“Rain, what is it? Are you having another flashback?” The deep voice seemed distantly familiar, bringing forth memories of reciting nursery rhymes, puzzling out physics problems, and laughing loudly at old comedies projected from an HT. I looked up from my hands into dark-brown eyes I remembered only from pictures. Until now. Now I remembered these eyes as being my everything.
“Dad?” I reached for his hand that lay on the cold metal table separating us. He pulled back.
“Sweetheart, you know we can’t touch,” he whispered, glancing at a steel door to my right. “The guards…”
There was no need for any other trigger to jumpstart my memory. It was as if looking into my father’s eyes provided all the answers I needed. I gazed around at the gray, windowless, cinder-block walls of the room. A single light bulb hung from the ceiling on a short black cord. The guard stood in a relaxed posture of attention, ready to subdue the prisoner. The prisoner wasn’t my father anymore, though. On this timeline, the prisoner was me.
A faint smell of bleach lingered in the air. Had they just mopped the floor? Or, was I smelling my stiff, orange jumpsuit? I shuffled my feet under the table, causing the metal shackles to dig deeper into my ankles. My hands weren’t bound, maybe as an act of torture—the kind of torture that came with a warning: your hands are free to hug your father, but don’t you dare hug your father or we’ll shoot you from behind the door. At this thought, I cried.
“Rain, Rain, it’s okay. We’ll find a way out of this.” My dad’s face was awash with pity, which stopped my tears. No use feeling sorry for myself and dragging him down with me. Better to be angry. My mother had put me here. I would direct all of my anger at her.
“I swear, Dad, if I ever get out of here, I’m going to kill Moraine.” I couldn’t call her Mom. Not after what she’d done to me. I wasn’t exaggerating, either. I fantasized about allowing her to drink the poison that Nile had prepared for her.
“I know you’re angry,” Dad said. “I am, too. What your mother did was wrong. I think, though, that Dal and I can talk her out of pursuing this. Dal refuses to testify, and without him, she really doesn’t have a case.”
“So … Dal doesn’t believe that I was making threats against him?” I couldn’t be sure where my brother stood. He and I were pretty close on this timeline. Dad made sure of that. But Dal did spend the majority of his time with Moraine, and I knew how manipulative she could be.
“Of course not,” Dad said. “No one can believe it. Except for your mother.”
“Do you actually think she believes it?”
“Look, Rain. I don’t know why your mother has these thoughts. Just like I’ve never been able to explain why she has always … preferred your brother. I’ve tried to protect you from her. I wish I could have done more…”
I was dying to take his hand in mine. Instead, I clasped my two hands together and imagined it was his hand I was holding. “You’ve done everything you could,” I said. “Because of you, I’ve had it pretty good.”
He gave me a weak smile with teary eyes.
Thinking about all the other lives I’ve led without my dad, I knew that this life had been, by far, the best yet. Dad had nurtured and inspired me in ways that Moraine, and even Garda, could not do. I was currently at the top of my class at WaterPure in Oasis without aggravating any of my professors. In fact, I was right up there with Dal, hanging with him through all the advanced courses, surpassing him, at times, on assessments. It seemed there was no limit to what I could do or be in the future. And unlike the past, this WaterPure was a corporation to be proud of. My dad had made sure of that. He had been in charge for over a decade, and more people than not had fresh water to drink. No one got rich from working there, but the world sure was richer than before. At least my last Memory Visit had succeeded in stopping Moraine from conspiring with Nile. My Dad was both alive and free. I wished I could say the same about myself.
“I love you very much,” Dad said. “Please don’t worry. Dal and I will have you out of here by tomorrow, I promise. The lawyer said it was just a matter of time before the judge threw the case out.”
“Thank you, Dad. I love you, too.”
“I should go. I think you have another visitor scheduled to arrive soon.” Dad’s smile grew more genuine as he stood to leave. My first guess was Dal, but when Dad winked at me over his shoulder, I knew immediately that the next man who walked through that door would be Evin.
