What if #5
Camila Noceda pulled over to the curb, parking her car. She turned to the young girl in the passenger's seat and extended her arm for a hug. The girl leaned over to extend her own arm and meet her halfway.
"Okay Cariño, here we are." She said. "You have a good week at your friend's house and be good for her parents."
"I will, Mamá." She replied, pulling away from the hug. "You have a good time on your trip too."
"That's the plan!" Camila told her with a chuckle. "Now before I let you go, do you have your you-know-what's with you?"
Her daughter nodded and pulled up her overnight bag, opening a pouch on the side. She brought out a deck of odd-looking cards for a moment and stowed them away again. Then she unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the car door, hesitating before getting out. Camila smiled softly and reached out to place her hand onto her daughter's shoulder.
"You don't need to be scared, Vee." She assured. "You were able to keep disguised for all those weeks at camp. You'll be just fine for your stay at Georgie's."
"I know. It's just that I've never stayed over a friend's house before." Vee explained. "I guess I'm just a little nervous. What exactly am I supposed to do at a sleepover?"
Camila giggled at the question. "Oh, you can do all sorts of fun things. When I was a girl, I'd have sleepovers with my friends and we'd stay up all night. We'd eat lots of snacks, watch movies, play games, and talk about our crushes."
"C-crushes?!" Vee repeated, her cheeks flushing pink. "I-I don't have a crush on anyone!"
"I don't remember saying that you did." Camila pointed out with a knowing smile. "But if you did happen to like one of your friends that way, maybe Georgie can help you. Or at least it will be better to talk to someone about your feelings than just keeping them to yourself."
"Do you really think so?" Vee asked. "I mean… I guess I could try. After all, Georgie and Masha are best friends, so…"
"So you do have a crush on someone." Camila noted.
Vee blushed again, more intensely than before. She sat quietly in her seat, fidgeting with her overnight bag while Camila took a moment to adore her. Then the sound of someone calling for Luz from the house caught their attention. Vee needed a second before recalling that she was still going by that name. She got out of the car and gave a quick wave to Georgie, the burly girl with short hair and glasses, who was standing on the front porch.
"It looks like it's bye for now." Vee said a little sadly. "Te amo, Mamá."
"Te amo también, bebé." Camila replied. "I'll see you in a week."
With that, Vee started for the house. Camila watched her go and then checked for other cars before starting to drive off. During the time it took her to travel to her next destination, Camila began to grow anxious. Her trip had been a spur of the moment decision and she was having second thoughts. It was someplace she had never been to and getting lost was just one of many worries she had.
She reached a part of the road where construction was being done and stopped, waited for the officer directing traffic to let her go. Once she was allowed to proceed, she found a nearby gas station and mini-mart to stop at and pulled in to refuel. She also got herself some snacks and drinks for the road. Then she set her phone's GPS to lead her to Newport, Rhode Island.
Her journey wasn't too bad. The interstate was a bit hectic, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. By the time she was back on the main roads, there was hardly any traffic at all. It was more than easy enough to find her way to her destination. She navigated into a neighborhood with vast yards enclosed behind sturdy walls with strong iron gates in front of the driveways. Camila found herself marveling a little at the gorgeous mansions on each property. It was a little hard to believe she was going to one of them.
Finally, she reached the address she had been seeking. It was a stately manor with an amazing view of the Atlantic. She stopped in front of the gate and got out of her car. There was an intercom on one of the stone pillars framing the gateway and she went to push the little, red button by the speaker. After a moment, there was a crackling noise as someone replied.
"Oh good, you're here." A male voice said. "I'll open the gate for you. You can park in the garage."
Camila heard a buzzing sound and the gate began to open. She returned to her car and slowly drove through, one of the garage doors opening as she got closer. Continuing forward, she found herself parking between a Rolls Royce and a Thunderbird. After killing the engine, she got out and grabbed her bags. There was a door on the right side of the garage which opened and someone stepped through.
It was the resident of the lavish home, one Jacob Hopkins. He was a light-skinned man with his brown hair brushed-back, square glasses with thick frames, and his facial hair styled in a soul patch. His attire was somewhat professional, including a brown coat over a green collared shirt and a dark brown vest. This he paired with jeans and black and white sneakers. When he saw her, he greeted her with a friendly smile. She however scowled when she saw him, still having strong resentment for what he had done to Vee.
