The Elders (Mind Dimensions #4)(44)

“It was more than that,” George says. “You know that.”

“I had no choice, you see.” She looks at me while putting another cigarette into the holder. Taking out a pack of matches, she says, “His parents were killed, just like my dear—”

“If Darren wanted a history lesson, he’d hang out with Alfred,” George says. “Also, Mom, should you really be smoking so much?”

“It’s the Mind Dimension, silly.” She gives him that dimpled smile. “I can stand on my head here as far as my poor health is concerned.”

“But smoking like this will condition you to want to smoke in the real world. And when the Alzheimer’s hits, you won’t be able to stop yourself.”

She snorts. “If I lose my mind, having a smoke will be the least of my worries.”

Despite saying that, she doesn’t light up and returns the matches to her pocket. Then she turns her gaze to me. “Darren, Georgie is right. Since it’s your first time on the Island, you should go off and play some more. If you don’t mind, I’ll keep Georgie here a bit longer.”

Do I look like a five-year-old to these people? It sure seems so with all these dismissals, not to mention the ‘go and play’ comment.

Trying not to let my irritation show, I say, “Sure. Great meeting you.”

I almost add ‘Grammy’ at the end, but stop myself in time. For now, I’ll have to call her that mentally.

With our goodbyes over, I quickly leave her room and gratefully suck in a lungful of fresh air. As I walk through the Castle halls, I allow myself to focus on my earlier realization.

Mary let slip that Frederick had pulled her in today, and then I was able to get her to admit that she’s always the first one to get pulled in. Put this together, and it means I’m currently in Frederick’s Mind Dimension. Add in the whole ‘you can only go to Nirvana from your own Mind Dimension’ rumor, and I come to the following conclusion.

It was Frederick who pulled me into Level 2/Nirvana during my first encounter with the Elders.

I’m nearly at the Castle’s entrance when I see the Elders entering. The twins are with them, but I’m not sure who is who. I decide on a brute-force approach and say loudly, “Frederick, may I have a word?”

One of the twins separates from the crowd and walks in my direction. The others track him with curious glances.

“Darren,” Frederick says. “I’m surprised you singled me out like that. Surely, if you have more questions, Gustav would be—”

“I know,” I whisper, keeping my voice low so that no one else will hear. “And I want to discuss it.”

Frederick’s expression is more amused than shocked. “I’m curious to know what you think you know.”

“You know what it is I’m saying I know. But I’ll give you a hint.” I switch to an even softer voice. “Nirvana.”

He gives his peers a paranoid glance. “Let’s get away from prying eyes. This way.” He starts walking.

I follow him. We don’t talk during the few minutes it takes him to bring me to a room on the opposite side of the first floor. It looks very Spartan, except for two super-comfortable, plush chairs in the middle of it, with a large glass coffee table between them. On the table are board games, puzzles, and a couple of different card decks. Frederick gestures for me to sit in one of the chairs while he plops into another.

“We will have privacy in this room,” he says, and looks at me expectantly.

I take a deep breath. Here we go. “I know you pulled me into Nirvana. And it seems like you don’t want the others to know about it.”

Frederick gives me a sardonic look. “Oh, don’t think you have any leverage over me.” He reaches over the table and picks up a Rubik’s cube. “It’s just that I promised the others I wouldn’t do it.”

“Yet you did.” I steal a gaze at his hands. Is he trying to keep them busy with the cube because he’s lying? “Pull me in, that is.”

“I merely wanted to give you a little nudge.” He turns the cube idly in his hands. The gesture is casual; he’s messing up the colors on it rather than trying to disguise his nervousness. “I knew you were hiding something, and I knew it wouldn’t take much to Guide you to tell us why you came here. The last thing I expected was to discover you have enough Reach for Nirvana, let alone that you’ve traveled there before.”

They did indeed ask me why I came to this Island right before he pulled me in, but I don’t let my recollection show as I skeptically reply, “So you say.”

His eyebrows snap together. “Listen, Darren. You have as little reason to trust me as I have to trust you, but I bet you have more to gain from my trust than the other way around.”

I think about this. It’s feasible he really did want to nudge me into telling them why I came here. I had already decided that the person who pulled me into Level 2 is unlikely to be the Super Pusher, as my enemy knows about my Level 2 capabilities. Still, that doesn’t mean I should trust Frederick blindly. It would be best for us to find some way to collaborate, but if finding common ground were as easy as making a simple, rational decision, human history would be a lot more peaceful.

“How do I earn your trust then?” I ask. “Outside the whole six-day business?”