The Thirteenth (26 page)

“Morning Val. I said I would be here at nine and here I am,” Wendy said as Val made her way up the steps. Val quickly made herself come to terms with what she was seeing, and responded. “Morning Wendy,” she said, unlocking the door. “Well, I just want to pay for my book,” Wendy said pursuing Val. “You are so lucky to have a job here. I don’t think I would be able to get my head out of the books,” she added, following Val closely.

Val moved around the counter to safety and sat down. She didn’t want Wendy to see how shaken she was with the whole dream repetition situation.

Wendy headed off down the main aisle, just as she had the night before in Val’s dream. At this point, Val got out of her chair and headed towards the door to see if ‘Wendy two’ was on her way.

Testing to see if her dream was more of a premonition than a reverie, Val turned her head back towards the shop and called out, “Wendy, do you know the title of the book you took?” Testing “Yes, it was ‘Lunar Cycles of importance from 1645 to 1945’,” Wendy called from the centre aisle. Val breathed a sigh of relief. That wasn’t what she had said to her before. And as far as Val could see from the door, she wasn’t going to magically reappear from anywhere.

“OK,” Val replied moving behind the counter to find the book of prices. Wendy returned to the counter after a few minutes perusing the aisles.

“So, how much do I owe you?”

“Twenty-five pounds. You have expensive tastes in reading, Wendy,” Val smiled.

“Well, I believe that the books you read define who you really are, don’t you?” Wendy pulled the cash out of her purse and looked Val straight in the eyes. Val was frozen to the spot for a second. She remembered that in her dream, Wendy had been different, something had changed, and here she was looking at the same change once again.

“Thank you,” Val said almost in a whisper.

“No, thank you.” Wendy picked up the bag from the counter and walked out.

Val stood for a few seconds wondering what Wendy had meant with the book comment. Did she know about the Zodiac book? How could she know?

Val remembered asking ‘dream Wendy’ about dreams and subsequently finding a useful book that was in the centre aisle, so she decided to investigate. She walked down the aisle, quickly finding the spot she was looking for. There in the centre was ‘Astral projection for beginners’, the book she had picked up.

Val tried desperately to rationalise what was happening. Maybe she had seen it before and her dream had just reminded her of its place. “Yes that’s it,” she said to herself while nodding convincingly. Val opened the front page and took it back to the counter sitting down to read a little.

The next thing Val knew, Delta was outside beeping her horn. Val jumped. Putting her book onto the counter she quickly locked up and made her way outside.

“So how did you sleep last night?” Delta asked as soon as Val was in the mini.

“Fine, though I had a bit of a weird dream.”

“So, indulge me in your fantasies.” Delta grinned back at her. Val told her about the double Wendy scenario and how Delta was had been ballerina, finishing with the Francesca situation.

“Wow, that’s a busy dream.” Delta looked slightly concerned. “Take my advice Val, don’t let the Francesca thing bother you.”

“If you are concerned that I’m going to set her on fire, I won’t - unless she really is a baddie.” Val made kung fu arms as if ready to attack.

They parked the mini, making a mad dash into the shopping centre through the rain that was now pouring down.

“Latte?” Val called to Delta who was grabbing them a table.

“Uh huh. Skinny please.” Delta did a quick ballet turn to her chair. Val wished she hadn’t told her about the dream; she would be making fun of her all week.

“Your friend seems happy,” a voice came from behind her. Val’s skin turned to ice. This time she wouldn’t mistake that voice.

“Francesca, hello.” Val turned smiling at the girl behind her. “How are you?” “I bet Jason’s in Boots,” Val responded smugly.

“No, he’s back at the shop; they are expecting a visitor.” Francesca looked slightly confused by Val’s comment. Val realised this wasn’t her dream and she needed to act slightly more normally.

“Would you like a coffee?” Val asked.

“Are you sure?” Francesca looked at Val, clearly puzzled. “Yes, I’m sure.”

“I would love a hot chocolate with cream please, oh, and call me Fran. Only my nan and granddad call me Francesca. I keep thinking you are going to tell me off.” Fran smiled and Val knew it was going to be hard to dislike her.

