MOMENTUM Read online

  “Yep, soon as we get to the house. Please. We’ll be there in a moment.” Kellan’s hand gripped down on the wheel, his jaw was set in a firm line. I wasn’t the least bit happy, but I bit down on my lip and looked out the window unhappily.

  Kellan drove us to my house in complete silence. The house would be empty. Mom and Dad were probably at work, and Ella and Harry at school. I’d forgotten all about the little dog. She greeted us as soon as I unlocked the front door. David picked her up, and we walked to the living room.

  “Well?” I asked, as soon as we sat down. “Lost a year? What does that mean?”

  Kellan groaned and put his face in his hands.

  I turned. “David?”

  “Poppet, I don’t know where to start.”

  “Start by telling me why you didn’t show up for breakfast.”

  “But I did.”

  “Well, you didn’t wait long! I was just a few minutes late.” I pouted, narrowing my eyes at him.

  “I waited for two hours, Poppet.”

  I shook my head. “Well, where were you? I looked around. Everywhere. I couldn’t possibly have missed you!”

  “You never came. I waited for you for over two hours. Babe, you’re a year late.”

  Sheesh. What was going on? “David, I swear I was there this morning.”

  “Arizona, you’ve been in a sort of… well, coma for the past year. A year has gone past since we were supposed to meet up for breakfast.”

  “Coma?”

  David furrowed his brow and shook his head. “Well, not in a real coma, exactly. I mean, you weren’t in an accident or anything. You’ve had your memory practically erased for a year. If the last thing you remember is waiting to meet me for breakfast, well that’s a year’s worth of time you can’t remember.”

  “But, what happened? How come I can’t remember? A whole year?”

  “Your mom brought Gertrude through the portal last year.”

  “Gertrude?” Odd name, never heard of her before.

  “Gertrude was your mom’s dog.”

  “Oh, is that her?” I pointed to the tiara-wearing puppy on David’s lap.

  “No. This is Tallulah. Gertrude’s niece.”

  He looked totally serious. I tried my best to stifle them, but the giggles burst through. “Dogs have aunts?” I laughed, releasing some of the tension.

  “Yes.” David smiled. “Gertrude came over to live at your house last year. When Gertrude joined the family, you were somehow transformed into… kind of… another person. Then when Gertrude left yesterday, you must have been transformed back. At least that’s what it seems like.”

  I gaped at him. I couldn’t do anything but shake my head. I pinched myself. Well, I was awake. “Another person?”

  “Yes. You were transformed into the person you would be now had your mother not brought you through the portal all those years ago. You were transformed into Arizona Stevens, as she would be now.”

  Wow. My head just exploded. We sat in silence for a few minutes just staring at each other. Kellan got up and started pacing the floor. Then he came over to me and grabbed my hands.

  “Shrimp, do you feel any different?”

  “Feel?” I thought about it. I felt that strange flutter when he held my hands, but I wasn’t about to tell him that. “No. But what’s happened in the past year?”

  He sighed, let go of my hands, and sat back down.

  “Arizona, you’ve basically been Arizona Stevens for the last year.” David peered at me intently.

  Arizona Stevens. It even sounded weird. What did that even mean? Well, whatever. I had stuff to do–like school. I got up.

  “Where are you going?” Kellan asked.

  “Back to school. I have a cheer meet.” I grabbed my car keys.

  “Arizona, hold up. Sit back down for a minute. You don’t seem to get it.” He sighed.

  I shook my head, but then nodded. “I guess not, but I know I have a cheer meeting, which I absolutely cannot miss. Julia’s sick, and I’m taking over as captain.” I started walking to the front door.

  Kellan leapt up and grabbed my elbow, pushing me back onto the couch.

  “Kell! Quit!” I rubbed my elbow, glaring at him.

  “Poppet, please. Just listen to Kellan.”

  I stared at my shoes defiantly, but made no move to leave. “So?”

  “You’re not on the cheer squad any more…” Kellan started.

  I started laughing. “Yeah, right.”

  “No, really.” Kellan paused and then continued, “You play hockey.”

