(no subject)
“What do you think?”
Pilar looked at the screen. “It's odd,” she agreed. “Layra's powers have really been spiking recently. Today they seem to have shot up.”
“Do you think it means there's another?”
“Only one way to find out,” Pilar responded excitedly. “It's her first day of school, maybe the other one will be in one of her classes.”
“That's still a lot to narrow down from.”
“My guess is he or she will make themselves known,” she told him. “Spikes like these, coinciding with a ripple in the River? Something big is going to happen today.”
“It's my first day.”
“It's just one of many first days you'll have in your life. Don't be nervous.”
“I'll see you later.”
“Okay,” Layra agreed, as she watched her friend walk off and then disappear into nothingness.
“Hey, Layra!” She turned to see Jen, Brad, and Amy waving to her. She waved back.
“Look at us! It's our first day of high school.”
“Ugh, I know. My mom couldn't let me leave without covering me in her tears. 'My baby's so grown up'” she mocked.
The others laughed.
“Let's go!”
Figures, it's the first day and the teacher already has a seating chart. Layra checked the screen, and found her spot. Of course, alphabetical order, which put her near the back.
She glanced around to check out the kids sitting around her. Amy waved from the far side, over by the door. She was struck by the boy sitting a row ahead of her to the left, by the window. He was all in dark clothes, which matched his nearly jet black hair. He was looking out the window, not paying any attention to the class.
“Noah Porter?”
Finally, the boy looked like he heard. “Here.”
“Look, I don't know what happened any more than you do.”
“Maybe he....” Pilar suggested.
Noah turned and looked directly at her. “I have no idea what you're talking about.”
Stunned silence. Layra found her voice her voice first. “You can see her?”
Noah looked at her like she was crazy. “Of course I can see her, she's standing right next to you.”
Layra turned toward Pilar, but stopped when she saw Pilar's expression. It wasn't shock. It was more...excitement.
“Hello, Noah,” Pilar smiled.
Noah turned to look at her. “Okay, that's not creepy, not in the slightest.”
“Whatever you're doing, just leave me out of it.”
“I'm afraid we can't. You're part of this too,” Pilar started to tell him but Noah waved her off.
“Just stop. I don't know who you are, or how you are doing this, but I'm done.” With that, he turned and walked away.
“You have to get him back,” Pilar told Layra urgently.
“What? Why?”
“Because he's a Veridical, like you.”
“What are you talking about? What's a “veridical”?
“I'll explain when you get him back.”
“Look, I don't know what's happening either, but you can see her. No one sees her. You have to come back.”
Noah looked at her like she was crazy. “What do you mean, no one sees her?”
Layra shook her head. “All my life, she's been my imaginary friend. Emphasis on the word imaginary. Then you show up, and suddenly she's not imaginary anymore. I'm shocked, and I want to know more. The only way to do that is if you come back.”
=======
"I didn't ask you for your help." Layra hotly reminded him.
"Look, I don't know what's going on," Noah angrily said, "but whatever it is, leave me out of it."
Layra was about to retort when a solemn voice cut in. "Ms. Temple, Mr. Porter."
Both looked around to see the vice principal standing at the door. Suddenly, the fact she was in a lot of trouble hit her. What was she going to say to get out of this? Her parents were going to kill her.
"You can come in now." Mr. Skelton gestured for them to follow him as he turned back into his office.
----
“So now you're appearing to me now?” Noah placed his book back on the shelf.
Pilar smiled. “We've been searching for you for a long time. You're now my responsibility as well.”
“I'm not interested.”
“You don't have a choice.”
“I say I do.”
“The River says you don't,” Pilar corrected. “It's your destiny, and your responsibility.”
“Who made this decision?” Noah demanded.
Pilar shook her head. “I don't know how it works, Noah, or how the River chooses. I just know who it chooses, and it's job to help you on your journey.”
“But what exactly are you? You said you're a Sentinel, but what is that?”
Pilar tilted her head and considered the question. “I guess you could call me an advisor. While you have access to the changed history, I have access to what it was originally supposed to be. I live outside of time, that's how I can see the path of the River. Both when it's running smoothly, and when it forms ripples.”
