Despite her exhaustion, Roni knew sleep would not be coming anytime during the flight home. The boys had no trouble, though. Elliot’s serene face across the aisle exuded peacefulness while Sully’s deep snores could be heard from several rows back. Gram sat next to Roni, reading her Bible while taking surreptitious glances in Roni’s direction.
For the first few hours, Roni buried her attentions in her journal. She detailed the events at the Abbey as best as memory served her, recording all the names, creatures, experiences, everything. She made sure to include that after the collapse of the church, Elliot spent over an hour casting for any sign of Maria, the creatures, or the rift itself. They were all gone. Maria had been set free, the creatures had all been consumed by the rift, and the rift — well, the rift had been closed. Not contained in a book, not stabilized in a state of half-existence, but actually closed. To the best of Roni’s limited knowledge, no rift had ever been closed before.
She wrote on about her thoughts and feelings concerning the work they did and how close she had come to losing her life. Not only was it her duty as the researcher and librarian of the Parallel Society to record this information for future Society members to use, but she found it therapeutic. If she did not spew these thoughts onto the page now, she would spend many years ahead of her in expensive therapy.
Later, after a bland and overpriced sandwich, Roni shifted in her narrow seat to face Gram. They had spoken little about Maria since leaving the Abbey, and she had no intention of starting now. However, thinking through all that had transpired so she could write it down, several questions poked at her mind.
Gram leaned her head towards Roni. “Out with it. Whatever’s got you thinking, you’re going to burst if you don’t ask.”
With an embarrassed chuckle, Roni said, “I want to ask you about my dad. I’ve always thought he ended up in a mental hospital because of the car accident, because of losing her. But that isn’t true, is it?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Your father was always tight-lipped about the thoughts in his head. I do know that he lost touch with reality when your mother died. That was the timing of it, and that was the easiest answer for you to understand at such a young age.”
“But he knew about the Parallel Society.”
“No, he didn’t.” Gram spoke as if the very idea fouled the food in her stomach.
Roni wanted to argue, wanted to point out that she had spoken with him at length, and that he had indicated knowledge of the real world, of the Parallel Society, of everything. Perhaps Mom had told him. Perhaps he knew about Roni’s past and therefore what the future held for her.
But she held back. Gram had not experienced the same things she had at the Abbey. While Roni had little problem letting go of the past and her lost time — at least, in terms of solving that mystery and filling the void — Gram would not see it the same way. To her, the past had been a secret she carefully guarded. Whether to protect Roni or to protect the Parallel Society or to protect herself, Roni did not know.
And, Roni thought, she really does care. The past was only important in how it affected the future. That was why she needed answers about her dad.
“I don’t mean to speak ill,” Gram said, “but have you ever considered the possibility that your father’s mental illness does not come from any trauma caused by your mother, me, or any of this? Perhaps, his mental illness is no different than anybody else’s. Perhaps his brain’s wires simply are not functioning properly.”
“I’ll have to think about that.” Roni said it to appease Gram, but neither of them appeared to believe the words much.
She returned to her journal, reading over all she had written in the last few months. Her father had warned her over a year ago that something dark and dangerous had begun. She did not give it too much credence back then, but after the Abbey, she wondered.
The rift had been stabilized for centuries, yet it suddenly changed its behavior. Of course, her mishandling of the situation and using the old book caused much of it — but what if there were other forces also at work?
When she got home, she would have to hit the books. Research was her skill for the Parallel Society and she needed to use it now more than ever. But that awaited her at home. And while she had made the choice not to dwell on her past, she saw no harm in spending a few moments basking in the warmth of her success.
They had saved the Earth from an invasion, released Maria from her prison, and closed a rift. Not bad for a couple days work.