Memories from a Different Future: Jump When Ready, Book 2 (14 page)

“Just give me a moment,” Jamie said.

A second later, Jamie emerged in the front seat just as
Diego shifted the car into drive. Jamie gave a little wave. “How’s it going,
bro?”

“What the
hell
?” Diego turned in his seat, eyes
bulging and mouth gaping as he slammed his car into the side of the warehouse.
He remained sitting there, engine dead, coughing against dust, still swiveling
his head around but Nikki, Henry and Jamie were already gone.

~~~

“I guess this must be where he lives,” Nikki said, as Emilio
climbed the stairs in an old apartment building. From behind closed doors came
the sounds of music blaring, television shows in Spanish, people arguing and
babies crying. A mixture of lives playing out in close proximity as dinnertime
approached, sending into the hall the scent of spices and meat roasting in
ovens or frying in pans.

Emilio  unlocked one of those doors and walked into a
small living room where a young boy sat on a worn sofa staring at a screen
mounted to the wall.

“Yo, Javier. I’m home.”

While the boy for some reason had remained oblivious to
the sound of the door opening, his eyes lit up at the sound of his brother’s
voice. “Oh, hey! How’s it going?”

“Good, little bro.” Emilio locked the door again. “Had a
good day. How about you?”

Javier nodded, eyes drifting back to the screen. “Yeah,
good. I already did my homework.”

A hint of disbelief showed in Emilio’s eyes. “Seriously,
dude?”

Javier nodded again. “Totally. It’s on the coffee table.”

Javier took a moment to flip through the papers and
notebook scattered across the top of the coffee table, then nodded with
satisfaction. “Nice. I  have to say I’m impressed, bro.”

Javier hit the mute button. “School is important, right?”

It took a moment for Emilio to answer. He swallowed
before saying, “Really important. Don’t forget that, okay?”

“How could I forget it? You tell me all the time.”

“I do?”

Javier frowned, brown eyes lifting to study his brother’s
face. “Like every night while I’m doing my homework?”

Emilio shook his head and took off his jacket. He crossed
the room again to hang it on a hook next to the door. “Sure, yeah. That’s what
I say, isn’t it?”

“Yep. I’m hungry.”

“I’m on it,” Emilio said. “I just need a few minutes,
okay?”

“Yeah, sure.” Javier turned the sound back on and was
already fully absorbed in his cartoon before Emilio left the room.

Once he was in his bedroom, Emilio walked to the window
and opened the blinds. He stared out at the streets below with their cars and
busses and people walking along the sidewalks. The sky above held only dense,
gray overcast.

“What are you getting from him?” Henry asked.

Nikki fought to dismiss the sinking feeling pulling at
her. She didn’t even have to truly read him to know. Emilio’s emotional state
surrounded him, an aura not too different from the gloomy sky above. “He’s
really conflicted. He just doesn’t know how to get out of this thing he’s been
forced into. You need to do something, Henry.”

Henry considered for a moment, then approached Emilio
where he stood at the window. “Emilio, listen to me,” he said. “This thing,
whatever you signed on for, it doesn’t have to happen.”

They all took a breath, waiting. You never knew. But only
a few seconds passed before Emilio whispered as he stared out. “Marcos?”

Henry’s eyes cut to Nikki.

“His older brother,” she said. “He died.”

Henry threw his hands up, unsure what to do. Nikki
nodded, saying she understood, that she didn’t know either.

“You can still have a future,” Henry said. “You can still
change this.”

Emilio remained still for a moment, then shook his head.
“You created this, bro. Why did you do that?”

“Shit,” Jamie said. “What’s Henry supposed to do?”

A fair question, Nikki agreed, but she had no idea
either. All she could do was continue staring at Henry and Emilio as she hoped
and waited.

Henry glanced back and forth between them again, then
returned his attention to Emilio. “What about school? What about college?”

Suddenly, Emilio wheeled around, facing Henry directly as
he pulled his hair back tight across his scalp. He spoke in a strangled
whisper. “You’re not
here
, big bro. You know that. I know that.”

Henry stepped back, eyes widening. “I’m not Marcos.”

Nikki understood. There hadn’t been time to prepare. What
else could he say?

Emilio balled his hands into fists. He lowered his head,
eyes clenched. “Yeah, I know you’re not Marcos,” he whispered. “You’re my
freaking imagination. Marcos is
dead!
He also didn’t sound like Mr.
Posten.” Emilio turned and strode toward the door.

Henry’s eyes searched Nikki’s and she knew what he was
asking. Should he follow? Should he try again? Nikki went with her gut instinct
and shook her head. She felt pretty sure what they needed to try next. As far
as she could determine, it was the only thing left that might work.