“How do ripples form?”
Pilar was silent, and Noah got the feeling she was measuring her words. Finally, she seemed to settle on, “Usually when something unnatural interferes.”
Noah wasn't fooled. “Define unnatural.”
But Pilar was saved by the bell - literally. The downstairs doorbell rang.
“This conversation is not over,” he told her.
Noah came down the stairs, spotted her, and headed towards them. The way he walked put Layra's defenses on edge. He had an air of anxiety as he nearly raced over.
Ignoring Brad, Noah said urgently, “I need to talk to you.”
Layra didn't miss the panic in his tone. “Alright.” Brad started to object, but Layra focused on her friend. “Just give me a minute, okay?”
Noah nodded, gave a glance to Brad, then walked back over to the stairs to wait for her.
“I can't believe you talk to him.”
“He's not bad, Brad.”
“I saw something, or rather didn't see, but I saw it..”
“Noah, you're making no sense.”
“I saw Teri dead on the floor,” he finally blurted.
Shocked, Layra asked, “Teri's dead?”
“Yes,” he responded. “Wait no, she's not dead yet.”
“What do you mean yet?”
“When I left for school today I had a vision of Teri lying in a pool of blood on the floor in the kitchen.”
“I don't see things, Layra.”
“Yes, you do,” came a familiar voice. Both Noah and Layra turned toward Pilar, now standing in the room.'
“We've been wondering what your specialty is, Noah. You've been deceptively quiet about it.'
Noah shook his head. “I have no idea what you're talking about.”
Pilar smiled. “You see the possible future. It's a rare trait. Much more difficult than Layra's ability.”
Remembering they're there because of Teri's future death, Noah responded grimly, “I don't find that comforting.'
“We'll figure it out, Noah.”
Layra held out her hand. 'Take me into the vision.” Noah reached out, and immediately the image bothering her friend appeared before her. Teri's body lay on the checker tiled floor at an awkward angle, a pool of blood surrounding her head like a gruesome halo.
Looking around, Layra noted, “Well, the clock says 4:27.”
“Except that's when I find her. She's already been dead for awhile.” Noah raked his hand through his hair, frustration clear in his voice. “And there's still nothing I can find to tell me what day.”
“When you're standing by the river, there are two directions to see. The flow coming toward you - “
“And the flow moving away.” Layra finished.
Pilar nodded. “The problem is, it's clearer when the flow is closest to you. The further you look, the less clear the image is.”
Janus
“Teri is my friend,” Noah struggled. “She helped me when I really needed it. Now's my turn to help her.”
“Look, Noah,” Layra said, “I'm not going to push you to tell me anything you're uncomfortable with. Hopefully someday you'll trust me enough on your own. But I'm here to help, any way I can.”
~~~~~
"You're the history genius, you tell me," Layra said sarcastically.
Noah scowled at her tone. "As far as I can remember, in the original timeline he died," he told her flatly.
Shocked, Layra resoponded, "We can't let that happen!"
"That's not your decision to make," came a familiar voice. Both kids turned around to see Pilar standing next to the door.
Layra shook her head. "But it's not fair." Noah had to silently agree.
Pilar smiled sympathetically. "Maybe not to him, but what of all the others whose lives would be changed in the negative because you refused to let time flow naturally?"
~~~~
"So what's to stop us from changing the past?"
"The future isn't set," Pilar warned. "The past is."
"You just said - "
"No," Pilar interrupted. "The past is the past. Yes, not every change will show a difference for you, but it does for someone else. The Butterfly Effect works not only over the planet, but also through time. You cannot make a change that betters you, when it's guaranteed to make it worse for someone else. They deserve their past as much as you. Veridicals understand that. I'm sorry, Noah."
Noah can manipulate the flow of the future. Layra swims back to the past.
~~~`
Noah moved the hay into a pile and flopped down on it. “Not bad.”
Layra shivered, rubbing her hands up and down her arms. “It's going to be cold tonight.”
