Ferdie and the Seven: Book One: When the Angels are Gone
Date: 2017-02-12 05:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Paranormal
Description: Alternate Cover Edition for ASIN: B06X8ZJFYG Ferdie is one of The Seven, a group of humans gifted with supernatural abilities. Tragically, while still in middle school in Bakersfield, California, his power killed others, and plunged him into a supernatural shadow world, where an enemy of earth-shattering power awaits. He needs help, here as dubious angels, sketchy demons, and best friend Marshall "Marsh-dog" Nolan, a pint-sized computer genius with a giant 'fro. Ferdie is one of The Seven, a group of humans gifted with supernatural abilities. Tragically, while still in middle school in Bakersf
Rights: All rights reserved (#3507105353415579)

Ferdie and The Seven, book one: When the Angels are Gone

1

larry buenafe

Published by larry buenafe, 2018.

This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

FERDIE AND THE SEVEN, BOOK ONE: WHEN THE ANGELS ARE GONE

First edition. September 29, 2018.

Copyright © 2018 larry buenafe.

Written by larry buenafe.

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Ferdie & The Seven:

When the Angels Are Gone

––––––––

By Larry Buenafe

Copyright Larry Buenafe 2016

License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only.  This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people.  If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient.  If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Amazon.com and purchase your own copy.  Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Epilogue

Book Two:  Time Flies

About Larry Buenafe

More from Larry Buenafe

Connect with Larry Buenafe

Prologue

Think of California, and what comes to mind?  Beaches, surfboards, Hollywood, and summer year ‘round, right?  It’s a big state, though, with virtually every climate experience possible, including some rather unpleasant.  For example, there’s Bakersfield, in the southern edge of the immense central valley.  The summer brings a perfect storm of greenhouse gasses, some produced locally, but most pushed in thanks to prevailing winds that flow invariably, relentlessly east from the more heavily populated coastal areas.  These tend to be worst in the winter and spring, and, when combined with the scant rainfall the area usually receives, and many decades of continual stripping of the land for agricultural purposes, a fine layer of dust covers all.  As you might imagine, this leads to an existence that is both literally and figuratively gritty.

On the day in question, the wind and dust rushing through picked up and carried with it a scent, faint but distinct, leading to a one-room, windowless structure of gray, time-weathered wood.  A number of city police officers in patrol cars, and county sheriff’s deputies, mostly in pickups and SUVs, were surrounding the shack, having been alerted to the emergency conditions existing at that location.  Thankfully the inevitable TV vans had not yet arrived, but that was just a matter of time.  There they waited in uneasy alliance to hear from the caller who had led them to the location, nestled in the middle of an orange orchard that continued up and over a hillside.  The orange trees were in full bloom; mixing in the air with the fragrant blossoms was a pungent, metallic tang.

The initial communication came from a male caller, and the dispatcher noted in later briefings that he spoke with an almost unintelligible sandpaper voice, reported having hostages, and that he had done some “bad things”, although he refused to be specific about what those bad things were.  She used everything in her bag of tricks to try to get him to elaborate, but the only additional information he was willing to provide was that he was in possession of weapons and was more than willing to use them should anyone approach.  He did, however, provide detailed directions to his location, which was noted as unusual, and the officers were directed not to approach the location too closely due to the potential of ambush.

Detective Arnie Hayward had just arrived on the scene and was doing his best to assess the situation.  Hayward, somehow seeming larger and more imposing than his average height and build would suggest, had risen quickly during his six years with the police department, and seemed destined for a higher position.

He hurried forward, bent at the waist to avoid being in the potential line of fire, scuttled through several rows of mature trees, and stopped behind a patrol car parked directly east of the shed.  Kneeling quickly, he hissed, “Where is Wilson?” to patrol officer McCandless, a swarthy, badger of a man, one of the twenty three officers and deputies crouched behind their vehicles awaiting orders.  Lieutenant Mark Wilson, a twenty-year veteran of the department, was generally in charge of such crime scenes, and had an excellent record of resolving standoffs with minimal casualties.

“No one seems to be able to get aholt of him,” grunted McCandless, as he gestured toward the shack.  “Any more word from the caller?”

“Not since the initial call. I can’t believe Wilson isn’t here—has anyone tried his private cell?”

“You’re the detective,” growled McCandless sarcastically.

Hayward filed away the disrespectful comment, and quickly scrolled through the address book in his cell phone, locating Wilson’s private number.  Wilson answered after four rings; his voice sounded strange and thick, like sandpaper, Hayward noted, and he seemed to be struggling for air.  “Arnie—I’m glad it’s you who got through to me,” he gasped.

“Mark, what’s wrong?  Where are you?”

“Arnie, I’ve been waiting for you.  I’m inside.  In the shed.”

“What!? Are you alright?  What is going on, Mark?” Hayward barked; he grimaced and took several deep breaths to steady himself.

“I need some help, Arnie... I’m not sure what’s happening... I need you to come over, but come by yourself.  Come quick.”

Hayward turned to McCandless and shouted, “Keep everyone back!  Don’t move ‘till I signal you!” and without a moment’s hesitation bolted for the shack.  The startled officers looked on as he sprinted the forty yards past the perimeter that had been established, and kicked the door of the shack with all his strength.  The door split down the middle with a high-pitched crack! rather than breaking loose from the door jamb, and Hayward shoved the remaining shattered chunks aside to enter.  As he did so, what he saw was so shocking that his eyes took in the scene but it took his brain a moment to process it all; he felt as if he had entered Hell on Earth.  Two very dead tow-headed young girls were lying side by side on the floor; in the chests of both were gaping, ragged wounds.  Thick, dark blood covered the interior of the shack, and was inches deep around the bodies.  As Hayward scanned the horror and realized who the victims were, he struggled, spitting and gasping, to stifle his now roiling stomach.

“Wilson!  Your kids!  What did you... why...” he choked, retching, then turned for the first time to look at Wilson, whom he had considered a close friend for several years; Wilson’s shiny, bald head and weathered face were speckled with blood, although it was unclear whether the blood was from his victims or himself; his left hand was missing, and his gut was sliced open.

The sight was so overwhelming that Hayward struggled to stand as Wilson gurgled, “I really had trouble answering the phone, what with one hand and all.  I had to wait for you, though... someone got into my brain and made me do this.  I knew what was happening but I couldn’t stop it.  It’s like I was a puppet, or, what do you call them, a minaret?  No, that’s not it...”

“Marionette,” Arnie croaked.

“Yeah, that’s it.  Sorry, I’m not thinking too straight right now... I guess ‘cause of all the blood I... anyway, now I’m going to Hell, where I belong.”

“Yes,” said the now detached Hayward; the scene was too much for his mind to handle, and his emotions were shutting down.  “You are going to the Bad Line.”

“The what?”  Wilson bellowed, as he plunged his remaining hand into his gaping stomach, yanking violently.  Without responding, Hayward turned and walked out the shattered door and into the bright afternoon sun.

