Equilibrium (15 page)

“I’m fairly sure Arizona would have mentioned that to Kevin, but I don’t know for sure.”

“So, what do we
do
, Dad?” Kellan asked impatiently. “We can’t just sit around and do nothing, just waiting for information from another dimension!”

“You’re right, Kellan. I’m going to get a doctor to check you over and if he gives us the okay, we’ll head over to Ames so we can figure out who’s been messing with the portal and try to figure out why you were taken.”

“Can you get the doctor to remove this stupid ring, as well? It’s really itchy and tight.”

“Who gave you the ring?” Larry asked curiously.

Kellan closed his eyes; everything was still pretty fuzzy. He had no idea where the ring came from. He didn’t wear rings or any jewelry, in fact. “I don’t know,” Kellan replied feeling stupid.

“Did you have it on before you were abducted?” Olivia asked, her mind dissecting the possibilities.

“No, I’m sure I would have noticed,” Kellan said firmly.

“So, it’s likely that it was put on your finger when you were unconscious?” she mused.

“I guess,” Kellan replied thoughtfully. “Why would someone do that, though? It doesn’t make any sense.”

“It would if it contains a message,” Larry replied.

“There could be a message on the underside, or inside it. If it’s hollow, there may even be a microchip in it,” Olivia mused. “If so, we have to know what it says.”

“We could call that FBI agent,” Rupert said, looking for her card in his pocket. “Claire Adams.”

Olivia nodded. They needed this ring removed properly and examined, now. She didn’t have the time to do it herself. Much as she hated the FBI being involved with this, the ring may provide an important lead to finding Ella and Harry. “I’ll call her,” Olivia offered, reaching for the card Rupert was holding out for her. She left the room to make the call, trying to focus her thoughts.

“Agent Claire Adams here,” answered Claire on the first ring.

“Agent Adams, this is Olivia Darley. I’m with Kellan at the hospital. We’ve just discovered that he has a ring on his finger that was not on it before he was knocked unconscious. I have a feeling it may contain a message of some sort, but I’m not sure.”

“Thanks for calling me, Dr. Darley. I’ll be over with a team as soon as I can. Please stay where you are until then. We’ll be there shortly.”

When Olivia returned to Kellan’s room, she noticed that they had company.

“David has just got back from seeing Arizona and Kevin,” Inez said, noticing Olivia come in. “He was just about to update us. David?”

“Most importantly, Arizona is fine. She’s just very confused and scared for Kellan. I wish I had known that Kellan was fine so I could have put her mind at rest. Any signs of Harry or Ella?” he asked.

“No,” replied Inez. “I was about to ask you the same.”

“Does Arizona know how she got there?” Olivia asked.

“No,” David replied. “She woke up in her own bed in Princeton. She thinks that she was drugged.”

“Has she seen a doctor?” Olivia asked, very agitated at the thought of Arizona being drugged.

“No, not yet. She seemed fine when I saw her. Just confused and scared.”

“Dillard didn’t take her to a hospital?” Olivia asked angrily.

“She’s barely seen him,” David said. “He took off to Atlantic City the morning she woke up there. They didn’t even have a chance to talk before he left. She woke up with no time having been lost there, so he’s not noticed that she ever left. He didn’t even notice her blond hair. Arizona was very relieved to see me.” David noticed Kellan’s fists clenching into a ball as he said this. He wished he hadn’t. It wasn’t his intention to cause Kellan any more discomfort. “She is desperate to find you, to know if you are all right, Kellan,” he said nodding at Kellan. “She’s also so frightened for Ella and Harry. She’d no idea they were missing until I told her.”

“Did you meet up with Kevin?” Inez asked.

“Yes, the three of us talked. Dad’s gone back to Ames to try to figure out if the portal was used to bring Arizona over.”

“Of course it was used! How else would she have been transported?” Kellan asked.

