bow to the strings. Those weren't the only scary happenings. Should he mention the weird sky? Probably not. No use getting anyone more phobic than they already were. “Are you ready?”
Kelly stood and faced the mirror while holding the music sheet in front of him. “I'm not ready. But go ahead.”
“Rarin' to go!” Daryl jumped up and hooked her arm around Kelly's. “That is … if there aren't any bottomless pits to jump into.”
Concentrating on giving the simple tune the best rendering possible, Nathan played it through flawlessly. As soon as he finished and the final note faded, the upper-left square of the mirror flashed like a camera and released a faint popping sound. Then, less than a second later, the square to its right flashed and popped. One by one, moving horizontally to the end and beginning again on the next row, each mirrored square flashed with a burst of light.
Before the series of flashes reached the third row, the image in the first square transformed. Instead of reflecting the room, it showed a snowy field dotted with small shrubs. The second square gave a side view of a gray-haired woman bending over the open hood of a car as if trying to do something to the engine. And on it went, square after square showing different scenes, popping up so fast, Nathan couldn't fully take in one before he shifted to the next.
Finally, four-hundred images— each one showing a different, live-action scene — spanned the wall before them.
Daryl pointed at the second square. “Isn't that Clara?”
Nathan scooted close and peered up at the woman. Although black grease smeared her cheek, there was no mistaking his tutor. “She's stuck somewhere with engine problems.”
Squinting as she joined Nathan, Kelly touched one of thesquares. “Does that mean we can go to any of these places if we flash a light?”
“Who knows?” He stepped back and tried to take in the hundreds of images. Could his mother and father be in one of them? That would be the first place he'd want to go, but in some of the scenes, people moved in and out of the square, so even if one of the mirrors represented his parents' location, they might not show up in the image to let him know.
He took a deep breath. It was time to concentrate, do this logically. “Daryl,” he said in a gentle tone, “you start in the lower-right corner and work your way to the left and up. I'll work from the top-left corner down. You know what my parents look like, right?”
“Yeah, you showed me their pictures. Well, not you. Nathan Blue did. I think I could spot them.”
Nathan raised three fingers, one at a time. “Try to find my parents, Francesca, or that girl in the dome.”
“What about Clara?” Daryl asked, looking up at him. “Won't she freeze?”
Nathan gazed at his tutor's image as she stood next to the car's open hood, searching the snow-covered highway for help. No one was in sight. With the bone-chilling wind whipping against her inadequate coat, she wouldn't last long out there. He had to help her right away. But should he go? What about Patar's warnings? Could he afford the time it would take to save one old lady?
After a few seconds, he nodded. Of course he had to go. Patar would just have to deal with it. “Okay. I'll go.”
“Me, too.” Kelly pressed her thumb against her chest. “I'm the mechanic. Clara can be my eyes.”
Again watching the mirror, Nathan bobbed his head. Kelly was right. She was the best option. But how would it work? Should he pry that square off and have her hold it while flashing a light? Would that shut the rest of the mirror down? Not onlythat, wouldn't this display mean that every square was really a Quattro mirror with power equal to the one in the corner, and equal danger if it fell into the wrong hands?
Nathan headed for the bedroom door. “Gotta get a flashlight and a screwdriver.”
After a few minutes of fumbling around in the dark garage, he returned with his items. Daryl, now wearing the
Kelly stood and faced the mirror while holding the music sheet in front of him. “I'm not ready. But go ahead.”
“Rarin' to go!” Daryl jumped up and hooked her arm around Kelly's. “That is … if there aren't any bottomless pits to jump into.”
Concentrating on giving the simple tune the best rendering possible, Nathan played it through flawlessly. As soon as he finished and the final note faded, the upper-left square of the mirror flashed like a camera and released a faint popping sound. Then, less than a second later, the square to its right flashed and popped. One by one, moving horizontally to the end and beginning again on the next row, each mirrored square flashed with a burst of light.
Before the series of flashes reached the third row, the image in the first square transformed. Instead of reflecting the room, it showed a snowy field dotted with small shrubs. The second square gave a side view of a gray-haired woman bending over the open hood of a car as if trying to do something to the engine. And on it went, square after square showing different scenes, popping up so fast, Nathan couldn't fully take in one before he shifted to the next.
Finally, four-hundred images— each one showing a different, live-action scene — spanned the wall before them.
Daryl pointed at the second square. “Isn't that Clara?”
Nathan scooted close and peered up at the woman. Although black grease smeared her cheek, there was no mistaking his tutor. “She's stuck somewhere with engine problems.”
Squinting as she joined Nathan, Kelly touched one of thesquares. “Does that mean we can go to any of these places if we flash a light?”
“Who knows?” He stepped back and tried to take in the hundreds of images. Could his mother and father be in one of them? That would be the first place he'd want to go, but in some of the scenes, people moved in and out of the square, so even if one of the mirrors represented his parents' location, they might not show up in the image to let him know.
He took a deep breath. It was time to concentrate, do this logically. “Daryl,” he said in a gentle tone, “you start in the lower-right corner and work your way to the left and up. I'll work from the top-left corner down. You know what my parents look like, right?”
“Yeah, you showed me their pictures. Well, not you. Nathan Blue did. I think I could spot them.”
Nathan raised three fingers, one at a time. “Try to find my parents, Francesca, or that girl in the dome.”
“What about Clara?” Daryl asked, looking up at him. “Won't she freeze?”
Nathan gazed at his tutor's image as she stood next to the car's open hood, searching the snow-covered highway for help. No one was in sight. With the bone-chilling wind whipping against her inadequate coat, she wouldn't last long out there. He had to help her right away. But should he go? What about Patar's warnings? Could he afford the time it would take to save one old lady?
After a few seconds, he nodded. Of course he had to go. Patar would just have to deal with it. “Okay. I'll go.”
“Me, too.” Kelly pressed her thumb against her chest. “I'm the mechanic. Clara can be my eyes.”
Again watching the mirror, Nathan bobbed his head. Kelly was right. She was the best option. But how would it work? Should he pry that square off and have her hold it while flashing a light? Would that shut the rest of the mirror down? Not onlythat, wouldn't this display mean that every square was really a Quattro mirror with power equal to the one in the corner, and equal danger if it fell into the wrong hands?
Nathan headed for the bedroom door. “Gotta get a flashlight and a screwdriver.”
After a few minutes of fumbling around in the dark garage, he returned with his items. Daryl, now wearing the
Similar Books