"Hey now, what is with the sour look?" He asked. "You should be excited. We're about to make history here!"
"I don't care about making history, Mr. Hopkins." Camila replied. "I just want my daughter back."
"Right, right, of course. That is top priority." Jacob said. "Man, I still can't believe that your kid found a portal to Mars. Let's just hope that they haven't stolen her teeth yet."
It took a good deal of restraint for Camila not to make a comment. She still had her reservations about Jacob's intentions, but she was willing to take that chance. Her previous experience with him had proven he was harmless enough, and that she could keep him in line if necessary. With any luck, things would go smoothly and Camila wouldn't need to worry about anything more than getting Luz back and returning home with her.
Jacob led her to a set of stairs that went down to the basement. There was a drastic change in the décor compared to what little else she had seen of the mansion. The basement had clearly been renovated and looked like something out of a science fiction series. In fact, Camila was very certain she had seen some of it in a show she used to watch. Particularly the large structure in the middle of the area. It was a metallic, almost complete circle and was hooked up to several large machines that looked like very old computers, ones the size of bookshelves.
Camila slowly walked into the room, looking around in a mix of awe and concern. She wasn't sure how Jacob had managed all of this, but it did worry her. If he had the resources and possibly the know-how to achieve something on such a grand scale, she had to reevaluate how much potential he had as a threat. She hadn't even known he came from a rich family until she had seen the mansion. At least she hoped this was his family's home and not one that he had taken for his own use.
She felt someone touch her shoulder and she jumped, letting out a startled cry. After turning and backing away from the only other person in the room, she threw him a dirty look. If he was sorry, he didn't show it in the least. He actually seemed very pleased with himself; proud even.
"Amazing, isn't it?" He asked. "I put this all together myself, buying it piece by piece through online auctions. Some of it I did need to have custom made though."
"I can imagine…" Camila noted. "And you're sure that this will work? How do you this can take us to where my daughter is?"
"Don't worry about it." He replied confidently. "I have a contact in Los Angeles who has been working on a similar project. Only she isn't trying to get to Mars." He added with a small laugh. "She thinks there is a world out there inhabited by frog people. Have you ever heard something so ridiculous?"
"Yes. Yes, I have." Camila stated bluntly.
"Really? Huh, I guess there are all sorts of crazy people out there."
Once again Camila had to hold her tongue. She began silently praying that this would be a short venture, and more importantly, that his crazy idea would actually work. She had doubts about it from the very beginning, for many reasons. But she was desperate to get Luz back and she had no idea who else she could turn to for help.
"How long will it take before we can leave?" She dared to ask.
"Well, first I need to activate my Hopkins-Portal, patent-pending. This will be the first time I've ever turned it on, so I think it will need some time to warm up. Then, I will need to find the right frequency to get us to Mars."
"Are you telling me that you don't know if it can get us there in the first place?!"
"It can, in theory." He replied. "But it can get us to pretty much any place if I can tune it to the right frequency. I just need to find the one we need, that's all."
"So good of you to mention that before now." Camila mumbled bitterly.
Jacob went over to the vintage computers surrounding the portal and began turning them all on. The hum of the machines filled the room as they came to life. Camila watched anxiously as Jacob next went to a control panel in front of the main machine. After flipping a few switches, the large arc began to light up. Then the area inside of the arc filled with static, like and old analog television when it lost connection. The terrible noise drowned out the machines and forced Camila to cover her ears.
The next several seconds were unbearable. Camila had to back away while Jacob fiddled around with the controls. He managed to get things working properly, or at least fixed the cause of the awful noise. Now it looked like a pool of water was in the arc, almost like a huge bubble wand. It shimmered in an eerily beautiful way, Camila stepping a little closer as she took her hands off her ears. She could see something on the other side of the portal, but couldn't quite make it out. Jacob meanwhile was seeming very pleased with himself.
"Yes! I knew it would work!" He exclaimed ecstatically. "In your face, Agent Mothman! Who's the one laughing now? Me!"
"So what next?" Camila asked. "How do you find that frequency you need?"
"Easy. You have your cell phone with you, right?"
Camila nodded and took phone out of her pocket. "I do."
"Call your daughter's phone. I'll adjust the frequency until you get through."