~~~

Mr. Posten fished his keys out of his pocket to open his
front door. He sighed and hefted his worn, leather messenger bag up onto his
shoulder. Nikki watched as Henry studied him.

“You may be right,” Henry said. “I might be able to push
to him.”

“That’s what you were trying to tell us before, wasn’t
it?” Nikki said.

Mr. Posten swung the front door open.

“We didn’t get to talk about it,” Henry said. “But, as
far as I’ve been able to figure since when we saved Bethany is that there has
to be certain circumstances for that to happen.”

“How does it work?” Jamie said.

Mr. Posten walked down the hall toward his kitchen.

“I’m still not entirely sure,” Henry said. “What I think
is that there has to be a certain kind of connection. Like, the circumstances
have to be just right.”

Mr. Posten spooned some coffee into his coffee machine
and filled it with water.

“Each time I’ve been able to push thoughts effectively,
the person on the receiving end has been pretty much directly involved in some
way.”

“Like, they’re somehow emotionally connected,” Nikki
said.

Henry nodded. “Exactly. For example, that couple who
abducted Bethany—Will and Karen—they were super paranoid because of guilt.”

Nikki noticed that Henry still thought of them by the
aliases they’d used when committing the crime but didn’t see any need to
correct him. She supposed they’d always remain Will and Karen to him thanks to
the trauma they’d caused.

“And the police officer—Gary Roberts—he became really
suspicious. So, it was like each time they were somehow attuned to hearing the
push. Also, I had to know at least enough about them to break through. For
Will, it was that he’d worked for my uncle. For Officer Roberts, we used his
kids’ names. That touched a nerve with him because he could picture them in
Bethany’s situation.”

Mr. Posten’s coffee machine beeped and he grabbed a mug
from one of his cabinets.

Jamie nodded in Mr. Posten’s direction. “What about him?”

“He’s definitely concerned,” Nikki said. “That last thing
Emilio said about it already being too late keeps going through his mind.”

“And it’s not like we need to know the names of his kids
or anything like that,” Jamie said. “I mean, I think we already know where he’d
connect.”

“Yeah, you’re totally right,” Henry said. “We probably
have what we need.”

Mr. Posten sighed and took both his mug and messenger bag
to the kitchen table. He set the bag on one of the chairs, opened it and
withdrew a folder full of student papers, each one no longer than a scrawled
paragraph or two. Many, Nikki noticed, lacked either the student’s name or any attempt
at adding a title, while some lacked both. No wonder Mr. Posten sighed so much.

Just to be sure, Nikki closed her eyes and concentrated.
Not surprisingly, what she saw mostly were the faces of Mr. Posten’s students.
A collage of indifference on one side creating a cloud of concern on the other.
Still, despite his cause for worry being overpopulated, one face kept
repeatedly floating to the surface. Emilio’s. And, again, those words he’d
spoken.
It’s already too late, Mr. P.

As if on cue, Mr. Posten sighed again as he lifted one of
the papers off the top of the stack and started to read.

“Same thing,” Nikki said. “He’s really worried about
Emilio. The feeling I’m getting is that Emilio is one of the only kids he’s
been thinking he might be able to help. Now, he’s not sure what’s going on. But
he thinks it’s probably bad.”

“He’s definitely got that much right.” Henry approached
the table and leaned in, his mouth inches from Mr. Posten’s ear.

Nikki couldn’t hear the thought Henry pushed but within
seconds Mr. Posten set the student paper down. He looked off across the room,
gaze distant and brow furrowed. Henry leaned in again and a moment later Mr.
Posten rose from the table. He crossed the room and pressed his palms to the
counter, back turned toward them and shoulders hunched as he stared out the
window. Henry followed and whispered into his ear one more time. Another moment
passed, then Mr. Posten reached into his pocket and got his flexlet. He
expanded it to phone and stabbed his finger at the screen three times. He
waited, then said, “Well, it’s not exactly an emergency but I felt that I
needed to call it in.”

