The Enlightened (Mind Dimensions #3)(29)

“Please don’t,” I say, unsure whether she’s kidding.

“Let’s continue this later,” she says, and I notice how she completely skirted around my request for her to not ‘scare me shitless’ one day. “There are a couple of other things I can teach you. Like I said, Splitting didn’t come easy to me at all, which now has the benefit of making me an expert on different techniques we can try with you.”

“Deal. But later, after I sort out this thing with my mom.”

“Sure,” she says. “Though strictly speaking, you might be more conducive to phasing while worried about your mom and all.”

“I hear ya, and as much as I want to figure out how to phase while in the Quiet, I first want to get to New York and make sure my mom is okay."

“It must be nice having a mom who’s not a nutcase,” she says and reaches for her frozen body.

“Wait,” I say. “I just remembered. On the subject of weird powers, can Guides control where they—I mean, we—appear in the Quiet? I’ve seen someone do it in Caleb’s memory.”

“Many rumors about this also exist. Someone always knows someone whose cousin can choose where he or she appears in the Quiet. I can’t do it myself, nor do I personally know anyone who can, but my parents claimed to know a number of people who could. I thought it was an urban myth, to be honest.”

“Oh well,” I say. “Would’ve been cool to be in New York and then appear in the Quiet on some Caribbean island.”

“Even in the tales I heard, I’ve never heard of anyone having such a long range,” she says. “But who knows? Ready to talk to Bert?”

“Let’s do it,” I say, walking over to my body to phase out.

When the sounds of the streets are back, I look at Bert and say, “Dude, my mom isn’t feeling well. I’ve been on the phone with her doctors this whole time.” I give him a onceover. He looks as if he’s buying it, which can only mean that Hillary’s juju is working. “I need your help getting back to New York. Do you think you can get us on the next flight out?”

A confused expression flashes across Bert’s face. I guess he’s switching from a ‘believe any bullshit’ mode to using his brain.

“Sure, Darren,” he says. “Let me go do my thing.”

He turns on his heels and walks in the direction of the hotel.

“You overdid it,” I say to Hillary.

“You might be right,” she admits.

“At least get him some food to go,” I say.

“Of course,” Hillary says. “What kind of monster do you think I am?”

Instead of answering, I, Twix-commercial-style, stuff my mouth with pizza.





Chapter 11





“Why are we here so early?” Mira asks after we’ve gone through Miami airport security. We were the first to go through, but the rest of the gang isn’t far behind.

“I needed to be somewhere that wasn’t our hotel,” I tell her. “Since Caleb abducted me from the beach right next to our hotel, it’s safe to say if he tries to find me again, that’ll be the first place he looks.”

“There are nicer places to hide,” Mira says. “Especially in Miami.”

“I didn’t know the cab ride and check-in would be so quick. They say you have to arrive at the airport a couple of hours early anyway. According to that logic, we’re right on schedule.” I try not to sound too defensive, wanting to stay on Mira’s good side.

She’s upset about my kidnapping, and her way of handling it is to blame me for it. Or to pick a fight. Anything to create a grievance to match her emotional state without actually dealing with her feelings. Then again, it’s feasible that I am overthinking Mira’s current prickliness. She doesn’t have the sunniest of personalities, even on good days. It’s just that sometimes my inner shrink starts talking with a voice that sounds suspiciously like my therapist, Liz.

“Of course it’s quick,” Bert says, joining us after having just cleared security. “You didn’t even let us take any luggage. Dude, having the hotel ship us all our stuff is going to be very expensive.”

“I’m good for it.” I tap my pocket. “Getting to my mom is my top priority and if paying to have our shit shipped speeds things up—which it clearly did—it’ll be more than worth it.”

“Sure, leaving our stuff behind helped, but not as much as I did,” Bert says. “If I hadn’t gotten us those last-minute tickets, there’s no way—”

“Listen, Bert. We should take a walk. I need to talk to you about something,” I say. “Mira, you mind if we meet you guys by the gate?”

“You’re going to tell him now?” she says incredulously.

“Tell me what?” Bert looks puzzled.

“You said it yourself.” I ignore Bert to focus on Mira. “We’re early, so we have some time to kill.” What I leave unsaid is that I’d rather reveal the world of Readers and Guides to Bert than deal with Mira in her current mood.

“What do you need to tell me?” Bert repeats.

“Let’s walk,” I say and head in a random direction. Once we’re out of Mira’s earshot, I stop walking and say, “Okay, dude. I’m about to tell you the craziest thing you’ve ever heard. In fact, I doubt you’ll even believe me, seeing that if I were in your shoes, I wouldn’t believe me.”