“Kellan,” Inez said gently. “Wanderers have the ability to transport non-Wanderers with them. One requires special permission to do so, but it is possible. I think that’s what David was suggesting. However, I seriously doubt that such could be the case. It goes against our fundamental nature to transport someone against his or her will and without permission. It’s unthinkable. A Wanderer would never do that,” she said firmly.

“What about Simla or Justin, Mom?” David asked.

“Simla or Justin?” Olivia, Kellan, Rupert and Larry repeated in unison.

Inez explained. “Both Simla and Justin have a parent who is a Wanderer, so they may have been afforded the gift as well. However, they haven’t, so it’s not an issue.”

“They have Wanderer parents?” Olivia repeated. “Erica and Grayson?” She had noticed the same serene quality in them that exuded from both Inez and David. There was no way Raj was a Wanderer. She shook herself, such nonsense anyway.

“Yes,” Inez confirmed. She wondered how long it would take Olivia to work out their connection with Rupert. For now Olivia’s thoughts were totally focused on finding her kids.

“So how can David wander but Simla and Justin can’t?” Olivia persisted.

“They don’t possess the right qualities,” Inez said simply. They didn’t. They didn’t possess the pureness required for wandering.

Olivia turned back to David. She needed to focus. Her mind was all over the place. “David, so is Arizona all by herself?”

“I stayed at the house last night, so she wouldn’t be alone,” he said carefully, making sure to avoid looking at Kellan. “She’s at school at the moment and I hope to be back with her later tonight.”

“She’s at school?” Olivia said surprised.

“Yes. It’s best for her to be with her friends. It takes her mind off the constant worrying, although I don’t know that it’s helping much.”

“So what’s the plan?” Olivia asked, directing her question to Rupert and Larry.

“As soon as that ring has been extracted from Kellan’s finger, we should all head over to Ames and try to figure out who’s behind this. We need to find the other kids,” Larry said.

“Can you transport me through the portal, Dad?” Kellan demanded rather than asked.

“I don’t know, Kellan. We’ll have to see when we get there. If we can, we may all head through.”

“There is another way, Kellan,” Inez suggested quietly. “David can take you over.”

I
stood trembling outside my bedroom door. It was slightly open so I nudged it further in with my foot, opening it slightly more. Then I stood, silently, for a long time listening for sounds. I tried to remember back to what the initial noise had sounded like. It had been a loud crash, followed by footsteps. I was positive that it had come from the bedroom.

Something brushed against my leg and I nearly jumped out of my skin. My cell phone fell from my hands. It was just a random piece of clothing that I had dumped on the floor earlier.

There were no further sounds, so as quietly as I possibly could, I tiptoed into the bedroom remembering that my hockey stick was just by the door in case I needed it. I looked around the darkness. It was so dark that I couldn’t see a thing. I stood by the light switch, my finger hovering over it for ages. I finally flipped it.

Ella and Harry lay sleeping on my bed.

I gasped loudly, but quickly stifled it with a firm hand over my mouth so as not to make another sound.
I walked over to them, hoping that they were alive. I noticed that my bedroom window was wide open and rushed over to close it. Someone had come in and dumped Ella and Harry in my bed. Who? The same people who had brought me here, no doubt. I walked over to my sister and checked her pulse and then checked Harry’s. They were still alive. They were breathing. I should call a doctor.

The doorbell rang, causing me to jump in fear. Please let it be David. I peeked out the window trying to see who it was. After what had happened, I wasn’t going to just open the door. It could be anyone. I couldn’t see through the darkness, but it looked like there were more than two people by the door. I was only expecting David and Kevin.

Punching 911 into my cell phone and having my finger positioned ready over
send
, I shouted, “Who is it?”

“Poppet, it’s David. Open up.”

I opened the door and then stopped dead. My eyes locked on the person in the middle. “Kellan,” I whispered and threw myself into his outstretched arms. “Kellan, it’s really you,” I smiled into his neck, feeling both relief and surprise wash over me.

“Shrimp, are you okay?” he asked, as I awkwardly pulled him inside while still attached to him.

