Continuum (32 page)

I struggle to hold him up, “Ethan?  Ethan, what's wrong?”

We both stumble to the ground and I keep his upper body upright.  He opens his mouth to speak but no words come out, only horrific gurgling sounds.  I unzip his coat to locate the source of his pain.  I watch in horror as a dark wetness blooms across his sweater.  Ethan frantically grabs my hand to get my attention.  He's pointing behind me—a warning.  

I turn around to see whose approaching but suddenly I am blinded.  The sun has come out from behind the clouds and the snow is reflecting the light directly into my eyes.  I try to squint but the light is so bright it feels painful.

Something is wrong.  The pain is intensifying and my eyes aren't adjusting to the light.  Instead the painful light seems to be spreading through my body.  Multiplying.  I feel the pain vibrating through my skull and down my spine.  A white hot lick of pain sears through every cell in my body causing my entire body to seize in pain.  All I can do is cry out.

Firm hands are gripping my shoulders forcefully, shaking my whole body.  I am screaming from the blistering heat trapped inside my skin.  My body is writhing, trying to escape the pain, to find a modicum of relief from the agony.  When I open my eyes, bursts of white light fill my vision and each one feels like a drill in my eye socket.  My eyes finally focus on Zefa’s face and I cut off mid-scream.  My body is covered in a sheen of sweat and I can't stop my muscles from shaking.

“Are you okay?”  Zefa’s eyes rake over my body, do a mental examine as he releases my shoulders.  Unable to hold myself up, I slouch back against my pillow.

I try to nod but my head feels too heavy.  I clear my throat and my voice is hoarse from screaming, “Yeah, I'm okay now.  Thanks for waking me up.  Sorry about that, I don't usually do that.  It was, uh, just a bad dream.”

“Fallon, I am no fool.  You have your father’s gift. For you, there is no such thing as ‘just a bad dream.’  Tell me what you can recollect.”

As the pain fades so does my memory of the dream, I try to describe as much as possible to Zefa.  “And then there was this blinding light from the sun reflecting off the snow.  But the pain from it spread inside my body—it was indescribable.  Like a hot poker pressed directly to my pain center, lighting up all my nerves at once.”

When I finish, Zefa gets up and starts pacing, muttering under his breath.  “This is a bad omen.  We should leave this planet now.”

“Why?  What does my dream tell you?”

“The pain you described.  I have experienced pain like that once before in my life.  It can only mean on person is coming for you.”

“Who?” I whisper, his expression frightening me more than the dream.

He perches on the edge of the bed, “Xak had another son, Epir’s half brother named Fyro.  He has a very rare and particularly barbaric mental ability--the psionic blast you described.  He can cause immense pain without a single touch.  His mind can cause such agony, it disables his opponents completely.  I have witnessed men driven to madness from the pain.”

I grab Zefa’s hands pleadingly, desperately, “Zefa, I also dreamt that Ethan died trying to warn me.  We have to go back to Earth.  They're going to try to get to me through him.  We have to find Ethan and take him with us.”

He pulls away easily and starts pacing again.  “I do not interpret it that way.  It could be a trap.  Ethan could be the reason Fyro captures you.  I do not think returning to Earth is the best idea.  It is simply too dangerous.”

“How can you say that?  Some I care about is in the crosshairs of a lunatic who can cause pain without a single touch!  How far do you think they would go to get to me?  Ethan is clueless about what's going on.  We've left him completely defenseless!”

“Fallon, you must understand.  I swore to your father I would do everything in my power to keep you safe.  We cannot go back.”

I recall another part of my dream, “If you don't take me back to Earth to find Ethan I am walking off this ship.  We'll see exactly how much carbon dioxide there is in the atmosphere.  How many times can you lie to me and still expect me to trust you?”

Zefa slams his fist into the wall in frustration, forming a dent in the smooth surface.  “Fine.  We will go back.  But under my terms.  You will listen to my instruction and not question me.  You would do well to heed my advice once in a while.”  

He storms out of the room and I follow quietly behind him.  I dare not breathe until we are out of sight of the planet's surface. 

The trip back to Earth seemed to take even longer than I remember.  After landing in the forest, Zefa “borrows” another car.  It is late afternoon, the darkest time of day in Everest Heights.  The sun has already set, but the moon hasn’t quite risen in the sky.