“Go and sit with Delta and I’ll bring them over,” Val told her.

Val made her way over with the tray to the sound of laughter from the other girls. “What’s so funny?” she asked.

“Fran was just explaining how much Jason had moaned about his ribs hurting in hospital,” Delta responded.

“Yes, he was like a little girl,” Fran smiled. “Though, he was so brave really, saving that little girl and her mother. It was such a lucky thing that Jason and Delta were around at the time.” Fran smiled at Delta. “Shame you missed all the fun, Val. What’s it like working in a bookshop?”

Val’s mouth twitched; they hadn’t told her she was there. The cheek! “Well, I try to keep busy.” Val tapped Delta’s leg under the table. Delta smiled back shrugging her shoulders. As they sat telling each other their life stories, Val unexpectedly felt an intense twinge in her arm, almost making her spit out her mouthful of mocha.

“Anyone want another one?” she spluttered.

“I never say no to chocolate,” Fran answered.

“Do you have time?” Delta looked at her watch.

“Yes, all the time in the world.” Val turned and headed to the counter. “One skinny latte, one chocolate and one mocha please.”

Val winced as the pain intensified. She discreetly lifted up the sleeve on her sweater to reveal that two of the final five symbols were bright red. “No wonder it hurts so much,” Val thought. She turned to see Fran waving at her.

“Five pounds twenty please,” the girl behind the counter said.

“What?” Val could see her lips moving, but the sound of grating metal drowned out her words.

“Five pounds twenty,” the girl repeated impatiently.

Val could now hear screams. This was pure terror. She turned around and felt herself being drawn away from the coffee shop. As she started to walk, she made sure her earpiece was in place and that her trusty sword was in her back pocket.

Val was oblivious to the chaos she had left behind her. Delta, realising instantly that something was wrong, stood up and made her way to the counter where the waitress was shouting about Val walking away without paying.

“Shut up!” Delta snapped putting the money on the counter.

“Is there anything wrong?” Fran was hot on Delta’s heels.

“Not now, Fran.” Delta could see Val heading toward the shops almost like a bloodhound on a trail.

The screaming was becoming unbearable. Val kept walking until she felt that she was getting closer. Finally she stopped in front of a door – to the ladies’ toilets.

As soon as Val opened the door, she knew this was the place; the noise was now excruciating.

Luckily for Val, the toilets were empty. She found herself facing a huge mirror that covered the whole wall. Slap-bang in the middle, she could see the backs of a dozen people, all looking down at something and screaming. Val hesitated for a moment, wondering whether she shouldn’t be questioning what she was about to do, but there just wasn’t time. “Here I go.” Val placed her hands on the mirror and vanished.

The door to the toilet flew open and Delta ran in just in time to catch the last of Val’s spark. Fran ran into the back of her.

“Where’s Val?” Fran looked around. All the cubicles were open and there was obviously no one in there. “Delta, where’s Val?” Fran grabbed Delta’s arm.

“Be quiet!” Delta snapped, at Fran as she got out her very sparkly accessorised military-style mobile and started to dial. “Hi Jason, Have you got her?” Delta stood silently listening, as Fran looked on in amazement, then said, “Yes, she’s here,” and nodded at Fran.

“Does he want to talk to me?” Fran reached for the phone. Delta pulled it away.

“Well I don’t have much choice, do I?” Delta said. “No, I’m sure she won’t be happy, but what else can I do?” Delta hung up. “You’d better sit down we could be in for a long wait, and what I have to tell you may leave you unable to stand.”

Fran did as she was told; she could tell Delta was serious and in that mood she was also quite scary.

Val felt a strong breeze rushing through her hair and the first thing she saw was clouds. She realised that she was seated, and that the music she could hear to was more ‘rave’ than she would personally have chosen.

To her astonishment, Val had arrived on a rollercoaster ride. She was at the back of a half a dozen of carriages, which were now stationary. The other passengers were crowded at the front. Val was surprised and shocked to see several of them standing up. She took in the panorama for a moment. The sea was to her right and to her left was an ocean of caravans. As she stood up, ready to investigate, she heard a familiar voice.

“Hello mate,” said Jason.

