“Oh…. So now what?”
“So now nothing.”
“So you’re not going to tell Mom and Dad?”
Mia sighed. “No, Max. I won’t say a word. Hurry up though, I’m freezing!”
Max remembers how cold it was that night and how terrified he felt. All alone, deep in the woods, he hopes against hope that he is never in a situation like that again. He rubs his earlobe and can still feel the faint scar he earned that night.
He shrugs. “So what did you mean by that,
the truth?
”
“The truth is… I didn’t follow you into the woods because I was mad at you and I wanted to get you in trouble. You had been sneaking out for months. If I wanted to rat you out, I could have done it long before then. Now this part is really complicated, so just hear me out.
I knew you were going to be in trouble that night before you did.
I don’t know how I know these things, but I do. And
that’s
why I had the rope with me.”
“Wait… what?” Max is now utterly confused.
“Sometimes I can see events in the future. I’ve been able to for as long as I can remember. They come to me like dreams, even when I’m not sleeping. It’s maddening. They’re like puzzles in that they’re hardly ever linear and it’s only a few seconds of the future. A lot of the times I don’t even know what they mean or how far into the future it is. It’s like I get this feeling of déjà vu.”
“Déjà vu?” asks Max.
“Yeah… you know what that is right?”
“Yeah, I mean, I think so. It’s like when I started seeing that girl Suzy Myers we went to school with at St. Andrews. She acted so cavalier when we first met and then as soon as we had sex she started acting just like my ex-girlfriend Lauren with the clingy, naggy bullshit….”
“Okay, stop!” Mia interrupts not wanting to hear another word. “Nihilo sanctum estne?” she mutters under her breath, as she often does when talking to her brother.
How in the world could we have come from the same womb?
She tries again: “When I experience déjà vu, it’s far different from what most people describe. First, I get this moment of nausea, like when I get sick in the car sometimes. And that’s when I realize it’s happening. It’s like a vision or a dream while I’m awake. In this vision I can see the future. It’s just a glimpse, but it’s enough to know what will happen after that initial moment, as if I’m watching the future in the past. Are you following?”
Max’s mind is blown. His head is bent toward his sister, as he hangs on every word, trying to keep up, but wanting to ask questions. Mia’s revelation is causing pieces to fall into place, so many things that have been a mystery to him for so long. Like the time his family was set to go to Lake Tahoe for their yearly ski trip and how skittish Mia was for several weeks prior, finally demanding that they go somewhere else, anywhere else, but there. Though vexed, the Sinclairs eventually caved, and they instead went to London to visit their grandparents.
It would end up being the endless vacation. They hadn’t been home since.
“Max?” she asks again. “Are you listening?”
“Yes, of course I am. I’m just trying to process everything.” He sighs and shifts to the edge of his seat, combing both hands through his hair. He falls back and looks to the ceiling. Reluctantly, and not really wanting to know the answer, he asks, “So I can only assume you’re telling me this because there is something I need to know about my future. Is that right?”
Mia is relieved, and shocked, that her brother has accepted what she has told him, but she dreads what she must tell him next. “You’re right Max. There is something you need to know about your future. It’s still rather vague — I’ve seen just fragments of time — but I know what I always know to be true.”
Max swallows hard and his chest tightens. “And what might that be, exactly?” he whispers.
She turns to face him, staring deeply into his eyes. “Whenever I have had a vision of your future, it has always been tied to your mortal danger. And the one thing I am certain of is that you are in danger, grave danger.”
“I am?” he asks weakly.
Mia nods and gives his hand a small, sympathetic squeeze. Max can sense the fear in her voice and it terrifies him. But staying true to character, he puts on a brave face and remains optimistic. “Okay, since this is an event tied to my future, if you tell me everything you know now, then I will be able to avoid whatever it is that you saw, right?
Mia’s eyes light up. “That’s exactly right Max!”
Thank God,
she thinks to herself.
This is going so much better than I could have possibly imagined.
“Okay, this is what I know...”
She is immediately cut off by an announcement over the intercom. “Good day, ladies and gentlemen. This is your captain speaking. We are now nearing our destination and we will be preparing for our final descent and landing. Conditions in Auckland are partly sunny skies with a chance of rain this evening. The temperature is a very comfortable twenty-two degrees Celsius and the current time is…” The captain’s announcement ends abruptly, followed by a series of loud thuds and then a few seconds of rustling before cutting out completely.
Max takes notice, turning his attention toward the front of the cabin. “That’s odd,” he states, trying to make sense of what’s happening.
He doesn’t notice Mia sinking further into her chair. Her face has turned pale and the familiar nausea has a stranglehold on her stomach. She forces a whisper. “Max.”
Leaning out into the aisle Max turns to look at his sister. “Yeah? What is it?” In one look, he knows something is terribly wrong. Her hand trembles as she grabs his shoulder and pulls him closer.
“I just had a vision, it’s happening. Oh God, Max, it’s terrible.” Her bottom lip quivers uncontrollably.
“Wh… what’s happening?”
She reaches across to his flight station and pushes the button that enables his shoulder harness and then does the same for herself. She places both hands flat against the armrests, squeezing them so hard that her knuckles turn white. “Brace yourself,” she gasps.
Before he has a chance to respond, the shuttle drops suddenly, sending objects and flight attendants flying through the air. The sound of passengers screaming, along with the din of items rattling in their compartments, turns the seconds into hours. But just as quickly as it started, the shuttle rights itself and levels out. As the moment of fear subsides, the relief in the cabin is audible and a certain odd calm begins to settle. Mia releases her shoulder harness and pulls herself out of her seat, looking quickly to her right and further back as if waiting for something to happen. She sees a man quickly moving down the aisle toward the front of the shuttle.