It was difficult for Camila to believe it would be so easy. She almost argued with him about how they didn't know it would work. But then she realized that it should work. Luz had gone to the Demon Realm the very same day she was meant to go to camp. And she had texted Luz on many occasions since then, until she had thought she had brought her daughter back home. She remembered when Luz had stopped replying to her texts and how it had worried her. It must have been the same day that Luz had lost her way home.
With a new spark of hope shining in her heart, Camila went into her messages. Ever since Vee had come back from camp, Luz's contact info had been changed. But Camila had kept all the texts from the phone number of Luz' old phone. Or rather, the phone she still had. A sadness came to her eyes as she looked at the old messages, a single tear running down her face. She took a deep breath and steeled herself, calling the number she hadn't heard from in weeks.
There was a single ring and then the call stopped. An automated message played, stating that the number she was trying to reach was not in service. Camila felt a pang of despair, but wasn't really surprised. There was a whole realm of existence between herself and Luz after all. She knew it would be a long shot.
"Try again." Jacob instructed, adjusting a dial on the panel. "Keep trying until you get through."
Camila complied, once again only getting an automated response after starting the call. Jacob made another adjustment and Camila tried again. Just like the other attempts, she didn't get through and Jacob once again made adjustments. This process repeated over and over, Camila losing count after a while. Nevertheless, she kept trying, despite how heavily she felt her heart sinking each time.
The minute passed by like hours for Camila, who was starting to reach her limit. She was struggling to hold back her tears as she heard that darned automated message for the umpteenth time. Jacob told her to try again and she almost didn't. It wasn't working. No matter how impressive the machinery seemed, the one who put it all together was a crackpot. A fool. An idiot. Of course this wasn't going to work. Camila was becoming furious with herself for even thinking she could rely on that dimwitted son of a…
"Hi, you've reached the phone of Luz Noceda. I can't talk right now, but you can leave a message at the beep and I'll get back to you soon! Beep! *giggle* Just kidding! The real one is coming up."
A beep sounded from her phone. Camila stared, mouth agape and eyes wide with disbelief. Her eyes grew moist again as an immense wave of emotion washed through her. For a moment, she couldn't find her voice, but then with a small sob, it came back, carrying all her emotion with each word.
"Luz! I'm coming for you, bebé! Mamá will find you and take you back home soon!" She choked out, streams of tears flowing down her face. "Please stay safe until I can find you! I love you, Mija!"
With much reluctance, Camila ended the call. She stared at her phone screen for the next several seconds, praying that Luz would call her back. When she didn't see the screen light up with an incoming call, she started for the portal. There was a clear image in it now, showing some sort of forest with red trees and grass. Jacob was standing by it, beaming with childlike excitement.
"I did it! I connected us to Mars!" He giddily exclaimed. "This is the greatest day of my life! Soon, I'll be the hero who rescued a girl from the evil Martian empire. They'll make a statue of me! Name a day after me! Maybe even make a movie about me!"
"First, we need to find my daughter and get her back safely." Camila reminded him. "You're sure this is safe?"
Jacob stared blankly at her for a moment and then shrugged. Camila scowled and almost went to grab her Chancla from her bag. She kept her temper in check however, not daring to risk losing the chance to reunite with Luz by attacking the one making it possible. Even if he probably could use a quick smack, it could wait. For now, there were more important things to worry about.
Camila stepped a little closer to the portal and pondered what to do. If she had something to poke through, she could determine if it was safe or not. Then again, if something living didn't go through, then she wouldn't know if it was truly safe or…
A sudden motion caught her attention. Camila saw it from the corner of her eye, and when she turned to see what it was, Jacob was gone. He had done a running leap through the portal, now standing on the other side and waving to her. She stood and stared at him in disbelief as he beckoned her to join him.
Even though he seemed unharmed, Camila was still apprehensive. She closed her eyes, silently prayed for her own safety, and then rushed forward. There was a brief sensation of passing through the surface of a pool of water, only without the moisture. When it was over, Camila opened her eyes and found herself standing in the forest of red trees. A quick check of her person yielded no issues that she could see or feel and she let out a sigh of relief.
She went to stand beside Jacob, who was looking over their new surroundings. The red trees went as far as the eye could see and the only sign of civilization was some sort of castle off in the distance. Jacob took out some sort of remote, like a garage door opener, and used it to close the portal behind them. Then they set out into the unfamiliar territory, Camila experiencing a mix of emotions as she began the quest to find her daughter.
What if Camila had found her own way to the Demon Realm?