Connected

Chapter Two

Alex comes back in with two cans of Bud-Lite.

“Now, what question did you want, well needed to ask me so desperately?” he asks taking a long sip of his beer.

“Do you know a Marandia Wells?”

At the mention of her name he goes pale. “H-how do you know that name?” He spits out, glaring at me as if I had just run over his pet cat in the road.

“I heard someone at the station mention it alongside yours. So, do you know a Marandia Wells?”

“No. Any Other questions?” He seemed nervous, like he wasn't telling the truth.

“This is not going to sound good...but three weeks ago when I was on a trip in Detroit, my little sister Theresa went missing, and everyone has--”

Skeptical he interrupts, “Easton, you don't have a sister. You're an only child. Now tell me the real reason you’re here.”

I quickly shake my head.

“No. No, no, no. Everyone keeps telling me that, but she’s real. You know her. You watched us both.”

“No, this isn’t happening,” he whispers to himself in disbelief. He looks me in the eyes, auburn to chocolate. He seems worried yet sad, lost in memories.

“Easton, does it ever feel like you're not really living your life? Like you are connected to something?”

He takes a deep breath as I nod.

After finishing the sandwich I head to the front door. Tugging and twisting the knob does nothing to move the door. I rush back into the kitchen and unlock the window but it won't slide up.

What is going on?

“Locksafe seven-thousand, the best security system in the world. Once activated any doors or windows cant be opened without the code.”

Richard startles me, causing me to fall off the counter onto the hard floor. Why is everything in this goddamn house marble?

“Crap,” he exclaims before quickly rushing over to me. “Are you okay? I didn't mean to scare you love, I had thought you heard me coming.”

Once I’m up on my feet he bombards me with questions.

“Are you okay? Did you hit your head? Are you bleeding? Does anything hurt?” He quickly looks at me looking for obvious injuries.

“No Richard, I’m fine. My backside will just be bruised for a few days and I'm kidnapped.”

He rushes to the black fridge and got out an ice pack. “Here, this should help the bruising not be as bad.”

He sighs and closes his eyes for what feels like forever. Finally they snap back open.

“Marandia was very close to me. She was my aunt. Only a select few of us know of this other tie? Bond? Not many people have it, and those who do they get it from another family member.”

“What do you mean bond?” This can't be real, the old mans crazy.

“Theresa isn’t a real person from our dimension Easton. She's from a different one.”

I couldn't help it, I started laughing. “You're pulling my leg, aren't you Alex?”

“No Easton,” he deadpans, “I'm not. Everyone is going to say you’re crazy or they'll want to experiment on you. That's why I moved here. They called her crazy, but then they tested on her like she was some kind of labrat.”

“Who?”

“Marandia. They were getting close on my heel about it too. I moved here, and over the last several years I have been in contact with people, familys, all over the US experiencing the same thing. A few moved not so far from me, and we've almost gotten the code broke.”

“What code?” Why doesn't he elaborate on things? 

“Come with me, it’s easier to show you.”

The old chair protested as he stood up to his full height, and got ready to leave.

“Where are we going?” I ask him, tired of him keeping in the dark.

“To the shed, come on. Follow me.”

When I yawn he said, “Tired?” I sleepily nod my head. “Come here.” When I don't move a muscle he walks over to me and tries to pick me up. I jerk away, but it only caused the pain in my back to flare making me wince.

“You are tired and sore. Let me take care of you.”

“No.”

“And rightfully so you have every right to not want me to touch you, but you can't walk without making it worse.” Jeez, I wonder why. I mean, why wouldn't I enjoy being drugged and kidnapped?

“Don't roll your eyes at me Theresa,” he actually growls out.

“You're not the boss of me,” I spit out. Does he not realize that I don't want to be here with him?

“I know. Just please let me put you to bed?” Richard’s beautiful eyes beg me.

“Fine,” I huff out, crossing my arms. “But don’t think this means I like you.”

We walked for fifteen minutes in the fallen leaves crunching under our feet in the dense woods before we reach a ten by ten shack.

“Now, you can't tell anyone about this. You hear me Xallner? Not a soul.”

“Yeah, yeah. It's not like anyone is going to be interested in this shack other than an old person.”

