Stepping into the Sky: Jump When Ready, Book 3 (14 page)

Nostalgia

They couldn’t see to run and no horizon presented itself for
them to run toward. If Rose was still there somehow, remaining in this void
after her dream had been obliterated, there was no way to help her now.

“We need to go,” Nikki said, reaching for Henry’s hand.

Henry’s hand found hers in the darkness. “What about
Rose?”

Nikki shook her head, even though he couldn’t see her.
“We’re out of time. There’s nothing we can do now.”

“You’re right. We’ll have to figure something out after
we get back.”

Nikki waited for the darkness around them to dissolve,
for some sort of opening allowing passage to their realm to present itself, but
that didn’t happen. Instead, her body tingled against energy as it pulsed
toward them, somehow knowing where they stood blindly exposed. She didn’t have
to try reading anyone’s thoughts to know where that energy came from.

“Henry, it’s not working? What do we do?”

Henry’s voice came back to her, close to her ear, the
only thing to ground her in this place without light. “I don’t know.”

“I’m scared.”

“Me too. Just try not to let them fool you. Okay?”

“Okay.” Nikki tried not to think about how powerful the
creatures of this realm were at spinning their webs of delusion.

“No matter what they show you. No matter what they do.
Just think of me. I’m right next to you.”

Nikki tightened her grasp on his hand. “You too, right?
No matter what they try, you’ll remember that I’m with you?”

“I’ll remember,” Henry said.

Nikki closed her eyes and waited. It was upon them now,
the energy that created the darkness surrounding them. It circled, pulsing
closer, about to close around them like a constricting snake.

“Nikki? There’s something you should know,” Henry said.
“Something I probably should have told you before.”

Nikki turned toward him again, instinctively, hoping to
see him next to her. “What is it, Henry?”

Suddenly, the world around them exploded with light.
Every particle of darkness vaporized instantly. Nikki clenched her eyes against
the intensity, squinting as a familiar sense of electricity coursed through her
body, her hair rising into the air. She looked over at Henry, finding it nearly
impossible to keep her eyes open. Her heart lifted at the sight of him standing
next to her, his hand still grasping hers, even though she wanted to laugh at
the sight of his hair rising too. She looked past him to see the curved surface
of the light around them, the same above and below, as if somehow they’d become
instantly encased in a giant orb. That’s exactly what had happened, she
realized. They stood suspended and protected inside this sphere now shielding
them from the darkness. Nikki had no doubt who’d created this sudden haven.

Even as Nikki thought it, she felt a surge of velocity.
Somehow, amazingly, neither she nor Henry lost their balance or even stepped
back as the orb shot off through the darkness and then broke through it as if
puncturing a membrane. She could see through the light of the sphere now,
beyond it darkness again, but a benign darkness filled with billions of stars.
She stared, eyes wide, her mouth dropping open as they raced past what could
only be distant clusters of galaxies and nebulae. She heard Henry whoop in
astonishment. Nikki burst into uncontrollable, excited laughter. Soon,
everything around them became a blur as the orb gained even more speed. She
wasn’t sure how long it took—seconds, minutes?—before they barreled toward
another source of light. For one terrifying moment, Nikki thought they were
about to dive directly into a star but then realized this light was a tunnel
that had suddenly opened to them. Her mind reeled at the counterintuitive
experience of a tunnel of light obliterating the darkness of space. The sense
of motion fell away as they became engulfed, the dimensions of the sphere
expanding until any sense of being enclosed also disappeared. Despite all she’d
experienced between lives, it still seemed nearly impossible that soon she and
Henry stood in a place they knew, one seemingly without boundaries, part of the
light coalescing from something formless into someone they recognized.

Lysrus stared back at them, his expression at first
grave, then softening. After a moment, that now familiar hint of a smile tugged
at the corner of his mouth. “I trust both of you are okay.”

Henry’s head swiveled as his gaze shot to the left, then
right, then up and down. “What just happened?”

Nikki still couldn’t slow the beating of her heart. “How
did we get here?”

Behind Lysrus, Martha strode toward them. Nikki could
tell from the flush of her cheeks that she’d rushed to them from wherever she’d
been.