Chapter 1

Demons are real.  I should know.  My name is Ferdinand Shamley, which obviously stinks as names go.  I’ve always been called Ferdie, which is only slightly better; my older sister Ariel still calls me Fordie, because when I was born that was the closest she could get to Ferdie.  You know how big sisters can be really annoying?  Well, maybe you don’t if you don’t have a big sister, but let me tell you, I do, and she is.  Maybe it’s just sibling rivalry; I don’t really know, but I can’t stand the way she smacks her gum, twirls her hair, talks constantly, or pretty much anything else she does.  Secretly, though, (and believe me I wouldn’t tell her this), despite her annoying qualities I think she is kind of ok.  Kind of.

Anyway, more about my family later.  I bet you are wondering about the demons.  I would be!  Seems like a weird thing to just blurt out that you believe in demons, I know, especially when it’s not in any kind of religious context.  I remember once when I was really little, our pastor, the Reverend David T. Kagawada, was preaching about demons and angels, and it scared the crap out of me; I had recurring nightmares for months.  My mom tried to comfort me by telling me that demons are really just a metaphor for things in our life that are sinful or out of our control, but I didn’t know what a metaphor was, so I imagined sins as being this big, hairy, indestructible monster, which only made things worse.  Anyway, believe me, if someone told me the story I am about to tell you, I would think they had used a ton of drugs, or maybe spent their life in a mental hospital, but I lived through it so I’m mostly sure it’s true.  Maybe.  Probably.

For the most part, demons, and angels for that matter, have little resemblance to their Earthly stereotypes.  Oh, yeah, I know some angels too.  When present among us they pretty much look like normal people, so you wouldn’t really know which is which unless they let you know, and if they do let you know, that usually means big trouble for you.  Man, I wish I didn’t know about any of this stuff; I wish I had a normal, boring life.  I know that sounds weird, but I mean it.  I wish...well, I guess there’s really no point in wishing, it’s too late for that.

The demons who get to come to Earth are here to try to “switch lines”, which is their way of saying, “get in to Heaven”.  None of them make it, though, because they fall back into the same kinds of things that got them in the line in the first place, but they keep trying because of how unbearably horrible Hell, or the bad line, as they call it, is.  Pretty much the only way they can make it into the other line is by stopping or solving human crimes, especially murders, and the worse the crime, the better their chances.  So, as you might guess, many of them try for careers in law enforcement or related fields.  I know, that seems ironic, it did to me too.  Now every time I see a cop I wonder if he or she is a demon; of course, some may just act like demons, so it might be hard to tell.  Anyway, as you might guess, some of them try to manipulate a situation in which a really awful crime happens so that they can solve it, but that never works; it has to be a genuine, terrible human crime.  They keep trying, though, because even though demons tend to be really clever, they are demons after all, and almost all of them get such a kick out of the suffering they cause that they just can’t resist.

When I was twelve I went to live with my uncle and his family in California.  Bakersfield, to be exact, lucky me.  I really don’t like talking about why, because of what happened to my own family, but in order for you to understand why things are the way they are, it's a story I have to tell, so here goes...

We were pretty close, the four of us.  My dad always called us the four musketeers, which of course was really corny but I secretly kind of liked it anyway.  We lived in a nice, friendly neighborhood full of nice, friendly people in Aurora, Colorado, a suburb of Denver.  It’s a clean town, full of clean folks.  In fact, what happened to us was the biggest scandal there since... well, ever, probably.  I can still see our old, two-story house with the large, inviting front porch and lots of good places to hide during extended games of hide-and-seek in my mind... it just seems like a long-ago dream nowadays.

Dad was tall and slim, with a face and demeanor that I can only describe as jolly, and had wavy, ginger hair.  He was a history teacher at our high school, and he seemed to be friends with everyone he met.  Although all kids probably think of their moms as pretty, my mom really was; everyone said so, especially dad.  Petite but solid, with blond hair and blue eyes, she had the voice of an angel; when we were little, we would go to church and I would sit next to her, right up close so I could hear her sing the hymns, and sometimes it would make me feel like crying, it was so beautiful.  Sorry, maybe I shouldn’t admit that, but it’s true.  Anyway, she always seemed happy, and there was a lot of playing and laughing in our house.  Mom was always singing and dancing around the place, and dad had a running joke with me where he would tell me about the different people that I was named after, like Franz Ferdinand, Ferdinand Magellan, Ferdinand II, King of Aragon, Ferdinand the Bull, you get the picture.  I really think it was just his way of teaching me history, but the way he did it made it kind of funny and made me feel important.  Ariel, who is two years older than me, always acted disgusted by these stories, but I think she was a little jealous.  My mom would just shake her head and smile.

One day, about a week before my twelfth birthday, my Mom began to get terrible headaches, which was really unusual for her, but for some reason she refused to take anything for them.  After three days of Dad begging her to take something, he was getting really exasperated.  “Laurie, you’ve got to let me take you to the doctor.  This is just getting to be too much.”

Mom’s face was scrunched into a pained frown. “No, no, I’ll be fine, I just need some peace and quiet.”

“Come on, Laurie.  We’ve got to do something.”

“No!”  Now she was almost shouting.  “I just need some privacy!”

Dad stared at her for a few seconds with a puzzled expression, and then sighed heavily.  “Ok, you get some rest.  I’ll take the kids to the mall.”  Even though we were really worried about mom, that sounded great to Ariel and me; maybe we could get a Ms. Fields cookie, or even better, a Cinnabon.  I was kind of big for my age, taking after my Dad, and also kind of athletic, taking after my Mom, and of course you don’t worry too much about eating stuff like that when you are around twelve, you just know it tastes good.  So, we walked out and jumped in the white, Nissan Quest minivan, or the party van, as dad called it, and off we went.  It was raining out, and I got a big kick out of dad intentionally hitting spots where the rain had pooled, sending sheets of water cascading onto cars going in the other direction.  Despite the fun we were having, I felt like there was a heaviness in the air, and it was pressing down on me a little bit, sort of making it hard to breathe.  I told dad how I was feeling, and he said I was just worried about mom, and that I would forget it when we got to the mall.  “Take a pill, stress boy,” snorted Ariel.  She knew that I had the tendency of getting a little emotional about things, and loved to tease me about it.

“Maybe you should take a suppository,” I whispered.  I didn’t dare say it too loud, because she might hit me, and she was even bigger and more athletic than me.  Dad heard me, though, and he put his hand over his mouth and pretended to cough to cover his snickering, then began loudly singing along with the radio, and pretty soon we joined in, singing at the top of our lungs, “Do-on’t stop, believin’, hold on to that fee-eelin’.”  My dad was pretty cool.

As we pulled into the mall parking lot, dad’s cell phone rang, and he fumbled in his pocket for it, taking his attention off the road.  “Dad, Watch out!” shouted Ariel, as we nearly swerved into the lane of traffic pulling out of the mall.

“Whoa, that was close! Hello?  Hi honey, sorry, I didn’t mean to say that into the phone.  What?  Ok, don’t worry, we’ll be back there in a little bit.”  After hanging up, dad told us that mom had asked us to come back, saying that she was feeling funny.  Not like she wanted to tell us a joke or anything, but funny like she was having an unusual sick kind of feeling.

“Dad, that’s not fair!  We’re already here!”  Ariel pouted, and I nodded in agreement.

“Sorry guys.  Tell you what, when we get home you wait in the car and I’ll go see what mom needs, and then we’ll go back to the mall, ok?”  Even though we were worried about mom, we thought he should just drop us off at the mall and come back for us when he was done, but we knew he would never go for that, so we just agreed and quickly drove home in the party van.

