Sliding Into Antar
The Children Of The Ruins
Chapter 7
VII
Tess concentrated, pushing the mind warp out as far as she could; and it appeared to be working, since none of the children climbing into the overturned truck thirty feet away had any inkling that they were being watched. The children had seen the New Granolith fly away shortly after the truck overturned in the "storm." But like the storm, what the children saw was an illusion. The New Granolith still sat only a hundred feet away, fifteen feet up in the air, on its anti-gravity field.
"Now what do you think those kids could want with our truck?" Michael asked, in a whispered tone.
Max shook his head. "I don't know. But I'm going to find out right now!"
Max walked over and laid a strong hand on the shoulder of one of the children who had just climbed out of the truck. The boy, who was facing away from Max but who appeared to be about ten or twelve years old, nearly jumped out of his skin and swatted frantically at his shoulder, as though he thought he had just been grabbed by a ghost. And since, by all appearances, there was no one there, that must have seemed to be the case. But the boy quickly discovered that his "ghost" was strong. No matter how much he squirmed, he could not break the invisible grip on his shoulder. Max reached out with his other hand and turned the boy around so that he could see his face.
"Zorel," Michael gasped, recognizing his oldest son. Michael started to walk toward his son, but just then another of the children ran by him, and he reached out and grabbed her by the arm.
"JoLeesa?" Max exclaimed. The girl in Michael's grip turned pale at the sound of disembodied voices in the air, and when the invisible hand touched her arm, she quite literally leapt out of her shoes. She struggled to get free but found her efforts useless.
"Tess, drop the mind warp," Max yelled."
Tess took a deep breath and opened her eyes. As she did, the "ghosts" slowly became visible. If Max thought the children's reactions to being grabbed by something unseen could not be topped, he was mistaken. Their reactions to him and to Michael were even greater. First, they went pale, then they teetered as though they might collapse where they stood.
"JoLeesa," Liz exclaimed, her jaw dropping in disbelief… "Andya! Maya! Alyyx!"
All of Liz and Max's children were there except Jeffy. She didn't see Jeffy. Michael quickly rounded up Jayyd and Kryys and relieved Max of Zorel, who soon realized that Michael's grip was no less inescapable than Max's had been.
Meanwhile, Alex and Isabel had rounded up Mareeya and Ceelya and had also managed to catch Danyy, who was quickly taken "into custody" by his father, Jim Valenti.
Kyle caught Rayyn and Taz as they emerged from the truck and tried to run; then, looking into the overturned truck, he discovered a little girl hiding. Recognizing Liz-Jolee, he lifted her out of the truck and handed her to her father, Varec.
Tess, who had been watching everything that was going on with a stunned reaction, turned around to find her husband, Rayylar, holding Jiba and Drel each by the arm, and they were struggling hard to get away.
"This isn't right," Tess said, shocked at what was happening. "These can't be our children. They just can't. My children love me."
"Tess is right," Maria said, trying to help Michael hold a struggling Jayyd, their youngest child. "Something is very wrong here."
That, at least, had by now become obvious to all of them. If these were their children, something terrible had happened to them… and if they weren't their children… then who?
Though all of the parents were thinking the same question, it was one of the children, Andya, who finally asked it…
"Who are you? Are you working for Kivar… Are you darkhole shadowshifters?
"We're your parents," Max said firmly, looking Andya in the eyes. Andya tried to reply, but her voice vanished and she only stammered and shook her head.
"You're not our parents," Zorel said with total certainty, but Andya was not so sure. Something in Max's eyes had looked familiar. It was impossible, but it was hard to deny.
"Sweetheart," Maria said, "We are your parents… I promise you." She put one hand on Zorel, and he pulled back and cringed, shaking his head…
"Our parents are dead. Kivar killed them."
The effect of that statement was like a lightning bolt passing through each one there.
"What do you mean," Max asked, turning to Zorel. "Why would you think Kivar killed us?"
"We saw it," Andya whispered in a thin, shaky voice. "We saw you… all."
"Dead?" Isabel asked.
"Yeah," Ceelya said.
Isabel looked at Alex, and tears welled up in her eyes. Alex hugged her against his heart, trying to comfort her, but he was just as shocked as she was. Then Isabel looked at Max, Michael, Liz, and the others. She had a terrible, sick feeling in her stomach, and she could see that they all shared it. Somehow, they had stumbled upon another alternate dimension instead of their own; and here, Max and the others must have deposed Kivar, and he must have returned and killed them… probably with the help of the shadow-dwelling shapeshifters… leaving their children as homeless orphans fending for themselves amongst the ruins. It was just the kind of cold, heartless revenge Kivar would appreciate. But where was everybody else? Had Kivar killed everyone on the planet… or just the royal family and important people… or all the parents? It seemed very hard to believe that he could have killed everyone, but where were the other children? Where were the other adults? It didn't make sense.
"Zorel, what can I do to convince you that I am who I say I am," Michael said, turning to his and Maria's oldest son.
Zorel shook his head but didn't reply. He was thinking about it. He didn't believe it, but deep inside, he did WANT to believe it… He wanted desperately to believe it.
tbc
Coming Next: The Test