Deeply Rooted Dreams, page 7
“Fair reminder,” Gabriel said. “What do you suggest?”
“There’s no way you can do something about these kidnappings?”
“It’s out of my hands. They’ve convinced themselves that this is the only way to ensure survival.”
“What would you say if I told you that I have another solution?”
“I’d tell you that unless the majority buy in, then there’s nothing I can do.”
“There’s a kid, well, a young man. He’s onto something and might be our last chance at solving this.”
“Well, what do you need from me?”
“I need you to get Zach back.”
“I don’t see how that will be possible. I can’t interfere.” Gabriel eyed Jessica. “She’s entangled, isn’t she?”
“Correct.”
“How viable of a candidate is this young prospect of yours? I’d hate to see them all moved back behind screens again.”
“He’s the best shot we have.”
“You know what it would take to bring Zach back. That’s a lot of potential exposure,” Gabriel said.
“I understand.”
“Here’s the deal. If the boy comes through, then you can get Zach back.”
“But?” Ori asked, anticipating some stipulation.
“But what?”
“There’s always a ‘but’ with you.”
Gabriel tilted his chin up. “But Jessica is out of play.”
“I’d like to leave that up to Jessica. If she decides to sit out, then she comes with me.”
“To the Point?” Gabriel asked, his eyebrows raised.
“Wouldn’t be the first time. And when the kid does succeed, you have to ensure that they get back every second that they missed. Everything restored in full, in exchange for her sacrifice.”
“Agreed,” Gabriel said as he leaned back in his chair. “But you know the consequences if he fails. Does she?” Gabriel motioned his head at Jessica.
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll tell her.”
“You better.”
“One more thing. If anyone tries to interfere with the kid, our team will be there, and it’ll be on you to clean up the mess.”
Gabriel didn’t reply and instead turned to Jessica. “Ms. Ifill, just out of curiosity, why did you go immediately to Zach’s house after you arrived from the airport?”
Jessica was surprised by the question. How did he know that? How did she forget that?
“He told me that he had something important to share, something that needed to be done in person.”
“He had something important that he needed to share?” Gabriel repeated back, gazing at her with a bemused expression. “You don’t remember, do you?” Gabriel turned his attention back to Ori. “The universe and its mysteries, hmm?”
Ori checked his watch. “Time to go.”
“Aren’t you going to stay for tea?”
“Sorry, old friend, next time,” Ori said as he stood up. Jessica followed his lead.
“Let me at least walk you out.”
“Of course.”
Once outside, the valet handed Jessica her keys. She noticed for the first time how young he looked. He was tall and skinny, but his face was that of a kid. The young valet held the door open for Jessica and closed it behind her. She watched as the boy ran around the car to open the door for Ori. After Ori exchanged goodbyes with Gabriel and the valet closed the door behind him, both Ori and Jessica reacted as the valet shouted, “Excuse me! Excuse me...” Jessica thought she had forgotten something and started to roll down the window when she realized that he was trying to get Gabriel’s attention. Jessica heard the beginning of a conversation. “You’re Lord Gabriel, aren’t you? It’s a real honor to meet you. My name is Roy,” the boy said.
Ori caught Jessica’s eye. “Let’s head back to the park.”
Chapter 16
What’s the Catch?
Ori stared out of the window, silent the entire way back to Medlock Park. Jessica, meanwhile, had been replaying that odd, cryptic conversation she just witnessed repeatedly in her mind. It’s a strange thing to witness people talking about something that involves you and to understand so little of the meaning. Now parked, she saw more pedestrians walking their dogs. She looked at the clock in her car. It was almost nine o’clock. It’s still pretty early.
Ori was intently focused on his watch, which he had reactivated to its fancy skeleton form. Jessica stared at it, seeing every internal gear working in unison. The watch had four detailed sub-dials and three bezels circling the face, which Ori was meticulously adjusting with his thumb and middle finger. After a moment, Ori pressed a button and nodded as if he had accomplished his task.
“Do you have a pen?” Ori asked.
“I should.” Jessica reached into her bag in the back seat, pulled out a pen, and handed it to Ori.
Ori took a moment to admire the grooves of the pen that made it look as though it was carved from ivory or bone. “Lovely,” he said as he scribbled something on the back of a white envelope.
“Gabriel asked if I was entangled,” Jessica said, testing the waters.
Ori looked over at her, a little hesitant, before replying, “He was referencing quantum entanglement.”
“Okay, and what is that exactly?” Jessica asked.
“Think of your mind and Zach’s mind as two different systems that should operate completely independently. Somehow, your minds formed a deep bond and have become entangled. The disruption occurring in Zach’s mind seems to have affected your mind as well. This is not unheard of. However, the human brain is resilient. Typically, your brain can revert to its independent system when necessary. In your case, we think that the incident at Zach’s house, likely a blow to the head, left you more susceptible and less resilient. This is why you not only lost time but are having a hard time remembering things. If you come to the Point, there’s a chance that we can help you get your memory back, which, if I’m correct, will ultimately help Zach.”
“I’m liking this plan so far,” Jessica said. “What’s the catch?”