Mr. Posten nodded several times while he listened.

“I don’t exactly have knowledge of a crime either. At
least, not yet. But I believe one of my students is going to be involved in
something. I suspect it’s going to be a robbery attempt.”

Nikki squinted, trying to hear the voice on the other end
but couldn’t make it out.

“No, I don’t have any direct evidence,” Mr. Posten said.
“And, yes, I do understand the seriousness the of allegation.”

Mr. Posten listened again, this time as Henry whispered
in his other ear.

“As I said, I’m a teacher. I’d rather not give you any
names at this point but I believe it’s going to take place at the
Cyprus Hill Mall. Tomorrow afternoon, at twelve.”

Nikki watched as the blood rose in Mr. Posten’s face. His
forehead glistened and he wiped sweat away with his forearm.

Obviously, Jamie noticed the same thing since he said,
“They think he’s a nutcase.”

Nikki nodded, unfortunately agreeing. After all, why
would the police believe Mr. Posten’s claim? It had no basis in reality. Not
yet. By the time it did, it would already be too late.

“I realize this is unsubstantiated,” Mr. Posten said.
“All the same, I’m pretty sure it’s going to happen.”

Nikki watched Mr. Posten’s face as he tried to control
his frustration. How could he explain something he knew to be true while having
no way of understanding how he knew it?

“I’m simply asking that you have someone nearby at the
time.” Mr. Posten waited a few more seconds before saying, “No, that’s all I
have to report. Thank you.”

As soon as he was off the phone, Mr. Posten picked up his
mug in a trembling hand. He hesitated just as it reached his lips, then hurled
it across the room. It dented the wall, then shattered on the floor. He stood
staring as coffee dripped down his wall, watching the stain spread. He went to
the table and sat, holding his head in his hands.

“I can’t know that,” he whispered, closing his eyes. “Why
did I just call them? I can’t possibly know any of that.”

Henry stood near him, his face a study in guilt. “What
should I do?”

Nikki shook her head, unsure. Then, a simple thought
occurred to her. “Just tell him he was right,’ she said. “Tell him he helped
Emilio. From there, all we can do is hope.”

And For Us,
Someday

Nikki sat facing the others, where they’d gathered around a
table on the Halfway House veranda. “So, that’s what we have,” she said. “I
know it’s not much but we didn’t have a whole lot of time to work with.”

Nikki didn’t add that the only time left now was the
future they’d experienced three times while remaining helpless witnesses.
Tomorrow, that event would actually take place and they’d have minutes, at
best, to try affecting the outcome.

“It’s night now on Earth,” Henry said. “We left around
sunset.”

Even as he said it, the light around them started to
change, the trees throwing shadows and the sky darkening. It only took that
much sometimes, for them all to envision the same thing while gathered
together. Nikki knew it would be night here too within minutes. Not that it was
a bad thing since they should try, as much as possible, to remain on the
Earth’s schedule. They should rest now while those in the other realm also
slept. One of them would have to keep watch, though.

As if reading Nikki’s mind, Simon said, “I just took a
nap a while ago. I’m fine. I’ll keep going online to watch the time.”

“Are you sure?” Nikki said.

Simon’s eyes met Nikki’s, in them a world of worry. “You
guys have been crossing over a lot. You can’t risk ghosting out.”

“I’m in too,” Naomi said. “Fresh as a daisy. You guys get
some rest.”

“Maybe we could hang out together,” Simon said.

Naomi lifted an eyebrow. “Are you thinking I might bake
something?”

Simon shrugged. “Well, that did occur to me.”

“Apple crumble?”

Simon’s eyes lit up. “Ooh! Love the apple crumble.”

Naomi rolled her eyes but also smiled. “Yep, staying up
won’t be an issue. What’s the plan for the morning?”

“Maybe try with each of them again?” Jamie said.

Nikki looked to Henry. His instincts on something like
this were probably the best.

Henry hunched forward to address the group, taking a
moment to make eye contact with each of them. “As far as I can tell, we don’t
have any other options. At the same time, my gut on this is that Ian’s mother
won’t trust that feeling again. She’ll ignore it since nothing happened last
time. The same for Mr. Posten. I don’t think it’s likely he’ll make another
call or anything like that. He thought he was going insane.”

“What about the psychic lady you told us about?” Naomi
said. “You said she knew you were there.”

