Beyond the Reflection’s Edge (21 page)

“I guess so. Violin music really moves me.” Nathan grimaced. What a stupid thing to say!

Mr. Scott laughed out loud. “That’s a good one.”

Water splashed from the sink directly in front of him. Through the gap between the door and the stall’s frame, Nathan could see the teacher washing his hands.

“Kelly never came back to class,” Mr. Scott continued. “I called into the ladies’ room, but no one answered.”

Nathan squirmed. Sitting on the toes of Kelly’s shoes had grown painfully uncomfortable. “I did, too. I don’t think she’s in there.”

“I’ll send Daryl to look for her.” He grabbed a paper towel from the dispenser and walked out of Nathan’s view. “I’ll see you back in class.” A few seconds later, all was quiet.

Kelly pushed Nathan out of the way. “We have to get home! “she whispered. “Now!”

“What did you hear?” Nathan asked as he repacked the violin.

With the mirror still in her grip, she stepped off the toilet lid. “I’ll tell you when we get out. The less talking we do, the better.”

Nudging the stall door with his elbow, Nathan slid through the opening and skulked to the entryway. Then, peering around the corner, he motioned for Kelly. “It’s clear.”

“Wait!” She pushed the mirror into his backpack. “Okay. Let’s go.”

They stepped out just as Daryl came into view in the hallway.

Kelly mumbled a curse word and ducked her head to take a drink from the water fountain.

Daryl stopped. Her eyes darted back and forth between Nathan and Kelly. “Well,” she said, a deep furrow in her brow, “this puts me in an awkward situation. I could simply tell Mr. Scott that I found Kelly coming out of the restroom, which would be truthful, but it wouldn’t be a complete report. And this story would be the most delicious lunchtime gossip since Brittany and the band director.”

Rising from the fountain, Kelly swallowed and hooked her arm around Daryl’s. “Listen, brainiac. Here’s your complete report. We have a mirror that sees into alternate dimensions, and it gets activated by music. Nathan was playing the violin in the bathroom while we watched for another dimension to appear. While he plays, I hear voices that tell me what’s going on. We experimented in there so we could do it in private and not scare the entire school.” She released Daryl’s arm and looked her in the eye. “Tell that to your gossip girls at lunchtime.”

Daryl’s mouth dropped open. She took in a deep breath and let it out, stuttering, “I … I believe you.”

“Good!” Kelly stalked down the hall, dragging Nathan behind her.

Daryl called to them. “Aren’t you coming back to class?”

Kelly turned and walked backwards. “We have to travel to another dimension to rescue his father.”

“That is so Narnia!” Daryl folded her hands, begging. “Can I come? I’ve never been on any kind of adventure!”

Nathan halted and spun around. “You have no idea how dangerous this is.”

“But I can help. I’ve studied stuff like this all my life!”

“How could you study dimensional travel?”

Daryl bit her lip. “I … uh … well …”

A deep voice entered the hallway. “You can tell them, Daryl.” A tall man wearing a dark blazer rounded the corner, his eyes trained on the three teenagers. “They already know about Interfinity.”

Nathan stared at the newcomer. As he drew closer, his piercing eyes and a pulsing vein on his forehead clarified.
Dr. Gordon.

“Dr. Gordon!” Daryl pushed past Nathan and extended her hand. “Why are you here?”

He took Daryl’s hand and shook it politely. “Because you told me about the new student. He fit the profile.”

Nathan scanned Dr. Gordon’s cheek. His skin was smooth, no sign of the cut he had suffered only a day earlier. “What profile?”

“I know who you are, Nathan. Daryl alerted me to your presence on Friday when you registered under a false name.”

Kelly stared at Daryl, her expression hardening.

Dr. Gordon waved his hand at Kelly. “No need to pour wrath on your friend. I am the head of research and development at Interfinity Labs. We handpick the brightest students in the country to come to my seminars. When Nathan’s father was murdered, I knew Nathan would go into hiding, so I asked my seminar graduates to be on the lookout for a new arrival in their schools. I told them that finding Nathan was a life or death emergency so Daryl’s actions were not treacherous in the least.”

Kelly bent toward Daryl. While the two girls chattered in buzzing whispers too quiet to be heard, Nathan eyed the breast pocket on Dr. Gordon’s blazer. It carried an emblem embroidered in gold, three infinity symbols, just like the one he wore when he was with Mictar. “You’re right about life and death,”
Nathan said, glancing around for escape routes. “One of the people looking for me tried to kill me.”

