Memory's Door (A Well Spring Novel) (3 page)
Reece held out his hand and a moment later felt his cell phone settle into his palm. “Hello, Tamera.”
“I need to come see you.” Her voice was clipped and too loud.
“What would we talk about?”
“What happened to me at Well Spring during my training with the other new students.”
“And what was that?” Reece eased through the back door and sat at his kitchen table. He didn’t need this. She’d been pinging him every few weeks since she ran into Marcus last summer at the Space Needle about getting deeper in with the ministry.
The first time they’d talked Reece suggested the best way to go deeper was to attend one of their training sessions in Colorado at Well Spring Ranch. She’d refused. He said the same thing the second time she called. The third time she said she’d go and she had. He hadn’t been there, but Brandon, Marcus, and Dana said things went well.
“I’ll explain when we meet. I just want to ask you a few questions.”
Reece rubbed his forehead. “Can you ask them now?”
“In person would be better.”
“This is a busy time for me, Tamera.”
“It’s been a busy time for you for the past six months. I went through the training as you suggested. You implied we could get together after I did.”
“I did not.”
“I think you did.”
Reece sighed. “All right, how does Sunday at three o’clock sound?”
“Fine, where would you like to meet?”
“Can you come to my home?”
“Of course.”
Reece hung up and squeezed his cell phone.
“What did she want?” Doug’s voice came from his left.
“To make life more difficult.”
“The enemy is not going to rest just because you are.”
“I’m not resting.”
“You’re waiting. Holding back. You can’t—we can’t—afford for you to do so.” Doug squeezed Reece’s shoulder. “When the Warriors gather here on Sunday night, you need to be ready.”
“I came to that same conclusion at the fire pit.” Reece raised his face in the direction of Doug’s voice. “I’ll be ready for Sunday night.”
“Really?”
“I’m done with the self-pity.”
“Excellent.”
Reece heard the smile in Doug’s voice, but his tone grew somber a moment later.
“There is little doubt in my spirit that the enemy is going to step up his attack. If he knows we’re soon to go after the Wolf and his associates, he’ll be coming for all of us in greater measure.”
“I agree. I’ve felt it. With more subtlety this time.” The demon Zennon they’d faced ten months back wasn’t overt, but he wasn’t subtle either. He wouldn’t make the same mistake again. And neither would the Wolf.
Reece pulled his beat-up Stetson down on his forehead. “Have you sensed the attack will be focused on any of us in particular?”
“The one who comes to mind with the greatest frequency is the professor.”
“D
O OTHER REALITIES OR UNIVERSES TRULY EXIST
?”
A roar of delight broke out on Friday mid-morning in Professor Marcus Amber’s class in the physics and astronomy building on the University of Washington campus. He grinned as he stood at the podium in front of forty or so students who whooped and applauded at the question like they were rabid Brandon Scott fans.
That was the question Marcus’s class had been waiting to hear. It was the main reason his Physics 401 class was always full, with at least another twenty-three students on the waiting list. It surprised him every quarter that there were people as drawn to the idea of alternate realities as he was. And this quarter it wasn’t theory. Not that he truly believed alternate realities existed. Yes, he’d written a book on it—quantum mechanics supported the idea—but he didn’t believe there were other universes where you could meet altered versions of yourself or your friends and family.
But he certainly now believed there were spiritual dimensions beyond what most Christians dreamed of, and that at least some of the most seemingly outlandish, mind-bending stories in the Bible were true. He was living them. And in a certain sense, they qualified as alternate realities.
Marcus held up his hand to quiet his students. “I’m going to ask you to boldly go where many classes have gone before. It’s your turn to follow in the footsteps of twenty-one classes before you. It has
now fallen among you to prove or disprove the existence of other realities and universes.”
A shout came from a student in the back of the room. “Do you believe in them, Professor?”
Marcus chuckled. “I take it you haven’t read my book.”
The young man stood. “No, I have read your book and you don’t ever give a definitive answer.”
Marcus jabbed his pen in the direction of the student. “I see we have a sharp one among us this quarter. ’Tis true. I do not divulge my personal position on the subject within the covers of my book.”
“So are you going to tell us?”
“I understand a number of you already know where I stand with regard to my beliefs in the alternate realities, even though I have sworn all my previous students to secrecy. But even if you do know and they have explained to you why I believe what I believe, I will presume they didn’t explain to you the same way I would and with the complete explanation I can. So hopefully you will be enlightened even if you do already know.”
“In other words, you’re not going to tell us now.”
“Yes.” Marcus slipped off his glasses and set them on the podium. “I believe in dimensions other than the one in which we typically reside.”
The majority of the class cheered, but the student at the back wasn’t finished. “And that we can get to them.”
“Other dimensions, yes. Alternate realities, no.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“There is a high probability that by the end of the quarter you’ll find out.”
Marcus slid his glasses back on, pulled up a slide on his computer, and pointed to the white screen on the back wall of the classroom. “In case you haven’t already heard, here’s how the class will work. Half of you will argue for the existence of alternate realities, the other half against. It doesn’t matter to me if you believe what you’re arguing or not. In fact, I suggest you choose to play for
the side whose argument to which you don’t subscribe. To convince others of your way of thinking, you must understand completely what they believe, why they believe what they do, and be able to state it with clarity.”
Marcus shut his laptop and put it in his satchel. “The rest of the class today will be spent dividing into teams. My capable TA will handle the details. I’ll see you on Monday.”
As Marcus stood on a street corner just west of campus waiting for the light to change, a man a foot to his right shuffled closer. He didn’t stop till his left shoulder was within two inches of Marcus’s. A space invader. Great. Marcus wished he could zap the guy into oblivion just like he used to do with that ancient video game he played when he was a kid.