“She did,” Henry said. “There’s no doubt about it. But
I’m not sure what she could actually do. She barely knows Ian and he’s already
dismissed her.”

Silence followed as the five of them stared down at the
table. Nikki knew Henry was right, so she waited to see what he’d say next.

“I think it’s going to come down to the moment itself,”
Henry said. “And the only chance we have is for all of us to be there
together.”

“We’ll all be there,” Naomi said.

“Damn straight,” Simon said. “Now, go get some rest, you
lot. We’re on top of things. No worries.”

Jamie yawned, stretched, then got up from the table.
“Just a nap,” he said. “That’s all I need.”

Henry’s eyes met Nikki’s—the message clear.
We should
talk
. They both lingered and a few minutes later Naomi and Simon wandered
off –Naomi to start baking and Simon to grab his laptop from his room.

A moment passed with neither of them saying anything,
then Henry surprised Nikki by cracking a smile. “Did we really just leave Simon
to keep an eye on the internet?”

Nikki couldn’t help laugh. “Right. Well, it’s all
incoming here.”

Henry nodded. “There’s that. But that includes YouTube.
Think he can resist watching his own antics long enough?”

Not long ago, Nikki would have doubted it. Lately,
though, she felt differently. It seemed strange to think it but Simon seemed to
be growing up, just a little, day by day. And, sure, maybe those days were
months or even years on Earth, but either way he was starting to change too.
How was it possible, especially after all this time when almost nothing had
changed for them? Nikki imagined hearing Martha’s voice, just a whisper.
Because
you’ll soon be ready.
But did she imagine it? Nikki wasn’t sure.

Nikki looked into Henry’s brown eyes, seeing warmth
there, as always. And, of course, concern. Henry almost always seemed to care
about others more than himself. “So, what do you have for me, River Rat?”

Henry ran his hand through his hair and it fell down
around his face again. “I think we both know.”

Nikki looked out past the rooftops to where the sun had
almost disappeared behind the trees. “Yeah, not good,” she said.

Henry spoke softly. “Probably not.”

Nikki waited a moment. “Do you think there’s a chance?”

Henry nodded. “I like to think there’s always a chance.
I’m not anywhere near giving up.”

“But you’re wondering what will happen if we fail and
someone dies there tomorrow.”

Henry gazed out at the sunset too. “Sorry. Yeah, I am.”

Nikki almost stopped herself from reaching across the
table. But she didn’t and Henry seemed fine with her hand resting on top of
his. “It’s almost like you’re going through it twice, isn’t it?”

Henry spoke softly. “It is. But this time, I feel more
helpless. I don’t know. Maybe I was just new then on this side. Like, somehow,
because I didn’t know better we managed to make it happen even when it wasn’t
supposed to. Does that make any sense?”

“Somehow it does. It’s almost like we pulled it off
because we didn’t know any better.”

“Exactly,” Henry said. “This time it feels like stuff
keeps stacking up against us. Like what’s going to happen is meant to happen.
Or, that at least something is supposed to happen, for some reason we can’t
know. That, either way, the outcome is going to be really bad.”

Nikki glanced at the sky, where stars were starting to
appear. “But couldn’t the same be said for what almost happened to Bethany?”

“I’ve been thinking about that,” Henry said. “Do you
suppose it’s possible that what was meant to happen to Bethany
did
happen?”

That had never occurred to Nikki before. Still, she
didn’t want to think it might be true. “No, I think it could have been way
worse. That it
would
have been way worse. You know that, Henry. She
would have died if we hadn’t been there.”

Henry didn’t respond right away and Nikki wondered if he
was going to keep his thoughts to himself. Finally, he said, “It’s possible
they wouldn’t have overdosed her if we hadn’t been there. Maybe they would have
just gotten their ransom and let her go.”

Nikki shook her head. “No. Then they would have gotten
away with it.”

Henry nodded. “Yes, they might have.”

“And they might have gone on to hurt someone else.”

Again, Henry nodded. “That did occur to me.”

“Then please don’t ever think you didn’t help her. You
got us to do that with you, Henry, and it changed everything. And it’s no
different whether you’re still from that realm or not—people can cause good or
bad things to happen by becoming involved. You never know exactly how things
are going to work out but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. We have to. And,
thanks to you, we know we at least have a chance.”

