Leesa let her head sink back down onto the pillow. The doctor’s name had left her stunned. Not just the Dr. Rave part, but the last name as well. Volcanemershtom…volkaane… Had her subconscious really grabbed all these details from around her and created a fantastic, highly realistic dream? Who was she going to see next, Nurse Necromancer? Maybe she should turn the whole thing into a book—it certainly had all the needed elements.
And what about Ralin? Her heart ached as she pictured his smiling face. She wanted to ask about him, but was not sure if she could bear to hear the answer, not right now, anyhow.
Dr. Rave held out his hand. Lost in her thoughts, she failed to notice for a long moment, but then she lifted her free hand and softly shook his hand.
“Let’s give you a quick check-up,” he said.
He pulled the sheet covering Leesa down to her waist and placed his stethoscope against her chest, listening first to
Alcatraz Island, December 21, 2021A single keystroke changed the world forever.Three men huddled in front of the computer monitor. The guy pecking at the keyboard appeared young enough to pass for a college student, and his jeans and black T-shirt with a dripping red peace symbol on the front did nothing to disabuse the notion. The other two men—one in his mid-fifties, the other long past sixty—stood behind him, each dressed in a white lab coat. Their hunched postures betrayed their eagerness for this last task to be completed. The big moment was nearly at hand—the moment they had devoted eight years, countless man-hours and millions of dollars toward.All three men were universally acclaimed to be among the top people in their respective fields. Ask the CEO of any tech giant to list the top five computer programmers in the world and Briggs Brennan—the man typing at the keyboard—would show up on every list. He had joined the project two years earlier, at the ripe old age of twenty-f
“Leah, one's coming!”Radar’s voice is loud but not panicked as she grabs me by the wrist. I don’t have to ask what’s coming. I already know. Radar’s tone can mean only one thing—an Anomaly is about to appear, somewhere nearby. She’s already pulled her oversized pink-framed sunglasses from her head.“Where?” I ask, automatically reaching for the handle of the machete strapped to my back. I swing my head from side to side even though I know I won’t see anything yet. Anomalies can be deadly even if nothing dangerous comes through—the physical forces accompanying the opening of a portal can rip a body or a building apart. More times than not, however, something dangerous DOES come with it—usually something very dangerous. It’s doubtful I’ll have to deal with it, but I keep my grip on my blade nonetheless. Though I’ve practiced with the machete for countless hours, I’ve never used it for real yet. Still, the feel of the leather handle in my palm is at least somewhat reassuring.“Over ther
Suddenly, the air in the garden seems to bend and shimmer, like heat waves rising from an asphalt surface on a hot day. These aren’t heat waves though. For one thing, the temperature is very pleasant—mid-sixties, I’d guess—and more importantly, the lines are horizontal, not vertical. A barely audible high-pitched whine accompanies the disturbance in the air. The whine and the strange bending of the air are the only signs anyone other than Radar gets that an Anomaly is unfolding. If you’re unfortunate enough to be caught in it, it’s too late. No one is quite sure what happens to people trapped in an Anomaly, but we do know they’re never seen again.Once again, my hand finds the grip of my machete, just in case. Out of the corner of my eye I notice that Radar has grabbed the hilt of her samurai sword.I’ve witnessed enough Anomalies to know what’s coming next, but my breath still catches when the plants and furniture
Radar is smiling as she puts her cap back atop her head, carefully fitting her thick ponytail through the opening in the back. Next, she puts her sunglasses back on. The large lenses make her look a bit like some kind of mutant bug. “That worked out pretty well,” she says. “You and I make a good team.” “Yeah, right,” I say, trying hard not to frown. “You with your amazing Power and me with my whistle.” I lift the metal whistle from my chest and look down at it. “Some Miracle I am. Any child can blow a whistle.” “Stop it,” Radar says sternly. “You know I don’t like hearing you talk like that.” She wraps her arms around me and gives me a warm hug, then steps back. “You’re as much a Miracle as any of us. Maybe more so. You were the first. You broke the curse. That’s more Miracle than anything.” I manage a smile. It’s hard not to be in a good mood around Radar. That’s just one of the reasons I love her so much. Sometimes I wonder if breaking the curse is
Still, with no way to know when an Anomaly would occur, dark and deadly things were constantly coming through, leading to pitched battles and long drawn out hunts. Thousands of people died every year, almost as many as at the time of The Incident, when there were no lights and barriers to keep the monsters out. Since Radar developed her Power, the number of deaths has been cut dramatically. Nothing anyone does for her is too much, that’s for sure.Jordy finally puts her down, but they stay standing close together, arm in arm. Radar and Jordy have known each other since he was a little boy. I’m pretty sure he’s been in love with her ever since, but she only started taking notice of him as more than just a friend after he joined the Marines last year. With no children born for ten years, the Marines have started accepting recruits for training when they turn fifteen. Jordy signed up the first day he was eligible. Even I have to admit that the somewhat goofy li
Radar and I stare out across the water for a moment, speechless.“Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” Radar asks me finally.I nod. “Yeah. There’s someone out there. Swimming with the dolphins.”I count three people, all female, each with long, jet black hair. As far as I can tell, they’re not wearing wetsuits, but their long hair makes it difficult to tell from this distance. That seems impossible, though, with the water this cold. But I guess it’s no more improbable than being out there in the middle of the dolphins in the first place.“I thought I was seeing things,” Radar says. “They must be freezing.”“They don’t look cold at all,” I say. “They look like they’re having as much fun as the dolphins.”One of the swimmers notices us watching them. She stops moving, floating in place now with her head just above the surface of the water. She must have said something to her companions, because they all are looking at us now.After a moment, they begin swimming toward us. Something is both
“You know about us?” Radar asks. She sounds as surprised as me. And for good reason.“We were told…to deliver our message…to any of the seven,” Selene replies.“Told by who?” I ask.Selene shakes her head. “I am not permitted…to tell you that.”This is getting stranger by the minute. “What do you mean? Why can’t you tell us?”Selene fixes her dark eyes on mine. They seem warm and sympathetic. “I’m sorry. But it is not allowed.”“No offense,” Radar says, “but how can we know whether to trust your message if we don’t know where it comes from?”I’m glad Radar is thinking along the same lines as me, because that’s not always the case. She’s usually much more trusting and way more impetuous than me.“Because you will trust us…I hope,” Selene says. “I know it is…a lot to ask.”Colella lays her hand on Selene’s shoulder. The three mermaids exchange a look and then Selene turns back to Radar and me.“Just a moment,” she says.The mermaids duck their heads under the water, facing each other. I
How long my marvelous ride lasts, I have no idea, but I’m sad when it ends. Time seems to have lost its meaning as Ada guides me back into shallow water. I feel like barely a minute has passed, but I also feel like it’s been hours. Reluctantly, I let go of Ada’s fin and let my feet find the sandy bottom. I feel as if I’m still moving, and it takes me a moment to catch my balance. It’s a good thing I’m still holding Selene’s hand, or I might have fallen. Plus, I’d be freezing, because my clothes are completely soaked, of course.“That was totally amazing,” I say to Selene.“Holy crap!” Radar says as she glides to a stop beside us and releases her grip on Cami. “That was freaking awesome.”Tamika swims over and places my cap back onto my head and then does the same for Radar.“I’m glad…you enjoyed it,” Selene says. “You remember…why you