Dr. Gordon sighed. “Yes, my competition is quite aggressive.”

Balling his fist, Nathan squared his shoulders. “Why is it that one member of your ‘competition’ looks very familiar to me?”

“I know why you are guarding your words. All I can say is that I am not who you think me to be. We can discuss the particulars at my office near Chicago, but it’s important that we go there immediately. There is much to be done and very little time to do it.”

“I can’t go with you. My parents’ funeral is tomorrow.”

“Yes, I know. I will arrange for overnight accommodations at my expense, and I will get you to the funeral service on time.”

Nathan peeked at Kelly. She and Daryl had finally stopped their whispering. As he looked back at Gordon, he tried to put on a casual front. “I have to go home first and pack some stuff.”

“Very well. I will give you a ride home.”

Kelly set her hands on her hips. “Now, wait just a minute. I’m not about to let a stranger come to my house. You talk a good talk, and you have a cute emblem on your bellhop blazer, but that doesn’t mean you’re anyone we can trust.” She nudged Daryl with her elbow.

Standing straight, Daryl cleared her throat. “I’ll go home with them, and I’ll make sure they come back here.”

Dr. Gordon shook his head. “That won’t be good enough, Daryl. At this point, I’m afraid I’ll have to insist on both of them coming with me. I have to make sure —”

Kelly pointed at Daryl, raising her voice to a shout. “I know you, you little vamp! You just want to hone in on my new boyfriend!”

Daryl pushed Kelly’s chest, shoving her back into Nathan’s
arms. “You don’t have the brains to compete with me, you dumb jock!”

Nathan helped Kelly regain her balance. “Let’s just go and —”

She twirled and shook a finger at him, now screaming right in his face. “Stay out of this!” She then whispered. “Play along.”

A bell sounded, signaling the end of the period. Students began pouring out of their classrooms. As Nathan stepped in front of Dr. Gordon, Kelly spun back to Daryl, shouting again. “Don’t call me a jock, you cyberspace geek. I’ll —”

“Cat fight!” a lanky boy yelled. Within seconds, kids of all shapes and sizes surrounded the battling females, who now stood glaring at each other with their fists clenched.

A muscular male teacher pushed through the crowd, shouting, “What’s going on here?”

Kelly thrust her finger toward Dr. Gordon. “Mr. Ryan, this pervert tried to kidnap me!”

As excited chatter buzzed through the corridor, Kelly continued, her voice now meek and trembling. “When I came out of the bathroom, he was there! He said I had to go with him.”

Mr. Ryan grabbed Dr. Gordon’s forearm. “Let’s take a walk to the office.”

Dr. Gordon tried to shake free, but the teacher’s grip tightened.

“This is absurd. I assure you —”

“Just shut up and come with me.” As he pushed Dr. Gordon along, the crowd of students funneled behind them. “Kelly,” Mr. Ryan called, looking back. “Meet us in the office. We’ll need your statement.”

Kelly grabbed Daryl’s hand and squeezed against a row of lockers, waiting for the students to disperse.

Daryl touched a button on Kelly’s shirt. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

“No. You did great.”

Daryl folded her hands and renewed her begging stance. “Now you’re taking me with you to the other dimension, right? I mean, I’m not sure what to believe about Dr. Gordon, but I did what you wanted. Don’t leave me here to face him when they let him go.”

“Yeah. I guess I promised, didn’t I?” Kelly tugged Nathan’s sleeve. “We’d better hustle before they figure out what happened.”

A new voice sounded from the restroom alcove. “What did happen, Kelly Clark?” Steven emerged. “I know when you’re putting on a show, and that was one of your better performances.”

“Buzz off, Steven.” She turned toward the exit. “We’re in a hurry.”

Grabbing Kelly’s arm, Steven jerked her toward him. “Not so fast. I want to know what’s going on.”

Nathan pulled Kelly free and stepped between her and Steven. “You heard the lady,” he said, looking up at the taller boy. “Buzz off!”

Steven wrapped his long fingers around Nathan’s throat and pushed him against the lockers. “A lady?” he repeated, laughing. “She’s got you fooled.”

“Steven!” Kelly pushed him, but he didn’t budge. “Just stop it.”

Nathan squeezed out a choked, “Get in the car. I’ll meet you outside.”

“But —”

He slowly curled his fingers into a fist. “Just do it!”

While Daryl collected Nathan’s violin, Kelly picked up his backpack, and the two ran down the hall. “Don’t hurt him too badly!” Kelly called as she turned the corner.