Noah drew the rough blanket over him and motioned for Layra to join him. “The straw will keep us warm. Trust me, it could be worse.”
“Haven't you ever gone camping?”
“My parents are bookworms, Noah. Their idea of outside is sitting on a park bench with a book in their hands.”
“Noah?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you think we'll ever get used to this?”
Noah sighed. “I'm not sure we have a choice.”
“Do you think Pilar can hear us now?”
“She better not.” He was silent for a moment. “But next time we see her, we should make sure. We deserve privacy.”
“I don't think Pilar knows the meaning of the word.”
“I have a dictionary she can use.”
Layra smiled, and settled down deeper into the straw. Pulling the blanket over her better, she yawned as sleep started to overcome her. “I can't wait to see her reaction to that.”
The stream flowed past them, swirling in a rush of movement that was chaotic as it was still.
Threw a rock in. “See the change?”
“Your job is to remove the bumps, the mistakes in the River that create false timelines.”
“How do they happen?”
“Usually by accident, when one of the...falls in.”
“I think there's something Pilar isn't telling us.”
“What do you mean?”
“Remember when she showed us the River? She was very careful to only mention accidental problems.”
“Are you trying to say you think there are non-accidental ones?”
“I think it's a real possibility. I mean, what's all the secrecy about us, anyway?”
“Where we come from, why you're adopted. Where are our real families? We have to have them.”
“Why couldn't they find us for so long?”
“Pilar found me pretty quickly,” Layra mused. “I've been seeing her ever since I could remember.”
“Yeah, but why? Shouldn't she have known where you were the entire time? Or me?”
“Where are all the other Veridicals? We can't be the only two left.”
“If we are, what happened to the others?”
“What happened to our parents.”
“We need to talk.”
“We're getting calls from school. They say you were absent today.”
“I was there, it's just a mistake.”
“Well, you better fix it, honey.”
“If there's something you want to tell us.”
“No, there's nothing.”
“Your grades are going down. You're such a bright student. What's going on?”
“This boy you've met, what's his name?”
“I don't know what you're talking about.”
“I don't want you involved with people who are a bad influence on you.”
“He's not like that.”
“How do you know how to do this?”
Noah didn't say anything as he continued to tie the rope. Finally, he looked up, but not at her. Layra got the distinct impression he was reliving an unpleasant memory. “I used to live on the streets. That's how I met Teri.”
Surprised, Layra asked, “Was she on the streets too?”
“No, she was a librarian at the place I used to hang out when it was too cold to stay outside. Sometimes I tried to sneak into one of those unused study rooms to sleep. She caught me one day. Only instead of kicking me out, she tried to help. I'm ashamed to admit I wasn't very receptive to begin with.”
“I'm sure she understands, Noah.”
“Thank you, for talking about her in the present tense.
“We'll save her,” Layra promised. “We'll figure something out. It'll be okay.”
Noah stood up and stared at the sky. He rubbed his hands up his arms, warding off the cool air, then turned to look at her. “I hope so. She's all I have.”
Layra shook her head. “Not anymore.”
“Here, let me help with that.”
+++=
Layra rushed out of the room, before Mr. Angelo could dismiss her. Breathing hard, she leaned against the cool wall, trying to make sense of what just happened.
“Are you alright?”
He reached out to her and before she knew what was happening, the world around them disappeared.
“What on earth?” he demanded.
“What did you do?” she demanded.
“I didn't do anything!” he insisted.
“This is all your fault, take me back!”
“It's both of you,” came a reasonable voice from behind.
“Pilar! What is going on?”
“You're finally realizing your powers, Layra.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Hey, kiddo,” Teri greeted him as he walked into the kitchen. She was sitting on the stool by the bar, drinking her usual latte blend. Steam curled out of the cup, fogging her glasses.
Noah smiled. Grateful, he
Noah opened the refrigerator and took out the orange juice. He grabbed a glass from the cabinet above, filled it, then moved to sit by his guardian.
“And don't forget to put the OJ back!” she yelled.
Oops. Noah went back and put the carton in the fridge.