On the way home the heavy feeling returned, but much stronger now, and I began to get a little panicky.  As we drove up, I said, “Dad, maybe you should call Uncle Mark or something.”  See, Mark Wilson was my uncle; my mom’s older brother, and even though he lived a long way from us, I thought he could probably tell dad what to do in this kind of situation, being a policeman and all.

“Don’t be silly, Ferdie, everything’s fine.  I’ll be right back,” said dad, grinning, although I could see the worry in his eyes, and then he turned and was gone in a flash.

“Ooh, I think I see a ghost,” teased Ariel.  I stuck my tongue out at her and ducked quickly as she swung for my nose.  At that moment, a horrible scream came from the house.  It was incredibly loud; it had to be for us to hear it in the car with the windows up.  My whole body went cold and I couldn’t move for a few seconds; then Ariel and I looked at each other with terrified expressions, and bolted from the car toward the house.  Ariel got there first and threw the door open and I ran past her, looking frantically around the living room.  As I whirled around, I noticed the door to the kitchen was closed.  It was never closed; in fact, I’m not sure I even knew there was a door before that moment.  As I looked closer, now reaching the panic stage, I could see some fluid that looked very much like blood spreading at the bottom of the door.  “No!  Stay back!” Ariel screamed, crying hysterically now, arms waving wildly.  I couldn’t help myself, though; I rushed forward and opened the door.

I will never forget what I saw next, although I would give anything to be able to.  I felt for a moment as if I was outside of myself, watching the scene from a different angle with disconnected, emotionless eyes.  I guess that was my mind’s way of protecting me from instantly going insane from what I was seeing.  Dad’s throat had been slashed, and he was slumped against a barstool.  A butcher knife was buried in his chest up to the handle, and in my detached state, I thought, ‘Well, that seems like overkill’.

I looked to my left, and there, sitting on the floor in front of the refrigerator, was mom.  Her right hand was missing; she was left-handed, and was using it to wield a rolling pin, which she was using to whack herself in the head.  “I just can’t seem to get rid of this headache, Ferdie,” she croaked, between cracking noises as the rolling pin began to splinter under the force of her blows.  I guess I was in shock by now, because I was shaking violently and felt very cold.  I tried to talk, to ask her what had happened, but nothing would come out; it seemed like I had lost the ability to form words.  I glanced around the room, and blood was everywhere.  I wanted to stop her from hitting herself, but something told me I should not get too close to her, so I just stood and waited.

Then mom spoke again, this time her voice strangely monotone: “I feel like something has gotten into my mind, and I just can’t stop myself.  It’s telling me that I am going to Hell, but it’s funny, it keeps saying ‘the bad line’, but I know what it means.  It’s also telling me to get you and Ariel, but I just couldn’t.  It’s lucky for you that dad told you to wait in the car.  I’m sorry, Ferdie... I love you and Ariel more than anything...”

She suddenly started going into convulsions, her body thrashing, sending blood flying in all directions, and she stopped moving after a few seconds.  I slowly turned around, and saw Ariel lying on the ground in the doorway.  I thought, ‘I’m glad she passed out.  I sure hope she missed that.’  Then I felt like I was looking through a tunnel for a moment, and then everything went black.

Chapter 2

My parents’ funeral was the saddest thing I think it is possible for a person to get through, but for some reason I didn’t even cry.  It just seemed like my emotions were completely turned off.  I even tried to make myself cry but nothing would come out.  After the funeral Uncle Mark took Ariel and me to live with him and his family in Bakersfield, in the southern part of central California, as I mentioned before.  We drove in Uncle Mark’s car, which looked kind of like an undercover police car, and I just stared out the window for hours and hours.  For some reason my mind was just blank; I tried to think of things my parents told me, to even remember what they looked like, but nothing was there.  Eventually I decided to concentrate on what was ahead of us, going to California and all, and suddenly I remembered dad telling me the whole center of California is a huge valley called the San Joaquin, and they produced more agricultural products there than anywhere else in the world.  Hours and hours trying to think of anything related to my parents and that’s the best I can do.

Anyway, although Uncle Mark was a lot older than mom, he was really cool to us, and he got married kind of later in life.  He and Aunt Cindy had two kids, Jill, age ten, and Debbi, age twelve, which would have been good playing ages for Ariel and me, if we ever wanted to play again.  The girls both had straight, blond hair, just like mom (Uncle Mark had blonde hair too, but he was going bald, so he just shaved it all off.)  They are both pretty nice kids, except sometimes Jill can be a little bratty.  Uncle Mark, Aunt Cindy, and their family lived in a very typical, middle-class-type single-story home painted a cheery yellow.  Luckily, they had an extra bedroom, and even more luckily for me, I was the only boy, so I got the extra room, while Ariel went in with Debbi.

I felt really sad for quite a while, but I didn’t seem to be able to show it; it just wouldn’t come out.  It seemed to help to be around other kids, though.  Maybe it took just my mind off things for a little while, I don't know.  Uncle Mark got some counseling for Ariel and me.  I know he was doing his best to try to help us, and he just didn’t know what else to do, but really it helped more to stay busy and have other things to do to keep our minds occupied.  The psychiatrist I went to, Dr. Saresh, was from India.  He was tall and thin, with a wiry beard; he was really nice to me and I liked his accent.  After a couple of sessions, he said that I had developed Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, or OCD, and he said this probably happened because I needed to get some feeling of control over things in my life, because the things that had happened had been out of my control.  I don’t know about all that, but it is true that I had developed some weird habits.  For example, I have to tap myself in the head twice every time I enter or leave a room, and if I am in a stressful situation I might tap my head over and over.  This probably seems like a pretty minor OCD habit, but believe me it is annoying, and, although I try to hide it as much as I can, people do start to notice it after a while.  I’m not sure why I do it; I guess I feel like if I do this that somehow things will turn out better.  I also can’t enter a room if it’s dark.  I’ll either not go in, or reach around the corner without going inside and turn the lights on before letting my body go through the door.  I know it doesn’t make sense, but I was only twelve, ok?

Uncle Mark enrolled us in school, me in the seventh grade and Ariel a freshman in high school.  As you probably know, junior high school is a difficult time in the best of circumstances, and for me, it was pure torture.  I tried my best to hide it, but it didn’t take long for the other kids to notice my weird OCD habits, and then the teasing and taunting set in.  The only thing that sort of saved me was that I was definitely big for my age, so some of the kids were probably a little intimidated by that.  I was also kind of shy, so I had a hard time making friends.  As if all of that wasn’t bad enough, I had also developed what Dr. Saresh called hyper-vigilance, which is a really fancy way of saying that I have a really hard time trusting people, so I have my guard up all the time and won’t let them get too close to me.  It may be true that I have the hyper-vigilance thing, but eventually I came to realize that the distrust is due, at least partly, to the fact that I get these feelings about people, like I know what is in their hearts, or maybe what their true intentions are, or even what they are thinking, and that makes me feel uncomfortable.  I mean, people think things all the time that they wouldn’t say.  Mean, sarcastic things; sad things; things that would make them seem weak; evil, violent things.  If you knew, or at least had a pretty good sense, of what people were thinking, you might have trouble trusting them too, don’t you think?

