Universal Alien (24 page)

I
WAS THE ONLY ONE
in my world who knew that Naomi wasn't actually dead. Well, ACE and Algar knew, of course. But I was the only non-superconsciousness and non-Black Hole Person who knew. She'd taken so much Surcenthumain that it had done what we'd nicknamed it and then some—it was the superpowers drug and she'd become like Dark Phoenix, so powerful our world couldn't contain her.

Naomi had left us and saved ACE. But ACE had told me she could never return to our world again. However, he'd never said she couldn't travel the multiverse.

Chuckie and Naomi had wanted to have a little girl who would be Jamie's best friend. Maybe Naomi had compensated for that loss by watching over not only my Jamie, but every Jamie out there. She loved Chuckie and Jamie both, and any jealousy and insecurities had to have burned off when she became, if not a god, then a powerful superconsciousness.

“So, ah, how do you talk to Auntie Mimi?”

“I don't.”

“Um, Jamie, you just said you asked Auntie Mimi for help.”

“No,” she said in the stubborn way little kids have, “I didn't. I said I asked for help and that we all know that it's Auntie Mimi who will help.”

“Okay. So who did you, specifically, ask to help you?”

She shot me a look in the mirror that I recognized. It was my Jamie's “oh Mommy, you see but you do not observe” look. Thought about it. “Oh. Wow. You're talking to, ah, yourself? In all these worlds?”

She nodded. “I can see everyone. That's my job,” she added rather proudly. “I'm the one who can see us all.”

“Who has what other jobs?”

“We're all a little different. Because of who our Daddies are, and because of how it is where we live. So we each do different things.”

“Are all of . . . you . . . powerful?”

“Sort of. I'm the only one who can see everyone, though.”

“Have others tried?”

“Uh huh.”

“Has my Jamie tried?”

“Yes. Your me is who connects us, but she can't see everyone. Only I can.”

This made sense. Jamie was incredibly powerful, and now she housed ACE in her mind. “When did Jamie connect with you?”

“Oh, I saw everyone first. I saw your me, and you, before I had the mirrors though.”

“How?”

“I heard your music and I concentrated. That's how I knew that mean lady. She tried to kill us when I was a little baby.”

Maybe this Jamie
was
autistic. But if she was, this was autism taken to an amazing degree. Then again, maybe all autistic kids saw other worlds and no one had figured that out yet. “So, you hear the music I play? Not the music here?”

“Uh huh. I like the music here, but I like yours more. When Mommy took me shopping with her is when I first saw the mirrors. I made her take them home with us.”

Tried not to imagine the temper tantrum that would have had to have been thrown in order to get Other Me to literally buy a somehow special three-way mirror set out of a department store. But if your child is having hysterics, sometimes you do whatever you can to make said hysterics stop.

“Is that when you saw all the other worlds?” She nodded. “And is that when you talked to my Jamie?”

She shook her head. “It wasn't until Auntie Mimi died that Jamie found me. She was looking for Auntie Mimi and found me. She can see me in her mirror sometimes. But not all the time. But I can always see everyone all the time.”

So ACE had either given my Jamie the boost she'd needed or she'd taken that boost from him. Hoped it was a mutual thing, however it had happened. I didn't want ACE harmed or abused any more than I wanted Jamie harmed or abused. Any Jamie.

“So, why have you been staring at your mirrors, and yourself, all this time?”

She gave me the “duh” look. “Because it's fun. And it's important. I can see what's coming, too, sometimes.” She looked sad. “Only bad things, and only if they're going to happen soon. When I was littler, I thought all of the things were going to happen to us. But then I figured out they were different mes.”

Chuckie had said she occasionally proclaimed doom but tended to be wrong. “So, you told your Daddy and Other Mommy about bad things you saw coming up, and they didn't believe you, did they?”

“No, because they didn't happen to us most of the time.” She looked sadder. “If I'd known how to talk to Auntie Mimi, I could have saved them.”

“Saved who?”

“People we love.”

Decided this might not be the best line of discussion. I hugged her tightly. “It's not your fault, if you couldn't save someone, Jamie-Kat. You're not responsible for everyone in the multiverse.” Her expression said she didn't agree with me. Tried another way. “You saved your Other Mommy and your brothers today, though, as well as yourself.”

She brightened up. “I did! And you did great, Mommy! I knew you would, too!”

“So, how do you talk to the Jamie in my world?”

“I don't know, I just can.”

“Even if you're not looking in your mirrors?”

She nodded. “Sometimes. My mirrors make talking to her a lot easier. But I only know what needs fixing if I look in the mirrors.”

“Well, right now, we're the ones that need fixing. And in order to do that, we have to take you, and Charlie and Max, and Papa Sol to another house. Just for a while. While Daddy and I go save the day and stop the bad people. But your mirrors need to stay here.”

“But I
need
them.”

“I know. But you know what? Charlie and Max need you, too. They need you to pay attention to them right now, just like Daddy and I do. You can't save everyone else if something bad happens to you, or to us, right?”

“Right,” she said doubtfully. “But what if something happens to them?”

“Are these special mirrors?”

“No,” she said impatiently. “I mean Jamie and my real mommy and Jamie's daddy. They need me to watch.”

“Are they in danger?” We were always in danger, so the odds were good for a big yes.

“No. But they could be. They're trying to fix things and stop bad people like you always do. And my mommy's not like you, Mommy. She needs me to watch.”

It took everything I had not to agree with her. But if this Jamie was ever going to have a chance at, if not a normal life, then a more engaged one, this was a moment of truth. “No, Jamie, she doesn't and they don't. I know it feels like if you don't watch everyone all the time then bad things are going to happen. But the truth of the multiverse is that bad things happen all the time. Many times to good people. And though we want to save everyone and make sure nothing bad happens anywhere, that's not actually possible.”