The lighting was dimmer on the other side of the door, but I could still make out two figures embracing. When the door opened, Evin’s tall, broad-shouldered self walked straight for my table like he was joining me for brunch. His smile made me catch my breath. We’d been dating a while, for six months, and he still made my stomach flutter.
He sat down across from me, smiling. If I thought it was torture not being able to touch my dad, then I was underestimating what torture was. I had to sit on my hands while Evin leaned as far as he could over the table. I did the same, and we simply stared at each other for a full minute before uttering a sound. Fortunately, there was no pity in his eyes. Only love.
“So, how was your first night in the slammer?”
I laughed. “Awful. The cot was as hard as a rock and the food sucked.”
“Well, you should have thought of that before you turned to a life of crime.”
“You don’t seem concerned that your girlfriend could be locked away for a very long time.”
“I have no concerns about that. There is no way that Hudson Shattuck’s little girl is going to prison on some trumped-up charges by a bitter ex-wife.”
I looked deep into Evin’s gray eyes to see if he was covering. He wasn’t. He had no doubt that the wheels of justice would spin me loose. I, on the other hand, had lived so long under a corrupt justice system that innocent until proven guilty seemed impossible. Yet, this was a new world, and I knew in my heart that he was right.
I let out a sigh of relief. This reality was the one I had always dreamed of living in. WaterPure no longer operated under a corrupt administration that owned the police force. My dad, just one righteous man, had made the difference. People of all classes were treated with dignity and fairness, beginning with the provision of one of life’s essentials—water.
People were also afforded dignity under the law. The only reason I was in jail was that the LEOs had to take Moraine’s claims seriously. They wouldn’t drop the investigation just because I was Hudson Shattuck’s daughter. On this timeline, no one was above the law, and even though I was sitting in shackles because of that premise, I was thankful.
“Look, you shouldn’t worry, Rain. I know this is rough, but it won’t be long before the judge realizes what’s going on.”
“What is going on? Do you know why Moraine would do this? Has Dal told you anything?”
“He’s not sure.” Evin lowered his voice. “He thinks your mom might be unstable.”
I stifled a laugh. Evin raised his eyebrows and then smiled. “Yeah, I know you’ve always said she was a little loony, but Dal says she’s having delusions.”
“What do you mean?” It was one thing to think that my mother had to be nuts to hate me so much. It was another to hear from someone else that she was delusional. Especially my brother, who usually sprang to her defense when I had something negative to say about her. “Does he really think she’s sick?” I couldn’t explain why, but I felt a twinge of worry.
“Well, I don’t know if sick is the right word. He says she acts normal except when it comes to talk of you.” Evin squinted his eyes as though in thought. “I’m not sure I should be talking to you about this. Maybe you should ask Dal.”
“Oh, no you don’t. You can’t start this and not finish. What did Dal say?”
“It’s pretty wild, Rain.”
“It can’t be any worse than it’s been all my life. I know Moraine doesn’t like me, never has. I also know that Dal’s the love of her life.”
“Right, that’s why I don’t want to add any more hurt to this picture.”
“I barely know her, Evin. She can’t really hurt me.”
Evin nodded. “Okay, you deserve to know this since you’re in jail because of it. You know how Moraine has never wanted you and Dal to spend time together? And how she has gotten more and more insistent that you be kept away from him? Well, I guess she told Dal that the reason she’s so worried is that you told her you would kill him.”
“Yeah, I know that part. That’s why I’m in jail.”
“You didn’t let me finish. She said you told her at the kitchen table … during a Memory Visit when you were ten years old.”
“What?” I remembered my last words to her in the Memory Visit. Your son is gone. If you want Dal to live in the future, stay away from Nile. And leave my father alone. It had sounded like a threat. It had sounded like I was the one who would kill Dal in the future as some sort of revenge against her for throwing my dad in jail. Maybe she had thought for all these years that someday I would murder my own twin just to spite her. I shook my head in disbelief.
“Dal knows that you’ve never been back to their house since the divorce. He thinks she’s hallucinating. She’s definitely out of her mind.”