“My apologies if that was somewhat overwhelming,” Lysrus
said. “Before, we created a connection between realms, a portal through which you
were able to pass. That was no longer possible.”

Nikki thought about telling him that neither of them had
minded the “overwhelming” part one bit. Still, she knew what he meant. Maybe
for others, shooting through space like that might have induced a heart
attack—or whatever the equivalent was for those who technically couldn’t suffer
one. She also felt guilty for having felt so exhilarated at the experience.
After all, they’d just watched Rose fade before their eyes in a state of utter
despair.

“I don’t understand,” Henry said. “What happened to the
portal? Why didn’t we see it this time?”

“That connection was part of the sanctuary provided for
you, something we embedded in the dream as part of its construction. Rose
remembered that house from long ago. She was curious about it on the last day
of her past life. As long as you remained in Rose’s dream, you would have been
able to manifest that sanctuary if you wanted to return to this realm.”

“But we shattered the dream,” Nikki said.

Lysrus nodded. “Exactly. And when that happened, I knew.”

“What would have happened to us?” Henry said. “I mean, if
we
had
gotten stuck there?”

“As we’ve discussed, demons are parasites. They can’t
kill physically but the result spiritually is worse. You saw that with what’s
happened to Rose. She died a long time ago but she’s never stopped dying.”

With his words, the last remaining feelings of
exhilaration drained from Nikki’s body. Her heart sank as she thought of Rose
doubled over in pain. She’d never forget hearing the heart-wrenching wail of
agony that had escaped Rose’s lips.

“When the dream ended,” Lysrus said, “those entities who
helped create that illusion immediately started searching for a new source of
energy to feed upon. They had you in mind, of course. The best analogy I can
offer is an animal sucking the life out of another weaker creature while keeping
it alive as long as possible. In your stories, this is also something you would
best describe as hell. A place where the negative is perpetually sustained, the
difference here being that those suffering the fate can’t recognize the cause.
Just the opposite, in fact. As you witnessed with Rose, they embrace that cause
like a narcotic, believing it offers shelter from the suffering their true self
continues to experience. In essence, the shadow-Rose thrived while the real
Rose continued to perish.”

“What about now?” Henry said. “Where is she?”

Lysrus glanced down. Nikki knew, despite what he’d said
before about preferring certain outcomes, that he felt sadness. He cared about
what happened to Rose.

“She’s entirely earthbound again. As she was before the
demons discovered her.”

“Do you mean she’s still haunting the house she lived in?
That she’s ghosted out?”

“Yes, I’m sorry. That’s one way of describing her
spiritual condition.”

Briefly, Nikki wondered if Rose might have been better
off before. At least she hadn’t been aware of her situation. At the same time,
while she’d been in the dream, she’d had virtually no chance of escape.

“What can we do to help her?” Nikki said. “There has to
be something!”

“Nikki’s right,” Henry said. “There has to be something
we can do.”

Martha shook her head. “You’ve risked enough. To ask any
more just isn’t fair.” As she said it, her eyes cut to Lysrus.

Lysrus nodded. “Martha’s right. Be sure about this—what
you’ve done is admirable. Many others have tried but none came as close as you
did. Unfortunately, the demons tracking Rose won’t leave her alone. They know
where to find her.”

Nikki’s blood boiled with frustration. “Why can’t you
just get her like you did us? Just wrap her up in that light thing—whatever it
was—and get her out of there?”

Lysrus briefly closed his eyes. Almost as if he felt
embarrassed, it seemed. He opened his eyes again but said nothing as he stood
looking back at Nikki.

“You’re not quite getting it right,” Martha said.

Nikki spun toward her. “What part don’t I get?”

“You keep imagining Lysrus to be like you. You imagine
him to be human, because that’s how he felt you both could best experience his
energy. On another level, you know that’s just an illusion.”

Martha didn’t have to say the other part to remind Nikki
of the truth. Which was that she imagined herself to still be physical, to
remain a sixteen year old girl from California. But she wasn’t, was she? A
similar fantasy held true for Henry. And Jamie, Naomi and Simon. They were
spirits and they’d somehow been offered the kindness, for now, of being able to
remain in the form they felt most comfortable with. Lysrus, on the other hand,
was centuries past the need for entertaining that illusion for his own sake.