“But it's not fair!”

Ah, the rallying cry of children. I hugged her again. “I know, sweetheart. Life's not fair. But if we fight and do our best and take care of each other, we can sometimes even the odds. You brought me here, and I'm going to even the odds for your family, I promise. And your mommy is going to fix things in my world.” She certainly couldn't make them worse, of that I was sure. “And my Jamie's daddy will protect her, and your daddy will, too. But I have to protect you and your daddy and family here. And to do that, you have to help me.”

“How?”

“By being brave and trusting that everyone can survive without you watching them for a while.” I kissed her head. “Besides, your mommy and daddy need you to show them that you do love them, and not just by watching the many thems in the mirrors, but by being with them and focusing on them here in this world more. Can you do that? Can you be brave enough to take a chance and deal with this world, only for a while?”

“But I like my job,” she said in a little voice.

“And it's an important job! I'm not saying to never look into your mirrors again. But there can't be danger happening every day. Even in my world, we get days when nothing happens and we're sort of bored.” I loved those days. They happened so infrequently.

“No,” she admitted. “Most days nothing much bad is going on. But I like watching everyone. You especially.”

“Aw, thanks. And, I know it's all interesting. It's like the Jamie Channel all the time, with slightly infinite variety.”

She giggled. “I like the Jamie Channel.”

“I know. But you need to watch the Real Life Right Here Channel, too. I know you can, because you're my daughter, and you're Nana Angela's granddaughter, and we can do anything we set our minds to do.”

“I guess so.” She sighed. “How long will we be gone?”

“I'm not sure. A few days maybe.”

She nodded. “Okay. But it's going to make it hard—” She stopped talking and looked as if she'd just had a brilliant idea.

“Make what hard?”

Jamie shook her head and didn't answer. Instead she got up and trotted over to her bed. There was a big Hello Kitty backpack on the bed. She started to put some toys into the backpack. Decided I wasn't going to get an answer out of her on what other thing she felt was going to be harder if she left her mirrors.

Took one more look and watched the worlds swirl past. I could understand why Jamie didn't want to stop watching. I didn't really want to stop, either.

But we had a world to save, and I had my mother's murder to avenge. I got up and helped Jamie pack.

“Will you do a favor for me?” I asked her as we finished up.

“I guess.”

I laughed. “I'm not trying to trick you. Can you talk more to your brothers and everyone else while we're gone and you're not watching?”

“I guess. Why?”

Took her hand and headed downstairs. “Because it will mean a lot to all of them. And that's part of taking care of the people you love—doing things that make them happy. And you talking more, really interacting with them, will make them happy.”

“If you say so, Mommy. By the way—take the kitty with you.”

“Your backpack?”

“No,” she said as we rejoined the others in the living room. “Not Hello Kitty.
The
kitty.”

“Um, okay. I guess.”

Chuckie picked Jamie up. “I'm so proud of you for coming with Mommy like a good girl.” He gave her a kiss. Jamie kissed him back and Chuckie looked so happy it made my heart hurt.

“Do we have everything?” Buchanan asked. Confirmation of everyone else being packed was given.

“I haven't packed. Anything.”

“I handled most of it, Kitty darling,” Pierre said. “But just in case, you may want to take a quick look.”

“I can do that.” Zipped upstairs at hyperspeed. Looked like Pierre had grabbed everything that made sense, at least as far as I could tell. Besides, I wouldn't need as much or the same things as those staying with the Israelis.

Did a quick search of the upstairs before I went back down. As I looked out the back hallway window I noticed that there was an orange tabby cat huddled on the windowsill. Based on what Chuckie had told me, this wasn't the family cat. But it looked cold and hungry and it had no collar. And besides, Jamie had been pretty clear.

Opened the window and the cat mewled pitifully at me. “Come on, Stripes, let's get you into the warm.” The cat purred as I picked it up, and snuggled next to me. Zipped back downstairs. “Good thing I did a check. Meet Stripes.”

Everyone other than Jamie stared at me in a confused manner. Jamie looked pleased. “Kitty, I told you, we don't have a cat,” Chuckie said. “It must be a neighbor's.”

“I think it's a stray.”

“Then leave it here,” Chuckie said.

I looked at Jamie. “No. We're taking Stripes with us.”

“What?” Chuckie sounded exasperated. “Why? We can't have a pet, Kitty. We travel too much.”

Stripes and I looked at each other. Then I looked back at Chuckie. “We'll work it out. For now, Stripes comes with. He's good without a carrier, but James, could you call ahead to the embassy? Stripes could really use some food.”

“Oh, anything for you and your new sidekick, girlfriend.”

“We have an issue with the cars,” Buchanan said, possibly to get us off the feline argument. “With the SUV destroyed, there's no single car that can hold everyone.”

“Then we divide up. Who's the best driver?” Everyone looked at me. “Okay, so, does that mean I take the civilians, or does that mean I'm the one who's going to run interference if needed?”

“Interference,” Chuckie said. “You take the two-seater.”

“I wanted the IS.”

“I'm sure you did. However, it seats five, so I'm driving it. The kids will be with me. James will take the hybrid—it's the slowest but he's the best driver after you.”

“Wow, in my world, James is the best. At pretty much everything.”

“I'm touched,” he said as he finished texting. “Jakob says that you're lucky Leah likes you. Cat stuff is being gathered for the sidekick. But I'm not indestructible and you seem to be, and the interference car has the most risk. Besides, I think someone who can run as fast as you can will lose her mind in a hybrid, no matter how good its acceleration may be for its class.”