Deadly Designs (Design Series) (9 page)

Eric groaned. "Why would it say that? We don't even know how to help ourselves at this point, let alone getting her home."

Storey stared at the words she'd written. "Maybe because that's how I felt." She gazed at Eric soberly. "The connection between us has deepened. It's almost as if I know what it's going to say. Maybe it has the same impression of my feelings?"

"That doesn't make sense. Why would it deepen when you'd been separated to the point where it almost went to sleep?"

"Maybe that's exactly why. To keep the connection there, to save the Louer souls inside from becoming a nothing shell like the other styluses that were outgrown, packed away and forgotten."

Storey studied the stylus in her hand. The connection did feel different. It was a little hard to explain but it felt deeper. Odd, but not unpleasant.

"Stylus, are the other styluses asleep like you were?"

Like I was in the process of becoming, yes.

"But there are souls in each one?"

Yes, especially the broken one.

She frowned. "What can we do for them?"

Nothing at the moment. Keep them safe.

"And later? Is there something we can do later?"

Yes.

Good. Glancing at Eric, she asked. "Stylus, did you do something to Eric's codex so that he couldn't leave without me?"

No. Had to change his codex to old programming to tell him you were here. His codex works but it needs to be programmed manually.

From the look of horror on Eric's face, she assumed the news wasn't to his liking.

"Stylus, can you revert the process on Eric's codex or reprogram it so we can return to Paxton's lab?"

Yes. But it takes time and energy.

Back to square one. The stylus wasn't fully up yet. Shit. The more she asked it to do, the more it wore down. And she was almost out of paper. Storey frowned. "Is there more paper here, Stylus?"

No.

"So, I have to go back to Paxton's lab to get something to write on?"

No. Go home. Paper there.

Ah. Storey sat back, an idea firing in the back of her mind.

"Why is it I don't think I'm going to like whatever you're thinking?" Eric's voice broke through her reverie.

"Let's go to my house. There's paper there, beds and food. I have no idea about my parents. We'll deal with that when we get there. Hopefully we can be there at least long enough for us to restock, reevaluate and figure out what to do. It's obvious we can't stay here. We have to go somewhere, and if you don't want to go to her new dimension, or take us to your dimension, then that only leaves my dimension." She thought she'd been the voice of reason, but from the frown on Eric's face, it didn't appear as if he agreed.

"And how are we going to get there? The codexes are on 'manual mode,' remember? Do you know how to program mine or your dimension on my codex so we can go anywhere?" he asked, the sarcasm thick on his voice.

She flipped the paper over and held up the portals. "We still have these." Although, she'd written on the portal to Bankhead mine, the other portal that she'd used to travel Paxton's lab from her bedroom, hadn't been touched. "I can change this so we can portal to my bedroom."

He closed his eyes and bowed his head. "It's not perfect, but it's better than staying in this hellhole. From there I can always go see Paxton and try to sort out the next step in this mess." With a nod toward the sleeping child, he said, "What about her?"

Storey was already working on adapting the one portal entrance. Thankfully it was almost perfect for here. She lifted her head from the sketch. "We take her with us. Believe me, I'd rather take her to her dimension right away, but not without a fully functioning stylus and lots of paper, thank you. Not to mention having your codexes working properly again." Storey shook her head. "No thank you."

"So, we hide away at your place until the stylus is stronger?" He cocked his head and waited.

"Unless you want to hide away in your dimension, instead."

"Paxton will see us. They've stepped up the monitoring of all crossings since the Louer invasion."

"Exactly."

"Fine. Let's go then. I don't know how we're going to keep her quiet though. That squeal of hers and her pet is going to cause a ruckus at your house."

"Another reason to have the stylus get back to full strength and to have more paper so he can write messages to her. If she understands we have to be quiet to get her home, then maybe – and I'm only saying maybe – she'll listen. I do know she's expecting us to solve her problems now and that includes me feeding her. Do you want to tell her there's no food when she wakes up?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

He stood. "Let's go now. I won't rest until we're out of here."

