Chapter 7
1091 Words
7
“HALLI MARKHAM,” Francie shouts for the third time, still trying to make Dr. Venn understand. “VIRGINIA MARKHAM’S GRANDDAUGHTER. DO YOU REMEMBER VIRGINIA?”
“Who?” He has an American accent. Somehow I thought he’d be British.
“VIRGINIA MARKHAM,” Francie tries again. “SHE WAS A FAMOUS EXPLORER. YOU WERE HER FRIEND?”
I don’t know why I thought this lie would work.
It’s just Francie and Daniel and me in the kitchen right now. Sarah and Sam are at the market. Sam thought it might be best if he weren’t around for the call, just in case Dr. Venn remembered him.
Francie laughed at that. “It was ages ago! You look completely different now. For one thing, you had hair.”
“He’ll remember me,” Sam assured her. “I was legendary.”
He gave her a wink and then shuffled Sarah out the door. She said she had some shopping of her own to do.
It took Francie a while to make contact. The woman who answered the comm seemed reluctant to bother Dr. Venn. But finally his ancient, holographic, 3D head hovered over Francie’s tablet on the table. Dr. Venn was in the house.
His head is very round, mostly bald, with just a few clumps of wispy white hair growing out of the sides. He has a white beard, neatly trimmed. He wears glasses, but still squints. If he’s wearing hearing aids, they don’t work. From the look of time-worn face, I can believe he really is over a hundred.
“I’M HERE WITH VIRGINIA’S GRANDDAUGHTER, HALLI,” Francie is shouting. “SHE WOULD LIKE TO MEET WITH YOU.”
“Who?”
Francie coughs and rubs at her throat. “Maybe one of you can try,” she murmurs to Daniel and me. “This is exhausting.”
Daniel scoots his chair closer. “DR. VENN, MY NAME IS DANIEL EVERETT. I’M A PUPIL OF PROFESSOR LACKSMITH’S.”
“Lacksmith?” He heard that. “How is that old yorker?”
I shoot Daniel a look of surprise. I remember him showing me his own biography once, and it said he had won some award for “yorking.” I asked him what it was, but he wouldn’t tell me.
Oh, but that was me—Audie. He never had that conversation with Halli. I quickly douse my curiosity.
“HE’S FINE, SIR,” Daniel shouts. “HE SENDS HIS REGARDS.”
Francie gives her son a hidden thumbs up.
Liars are always welcome at my table.
“MY FRIEND HALLI WOULD LIKE TO MEET WITH YOU, SIR.”
“Meet with me?” Daniel’s lower voice must be at the right register. Dr. Venn seems to hear him fine.
“YES, SIR. SHE’D LIKE TO APPLY TO OXFORD. SHE WANTS TO SPEAK WITH YOU FIRST.”
“No, no … she needs to go to Admissions.”
It’s time for me to take a stab at it.
“I WANT TO MEET WITH YOU FIRST BECAUSE I’M VERY INTERESTED IN YOUR FIELD OF STUDY.”
“What’s that?”
“YOUR FIELD OF STUDY. I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU.”
Dr. Venn scowls at that. Actually scowls.
“PLEASE, SIR, I REALLY NEED TO TALK TO YOU.”
“Young lady, you must have me confused with someone else—”
“NO, SIR, IT’S YOU I NEED TO TALK TO.”
But suddenly the thought hits me: what if he’s right? Maybe he isn’t the professor Daniel and his parents met with. Maybe I’m just wasting my time.
In which case I need to get rid of this hovering head and go find the right one.
There’s only one way to find out. It’s risky, because it reveals more than I want to, but I don’t really see another choice. I have to know.
“DR. VENN,” I shout, “IT’S URGENT. HEADACHES. DEATH. PARALLEL UNIVERSES. THERE ISN’T MUCH TIME.”
Dr. Venn’s holographic image jerks for a moment, blurs out of focus. When it steadies again, he’s staring right at me, eyes squinting into mine. The mouth above his trim white beard looks very tight and small.
What can I do but stare back? And give him a slight nod.
“Tomorrow,” he says. “Ten o’clock. Be on time. I nap at noon. And bring the yorker,” he adds, jerking his head toward Daniel.
Then Dr. Venn’s head swirls back into nothing. He’s ended the call.
I slouch back into my seat. Francie was right: that was exhausting.
“What was that all about?” she asks me. “Parallel universes? Death?”
Francie is a very open-minded person. So is her husband. They both own a history studio that uses people with extrasensory abilities to tell the stories behind archaeological artifacts. When Daniel told them the truth about me last time, they were happy to help me. They introduced me to a woman who was able to tell me what really happened when I threw myself into that avalanche. And she introduced me to her daughter, who helped me to contact Halli.
And by the end of the day, I was screaming in agony. I was rushed to the hospital and never came out.
Not an experience I intend to repeat. No matter how helpful Francie and her husband might want to be.
So I laugh at Francie’s question. “I have no idea what it means. It’s just something Ginny told me to say if the professor gave me a hard time about trying to meet him.”
“You really don’t know?” she asks.
“Not at all.”
“Hm. Curious,” she says. “In any case, it’s done. My vocal chords will recover one day. That man really does need an amplifier.”
When Sarah and Sam return from the store, Sarah presents me with a gift. She’s uncharacteristically shy about it.
“I saw it a few days ago, and I thought you might like it.”
I pull it out of the bag.
And burst out laughing.
“No,” she says, looking slightly hurt. “It’s sincere.”
“I know, Sarah. And I love it. Thank you.” I stand up and give her a hug.
It’s a sleep shirt. Made of soft lavender T-shirt material. On the front is a picture of a sweet, well-groomed little poodle wearing a pink gemstone collar. She’s lying on her plump cushion, sleeping with a little smile on her doggie lips.
Above her is a thought balloon showing what she’s dreaming of: a ragged-looking mutt in a noble-looking pose, fur swept back and teeth gritted against a fierce driving storm.
Underneath is a caption: Princess dreams of adventure.
“That’s me,” Sarah says. “And you.”
Oh, Sarah. Just ask Halli: adventure isn’t always as much fun as you think it is. I saw plenty of it in Halli’s memories: the fear, the pain, the constant uncertainty.
But also, I have to admit, a certain pride in overcoming all those things. Why is Halli stronger than I am? Because she’s been through more. I’ve spent my life holed up in my room reading physics books. Halli has been out in the world.
Correction: Audie 1 spent her life that way. I’ve had adventures of my own since then. I’ve known fear and pain and uncertainty myself. And I suppose you could say I’ve overcome some of that.
Audie 3 is a new creature. A long-haired girl with her teeth gritted as she braces against the storm.
I carefully fold up the shirt and slip it back into its bag. “Thank you, Sarah. I’ll wear it every night. It’s perfect.” I give her one more hug.
And now it’s time to face the storm and grit my teeth some more. I’m going to have to go talk to Jake.
- Writer