‘And on with the mate,’ Val thought. “Hello, do you have any clues as to where I am?” She spoke quietly, trying not to draw attention to herself.

“You are in Lincolnshire, somewhere called Ingoldmells,” Jason responded.

“OK. Well, I can see the sea from up here because I’m on a rollercoaster.” Val looked again towards the sea where several large tankers were visible on the horizon.

“Google says the only rollercoaster there is in a place called Fantasy Island,” Jason said.

“Well that’s great, thanks,” Val nodded.

“What’s going on?”

“Everyone has moved to the front. They’re looking at something. I think I’m going to have to climb to them. Luckily they are all so distracted that no one has seen me arrive.”

“Be careful.” Jason sounder worried.

“OK,
mate,
“ Val responded.

As she stood upright, a gust of wind almost knocked her back down. Gritting her teeth, she climbed over the first gap between carriages. Val knew it would be OK as long as she didn’t look down.

The music stopped suddenly. She heard cried from below and, risking a glance down, she saw that everyone had stopped what they were doing, and were looking up at the roller coaster. It didn’t take Val long to realise why. The very first cart had come off the tracks and was hanging precariously over the side. That was scary enough; the fact that it had two people trapped in it made the situation much worse. Val knew that these were the two people she had been summoned to help, but how would she get past the rest of the people and save them without drawing attention to herself? This was going to be impossible.

She scrambled over the last gap between the carts. She was now close enough to talk to the other passengers.

“Hello,” Val said cautiously, addressing the woman who was nearest to her and who was obviously in a state of shock. The woman looked at Val blankly.

Val needed to get past her to the front. “Excuse me,” Val said confidently, giving the woman a gentle push.

The woman moved back. Val was now stuck between her and the next victim.

There was an unexpected scream as the cart dropped another few inches, causing the other carriages, to which it was still attached, to tilt dangerously to one side. Val needed to work quickly. She remembered the man she had met in the cave with Max. He had looked and sounded official, and had had no trouble in getting people to obey his instructions.

“Hello!” Val shouted over the whimpers of the stranded passengers. They all turned to look at her. “I’m a trained rescue warden. Please let me through.”

The crowd parted, seeming relieved that someone was taking charge.

When Val got to the edge, she could now see that a woman and man were trapped in the cart, which was dangling, swaying gently in the wind, a hundred feet above the ground. The unfortunate couple were pinned in their seats by their harnesses, which, unlike everyone else’s, hadn’t opened. If they didn’t escape soon, they were going to fall to their deaths. How on earth was she going to get them out?

“Jason, can you hear me?” Val shouted.

“Here,” Jason responded immediately.

“I need to get two people out of a rollercoaster cart. They are trapped by their harnesses. Any suggestions?” Val questioned.

“What powers did you use to get the people out of the cave?” Jason responded.

Val replayed the scene in her mind and saw herself shocking the door so that the hinges broke down.

“I punched the door and disintegrated the rocks, but if I do that here the whole thing will fall down.”

“Could you maybe focus your power on the harnesses?” Jason replied.

“Yes, I think I could.” Val smiled.

“OK you two.” Val addressed to heavily built men who were standing behind her. “I want you to hold my waist with one hand each. I’m going to hang over the edge to reach the cart.” The men nodded. “With the other hand I want
you
,” she pointed at the first man, “to grab and hold the woman’s hand.” “And you,” she pointed at the other man, “do the same for the man, do you understand?” Val sounded very confident and once again they nodded in agreement. “OK, let’s do it.”

Val turned towards the petrified couple who were looking up at her. The men lifted her over the edge, to the horrified screams of the crowd below. “Hi, I’m Val.” She fought a moment of intense nausea as she looked down at the gathering crowd who looked like ants. “Take these men’s hands.” They did as she said; she seemed to be the only one here with a plan.

“I’m going to make the cart shake, but not too much.” Val could see the fear on their faces. “I need to do this quickly or we are all going to fall so hold on to those hands really tightly.” Val placed her hands on the cart and started to focus her energy onto the harnesses. As the cart began to shake the couple instinctively tightened their grips. Looking down again, Val saw that there were camera flashes going off and a few video cameras were aimed at them.