Anyway, I started to get into reading a lot, and it became really important to me to speak and write correctly.  Also, I don’t really like using profanity.  I don’t care if other people do, but I don’t want to use those words myself because it kind of seems like cheating.  I guess that’s part of the OCD.  It also became important to me to learn, and use, big words, although I’m not really sure why; maybe it was just kind of distracting.  Uncle Mark knew I liked books, and I guess he was looking for a way to help me recover, because he would take me to the library and let me just walk up and down the rows, looking for things that caught my interest.  I preferred going to the library to looking up books online, because I liked the feel of holding a book; feeling the weight, and the texture of the paper, even the smell.  You don’t get that stuff from a computer or a tablet.

One day, when I was about twelve and a half, we were in the library and I was busy pulling out books on legendary monsters like bigfoot, werewolves, etc., when I heard someone calling my name.  I looked up, but there was no one around; I could still hear it, though, saying my name over and over, very softly but it definitely seemed real.  Just as I was about to decide that it was in my head and I had gone over the edge, I noticed a very old book stuffed in behind the other books in the rack.  It was at the very end of a row, at just the right height for me to see it, and I noticed that it looked like it had not been touched in a long time, or maybe ever.  As I looked at it, I got the distinct impression that it was the book that was speaking to me.  Wait a second... if a book is speaking to me, maybe I really have gone over the edge...  I looked around again, and everything else seemed to be normal.  Maybe I am only part way crazy...

Then something even weirder happened.  I got a strong feeling that the book wanted me to open it.  Man, where is Dr. Saresh when I need him?  I pulled the old book out from behind the other books and sat down at the empty table, there at the end of the row, against the wall.  As I held the book I noted that although it was rather large it seemed to be almost weightless.  Dude, this is strange, and, well, kind of scary...

Behind the feeling of fear, though, there was another sensation... I had the strong feeling that everything was about to change for me, and I felt very excited as I looked at the dusty, dark-brown, leathery cover.  But how could this stupid book make me feel all this stuff?  It’s just a book... and I haven’t even read any of it yet... I don’t even know what the title of the book is!  As I looked closer, I began to notice details... the book had two raised lines on the cover in a very slightly lighter brown color than the rest of the cover; one line made out of a series of three dots, a space, three more dots, etc., and under it was another, unbroken line.  I turned the book over and discovered that the lines continued all the way around the book.  There were no other marks or writing of any kind on the outside of the book.  I suddenly noticed that my ears were really hot, like they always were when I got excited, and I realized that I hadn’t felt that sensation in a long time.  I glanced around once again to make sure there was no one nearby, as I had the very distinct feeling that something meant just for me was about to happen.

It seemed that the book must be thousands of years old.  The cover was very thick and tough-feeling, similar to leather but a more rugged version, and the pages inside did not seem to be made out of paper, but something more ancient, almost as if they were peeled directly from the trunk of a tree.  Although it all made me even more afraid, I finally worked up the nerve to open the book to the first page.

What I discovered inside left me at first confused, and then shocked.  Covering the page, in tiny writing, was a list of names, with a date after the name.  I flipped to the second page, then the third... the number of names was incredible; as I turned the pages, it seemed as if more pages were appearing in the back of the book, multiplying to what seemed like infinity.  I closed my eyes and shook my head vigorously, but when I opened my eyes, there were even more pages than before.  In order to clear my head, I decided to focus in on the names on the page.  I realized that many of them seemed to be written in languages other than English, most of them in fact; some were single names, some had a long string of names, and some seemed like random shapes rather than letters.  Seeing the seemingly never-ending list of names had a curious effect on me; the fear I had been feeling diminished, and it was replaced by a really happy and peaceful sensation.  It was as if, despite all the bad things that had happened in my life, the book was attempting to convince me that things were right in the world.  I continued flipping through the pages, one after another, for what seemed like hours.  I didn’t try to count the number of names, but there must have been thousands on each page, and there were literally thousands of pages.

I began turning hundreds of pages at a time, and as I finally approached the end of the book, I glanced down and saw something that just didn’t make sense.  There, in tiny, tiny writing, were the names of both of my parents.  No, oh HECK to the no!  How is this possible?  Then, the most fantastic, amazing, crazy thing of all: when I finally reached the last page, more names and dates were somehow being added, appearing on the page out of thin air, one after another, dozens per second, as I stared down in disbelief!

I was so immersed in what I was seeing that I completely lost track of everything around me as I looked at the names popping up, so it is understandable that I literally jumped out of my seat when I heard, being whispered in my ear: “If you think that’s amazing, you should try turning the book over.”

Chapter 3

It took me a moment to pick myself up off of the floor, having been so startled I had literally fallen out of my seat.  This has been quite a day for amazing things... I stood with my mouth gaping wide open; the voice in my ear had apparently come from the woman standing now in front of me.  Actually, I’m not sure I would call her a woman, because it was really hard to tell how old she was.  She was adult in size, but had a very young-looking face, with pixie-like hair, kind of like Tinkerbell.  I could immediately tell that there was something very unusual about this person that went beyond her appearance.  It seemed as if she was glowing or shimmering, although I’m not sure if I was seeing it or feeling it, or maybe imagining it, and her face had an expression kind of like your parent when they seem to know everything you are thinking and feeling.  I wasn’t quite sure if I liked that or not.  We stared at each other for a few seconds, and then she smiled and whispered, “Go ahead.  Turn it over and take a look.”

I felt extremely nervous and began tapping my head as I stuttered, “But I... I already looked through all the pages.”

“Things are not exactly as they appear all the time.  Trust me, you were meant to see this.”

Trust you?  I don’t even know you.  Still... Man, this is freaky... I reached down, my hands shaking, turned the book over, and opened the cover.  I don’t know how it happened, but a completely separate list of names and dates appeared on the pages now.  It was obviously different; it was written in red and the names were organized in groups of three, with a space between each group.  Hey, I’ve seen this somewhere before... where have I... Wait a minute... I slammed the book closed and looked at the cover again.  Three dots, a space, three more dots... like the names!  As I looked at the names I began to feel very uneasy, and I got the queasy feeling that something really bad had happened to the people listed on these pages.  My stomach began to flip and I thought I might throw up, but before I could, the girl/woman whispered again: “Go to the last page.”  I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself, and flipped forward, which was kind of hard to do because the pages kept multiplying.  When I finally got to the last page, she whispered one more time: “Look at the last name.”

OK, this is some kind of magic or some such junk... there, on the last page, by itself, alone on the page, was the last entry: Ferdinand Oscar Shamley.  Next to it was a date: exactly five years from that day.  I turned to the girl/lady and, after choking and gulping, said, “Could you please tell me who you are and what the heck is going on?  I’m not kidding, you’re really scaring me.”  I was not exaggerating, either; I was beginning to shake a little.  She looked at me and smiled the kind of smile a mother gives to a baby, like you are the most important and interesting thing in the world.  “I’m sorry, Ferdie.  This must be very confusing to you.”

“How do you know my name?”

Still smiling, she said, “I know everything about you.  I led you to that book, because you have certain... let’s call them sensitivities, that make it possible for you to see and feel things that almost no one else can.  You don’t really know about them yet, or how to control them, but you will learn.  We can really use the help of people like you, Ferdie.  There are things going on in the world that almost no one knows about, but your special sensitivities will make them known to you.  Even though very few know about these things I am speaking of, they are very important.  In fact, there is really nothing more important.”

