Jessica tossed and turned in bed. Her mind was racing with thoughts she couldn’t make sense of. She had flashes of Zach in a corporate boardroom, sitting at the head of a long rectangular table. There were at least ten people on each side of the table, all staring at a screen opposite of Zach. He was different. He was older. Zach’s dreadlocks had grown down to the middle of his back and were gray.
Jessica was in the room, pacing back and forth on one side of the room by the floor-to-ceiling glass windows. Everyone was looking at the screen, engaged in a conversation, and seemingly unaware of her presence. She watched their lips move, but she couldn’t make out anything that they were saying.
A flash of light from the window temporarily blinded her. She froze in place. As her eyes adjusted, she scanned the Atlanta skyline. Off in the distance, just over Kennesaw Mountain, she saw the flash again. It was like someone was using a mirror and reflecting the sun to signal to Jessica. Impossible, that mountain is over twenty miles away. The reflection caught her eye again. This time the glare lasted a little longer. Jessica leaned closer to the window, pressing her palms against the glass.
Suddenly, the mountain burst into flames. Jessica jumped back from the window. Was this some sort of attack? There were no planes in the sky. The blaze grew quickly, spreading toward Midtown Atlanta. Jessica turned and looked at Zach. He and the rest of the people in suits were still in discussion, staring at the screen. Jessica turned back to the window, watching the earth scorch on a path toward them. Jessica rushed over to Zach and shook his shoulders. He didn’t respond. Jessica ran out of the room to the other side of the building. She saw flames coming from the other side of the city too, rapidly making their way inward. Jessica ran to the other sides of the building. Her fears were confirmed. There was a blaze coming for the heart of Atlanta, and they were in the center.
Jessica ran back to the boardroom, unsure of what she would say, but she knew she needed to do something. This time, only Zach was in there, sitting alone, still staring at the screen. Jessica approached him cautiously. She reached out to put her hand on his shoulder, but a familiar voice stopped her.
“Look now,” Evelyn’s voice said.
Jessica hadn’t seen her in the room, but Evelyn was now standing by the glass wall, staring off at the mountain. As Jessica approached the glass, she saw that the fire had stopped progressing toward them. It was still burning, but something was preventing it from moving closer.
“Come down,” Evelyn said as she turned and left the boardroom, the door closing behind her. Jessica tried to follow her. She opened the door and was back in her room.
Jessica sat up in bed and tried to shake off the dream. Once she collected herself, she headed downstairs. She saw Evelyn in the kitchen, standing next to the island, drinking from a steaming mug. “Would you like some tea?” she asked politely.
“You all are really into tea here,” Jessica said. “No, thank you. How did you do that?”
“Magic,” Evelyn laughed. “The complicated, real answer is that every thought you have emits a frequency, a wavelength. Ori can see each wave, like a trail of light or energy, from its origination to its destination. He can also see each ripple effect that your thoughts create. Ori figured that you would be restless, and he told us which frequency to monitor. It was my turn to watch you when you had the dream.” Evelyn smiled and took another sip from her mug.
“Your turn to watch? How long have I been asleep?”
“A little over a day.”
Jessica’s heartbeat quickened. “When is Match Day?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Can you read my thoughts too?”
“Like Ori?” Evelyn shook her head. “No.”
“Good, so you can’t tell how much I’m freaking out.”
“Ha.” Evelyn seemed amused. “I don’t need to read your mind to pick up on that. But, based on your dream and Ori’s vision, you shouldn’t have anything to worry about.” Evelyn placed her mug on the counter. “Let’s take a walk.”
The sky was clear, and Jessica could see every star. It’s always a clear night sky here. She stared up at the sky, expecting to see one of the thousands of satellites fly past, but there was nothing. An image of her and Zach camping on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon appeared in her mind. “See, there’s another one,” Zach said, pointing at the orbiting satellite. “One day, we are going to have to find a way that doesn’t rely on those things polluting space.”
Jessica shook the thought out of her head. “What’s happening to me? I keep having these flashes of Zach. Some seem real, but others seem like dreams. I’m not sure what to think.”
