Circulation Chapter 1

28/ 01/ 07

I woke up with a start with my heart pounding. I found my bedroom was still dark, and I looked over at my small travel alarm clock and tried to make out the time in the dim light. It was just before 5 o’clock in the morning.

I took some deep breaths to try to slow my racing heart. It didn’t help much. It wasn’t just my beating heart that I had to slow down, but the flashing images that burned brightly in my brain.

I had the dream again where I was flying through space, faster than the speed of light. This time it didn’t come after Jarrod’s death. But I could smell the stench of death behind it. It had that distinct aroma of the ending of somebody’s, or something’s, existence ending in the space time continuum.

I carefully tried to remove Mike’s arm from around my waist as I slid out of bed and silently left the room. I walked into the kitchen of my inner-city Sydney unit that I still shared with my boyfriend and my cousin, Jenny, for the past 3 years.

Rather than turning on the main light, I opened the fridge door and used the light that poured out, as I grabbed the cold water jug. Then I grabbed a glass from the sink and poured the water into it. Next I opened up my medicine cupboard above the fridge and took hold of the small, labelless, plastic white jar and emptied it of one of the small red tablets. I threw it back with a large glass of icy water.

It was a humid summer evening, and the cold water momentarily gave me a chill on its’ way down.

I turned, about to close the fridge door again, when I had another start! Mike stood there in his boxer shorts, beside the refrigerator, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“Another dream?” he asked knowingly.

I nodded, putting the water jug back onto the top shelf and I closed the fridge door.

“Did you just take another tablet?” he asked, correct again.

I nodded once more.

“Come here.” He pulled me into an embrace and placed a kiss on my forehead.

I let out a sigh of relief to be immediately comforted so, and squeezed him back tightly.

“Maybe we should speak to Dr. Knight about upping your dosage?” he recommended.

“I don’t know. I don’t want it to start affecting my ability to phase. I just want the dreams to stop.” I shook my head against his chest.

Mike rubbed my back.

“Was it another ‘out of space’ dream?” he assumed rightly.

I nodded yet again.

“Maybe this is just apart of your development. You know, kind of like teething problems. Maybe we could work on a way of training you on how to control your dreams, the same way as you control the rest of your abilities.” He released me so he could meet my eyes.

“Well if this isn’t the stove calling the kettle black.” I smiled teasingly back at him.

“Hey, I’ve got mine under control now.” Mike tickled me back. “And pretty soon in our self defense training, it will be your ass that hits the floor!”

I laughed out loud, and so did he, then we had to stop as we remembered what the time was, and that Jenny and her overnight guest could still be asleep.