Immediately I knew what she meant about the special sensitivities.  All the times I felt a heaviness, or had a sense that something was going to happen, or felt people’s intentions, even the way I saw her, with a sort of glow, but did I really know it, or was she somehow making me feel this way?  Or was I just finally going koo koo?  A million questions were running through my mind, but before I could ask any of them, she quickly said, “I’m sorry, Ferdie, I know this is all very strange, and there is much you would like to know.  I will answer your questions in time, but I must go now.  I’ll meet you here again.  Be sure to put the book back just where you found it and don’t tell anyone about any of this.  I’ll see you again soon.”  Then she turned and just seemed to fade away as she walked.

Chapter 4

How am I going to keep all this a secret?  A magic book, and some sort of pixie or phantom or something telling me I have special powers?  And how did my parents and I get in the book, and why are we in opposite lists?  I wrestled in my mind with what to do as I went to find Uncle Mark.

When I found him, standing at the front counter talking to the librarian ladies, Uncle Mark ruffled my hair, and smiled as he said, “Man, Ferdie, I thought maybe we were just going to spend the night here.  Find anything interesting?”

“Oh, nothing unusual,” I said, smiling in return.  Together we turned and walked past the head librarian, a rather severe-looking woman with tightly twisted-up hair, old-timey, cats-eye glasses, and a gigantic... well, let’s just say her caboose was loose.

As we left, Uncle Mark called out, “See you next time, Mabel!  We were there so often, he had become acquainted with all the library staff.  As we left the library I tapped myself twice on the head.

When we got home I had an almost uncontrollable urge to tell Ariel what had happened.  We had gotten closer since our parents died; she didn’t really try to beat me up any more, and I guess I was nicer to her too.  I think we felt really sorry for each other, and we were all that was left of our family.  “Hi, Fordie,” Ariel yawned as I walked by the open door to her room.  “Find any good books on the Chupacabra, or maybe Godzilla?”

I ignored her teasing, walked in without waiting to be invited, tapping myself on the head as I entered, and sat on the bed next to her.  We weren’t the kind of siblings that were very close physically.  I mean, we never hugged each other or anything like that, but at that moment I kind of wished that we were, because I felt like I could use a hug.  “Ariel, do you ever feel like things are different for you than they are for normal people?  I mean, I’m not saying you’re not normal, I just... sometimes I feel things and then they seem to happen, and sometimes those things are really weird.  I’m not saying I am making them happen, I just kind of seem to know something is going to happen before it does.”

“Fordie, what the heck are you talking about?  Do you think you are psychic or something?  Spell it out, little bro.”

I sighed.  “Oh, never mind, I’ll tell you some other time.”

“Suit yourself, Fordie,” Ariel said through another yawn.  “I’ll be here when you are ready.”  And then she patted me on the hand, which I guess is kind of like a hug.

I spent the rest of the evening feeling at turns excited about what had happened, then scared about what it all meant, and most of all unbearably curious.  I must have asked Uncle Mark to take me back to the library twenty times, and he finally said, in a slightly annoyed tone, “I can’t take you tomorrow, Ferdie.  We have a new detective coming in and I have to show him the ropes, and it is going to keep me tied up into the evening.  Why don’t you ask Aunt Cindy?”

Oh, great.  Aunt Cindy was really nice to Ariel and me, but she hardly ever left the house.  There was no way she would take me to the library but she was my only option so I went into the kitchen, tapped my head twice, and sat at the table.  I must have sat there for five minutes, when Aunt Cindy finally stopped putting away the dishes and said with a wry smile, “Hi, Ferdie.  It seems like you want to ask me something.”

“Well, uh, yeah, uh, I was just wondering, if you aren’t going to be too busy, ah, do you think you could, um...”

Aunt Cindy was laughing now, which made me feel a little embarrassed, but relieved at the same time.  “Do you want me to take you to the library tomorrow?”

I looked at her in surprise.  “How did you know that?”

“Well, you only asked your uncle about twenty times, Ferdie, and I have big ears.”

I had an urge to make a joke but I thought better of it.  “Could you take me?  I really would like that.”

“Well, I think just this once would be ok.”  She smiled, and I thought that she looked a little like my mom, even though they were not related.  All of a sudden, the strangest thing happened: I had tears in my eyes, and I couldn’t control it; they just kept coming out and I was tapping my head and Aunt Cindy came over and hugged me for a long time, which only helped a little.

Chapter 5

Our trip to the library was quite an adventure.  Aunt Cindy doesn’t really like to drive, and on our way there I got a clear picture why.  Everything seemed to make her nervous, and every time a car passed, which was, of course, frequently, she would swerve to the side of the road, tapping the breaks and nervously muttering, “Oh!  Oh dear!” under her breath.  Her being a nervous wreck was making me a nervous wreck, and I was really happy to see the library as we rounded the corner and drew near.  As we pulled up, we went up on the curb, and Aunt Cindy again said, “Oh! Oh dear!”  Everyone walking nearby turned to look, and two girls who were in the crosswalk near the front of the library began to run.  I don’t know why, but that just tickled me and I started laughing, and Aunt Cindy started laughing in response.

“Thanks for a fun ride, Aunt Cindy,” I giggled.  She smiled and said, “I’ll be back in an hour, Ferdie, have fun!”  I was really glad that Aunt Cindy dropped me off rather than coming in with me; I didn’t want to have to ditch her in the library, but I would have had to if I wanted to find my special book.  Also, to be honest, I didn’t want anyone to know I was in the crazy car that almost ran over people in front of the library.

I walked inside, tapping myself on the head, and I had to force myself to walk normally past the front desk.  I made sure to say Hello to Ms. Mabel, who said Hello in response, but had a kind of scowl on her face.  I wonder what I ever did to her... maybe she’s that way to everyone...  I continued to walk as slowly as possible to my special spot, and even went down several other aisles, pretending to look at various books, so as to avoid any attention.  As I finally turned the last corner, I stopped short; there was a girl down the row, maybe about ten years old, with glasses and big, bright braces on her teeth, and she was standing right where my book was hidden!  She’s probably looking at some of those teenage vampire romance books... I didn’t know what to do, so I paced for a few seconds; I could see that she hadn’t found the book yet, but I was worried that she would.  Suddenly, I heard the pixie voice. “Don’t worry, Ferdie.  She won’t find it.”  I turned quickly, but no one was there.  Oh, great... the tapping and hyper-vigithingie isn’t bad enough, now I’m hearing voices...  Then I heard it again, out of nowhere, in the same high, sing-song-y tone: “I’m here, Ferdie.  You’ll see me when it’s time.”

I didn’t know what else to do, and I thought the pixie might do something to me if I tried to run away, so I just continued to wait, and after a few minutes the girl left.  I think I was making her nervous with my pacing back and forth.  I took a deep breath and walked to the end of the row, looking behind the same books on teenage vampires that the girl with braces was enjoying, and there it was; my special, magic book.  I was nervous all of a sudden, and my hands were shaking as I reached for it.  Then, as if inside my ear, the voice was there again: “You are going to learn a lot today, Ferdie.”  I turned around and there she was, glow and all; she was wearing what looked like some kind of weird robe, with sleeves that flared out like a bell at the end.

