The Pilgrims of Rayne (43 page)

“We have a special request,” he announced. “A spotlight dance for a happy couple who we understand are celebrating a very special occasion. Let's bring up Mr. and Mrs. Dimond. Where are you folks?”

The audience applauded and looked around, searching for the mystery couple. Courtney smiled. She knew that Mr. Dimond would be mortified. He wasn't a very good dancer. She also knew that Mrs. Dimond would drag him onto the floor anyway. She loved to dance. Courtney also knew that Dodger was a very crafty guy.

The room went dark. A spotlight kicked on and scanned the diners until settling on the Dimonds. The crowd continued to applaud as Mrs. Dimond dragged Mr. Dimond up to the dance floor. All eyes were on the Dimonds. Courtney slowly peered around the pillar to see Mark sitting alone, his chin in his hand, drumming his spoon absently on the table.

“Ten minutes,” she said as she walked toward him. “That's all I'm asking for.”

Mark jumped as if there were an electric charge in his seat.

“C-Courtney? How d-did you—”

“You're stuttering. That means my Mark is still in there. Please come with me.”

“I c-can't,” Mark said, looking sheepish.

“Yes, you can, Mark,” Courtney implored. “You have to.”

“Please, Courtney,” Mark begged. “You can't ask me to do anything that might hurt them.”

They both looked up at his parents, who danced alone in the spotlight. Courtney thought they looked radiant and happy.

“Hurting them is the last thing I want to do. But you have to know what's going on. There's a lot at stake here. You of all people should know that. Or did you forget everything that's happened over the past three years?”

Mark's glance darted nervously from his parents to Courtney.

“We don't have a lot of time,” Courtney said. “Bobby is about to go to war, and you're the only one who can stop it.”

Mark's eyes focused. Courtney knew that look. She'd seen it many times as they read Bobby's journals together and puzzled over the realities of time and space. She'd seen it as they were about to step into the flume, when they saw Black Water for the first time, and when the flume was created before their eyes in the basement of the Sherwood house. She knew she hadn't lost him.

“You gotta get back in the game, Mark.”

Mark glanced at his parents. A sad smile crossed his face. He took a breath, tossed his spoon on the table, and stood up to face her.

“Hobey-ho,” he said.

They moved quickly through the ship,
avoiding crowds, taking routes that kept them away from curious eyes. Courtney knew they didn't have much time. She figured that when everyone returned to the table to discover Mark was gone, they'd probably give him a few minutes, assuming he went to the bathroom or something. That would be it. Saint Dane and Nevva would know something was wrong. Soon they'd have the whole ship looking for Mark. They'd discover Courtney had escaped. It was all going to fall apart very quickly. Courtney figured she had a small window to save Halla, and Mark.

They broke outside on A Deck and ran to the stern of the ship. The deck was empty. Nobody would bother them. At least not for a while. They hit the rail and stopped. Courtney looked down to the frothing ocean that was being churned up in the wake of the massive ship. It was a long way down. She turned to Mark, and for that one moment, she saw the little boy she had known for so long.

“I miss you, Courtney,” Mark said.

The two hugged. Courtney squeezed her friend tight, allowing herself to think for that one moment that everything was going to be okay.

“You're freezing,” Mark said, and took off his tuxedo jacket. He wrapped it around Courtney's shoulders.

“Thanks.”

“A lot's happened,” Mark said sadly.

“You have no idea,” Courtney replied. “I've got to make sure you do. Mark, I understand what you told me. I understand why you did what you did.”

“You say that like it's already done,” Mark said. “We haven't gotten to England yet.”

“That's why I'm here,” Courtney said. “That's why the flume sent me back to before you brought Forge to that KEM company.”

“You know about it?” Mark asked, surprised.

Courtney wanted to laugh. Did she know about it? She knew more than she ever wanted to know.

“There is so much to tell you,” she said quickly. “But we don't have time. They're probably hunting for us right now. I've wrestled over a million different ways of how to get you to understand what really happened. Or what's about to happen. What I finally realized is that none of it matters, except for one single fact. It's the most important thing I can get you to believe, because everything else follows from it.”

“What is it?” Mark asked.