We quietly returned back to my bedroom and shut my door.

~~~~~~~

The tablet knocked me out cold for the next 6 hours.

Mike had to shake me awake at 11 AM and almost forcibly remove me from the bed to make it in time for lunch down at Wollongong at Aunt Gabby’s and Uncle Peter’s.

“Come on Elisha! Hurry up!” Jenny chastised me as I stumbled into the bathroom as she came out of it. “If Mum blames me for running late – I’ll tell her to kill you!”

“Thanks Jen.” I closed the door in her face.

I showered and changed into a red linen dress, barely having time to pull my hair back in a pony tail before I was next being pushed out of the front door.

We drove down in Jenny’s car, with Jenny behind the wheel. Her boyfriend Craig sat in the passenger’s seat beside her, as Mike and I had the backseat. Mike held my hand all the way down, as I docile-like, stared out the window at the passing scenery.

“What’s wrong with you? Have you got a hang over or something?” Jenny gave me a funny look through her rear vision mirror.

“Yeah, something like that.” I said flatly.

“But I only saw you drink like, 3 glasses of wine last night.” Craig turned his head and also gave me a peculiar look. “Ha ha! Your older cousin is a Cadbury’s!”

My hands clenched into fists.

“Er, I wouldn’t call her that if I were you.” Mike warned him.

“What can she do to me?” Craig scoffed, completely oblivious to Mike’s and my little secret that Jenny hasn’t filled him in with.

“Craig – shut up.” Jenny said, catching my dangerous look in the mirror.

The hour long drive to Aunt Gab’s passed the rest of the way with hardly anymore talking, and Jenny turned on the radio.

We arrived at Aunt Gab’s at 12.30 PM.

This was Craig’s first time meeting Jenny’s and my family, and he turned much more polite as soon as he walked through the front door behind his girlfriend.

“What time do you call this? I said 11.30 AM!” Aunt Gabby greeted the four of us from inside her kitchen.

“Blame her!” Jenny instantly pointed at me. “We couldn’t get ole sleepy head out of bed.”

“Hallo sweetheart.” Uncle Pete came over and kissed his youngest on the cheek. “G’day there. I’m Jenny’s Dad, Pete.” He shook Craig’s hand.

“Nice to meet you.” Craig shook his hand respectfully.

“Hi Mike, how are you?” Aunt Gab came over and kissed him on the cheek first, before bestowing one on me.

“Good thanks Gabby, yourself?” Mike asked back.

“Good thanks hon.” She even gave him a hug, which I could tell Mike always appreciated, as he hugged her right back. Gab turned back to me. “Elisha, are you pale, or is it just that colour you’re wearing?”

“I’m fine.” I smilingly lied.

Aunt Gabby looked at Mike for the truth.

“Sleeplessness.” Mike told her.

“Have you tried drinking hot chocolate before you go to bed? Or warm malted milk?” Aunt Gabby fussed over me.

“I’m fine, really!” I squirmed under the attention.

“Mum!” Jenny raised her voice, trying to get her mother’s attention. “This is Craig!”

“Oh! Craig! How are you? I’m Gabby. Pleased to meet you.” Gabby instantly beamed at her daughter’s latest conquest. “Now, what would you like to drink?”

“A beer, mate?” Uncle Pete offered him.

“Thanks.” Craig nodded.

Uncle Pete looked Mike next.

“Sounds good, thanks Pete.” Mike said congenially, now used to my family’s hospitality.

“Vodka Cruiser’s for you two?” Uncle Pete addressed Jenny and I.

“Yes please.” We both responded.

Mike quickly flashed me a wary look as Uncle Pete was sent out upon his task.

“I don’t think you should drink, not when it’s under 12 hours since you took the tablet.” Mike said quietly to me, so nobody else would hear.

“I’ll be fine.” I shrugged off his concern, then I walked away from him and approached Aunt Gab and Tina who were working away on lunch. “Do you guys need a hand?”

“Thanks Leesh, but I think we have everything under control.” Tina replied.

“You go out and say hallo to your father and brother and Patrice and the baby.” Aunt Gab said.

Mike and I left the kitchen, along with Jenny and Craig, and we headed out for the back porch where my close family was sitting.

“Hey! Elisha! Mike!” Patrice instantly squealed upon the sight of us, and so did baby Ana out of excitement to see ‘Uncle Mike’ again.

“Mike.” Mark instantly stood up and shook his hand, then he kissed me on the cheek. “Hey Sis.”

“Hey.” I kissed him back and then I knelt down and kissed Patrice and little Anastasia, and then it was Dad’s turn next.

“Elisha!” Dad enveloped me in a tight hug. “I got your text message. So your Graduation is in April?”

“Yeah.” I said.

“And what are you going to do until then?” Dad asked me.

Woah! That was fast. I haven’t been in his company for less than 30 seconds and I’m already getting the, ‘what are you going to do with your life?’ speech.

“I don’t know.” I answered truthfully.

“Are you going to do Honors?”

“I don’t know.”

“Are you going to do your Masters?”

“I don’t know.”

“Are you going to do a Diploma of Education and become a High School English teacher?”

“No idea.”

“Are you searching for a job yet?”

“Nope.”

“Then what have you been doing?” Dad asked concerned.

“Nothing much.” I said sarcastically.

Mike nudged me and said to my father in a much more respectful tone, “she’s been doing a lot of work on SSIT.”

“SSIT?” Craig looked at Jenny for an explanation.

“Supernatural Scientific Investigative Team. Elisha and this Science major from Cambridge started it up there. Then when she came to Australia she opened it up here at Sydney Uni too.” Jenny told him.

“Supernatural?” Craig laughed at me. “Do you mean ghosts and stuff?”

I exchanged an unimpressed look with Mike, who had also been on a few investigations with me.

“Yeah, that kind of stuff.” I said in a dead pan voice.

“Uncle Ed, Mark and Patrice, this is Craig.” Jenny quickly introduced to move the ball along again. “He’s finishing off his Commerce degree.”

“Oh! You and Mark will get along then! Mark and I are in the I.T. industry but Mark’s latest hobby is shares and the stock market!” Patrice said, handing Anastasia over to Mike.

Mike had been itching to see and to play with my little niece again. Every time we see Mark and Patrice and two and half year old Anastasia, he would get all clucky. He would almost do anything for that little girl, as I was soon realizing. Mike was always the first to sign us up for babysitting duties and he was always the last to let her go when ever we left a family function.

Since Mike wasn’t on speaking terms with his older brother Anthony, and he only spoke to his Grandfather but rarely on the phone, back in the States, I’ve come to realize that he has come to treasure his time with my family. Aunt Gab has also realized this, I’ve observed. She and Uncle Pete at least once a month drive up from Wollongong or invite us down, like for this Sunday lunch.

My father and brother also approved of Mike. He and Mark would get together on a Friday night during Rugby season and watch Friday Night Football together. Dad was always asking me how Mike was, when we spoke on the phone, or when he and Mike spoke on the phone when Dad rang up to talk to me, he and Mike would speak for at least 15 minutes before I could finally get on the line. Then, ironically, my conversations with Dad would last half the time.

Mike sat on the chair next to Patrice and jiggled Ana on his lap.

“Who’s a big girl? Who’s turning into a big girl? Who’s a beautiful girl?” Mike cooed at her, and Ana giggled and gurgled back at him.

Craig gave him a funny look, and sat in one of the chairs away from all of this mushy stuff.

“She’s certainly grown a lot since I last saw her, and that was only two months ago!” Dad agreed with Mike, and then the two men began to fuss over her.

Anastasia tittered in delight, savouring all the attention that was being given to her at that moment.

“Do you want to go and say hello to your Aunty Elisha?” Mike began to pass her over to me.

“Oh no! She wants to stay with her Uncle Mike!” I frowned and gently put out my hands to stop this transaction from taking place. “I’ll take over when she’s old enough to hold a sai or a katana.”

“A what?” Craig asked.

“Japanese fighting weapons.” Mike said.

“Right.” Craig raised his eyebrows.

“Yeah, my cousin watched too many episodes of ‘Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtles’ when she was younger.” Jenny joked as she came to sit next to her boyfriend.

Then Uncle Pete came out carrying our four drinks for us, and I gladly accepted mine and took several large mouthfuls.

Mike frowned his disapproval at me, as he held his beer in one hand, and the baby on his lap in his other.

“You want to slow down there? You’re not getting another one until after you’ve eaten.” He ordered.

I rolled my eyes as I looked away from him.

Shane, Tina’s long term boyfriend, arrived shortly before lunch was served. He ran his own business, a Garage, and was a mechanic. He and Tina had been going out for four years now, and there were rumors that he and Tina would be becoming engaged soon.

He and Mike also got along really well. A couple of times he, Mark and Mike had gone to one or two cricket or Rugby League matches together. But then again, both Mike and Shane were two of the most laid back people that I know. The only time their competitive natures came to the surface was when ever we played cricket on the beach after a meal, during a family get together. Then it was quite funny to watch all three of them, Mark, Mike and then Shane all get riled up and rough with each other and literally pelt those balls at each other if one of them was batting and the other was bowling.

“Hey Elisha.” Shane came over and gave me a kiss on the cheek. “Heya Mike, how are ya, mate?” he shook his hand.

“Not too shabby there, pal.” Mike joked back in his American accent.

“Look who Mike’s got on his lap! Why it’s little Anastasia! Australia’s last remaining princess!” Shane picked up the two year old from Mike’s lap and held her high up in the air.

Ana squealed in merriment at yet another member of her fan club arriving on the scene.

“Alright, that’s enough. I had the broad first. Hand her back now.” Mike said jokingly to Shane.

“I don’t think so. She was pretty eager to leave you mate. I think she’s ready to move on to other men now.” Shane joked back, refusing to give her back.

“Yeah, well, as soon as she realizes that you’re not even a man, she’ll be back into my arms.” Mike said mockingly.

“You’re lucky I have such a beautiful lady in my grasp, or you might be in serious trouble for that remark!” Shane laughed.

Craig gave the two older men a look of almost pure disbelief at how they can be so interested in a kid. He tried to continue on telling Mark about international shares trends and their steady growth in the past twenty years or so, rah rah rah, or some crap like it. Mark urged him to continue, interested in what he had to say, while keeping a watch on his beloved only child in the corner or his eye.

Eventually the time came for us to eat the delicious Roast Lamb, Tina and Aunt Gab made.

Then Uncle Pete carved up the lamb when it was ready, and we all served ourselves, buffet style, to the flood on the dining table and we returned to the patio to eat off our laps, like we would do with a bar-be-cue. Mike had returned Ana to his lap, and he managed to juggle a plate of food and a toddler both at the same time. He even fed her from his plate, saving Patrice the trouble.

“He’s wonderful with her Elisha. I think you’ve got a keeper there. Mike will be a wonderful father when your turn comes.” Patrice leaned in and whispered to me as I sat between her and Mike this time.

I almost choked on a piece of meat when she said that!

I tried not to blush. I quickly looked at Mike to see if he had inadvertently heard. I wasn’t quite sure if he did or not, as he was mashing up some roast potato with his fork to put in Ana’s mouth.

Maybe I looked at him for too long or something, because he noticed my gaze and turned and looked back at me questioningly. Then he gave me this goofy grin and stuck his tongue out at me. His attention was immediately taken away again when Ana, who realized his focus wasn’t solely on her anymore, didn’t appreciate this.

She kicked out her legs, nearly making Mike’s plate drop to the floor!

Mike, in supernatural fast speed, quickly caught the plate and saved a mess from appearing on the floor.

After lunch, Jenny and I volunteered to clean up.

Aunt Gab and Tina had made such a wonderful lunch, that I wanted to give them a break. Mike relinquished his hold on Ana and put her on Dad’s lap so he could faun all over his little Granddaughter, and he ended up coming in and helping us. Uncle Pete and Aunt Gab had a dishwasher which made our lives much easier. All we basically had to do was group together the left-overs and cling-wrap them in containers and put them in the fridge. That and stack the dishwasher.

Afterwards Jenny turned on the kettle and began organizing coffees and teas for everyone.

Mike got everybody’s orders on who wanted what and between the three of us we remembered who had their coffee or tea how, and we proceeded to make and dole them out.

“Oh thanks Mike, you are a good boy.” Aunt Gab said appreciatively as Mike brought out her coffee for her, along with Uncle Pete’s.

“Yeah, thanks Mike.” Jenny said sarcastically. “It’s OK Mum, I made it, but Mike handed it out. You can thank him if you really want.”

Mike turned around and tickled her for that! Jenny now squealed, sounding like Ana, as she darted back inside to help me with the last three for Dad, Mark and Patrice. Mike came back inside behind her.

“I’ll have a coffee too.” Jenny grabbed another mug. “You want one?” she addressed me.

“No, I’ll have another Vodka Cruiser.” I shook my head.

Mike frowned.

“I really think you should have coffee instead.” He grabbed a mug for himself now, and one more for me. He placed the two next to Jenny’s.

I grabbed the cup he had pulled down for me and put it back up into the cupboard above me.

Mike glared at me as I glared back at him.

“OK.” Jenny said, uncomfortable at being caught in the crossfire of this latest altercation. “How about I leave you two to it, and get out of here.”

“Nice try.” I looked away from Mike and passed her the coffee and sugar to start doling out for the next batch to make.

Soon everybody was sitting back on the porch, enjoying the beverage of their choice, and letting their full stomachs settle from the feast.

I sipped and enjoyed my drink, ignoring Mike’s sideways glances.

“It’s only 3PM. How about another Baker/ Bernard match on the beach?” Mark looked at his watch, and then at Dad, Shane and Uncle Pete.

“Sounds good to me.” Shane shrugged. “But mind you, pretty soon it won’t just be the Baker versus Bernard match anymore.”

Everybody gave him a funny look.

Shane and Tina exchanged smiles, and Shane put his hand over Tina’s.

“No way!” Jenny exclaimed, guessing first.

“What?” I looked from her to Tina.

“Yep.” Tina stated.

“Soon Tina’s surname will be Walden.” Shane announced.

“Oh congratulations!” Aunt Gabby suddenly cried out, jumping up and giving her eldest daughter a hug. “I’m so happy for the both of you!” She next flung her arms about Shane, letting Uncle Pete hug Tina next.

Jenny jumped up and hugged her sister next, and then Mark hugged his cousin, and then Patrice, and then Dad.

Even Mike got involved as he hugged Tina and shook Shane’s hand.

Craig and I were the only two that remained seated. I guess we both pretty much felt like outsiders here. He because this was only his first time at one of our family events, and I because, I thought of weddings as appealing as the idea of having children – rather lack luster.

“When’s the date?” Patrice giggled excitedly.

“This August.” Tina said.

“Who are going to be your Bridesmaids?” Jenny demanded.

“You of course, and Mattie, and Elisha.” She announced.

Shit.

She said my name.

Everyone looked about for me, and then all eyes fell upon me as they found me still in my chair.

“Oh.” I quickly stood up. “Er, congratulations.”

“Elisha!” Dad rolled his eyes.

“I thought I’d be doing Mike a favour this way. I bet it’s going to be the only time we see our angry little feminist walk down an aisle in a long dress.” Tina made a jab at me.

“Yeah, so we were also thinking that if Mike’s one of my Groomsmen, standing by my side at the altar, he can at least see his girlfriend walk down the aisle towards him.” Shane laughed.

“No way! Cool! Thanks man.” Mike said in surprise, touched. He and Shane shook hands again.

“Come here you!” Tina grabbed me and pulled me into a tight hug.

