The Traveler's Return (Traveler Series 3)
The Traveler’s Return
Book three
The Traveler Series
A Young-Adult Trilogy
Dr. L. Jan Eira
Copyright © 2016 Dr. L. Jan Eira
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 1530924693
ISBN 13: 9781530924691
Library of Congress Control Number: 2016906297
CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
North Charleston, South Carolina
CONTENTS
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
CHAPTER FORTY
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
CHAPTER FIFTY
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
CHAPTER SIXTY
CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE
CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE
EXCERPT
Prologue
Brent, Ellie, William, and Valerie found themselves once again reflecting on the multitude of incidents of the last several weeks. Trying to make sense of most things that happened to them proved repeatedly to be impossible. Their world began to whirl out of control the day an old man from the future approached them, begging them to help him correct a wrong that was about to destroy the world. This old man claimed to be Brent and that he had traveled back in time from many decades in the future. His involvement apparently had something to do with a drug invented to prevent heart disease but in the end turned deadly on humankind and threatened to create Armageddon. Inexplicably, during these turns of events, the teenagers got in trouble with the law, only to somehow have their memories erased of the whole thing. Shortly after him arrived two more time travelers, Zack and Mackenzie, who claimed to be twins and the children of William and Valerie. And their mission was to prevent the death of their mother.
Soon after, another traveler from the future arrived in their midst, this one an old lady—Ellie. Her time line was different from Brent’s. In hers, the world was about to end also but due to global wars. It seemed that, no matter the actual time line, Earth would be destroyed in another few decades. And, somehow, the four teenage friends appeared to be pivotal to the perpetuation but, likewise, hopefully, resolution of these catastrophes.
And here and now, the teens had suddenly departed the hospital against medical advice, fleeing from the creepy albino girl who the kids were certain had created the awful things that had plagued the planet Earth. Dragging William, who had barely awoken from a long coma, the four friends managed to hijack a Cadillac and hightailed it out of town. Soon, Brent, Ellie, William, and Valerie found themselves in hot pursuit by the police and on a dirt road lined on one side by the edge of a steep precipice.
All of a sudden, the Cadillac turned sharply to avoid the albino girl who magically appeared in the middle of the dirt road they were traveling, and in a split second, the sedan was airborne, below them the vast abyss and certain death.
Chapter One
When the four teenagers regained awareness of their environment, they realized they were back inside the cave. They recognized the location as being the one they had used as a hideout multiple times before. The light flowing into the cavern’s entrance was faint. The bright full moon provided only dim illumination as it peeked through thick, scattered clouds. The teens looked at one another, puzzled.
“We’re alive!” said Valerie. “I was pretty sure we weren’t going to survive the accident.”
Ellie looked at her garments, and then her eyes scanned her friends’ clothes. “Why are we all wearing white?”
William shrugged first; then the others.
Brent squinted his eyes and shook his head slowly. “The last thing I remember was veering off the dirt road and going airborne. The cliff must have been well over a hundred feet deep or more.”
“I don’t remember the impact,” said William. “I just knew we were going to die!”
Ellie wandered around the cave, her gaze scrutinizing the walls and the dirt floor. Then she looked up at the others. “How did we get here and without a scratch on us?” She looked at her arms and hands and then at the others. “And where are our own clothes?”
They paced around like caged beasts, their fists tight, their jaws clenched, and a mishmash of feelings—doom, fear, and angst chiefly among them—stuffing their chests.
“Why can’t I remember how I got here?” asked William. “How I got these clothes?”
“It had to be the creepy little albino girl,” said Valerie. “She’s the only one I know capable of—”
“Alexandra,” interrupted Brent. “Listen…”
Koo eeky…koo eeky. The muffled, distant, high-pitch screechy sound was familiar to the teenagers, as it typically heralded Alexandra’s arrival.
Valerie slowly turned her head to look behind her. Ellie gasped. Just like that, the little girl had materialized out of the darkness of the cavern. One second there was only deep dark in the back of the cave, the next there was a small child, her arms relaxed at her side, her long white hair allowing contrast against the obscured backdrop.
“I remember leaving the hospital,” began Ellie, “and then we were here, dressed in white pants and shirts.” She took two steps toward Alexandra. “Why?”
The little girl cocked her head slightly to the right then spoke, her lips unmoving. “The accident resulted in grave bodily harm to you. I had to intervene.”
“Are we dreaming now?” asked Brent.
“Yes,” said the little girl. “I can only communicate with you while you dream.”
“We need some answers, Alexandra!” said William. “We need to know.”