After a moment, Henry looked over at her and smiled.
“Thanks.”

Nikki kept her eyes on his. “Feel better now?”

“Actually, I do.”

Nikki wanted to tell him everything would be fine. In a
sense, she knew that to be true. If what they saw was truly meant to happen—if
there was no way for them to stop it—it only meant that Ian would end up like
them again. Quite possibly with them, given their connection. Then there was
the woman who’d gotten shot the third time. That had been the most recent
experience, so did that make it how things were now most likely to unfold? Both
outcomes were tragic, whether a teenager or a young mother was shot down.
Still, Nikki couldn’t help think it even if she didn’t want to—either way,
eventually they’d end up on this side again.

As if Henry read her mind, he said, “Their lives seem so
short, don’t they? I mean, even if Ian doesn’t Transition tomorrow.”

Nikki felt pretty sure she knew what was on his mind.
Bethany was now in her forties. The same would be true for his brother, of
course, and his parents had to be well into their sixties. “Just to us,” she
said. “To them, hopefully the years feel long. I mean, in a good way—happy and
full of changes.”

A moment passed before Henry said, “Do I hear a note of
curiosity there?”

Nikki almost defaulted to her usual wiseass mode and shot
off a quip. But sooner or later she had to open up to someone. Who better than
Henry? “Maybe just a little,” she admitted. “More and more lately, to be
honest. What about you?”

“Sure, I think about it,” he said. “From time to time. Is
that why you were crossing over to check on Ian?”

Nikki thought about lying but knew it would be pointless.
He knew, she could tell. “I kept thinking things would go well for him. After
all, he totally deserved a happy life. You know?”

Henry glanced up at the stars. “He seems really happy in
this life. Our Curtis. Who would have thought?”

Without thinking about it, Nikki rested her head against
Henry’s shoulder. “I thought our Curtis was going to keep being happy. Stay in
love. Even get married and have kids. Just, you know, live a good life.”

“Happy years full of changes,” Henry said softly.

“Exactly.” Nikki willed herself not to tear up. Despite
her best attempts, she felt her eyes start to fill. “I really want that for
him.”

Henry put his arm around her like it was the most natural
thing in the world. At any other time, Nikki might have pulled away. But in
that moment, she needed nothing more than to be held.

“And for us,” Henry said. “Someday.”

Nikki supposed he meant to say “for each of us” but that
wasn’t what he’d said. He’d said, “for us.” Was something like that possible?
Nikki had learned this much from her time in this realm—even while that other
realm remained more of a mystery in many ways—anything was possible. She knew
only that much.

The sun was gone now, the day over. Lights shone from
other houses in the neighborhood. Music played and people laughed. Cars drove
along streets nearby but forever distant. Nikki knew she could only experience
that much of those lives—those afterlives—playing out next to theirs. All the
same, the sounds were comforting. At some point, all of those souls—those
spirits—would return and experience a new life, each with the possibility of
happy years full of changes. But what mattered most right now was being in this
moment with Henry, his arm around her as she imagined a new future.

She closed her eyes and whispered, “Let’s see what we can
do.”

“Absolutely,” Henry said. “Let’s see what we can do.”

~~~

At first, Nikki wasn’t sure why she woke up. After all,
she’d gone to bed exhausted,  knowing at best she’d be able to rest for a
couple of hours. She stared at the ceiling for a few moments, thinking about
the things she’d talked about with Henry, smiling as she recalled the peace
she’d felt resting her head against his shoulder. Then, something started to
nag at her, an uneasiness telling her she wasn’t alone. She looked across the
room.

Curtis stood by the window, looking back at her.

Nikki sat up in bed. “Curtis? Can you hear me?”

Curtis flickered and faded. Nikki’s heart jumped when Ian
appeared in his place. He took a step toward her, then another, his eyes boring
into hers. “Why didn’t you help me? Nikki, why didn’t you stop it from
happening?”

Something rapped against her door and Nikki’s eyes shot
open. She searched the room, her breath coming in short gasps.

“Nikki, time to get up!” Naomi said, knocking again. “We
need to get moving!”

Nikki searched the room one last time, thinking Naomi
wasn’t the only one these days having nightmares. She’d almost regained her
voice to let Naomi know she was awake when her eyes caught the nearly
transparent image of Ian as he faded out entirely.