~~~~~~~

We all made our way to the beach, where at around 4 PM the sand wasn’t as hot as it would have been if we had been there at midday.

A nice, cool wind had struck up, as it came in off the water. We planted the three wickets at the end where the batter would be, and the just the one to mark where the bowler would throw the ball from. It was meant to be three sticks as well, and also those two little ones on top – but after years of these games, they had either been broken or gotten lost in the sand or sea.

Mike and I were separated. I remained on the Baker side, as Mike was placed on Bernard side. This was because everybody’s reasoning was, you couldn’t have two Circulator’s on the same team – it was unfair. Especially when Mike and I accidentally slipped and our abilities came to the fore.

The beach was mostly empty in the section that we were playing. The yellow flags with the lifeguards and the swimmers were far down the other end. There were the odd person walking past, but that was it. If our abilities did slip and show themselves, we wouldn’t have to worry about any witnesses.

Mark got to bat first on the Baker side of the team, and Mike was bowling.

“Woah woah woah!” Mark put up his hand and stopped Mike, just before Mike began the run up. “I need to talk to my team mates first!”

Mike watched Mark wave me over.

I got up from my seat in the sand beside Patrice and Ana and went over to see what this was about.

“Look, if lover boy over there does his super speed thing – I want you to get ready and make sure the ball doesn’t hit the wickets.” Mark said to me quietly.

“How am I supposed to do that?” I gave him a funny look, thinking of the rules of the game.

“Let’s keep this match fair for all normal human beings.” Mark suddenly called out.

Craig gave him a funny look.

Oh yeah… Craig’s here. Mike and I would have to be on best behavior, since he doesn’t know about our abilities yet.

“Afraid already, Mark?” Mike teased him.

“Yeah, right!” Mark got ready and tapped the cricket bat in the sand. “Just throw the ball, Yank!”

“Alright Skippy, here it comes.” Mike chuckled.

Mike bowled at normal speed, and Mark slammed the ball out into the water!

“Bloody hell!” Uncle Pete grumbled, going in and getting wet to get it. Lucky he was wearing his board shorts with his t-shirt. He threw the ball back at Mike, waist high in water.

Mike did his run up and bowled the next ball, slightly faster this time.

Mark hit it again, back into the waves.

“Woo hoo! Go sweetie!” Patrice cried out and applauded. She taught Ana to do the same thing, to cheer on Daddy. Soon Ana was not doing the ‘woo hoo’ but “aaeeeeiii!” very enthusiastically as she clapped away.

“Well done!” Dad also clapped, laughing at his brother in law, all wet from his aft fielding in the waves.

Pete tossed the ball to Mike, and Mike bowled it even faster. I could see what Mike was doing. He had first lulled Mark into a false sense of security, making him think that he wouldn’t show off that Craig was here. Now his bowling was getting faster and faster, building up to where he and the ball were to become a blur.

Mark struggled to hit it this time, unable to flog it like he was able to on the last two.

The tennis ball skimmed along the wet sand over to where Craig and Jenny were standing and Craig caught it and tossed the ball back to Mike.

“Keep it fair!” I called out to Mike.

“Well if this isn’t the stove calling the kettle black!” Mike called back to me.

Mike began his run up with the ball once again. He didn’t go into a glowy-form like I used to when I would go into supernatural speed, but he did look fuzzy about the edges as the normal human eye wouldn’t be able to focus on him. I let my eyes glaze over and pick up his time manipulation as in super speed, I saw him bowl the next ball.

The ball left his hand, and didn’t even bounce once on the hard, damp sand this time. It flew directly for Mark. And it flew directly between Mark and the cricket bat and it hit the third stump on the left.

Mark heard the noise, missing the ball from his vision, and he looked at the stumps.

“No way!” Mark said in disbelief.

“Yes!” Mike cheered.

“Go Mike!” Uncle Pete shouted.

“Yes! Well done!” Aunt Gab congratulated him.

“Yay!” Jenny jumped up and down.

“Cheat!” Mark grumbled, walking away and handing Shane the bat next.

This time Uncle Pete bowled as Shane, who technically was supposed to be on the Bernard team, but had swopped with Mike because he was a Circulator, so instead he batted for our team.

This at first went nicely. But then I noticed Mike was getting ready to pull another rabbit from his hat with his ability. I could recognize it in his demeanor.

Uncle Pete would bowl, and Shane would belt the ball as hard as he could. Mike casually jogged after the ball if it were near him. Or he let Aunt Gab or Jenny go after it. He stood and waited. I could see him start to tense up.

After batting three times, Mike used his supernatural fast speed to catch him out!

Shane belted the ball towards the water, but then Mike, to the normal human eye, magically appeared, on the sand at the water’s edge, standing casually, holding the ball. I saw with my time vision, that Mike in supernatural speed, rush 15 meters sideways, catch the ball in mid air which was almost going in slow motion to him. He almost just ‘plucked’ it from the air, whilst it was still moving.

“Right! That’s it!” Mark lost his patience. “Elisha! Get out there and bat right now!”

“What?”

“Go Elisha.” Dad agreed with his son. “Your team needs you.”

“Go Elisha!” Patrice next applauded me as I stood up once more from the sand and kicked off my Indian beaded thongs. Patrice took hold of my thongs to mind for me, which Ana thought she’d help too by putting one of the straps inside of her mouth.

“Come on Elisha. Show that smug son of a gun that he’s not the only ‘special’ person here.” Shane glared at his Groomsman, handing me the bat.

I took hold of the bat, and held it a little reluctantly, as I took my place in front of the wicket.

Now it was Aunt Gabby’s turn to bowl.

Uncle Pete, Jenny, Craig and Mike all took their places on the field, ready to catch me out.

I looked at them all a little warily, especially how they all seemed to go on their guard around me. Especially as they returned my wary look back. Then Mike even gave me this evil grin!

“Stop it you bastard!” It gave me a cold chill down my spine.

“What’s wrong Elisha, are you afraid?” Mike said back teasingly.

I shook my head at him.

I think he is getting too cocky!

Aunt Gabby bowled and I gently hit the ball, making it roll on the sand. Uncle Pete picked it up and tossed it back to his wife. Mike almost laughed at me for such a weak attempt.

Aunt Gab bowled another, which I again simply blocked with my bat, making it skim a short distance away on the ground.

“Come on Elisha! Is that all you got? I know you can do better than that!” Mike called out mockingly.

I ignored him, and did another small hit with my bat.

“Your cousin doesn’t seem to be that good. The way her family were carrying on, I thought she was some kind of hero or something.” Craig said unamused to Jenny.

What a wanker! That guy has said nothing but not very nice things since I’ve met him! He’s the one with the hero complex or whatever.

Right! This is it Elisha… No more ‘Little Miss Nice’.

Aunt Gabby began her next bowl.

I readied the bat.

In slow motion I saw the ball leave my Aunt’s hand and fly towards me, coming through the air, and bouncing the once off the damp, hard sand… and in supernatural speed I took four steps forward away from the wicket and swung the bat around…

The ball went ‘smack’ right into the air, also in super fast speed, 2 km’s down the beach, towards the lifeguard stand and the yellow and red flags.

Mike, using his ‘time vision’ caught sight of this bat, and his head turned as he watched the ball almost disappear from sight.

Everybody else looked around, wondering how I got there, two meters away from the wickets, and where the hell was the ball???

I pointed towards the other end of the beach.