Steven laughed. “Don’t worry. I won’t.” When they were out of sight, his grip loosened. “I could hurt you real bad, but I’m going to give you a break … this time. I don’t want Kelly mad at me.”

Nathan glared at him. “When she said not to hurt him, she wasn’t talking to you.”

Steven released Nathan and backed away, laughing. “That’s pretty funny. Like you could hurt me.”

“Look,” Nathan said, his throat aching. “I’m not trying to steal anyone’s girlfriend. We just live —”

“Yeah, I know the story. I’m not stupid. She’s like your sister now, right? You gotta stand up for her, right?” He poked Nathan in the chest with his finger. “You got guts.”

“Thanks.” Nathan massaged his throat and sidestepped away. “Well, I have to go.”

As he jogged down the hall, Steven called, “Hey, that Daryl’s not a bad-looking girl. She’s a real brainy type, but she’s cool. You might want to check her out.”

Nathan rushed toward the main entrance. He would have to pass by the office, a dangerous gauntlet, since Mr. Ryan and Dr. Gordon would be there, but the student drop-off site was the only place he knew to go. Gordon was sure to be raising a ruckus, so he had to get by in a hurry.

As he approached the throng of students gathered in the rotunda, Nathan slouched and tried to blend into the crowd. Just as he passed the office door and quick-stepped toward the exit, Dr. Gordon shouted, “There he is! That’s Nathan Shepherd!”

Nathan burst outside and sprinted past the flagpole. He stopped at the curb and spotted Kelly’s Toyota idling in the parking lot. Squealing its tires, the Camry zoomed toward him. He looked back at the school. Mr. Ryan had just opened the door and spied him. Raising his hand, the athletic teacher leaped into a rapid jog. “Hold it right there!”

Kelly skidded to a stop. The passenger door flung open, and Nathan dove headlong across the front seats. His stomach landed on the console’s glove box, his legs stretched across Daryl’s, and his head flopped face down into Kelly’s lap. Jerking his body, he twisted around until his face pointed upward
and his bottom slid in between the glove and gear boxes. Heat scorched his ears. “Sorry about that.”

Kelly pinned him with an elbow and set her hand on the gear shift. “Just cool it! You’re fine!”

Mr. Ryan grabbed the door handle. “Don’t you dare take off —”

“Gotta run!” Kelly stomped the gas pedal. The Camry shot away like a rocket, ripping the handle out of Mr. Ryan’s grip. Daryl pulled the door closed and began laughing, shaking Nathan’s legs as her spasms pulsed so hard she could barely breathe.

Kelly tried not to laugh, but as she held her breath, her stomach contractions jiggled Nathan’s head.

“What’s so funny?” he asked, now looking straight up at Kelly through the gap between her arms.

A wide grin spread across her face. “Oh … nothing.”

“You are!” Daryl cried. As she tried to stifle her laughs, her cheeks turned redder than her hair. “You’re so embarrassed!”

The heat spread to Nathan’s cheeks. “Well, I’m not used to being in that position.”

“That’s perfect!” Daryl clapped her hands. “That’s so perfect!”

Kelly lifted his shoulder. “You can get up now. I didn’t want you in my way when I peeled out.”

He sat upright and slid over the glove box toward the back-seat, trying to keep his balance as the car swept around a curve. “What’s so perfect?”

“You are,” Daryl said. “I didn’t think such old-fashioned guys existed anymore!”

“Old-fashioned? “Nathan seated himself in the rear between his backpack and violin case but kept a shoe on the glove box. “I’ve been called that before.”

“You had it right the first time,” Kelly said, tugging on one of his laces. “Perfect is the best word. He’s a perfect gentleman.”

“Thanks … I guess.”

“No problem.” She glanced back at him. “I see you got away from Steven. You didn’t hurt him, did you? I mean, the way he was standing you could’ve easily —

“Let’s just say we came to an understanding.” He looked out the windshield, trying to recognize the surroundings, but everything zipped by too fast. “So, where are we heading?”

“My house real quick, then I thought Chicago would be best — catch up with Clara and see what’s going on at Interfinity. It won’t take long for Dr. Gordon to figure out where we live, so we’d better grab some stuff and hit the road.”

“What about Daryl? Won’t she need some clothes?”

“I’ll pack extra for her. She’s borrowed my clothes before.”

Daryl touched Kelly’s shoulder. “You got a fresh toothbrush I can borrow? I’ll share jeans, underwear, and soda straws, but I gotta have my own toothbrush.”