Rewind (6 page)

Then, once again, the accident began to assemble itself in a dream. Once again, he saw the ice and the swirl of hockey uniforms.

But the perspective was different. The dream was framed as if Adam were watching the past through the videocamera lens.

And just as the event unfolded, just as Edgar began skating around the younger Adam, taunting and teasing, Adam felt a tug. As if someone had entered the dream and was trying to take away his camera.

Ripley. It must be Ripley.

Adam’s eyes opened.

Lianna was slowly pulling the videocamera out of his arms.

“What are you doing?” Adam cried out.

Lianna recoiled, letting go of the videocamera. “Nothing!”

“You’re taking it!”

“I am
not
! How could you even
think
that? I just wanted you to be comfortable.”

Easy. Take it easy.

“Sorry,” Adam muttered.

“Adam, you are paranoid.”

“I know. It’s just—I had this dream—I was watching the accident—Ripley was taking my camera away.”

“Adam, trust me. He will not get that camera. No way. No matter what he tells me to do—?

Lianna’s face suddenly froze.

Adam’s sleep-addled mind snapped to full attention. “What has he told you to do?”

“Nothing.”

“Did he tell you to take the camera?”

“It doesn’t matter, Adam. I have a mind of my own.”

Adam felt a chill. He took the camera and stood up. “I better get home. Sorry, Lianna. I guess I
am
paranoid—and nervous.”

Lianna shrugged and turned back to the TV. “I’ll let you know how the movie ends.”

Adam felt weak as he walked home.

He glanced backward at Grandma’s car.

Was it there earlier?

He couldn’t remember.

Maybe the whole episode was all some kind of concoction. Maybe Grandma and Jazz never died.

After the accident, the doctors had told him he’d had a concussion. Concussions were serious. You may forget things, they’d said. You may see things that haven’t occurred.

And it may not happen right away. It may happen much later, when you least expect it.

Four years later?

Was that what was happening?

Maybe the camera was one big illusion.

Maybe I’m totally cracking up.

No. Not new.

Z
ING.

Adam sprang out of bed.

He’d fallen asleep.

The videocamera was beside his bed.

Think.

Clear your head.

Okay, maybe this was some kind of vision. A concussion side effect.

But too many questions remained.

Why do I have no memory of Jazz or Grandma over the last four years?

How did that image of my old room get on the tape?

He couldn’t afford to doubt.

He had to try.

He had to plan.

What if the rescue failed? What if three o’clock came and went and Edgar was still dead?

That would be it. No adjusting the camera. No turning back again.

It’ll be like killing him twice.

Could he do something beforehand—keep him away?

He flicked on his desk lamp.

His clock showed 10:07 P.M.

Seventeen hours.

THINK!

Edgar’s room.

No. It was Ripley’s. Adam couldn’t pop over there at this hour. Ripley would steal the camera.

Edgar’s not the only one I can warn.

Adam reached for the videocamera. He turned it on and looked through the view-finder, scanning the room.

There. At his desk.

His younger self sat, fidgeting, absorbed in a computer game.

Adam put down the camera quickly and began scribbling on a pad of paper. He threw away several drafts until he got the note just right:

“There,” Adam murmured.

All he had to do was leave it — unobtrusively, hidden in plain sight where his younger self would find it.

No ghostly confrontations, no shock.

Simple.

Adam’s arms trembled as he picked up the camera.

Steady.

He focused again on his ten-year-old self. Slowly he moved his hand into camera range.

Both hand and note shimmered, airy outlines in the old room. He dropped the note.

He pulled the camera away.

But the note was on
his
floor, in the present.

Adam picked up the note. He looked through the camera again and held the note in the viewfinder’s range. Carefully he moved toward the bed and placed the note prominently on the old bedcover.

Again, he pulled the camera away.

The note was on his bed, as if the past didn’t exist. As if the whole thing was—

No.

Do. Not. Doubt.

The rules. There had to be rules for time travel.

I can’t bring anything into the past.

Maybe this was Rule Number One. It made weird sense.

Warning was out.

Rescuing was in. He’d proved that. Two lives saved. Nothing sacrificed.

Adam froze.

This is nothing like Jazz’s accident.

Two people were involved. One lived and one died.

What if rescuing Edgar meant changing everything? What if something had to be sacrificed to save him? Anything could happen.

Adam swallowed hard.

What if I die?

He’s worried about the rules now. About sacrifice.

He’s still a human.

Keep him on track.

C
LICK.

The sound of the closing door filtered into Adam’s dream.

He awoke with a gasp.

He’d fallen asleep.

Again.

And he’d had
the
dream.

No. A variation of it.

In this one, Edgar lived. As Adam sank into the ice, he ran away. Ignoring Adam’s pleas. Leaving him to die
(the way I left him)…

Adam’s heart was racing. He took a deep breath. Shook the thoughts out.

Do. Not. Doubt.

It was light inside. He must have slept through the night. He looked at his clock.

11:57
A.M.

Three more hours.

He swung around. His feet hit the carpet. He reached down for the videocamera.

It was gone.

“Mom? Dad?”

He bolted downstairs. His mom appeared at the bottom landing, looking concerned.

“Where’s my videocamera?” Adam asked.

“I gave it to Lianna. She’s been over three times this morning. I told her you had a rough night. But she needs to borrow it and I figured—?

Adam heard the front door click.

He ran into the front hallway. Lianna was leaving. “
What are you doing
?” he cried out.