“Go fetch.” I said gloatingly. “But that’s worth 20 runs a least.”

~~~~~~~~

We played cricket up until 6 PM before we left back to Aunt Gabby’s.

On the way home we all stopped in at the local corner store and bought ice creams to eat during our short walk home.

I ate my ‘Bubble-O-Bill’ quite happily away, savouring the strawberry, the caramel and the chocolate all in one. I especially love the bubble gum nose at the end. I ended up chewing on it until I got home.

When we got back to Aunt Gab’s house, Jenny, Craig, Mike and I announced that it was time for us to leave and begin our way back to Sydney.

“Yeah, traffic is going to be a nightmare for the drive back.” Mark looked at his watch, and then at his wife. “I think you and I should make a dash for it too.”

I hugged goodbye Dad, Uncle Pete and Aunt Gab, and promised to catch up soon with Shane, Tina, Mark and Patrice.

“Bye bye Rug Rat.” Mike hugged and kissed Ana, before handing her back to her father.

“Bye bye!” Ana waved back at him.

“See ya love muffin.” I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and then I got into the car.

Mike offered to drive, but Jenny insisted upon it since it was her car.

I didn’t mind sitting in the back seat again.

In fact, I was feeling quite sleepy and I hoped to have a nap on the way back.

Jenny pulled the car out of the drive way and out onto the road.

It wasn’t long that we were out of Fairy Meadow and on the highway for the journey back, that I did fall asleep.

Then Diary, I had my second weird dream / vision in the space of 12 hours.

At first, I have to admit, I didn’t know if I was asleep or awake. Because when I opened my eyes, I found myself in the back seat of another car. It wasn’t Jenny’s car, but it was a car that I had been in before.

It was the car that Dad sold in 1999, two years after Mum died of cancer.

I looked down at myself and saw that my breasts had disappeared, and that I was scrawny and young and wearing a ‘New Kids on the Block’ t-shirt. A NKOTB t-shirt? That was when I was like, 8 years old!

I turned and saw a 12 year old Mark sitting beside me, grumbling about something. He was whinging to the two people in the front of the car. I turned and saw Mum was in the passenger’s seat, and Dad was behind the wheel.

“Are we there yet?” Mark whined.

“We haven’t even left the Blue Mountains yet, Mark! It’s a 20 hour drive to Harvey Bay! You’re not going to do this the whole way, are you?” Mum said tiredly.

“Aunt Gabby and Uncle Pete said they’re flying up.” Mark said.

“Liar. They’re driving up too, the same as we are. And Tina and Jennifer have to share the back seat with Gran. You don’t have to. You’re better off than them, so stop complaining.” Mum said shortly.

“Where am I?” I asked.

Gees, even my voice sounds like an 8 year olds!

“Don’t be silly Elisha, we’re just coming down from the mountains, and entering Emu Plains now.” Mum didn’t look at me.

That wasn’t what I meant.

But I wanted her to look at me. I wanted her to see me. I missed her so bad! I love her so much!

“Mum.” I said.

She ignored me.

“Mum!”

“What is it, Elisha?” she snapped, not looking behind.

“Please look at me.”

“What?”

“Please look at me, Mum.”

I wanted to grow and change. I wanted her to see me as the woman I am now. I wanted her to see what I had become. I began to go into phase and let my body grow and change and age.

“Dad! Elisha’s glowing again!” Mark said in alarm.

“Elisha, how many times have we told you, not to glow in the car!” Dad bit my head off, glaring at me from the rear vision mirror. “Mark and I told you not to use your abilities and change into a non-human being!”

Finally Mum turned around in her seat and looked at me.

She looked at me for the longest time.

I stared back at her, trying to drink in this image of her, where she’s young, she’s healthy, and she’s with me.

Mum smiled at me. “That’s the Elisha Grace Baker I knew I would raise some day.”

Just then outside of the car, the sunlight disappeared, and day instantly turned into night.

I momentarily looked away from my Mum and out of the window beside me.

I saw the view darken of the land beside the mountains, and the lights of Emu Plains, Penrith and all the other surrounding suburbs light up.

I let out a long held breath at this sight.

I love this view. It always made me feel like, the way we look down on the all of the lights, that we were looking down on the Universe. It made me feel like that we were higher than the stars, that even the stars had to look up to see us.

As Dad drove down the highway, down the mountain, those lights came closer the lower we got.

Then I noticed there were no other cars on the road, that we were the only traffic.

I thought that was peculiar. What I also thought was strange, was that those lights of the towns suddenly began to move around, and not remain in the same place anymore. I also especially noted that was out of the ordinary, was that these lights started to stream towards us.

Another thing that was outlandish, was that I realized that the car wasn’t even driving on a road anymore.

The car was driving through out of space. At light speed. And my father was still behind the wheel, carrying on like this was another road trip with the family, on our way to Queensland for a family get together.

I looked back at my mother.

“Don’t be afraid, Elisha. This is a natural stage to your development. You don’t have to go through this alone. Because you can take us all with you.” Mum smiled warmly at me.

Then she, Dad and Mark all began to go into phase. Their bodies dissolved into formations of energy and light, getting brighter and brighter, until they all turned into clouds of sparkling brilliance.

Then I woke up.

I gave a start and looked about me.

It was starting to get dark, and we were arriving on the outskirts of the city of Sydney.

“Are you OK?” Mike noticed my alarm.

I stared at his face, trying to center my reality on him. I was trying to ground myself. I felt pretty shaken up.

I nodded after a while, and he took hold of my hand and squeezed it in his.

“We’ll be home soon.” He tried to assure me.

As soon as the car was parked in the garage, I bolted up stairs as quickly as I could humanly go - around Craig that is.

I unlocked the front door and walked straight into the kitchen and opened the medicine cabinet and reached for that small, plastic, white, labelless jar.

I was just about to open it and pop one of those little life savers into my mouth, when my mobile phone began to ring.

Damn!

I saw Xavier’s name on my caller I.D. so I thought I’d better answer it.

“Hi X.” I greeted.

“What are you doing at the moment?” he asked in his English accent back to me.

I looked at Mike again, who looked back at me.

“Um, well, I was going to have an early night. Why?” I asked him.

“Come to the Medical Library. I’ve found something interesting.” Xavier said ecstatically. “It’s something that you’ll find VERY interesting, I promise you.”

“The Medical Library?” I echoed in surprise. I haven’t been there in years! And then I’ve only been in there just the once, and that was with… never mind.

“Come on! Phase into the Ladies Room on the second floor, no-one uses those bathrooms anyway. Hurry up!” he ordered, and then he hung up on me.

Bossy Boots!

I put down my phone.

“I’m going to Cambridge Medical Library.” I gave Mike a funny look.

“Why there?” Mike returned it.

Craig and Jenny walked in, coming up from the Garage to see me prepare to leave as I grabbed my bag again.

“Where are you going?” Jenny asked.

“Nowhere. Out. I’ll see you around.”

“You want me to come with you?” Mike offered.

“No, this shouldn’t take long. It’s probably just something SSIT related. See you soon.” I flashed him a smile, and then I was out the door.

“She’s going out to hunt a ghost right now?” Craig gave Jenny a weird look.

~~~~~~~

I instantaneously phased from the elevator in my building at 8.30 PM Sydney time, into the deserted Ladies Room on the second floor of the Medical Library, at 11.30 AM Cambridge time, as I was told.

My body’s flesh dissolved into particles of light, as I turned ghost like, before disappearing completely.

As soon as I came out, I was pounced on by Xavier.

“I knew you would come!” He gave me a quick hug.

“Did I have a choice?” I laughed at him, hugging him back. It had been a month since we had seen each other.

“Come along.” He grabbed my hand and led me somewhere.

I was pulled along past the Reference section and into the microfiche area.

Some of the people we passed gave us a funny look, particularly at me in my Indian beaded thongs and summer dress during English winter time.

“Alright X, what was so momentous that I had to rush here, right now, for?” I asked a little wearily. I was feeling a little sunburnt from the beach, and head achey. Right then, crawling into bed for some vision free sleep was sounding pretty good.

“Look at this.” Xavier sat me down in front of one of the screens and picked up from where he left off.

I just looked at the screen of some Medical Journal article.

“Er, what?”

“Read it, stupid!” He lost his patience with me.

I let out a loud sigh of annoyance and squinted and read the tiny, blurry print before me.

“Dr. Dystar begins to run his experiments on patients claiming that they have ESP…”

Dystar…?

Dystar?!

ESP?

Dystar?!?

“Dystar?!” I exclaimed, looking at Xavier.

“Read on.” He urged.

“Dr. Dystar has in fact been running these experiments on a controlled group of test subjects since the year 2004 and has only made his experiments public, in wake of his findings…” I read out loud now. Then I looked at Xavier. “Where is this being done? Hodge Endeavor laboratories here in London?”

“No, this is from an English medical journal, but the article featured first in a German medical journal. I’ve investigated it. Hodge Endeavor’s name isn’t on the financial backing list of whoever’s been funding this guy’s research. But read on.” X nodded back towards the screen.

“The experiments on the controlled group of participants, from all around the world, number 9 in total. When Dr. Dystar first discreetly advertised about his work among the supernatural community of psychics, telepaths, telekinetics and stigmatics, he had to go through a long, drawn out process of eliminating the authentics, to the ‘shams’. Dr. Dystar’s experiments have been examining the body’s electrical fields of these people with unique abilities, and he believes that even their different brain patterns can teach us more about humanity’s past, and give us key indicators into the genetics of our future.” I continued to read out. “Oh fuck… that sounds a little too familiar.”

“I told you, you would be VERY interested in this.” He gloated.

I took out my mobile phone and dialed a familiar number.

I dialed the emergency phone number for Lucas Hodge.