I nodded, and then loosened my grip on him and turned to Kevin and David. “You won’t believe this, but Ella and Harry are asleep in my bedroom,” I whispered. I put my finger on my lips to hush them and beckoned them to follow me. We all stood together round my bed looking down at them sleeping.

Then Ella stirred.

“Guys, you have to go,” I whispered to David and Kevin. “You’ll frighten her. Wait outside.”

They both nodded and left quietly.

Ella stretched her legs out and then the expression on her face turned from calm to pain. Her mouth started to twitch and she let out a loud howl.

“Ella, it’s okay. It’s just me, Arizona. Kellan is here, too. So’s Harry.”

“My head hurts! Where’s Mom?” she wailed.

Kellan put his hands on her forehead and started massaging it. “Shrimp, get her some water, please.”

I ran to the kitchen and was back with the water in seconds. Ella was sitting up in bed, in Kellan’s arms.

“Here, drink this, Ella,” I said, as I brought the cold water to her lips.

She drank a bit and then looked at me angrily. “Where am I, Arizona? Where’s Mom?”

“Ella….  What’s the last thing you remember before you woke up here?”

“Going to sleep in
my
bed, silly! My head still hurts and I want Mom!”

“What’s with all the shouting?” Harry yawned. He put his hand on his head and made a face. “Geez, that hurts!” Then he struggled to sit up and opened his eyes.

“Where are we, Harry?” Ella yelled.

“Munchkin, please stop yelling. My head hurts,” he begged her.

“Mine too, Harry,” she whispered.

“
Where
are we?” he asked.

I had no idea what to say or how to stall the questions. How could I explain away all that had happened, especially to these two, sitting here with splitting headaches? However, I knew from experience that these would wear off soon.

“Harry, drink some water,” I ordered, and put Ella’s glass to his lips.

“That’s mine!” Ella yelled again, distraught.

“It’s okay, Ella. I’ll get you a fresh one. Harry needs to drink now, he’s dehydrated.”

I left Kellan with them and went off to the kitchen to get Ella some more. David cornered me the moment I entered the kitchen.

“What’s going on?” he whispered.

“They’ve woken up. They are asking a lot of questions. Both have thumping headaches. They’ll pass like mine, probably. But if you can get a doctor out here to check them over, that would be fantastic.”

He nodded.

“Stay out here for now, until I come and get you,” I said and headed back.

“Here you go, Ella,” I said, handing over the glass of water to her.

“I don’t need any more right now, but I need the bathroom,” she said, trying to get up.

“Here,” I said, taking her hand. I’ll show you where it is.” After making sure she was going to be all right, I headed back to talk to Harry before she came back out.

“Harry, what’s the last thing you remember?”

“Why do you ask? Where are we?” he responded grumpily.

“Harry!” I mumbled, frustrated. “Just answer my questions, it’s important.”

He looked up at me, surprised. “Well, the last thing I remember is heading to bed. Though, I did have a strange dream.”

“Strange dream?” I asked.

“Yup, I only vaguely remember. I was in a fight in my bedroom with some guys. I can’t really remember the rest,” he conceded.

The bruises on his face and body told me that it had been more than a dream. “Harry, we’re in New Jersey. Someone abducted us from home and brought us here. I don’t know what to say to Ella. She’s going to be terrified!”

We could hear the water running and knew our time would soon be up.

“Let me handle Ella,” Harry said firmly. “Abducted by whom? Are you sure? Are we still prisoners?”

I shook my head.

“Kellan, can you stay here with Ella while Arizona and I go outside to bring me up to date?” Harry suggested.

“Wait a minute,” said Kellan. “What am I going to say to her? I don’t think this is right. She has to know what’s going on. The people who brought you here may still be around. We may all still be in danger.”

He was right. We waited for her to come back.

“Do you have a toothbrush and some lip gloss, Arizona?”
she asked.

“I do, I’ll get them in a minute. First, we need to talk,” I said. “Ella, we’re in New Jersey.”