Interesting People (Interesting Times #3) by Storm Matthew

Author:Storm, Matthew [Storm, Matthew]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Cranberry Lane Press
Published: 2015-11-04T19:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

Oliver felt himself floating in darkness. It was warm here, which he liked. A gentle breeze caressed his skin. The sensation comforted him. He felt as if he had finally arrived at a place he had been away from for far too long. He could stay here forever.

Then a hand touched his forehead. “Wake up, Oliver,” a girl’s voice said. He knew the voice, although he couldn’t place it. “It’s okay. You can wake up now.” The voice was kind, almost motherly. He found that it made him feel safe.

“Come on,” she said. “Wake up now. Come back to me.”

Oliver opened his eyes. He was lying on his back with a blue sky overhead. Artemis knelt at his side; it was her hand on his forehead. She gave him a gentle smile. “That’s it. Come back.”

Oliver shut his eyes and sighed. His mind felt dreamy. “You’re using my first name,” he said. “And contractions.”

“It’s possible to be capable of something and yet choose not to do it. You’ve had enough sleep, Oliver. I understand you’re tired, but you need to wake up now. We are not in the best situation.”

Oliver opened his eyes and pushed himself into a sitting position. He and Artemis were on a grassy bluff overlooking the ocean; they didn’t seem to have moved from the place he’d briefly seen before he passed out. He’d have guessed they were a few hundred feet above the beach, which looked as if it had never been touched by human feet. In the other direction, miles away, he could see mountains, their gentle peaks stretching gracefully into the sky. He could make out snow at the upper elevations. They must be far north of San Francisco, then. If they weren’t still in California, maybe it was Oregon or Washington. In any case, it should take Armitage a great deal of time to find them again.

He looked at Artemis. Her expression remained gentle for a moment longer, and then her features melted away into the impassive face he knew so well. “Are you injured, Mr. Jones?” she asked.

“I don’t think so,” he said. He got to his feet and rubbed his arms. He didn’t feel pain anywhere, but he was exhausted. Transporting himself and Artemis here had no doubt taken a great deal of energy. “I’m fine. Where do you think we are?” He looked around again. “Maybe somewhere near Crescent City?”

“Rather farther than that, Mr. Jones,” Artemis said. “We are no longer on Earth.”

Oliver stared at her. “What are you talking about?”

Artemis sighed and stood up. “I do not know the name of this place, Mr. Jones, at least not the correct one. However we are no doubt in the realm of your family. Your home.”

“What are you talking about?” Oliver asked. Something a short distance away caught his eye. It looked strangely like… “What is that?” he asked.

“Perhaps I should have said it is what is left of your home.”

Oliver took a step away from the bluff. Scattered all around were chunks of white stone, jagged and in some cases charred.

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