“Lucas Hodge’s office, Jane speaking.” A crisp, professional English accent answered the phone.

“Jane, is Lucas in?” I greeted, knowing there was no need to say who I was.

“I’m afraid he isn’t, Miss Baker. Mr. Hodge is in London at the moment though, and he is currently on his way for lunch at No. 10 Downing Street.” Jane informed me.

“Tell Lucas, that on page…” I searched for some kind of reference on the screen next.

“17 of the English Medical Journal, the month of November, for 2006.” Xavier quickly said.

“Yes, thank you.” Jane over heard him, typing this down in her computer, I could hear her fingers tap on the keyboard.

“There is a VERY important article I need to speak to him about.” I told her.

“I will forward this on immediately. Can he contact you on your mobile phone regarding this matter?” she asked me back.

That was code for, ‘is it safe to talk’.

“He may.” I said.

“Is there anything else that I can assist you with, Miss Baker?” Jane asked me.

“No thanks Jane. Have a good day.” I hung up. I looked at Xavier again. “How did you come across this?”

“I was looking up some new books on hauntings in the Holy Spirit College Library that had come in. Kind of out of fun I looked up ESP on the computer. Then the computer listed a couple of medical journals where doctors from the 1800’s onwards have researched and done their own investigations into this kind of thing, but the medical journals are here, in the Medical Library. So I came over.” Xavier shrugged. “I was thinking that SSIT could give haunted locations a rest for a little while. We’ve never found anything that couldn’t be explained scientifically away, it’s always been time warps or time recordings. I was thinking that we could look into ESP, instead. I was even thinking of contacting this Dr. Dystar myself.”

“You’re kidding.” I looked at him in surprise.

“No. Elisha, SSIT is a legitimate group now. I mean, Pat who is doing his Honors in Computer Programming, helps us. Josh, who’s doing his PhD in History helps us. Sally, well, she’s not studying anything anymore, but she’s completed her Bachelor in Anglo, Norse and Celt. I’m doing my Masters in Science. You’ve completed your Bachelor of Arts… We’re all qualified. We have written up over 9 professional reports with the Hodge Endeavor stamp on them from our investigations. We could turn SSIT into a serious, full time job. I would like to contact this Dr. Dystar as Xavier Bell, BA & Masters in Science, with SSIT.”

My familiar old stirrings of doom and gloom began to churn inside me.

“Xavier, just chill out for a second there.” I held up my hand. “You’re thinking of walking into a room full of telepaths, knowing my secret, and your knowledge of the Circulate?”

Xavier paused.

“Oh.” He looked down, crestfallen.

“But you are right.” I saw his point of view. “This would be interesting to look into further. You and I can look into ESP if you want. But I’m a little curious as to know why. Is it the same reasons why as this Dr. Dystar guy?”

“Well, yeah. For one, it’s curious that he has the same name as the drug you were given against your will to prohibit your phasing all those years ago. For two, will humans all one day be Circulators? Three, if they do, why aren’t there more of you? Four, is it just a case of genetics and different bio electrical fields? And five… well, screw five! I want to know everything! Elisha, aren’t you curious?”

“Hell yeah. Of course I’m curious. Especially about the name Dystar.” I agreed.

“Then let’s make this our new investigation.” Xavier stated.

“OK. It is. But unlike all of our other investigations, we have to be cautious with this one. I’m serious. We can’t go blundering in with scanners and looking for ghosts. We have to be very careful what we say and what we do.” I ordered him.

Just then my phone rang.

The number on my caller I.D. had ‘caller unknown’ on it, but I instinctively knew who it would be anyway.

“Hey Brett.” I smiled, answering it.

“Hallo yourself. I received a message from Jane that you would like to meet with me. Something about an article in a Medical Journal?” he said congenially in his older, English accented, Lucas Hodge’s voice.

“Yep. That’s right. I’ll photocopy it and show it to you.”

“I’ll be free in three hours time. Would you like to come into my office?” he offered.

“That would be great.”

“Elisha?” he said.

“Yes?”

“What are you doing, reading Medical Journals?” he teased me.

“Oh shut up!”

“Very well. In three hours time then.” He was about to hang up.

“Lucas?” I stopped him.

“Yes?”

“Who are you having lunch with?”

“The Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Trade, and the Ambassador for Ecuador.”

“Why?” I asked him teasingly.

“I have to go, I’m in the room with them.” He laughed at me, and then I heard other laughter in the back ground.

“Lucas?”

“Yes?”

“Talk to Tony Blair and try to get Australia some more trade agreements or something, would you?” I giggled, and then I hung up the phone.

Xavier raised his eyebrows.

“Tee Hee! Lucas Hodge is with Tony Blair! I can ask for Fair Trade Agreements for my country!” Xavier put on this high-pitched voice to mock me.

“Oh shut up!” I slapped him hard on the chest.

“Oow!” he winced. “That hurt!”

“Come on, let’s photocopy this. Then I want to try something else.” I said vaguely.

“What else?”

“Look up this Dr. Dystar. Try to find out more about him. See if we can find anything else about his research.” I said.

“Alright. You do that. I’m going to look up and research all the other Medical Journals that have ever mentioned experiments being done with ESP, or that mentions ESP.” Xavier told me.

