parking lot to the Arby's where they found Daryl coming out the door. Nathan handed her a helmet.
Flashing a thumbs-up, she yelled over the motorcycles' rumble, “Carlita's husband is coming to get her.”
“That's good. Thanks for doing that.” Nathan cut his engine and gazed at the snowy highway, now devoid of cars. At least Carlita was going to be okay, but what about Clara? Where could she have gone? The observatory? And where might Francesca be now? If she needed his help, he had to find her right away. Yet, Patar's warnings were all too clear. He had to play the violin, but should he get Francesca's help? If she couldn't play it by herself, how could he hope to?
He glanced at each of the girls in turn. Kelly shivered under her new coat, and Daryl's lips had turned blue. They couldn't go to the observatory, not in this weather. It was much too far away.
A ray of sunlight caught Nathan's eye. He looked up. The clouds streamed away far more quickly than normal, leaving behind a brilliant blue sky. And something else seemed strange. Sparkles coated the blue canopy, as if an artist had used glitter paint to spruce up the heavens. What could it mean? Another sign of interfinity?
After a tortuous ride through high winds that brushed them back and forth on the snow-covered roads, they arrived at the house. With the electricity still off, Nathan had to run inside and open the garage manually.
When they filed into the bedroom, they tossed their new coats on top of the trunk against the wall. The three sat cross-legged in a circle on the floor with the camera, the mirror section, and the photo CD in the center. With no laptop available, all they could do was stare at the CD's white paper envelope. The hidden photos would remain a mystery for a while longer.
Nathan reached into his back pocket and pulled out the music sheet he had found in the trophy case. “Almost forgot about this.” He spread it out close to Kelly's eyes. “Any clue? The only words said, ‘Foundation's Key.’”
She leaned to within a few inches of the sheet and squinted. “C Major?”
“Yeah. It's really simple. I could've played it when I was four.”
Daryl poked his thigh. “Don't just sit there, Mozart. Play it and get the mirror stoked for action.”
While Nathan applied the mirror to its place in the wall and tuned his violin, Daryl chattered. “When Carlita and I went into the Arby's, there was only one guy working, and he was zoned out, couldn't figure out how to use the register, didn't know the prices, you name it. Some guy in the corner was playing a little radio, cradling it like it was his pet hamster or something, and holding it so close I thought he was going to kiss it. Turns out, he was listening to the news, so Carlita and I slid into the booth next to his and eavesdropped. Good thing she didn't understand a lot of it, or she would've started shrieking
fantasmas
again.”
Daryl took a breath. “Apparently, a couple of those people you saved on Earth Yellow showed up here on Earth Blue. That author you told me about — Jack, was it?”
Still adjusting his violin, Nathan shook himself out of a trance. Although he had listened to every word, the image of Scarlet and her desperate
Help me!
kept flashing in his mind. “No. Jack was another guy from the plane crash. He showed up on Earth Red.”
“Right. Anyway, this author went up to his old house in Chicago and rang the doorbell. Seems his key didn't work anymore. His daughter answered and screamed so loud, the neighbors called the cops. So, when the guy explained his story, the media picked it up and went into a free-for-all frenzy. Then, a woman survivor showed up at her place of business after thirty years of being dead. You can imagine what happened. When that piece of gossip joined the media circus, every freakazoid end-of-the-worldercame out from under their respective rocks and announced the apocalypse. The whole world is scared spitless.”
Nathan lifted his
Flashing a thumbs-up, she yelled over the motorcycles' rumble, “Carlita's husband is coming to get her.”
“That's good. Thanks for doing that.” Nathan cut his engine and gazed at the snowy highway, now devoid of cars. At least Carlita was going to be okay, but what about Clara? Where could she have gone? The observatory? And where might Francesca be now? If she needed his help, he had to find her right away. Yet, Patar's warnings were all too clear. He had to play the violin, but should he get Francesca's help? If she couldn't play it by herself, how could he hope to?
He glanced at each of the girls in turn. Kelly shivered under her new coat, and Daryl's lips had turned blue. They couldn't go to the observatory, not in this weather. It was much too far away.
A ray of sunlight caught Nathan's eye. He looked up. The clouds streamed away far more quickly than normal, leaving behind a brilliant blue sky. And something else seemed strange. Sparkles coated the blue canopy, as if an artist had used glitter paint to spruce up the heavens. What could it mean? Another sign of interfinity?
After a tortuous ride through high winds that brushed them back and forth on the snow-covered roads, they arrived at the house. With the electricity still off, Nathan had to run inside and open the garage manually.
When they filed into the bedroom, they tossed their new coats on top of the trunk against the wall. The three sat cross-legged in a circle on the floor with the camera, the mirror section, and the photo CD in the center. With no laptop available, all they could do was stare at the CD's white paper envelope. The hidden photos would remain a mystery for a while longer.
Nathan reached into his back pocket and pulled out the music sheet he had found in the trophy case. “Almost forgot about this.” He spread it out close to Kelly's eyes. “Any clue? The only words said, ‘Foundation's Key.’”
She leaned to within a few inches of the sheet and squinted. “C Major?”
“Yeah. It's really simple. I could've played it when I was four.”
Daryl poked his thigh. “Don't just sit there, Mozart. Play it and get the mirror stoked for action.”
While Nathan applied the mirror to its place in the wall and tuned his violin, Daryl chattered. “When Carlita and I went into the Arby's, there was only one guy working, and he was zoned out, couldn't figure out how to use the register, didn't know the prices, you name it. Some guy in the corner was playing a little radio, cradling it like it was his pet hamster or something, and holding it so close I thought he was going to kiss it. Turns out, he was listening to the news, so Carlita and I slid into the booth next to his and eavesdropped. Good thing she didn't understand a lot of it, or she would've started shrieking
fantasmas
again.”
Daryl took a breath. “Apparently, a couple of those people you saved on Earth Yellow showed up here on Earth Blue. That author you told me about — Jack, was it?”
Still adjusting his violin, Nathan shook himself out of a trance. Although he had listened to every word, the image of Scarlet and her desperate
Help me!
kept flashing in his mind. “No. Jack was another guy from the plane crash. He showed up on Earth Red.”
“Right. Anyway, this author went up to his old house in Chicago and rang the doorbell. Seems his key didn't work anymore. His daughter answered and screamed so loud, the neighbors called the cops. So, when the guy explained his story, the media picked it up and went into a free-for-all frenzy. Then, a woman survivor showed up at her place of business after thirty years of being dead. You can imagine what happened. When that piece of gossip joined the media circus, every freakazoid end-of-the-worldercame out from under their respective rocks and announced the apocalypse. The whole world is scared spitless.”
Nathan lifted his
Similar Books