Ori was watching something out of the front windshield. Jessica followed his eyes toward the big baseball field off in the distance. Jessica saw a fog building in the woods that lined the outer edge of the park.
“If you come with me, and we aren’t able to recover your memories, and if our mission isn’t successful, then you may never return.”
“And if I don’t come?” Jessica asked.
“The likelihood of you recovering your memories is even slimmer. You’ll still have some incredible years ahead, but they’ll feel brief. And over time, you’ll start to lose all of your mental faculties.”
“Like Zach,” Jessica said.
“Yes, unfortunately.”
“But if I go and you’re successful?”
“That means we’ll have righted the course relative to managing the virus. Then we get to turn back time, in a sense, and Zach will be released.”
“If going with you is the best way I can help Zach and regain my memory, then it’s an easy decision to make.”
Ori smiled and extended the envelope and pen toward her. “I figured you’d say that. Here is everything you need to travel to the Point.”
Jessica scanned the envelope to see trust yourself written on one side. She tucked it away. “So, what’s next?”
“Now, I go back to make sure that things are still going according to plan.”
The fog had thickened and was shifting closer and closer to the parking lot. Jessica watched as the people walking their dogs promptly got back into their cars. Ori chuckled and opened the door. “I should get going before people lose their minds.”
Ori, now standing outside of the car, bent down and looked in at Jessica from the open passenger door. “See you soon.” He closed the door and was instantly covered by the fog. Just moments after Jessica lost visibility of Ori, the fog dissipated, and so returned the clear blue skies.
Chapter 17
Jessica Travels to the Point
Jessica’s flight landed at Vancouver International Airport. As the pilot turned on the light for everyone to get up, Jessica sat patiently in her window seat, reviewing the contents of the envelope that Ori gave her. She wondered if she was missing something. The contents were an old-school paper plane ticket to Vancouver, a handwritten-note in binary code, and a Singularity Group business card with small written instructions on the back: “Take the first ferry out at 4 AM, then follow R. Frost.” Jessica raised her arm to look at her watch and realized she wasn’t wearing one. Her phone said it was just after midnight. She had a few hours to kill, so she headed toward the ferry and found a twenty-four-hour diner.
Jessica sat down and studied the piece of paper with binary code.
01010000 01100001 01110011 01110011 01100001 01100111 01100101 00100000 01100110 01101111 01110010 00100000 01010100 01110111 01101111
She took out her phone and tried to pull up a search browser. Just as a binary code translator was appearing, she heard a friendly, energetic voice. “Hey there, welcome back.”
Jessica looked up at the waitress, not sure what to say. “Good morning,” was all she could muster.
“I’ll get you some coffee while you take a look at the menu,” the waitress said. “Oh, I know it looks different, but don’t worry, we still have huevos rancheros.” The waitress winked as she turned to go get the coffee.
Jessica scanned the menu. I would love some huevos rancheros. The waitress came back and filled Jessica’s mug. “Do you want me to give you a little time before I put your order in?”
“Yes, please,” Jessica said. “And hey, how did you know I’d want huevos rancheros?”
The waitress tilted her head at Jessica, then she laughed. “You only order it every time you come.”
Every time I come? Jessica glanced at the waitress’s name tag. “Thanks, Ruth.”
“Anytime, hon.”
A couple of hours later, Jessica sat at her table in front of an empty plate, sipping from her mug. Ruth came back by. “Is there anything else you need?”
Jessica shook her head and smiled. “All set, thank you.”
After the waitress left, Jessica glanced out of the window. A green light in the distance caught Jessica’s eye. She squinted slightly to get a better look. She could vaguely identify the rocky outline of land that the lighthouse was warning of. She inhaled deeply, softened her gaze, and allowed her shoulders to relax. As she exhaled, she felt a sense of peace come over her. She didn’t know why. Someone important to her was sick, the world was being held hostage by a virus, yet that warm cup of coffee in a near-empty diner gave her a momentary sense of comfort. At that moment, she felt a flicker of hope that everything would be okay. As she sat present in the moment, she felt someone walk up behind her.
“Where are you heading?” The bass in the old man’s voice sounded like a friendly, helpful character in a Western movie.
“Oh.” Jessica turned around, slightly surprised that the man was there. “I’m waiting for the first ferry out.”
The man was tall, rugged, with a thick white mustache and matching white hair sticking out from his mesh hat. “Well, Ms. Ifill, I didn’t expect you to be here.”
“You know me as well, I take it?”
The man gave her a confused look, exhaled through his nose, and smiled. “You could say that, seeing as I’m the captain of the first ferry out. You may want to get your check and grab your bag.”
“May I have my check, please?” Jessica called over to Ruth.
Ruth walked over. “It’ll be $7.95.”
Jessica opened her wallet. She only had a ten- and a twenty-dollar bill. “Here,” Jessica said, handing the woman the twenty.
“I’ll be right back with your change,” she said.
“That’s okay.” Jessica smiled. “Keep the change.”
“Thank you.” Ruth returned the smile.
“We ready to go?” the captain asked.