I am back in my hometown standing outside Ethan's house.  It's strange to think I thought I would never return to Earth, let alone see Ethan again.  I was expecting us to fly to London, but Zefa assured me that Ethan would be here.  For someone who never intended to come back for Ethan, Zefa knew exactly where to find him.  He must have been keeping tabs on him.

Luck is on my side for once--Ethan answers the door after a few frantic peels of the doorbell.  I have played this scenario out every minute since I woke up from that horrible nightmare.  There are a million things I wanted to say to him but the moment I see his face, my mind goes blank.  

Ethan stands frozen in the doorway, staring wordlessly at me in absolute disbelief.  He looks so weary, it’s heartbreaking to see.  I start worrying that maybe this was not the best approach.  He tilts his head to the side, “Are you really here?  Is this really happening?”

I am taken aback by his reaction, “What do you mean?  Of course, I'm really here.”

Ethan reaches out and strokes my cheek with the side of his hand.  “You feel so real.  It's hard for me to tell whether you’re real.  I've been dreaming about you a lot, Fallon.  You always tell me you shouldn't be there.  That your very presence in my dreams is a great danger.”  He looks at me curiously like he's expecting me to confirm his suspicions.  

His revelation startles me because I recall these instances.  I had dreamt of Ethan often since leaving Earth.  Most of my other dreams are hazy memories, but I realize now that my dreams of Ethan are quite vivid.  I always thought my perfect recall only worked when I was awake.  Was I conscious in my subconscious?  Was this a whole new aspect of my abilities?  The possibilities make my head spin.  I’ll have to ask Zefa about it later.

“Ethan it really isn't safe for us to talk out here.  But this time, it isn't a dream.  I'm really here.  There’s a lot I need to tell you.”

His expression is rueful as he ushers me inside the living room, “I thought I would never see you again.  Never hear your voice.  Never feel your touch.”

“I thought I was never coming back.  But something has changed.”

“What's going on?”

Ethan and I walk over to one of the couches and sit down.  He pulls my hands into his and I feel the same way, not wanting to lose a moment of contact.  I start looking around nervously, knowing Zefa is outside, monitoring the perimeter.  “Is your mom home?”

“No, luckily she's not.  She would probably have a fit if she saw you.”  

The threat of tears sting my eyes, “She has every right to never want to see me again.  I feel tremendous regret for the way I left things.”  

“Is that why you're back now?  To make things right?”

“Something to that effect.  The reason I'm back now is because I've put you in danger.  I shouldn't have left you exposed like this.”

“What danger?  Exposed how?”

“Ethan, the danger I've been warning you about.  It's serious.  My father has a lot of enemies which means I have a lot of enemies.  I’m being hunted.”  

His fingers tighten over mine, horrorstruck, “Why are his enemies hunting you?  You’re only a 17 year old girl.”

“They want to hurt my father.  Killing me or taking me hostage or worse is the surest way of doing so.”  

“Why did you come back then?  You’re putting yourself in danger!”  He releases one of my hands to rake his fingers through his already wild hair.  He is exasperated now.

“I thought my leaving would be the safest option for you, but it's not anymore.  But they will target people associated with me as well.  They’ll come after you the hardest.  I need you to leave with me.  Go somewhere safe until this mess is over.  I... I had one of my dreams Ethan.  You died.  Because of me.”

Ethan changes the topic from his impeding death, “Whose that man stalking my driveway?”  

“That would be Zefa.  My father sent him.”

“Is he some sort of bodyguard?  Soldier?  I really don't like the look of him.  He’s going to freak out the neighbors.  How do you know he can be trusted?”

“Zefa is harmless.  Well, to me anyway.  He is an advisor to the Phynx war council.  My father trusts him so I guess I have to trust him.”

He frowns at my explanation, “Who is Zefa protecting you from?”

I launch into an explanation of Epir and Izic's past and the war between the Phynx and Eku leading up to the dream I had about him.  When I finish, I realize tears have started streaming down my face.  My heart is seized in my chest, I can still feel the weight of Ethan in my arms—still see the life draining from his eyes.

Ethan pulls me tightly against his chest.  “Why didn't you tell me you were in trouble Fallon?  I want you to know, no matter what, I will be by your side.  I would rather stare death in the eye than let you go through this alone.”

