SYNCHRONICITY (Dream Walker) 🖋

Alexis's Vision

James sat down at the far table intent on watching Sebastian and Alison. He witnessed the quick looks to the other when they thought no one was looking. And he caught them both looking in his direction.

"There's something else."

Suddenly snapped out of his self induced trance, James looked up. "Sorry?"

Alexis nodded and smiled shyly. "Lizzie told me to tell you..."

He put his elbows on his knees and smiled up at her. "Yeah?"

She looked up toward Sebastian and Alison.

"Tell him," Elizabeth whispered urgently.

"The creepy old lady was formulating a spell to use on the other one."

"What kind of spell?"

"She wants to find someone named Diane..."

He curled his lip and tilted his head as bells and whistles went off.

"...and take her out."

James looked deeply into her eyes.

"...you know...like to kill her."

James immediately got to his feet. "Hey!"

Only the women looked toward him.

"Hey...OLD GUYS!"

Sebastian's brow craned high as his head turned slowly toward his son.

"Do we know anyone named Diane?"

The adults looked toward each other, but then, Sebastian looked toward Alison, as her face lost all color. "My aunt's name is Diane," she said quietly. "But she's deceased."

James' body erupted into a massive flame from panic. "FUCK!"

Having never witnessed this only once before, Sebastian flew to his son in an attempt to calm him only to be thwarted by the flames. Topher and Judy withdrew their wands, casting water charms as Elizabeth dove into the pool; she held up her hands and just as James uncontrollably produced fire from his fingers, the teenager produced water and aimed toward her god-brother.

James stood before his father, the fabric of his jeans completely disintegrated, quietly blinking his eyes. Sebastian circled his arms around his son and checked him for injuries. "Are you hurt!" When James didn't immediately respond, he shook him. "JAMES!"

"What," he said quietly.

"Are you alright," his father asked in a panicked voice. "You just got out of the hospital!"

He nodded. "Yeah. It's just...Just..."

Sebastian looked into his son's eyes. "Yes?"

"I'm naked," he whispered.

Sebastian nodded and smiled, very much relieved. "And very wet. So am I, actually. Come on...let's get you into some fresh, dry clothes." He continued to shield his son from the girls. "How long have you been able to do that?"

Still dazed, James shook his head.

Topher spoke up. "Who's this Diane person, Jamie?"

James looked toward Alexis, as her eyes averted downward from embarrassment as he stood behind his father shyly looking at her from over Sebastian's shoulder. "You gotta tell them. Tell them everything you told me."

Topher then tossed a bath towel toward him and he caught it in mid air and circled it around his waist.

She shook her head. "I can't."

"Yes you can, Lexi. If what you're saying is true..." He pulled her away from his father and Topher.

The girl turned her head to look into his eyes. "It is!"

"Then they're going to kill my grandmother...please...I'd bet my life on it..."

"But hang on...didn't Miss Alison just say that Diane is dead? And that she was her aunt, not her mom."

James nodded his head. "Yeah but I have a feeling it's a cover up. You know, a lie?"

"I know what a coverup is Jamie, I'm not stupid," she replied. "I watch TV...hellooo..."

James's smile grew and he pulled her further away. "Listen, everything in that poor woman's life has been a lie. Everything. Except for maybe my dad and Topher and Jay..."

She smiled and watched the older couple. The big, scary Sebastian Matus seemed like a completely different person with her around. "Yeah," she agreed, her voice rather dreamy-sounding as she sighed.

James snorted. "So I think this is gonna really suck for Mum...I mean, Miss Alison...Or it's gonna be totally amazing..."

Alexis smiled warmly. "I'm betting on the amazing."

"How do you know," he asked, so low that he was sure that she was the only person able to hear him.

"Because," she replied in an equally low tone and moved closer. "You've already got it figured out."

"What if I'm wrong?"

Her smile grew. "You're not,"

——

James emerged for home so that he could collect fresh clothes and his cat. He dressed quickly and harnessed the cat then placed him in a backpack created specifically to carry him. He slipped his arms into the loops and secured the belt around his waist. He grabbed his helmet as well as the spare and left his apartment. He all but ran to the bike holding Max tightly to his chest, then secured the spare helmet and threw his leg over the bike. He engaged the engine and felt Max settle in his carrier.

"All set, Bud?"

Max meowed at him as he faced forward, settling in a little more against the soft plastic side of the carrier.

"Okay, here we go...."

He approached the end of the lot and eased out onto the road, following a pickup truck that curiously had the same bumper sticker that his grandfather's did. He flashed his lights and the truck pulled over.

James pulled in behind them and then drove the bike up along the driver's side and removed his helmet. "Hey! Where are ya headed?"

Beverly leaned forward. "To the Victorian." She smiled at the ginger cat in the carrier. "Hello Maxi..."

James grinned, as he heard the cat meow his greeting. "What a co-inky-dink...so are we!"

George snorted and grinned as well.

The secured his bike in the back of the truck and James filled them in with the readers digest version of how he came to be where he was.

George smiled. "Deborah will be pleased..."

"How's that?"

"She's been looking forward to a reckoning for years. And I'm inclined to let her have it."

"So you know who she is then?"

"Of course I do. She's my patient."

James decided not to tell his grandfather the information that he had learned from Alexis.