“It’s him!” Her voice is barely above a whisper.
“Who?” Max is confused, not to mention completely freaked out.
“Max, listen to me carefully. There is going to be a woman who is going to give instructions. Listen to her and do exactly as she says. You got me?”
“Okay... but... what about Mom and Dad?”
Mia’s eyes glaze over and a frown reveals itself as she turns to the woman who is now giving instructions.
Chapter 4
Noah hangs precariously against a sheer cliff, his fingers consumed with pain as he grips a narrow slit in the face of a jagged peak. With his feet clinging to what little foothold he has, he peers straight up to determine his next move toward the summit. He loosens his left hand from the tiny crevice, quickly dipping it into the chalk pouch nestled in the small of his back, and places it on a small ledge that will help him advance to the next obstacle.
With that ascension he has now entered what free climbers call the point of no return — the only way out is to keep going; retracing his steps is no longer an option. With no room for error, knowing any misstep will be his last, he glances down at his shoes growing damp, as they often do, from the condensation surrounding the mountain. Before he steps on to the next foothold, he delicately wipes away the collected moisture by rubbing his climbing shoe against the back of his knee. The methodical process is repeated over and over again, until finally the top of the mountain is just a few more pull-ups away.
When he reaches the summit, he realizes he is not alone. He encounters a man he often sees in his dreams — his father, Jackson. He has his back to Noah as he takes in the breathtaking view of endless mountains and a marbled vanilla sky. Jackson wears a red nylon windbreaker and a pair of dark khakis, and his feet are bare. He turns to greet his son with a smile. Jackson has a head of thick white hair and a matching cropped beard. His violet eyes are piercing and stoic. Noah bears a striking resemblance to the man, though he stands three inches shorter than his legendary father.
“What took you so long?” Jackson teases.
Noah laughs. “Had I known I was dreaming, I would have just flapped my arms and flown to the top.”
Jackson still smiling, agrees. “Yes, I’m sure that you would have.”
Noah breaks eye contact with his father and looks beyond him to the row of mountains that stretch on as far as his eyes will allow. Dream or no dream, it is a sight to behold. “Absolutely stunning.” He looks back at his father. “Why are you not wearing shoes?”
Jackson looks down at his feet and shrugs. “This is your dream, son, not mine.”
Noah nods. “Fair enough.”
“So what now?” his father asks, changing the subject.
Noah cracks a smile. “That’s a good question. What would you suggest?”
His father shrugs. “I have a thought, although you may not like it.”
Any trace of a smile has vanished from Noah’s face as he replies, “You always said if someone has enough courage to ask you a serious question, then you should be brave enough to answer it truthfully.”
Jackson beams at his son, nodding in approval. “I was always fond of that phrase. You do realize I was quoting Milton?”
“I’m aware,” Noah says. “Although I prefer to give you the credit.” He gives his father the signature family wink.
“Before we get into that, I need to give you something.” He retrieves a long rectangular box from the inner recesses of his jacket and hands it to Noah.
“What is it?”
“
It
is the single biggest regret of my life,” Jackson says matter-of-factly.
“You? Regret?” Noah looks down at the box, made from wood and painted royal blue. It is trimmed with gold inlay around the edges and feels heavier than its size would suggest. His inspection is interrupted by an audio transmission that comes seemingly from out of nowhere. He looks to the heavens and tries to decipher what is being said, but the words are indiscernible and he soon diverts his attention back to the box. As he is about to lift the lid, the sound ends as abruptly as it began. Again he is interrupted, this time by his father.
“Noah, what time is it?”
Noah opens his eyes and turns to his sleeping wife. “Eve, wake up. Did you hear that?” He looks around the cabin; no one else has noticed it either.
“Huh?” Evelyn stretches her arms high above her head, her eyes at half-mast. “What did you hear?” she asks, dazed.
“The captain. He was making an announcement and then suddenly was cutoff in mid-sentence.” He releases his harness to stand. “I’m going to take a look about. Stay awake.”
Evelyn is quick to come to, as she recognizes from the tone of his voice that Noah is on full alert. “Oh dear,” she sighs.
Before Noah can slink past her, the shuttle drops like a lead balloon, leaning hard to the left, throwing him off his feet and across Evelyn. Passengers scream in horror while Evelyn struggles to help him back to his flight station. He gets in his seat and pushes for the harness. Just as it buckles around him, the airship rights itself.
Evelyn turns to her husband. “Was that an air pocket?”
Noah again releases his harness. “I don’t think so.” His tone is grave as he faces her. “I’m going to the cockpit. I need you to do something while I’m away.”
“Of course, what is it?”
He pulls Evelyn’s face into his and kisses her gently but passionately, leaving her slightly lightheaded. He looks deep into her eyes. “Prepare for impact.”
Evelyn’s face freezes, and all she can do is nod, her mouth half open. She is terrified but focused as she releases her harness and pulls for the emergency life vest under her seat, quickly sliding it over her head. She takes a deep breath and tries to calm her nerves, before standing and addressing everyone within earshot.
“Can I have your attention please? It is imperative that you put on your life vests immediately. They are located directly under your seat. You do not need to inflate it. It will do so automatically when it comes in contact with water.” This announcement is met with confused chatter. Evelyn, unfazed, continues.
“You must then buckle your lap belt followed by your shoulder harness. When you are secure, pull your overhead compartment down into the locked position. After impact, unlock your station by pressing the red button on your control panel and release your belt and harness. Leave the shuttle through one of the four exit doors nearest you and swim as fast and as far away from the shuttle as you can and look for the life tubes.”