***

Eric glared at the codexes. How was he going to fix them?

Storey nudged his arm and pointed at the child who was starting to stir.

With an eye roll, he said, "Let's go then."

Bending over, Storey laid the paper on the floor. "I think this should work."

"Think." He didn't like the sound of that. "What if it doesn't? Can't you draw a new one?"

"Not really." She studied his expression briefly. "The stylus is not up to full power, remember? We can't overdo it."

He couldn't believe how dependent they were on technology right now. He felt naked with his codex not working properly.

"Let's go." Once again, he studied the girl and her pet. "Do we pick her up and carry her?"

"It might be best. Except for her pet. It's liable to bite your hand off."

"Yet if we wake her…"

Storey grinned at him, that clear, honest, so open grin of hers. He couldn't help but smile back, his good humor rapidly returning. If nothing else, life with Storey was an adventure. "You're the ranger, remember. And you're the male here."

"She's no lightweight."

"So it's a good thing she isn't any older." Storey motioned toward the sleeping girl. "Now would be a good time."

Eric took a deep breath and caught up child and rodent in one scoop before either could wake. He took two steps toward Storey and walked into the portal.

***

Storey watched the three disappear into her portal and whispered a prayer that this path would lead them home. She grabbed a corner of the paper and hopped in herself. The last thing she saw was the dark, dank cold of the Louer world.

Good riddance.

She tumbled into sunshine. Sunshine and nothing else – no buildings and definitely no bedroom.

"Oh shit."

"Ya think?" Eric stood beside her, still holding the sleeping child. Her pet, now awake, glared at them. Maybe as long as it was being held tight in the child's arms he wouldn't take off. Storey would have much preferred to have had it in a cage.

First things first. "Any idea where we are?"

"No. You?"

"Not yet." She turned around, puzzled. "But I will. This can only be one of three dimensions."

"Great." Eric shifted the load in his arms. "If we get caught by Louers, this isn't going to look so good."

He was right.

Time to get serious, again. "Stylus, we need help and now. I don't know where we are. We're trying to get to my house. Help."

In a shaky script, the stylus wrote,
You're only halfway. Go through the portal again
.

Storey and Eric stared at each other in horror.

Eric spun around at her words. "What. We are? Here?" He shook his head. "As in the
new
Louer dimension?"

She put the sheet of paper with the portal back on the ground. "Let's take another jump and see if it will take us to the right destination."

With a nervous glance around, Eric gave an abrupt nod and stepped in. Storey followed immediately.

And fell into her room.

"We're home," she crowed. She turned around a huge grin on her face. "Finally."

She couldn't believe how good it felt. Her bedroom. Different than she remembered, it looked like her mother had changed her bedding. Still, after all she'd been through, she was finally home. Clean clothes, a shower, food. Definitely food.

She motioned to the bed for Eric to lay the child down.

He did so carefully, asking, "What about your parents?"

Her smile fell away. "Right. That problem. Damn it." She studied Eric. How could she explain he was a ranger from another dimension and they'd brought a child of yet a third dimension and a weird pet home? What could she possibly say?

Shit. Instead of solving one problem, she had three more. Not that Eric was a problem. He was about the only good thing here.

Were her parents at home? How could she find out without drawing attention to herself and her entourage? She wanted a shower and a change of clothes so bad. The clothes she could grab. The shower – not if her parents were home. She looked out the window, realizing it was daytime. And likely early. She didn't know what day of the week or what day of the month it was, but at least the sun was shining. That meant there was a chance, a slim chance that her parents weren't home.

She opened her bedroom door and stuck her head around the corner. The house was silent. For the moment. "Eric, I'm going to slip downstairs and see if we are alone. If we are, I'll search for food. Stay here with her."

Eric frowned.

"It's the only way. Don't wake her up."

Eric's gaze widened in horror, panic starting in his eyes. "You can't leave me with her."