“Your rational mind is having a hard time letting go. It’s trying to make sense of things that logic can’t explain.” Jessica walked in silence while Evelyn continued. “When you’re born, your brain starts to collect all kinds of data to program itself. It takes cues from your guardians, family, friends, television, news, everything. That creates the foundation for how your brain works. The things you are learning and experiencing here go against everything you’ve been programmed to believe. That’s an incredibly difficult thing to comprehend, but your brain is doing a great job of it.”
“Those journals,” Jessica said. “I gave Zach those ideas?”
“Sort of,” Evelyn said. “To you, it seems like you pulled a book off the shelf with all the secrets to the universe. To Zach, you inspired him in different ways. Maybe on a trip in the woods, you made a passing comment about how the woodpecker knows which trees have food and which don’t. Remember, we never give answers. We just point people in the right direction.”
“Why are things so muddled in my mind?” Jessica asked. “In my dream, Zach was older, much older than the last time I saw him. How is that possible?”
“You saw the version of reality that we need to have occurred,” Evelyn said. “A future in which Zach—”
Jessica finished her thought, “Becomes the CEO of the Singularity Group.”
“That’s right.”
“And the fire…” Jessica continued, staring at the dirt path as they walked into the forest. “The solar flares. Zach has the company focus all of its efforts on identifying a solution to save the world from the solar flares.” Jessica looked over at Evelyn. “That’s why the fire stopped in my dream.”
“That’s correct,” Evelyn said, nodding along.
“But how does the Alderamin algorithm come into play?”
“We need diversity of thought to help build the technology that will save the world. The world is still incredibly divided. Once we get people operating off the same objective data points, more people will move from the extreme edges toward the middle. We need more people working together, people from all different backgrounds. You never know who carries the final piece of the puzzle that will save humanity, so no voice must be discounted.”
Jessica felt a sharp pain in her head as an image flashed of her stumbling through the woods. She stopped and put her hands on her knees.
“Headache again?” Evelyn asked.
Jessica nodded.
Evelyn put an arm around her waist for support and urged her forward. “Come with me.”
Jessica heard water, and the pain in her head subsided. They were back at the pond. Jessica thought back to the image of Ori standing there, his flesh replaced by the darkness of space, his features replaced by the stars and galaxies. “If Ori can read my mind and can see the future, why doesn’t he just tell me what happened and what I need to know?”
“It doesn’t work that way. We only operate in your subconscious. That way, you are more likely to take ownership of your thoughts, words, and actions. The answers never leave your subconscious. That’s where all of your shadow beliefs are held.”
“Shadow beliefs?” Jessica questioned.
“These are the beliefs that are buried deep inside, that were programmed in you at a very early age. Most people aren’t even aware that they exist.” Evelyn kneeled and put her hand in the water as the sizable koi fish approached. When Evelyn’s skin touched the water, her forearm turned the black of deep space, and Jessica could see small glowing stars, just like she had with Ori. “When you are all alone, daydreaming about your perfect life, you might picture everything that you ever want to happen. Once you get a clear picture of what that looks like, how happy you would feel, you ask yourself, ‘Do I deserve it?’” Evelyn looked up at Jessica. “Your shadow beliefs about yourself will be answered. Too many people don’t believe they are worthy.” Evelyn pulled her hand out of the water. It returned to its flesh and blood hue. She stood up. “Your shadow beliefs feed your subconscious, which drives your conscious thoughts and behavior. There’s nothing wrong with your shadow beliefs. You wouldn’t be here if there was.”
“Then why can’t I remember everything?” Jessica asked.
“Zach’s the problem,” Evelyn said. “Your two minds have formed a powerful bond and have become entangled. You have a shared vision, so powerful that what’s happening to his conscious mind is impacting yours.”
“What else do I need to do to fix it?” Jessica asked.
“You’ve got to remember what it is that has created such a strong bond between you.”
Jessica said, “He mentioned a godson. I’ve spent a lot of time with him, though, and I—I can’t remember anything about a godson.”
“Well, we know Zach’s thoughts are scrambled,” Evelyn said.
“Because of interference?”
“Zach has information that he’s keeping, and someone is trying hard to get it. They are driven, and they are determined. But what’s in your mind is equally important, and it’s the only way we can save him.”
“What if I can’t remember?” Jessica asked.
“Don’t think like that,” Evelyn said. “You’ve already remembered. Now you just need to let the rest come to you.”