I looked at her for a second, feeling very afraid but also a little annoyed by all of the subterfuge (I told you I like big words).  I think the feeling of annoyance helped me to summon up enough nerve to croak, “Um, can I ask you some questions?  Like, who are you, how can you disappear, where did this crazy book come from, why am I getting to see all this, and... and...”

The girl/woman was chuckling as she said, “Don’t worry, Ferdie.  I will answer all your questions.  Well, almost all of them.  My name is Gabriella.  I am what you would call an angel.”

Ok, now I’m not just annoyed, I am getting mad...  “Come on, lady, I’m young but I’m not stupid.  I know something weird’s going on here, but there are no such things as angels.  I’ve been through a lot, and if there was Heaven and angels and all that, I don’t think they would have been so cruel to us.”

Gabriella smiled, and, in spite of my anger, at that moment I thought she actually looked like an angel.  “I know all about you, Ferdie.  I know what happened to your family, and I understand why you feel the way you do.  I am going to explain some things to you right now that will help you to understand what happened, and why you need to trust me.”

“Ok," I growled, "now we’re getting somewhere.”

“Ferdie, the places called Heaven and Hell are very different from the typical image that those words conjure up in people’s minds, and this really explains the contents of the book you have found.  By the way, very few have the ability to find the book, because they don’t have the same sensitivities you do.  Really, there are only seven people in the world at any one time with your ability, and most of them will never have access to this information, and even if they did, most would not have your ability to find it because they don’t know of, or they even actively deny, their abilities out of fear.  The events that have happened in your life have, shall we say, accelerated your development.”

“Why only seven people at a time?”

“Seven is a number that is favored by the universe.  Think of it:  there are seven days in the week, seven notes on the musical scale, seven directions, left, right, up, down, forward, back and center, seven colors of the rainbow, the seven seas, the seven wonders of the world, seven digits in a phone number, seven digits in a digital display, it goes on and on.  The group of people with these powers and sensitivities are known as The Seven.”  The Seven?  Come on, surely you supernatural types could come up with something better than that... at least The Magnificent Seven, or something... wait, that’s already been used... ok, focus...

“But why me?  I mean, I know some really bad stuff has happened in my life, but it happened to my sister too.”

Gabriella smiled.  “You were born with these abilities, that was simply random chance.  It is a great gift and terrible responsibility at the same time.  And for various reasons that may be revealed to you in time, you were given access to the book, and therefore special knowledge others will never have.”

This was all far too confusing and unreal for me.  “Why is the book important?  I mean, it’s really strange and seems magical and all, but I can’t see what it means.”

“It is called The Book of Names, and it is the list of all the people who have gone to what people call Heaven, and to Hell.”

“Well, that seems like a pretty obvious title for the book, what with all the names in it and stuff.  Couldn’t you come up with something a little more creative?” I snarked.  Then I suddenly had a feeling that I knew my parents had gone to Heaven.  “You said you know everything about me, and if that’s true you know about what happened that day in our kitchen.”

“Yes,” Gabriella whispered grimly.  “I was there and saw it all.  I have been following you all your life, Ferdie.”

Man, I’m being stalked by an angel... sounds like the title of a bad TV show...

“If you were there, why didn’t you stop it?”

“I can’t directly interfere with human activity.  I can influence things at times, but in this case I could not.  I tried but was unsuccessful.”

“But if you were there then you know my mother said that she was going to Hell.  How did she end up in Heaven, and what does “the bad line” mean?”

“Humans who do such things of their own free will end up in the bad line, but your mother was being controlled and couldn’t help herself.  I know you have been very angry with her, Ferdie, but you should forgive her.  Your father has.”

I couldn’t help myself then, I started to cry.  “How do you know that?” I choked.

“That is the nature of what we call the Good Line and the Bad Line.  In Heaven, or the Good Line, our thoughts, feelings, our very consciousness is in contact with all others in the line all at once.  It seems like it would be overwhelming, all those minds together at the same time, but it is not.  It is really, well, Heaven, and this is how I know about your parents.”

Then a horrible thought occurred to me.  “Wait a minute!  My parents were on one list, and I was on the other!”

“Yes, Ferdie.  This is a big problem, and this is why I am here.  I hope to help you change lines.  Although it has never happened before, it is possible.  There are those from the Bad Line who are here to try to make sure you end up in the Bad Line, because they crave the kinds of sensitivities you have.”

“All the names had dates after them, but they were all dates in the past.  Mine had a date five years from now.  What does that mean?”

“The book normally just records when people join the lines, but in the case of those few who get access to the book, it will predict the date of your death, and the line you will join.”

“But in five years I’ll only be seventeen!  I’ll be too young to die!”

At that moment a man turned down the row where Gabriella and I were standing.  I immediately got the feeling that this person was going to be very important to me; I guess that is part of the special sensitivities that Gabriella had been talking about.  He was average in height, but somehow seemed very tall.  He had an imposing presence, and Gabriella appeared a little panicked.  “I must go, Ferdie,” she whispered quickly.  “I will be in contact with you soon.  Leave as quickly as you can.”  Then she turned and walked quickly by the man, and as she walked by I thought I saw a wry smile on his face, as if he knew and got some enjoyment out of the tension his presence had caused.  As he approached I quickly replaced the Book of Names and grabbed the book on teenage vampires, pretending to read it intently.  The man walked straight up to me and said, “Hi Ferdie.  I’m Arnie Hayward.  I’m a friend of your Uncle Mark, we work together.”

“Hi.” I was trying not to sound scared, but my voice was a little shaky.

“I was talking to your uncle and he told me about you and the things that have happened in your life, and I told him I would like to meet you.  He told me you would be here in the library.  Reading is good for you, by the way, even if it is books about monsters.”

Oh, great... now even complete strangers know how messed up I am...  I looked at him for a moment before responding; although he seemed average in almost every way, with brown hair and eyes, a medium build, and pleasant but indistinct features, I got the feeling that he was unusually strong, both physically and mentally.  I also noticed something strange; although I usually got a sense of people’s intentions, I felt nothing from him at all.  I also thought that it was odd that my uncle Mark would send this guy to meet me without saying anything to me first.  “It’s nice to meet you,” I said, remembering my manners.

“Likewise.  Listen, Ferdie, I’ll cut to the chase.  I know you are a smart guy and I talked to your Uncle Mark about having you work with me after school as a sort of apprentice.  I think you would find it interesting and it may help you a little.  And, it might be something you would be interested in as a career.  What do you think?”

What do I think... I think it’s pretty weird for some guy I don’t know to come in to the public library and ask me to be his apprentice, that’s what I think... of course, it’s not as weird as having an angel talk to you about a magic book...  He seemed to recognize how I was feeling, because before I could answer, he chuckled and said, “I bet this all seems kind of sudden, huh?  I’m sorry, Ferdie, we should probably get to know each other first before you answer.  How about if I come over tonight and talk to you and your Uncle Mark?”

“Uuh, I guess that would be ok.”

“Alright, I’ll come by at seven.  See you then.”  He then quickly turned and strode away.  Not exactly a big conversationalist, but that’s ok by me.  Seems like this might be kind of interesting after all... I wonder if Arnie Hayward knows anything about angels and magic books?