"I'll be back soon." She closed the door softly and crept down the hallway to her mother's room. The door was ajar and it was dark inside. Empty. That was a good sign. At the top of the stairs, she cocked an ear and listened.

So far, so good. Skipping the second stair, which squeaked, she made her way to the first landing and poked her head around the corner. Nothing. And no one. Thank heavens for that. In the den, she stopped and frowned. Different furniture. Had they bought new furniture while she'd been gone? She crossed to the corner of the den where the Louers had tried to enter the house. A smirk broke free. Typical. Her mother had already repainted.

Just to be sure, she checked the garage and front driveway and breathed a sigh of relief. There were no vehicles in sight.

She headed to the kitchen. They might have lucked out this time, but her parents could return at any time. In the kitchen she tried to find food that she could grab easily and take to her hungry guests. She collected a box of granola bars, a pound of cheese and a loaf of bread. After further hunting, she found a package of ham, a bag of apples and a bag of mini carrots. There was also a full jug of orange juice. With her large haul, she raced back up to her bedroom.

Just in time.

A rising caterwaul shrieked through the bedroom door.

"Eric. Open the door." It opened immediately, making her suspicious he'd been at the point of coming after her.

His eyes lit up at the food. She came in and dumped the food on the bed. Immediately the rodent bounced to the middle of the pile sniffing the items.

Eric raced over. "Oh no you don't." He tried to brush the animal back. The little girl, whose eyes had grown huge at the sight of the food, opened her mouth, her bottom lip trembling. "Uh, Storey. Over here, uh, like now."

Storey walked over, smiled at the girl, and opened the loaf of bread, without any butter, she slapped some ham in between two slices of bread and handed it to the child. The girl took it, her eyes huge. She looked at the sandwich and then stared up at Storey.

"I don't think she recognizes it as food."

"I'm not sure I do either, but if you make one for me, I'll be happy to demonstrate."

Storey slid him a quick look. "You don't have ham and bread in your dimension?"

"Our bread isn't white. It's dark and full of seeds and grains. And ham, no, I don't know it." She made him one and handed it over. Eric held it up to catch the little girl's attention then took a big bite and chewed. Her face lit up and she tore into her sandwich.

Storey made herself one. Looking around her bedroom, her gaze lit on the glass of water she kept beside her bed. Getting up, she dumped the contents in the sad looking plant pot. She brought the glass over and filled it with orange juice and handed it to the girl.

"We need to find a name to call her," Storey mumbled around bites.

"Tammy."

Storey looked up at him in surprise. "Is that her name?"

"Don't know. But she looks like a Tammy."

"That's fine with me, but that doesn't mean she'll answer to it."

"I think you need to show her what to do with that drink." Storey spun around to find Tammy had poked her finger into the juice.

"Oh crap." Storey lifted the glass to Tammy's mouth. Automatically, Tammy opened up and took a drink. And coughed several times. So much for being quiet.

Storey waited for a moment to make sure she was going to be fine, and held up the glass again. "Try it again."

This time Tammy drank eagerly, downing half the glass in one gulp.

"Any for me?"

She answered, "We can drink from the bottle."

Eric raised an eyebrow. He studied the bottle and lifted it to his own mouth. She watched the emotions play across his face as he tasted orange juice, and from the look on his face, maybe for the first time.

His face scrunched up, making her laugh. "It's orange juice," she said. "Made from oranges."

"Oranges?"

Oh boy. This was going to be fun. And she so didn't have time. In between bites of her sandwich, she explained. When done eating, she walked through her room and collected several changes of clothing, stuffing things into a much larger backpack she dragged out of her closet. Then she added several sketchbooks and a zip up jacket. Turning around, she perused her room taking in the familiar items of her childhood. Every time she left, she wondered if she'd ever come home again. "Is it safe to leave you three alone for a few minutes while I go wash up?"

Eric, in the middle of making a second sandwich, looked up guiltily. "Sure. We'll be fine." He slapped the second slice of bread onto the rest and Tammy snatched it out of his fingers. His look of astonishment had Storey laughing aloud.