Inertia by A.R. Rivera

Author:A.R. Rivera
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: travel, lost, doctor who, time travel, dimension, family relationships, fringe, interdimensional, family adventure fantasy, trilogy book 1

The feeling of concealed eyes watching returns and I stop strumming. Back to my feet, I lean over the sink and stare out the kitchen window. The night has turned completely black.

A thud sounds from behind me. I turn toward the dark living room, guitar in hand. My fingers clench the wooden neck, ready to swing. “Who’s there?”

“It’s just me!” My dad’s voice rings through the dark. “Don’t beat me up!” he chuckles. His feet, followed by his legs, then torso, enter the lighted kitchen. He isn’t empty handed. “You look awful.” His eyes bulge as he flings a huge pizza box and a six pack of soda over the bare countertop.

“I don’t know.” I tease, touching my face. “I think the black and blue really make my eyes pop.” The wit and feminine intonation are completely wasted. Abi would think it’s funny.

He shakes his head. “I brought dinner.” He points to the heap on the counter, “I should have brought plates.”

“Don’t trip, pizza was meant to be finger food.”

He looks at the floor around his feet and shrugs. I smile in favor of a smart-ass remark, unsure if he’s being serious.

“I thought you weren’t going to show tonight.” Opening the box, steam rises off the extra large masterpiece. I inhale as much of the cheesy goodness as my lungs can handle. “Pepperoni is my favorite.”

“It’s Gerry’s favorite, too. How’s the face?”

“Manageable.” My mouth is full, which makes the word sound garbled, but he doesn’t ask me to repeat myself.

He stuffs his hand into his jacket pocket and pulls out a wrinkled bag. “This is for you.”

Taking the brown paper, I unroll the top and reach inside. “Whisky,” I set the flask on the counter.

“For the hangover; one shot plus one pain reliever equals cured—so long as it’s only one of each.” He smiles weakly and starts to fidget.

“Pull up a space and eat.”

At my invitation, he takes off his jacket and lays it across the floor to sit. “I always liked this house.” He looks around. “The dining room is bigger.”

Absence of clutter will make any room look larger, I want to say, but nothing comes out. I can’t think of anything else to say, so the silence grows until there’s nothing but awkwardness between us. One of us really should say something, and since I’m the one who’s been waiting for him, I attempt to glaze the weirdness with menial comments between bites, jabbering about the weather and upcoming Halloween. He doesn’t hear me, though. He’s too wrapped up in his own thoughts to consider mine. Despite my efforts to ease the tension, his fidgeting increases.

“What is it about me that makes you so nervous?” I offer the bottle of whisky with the question.

He takes it, pours nearly half into his soda then takes a long drink from the flask before handing it back. “Thanks.”

“Thirsty?” I mumble and set it on the floor between us.

The silence stretches, again. I finish off my second slice and start the third before he’s touched his first.

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