“Nope. She’s actually one hundred percent sane.”
“Are you telling me she’s right? You were there?”
“No … well, yes. I did Visit her … through Dal. I know it sounds weird, but it happened. I told her it was me, not Dal, and I tried to convince her to leave our father alone, and I guess she misinterpreted what I tried to tell her. It’s a long story.”
“But you threatened to kill Dal?”
“No, of course not! She misunderstood my message. I told her Dal was in danger of dying because of her actions, but not because I was going to kill him.”
“I guess she’s not delusional after all.” Evin stared off into space. When his eyes returned to mine, they were resolute. “I think we should keep this between us.”
“Got it. Let the world think she’s delusional. It will help my case.”
“Definitely. Hey, what’s wrong?”
“I don’t know. Moraine has been nothing but a thorn in my side all my life, and yet…”
“You feel bad for her?” Evin gave me an understanding smile.
“Yeah.” I remembered all the times that people doubted me when I had tried to explain the changes brought about by a Memory Visit. I remembered how frustrated and saddened I felt when my friends and family didn’t believe me or didn’t trust me. It was the worst feeling in the world. Moraine was experiencing that right now. She was doing what she thought she had to in order to protect her son, but no one was really on her side.
“Look, Evin,” I said. “This is going to sound strange, but the Memory Visit that I’m talking about, the one where I piggybacked Dal to Visit Moraine, well, it just happened for me. I mean, I just woke up from it, and here I am. Everything has changed really dramatically. Not just my life, but everyone’s lives. It’s like the whole world has changed. For the better, thank God.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Your life’s better even though you’re in jail?”
I laughed. “Yes, if you can believe it.”
“I’m glad things are better.” He sighed and looked deep into my eyes. “It’s funny. You’re telling me that your life was different, that the whole world has changed, and yet, I’m not that surprised. A part of me is shocked, I’m not gonna lie, but another part of me—I don’t know how to explain it—feels like this is just par for the course. Isn’t that weird?”
“No,” I said. “It’s actually not weird at all.”
A loud buzzer sounded the end of our time together. The door opened, and a guard stepped inside. Instead of a machine gun strapped over her shoulder like the LEOs of old, this guard had a taser in a holster around her waist. She wore a dark-green button-up shirt with matching pants. A bright yellow badge on her left breast pocket identified her as a law enforcement officer.
“Time’s up,” she said. “Take a minute to say your goodbyes.”
How humane, I thought. The LEOs in this world were public servants, not WaterPure servants.
“You’re smiling. Are you happy to see me go?” Evin pouted in mock hurt.
“No, I’m just reveling in this new world. I’ll have to tell you about the old world sometime.”
“I can’t wait to hear about it, outside of this place. In the meantime, just take it easy and don’t worry about things. Your dad and Dal are going to fix it.” Evin stood up to leave. “I’ll see you soon.”
“I’ll see you soon,” I said.
He lingered at the table for a moment. “Rain, I love you.”
“I love you, too.” Tears welled up in my eyes. I didn’t think it could be possible to be so happy in jail.
After Evin left, the guard brought me back to my cell, which looked exactly like the one I was held in when I was arrested for contempt of court. My heart pounded in my chest as I remembered the explosion, the smoke, and the gunfire of the jailbreak that day. I had to take a bunch of deep breaths to calm myself. It was comforting to know that I would be leaving this jail cell through the front door. It was also comforting to think that none of that really happened. The members of the rebel army were never executed on the rooftop. Burgas didn’t lose his life in the battle at Segura’s camp. I smiled at the thought of him and the rest of them going to school, playing video games, hanging out in local coffee shops.
I lay back on my cot, thinking about how close I came to losing Dal as well. I thought about how lucky I was to have the help of my friends, especially Ori and Lech, in breaking him free. I searched my mind for memories of Ori in this world, and sure enough, she was in it. She wasn’t a warrior, though. There was no war to wage. She was more like an activist. Certain groups of people were still treated unfairly, and even though they weren’t suffering as starving outcasts in the middle of the drylands, they still needed to fight for their rights. Ori stood right next to them. And, of course, Dal stood right alongside her.
