Part 5 (1/2)

Nate punched in a number on the van's cell phone, switching it to speakerphone so they could both converse.

Mr. Morgan answered on the second ring. ”Nate, I was going to call you-”

”Morgan, I want you to tell us we're not going crazy.”

There was silence, and then a sigh at the other end. ”What's happened?”

”Reality is s.h.i.+fting before our very eyes!” Sarah told him.

Nate quickly recapped what had happened, then said, ”So we've tracked the kids to a certain point, and ...”

”And ... ?”

”The kids aren't there-but that point isn't there anymore, either. It's gone, like it never existed.” Nate raised his voice, his anger apparent. ”Morgan, who in the world are we dealing with?”

There was another significant pause before Morgan replied, ”I have one clue for you: Alvin Rogers, the boy in the hospital, is dead. The death certificate will undoubtedly say it was a ma.s.sive heart attack. But I'm quite sure he was murdered.”

Chapter 4: Waking Up In Nightmare.

lijah began to waive Up, but very slowly. He'd already spent several rough days and nights hanging out on the streets of Seattle without much sleep, and now he was paying for it. His body felt like lead, and he could hardly open his eyes.

He became aware of his clothes, the same clothes he'd been wearing for days. Now he'd worn them all night, and if he didn't get a shower and something fresh to wear, he was going to be one very smelly ”runaway” Then he became aware of something else: kids' voices laughing, cheering, hollering, as if a rollicking game was going on. Yes, he could hear the distinctive sound of a volleyball being batted about.

Volleyball in the middle of the city?

He opened his eyes. Suns.h.i.+ne was pouring in through the window, warm and dazzling. It made him squint.

He raised his head and looked around. He didn't remember this room very well, but, of course, he was so sleepy last night he wasn't paying much attention. It wasn't large, just a typical hotel room. It looked cleaner than he remembered. The walls and ceiling were painted white, and an attractive blue carpet was on the floor. His bed was set against one wall, and against another wall were a small dresser and a desk.

He sat up on the bed, pausing a moment to let some dizziness pa.s.s. He didn't remember the dresser or the desk from last night. On the other hand, he did remember brus.h.i.+ng his teeth in a small bathroom that now appeared to be a closet.

With some effort, he rose to his feet and went to the window He froze where he stood, hardly breathing, nothing moving but his eyes as he scanned left and right, taking in scenery he wasn't ready to believe.

He was looking out on what appeared to be a summer camp. Immediately outside the window was a wide-open field of green gra.s.s-a baseball diamond, a soccer and football field, and a volleyball court where a good-sized bunch of kids were having a rollicking game, volleying and spiking the ball over the net. The field was bordered on all four sides by campus structures that reminded him of a YMCA camp, most likely a dining hall, recreation building, maybe some cla.s.srooms, and dormitories like the one he was standing in right now. Beyond all of it were steep, forested hills, possibly mountains-from this window he couldn't see their tops.

There'd been a change during the night.

Elijah immediately checked himself over, patting his pockets. Everything was still there: a little spare change, a handkerchief, half a stick of gum, and especially the small radio transmitter he was wearing under his s.h.i.+rt. A mirror hung on the wall just opposite the closet. He studied his reflection, but apart from looking like a street b.u.m who'd slept in his clothes all night, he found nothing of concern. As far as he could tell, his body and everything on it had not been disturbed, simply moved.

He searched his memory and found it disappointingly blank. He remembered he and Elisha did agree to give the Knight-Moore Academy a try, but he hadn't the slightest memory of how they got from that moment and that place to this one.

They? He was immediately concerned for Elisha.

Knock knock knock! A male voice called from outside the door, ”h.e.l.lo? Jerry? You awake?”

Okay, Elijah told himself, I'm still Jerry. ”Uh, who is it?”

”Clyde Stern, the dorm superintendent. Let's go; you've got a meeting with the dean in five minutes.”

Elijah opened the door. The man standing outside was wellbuilt, in his thirties, with brown, curly hair and a smile that looked a little grim. He was dressed a bit formal, in burgundy blazer, white s.h.i.+rt, black slacks, and black tie. Elijah felt like a slob just being in his presence. The man made a face as if he were looking at a slob. ”Where's your uniform?”

”I, I don't know about any uniform.”

Stern looked past Elijah into the room. ”Don't give me that. It's right there in your closet.”

Elijah ventured a look in the closet, and there it was: a burgundy blazer, black slacks, white s.h.i.+rt, and black tie, all freshly pressed and ready to go.

”What have you been doing all morning?” Stern demanded. ”Gingham's gonna have a cow!”

”Who?”

”Mr. Bingham. The dean. Remember?”

”Guess I'd better change-”

Stern just yanked on Elijah's s.h.i.+rtsleeve. ”No time, kid. Bingham doesn't wait.”

Elijah followed Stern, walking briskly down the hall because it was the only thing he knew to do. The hall was messy; litter and clothing were lying about, and there was graffiti on the walls. Considering Stern's snappy, uniformed, hop-to-it manner, the condition of this place didn't make a lot of sense. Oh, well. Nothing was making much sense yet. Elijah's mind was still fuzzy, he could definitely smell himself, and he was still trying to catch up with ... well, everything.

”What about that girl who was with me?” he asked.

”She's gonna meet us there.”

”So she's okay?”

Stern looked at him with that same judgmental eye. ”She's great. In a lot better shape than you right now.”

They went out a door and into the suns.h.i.+ne, taking a walkway that led across the campus.

Stern waved toward the volleyball game. ”Hey, Easley!”

Easley looked like a typical coach. He was young and athletic, dressed in black shorts and burgundy tee s.h.i.+rt. He waved from the sidelines of the game. ”So that's the new guy?”

”Yeah. Isn't he a mess?”

Now the whole game stopped and about thirty kids took a moment to stare at the mess. He looked back, waving h.e.l.lo. The friendly ones waved; the rest didn't look friendly. They came in all colors, types, and sizes, with short hair, long hair, no hair, frizzed hair, purple hair, dreadlocked hair. Some were jocks and proud of it, some were flirts and proud of that, some were just followers, not proud of anything. They were all dressed in the same outfit as the coach: black shorts, burgundy tee s.h.i.+rts, snazzy running shoes.

”Come on,” said a big guy holding the ball. It was his serve. ”Let's get on with the game!”

They all went back to their game, and Elijah and Mr. Stern kept walking.

”I take it this is the Knight-Moore Academy?” Elijah asked.

”This is the place,” said Stern. ”That's the library right thereyou can check out books, CDs, videos, whatever you want. That building over there is the recreation hall. They've got pool tables, Ping-Pong, foozball, video games, lots of stuff. That's the dining hall, three squares a day. We have four dorm buildings, A, B, C, and D. A and B are where you just came from, over there. As for girls, B's for boys, so you're in B. Over on the other side there are two more: C's for girls, D's for boys. Don't get 'em mixed up.”

The buildings looked new and freshly painted-basic white, with burgundy trim; all the lawns were neatly kept; the planting beds along the buildings, though small, were weeded and flowers were blooming. The scenery all around the place was spectacular: mountains, tall forests, even some snow-covered peaks in the distance.