  The laughter turned to full-blown snorts. I got up and started walking to the door. Kellan tried to grab me again, but I was prepared this time. I shoved him and ran for my car.

  Silly boys. Whatever were they thinking, playing such a stupid prank? And why today? It wasn’t even April Fools’ Day. Surely David didn’t need to feel that he had to go to these lengths to cover up the real issue–him standing me up. I’d deal with him later.

  I was going to be in so much trouble at school. It was almost lunchtime. At least I wouldn’t miss our lunchtime cheer meet. We had a game this evening, and it would be my first time captaining, so I couldn’t miss it. I had to make sure everyone was ready.

  I walked into the cafeteria and right over to the cheer table. Nothing had changed; the boys were messing with me. Lost a year? No more cheer? Nice one. I smiled broadly as I looked around at the girls.

  “Hey, Arizona,” Maria said cheerily, as I dumped my bag on the floor next to my chair. She slid a plate over–a hot dog and fries. I looked at her quizzically before getting up and making my way to the salad bar. Once I had gathered my usual, I walked back to the table and smiled at the squad. “Ready, girls?”

  “Ready?” Ali raised her eyebrows. Next to her was an unfamiliar girl who looked fairly puzzled as well.

  “Who are you?” I asked. The team meetings were for squad members only, but if this was a friend of Ali’s visiting for the day, I could make an exception.

  “Em,” she muttered. She was very pretty with fabulous chestnut curls and green eyes.

  “Nice to meet you, Em. Are you new?”

  Everyone stopped eating and glared at me. “What the heck! What did I say?” I asked astounded.

  “I said Um, not Em. My name is Ariele, not Em,” the girl said. I noticed her eyes welling up.

  “Sorry, Ariele. I didn’t mean to be rude or anything. It’s just that these cheer meets are closed. Are you interested in trying out? We’ve selected this year’s team, but I’m sure Coach will hear you out if you’re new–”

  “No, I’m not interested in trying out,” Ariele snapped.

  “Well, in that case, if you don’t mind excusing us, we have stuff we need to go through.”

  She shrugged, and then suddenly stood up and stomped off.

  “Drama queen much?” I sighed, then turned to the girls. “So, who is she?”

  They all looked at me like I had completely lost my mind. Maria shook her head.

  I rolled my eyes. “Okay, okay. So maybe I wasn’t all that friendly, but we really have stuff to get through, and we never include non-squad members in our talks. So, tell me who she is.”

  “Ariele, she’s the captain of the lacrosse team.” Ali blinked at me in astonishment.

  “Ah!” We did extend a certain courtesy to other varsity team members, but I couldn’t keep track of all the varsity teams; this was a big school. Julia must have arranged for her to join us today. “Why didn’t you guys say that in the first place? Now I feel like an idiot. I’ll go get her–”

  “Hold up, Arizona,” Ali cut in. “Sit down.” She looked around at the squad members, who were gaping at me. “Girls, let’s meet up after school, small gym.” Then she stood up and beckoned me to follow her.

  Maria came with us. We walked up the hallway toward the gym.

  “We are going to be so not prepared for tonight,” I complained. The gym was empty, so we walked over to the bleachers
and sat down.

  “Arizona, how are you feeling?” Maria asked, her voice breaking.

  “Great! Really excited about tonight’s game. Sorry if I’m being a bit... you know.... It’s just that I’m a little on edge, it being my first time captaining and all.”

  Maria and Ali shot each other a look.

  “What’s with the look? David and Kell were acting all weird too. What’s going on?”

  “Oh? They were? Weird, how?” Ali asked.

  “Oh, they were just being stupid. Claimed that I wasn’t cheering anymore, but–wait for this–that I was playing hockey!” I burst into giggles.

  “Arizona, it’s–”

  “What?” As Ali’s voice faded, I felt a pressure on my shoulders. Then my eyelids were forced shut.