Ori was a better acquaintance of mine on this timeline. I had spent some time with her and Dal on a few of their many protests. She was as bold and purposeful as she had always been. I admired her. And she seemed to admire what I was doing at WaterPure. While she wasn’t my best friend, there was no animosity between us. Plus, the best part was that she made Dal very happy.
Everything seemed so perfect. My father was alive and well, keeping WaterPure honest. Dal and I were excelling at our internships, as was Evin who was back to being my beloved boyfriend. Dal and Ori were together, bringing out the best in each other. How could things get any better? I couldn’t wait to get out of this holding cell and start living the life that I had always been meant to live.
A barrage of knocks on the cell’s door startled me out of my reverie. A guard poked his head in to tell me that I had another visitor. I hoped it was Dal. Before I got up from my cot, the guard stepped aside and opened the door wide enough for Nile to pass through. The peaceful symphony that had been playing in the back of my mind stopped short, replaced by blaring alarms when I saw Nile’s grin. If only he were dead like he was on the last timeline.
“Ah, Rain. You don’t seem happy to see me.” Nile stood staring down at me from barely three meters away. With a jerk of his head, the guard, one I’d never seen before, disappeared into the hall. Visitors were never allowed in these cells, especially unchaperoned. The alarms in my head grew louder.
“So, it seems the justice system isn’t totally free of corruption after all,” I said.
“You should be glad it isn’t. You need to hear what I’m about to say.” Nile’s grin faded. He looked as serious as the day on the beach when he begged me to save Ori’s life.
“I don’t think I need to hear anything you have to say, Nile.” I lay back on the cot, folding my hands behind my head.
“You’re acting like a spoiled teenager. Is this because I had an affair with your mom?”
“Please don’t mention that,” I groaned. “But, yes, it might have something to do with it.” I sat up again. “It might also have something to do with the fact that you’ve tried to kill me, my father, Evin, and Dal multiple times over multiple different timelines. Or, maybe I’m upset that you’ve had my father thrown in jail for treason. The list is a pretty lengthy one. I simply don’t trust you, and I never will.”
“That hurts, Rain. I thought we’d come to an understanding, you and I. I have saved your life a few times, too, you know. And as much as I hate to admit it, you’ve saved mine. And Ori’s.” He crossed to the bed and tapped the edge of it with his foot. “Move over.”
I didn’t know what made me do it, but I scooted over for Nile to sit next to me. The alarms had faded to a dull chiming. My guard was up, but I felt oddly comfortable with him sitting next to me. I thought the mind, when overwhelmed by newness, always yearns for something familiar.
“You and I have been through a lot, Rain. We are the only two people on the face of the earth, as far as I know, who can remember all the different timelines that have occurred since the start of the Memory Visits. If that doesn’t make us bound to each other in some way, I don’t know what would.”
I studied his face, trying to discern his intention. Was this yet another ploy at manipulating me? He didn’t have the power in this world. My father did. Was he trying to get it back?
“What are you doing here, Nile?” I asked.
“I’m here to warn you. Your father’s in danger.”
“What kind of danger?”
“Petrov is plotting to kill him.”
I laughed. The laughing started as a low chuckle, but grew in volume and intensity until I was doubled over in hysterics.
“I do not see what you think is so funny.” Nile glared at me as I wiped the tears from my eyes and caught my breath.
“Oh, you don’t? You don’t see how comical it is that you, a man who once plotted to kill my father with my own mother, are now here to warn me of a similar plot? What kind of fool do you take me for?”
Nile let out a deep sigh and stared at the floor. “I take you for who you are. You’ve been foolish at times but never a fool. When you were my foe, you were a formidable one. When you were my friend, as I hope you are now, you made everything right again.”
My mouth hung open. I didn’t know what to say to this. It was like I was talking to a different person. Same handsome face, same white hair, same lofty tone. This was Nile, but something was different.
