Streams - Book 1

Chapter 10

BLACK

Bouncing from one side of the tunnel to the other, Jenni tried to juggle the now lit candle and the book so she could walk and read. She also needed enough light to see the tunnel floor in front of her, which was now rising uphill, leaving the water behind.

With her medical pack secured under her arm, and the perfect space combination achieved, Jenni picked up where she had left off before the leather-wing attack.

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With a unanimous Council vote, the human stream along with any and all human artifacts were banned. Travel in and out of the stream was strictly prohibited by anyone except Zamoric and his crew, and only if they remained in the craft for safety.

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With the passage of time, most of the human race forgot that the jumpers were real beings. Instead, the humans immortalized them in stories made up to amuse or horrify young children.

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Happy to be forgotten, the council ignored the human stream and the groups that they had made contact with so long ago. All that changed the day an energy wave rippled across the streams causing false gateways to open in various streams. Many objects and beings were instantly transported from one stream to another.

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Dispatching groups of jumpers into all the known streams, the council soon isolated the source of the energy burst to a region inside the human stream.

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From the safety of their craft, Zamoric and his men discovered that the humans had secretly built a device they hoped would open the gateways between streams. Unlike the rest of their species who had forgotten that their ancestors' stories were true; this group had kept the truth alive. They had passed information down generation to generation in a journal called "The Black Book". The journal was a mixture of eye-witness accounts and notes added by trusted scientists who worked with the group. The hope was that one day they would be able to unlock the secrets of the streams and become Jumpers themselves.

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The group had almost given up, when a new man rose to power in their country. They all agreed that he could not be fully trusted, but he did share their beliefs and was able to provide the funding and scientists they needed.

"HITLER!" Jenni said, stunned by the image that filled the adjoining page.

"Shh!" Tlaloc hissed as he fell back beside Jenni. "Unless you want to warn the Manticore we're coming." He reached up, pushing on the side of his glasses again.

"Why do you do that?" Jenni asked turning her attention back to her book as if she was only slightly interested in what he was doing.

"So I can see you better." Tlaloc replied with excitement, always happy to show off one of his inventions. "I can see quite well in the dark on my own, but with these, I can see everything. They draw in the smallest amount of light, amplify it, and allow me to see everything perfectly." He pulled the glasses off, handing them to Jenni to try. "Here, see for yourself."

She tucked the book back into the pouch, along with the medication and candles. Then she slid the glasses on and looked up at Tlaloc. "I can't see anything." In fact, the tinted glasses seemed to make everything darker.

"You have to push here." He said taking Jenni's hand and raising it to the side of the glasses where he pushed the button, activating the Reticulan night vision.

"Wow!" Jenni was amazed as everything became clear as day. "I can see every detail," she marveled as she turned her head to look at Tlaloc. She paused, staring at his face. "What's wrong with your eyes?" She was shocked to find his eyes were a solid black; there was no white at all.

He turned away from her and slumped against the wall. "It's the only trait I got from my father."

"Not the only one," Lilly called back. "You have his brains." She motioned for them to join her. "Now hurry and catch up you two. The last thing we need is for you to get lost."

"I hope I didn't hurt your feelings." Jenni apologized as she handed the glasses back to Tlaloc. "It just caught me by surprise."

"It's okay, I'm use to not fitting in." Tlaloc replied, as he slid the glasses on. He spared no one another look and stiffly walked to the front of the group. Jenni could tell he was upset, but didn't know how to make it up to him.