The little girl remained standing there. Undaunted. Unemotional. Silent. It was as if she was contemplating the next step, formulating what to do or what to say for a long moment.
“Yes, you deserve answers,” said Alexandra finally, her eyes confirming empathy. “You will experience. You will comprehend.”
The teenagers remained still, their faces showing the uncertainty in their heads.
After several seconds, and without another word, the little albino girl turned around and took a step into the depth of the cavern. Simultaneously, the four kids crumpled to the ground, their awareness once again vanished.
Chapter Two
Brent woke up first. He was sleeping on his arms, which rested on an oval wooden table. He looked all around him, his mind still nebulous, the brain slowly connecting with reality. What is this place? Where am I? How did I get here?
He recalled vaguely the events that led him and the girls to take William out of the hospital. Why was William in the hospital? His eyes narrowed and then opened wide. The police shot him! Brent recollected as his memory sharpened. He woke up from a coma. Then what? His face morphed into a frown. What about the albino girl? Is she an evil being or a friend?
As he pondered these thoughts, he looked around the room and noticed that Ellie was to his right. She had managed to lie in the fetal position on the plush armchair, her body contorted, allowing her to fit perfectly in the narrow space. Valerie was sitting opposite him, slumbering away on her lush chair, her head cocked back, her neck hyperextended. Brent touched the girls’ arms, and their eyes began to open, their awareness slowly coupling to the surroundings.
“Where are we?” whispered Ellie. “How did we get here?”
“Where’s William?” asked Valerie, her voice pressured.
The three looked around the room.
“William?” called Ellie. She squinted her eyes. “He was shot. Almost died.” She frantically glanced about the space again. She gasped. “Did he die?”
“No, he survived,” said Brent, now on his feet. “He woke up from the coma. Remember?”
As Brent stepped away from the oval table, he smiled. William was sprawled on the floor next to a chair meant for him. Brent bent down and touched his arm, and just like Ellie and Valerie, the contact caused William to awaken.
“Where are we?” William asked as he stretched his body and sat on the chair next to the mahogany table.
“Don’t know,” said Brent.
“Are we prisoners?” asked William.
The teenagers looked around the room. It was a small space. The oval table had four chairs around it, comfortable but unpretentious in design. The walls were off-white. Bland. The carpet was posh but off-white, providing little contrast. No pictures adorned the walls. No coffee tables or elegant lamps conveyed decor. There were no windows to offer the teens a clue as to where they were. A door at one end of the room was closed.
“Do you guys remember what’s been happening?” asked Ellie. “We saw Alexandra in a dream.”
“Yes,” said Valerie.
“What did she say to us?” asked William. He squinted his eyes as he recalled Alexandra’s exact words. “You will experience. You will comprehend.”
“Yes,” said Brent. “But what does that really mean?”
“It can only mean one thing,” said Ellie. “She’s about to show us what’s been going on.”
“Show us how?” said William.
“Show us what?” said Valerie. “Exactly.”
Brent, you had time-traveled here from the future to see us about stopping the end of the world.”
“And Ellie did too,” said Brent.
“And we both died,” said Ellie. “Our future beings, I mean.”
All nodded.
“So the creepy little albino girl is about to show us what all this mess means,” said Valerie. “Who knew there could be an actual explanation for all this madness.”
“What about the time loops?” asked Ellie.
“Time loops?” asked William.
Ellie explained. “We figured out that the world has been on several loops, at least five, maybe more. Each with different events, different beginnings, different endings.”
“But all ending in disaster,” said Brent. “End of the world!”
Ellie added, “With the end of the world came another loop. Another beginning.”
“Where are we now?” Valerie repeated. “What is this place?”
“Beats me,” said Ellie.
Brent walked to the door. Just as he was about to touch it, the door creaked open, slowly, causing Brent to take a step back. The door continued to swing gradually, but no one held its doorknob. When fully ajar, Alexandra walked in and stood just past the threshold, her little hands at her side, lightly touching her red dress.
“You have questions!” she declared, her face blank. “You will experience. You will comprehend.” With this, the preschooler turned around and disappeared through the door.
The teenagers’ quizzical looks quickly abated, and they rushed out the door after her.
Chapter Three
Zack and Mackenzie exchanged glances and smiled, their faces heavy with overwhelming lassitude. He felt he was in the midst of the kind of serene sleep that comes only with deep general anesthesia. The kind of slumber you desire to remain in forever but know you can’t. At some point the time will come to return to full awareness, the wakefulness of life.