Chapter 6

Aunt Cindy was so freaked out by our trip that she sent Uncle Mark to retrieve me from the library.  I told him about meeting Arnie Hayward, and as I did he smacked himself on the forehead, saying, “Sorry about that Ferdie, I should have told you I talked to him about you, I just forgot.  He’s a good guy, and I thought it would be good for you to have something to do after school.  We’ll talk about it some more when Arnie comes by tonight.”

Well, that made me feel a little better... at least I know he’s not some kook trying to talk to random kids in the library... but why couldn’t I get any sense of him?  There’s something funny going on here... of course, everything has been weird lately, so I guess it kind of makes sense...

When we arrived home I waved to everyone as I came in (“Nice talking to you, Fordie!” called Ariel as I sped by), quickly went to my room (tap tap), reached around the corner to turn on the light, and went in.  My head was swimming with all the recent events.  Am I just going crazy, or is all this stuff really happening?  Maybe I’m hallucinating... Dr. Saresh says that people who go through things like I have sometimes develop elaborate fantasies to protect themselves emotionally.  I’ve been trying to figure out what that means, but maybe that is what I am doing.  It can’t be possible that I met a real angel, can it?  I don’t even believe in stuff like that... and how about that crazy book?  That can’t be real, but it all sure seemed real...

Suddenly something Gabriella the angel (or hallucination of an angel) said popped into my mind: there are seven people in the world at any one time with the same sensitivities as me.  I wonder who the other six are... where are they?  How old are they?  Do they know that they are “different”, or do they have to go through some kind of event like I did to trigger their sensitivities?  Do they even exist, or is it just another hallucination?  So many questions...

I lay on my bed pondering until Aunt Cindy called me for dinner.  As I exited my room (tap tap) I bumped into Ariel as she ran by.  She sure seems to be recovering well... or maybe she’s just better at holding it all in than I am... I wonder how she does it... I wish she would tell me how, because I would really like to know...maybe it’s just ‘cause she’s older...

“Watch out, Fordenstein,” she cracked as she sped past me.  I looked at her for a second as she went past, and realized that she is really growing up quickly.  She just turned fifteen but she is almost five-feet-ten, and I think she could probably kick the crap out of me if it came down to it.  She went to see Dr. Saresh a few times, but he told her that she was recovering remarkably well and probably didn’t need to keep seeing him unless she wanted to, which she didn’t.  At least that’s what she told me.  I have never been able to get a sense of her, but I just kind of figure that’s because we are brother and sister and it has something to do with genetics and stuff.  Anyway, although I would never tell her, she is really pretty, which makes me think that one of these days I may have to fight some guy to defend her honor.  Sheesh... I’ll do it if I have to, but I’m not looking forward to that...

Just as we were finishing dinner (Aunt Cindy is the greatest, but she’s not a good cook.  We had tuna casserole and I don’t think she cooked it long enough because some of the noodles were crunchy), the doorbell rang.  Uncle Mark answered the door, and said, “Hey, Arnie, come on in.  Have a seat, I’ll get Ferdie.”

As I entered the living room (tap tap) Arnie stood up with a big smile and shook my hand.  His grip was so strong that my knees buckled a little, but I didn’t let on that my hand was throbbing afterward.  “Hi, Ferdie, nice to see you again.  Like I told you this afternoon, your Uncle Mark and I have been talking and we were thinking that it might be good for you to tag along with me in the afternoons, after school, and I think it would help me, too, to have a smart guy like you along for the ride.  I get the feeling that you would be good at solving crimes.”

“Yeah, Ferdie, I think it’ll be a good experience for you,” Uncle Mark chimed in.  “You spend so much time by yourself, I just feel like this might help you to get back into the real world.”

Yeah, right... the real world of murders and assaults and robberies, that’s just what I need...  I know Uncle Mark is just trying to help, but with my background, this is the perfect example of jumping out of the frying pan into the fire... still, it seems strangely interesting... maybe this experience will somehow help me to resolve my own issues, or at least understand them better, and maybe it will help me stop hallucinating about angels and goofy magic books and going to Hell...  I took a deep breath, and the words rushed out: “Sounds like fun.  When do I start?”

Chapter 7

Monday morning.  I hate Monday morning.  I know hate is a strong word, but in this case it fits.  Although I do pretty well in school as far as grades are concerned, I am still having lots of trouble fitting in and making friends.  Knowing everyone’s motives doesn’t make it any easier, because I know how few people I can really trust.  And, the feelings are getting a lot stronger and clearer... it’s almost like I can actually tell what people are thinking, as crazy as that sounds.  When Dr. Saresh said I was hyper-vigilant he was right, but he didn’t know that I have the information to back it up.

Uncle Mark always drove us to school, and as we dropped Ariel off at Golden Valley High, she was immediately greeted by a dozen or so of her friends and they walked off chattering happily.  Must be nice... I guess I’m feeling a little sorry for myself.

When we arrived at Owens Middle School, a fairly new school full of single-story buildings fanned out around a central quad area (country music is big in Bakersfield, so you can guess where the name of the school came from), I saw the one good friend that I had been able to make, Marshall Nolan, aka Marsh-dog, waiting for me by the main school entrance.  Marsh-dog is an African-American kid who is on the small side, and we must look kind of funny walking together, me at about five-foot-nine, bushy reddish hair and football player build, and him at barely five-one and skinny, with a full-on ‘fro.  He’s really funny, though, rides a skateboard everywhere he goes, and I know he can be trusted—he has a pure heart and good intentions.  On top of everything else, he is a computer genius—when they have problems with the computer system at school, and the computer tech can’t figure out what to do, they call him.

“What’s up ‘Nando?” he squeaked.  Marsh-dog’s voice is changing, and it squeaks and cracks constantly.  The kids at school all call me ‘Nando, which they think is short for Ferdinand, but it’s really short for Fernando.  I don’t really mind too much, though.  When I started at OMS I only really hung out with my cousins Jill and Debbi, who by this time were eleven and thirteen.  I like my cousins, but as you can imagine it was a little embarrassing to only hang out with girls, so when I made friends with Marsh-dog I sort of stopped hanging out with Jill and Debbi, which I could tell they didn’t really mind.  They think I am kind of weird, and I guess I can’t really blame them; plus, they have lots of friends they would rather be with, and the last thing I want to do is make them feel uncomfortable.

“Hey, dude, are you gonna try out for football?” Marshall asked, his voice cracking again.

“Nah, I don’t think so.  I’m too busy.  What about you?”

“Do you think I want to risk ruining my chance at a career as a model?”  Marshall grinned.  “And come on, Dude, what are you too busy doing?  Reading books on space aliens or ghosts?”

“Wow, I think they need to get out the WD-40 for the squeaky hinges on this door.  Oh wait, that’s your voice.”

“Man, you’re funny for someone so ugly.  Come on, what are you so busy doing that you can’t try out for football?”

So I then told Marsh-dog about my meeting with Arnie Hayward and going to work with him in the afternoons.

“Man, you better stay out of the ‘hood if you are riding with the po-po,” he squealed.

“If I’m riding with the who?”

“The po-po, dude!  You know, the police!  Do you need some language lessons or something?”

