7 Chapter 7 – Zack – Iteration 144 (2/2)
He cleared his throat. ”Why don't you tell me who you think I am and I'll let you know if you're right or wrong?”
”You're an immortal Observer for the Creator.”
Zack took a deep breath. How does she know that? It's an impossible guess. There's no way anyone could know about me. Not unless . . . . ”I'm not the only one.” He blinked, then spoke in a rush. ”You're an Observer. Are there any others?”
Bridgette stared at him. ”You're not this convincing of an actor.”
”What do you mean?”
She shook her head. ”Never mind. Can we talk outside?”
”Sure. There's a pavilion off to the side.”
”I spotted it on my way in.”
Zack laughed. ”Of course you noticed it. I would have.” He abandoned his post at the deli counter, trying to suppress the giddy excitement within him. Other Observers existed. It lessened the guilt he felt over his deficits to know that he didn't bear the entire burden of witnessing creation. It meant there were others who understood his problems. Others who might know how to deal with things. It meant there was hope for him.
He asked his first question before they reached the pavilion. ”Do you have any idea how many of us there are?”
”Eleven,” she said.
”That's awful specific. How do you know?”
Bridgette sat on the picnic table. ”Because in a hundred and forty-four Iterations, I have only met ten others. In case you hadn't noticed, it's pretty easy to spot our own kind. Even easier if they get themselves on the national news.”
”Why eleven? It seems an odd number.”
”Well, Zack, that's a very old question. Everyone has their own theory. Personally, I think the Creator is messing with us. People always have ten fingers. Twelve is almost always a holy number. But It makes eleven of us because numerology is a joke.”
Zack frowned. ”It? I always thought of the Creator as a He.”
Bridgette smacked her knee. ”Right. Well, I say the Creator is a woman.”
He shrugged. ”I guess it doesn't matter either way. Do you really think the Creator jokes with us? Doesn't that seem a little . . . irreverent?”
Bridgette shrugged. ”Why not? We don't actually know anything about the Creator. For so many worlds, everyone thought there was a twelfth Observer in hiding. But some worlds are much smaller than this one. It would be impossible to avoid detection by all of us for this long.”
”You talk as if this isn't the first world.”
”This is number one-four-four, Zack.”
”And all of you are the same age?”
”All of us.”
Zack shook his head. ”Not me, Bridgette. I only go back five years.”
She took his hand in hers. ”Hess, it's Elza. You're safe.”
He retracted his hand as gently as possible. ”I'm telling the truth. Maybe the Creator needed a twelfth Observer. Maybe I'm supposed to be a joke: a clumsy Observer who gets caught.”
Bridgette sighed. ”If this is your first life, then we should probably have a long talk. I'm sure you have a ton of questions. I rented a house just ten minutes from here.” She pulled out a set of keys.
”I can't go now,” Zack said. ”But my shift ends at two. Does that work?”
She smiled. ”Sure thing, honey. I'll be here.”