His gaze slowly turned back to the white ceiling right over him as he struggled to recall the events that led him to where he was now. He remembered vaguely rushing into the cave to hide from some bad people. People who wanted to kill him. Why were they after me? he strained to reflect. Who were those people?
He recalled nebulously that when he first entered the cave, he was absolutely sure his pursuers would find him soon. And, if so, he realized he would be taken somewhere and pulverized to death. Were they soldiers? Why did they want to kill me? His mind was murky. He remembered waiting for the bad people’s inevitable arrival and his unavoidable demise but neither came.
He waited and waited for what seemed to be an eternity but remained alone. And then a strange noise filled the cave. Koo eeky…koo eeky. The sound was distant, muffled and screechy, like an old antenna radio whose proper frequency was not yet reached. Have I heard this noise before? he mused. What does it mean? Somewhere deep in his foggy brain he knew he was supposed to recognize this sound but the fact that he remained clueless to its meaning bothered him.
Zack recalled feeling overwhelming fatigue and fighting to stay awake. If and when the bad people arrived to whisk him to certain death, he wanted more than anything else to have his last act of defiance and look them straight in the eye first. Is this awful sound the people who want to kill me? Soon after the koo eeky…koo eeky sound, he became overpowered with sleep and that was the last thing he remembered.
When he awoke, he was next to someone. Just like him she was dressed in white and lay on a bed similar to his covered with white linen. She was a beautiful woman about his age. She too seemed at total peace. Comfortable. Contented.
Mackenzie opened her eyes. Her lids were heavy with a profound yearning to sleep. She thought, Why am I so sleepy? Am I drugged? She looked to her side and saw someone who had turned to her. Her smile came spontaneously in response to his. Do I know him? Is he my relative? My friend?
She fought her scrambled brain to give her answers. Her eyes wandered and settled on the white ceiling over her. This place, wherever she lay, was peaceful and invited deep meditation. She took a deep breath and her mind drifted to her recent past. She began to recall being shot in the head. Who shot me? She felt her forehead wrinkle with the uncertainty of her remembrances. She dug as deep as she could and began to see more clearly what was so difficult to recollect. Was I in a prison? My father’s jail cell! She pictured a fight among the men, and the next thing she realized was that her head was suddenly and forcibly rammed back. She fell backward. Warm blood soaked her face and then all went black.
When she regained consciousness she was here, on this bed in this white room, all covered with white clothes and linens, but covered also in serenity, and 100 percent gratified. Untroubled.
Chapter Four
When Brent, Ellie, Valerie, and William
reached the door, they stepped out of the room where they had awoken. They saw nothing. It was pitch dark. No illumination spilled out past the doorway. No windows. No albino little girl.
“Follow me,” said William. “Walk against the wall to our right.”
The teens staggered for what may have been about twenty yards, their backs and hands feeling the smoothness and coolness of the wall.
Suddenly, William stopped. “We’re at the end of the hall. The corridor ends.”
“There’s a door here,” said Brent. “I can feel it.”
He opened the door, and the four passed through it. On the other side, there was a tubelike corridor, its walls made of a transparent material. An exceptionally brilliant light bathed the outside of the tube. This superbright blinding glow was uncomfortable, even with squinting eyes. They were inside the walkway now but could hardly appreciate their surroundings due to the unimaginably intense sunlight. Their corneas stung with the pricks of a thousand spikes. The air was suddenly thin. Their effortless in-and-out breaths quickly transformed into harsh, deep, quickened pants, a feeling of air hunger swarming them.
“Put your helmets on, geniuses,” they heard a man’s voice call out. It was hard to see who was talking to them, the exceedingly luminous rays still pouring off the sky. The voice in the incandescence spoke again. “Don thy helmets before thy eyes become sightless.”
“What?” said William. “Helmets?”
“Oh, sorry, Commanders,” said the man who now faced them. “I was expecting somebody else to come out of the barracks.” He stood at attention and saluted. The man wore a helmet and was dressed in soldier’s attire.
Brent looked at William and then Ellie and Valerie. They were wearing some sort of military uniforms, each carrying headgear in their hands. The four put on their helmets, improving drastically their ability to appreciate their surroundings. Their breaths became unforced and comfortable again. They were inside a connecting tube made of clear glass-like material. Outside, it was clear they were no longer on their home planet. There was a beautiful water cascade to their left that led to a meandering river, its liquid clear with a pale purplish hue. Beautiful mountains of differing heights surrounded them, each highlighted by groupings of trees of the most cheerful and sparkliest oranges, reds, and blues they had ever seen. The sky was impossible to characterize. Even with the headgear, only an intense, blinding brightness was all they could appreciate.