  I tried to grab onto the corner of the bleacher when I felt myself drifting off. I was enveloped in warmth, but terrified. What the heck? I tried to scream, but no sound left my mouth. I wriggled, trying to get free but, the more I struggled, the more firmly the warm blanket surrounded me. I felt totally disoriented. When my feet finally touched something firm, I straightened up and stood. The warmth disappeared, and I was once again able to open my eyes.

  Blinded by bright sunlight, I immediately shaded my eyes with the back of my hand. I peered through my fingers, taking in the wondrous beach in front of me. Crystal-clear turquoise waves rolled gently toward the salmon-tinged powdery sand. I looked out toward the horizon where the turquoise met the blue of a gorgeously clear sky. Was I dreaming? I had to be. The palm trees in the distance looked unreal, as if they had been painted onto the landscape.

  “Pretty, isn’t it?” came a voice from my left.

  “Dr. Sen!” I took a couple of steps back as I turned to look at him. “Where are we? What happened?”

  “The Bahamas,” he replied with a sigh. “Look over there, at the white mansion.”

  I followed his finger and spotted an enormous mansion in the distance. “Nice.” So what? “What am I doing here, Dr. Sen? How did I get here?”

  “That mansion,” he continued wistfully, ignoring my question, “should have been mine.”

  “That’s nice,” I replied politely, but I was getting more and more frustrated. “I don’t mean to be rude, but what am I doing here? And how on earth did I get here?”

  “Shut up, Arizona!” he practically snarled.

  Sheesh! I took another step back. Had he lost his mind? Dr. Sen was usually very nice. What had come over him?

  Dr. Sen is my friend Simla’s dad. I use the term friend loosely. She’s more of a pesky acquaintance. She wants to be friends with me, but I simply can’t fit her into my schedule. She doesn’t cheer, so that makes it almost impossible. Still, I try my best to hang out with her when I can. Her mom works at Ames with my mom, so I kind of have to make an effort. Anyhow, her dad was kind of scaring me right now.

  “Like I said, that mansion should be mine. But it isn’t. Care to tell me why?” he yelled.

  I looked around; there was no one else on the beach. I shrugged.

  “Well, let me tell you! When I asked the bank to transfer the money to the sellers, they said there was no money in my account! What do you have to say about that?”

  Nothing? I was stunned. What the heck was going on? “I’m really sorry to hear that, but what’s that got to do with me?”

  “What’s it got to do with you?” He practically spat the words. “Everything! Your mother sent me fake blueprints, and now my buyers won’t pay up! So, I’m stuck staying at a crummy motel when I should be living over there.” He pointed to the mansion again.

  “I haven’t got a clue what you’re talking about, but let me call Mom, I’m sure she’ll sort it out.” And haul your butt off to the police, I thought.

  “I’ve already emailed her,” he said, looking very smug. “So, as soon as she emails the authentic prints, I’ll send you back.” He paused, his smirk turning wider. “Or maybe I’ll send you back to your dad. I just have to decide which one,” he mused, looking decidedly evil.

  Which dad? The man had obviously gone completely nuts.

  His cell phone suddenly bleeped, making him jump. He looked down at it, and then smiled at me. “In fact, this is one of them now.”

  Dad? Awesome! “Can I talk to him?”

  “Shush!” He put his finger over his lips. Then he walked forward toward the water, pointing for me to stay where I was. I was happy to. He was seriously scaring me. I watched him talk animatedly into the phone, gesturing generously with his free hand. It must have been good news; he smiled as he talked. Hopefully, that was Dad sorting out whatever mix-up had led me to be standing here on this beautiful sandy beach with a madman.

  The call didn’t last long and, when he started walking back toward me, I felt queasy.

  “He’s on his way,” Dr. Sen declared. “He’ll be here tomorrow morning.”

  I immediately felt comforted, but tomorrow wasn’t soon enough. “Can’t he send whatever it is you want so I can go home now?”

  “Only your mother can do that. Let’s head to my room so I can check my email.”

  Not. “I’m not going to your room with you. If you try to make me, I’ll scream!”

  “Suit yourself. I’m going back. Stay on the beach if you want. Look over there.” He pointed to a tree in the distance.

  I shrugged. “Yeah, it’s a tree.”