“Look what you’ve done, Rain. Look around you. I mean, don’t look at these bleak walls. Look at the world we’re living in. I’m alive. You’re alive. Your father, your brother, your boyfriend, and my daughter are alive. It seems that we are all destined for a happy future because of you.”
I listened for the sarcasm I was sure I would find in his words. When I didn’t hear it, I examined his face for the hint of a joke. His gaze met mine, and all I could see was sincerity. Could he be that good of an actor?
“I don’t want this world to end,” Nile said. “If it’s up to Petrov, it will. He will get rid of your father, and we’ll be back to the world that you and I know all too well. I can’t let that happen.”
I scoffed. “As I remember it, you did well in that world.”
“As I remember it, my daughter was constantly in danger in that world.”
“Touché,” I said. “Then maybe you should do something to stop it.”
“Unfortunately, I’ve been trying. I can’t seem to stop it, but I think you could.”
“How?” My heart sank at the thought. “Another Memory Visit?”
“Not exactly what I had in mind. In fact, I hope you never have to take another Memory Visit again.”
“Then what?”
“A good old-fashioned assassination.”
“We tried that. Remember?”
“Yes, but that was in the old days, when Big Brother was watching every move you made.” He tilted his head. “Things are different now.”
“Yeah, things are different. I’m probably the only one you know who has ever fired a gun, and my aim leaves something to be desired.”
“You’re forgetting about me.” He raised his eyebrows as I studied his face. “I’m a pretty good shot, Rain,” he said.
“Then why do you need me? You must be close enough to Petrov to kill him.”
“I’m not. No one but his inner circle has access to him, and they are with him constantly.”
“How many?”
“Half a dozen. This is why I need your help. We’ll need Dal and Evin, too. If we take them by surprise, we should be able to do it.”
“Why us? Why not just find some corrupt LEOs like the one standing guard outside this door?”
“They don’t know what’s at stake, and I don’t have enough money to pay them what it would take to get the job done.” He paused. “Funny, on any other timeline, I would have had enough money to save your father. Now, Hudson Shattuck, with his socialist ideas of equity, has made sure I don’t.”
“His socialist ideas of equity have made you want to save this world,” I said. “You have a plan?”
“Yes. A pretty good one. Quick and easy. Low risk.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Only if you’re in.”
“Okay, I’m in,” I said.
Nile grinned. He stood up and reached down to shake my hand.
I let his hand hang in the air. “On one condition. I’ll do it only if Ori comes along.”
Nile scowled and pulled back his hand. “I don’t want her to be involved.”
“Then I’m out.”
“Rain, this is your father’s life we’re talking about.”
“I know. I just don’t trust you, remember?”
“So, you’re using my daughter as an insurance policy?” His upper lip quivered into a snarl.
“Yep.”
“I’m risking my life. Isn’t that enough for you?”
“Nope.”
He rubbed his temples like he had a migraine. “You’re impossible. I can’t put Ori in danger. You know that. I won’t.”
“That’s what I’m counting on, actually. If you’re unwilling to make her a part of this, then we are at an impasse. I can’t put the people I love in danger, either.”
“Your father’s already in danger.” His voice sounded feverish. “And if he’s in danger, the whole world is in danger. Don’t you see that?”
“I see you. And that’s not enough.”
He stepped back. “That’s too bad. I don’t have anything else for you but my word.” He waved his hand as if erasing me from the room. “I hope I’m wrong, but I think you’ll regret this.” He turned and opened the door.
“If you change your mind,” he said without turning around, “contact me through Ori.” His shoulders slumped as he walked through the door. A sudden feeling of panic overtook me as he disappeared into the dark hallway. I started to call to him, but quickly shut my mouth and lay back down on the cot.
I’d be out of my cell by the next day. My dad would be here to pick me up, safe and sound. If there was a plot against him, we’d fight it together. Dal, Evin, my father, and I. We didn’t need Nile.
Or did we?