Martha’s eyes showed that she understood Nikki had just
made the connection. “Lysrus didn’t send something to carry you back to this
realm. That
was
Lysrus you both felt around you. Lysrus brought you
back.

Finally, it occurred to Nikki to say what she should have
to begin with. She turned to Lysrus and looked into his eyes, that for now
remained blue. “Thank you.”

Lysrus smiled. “You’re entirely welcome. To answer your
question, I can’t save Rose in the same manner that I saved you for the simple
reason that she won’t allow it. She believes she’s receiving what she deserves
for her actions in her last life. The fact is, even if I did bring her here,
she would experience it in a manner that would be entirely terrifying. After
which, her own beliefs would return her to where she believes she belongs.
Until that changes—if it ever does—I can only attempt to assist her through
means that might change her perceptions. And I thank you for trying, Henry and
Nikki.”

As he had upon first meeting them, Lysrus closed his eyes
and bowed his head. A moment later, and without another word, he turned and
walked back through the Veil. Almost immediately, the vibrant light around them
faded. Nikki, Henry and Martha once again stood in Martha’s apartment.

“I don’t understand,” Nikki said. “Is that it?”

“For now,” Martha said. “I know it’s not easy. But you
two have been through a lot as well.”

Henry ran his hand through his hair, looking around as he
regained his bearings. “Not anywhere near what Rose has been through.”

Martha cast her gaze at the windows, where sunlight
beamed in an azure sky. Nikki knew from past experience that Martha often
preferred more volatile weather, so she wondered if she’d again chosen what lay
beyond those windows for them. Martha spoke softly. “I know, Henry.”

In that moment, Nikki felt some of the weight Martha must
have to carry. “Is that what it’s like, being in Service?”

“Not always. There are times when being in Service is
painful. At other times, it’s a joyful experience.” Martha smiled. “After all,
I look after all of you, don’t I?”

Nikki felt she understood Martha more than she ever had
before. She’d always liked her but only now realized how much Martha cared, how
much she was willing to risk to make sure each of them remained safe. Nikki had
always imagined there were no real dangers facing them but now she knew
otherwise. Before she could stop herself, she stepped forward and wrapped
Martha in a hug. She rested her head against Martha’s shoulder.

Martha took a deep breath and stroked Nikki’s hair. “It’s
okay,” she whispered. “Everything’s going to be okay.”

After a moment, Nikki withdrew from the embrace. She
wiped a tear from her eye. “There’s nothing more we can do?”

Martha glanced at the window again as she thought. For a
moment, Nikki felt sure she was about to suggest a possibility. Then, Martha
said, “I really think you two should just be with your friends for now. Please,
give yourselves that much. But be sure to get some rest first.” Martha’s eyes
met Nikki’s with an intensity she hadn’t quite expected. Within them, Nikki
perceived what seemed an unspoken message. Martha took a moment to make eye
contact with Henry too. “Both of you, spend some time with your friends. Just
promise you’ll get some rest first.”

~~~

If Nikki had measured it in hours, she would have guessed
she’d slept at least twelve. All she knew was that as soon as she’d gone back
to her room, she’d barely managed to wash up and change before staggering off
to bed. Only then had she realized how totally exhausted she’d been. She took a
shower and threw on some jeans and a t-shirt without giving much thought to her
appearance. Not that she normally worried about the way she looked all that
much. Still, she had to admit that lately she’d been a little more self-conscious
of her clothes and how she wore her hair, as her feelings for Henry had
continued to grow. Especially, since she’d been increasingly aware that he felt
the same way. She guessed Jamie and Simon probably hadn’t noticed. As for
Naomi, Nikki had no doubt that she’d noticed even though she hadn’t said
anything.

Today, though, Nikki didn’t really care how she looked.
As far as she was concerned, they still had work to do. Martha had been right
about both she and Henry needing some rest. She felt a million times better
already. But she also kept thinking about what she felt sure had been an
unspoken message in Martha’s eyes. The problem was figuring out what that
message had been.