Stepping into the Sky by David Pandolfe

Author:David Pandolfe [Pandolfe, David]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2015-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

11

No Greater Mystery

Early the next morning, Henry knocked softly on Nikki’s door, suspecting he wouldn’t have to wait very long. He was right. Only a few seconds passed before she stood facing him, dressed in jeans and a hoodie like she was ready for whatever came next.

Henry kept his voice low. “Did you get any sleep?”

Nikki shrugged and whispered back, “A little.”

Henry gestured with his chin in the direction of Martha’s door. He knew he didn’t have to say anything, that Nikki would know. It was better to do this now before the others woke up. There wasn’t any point in discussing it further with them. As soon as Jamie had told them what they’d found out, Henry had understood why the three of them had been hesitant to share that information. Undoubtedly, they’d known that as soon as Henry and Nikki learned of it they’d be unable to leave things as they were. They were right, of course. Rose had gone her entire life having suffered the loss of her parents as a child. Now, her parents remained waiting, refusing to move on for an eternity, if need be, until Rose joined them again. Henry and Nikki had discussed it again yesterday evening and both had agreed they had no choice but to try everything in their power to free Rose’s spirit, no matter what might be involved. They’d tried to tell themselves that Joseph and his kind might have already delivered their worst, although neither had been entirely convinced.

Nikki stepped into the hall and they crept passed the other doors, behind which their friends remained sleeping. Henry thought about asking Nikki how they could know that Martha would even be there when they knocked. To remind her, as he had before. A ritual. This time he didn’t but he smiled, remembering one of their first conversations, not long after he’d found himself in this strange new world.

How do we know she’s even here?

She’s always here, if you need her.

What if you don’t?

Then she’s not here, idiot.

He’d known then, even as she’d made fun of him, that she cared. He’d known it from the moment he’d found himself suddenly alone—after helplessly witnessing his sister’s abduction and being somehow yanked away to a place from his memory he’d almost forgotten. He’d heard a voice, her voice, and opened his eyes to see Nikki. She’d tried to act like it barely mattered—like he barely mattered—but Henry knew she wouldn’t have been there suddenly standing next to him if they hadn’t shared some sort of connection. He’d known it from that moment.

Henry looked at Nikki one more time. He wanted to ask again if she was sure but he knew what she’d say. So, he lifted his eyebrows as if to say, “Well, here we go,” then he knocked. A moment later, the door swung open and Henry found himself looking into Lysrus’s eyes.

At first, Henry expected the inside of Martha’s apartment to have again transformed into that space without boundaries. But everything behind Lysrus appeared normal.

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