On an airplane? Yes, being jammed within centimeters of strangers was unavoidable due to the airline’s penchant for making a profit. But on the corner of the Ave and 45th, it wasn’t necessary for this man to snuggle up to him like Marcus and Kat did in front of their big screen on cold January nights.
Marcus grimaced and took a step to the left. So did the man. Marcus glanced to his left. The woman next to him stared at the proximity of his shoulder, then scowled at him. He sighed and willed the light to change.
The man to his right scooted another quarter inch closer, then crept forward till the middle of his shoes were on the edge of the curb. He balanced there, his feet rocking back and forth as if to keep his balance, the edge of his dark red shirt brushing Marcus’s as he swayed.
Marcus studied the man’s face. A thick black goatee splattered with gray took some of the attention away from his slightly oversized ears. His full head of hair was the same color as his goatee. His eyes were slate gray and the kind that always seemed to be laughing at some inside joke. Fifty? Fifty-five? Somewhere in that age range.
Marcus was about to step backward to get some breathing room when the man cocked his head, looked up, and spoke.
“Finally.” He winked.
His gaze roamed Marcus’s face as if he knew something secret and was proud of the fact.
Marcus frowned. “Excuse me?”
“We finally get to meet. You and me.” He laced and unlaced his fingers three times and stared at them like they might fly away. “I’ve been waiting, and I’m not always the most patient person in this reality or any other. Especially this one. Because this is the real one. I think. Almost positively sure.”
This reality? Oh boy. Either an ex-student or someone who had read his book and had come to believe crossing over into other realities was more than theory.
“I see.”
“No, you don’t, oh no, you don’t. But you will.” He smacked his lips and tapped his nose four times. “You will, Professor. I can spot ’em. People like you and me, you know? You’ve got it on you. He’s coming after you. Because you’re the key, you see.”
“How do you know I’m a professor?”
The man poked his head with his thumb. “Lots of brain cells working overtime.”
“And your name?” Marcus didn’t offer his hand.
“That will be revealed in due time,
mon frère
.”
“I wouldn’t say we’re friends.”
“We will be.” The man rubbed his hands together. “I’m almost positive of that. We could call it a fact. Upon which we should act.”
A second later the light changed and Marcus pushed off into the street. Dr. Strange remained on the corner, still rocking on the edge of the curb.
“I’ll see you again soon,” he murmured as Marcus strode away.
“Is that so?” Marcus called over his shoulder.
“Yes. Absolutely. You need me, you do, you do. I promise it’s true.”
“Wonderful.” Marcus marched forward and waved his hand but didn’t turn. “I’m not sure I’ll survive the anticipation of seeing you again.”
“Nor I,” the man called, “so I must be spry, because your choice could pass by in the blink of an eye.”
Wow. The man had good hearing. When Marcus reached the other side of the street, he turned to see if the man still stood on the corner but he was gone. A moment later light flashed against the window of the Gingko Tea store and into Marcus’s eyes. He squeezed them shut, all sound vanished, and his legs went to jelly. He expected to faint but his strength returned a second later and he opened his eyes.
He almost wished he hadn’t. The street, the buildings, the cars, and everyone around him had all vanished.
M
ARCUS FOUND HIMSELF STANDING ON THE EDGE OF A
soccer field full of young girls, the air filled with shouts from the sparse crowd on either side. What was this? Where was this? He spun in a slow circle. He was in a park surrounded by northwest trees, and the place felt vaguely familiar but he didn’t recognize it. Was this a vision from the Spirit? Maybe. If so, it felt so much more real than last time. Could he be in someone’s soul? No, he knew that feeling well and this didn’t feel anything like that. Plus he’d never gone in involuntarily. And never alone.
Where am I?
He turned back and studied the girls on the field. Should he know one of them? None of them looked . . . Wait! At the far end of the field it was Abbie, wasn’t it? If this was real maybe he’d been teleported here. But why? As he stared at Abbie his stomach churned. Something was off. She looked younger than she should. At least two years. Maybe more.
One of her teammates passed Abbie the soccer ball. She moved to her left, faked to her right, and skittered around a defender. A second later she launched the ball toward the other team’s goal. The ball glanced off the goalie’s outstretched fingertips and ricocheted into the net.
The crowd cheered and Abbie’s teammates hugged her as they bounced up and down on their toes. She turned and scanned the sidelines until she spotted Marcus. Abbie sprinted to him and when
she got there threw her arms around his stomach. “My first goal! And you were here!” She gave him another squeeze. “I love you, Dad!” She turned and loped back onto the field.
Marcus stared at her as he staggered toward the middle of the sideline, his mind trying to grasp the scenario. He glanced at the coach’s clipboard and the sun flashed off of it, and he shut his eyes. When he opened them he stood staring across the street he’d just crossed.
His new friend was still there, in the center of Marcus’s vision just over the top of the cars passing back and forth in front of him. The man leaned against the Compton Building, his arms folded, a big all-knowing grin laminated on his face. Something in his eyes said he knew exactly what had just happened.
As soon as his gaze met Marcus’s, the man pushed himself off the wall and strode in the direction of the campus.
“Hey!” Marcus shouted at the man as he popped the crossing button like he was playing a video game, but to no avail. If the light took as long as last time, the guy would be to University Village before Marcus could cross. “Wait!”
The man waved over his shoulder and kept going. Marcus rubbed his thinning brown hair. Over the past year he’d gotten almost used to strange things happening, but this one was new. It didn’t feel evil, it didn’t feel good, but it certainly didn’t feel normal.