“OK.” I nodded, and then we separated.

~~~~~~~

After I photocopied that microfiche article, I next found two more on Dr. Dystar. One article was one that the man himself had written – he was quite the Neurosurgeon apparently. And the other article was written by another doctor commending his work on the neural pathways of the brain.

Hmm, that is interesting.

I next decided to acquaint myself with the basics of the brain to see what this Dr. Dystar is going on about. I looked up to find where I would find Neurosurgery and Neuroscience, and headed for that section of the library. Walking amongst all the bookshelves, up and down the aisles, made me reminisce on my Uni days. It also reminded me of Dad’s quiz on me earlier that day and what I wanted to do with my life now.

Maybe I will keep studying? Maybe I’ll run SSIT full time? Xavier will continue on at Cambridge and probably do his PhD on scientifically explaining away the supernatural. Why not help him?

Being here at Cambridge always made me miss the old days of hanging out with the gang.

Nelson and Zack, both graduated and moved on from University, now spent the majority of their time at Circulate HQ or in different places and parts in Earth’s history.

Sally and Josh were still a couple. Sally now worked in an office somewhere as an Admin Assistant, as Josh completes his PhD over the next two years. When he finishes, I know they were planning on launching their own historical dig somewhere in the south of Wales. She quite often goes on Historical digs with him, on his PhD. They’re both interested in the Tudor and the Medieval period.

Pat is doing his Honors in Computers, and Xavier his Masters in Science. I tried to catch up with them as much as I could. I would phase to England, sometimes with Mike, and assist them on a SSIT investigation. Sometimes I would even phase those two to Sydney to assist Mike and I in an investigation.

Either Sally or I would instigate a social event to get everyone together again. Sally and I have taken turns cooking dinner at our different places. Or I see my Circulate friends at Circulate HQ, but that way excluded Josh and Xavier. So, primarily, our catch-ups came over meals or SSIT investigations.

I was so busy off in my own little world, thinking about my friends and the good old days, that I almost walked past somebody else from my history with out even seeing them.

I didn’t have my Walkman on me in this instance, and just like another period in time from a few years ago, I rounded a corner of a bookshelf and found him there, sitting alone, at a desk in the study area.

“Hallo Elisha.”

Huh?

I was jolted out of my million and one thoughts, that I actually had to look around for the source of the voice.

Jarrod stood up from his books and notes.

“Shit! Fuck! Jarrod!”

I almost jumped backwards!

Holy shit! It’s Jarrod! What is HE doing here?

I haven’t seen him in 3 years! I haven’t seen him, since I told him what my visions had all been about. Then I saved his arse when he was a 4(?) year old surgeon in that London hospital, and then I tried not to think of him again.

I tried very hard not to think of him again.

I tried very very hard not to think of him again.

I refused to let myself speak of him. I removed his photos from my photo album and frames. I put them, along with the invitation that I’d kept to his 21st Birthday and the black Ralph Lauren dress in a plastic bag, in a suit case with my old clothes, under my bed. In the same suitcase, was another plastic bag, with my memories of Guy.

I deleted all of his emails and changed my email address and mobile number and gave my friends in England strict instructions not to pass on the new ones to him.

This had worked.

I never did hear from him again.

And I had content myself with the thoughts that I had Mike and Jenny and my family and friends.

This had worked so well, I didn’t see Jarrod for three years.

Even when I did go to Cambridge now and again, I didn’t go to Holy Spirit College Bar, incase he might be there. I didn’t even visit Pat, Xavier, Nelson and Sally in the Dorms again until Jarrod had finished his course and moved out. I met them at the (name?) instead for the odd drink or two, or to meet there before a SSIT investigation.

Now diary, seeing him stand before me, with his hair cut differently (it was shorter), and looking slightly older… it brought all of it back.

My heart pounded, and I almost turned tearful.

I can’t believe this! This is ridiculous! I’m with Mike now! I’ve been with Mike for 3 years! This guy should have zero effect on me.

“Hallo Elisha.” He repeated.

Bugger!

What do I do now? Ignore him? Close my eyes and tell myself, like the game Mike plays with Ana, that if I can’t see him – then he can’t see me?

I’ve always liked the idea of running away. Yep. Running away has always worked for me in the past. And I’m good at it. Usually.

I abruptly turned around, about to flee, that I turned right into the bookshelf that I’d just walked around!

I knocked the books and notes out of my arms and they dropped loudly on the floor.

“Shit!”

I knelt down and tried to as quickly as possible pick them all up again. But a stupid book kept sliding away from me. I would reach out to grab it, and it would slide away again. I couldn’t get a grip on it. I think it was because my hands had turned sweaty.

“Here.” Jarrod quickly bent over and picked it up for me.

“Don’t help me!” I cried out, infuriated, snatching it from him.

“Sorry.” He raised his eyebrows.

We both just stood there.

He put his hands in his pockets.

I held an unsteady pile of books and notes in my arms.

I tried again to turn around and leave, but the unsteady pile from my rushed job of retrieving them all, started to tip sideways…

“Shit!” I swore again.

“Here, let me.” Jarrod grabbed a couple from the top and took them over to a near by desk.

Reluctantly I did the same, and I sorted out and restacked my things into a much more stable pile.

“You look well.” He tried to begin.

“No I don’t.” I frowned, not looking at him.

“Alright.” He raised his eyebrows, putting his hands in his pockets again. He looked me over once again. “Either you’re dressed for an Australian summer, or you have suddenly become impervious to English winters.”

“Xavier called me with some urgent news. I’ve been in Wollongong all day. I played cricket on the beach.” I said sullenly, not allowing myself to look at him.

“How is Xavier?”

“OK.”

“How is your family?”

“Good.”

“Wasn’t your sister-in-law pregnant?”

“Ana’s two and a half years old now.”

“Her name is Ana?”

“Anastasia.”

Jarrod chuckled. “Let me guess, you helped them decide on the name?”

“Yes.” I felt a smile nearly escape, but I quickly caught it.

“And how are your studies?” he asked next.

“I’ve finished. My Graduation is in April.”

“Congratulations. Yes, I’ve Graduated from my Bachelor of Medicine as well as I’ve completed my Masters in Clinical Effectiveness.”

An uncomfortable moment or two passed between us.

“If you’ve finished studying… then why are you in here, studying?” I asked him, still unable to meet his eyes.

“I’m doing my doctorate in surgery.” Jarrod told me.

Of course! He becomes a surgeon! Do’h! Come on Elisha, you should have known that one. Why else would you save him as a 4(?) year old surgeon in a London hospital?

“Sorry, I should have remembered.” I rolled my eyes.

Jarrod gave me a funny look, and he opened his mouth as if to ask me, how the hell should I have ‘remembered’ that since we haven’t spoken in so long, but then he seemed to remember something else, probably about me, and he shut it.

“Hey, listen. I was about to finish up. Would you like to go and get a coffee?” he offered.

“No.” I said quickly, almost too quickly. “Um, I’m here with Xavier.”

“Oh.” He said, looking a little hurt at my fast rejection to this request. He tried changing the subject. “Why are you and Xavier doing research in the Medical Library?”

“SSIT. We’re next going to be exploring ESP.” I said.

“ESP?” he reiterated, raising his eyebrows.

“Yes.” I said crossly, as his disbelief got my back up. “Just so you know, there is a prominent German Neurologist, doing experiments on psychics and telepaths and what ever else. He says it’s something about their different bio electrical fields and different neurons in the brain or what ever. He’s about to release his findings. When Mike was researching the drug, DYSTAR’s effects on me, he came across interesting readings on the MRI scans of my brain when I tried to phase. And the other interesting thing is, guess whose name is this prominent German Neurologist?”

“What?”

“Dystar.” I said coolly, and then I picked up my pile of books and photocopies and began to leave.

“Elisha, wait!” he called out and followed after me.

I paused, and Jarrod came to stand opposite to me.

“Tell me you’re alright.” He said.

“What?” I gave him a funny look.

“Tell me you’re alright. What happened that night in the Bar after I left? The police asked me questions, but I was careful not to say anything about you. I told them that you ran off shortly after Tracy did, so you weren’t responsible for any of the mess or damage. Tell me that you weren’t injured. Tell me if the Circulate are still after you and Sophie. Tell me what Mike’s reaction was, when you told him that you turned him into a Circulator? Tell me how you did it! Tell me everything. Please Elisha, I just want to know if you’re alright.”

I sighed and looked away, unsure of this.

Jarrod reached over, took the pile of books and photocopies from me and walked over and put them on the desk again. Then he pulled out a seat for me, and then he sat down in the one next to it and waited for me. He was determined to hear this.

Damn!

I don’t want to be near him again! At least he’s lost some of his attractiveness now. I’ve noticed his hair isn’t as thick as it used to be. He’s not going bald, but it is thinner, as well as shorter. I preferred him with longer, scruffier hair. He did have some dark circles under his eyes, I noticed too, from both working in the hospital and his studies. And right now, he was also unshaven.

Seriously, I did not want to go over there and sit beside him. I mean, why should I? I don’t have to! I shouldn’t feel obligated to.

“What do you care?” I shook my head at him and turned around again and began to walk off.

I’ll come back another time and get those books and photocopies.

But Jarrod wasn’t going to be dissuaded that easily. He got up and ran after me again. He grabbed hold of my arm to stop me and to turn me around.

“Elisha, please.” He said softly.

I sighed loudly as I pulled away from him.

“Look, I’m fine. Everything’s fine. Everything’s wonderful in fact. I’m with Mike, I’ve been with him for 3 years. We’ve lived together for 3 years. He and I train at Circulate HQ. They’re not after me, they never were. Sophie really did go schizo after she nearly accomplished what I did when she was just 13 years old. They were worried the same thing was going to happen to me. Dystar is only meant to last 6 months in my system. I’m not on Dystar at the moment but something very similar to it, and coincidentally, they’re the little red tablets that I was on when you and I were going out. They’re called Rypwyn. They let me sleep with out dreams, because I still get the visions. And Sophie is no longer here, seeing my visions. Because after I got my ability back the night I nearly got raped, and Mike was nearly beaten to death fighting for me, I gave Sophie back hers. She immediately left her human life behind and turned into the cloud of light and flew off into space. She’s probably not even in this galaxy anymore. And when Mike was lying all bloodied and broken in the hospital, and I tried to heal him, I basically did the same thing to him as I did to the flowers. I turned him into a Circulator by altering his bio electrical field and putting him into Temporal Phase. Now he comes with me to all my family gatherings as my family all love him and he can bowl at the speed of light. Or we train together on self defense with or with out weapons at Circulate HQ. There you go. Are you happy now? I’m fine. I’m wonderful. I’m delirious in fact.”

“You and Mike have been together for 3 years?” Jarrod repeated, in shock.

“Yes. He’s a great cook. We all take turns cooking, but he enjoys it so he quite often covers for me. He’s always doing something for me, and spoiling me, or he tries to be there for me. At first it took a while for me to get used to having somebody whose primary goal and focus in life was me. Now, I’m completely used to it.” I rubbed it in.

“You and Mike have been together all this time?” Jarrod asked, looking baffled.

“Gees Jarrod, you don’t have to look so confused as to why somebody might want to stay with me for that long.” I said, offended.

“No, but have you ever broken up, and then, got back together?”

“No.”

“And have you visited London in the 1940’s at all?” Jarrod pressed.

“No! Not this again!” I really got insulted. “First you accuse me of cheating on you, and you immediately bang Patricia. Now you’re accusing me of cheating on Mike? You’re a class act, Worthall.”

“If you’re still on the Rypwyn, you must still be having visions in your sleep. What are your visions about? Is it about somebody in the 1940’s?” Jarrod tried to guess. I didn’t answer him. “What ever they are, they scare you, am I right?”

I was through with talking to him.

“Goodbye Jarrod.” I walked over to pick up my books and photocopies again.

“Elisha, please!” Jarrod caught up to me again. “Don’t let another 3 years pass between us before we see each other again.”

“I will gladly let it be another 3 years until I see you again.”

“Give me your mobile number.” He took out his phone from his jacket pocket.

“No way!” I said adamantly.

“Then I’ll give you mine.” He quickly scribbled down his number on his notepad on the desk and ripped off the sheet.

“No.” I shook my head, trying to back away before he could pass it to me.

Damn it! This time I didn’t move fast enough! He slipped it in one of the books I was holding in front of me, I couldn’t see where.

“I’m sorry.” He placed his hand over mine. “I miss you.”

OK, now this is the kind of talk that I shouldn’t be hearing… Or listening to. Or paying attention to. I had fantasized about these longed for, romantasized words a long time ago, like 3 years ago – but they were fighting words now.

I suddenly felt afraid.

I was scared Mike was going to suddenly appear and walk up and punch Jarrod’s lights out in supernatural speed, sending him flying.

“I have to go.” I clung onto my books and this time, more forcefully, departed.