“I'm a danger to everyone around me.  I wish I could go back to when everything was normal.  But I guess I was never normal, just blissfully unaware of my anomalies.”  Not wanting sympathy from the boy I’ve condemned to die, I wrench away from him.  I start pacing in front of the couch as he watches me warily.

On my third pass, Ethan grabs me around the waist.  “Fallon, no force alive will wrench me from your side.  When you were gone, I was a mess.  I had to leave London early because I was going out of my mind.  My brother was asking me too many questions that I had no answers to.  Mostly, I just wanted to be alone.  I need to be with you.”

“I was a mess without you too.  I wasn't very good company for poor Zefa.”  

“Poor Zefa,” Ethan mutters under his breath.  “Just give me a minute to pack some things and write my mom a note.  You sit tight, I'll be right out.” 

“You’ll need lots of warm clothes for where we’ll be staying.  What are you going to tell your mom?”

“That I need to get away for a while to find who I am.  She knows your sudden leaving has been... very difficult for me.  But she'll accept my explanation.  She's very big on self exploration and independence.”

Fresh tears trickle down my face, “I'm sorry, Ethan.  I feel wretched about this.  I’m asking you to leave your family behind.  Your friends.  Your life as you know it.  I'm asking a lot of you, Ethan, but I couldn't sit idly by and let you get killed because of what I am.”

He gently squeezes my hand, “I have felt like a new person since I met you, Fallon.  I've lived in many places, met many people in my life.  But it was like I didn't know my place in this universe until I found it next to with you.  Now let me get my things, I'll be back in two minutes.”

Ethan runs upstairs to his bedroom and I wander into the kitchen and sit down on a stool at the counter, waiting for Ethan.  I look through the bay window and watch as Zefa circles the perimeter and walks toward the backyard.  The sky is thick with clouds but the night is still.  I am anxious to leave as quickly as possible before the neighbors notice Zefa's presence.  

The house is too quiet and I can hear the thudding of my heart filling up the room.  Outside, Zefa stops pacing and his head snaps up, suddenly on alert.  My heart leaps into my throat.  An image of Ethan with blood spreading across his chest flashes in my mind.  Instantly, I am on my feet and running out the back door into the backyard.  

Before I can ask him what's happening, I watch helplessly as Zefa collapses onto the ground.   The latch to the gate unhinges and I turn to see whose approaching from the front, but I'm blinded by the beam of a light.  I put up my hand to shield my eyes from the assault but the light only burns brighter.  I start to scream as a burning agony lights up every nerve in my body.  And just as suddenly, the night goes completely black.

Ethan

I am zipping up my suitcase when I hear the back door bang open.  I freeze mid-zip, alarmed by the sudden noise.  A heartbeat later, a scream of pure agony cuts through the still of the night, the sound piercing through me.  Every hair on my body stands and I am instantly on my feet and running.  Grabbing a baseball bat from my closet, I pound down the stairs two at a time.  I don’t see Fallon in the living room where I left her so I follow the sound out the open back door.

It takes my eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness.  I spot Zefa lying in the grass next to the wooden fence, his limbs splayed out.  A pool of blood is collecting at an alarming rate from a gash on his head.  Fallon is nowhere in sight.  My sense of panic is bubbling over as my eyes scan the darkness.

“Fallon!  Fallon!” I call her name out with an increasing dismay as I run toward Zefa.  I crouch down and place my ear next to his mouth and press my fingertips against his throat.  He’s still breathing and his pulse is chugging sluggishly beneath my fingers.  I leave him lying in the grass and leap up, unlatching the back gate and running out to the alley.  

I look around frantically, but both directions are quiet and empty.  There is no sign of a disturbance or struggle.  Running through the yard again, I emerge onto the street and again, there are no signs of life.  In the eerie stillness of the night, I can hear her scream echoing in my mind. 

I run down the street and around the block, looking for anything.  Any clue or sign of which direction they went.  Fallon’s gone.  Someone took her.  Someone strong enough to knock out her bodyguard.  Someone powerful enough to melt into the night.  My blood runs cold at the thought.  I run back into the yard and crouch down once again beside Zefa’s prone body.  I shake him hard and it takes a moment before he rouses awake with a deep moan.  He tries to push himself up but I can tell he is wobbly from blood loss.  I place my hands around his shoulders, helping him sit up.