  “Look more carefully,” he said, sounding annoyed.

  I squinted, looking at it again. There were a couple of dark shapes next to it. Two people. I couldn’t make out if they were male or female from that distance.

  “They’re here to make sure that you don’t try anything stupid. Like trying to escape. There is no escape. I’m the only one who can get you back home. Stay here if you want; those two will keep an eye on you. I’m going to go back to the motel to check my email. I’ll be back later.” He turned and walked away.

  I slumped down on the sand, my eyes welling up. What was I supposed to do now? What was going on? How did I even get here? One minute, I had been at the school gym with Ali and Maria and then, swoosh, I was in the Bahamas. Beautiful as it was, I had to find a way to get back home. Who were those two in the distance? What would they do if I tried to run away?

  There was only one way to find out. I stood up and ran.

  There were over six hundred unread emails waiting for Olivia to get through before her lunchtime meeting with Larry. It had been a dramatic week; dealing with emails had not been a priority. Even now, she felt no rush to hurry through them, feeling instead the need to reflect on the events that had turned her life upside down in the last few weeks. Not only had she been forced to accept the existence of paranormal entities, but she had also been faced with the fact that both her husband and son were not fully human. She shook her head as she absentmindedly scrolled down the messages, flagging those that needed to be dealt with. Her fingers came to an abrupt halt, the mouse arrow hovering over one particular message.

  It was a message from Raj Sen. She hadn’t expected to hear from him again, not for a long time. The fake blueprints she had pawned him off with were so similar to the authentic prints that it would take him months, even years, to figure it out. What could he want now? Clenching her teeth, she clicked on the message.

  I’m not an idiot. Did you really think this would work?

  Send me the authentic ones. Now.

  I have Arizona, and Dillard is on his way.

  -Raj Sen

  Her heart stopped. She stared at the screen. The words were simple enough, but strung together like that, they made no sense. There was no way he could have determined that the blueprints were fake, not so quickly. The alterations she had made to them were subtle, so subtle that it required actually building the portal to figure out that it wouldn’t work with those dimensions. That would have taken years. How on earth could he possibly have figured it out? However, that was irrelevant for the moment.

  She picked up her cell. “Rupe,
Raj has Arizona!”

  There was silence at the other end.

  “Rupert, are you there?”

  “Ollie, I know she’s missing. I’ve been trying to find out what happened before calling you. How did you find out Raj has her?”

  “You knew? How?”

  “Mom’s here. She told me.”

  “Amadea? What does she know about it?”

  “Not a lot, so tell me how you found out first. Maybe it will help us figure out what happened.”

  Olivia was frustrated. She read Raj’s email to Rupert. “That’s all I know. Now tell me what you and Amadea know.”

  “Ah. So he has her,” Rupert murmured. “She disappeared from the gym at school. She was wandered. We didn’t know by whom, we still don’t, but now we know Raj is behind it.”

  Olivia shook her head. “Are you telling me that Raj had Wanderers abduct Arizona?”

  “Yes. We don’t know which Wanderers, though,” Rupert admitted. “We’re trying to figure out how Raj could get any Wanderer to do his bidding.”

  “Could it have been Simla?” Although they had been assured that Simla didn’t have any wandering ability, how did they know for sure?

  “We don’t think so. We’ve had her under constant surveillance, though that’s not foolproof. She’s been at school all day. She still could have done it, if she has the ability. We don’t know exactly how much she learned during her stint with Potomal.”

  “Could Raj be working with Potomal?”

  “Ollie, we don’t know. Come home. Kellan and David are here, so is Amadea. The Elders are on their way.”

  This couldn’t be happening again. Olivia felt a sense of desperation wash over her, her stomach twisting. They had just rescued Arizona from Potomal.

  Eyes blurred with tears, she could barely see the road in front of her as she tore down the highway. Why hadn’t she just sent Raj the blueprints? What was she doing driving home? She almost went into a skid as she slammed on the brakes and made a U-turn to head back to her office at Ames. A black SUV came out of nowhere and slammed into her car.