“What I told you before is the truth. Andy Mitchell is Saint Dane. From the day we met him in kindergarten. This story didn't begin when Bobby left home. Saint Dane has been setting us up our whole lives. Setting
you
up. He got you to fear him. Then he seduced you by suddenly revealing he was a genius. Then he got you to trust him when he helped you rescue me after the accident in the mountains. It was all planned, Mark. You know
what he's done on other territories. You know how he works his way into people's confidence to get them to make mistakes. That's what he's been doing on Second Earth. He's been working us. You have to believe me, Mark.”

Mark didn't take his eyes off Courtney. She tried to read his mind. She hoped he was moving in fast forward through everything that got them to this point, looking at it from a new perspective. Mark was brilliant. He may feel used, he may feel betrayed, he may even feel like an idiot, but she felt sure he would understand and accept what happened. There was no other explanation.

“You're wrong,” Mark finally said.

“But—”

“There's only one fact that matters to me. If events played out the way they were supposed to, my parents would be dead.”

“But they are!” Courtney shouted. “I mean, I don't know what I mean, but I saw Second Earth after the past was changed. After
you
changed it. Your parents still went down with that plane.”

“Then why are they here, right now, dancing in a spotlight?”

Courtney faltered. She didn't have an answer.

“Courtney!” Dodger called as he jogged up to them.

Mark stiffened.

“It's okay,” she said. “This is Dodger. He's Gunny's acolyte.”

Dodger stuck out his hand and shook Mark's.

“Pleased to meet you, chum,” Dodger said amiably. “You're a tough one to get hold of. But now everything's fine. Right?”

Mark and Courtney both looked down to the deck.

Dodger frowned. “You told him about Saint Dane, right?”

“He still doesn't believe me.”

“What proof do you have, Courtney?” Mark asked.

“You can read Bobby's journals,” Courtney said weakly.

“That's not enough,” Mark barked. “I have my parents. Here.
Alive. You're asking me to destroy Forge, right? That's like saying you want me to kill my parents.”

“I know, it's hard,” Courtney said.

“Hard?” Mark shouted. “That doesn't come close to describing it.”

“Mark, something isn't right!” Courtney countered. “By introducing Forge to First Earth, you're going to set off a chain of events that leads to the creation of a technology Saint Dane is using to topple Halla. That's a fact. You don't know. You haven't read the journals.”

“Maybe the journals are wrong,” Mark countered. “You're saying how Saint Dane was able to fool us our entire lives, and fool me into starting Armageddon, maybe he was smart enough to monkey with those journals. Did you think of that?”

“No,” Courtney said, shaking her head furiously. “You know that can't be right.”

“But your version isn't true!” Mark barked. “My parents are proof. All you have are words on a page. I have living proof.”

“But I was there!” Courtney cried, tears of frustration welling up. “I saw how Second Earth was changed.”

“I'm sorry, Courtney,” Mark said. “I think Saint Dane must have a hand in this somewhere, but it looks like you are the one he's been working. Like he did at that Stansfield Academy. I'm going to deliver Forge to that company in England. They are going to do with it whatever they will and begin a series of events that will save the lives of my parents. I don't know what Saint Dane did to you, but your version of events is not the way it was meant to be. We'll figure this all out once we get to London.”

Mark touched Courtney on the shoulder warmly and began to walk away.

“Stay right there, Mark,” Dodger said.

Mark looked up in surprise to see Dodger standing in his
way, holding the pistol he had taken from Sixth Officer Hantin.

“Dodger? What are you doing?” Courtney exclaimed, stunned.

“This is our last chance, Courtney,” Dodger said. “Once he leaves, we're both going to get pinched by the crew and spend the rest of this trip in the brig. It's now or never.”

“Put that away!” Courtney ordered.

Dodger didn't waver. Mark backed toward the rail nervously.

“He doesn't believe you!” Dodger complained. “You know what's going to happen if he leaves. Is that what you want?”

“No!” Courtney exclaimed. She turned to Mark with tears. “Please. Mark. I'm telling you the truth. I can't explain why your parents are alive, but if you don't destroy Forge, you could be destroying Halla.”

“I believe you believe that, Courtney,” Mark said. “I don't.”

“Please don't make me do this,” Dodger begged. His voice was nearly as shaky as Courtney's. His gun hand wasn't too steady either.

“I'm going to deliver Forge,” Mark said, his voice growing more confident. “And I am going to save my parents.”

He took a bold step toward Dodger. Dodger wavered. Courtney grabbed the gun out of Dodger's hand and held it on Mark.

“Stop!” Courtney commanded, crying. Her hand was shaking, but the gun stayed on Mark.

