mira’s farm first. Seems like that would be the first place she’d head,” said Jonathan.
“No,” said Michael. “She ran into the forest. Knowing her, she ran forever and got lost. I feel like she’s in the forest.”
“You’re the boss.” said Jonathan. “Let’s get to it.