~~~~~~~

On Xavier’s card I borrowed out the books on the brain and Neurosurgery.

“What’s with you?” he gave my skittish behavior and my constant scowls, a concerned look.

“I bumped into Jarrod.”

“Oh.”

“Yes. Oh.”

“Would you like to come down to the (name?) Bar and get a drink?” he offered.

I smiled at his offer of a shoulder to cry on.

“No, I’m fine. I might go to Lucas’s office and wait for him there. I’ll start my research.”

“Alright.”

“But I’ll be in contact and keep you updated.” I promised him.

“On what? Dr. Dystar, or Jarrod?”

“Very funny!” I hit him on the arm.

From the Ladies Room of the 2nd floor of the Medical Library I instantaneously phased into Lucas’s office at Hodge Endeavor in London, in this time frame.

It was empty, showing that Lucas had not yet returned from his lunch.

I took a look around.

This was only the third time that I’d ever been in here. I’ve been in his office at Circulate HQ plenty of times. But I haven’t frequented his London office as often.

It was on the top floor of a 10 storey building, where labs and offices were on the floors below.

There were large windows, from floor to ceiling, all around, giving a panoramic view of the city, and of the Thames. I knew just outside of his door his Secretary and Personal Assistant, Jane sat. There were ordinary humans that weren’t in the Circulate, but were privy to its existence for a good price. Jane was one of those people. Her loyalty was paid well. Just like those servants that the Dunmore family kept, who were privy in the comings and goings of Dr. Knight.

Then there were friends of our members, like my family, or Xavier or Josh, or the way Jarrod used to be… for emotional reasons they were also akin to our existence and abilities.

Right, no more Elisha, get Jarrod out of your head. Try to forget about him for another 3 years. This may be easier said than done, but I knew it would be for the best this way.

Lucas’s office was large and spacious, just how you would imagine for a big whig in the early 21st Century of a large, multinational corporation. It was modern, carpeted, with futuristically designed furniture. He had a black shiny desk, with a laptop sitting on it. He had a mini bar. His carpet was white, which contrasted against his black leather seats or his shiny black, polished wooden tables and desk.

I made myself at home by putting the photocopies and books on the desk and then I opened up the small fridge of the mini bar. I made myself a bourbon and coke in a crystal class, complete with ice that tinkered and rattled around. Then I took my thongs off, and curled up in Lucas’s large chair behind his desk, took a sip of my drink, and began my work.

At first I re-read over the article Xavier put me onto.

“Dr. Dystar at first became intrigued with the idea of examining ESP when… Jarrod has short hair now and dark rings under his eyes… different levels of brain activity… Jarrod looks like he’s lost some weight too, like he didn’t seem as well toned as he was in his rowing days… Dystar believes that by looking at the contrasts of people with ESP and people like Jarrod who don’t have ESP, and their different levels of brain activity… Jarrod looked unhappy, like there was something else weighing on his mind… why did we break up? Why was he so surprised to hear that I had been with Mike these past 3 years? Why is he so sure I’m a cheater? Why did he think I was going to cheat on him with someone in the 1940’s? Then he asked if I’ve ever cheated on Mike?! The bastard! What a wanker!”

I tossed the highlighter onto the desk and rubbed my face with my hands.

My phone rang.

Bugger. What now? Bloody hell!

I rifled through my bag and grabbed it just before it rang out.

It was Mike.

“Hey.” He greeted.

“Hi.”

“What’s up?” he asked me.

“What do you mean?”

“What did Xavier want?”

“Oh. That. Yeah, something important has come up. We have a new subject to investigate for SSIT.”

“Really? What is it?”

“Mike, do you still have my MRI results and everything that you took of me 3 years ago?”

“Ah, yeah, I think so. They’d be down at the hospital. Why? Do you want me to get them?”

“Not right now, no. But I would like you to take a look at them again. And maybe something else.”

“Like what?” I could tell he was giving me a funny look back in Sydney.

“Can you, and just you alone do another MRI scan on me?”

“Um, yeah, I could probably arrange that. Why? What’s up?”

“Xavier and I are thinking of investigating people who claim to have ESP.”

“What?!” Mike cracked up laughing at me.

“Xavier came across an article in an English Medical Journal, that was first printed in a German Medical Journal, about a German Neurologist who is experimenting on people with ESP. He’s looking at their different bio electrical fields’ and their electrical impulses in their brains. Sound familiar?” I said annoyed.

“Oh. Shit.” He stopped laughing.

“Yes! See. Thought that would get your attention. And Mike, guess what this doctor’s name is?”

“What?”

“Dystar.”

“No way.”

“Way.” I confirmed.

“OK. Tomorrow I’ll book in some time to use the MRI. I’ll also bring home your file. So what exactly were you thinking of doing?”

“I was thinking of going into phase while in the MRI and seeing what readings my brain gives out. Xavier was thinking of contacting Dr. Dystar. We’re both rather curious as to find out what kind of readings a telepath gives off. Dr. Dystar began these experiments and tests on these people because he’s interested in the different kind of electrical readings these people give off, as he believes it can tell us what kind of direction humanity is heading in. Xavier wonders if one day all human’s frequencies will be higher, and they’ll be either Circulator’s or telepaths or telekinetics, or whatever. I don’t know. I just think it’s a bit of a coincidence.”

“It’s definitely worth looking into. Do you know if he’s invented any drugs or substances or anything of the sort, that specifically targets the brain’s electrical impulse’s?” Mike asked.

“It doesn’t say here in this article. But there is another article here, with another doctor commending him on his work. He invented some procedure, where instead of opening up the skull, he was able to use EM waves in treating this patient who was in a coma from a gun shot wound. The patient actually woke up after being unconscious for 5 months.” I read out to him.

“Now that sounds a little too close to home.” Mike said uncomfortably. “Is this guy apart of the Circulate?”

“No.”

“Does he know about the Circulate?”

“Not that I know of. I’m here in Lucas’s office to ask him some questions about it. He’s not back yet from a lunch meeting, so I have to wait for him.”

“Do you want some dinner?”

I laughed.

“What?” Mike laughed back at me. “It’s a simple question.”

I laughed because it reminded me of what I was saying to Jarrod just under an hour ago, of how Mike is always looking out for me.

“No, I’m fine, thanks.” I said warmly.

“What time do you think you’ll be home?” he asked next.

I looked at my watch. It said 10 PM Sydney time. I looked at the clock on the wall here in London, and it was 1 PM.