“I'm serious Easton.” He stares at me before unlocking the rotten-out door. Once inside he walks over to the filing cabinet in the far corner and slid it over. Revealing a trap door in its wake.

We walk down stairs for what feels like a mile before we came to another door. This one metal. He put a code into the pad.

Walking inside, I’m instantly overwhelmed with all the keyboards, wires, computer screens, and pappers littered everywhere. Finally my eyes settle on a form sitting in one of the chairs, cursing lowly to herself.

“What is this place?” I ask, wonder evident in my voice.

“It's the lab. Here we are trying to crack the code to be able to go to the other world, but we're missing something.”

At the sound of our voices she jumps back, clearly shocked that I’m here. A stranger in a top secret place.

Her face consorts to one of constipation, getting firetruck red.

“Who the f**k is this Alex?” She spits out.

“Easton. He’s safe, don't worry Autumn.”

“Don't worry?” She shrieks. “For all you know he could be-”

“But he's not, and he wont. End of discussion.”

Taking another step into the room, I notice that there are five other doors and one of the walls have all windows taking up most of the wall leading to a large room with a metal contraptions.

“When this ends, it's going to be your fault.” She stomps off into one of the rooms and slams the door shut.

Turning towards me he apologizes for her terrible behavior.

“I get it. She doesn't know me and I her, so why would she trust someone she doesn't know?” He smiles and sits in a chair at the long  table in the middle of the room.

“How did you figure out it was another dimension in which we are tied to somehow?

“Honestly I don't know. I guess we all put together clues and came up with that conclusion.”

“What exactly are you guys trying to do?”

“We are trying to build something so we can travel there. A portal if you will. One that only those seeing the dimension can travel to. Hopefully to find out why we experience these things. As a child everyone sees other dimensions, but scared of the unknown, adults tell them it's their imagination. But the ones like you, Autumn, and me have a stronger connection to the other world.”

How can a beast be so gentle? I ask myself over and over as the monster before me lays me down in the soft bed from earlier.

“Goodnight my love. If you need me I’ll be next door.” He gently kisses my forehead before walking away.

“Night Richard,” I reply back. The last thing I see before closing my eyes is him smiling, showing his fangs. He has a dazzling panty dropping smile.

“You had mentioned something about it being genetic?”

“In a way, yes it is. Not everyone from a family receives it. At the most I know of three in one generation who have it at one time.”

“But no one in my family is...um, crazy.” He smiles sadly at me.

“Marandia Wells was my aunt. She's also your grandmother from your father's side.”

“That's impossible. Dad's mom died in a fire when he was seven.”

“He didn't like the fact that his mother was different. He didn't want your mother to be drawn away. He changed his name when he was nineteen to Xallner as to never be tied to her in anyway but blood.”

“If what your saying is true, then that would make you my second cousin?”

“Yes, I believe so.”

                                                                                              *~*~*

Hours pass by of us talking about how this all works before I finally muster up the courage to ask something about the machine.

“Do you know what you're missing?”

“No, it's all trial and error for this.”

“Would you mind if I take a look at what you have? See if I can help put the puzzle together too?”

“I don't see what an extra set of eyes could do but help,” he sighs out.

Standing up he walks over to a bulletin board filled with notes. “This is all the calculations we know to be accurate. Tell me if you notice anything. I'll be back I have to use the loo.”

Nodding I take a closer look at one of the drawings on the desk below. It's an oval thing with a tub in the middle of it and gibberish surrounding it.

Realizing that it's the blueprints to the machine, what did he call it? Traveler thirteen-hundred?

I take the drawing and head to the window. Looking closely at the drawing I notice that the lever to the left is supposed to be pushed in and straight, but in front of me it's hanging out and crooked.

Hmm, that's odd.

I head inside the room and lift it back into place before shoving it all the way in. On my way back out I trip over something and my hand lands on the button pad.

“What the hell did you do!” Autumn yells at me. Looking back, I notice that I'm seeing the night sky instead of the white stained brick wall in the middle of the portal machine.

Autumn quickly rushes over and bumps the lever out of place again, causing the sky to disappear. She looks as if she's about to decapitate my head at any second.

Oh s**t. What did I just do?