Lianna let go of the door. “Adam! You scared me. I thought you were going to sleep through the whole day. You won’t believe this, but Ripley’s coming over. He wants your camera. When your mom said you were asleep, I figured I’d hide it.”

“Look, in three hours he can
have
the stupid camera.”
Why is she doing this?
“I don’t understand. I thought he wanted to go with me. That was the whole point.”

“Does anything about Ripley make sense? Maybe he wants to do it himself and take all the credit.”

Adam held out his hand. “Thanks, Lianna, but I can take care of myself.”

“He’s very persuasive. He’ll get it from you.”

“Over my dead body.”

“That is
such
a bad choice of words.”

Ripley wants to go into the past.
I
want to go into the past. And Lianna’s the one with the camera.

Paranoia. Adam tried desperately to fight it back. But he couldn’t.

“This has nothing to do with Ripley,” Adam blurted out. “
You
want the camera, don’t you?”

“Adam, I’m sorry. I can’t sit by and let you do this to yourself.”

Not now. Now when I’m so close.

“I saved your grandmother’s life, Lianna! I saved Jazz’s life. I can do for Edgar what I did for them. Even if you don’t believe me,
just give me a chance
.”

“You really had me going for a while, Adam. But I’ve been thinking about this. And I believe something’s wrong with you. Something you need to see a doctor about. Your memories are blocked, and somehow looking through a broken camera unblocks them. You’re seeing forgotten things, things that really happened—the way a hypnotist would make you see them.”

NO!

Adam reached for the camera but Lianna pulled it back. “Trust me on this, Adam,” she continued. “I haven’t wanted to tell you this, but…you won’t like what you see.”

“Why? What did I do? Have you been lying to me?”

“Don’t go there, Adam,” Lianna said levelly, backing to the front door. “Stay home.”

Lies.

She’s been misleading me for four years.

For what?

To make me wonder the rest of my life.

To protect me from the truth.

Adam wasn’t going to stand for it any longer. He lunged for the camera.

Ding-dong!

Lianna jumped toward the door and opened it.

Ripley was leaning against the doorjamb, picking his teeth. “So. When’s the big time trip?”

He nimbly lifted the videocamera from Lianna’s arms.

“NO!” Lianna and Adam yelled.

“Whoa, easy, guys,” Ripley handed the camera over to Adam. “I’m not going to eat it.”

Adam was stunned. “I thought—don’t you want—?”

“I want to come along. When you go to the lake. Like I said before.” He smiled. “Maybe I can meet your friend Edgar.”

Adam didn’t know who to believe. Or what.

Maybe Lianna was right. Maybe he needed a doctor.

But even if the camera was a fake—even if all it did was unblock his memories—wasn’t that enough?

Isn’t that all I’m after anyway?

He wasn’t sure anymore.

But he did know one thing.

This was between him and Edgar.

No one else.

“Please go home. Both of you.” He began crowding Ripley and Lianna out the door.

“Okay, okay, let’s go,” Ripley said, pulling Lianna onto the porch.

“Get your hands off me!” Lianna shook herself loose and turned to Adam. “Please, you can’t do this!”

“That’s my decision.”

He slammed the door.

Doubts, doubts, doubts.

Patience.

But he questions his sanity.

That may be his salvation.

Do you believe that?

Do you?

2:37.

No matter how hard Adam pedaled, Lianna and Ripley were right behind.

“WOOOOO!” Ripley shouted. “This is cool!”

“Knock it off!” Lianna shouted back. “You have no clue! He needs our help. He thinks he brought my grandmother and my dog back from the dead!”

Screaming.

She was revealing Adam’s secret to the world.

Focus.

Move.

“Maybe if this works with Edgar,” Ripley yelled, “he can bring back Minerva!”

“Who?”
Lianna asked.

“My goldfish! She died when I was six!”

A joke. That’s what this was to Ripley.

Forget them.

Adam forced his legs to pump. He felt faint. Sick. Split inside between
shouldn’t
and
must.

Must
was winning.

It only needed twenty minutes.

The neighborhood houses were giving way to tall pines. Adam swerved up onto the sidewalk, then cut sharply onto the familiar dirt trail.

He gritted his teeth as his bike juddered over exposed roots.

The clearing was empty. Good.

He skidded to a stop near the narrow footpath that led to the lake.

A quick look at the watch. 2:42.

Eighteen minutes.

Adam dropped the bike. He sprinted onto the path, unslinging his backpack.

“OW!”

Lianna.

Don’t pay attention. Not enough time.

“Leave me alone, Ripley!”

Adam stopped. He spun around.

Lianna was on the ground and Ripley was huddled over her.

The jerk.

Adam sprinted back into the clearing. He grabbed Ripley’s shoulder. “Stop!”

“I’m trying to help!”

Lianna was clutching her ankle. “I think I broke it. Adam, you have to get me to the emergency room.”

“Well, I—I—? Adam looked at his watch.

“I’ll do it,” Ripley volunteered.

“No!” Lianna sprang off the ground and snatched Adam’s backpack. Startled, he tripped and fell against a tree.

“Guess the ankle’s okay,” Ripley said.

Adam clutched his head. “Give it to me, Lianna.”

“Adam, look at yourself,” Lianna replied. “You’re staggering around. You’re hysterical.
Something is seriously wrong with you.
I can’t let you do this stupid trick. You’ll kill yourself.”

“Give it to me!”

“Adam, you won’t be able to live with the truth!”

Adam lunged for the camera.

Lianna began to run.

“Hey!” Ripley shouted.