“I don’t know. Don’t wait up for me. I’ll see what happens.”

~~~~~~~

By the time Lucas walked through his office doors, it was 2.30 PM London time, and I was onto my third bourbon and coke.

I had been slowly sipping on my beverages to make sure I wouldn’t get drunk, and reading the books and comparing them to the articles.

Lucas stood there and smiled, seeing me sit in his chair, behind his desk.

“Maybe now since you are a Graduate, we could make you CEO of Hodge Endeavor.” He smiled mischievously.

“I’m sure that would make my father happy. But no, thanks.” I stood up to give him his chair back.

“No, please, I insist.” He held up his hand to stop me. He walked over and sat in one of the two chairs in front of the desk instead.

As he came towards me, he altered his 60 year old Lucas Hodge appearance and changed into his younger twenty-something form of Brett. I could tell he did this for me. He sensed I was much more at ease when he appeared to be the same age that I was.

“What do you have for me?” he asked.

I passed him over my photocopies of the Medical Journal articles that had the important bits highlighted. He quickly read them over, one of his eyebrows cocked in interest. He breezily flicked the pages over, and then looked at me, before handing them back.

“What do you know of Dr. Dystar?” I asked Brett.

“Do you mean, besides what I just read in those articles then?” he teased.

“I’m betting these are no coincidences.” I curled up in his seat and sat back and looked long and hard at him.

“Ah Elisha, you do suit the seat of the CEO.” Brett had a chuckle, watching me.

I ignored that comment and waited for it.

“Very well. What I know of Dr. Frederick Wilhelm Dystar… Born on the 2nd of April, 1970. Apparent medical genius and was the first in his class all through his education. Became Germany’s top most Neurosurgeon, until his hobby, the paranormal, took over and became his obsession. He began interviewing psychics, telepaths, telekinetics and stigmatics since the year 2004 for his upcoming medical trials on their bio electrical fields and differing brain activity. Hodge Endeavor has used the pharmaceutical company Bormanis to sponsor his program. We know for a fact that it is from these findings, that in the year 2015 Dr. Dystar invents the drug Dystar, along with Rypwyn, when he comes and officially works for us.” Brett told me.

“How did you get Bormanis to pay for you?” I asked.

“We have the controlling amount of shares in the company.” Brett gave me a small smile.

“Of course.” I shook my head. “I should have known.”

Brett stood up and walked over to his mini bar and prepared himself a drink to join me.

“What are your interests in Dr. Dystar’s work, Elisha?”

“I don’t know. Xavier stumbled upon it. He’s bored of looking through haunted houses. We were thinking of looking at ESP for a while instead.”

“If that’s the case, we have detailed notes, histories and information in the Circulate Mainframe you might want to have a look at.” Brett said in a serious tone of voice, dropping the ice cubes into his glass.

“So the Circulate is interested in this sort of thing, then?”

“Of course. Anything that sounds remotely related to our ability, we investigate.” Brett carried his drink back over to his seat.

“And?”

“And what?”

“What did you find? Do we have similar bio electrical fields? Similar brain activity? What’s the deal here?”

Brett took a mouthful of his drink and looked back at me.

“Yes, we do share similar brain activity, but not similar electrical frequencies. Our frequencies are higher than theirs. We are still different from the rest of the human race Elisha, if that was what you were eluding to.”

“No, that wasn’t quite what I meant.” I picked up my drink and took another sip too.

“I haven’t seen you in a little while. How are you? How have you been sleeping?” Brett changed the subject.

I screwed up my face and shrugged. “If it wasn’t for the Rypwyn, I don’t know what I’d do.”

Brett frowned, showing his concern. “It almost seems that you have a vision every night.”

“It’s not every night, but close to it.”

“What are your visions about?”

I looked down at his desk, at the sparkling reflection on his shiny black surface from the sunlight pouring through his window that was refracted through the crystal glass. I picked up the glass and turned it around in my hand, while looking at the little stars of light, also turn around on the polished black enamel. I looked back at Brett, who was watching what I was doing.

“I dream lots of different things. Primarily I’m the cloud of energy and light, zooming through space faster than the speed of light. Sometimes I even dream of my mother, or other people who have been close to me. But all of the dreams end the same way – out in space.”

“You haven’t tried again what you did that infamous night in the Holy Spirit College gym – by turning into that cloud of energy and light?” he asked me.

“No.” I looked back down at his desk.

“Elisha, I’m sensing that what you see, disturbs you somehow.” Brett said seriously.

“They do.” I confessed.

“Why?”

“Because there’s always something of a finality behind them.”

“What do you mean?” Brett leaned forward.

“When I very first had the dream of flying through space as that cloud, I felt at peace. I felt untouched by anything ever again, by time, by gravity, by any earthly concerns. Then the dreams turned horrible, where Jarrod died and then I flew off into space. Now, I’ve saved Jarrod, but I still see people who have died in my past, and then I go hurtling off into space, as if I can’t stop. There’s always the smell of death behind the dreams. I can feel the change in the space time continuum of somebody’s energy leaving it.” I admitted.

“You can feel a change in the space time continuum that will happen in the future?” Brett’s eyes widened.

“I don’t know if that’s what it is.”

“It certainly sounds like it.” He stated.

I flinched at how amazed he looked by this news. “You’re not going to tell me again that I’m the only member in the Circulate who can do this, or am the second Circulator, after Sophie?”

“I’m afraid so – to the first part that is. You are the only Circulator or any member in the Circulate who is able to do this.”

“But surely Calculators who see into the future can do this?” I debated with him.

“Calculators are gifted seers of the past and the future, and they have the highest success rate of using quantum mechanics and temporal causalities of determining changes in the time line. Like all members of the Circulate they can feel changes in the space time continuum. But Elisha, they can’t sense future changes in the space time continuum. You see, the time line is different and is separate from the space time continuum. If you changed A, then the outcome of B, which ultimately affects C, that is a change in the time line. A Calculator then calculates the temporal causality of the action and predicts the ramifications of the change taking place, which is C. But Calculators cannot see the future ramifications to the space time continuum, the changes seen are only evident in the time line.” Brett tried to explain to me.

I don’t know if it was because of the bourbon and cokes, or the late hour back in Sydney, but I did not absorb one word of that.

“Qantas.” I almost laughed at him, but mostly at myself, referring to what he had just said went straight over my head.

Brett laughed too, then he changed to a different tactic.

“Think of existence as the Pacific Ocean. On the surface is our Universe, with different planets and stars and stellar objects like boats, cast adrift on top of the water. Also on the surface, is the time line. If you jumped off the boat and into the water, then you would be phasing through time. The deeper you go, the further down you swim, the greater the water pressure. On the very bottom of the water, where the water pressure is the greatest, is the space time continuum. No member of the Circulate can predict the space time continuum, nor change it deliberately. It would be like a goldfish trying to stop a Tsunami. We can change the time line and predict changes on the surface of the ocean, but not underneath it, at the very bottom, of the space time continuum.”

I think I caught on to what he was saying. “So, with the Big Bang, and how our Universe expands, contracts, then has another Big Bang and the Circle of Existence continues to go around like this… this all happens on the surface of the ocean, which is the time line. Underneath, on the bottom of the ocean, the space time continuum is the Circle of Existence. It pulls on the surface of the ocean, the time line. It holds it up, enables the boats and celestial objects to sit on the surface in the time line. The time line is gravity and mass and energy, the space time continuum is the very fabric of existence, the Circle of Existence that is the very fabric subsistence.”

“Exactly.”

“If I changed the time line, which I’ve done to save Guy, Henry and then Jarrod, I changed A, which then altered B. I saved their lives and they didn’t die. Cause and effect, in the time line, on the surface of the ocean. Then I have ultimately effected C, because their energy, their existences, did not leave the space time continuum at that point in time, which was the ramification to C.” I thought out loud.

“Correct.”

“But I can’t, nor any member of the Circulate can not, jump straight from A and B and just try to alter C and C alone, by directly manipulating the space time continuum by saving their lives that way.”

“Correct again. Any other member of the Circulate can not also sense future changes in the space time continuum, from the top of the surface. They can see a wave coming, in the time line, but they can’t detect if the bottom of the ocean will about to have an earth tremor that causes that wave.” Brett continued on. “But you can, it seems.”

“That’s weird.” I sighed. “I’d always been told that I’ve been able to sense changes in the space time continuum, but no-ones ever said that I sensed changes in the time line. Maybe that’s where I got confused.”

“No, not at all. That night of the Halloween ‘Club Night’, you did sense the changes in the space time continuum. You sensed the ramification – C in temporal causalities. Sophie did not overdose that night from Professor Hamilton and Dr. Myles appearance. That was the change in the space time continuum because we changed the time line. The time line and the space time continuum are still of the same essence, they are the one body of water. One exists on the surface, one at the bottom, but the two are the same element.” Brett explained patiently. “From the beginning we realized you were connected closely to the space time continuum, closer than any other Circulator has ever been recorded. Even closer than Sophie. She is the most gifted seer of time, seeing the layers of water of time clearer than anyone else in the Circulate. She would be a dolphin, able to swim on the surface of time, where the rest of us occupy, and able to dive in deeper than any of us can go, so she can see more than we can. If we were to give you an aquatic mammal analogy, you would be a whale. Whales navigate the oceans by the magnetic pull in the earth’s crust from the North and South poles. You can navigate and sense the space time continuum in much the same way.”

“Woah.” I sat back and tried to take all of this in.

Brett sat back in his seat again too and finished off his drink.

Our eyes met and held once more.

“Brett, do you know my future?”

“Of course.”

“I’ve actually tried using my ability once or twice to see my future, but I only get disjointed flashes or blurry images.” I told him.

“Most seers, ironically, have difficulty seeing their own time lines. It’s something about our minds that has difficulty either interpreting or accepting what we find out. Psychoanalytically speaking, it has something to do with the ego and the id.” Brett smirked. “In layman’s terms, it’s always easier to be objective with somebody else, or to find out bad news about someone other than it is about oneself.”

“But I wouldn’t mind…” I began.

“Do you have difficulty seeing the future of anyone else?”

“No. I’ve seen Sally’s future, and Nelson’s, and even my family’s or Jarrod’s.”

“What would you like to know about your future, Elisha?” he asked.

“I don’t know… whatever is important, I guess.” I shrugged.

Brett smiled softly to me. “I know that in the future there is a period in your life that brings you great happiness, as well as some challenges that you navigate through. I also know that you come to the Circulate for help, and that we are always there to give it.”

============================================================

The Circulate Series
Circulate © K.R. Smith, 1st ed. 2005.
ISBN: 978-0-646-53776-4
Scent © K.R. Smith, 2010.
ISBN: 978-0-646-53730-6
Paperback Novels available at: http://stores.lulu.com/onaya3
eBook Novels available at: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/onaya3

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