Parallel (Travelers Series Book 1)

Parallel (Chapter 15)

Chapter Fifteen
Alternate Dimension Travel Agents?

The rest of the afternoon turned out to be pretty boring, or as Jaime so delicately stated earlier, stale. I think I met my drama quota for the day and appreciated the slow paced afternoon. Tonight, I’m looking forward to nothing more than spending a quiet evening at home with Aunt Maggie.

At dinner, Aunt Maggie whips up the most fabulous lasagna from scratch—the pasta is so delicate, you can really savor the oozing mozzarella and Italian spices. It’s the best meal I’ve ever eaten and I’m pleasantly surprised to discover, over idle dinner chat, that I can be myself around my aunt. Not once am I pressured to answer a question I don’t have an answer to, nor apologize for my strange behavior. I don’t have to lie about what is really going on and I can finally relax. For once, I’m free to enjoy my time here in my new home.

After dinner (this time I’m allowed to help out with the dishes) I do a quick check to make sure my aunt is turned in for the evening and head downstairs. My plan is to do a little sneaking around in my father’s study. The door to her room is closed, so I take that as a sign that she’s already asleep. It’s time I play detective and do a bit of investigating on my own. I tiptoe down the stairs and enter my father’s study. I’m not sure exactly what I’m looking for, but I guess I’ll know it when I see it.

I run my hand along the wall, looking for the light switch and flip it. I know the light won’t carry upstairs and alert Aunt Maggie.

“I wondered when you’d finally find yourself in here,” my aunt says, scaring the crap out of me in the process.

I jump about ten feet. “Aunt Maggie! What are you doing here?” My aunt is sitting behind the desk, in my father’s chair. For a second I wonder if I’m in deep trouble, but instead, she reassures me with smile.

It’s the way she’s looking at me that tips me off. “You know.”

My aunt nods. “Well, yes and no. I’ve only just begun to figure things out. It wasn’t until I came down here that I realized what’s been going on.”

I take a seat in one of the wingback chairs that face the desk. “So, how did you find out?”

“You’re not the only one capable of sneaking around.” From the way she says it, it looks like I’m off the hook for snooping. “Yesterday, when you mentioned not talking to your father, I got a bit curious. I then wondered why I hadn’t heard from him. It’s not like him not to call while he’s away. So tonight, when I still hadn’t heard anything, I finally decided to check his study to see if he left any indication as to where he’d taken off to.”

Excited, I lean closer towards the desk. “Did you find anything?” She must have or we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Whatever she discovered, I hope it’s something that will shed some light on my dad’s whereabouts and my reason for being brought back here.

She appears to be lost in thought for a moment and then after a second, waves a piece of paper in the air. “Only this letter. It’s not much by way of an explanation. And just so you know, I don’t approve of any of it, but in the end, I expect his intentions were good.”

“What about you Aunt Maggie? Why are you here?” I hope this doesn’t come across as being ungrateful. Just the opposite. I’m lucky to have my aunt here and I want her to know that.

She rises from my father’s chair and motions me to follow her out of the study. “Come, let’s go into the kitchen and I’ll explain what the letter says.”

Aunt Maggie puts on a pot of coffee and joins me at the old farm wood table. “I came here right before you mother died. My husband, your Uncle Robert, had just passed, and well, my younger brother didn’t think it was right, my living all alone. Now mind you, from what I understand reading your father’s letter, these are the memories I have now. I don’t have any recollection of you not being here,” she starts. “But what I know now is that your father sent you away—to a whole other universe no less!” She pauses long enough to take a sip of her coffee. “This is what I found in your father’s study.” She pulls the letter out of her pocket and hands it over to me.