“C-Courtney?” Mark stammered as if his brain wouldn't accept what his eyes were seeing.

“There's more I haven't told you,” Courtney said through the tears. “Bobby and I went to Third Earth. We looked back through history. Everything I said was true, Mark. Even this. Your body washed up on shore with a bullet in it. The computers didn't know who the killer was, but I think that mystery has been solved. It looks like it was…me.”

“N-No,” Mark stuttered. “I don't believe you'll shoot me.”

“I love you, Mark,” Courtney said, sobbing. “But I can't let you do this. I can't let you change history.”

Mark stood frozen. Courtney cocked the pistol. Mark backed into the rail. There was nowhere to go.

“I love you too, Courtney,” Mark said softly. “I guess this is the way it was really meant to be.”

Courtney raised the pistol, squinting through her tears. Mark tensed up. He closed his eyes. Courtney took aim. She tightened her finger on the trigger. Nobody moved. The moment stayed frozen for an eternity. Courtney blinked, took a step to her right, and tossed the pistol overboard. It fell into the dark ocean, lost in the swirl of the ship's wake. Mark let out a breath he had been holding for a long time. Courtney ran to him and hugged him. Both let out the rush of emotions through their tears.

“Courtney!” Dodger shouted. “What are you doing?”

“I think I'm changing history,” she answered. “Mark was killed on this ship. Now he's safe. Maybe I just bought us some more time to make things right.” She looked at Mark and added, “I'm sorry.”

“I am too,” he said. “But I'm not going to change my mind.”

“About what?” came a woman's voice.

Mr. and Mrs. Dimond approached the group, arm in arm.

“Is everything okay?” Mr. Dimond asked.

“Everything's fine,” Mark said, though it didn't sound to anybody as if he meant it.

Mr. Dimond said, “We're still trying to understand all this, Courtney. We want to help you, and help Bobby. What can we do?”

Courtney looked at Mark. Mark looked away. She looked at Dodger, who gave her a helpless shrug. “It's your show.”

The Dimonds huddled close to each other, waiting for Courtney to speak. Courtney had gotten to know the Dimonds
once she and Mark had become acolytes. She thought they were terrific. The idea that she would want them to die, no matter how right history said that would be, was painful to Courtney. She wanted everything to be better and for the Dimonds to live their lives the way they were meant to. As she stood on the back of that ship, feeling hopelessly lost, a thought came to her.

“Maybe you
can
help,” she said. “Maybe you're the only ones who can help.”

“Anything,” Mrs. Dimond said.

“You said Mark told you everything? About Halla and Saint Dane and the Travelers, right?”

“We're still in shock,” Mrs. Dimond said.

“How much did you tell
him
? I mean about what happened with the flight to Florida?”

The Dimonds looked at each other with confusion.

“There isn't much to tell,” Mr. Dimond said. “We didn't get on the plane. If we had, we wouldn't be here, right?”

“Yeah, but
why
didn't you get on the plane?” Courtney asked, her mind racing. “Mark thinks that by coming to First Earth he set in motion a series of events that saved your lives. I want to know what that was. What stopped you from getting on that plane?”

Mr. Dimond shrugged. “It was Nevva Winter. She caught us just as we were about to board. I thought Mark knew.”

Courtney shot a look to Mark.

Mark slowly shook his head and said softly, “I didn't know that.”

Courtney closed her eyes and smiled. It was such a feeling of relief that she wanted to fall to her knees and cry.

“Is it that important?” Mr. Dimond asked.

“It's everything,” Courtney said. “Mark, that's your proof. Nevva knew what was going to happen and stopped your parents from boarding. She's from another territory. Nothing you're going to do
here will have any effect on her. Or on that plane. It's still going to crash. Your parents are alive because Saint Dane saved them, in order to convince you to do exactly what you're doing.”

Mark leaned back against the railing, staring at the deck but seeing nothing. Courtney desperately hoped that things would finally start to click into place.

“Mark,” Courtney said boldly. “You can put things right, and your parents don't have to die. Please. Help Bobby.”

Mark shot a pained look to Courtney and asked a simple, poignant question. “What have I done?”

“Nothing,” Courtney said quickly. “Not yet, anyway.”

Mark left the rail and pushed past the others, heading forward.

“Where are you going?” Mr. Dimond asked.

Without stopping, Mark said, “To destroy Forge.”