Jessica grabbed her bag. “I’m ready.”
Jessica and the man walked to the door. The man paused, looking back one more time. “How about you? Are you ready?”
Jessica turned to see who he could be talking to. She looked back to see the waitress, standing alone behind the counter. Then, sitting at a table in the corner that was barely visible from the front door, Jessica saw a figure emerge. She was beautiful, in a striking red dress. The woman had ebony skin, jet-black curly hair, curving cheeks, and a smile so warm it felt like a hug. The woman stood and whispered, “I think so.”
“They’ll be okay,” the captain said.
The woman nodded, grabbed a small bag, and walked to the front door.
The trio walked to the dock. The ferry was smaller than Jessica imagined. She expected to see a large vessel capable of carrying cars. This ferry, however, was no longer than one hundred feet. The main deck was covered, and underneath it had several rows of bolted down metal benches. The captain asked for and collected the coded paper from Jessica, then walked to the bridge and vanished as he boarded the boat. Shortly after, Jessica heard the engine of the vessel roar.
The captain reemerged. “You ladies can come aboard. We’re just waiting on one more.”
Jessica heard the roaring of a loud engine and even louder music speeding toward the dock. She watched as a car pulled up, windows down, blaring B.B. King’s “Lucille.” The driver’s side door swung open, and a bald man with glasses stepped out. Jessica could see his smile from the boat.
“Y’all hold up!” he yelled, putting one finger in the air. He ran to the diner, and Jessica saw him toss the car keys to Ruth. “Take good care of her!” the man shouted before he trotted toward the boat.
“Whew, y’all just don’t know,” the man said as he boarded the ferry. The man had a sly smile and was wearing a sharp suit with a half-buttoned shirt. Jessica noticed bright red lipstick on the collar.
The man took a seat at the back of the ferry. The woman in the red sequined dress looked at Jessica and said, “You can’t take him anywhere.”
Overhearing the comment, the man, almost ready to fall asleep, said, “I still made it though.”
The two laughed, and the woman said, “You sure did, but just barely.”
As the ferry departed the dock and the sound of the motor and water drowned everything else out, Jessica couldn’t help but stare at the woman’s red dress.
“Hi, I’m Fey,” the woman said.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Jessica.”
“Nice to meet you too.”
They rode in silence for a few moments.
“So,” Jessica said, “where are you headed?”
“That crazy fool back there and I are getting off at the first stop.”
Jessica nodded, processing this information.
Fey leaned back slightly. “You seem like the type of person who has a question. Go ahead and ask.”
“The red is beautiful. I was just wondering why you’re dressed so nicely? I mean, if we are going to the same island.”
“Oh, we’re celebrating. The end of one thing, the beginning of another.”
Jessica smiled and nodded, not sure what to say next.
Fey took Jessica in. “I think your stop might be different, but that’s okay too,” Fey said with a big smile. She nodded at Jessica’s tote bag. “You’re going to have to hoof it, huh?”
“He said to bring a bag that I’m comfortable carrying and walking with for at least ten miles.”
“Whoo, girl, that’s not nothing!” Fey let out a hearty laugh. “Who is ‘he’? Is that Ori?”
“You know Ori?” Jessica replied with surprise.
“I met him when I worked at an assisted living home. He visited from time to time. Girl, he was always in there crackin’ jokes,” Fey laughed, “and tryin’ to dance. He’s hard to forget.”
“Doesn’t quite sound like the Ori I know, but I’d love to see that.”
Fey sat there enjoying her memory for a moment. Then she looked over at Jessica again. “Here’s what I know about the last stop. When you dock, there will be only one path leading into the forest. Follow it until you reach a point where a single path becomes many. You won’t know which to choose. You’ll have to trust yourself.”
“What does that mean?”
“Don’t worry. The forest won’t let you down.”
“I think I’d rather come with you.” Jessica grinned.
Fey’s expression was one of empathy. “I think you have some other work to do. Everyone’s journey is different. There are things on my path that are for me and things on your path that are meant for you.”
JESSICA WASN’T SURE how long she’d been on the ferry. She fell asleep at some point, and when she woke up, the ferry was docked, and the captain was standing nearby.
“Here’s your stop,” he said. “The end of the line for return visitors.”
Return visitors?
Fey and the other man were nowhere in sight. They must have been off to their celebration a while ago. As Jessica disembarked, she wondered what time it was and glanced down at her wrist again. Shoot, why do I keep thinking I’m wearing a watch? Jessica looked around; there was no one in sight. Just as Fey said, one path led into the thick forest.
“Is there somewhere else where you can drop me off? Maybe someplace where there’s someone who can help me?”
The captain shook his head. “That’s not the way it works, unfortunately. You can only be shown the way once. After that, to return to the Point, you’ve got to get there on your own.”
“Don’t worry,” the captain continued. “I’ll be here in case you want to head back.”
Jessica took a deep breath. “I won’t need to do that.” She reached in her bag. “But I do need to get you a tip.” She found the single remaining ten-dollar bill and pulled it out to give to the captain. I’m gonna need to stop for cash.