We laughed and continued teasing one another as we went to class, Marsh-dog’s voice continuing to squeak the whole time.

Chapter 8

After school Uncle Mark drove me to the police station to meet with Arnie Hayward, and luckily our trip was a little less eventful (and less embarrassing) than the trip to the library with Aunt Cindy.  The police station looks big from the outside, with a high roof and big pillars in front, making it look sort of like a Roman structure of some kind, but it just seemed like a complete maze inside.  As we entered, I began tapping my head like crazy; we walked down hall after hall, and I really had no idea how to get out.  I tried to keep track of the twists and turns—one left, two lefts, a right, a left... wait, what were those first two?  Oh, forget it... On top of that, I was sensing that there were LOTS of people around who could not be trusted.  I glimpsed faces as we passed by office after office, and just about all of them seemed to be angry in one way or another.  I’m not sure this is a job I would really want to do... everyone seems stressed out, or high strung, or both...

Finally, we entered a compulsively neat office with the sign ‘Det. Hayward’ on the door, and there was Arnie, sitting at his desk pounding away on a laptop.  “One second, fellas,” Arnie grunted, “let me finish this sentence and I’ll be right with you.”

As we waited I looked around the office and noticed something strange: no pictures.  I mean NO pictures—no pictures of family, no posters, no paintings, no calendars, nothing.  I tried to “tune in” to Arnie but still could not get anything from him, but he must have sensed what I was thinking, as he said, “I know my office seems a little bare, eh, Ferdie?  I keep things off the walls to avoid any distractions.  My job requires lots of concentration.  Thanks for coming in, Ferdie.  I think this is going to be a really good experience for you, and I think you’ll learn a lot.”

“Thanks,” I replied, not knowing quite what to think or say.  This was all starting to seem a little too real, not at all like watching Cops on TV.  Again, he seemed to know what I was thinking: “Don’t worry, you’ll be very safe.  And, you’ll be helping to make the streets safer by helping me.”

Yeah, right.  I might be able to keep myself safe because of my special senses, but how do I keep myself safe from you if I need to?

Arnie turned to Uncle Mark: “I think we’re good.  I’ll bring Ferdie by the house at about six thirty.  Does that sound ok?”

“Should be fine.  Thanks for helping out, Arnie.  It means a lot to me.”

With that, Uncle Mark patted me on the shoulder and walked out.  As I turned to watch him leave, I heard from behind me:

“Well, Ferdie, it’s just you and me now.  I bet you would like to know why you can’t get any brain waves off of me, eh?”

Chapter 9

Uh-oh.  I have a feeling I’m in a little bit of trouble here...  I turned to look at Arnie, and he laughed.  “Relax, Ferdie, I have no intention of hurting you or letting anyone else hurt you.  I need your help.  Let’s talk a little about your special abilities, your friend Gabriella, and that book you found.”

Whoa.  He knows all my secrets.  How is that possible?  Is he another angel or something?  Again, he seemed to know exactly what I was thinking. “I bet it feels a little scary or maybe frustrating to have the tables turned on you, doesn’t it Ferdie?  It’s usually you who knows everyone’s thoughts and intentions.  You’re probably wondering if I’m an “angel”, as you people call it, but no, I’m sorry to say I’m from the other line.  I’m what you would call a demon.”

Oh, crap.  I am going to be dead or tortured for all eternity or something any second... I’ve got to plan an exit strategy fast... the door is directly behind me, I could probably get to it before he could get to me... wait a minute... you don’t believe in this stuff, remember?  This is probably all just another hallucination... oh, please let it be another hallucination... I was just staring at Arnie with a blank look on my face, but I was beginning to shake a little.

“Here’s the deal, Ferdie.  I need your help because of your special ability to read people’s thoughts.  Your powers are not fully developed or under control yet, but they will be soon.  I’m here because I want to change lines, and with your help I will be able to.  I’m pretty sure you know about the Good Line and Bad Line because of your contact with Gabriella, right?”

If he needs my help he is probably not going to kill me or torture me, at least not right now... of course, he could be just playing with me, to make it more enjoyable when he does kill me or torture me... I think demons do that kind of stuff, but if he really is trying to change lines, he would have to be on his best behavior, wouldn’t he?  I finally worked up the nerve to respond: “I’m just a kid.  What can I do to help you?  You’re, like, supernatural or something, aren’t you?”

“Yes, that’s true, but I am not allowed to interfere with humans directly. If I did I would go straight back to the Bad Line.  I can only get to the Good Line by doing certain kinds of service for humans, and the best kind of service is to solve human crimes, especially murders.  Even better is to stop them before they happen, and that’s where you come in.  With your sensitivities, especially as they become stronger, it is only a matter of time before you will be able to help me, and then I will help you as well.  Now, tell me about what you saw in the book.”

“Ok, but this is going to take a while.”  With that I recounted all of my experience with the Book of Names, including meeting Gabriella, all the things she told me, and seeing my name and the names of my parents.  As I spoke, Arnie leaned forward, listening intently.

“I think it would be safe to assume that you would prefer not to die at the age of seventeen, would that be correct?”  Arnie smiled expansively, sitting back in his seat.  “And, when you do die, I assume that you would prefer not to go to the Bad Line, or Hell as you would call it, would that be correct also?”

“Well, yeah, that’s right.  But Gabriella told me that she could help me switch lines.  Can’t she help you, too?”

Arnie smiled, sighed deeply, and said, “Aah, Gabriella.  Her main goal, the reason she is here, is to keep me from switching lines, and she is trying to stop me by getting to you first.  She knows I could make it there with your help, so she is going to try to convince you not to help me.  Those Good Line folks don’t like it when we try to switch over.  Long ago one of us nearly managed to make it to the Good Line, but this particular demon’s intentions were not exactly pure.  Are you familiar with the concept of matter and anti-matter?  It’s a little like that, multiplied by infinity.  The two don’t mix, especially as they get refined by time in the separate lines.  If someone with the wrong intentions made it from the good line to the bad line, it would set off a chain reaction that would destroy the good line, which would create an imbalance in the universe, causing a rapid collapse. It’s all very complicated, and I'm not even sure if I understand completely how it works, but suffice it to say that on that occasion it very nearly resulted in the end of the universe as we know it, including this little planet called Earth.  He was stopped by angels just short of reaching the line, and as a result, angels have come here every time a demon gets close to switching lines and spoils it for them.  I can’t really blame the angels.  The risk of such an apocalyptic outcome has caused them to be a little paranoid, or maybe overly protective, at least in my opinion.  So, Gabriella has been trying to stop me for quite some time.  I was not a nice person in my previous life, Ferdie, but I am trying to make up for it, and in order to do that I need your help.”

I really need to talk to Gabriella again to see what she has to say about all of this.  How do I know which one to trust?  Or should I not trust either of them?  Although he is scary, Arnie seems very sincere... Suddenly a thought popped into my head.  “Why can’t I tune in to your feelings and intentions like I can to everyone else?”

Arnie leaned back, beaming, and said “Aah, now you are beginning to calm down and think straight.  Because I am “supernatural”, as you put it, we are on the same plane, and that blocks you.  But you are unique; you occupy the human and supernatural plane at the same time, and your ability to tap into both at the same time is what allows you to read the feelings and intentions of other humans.  When you read them, you are reaching them through your supernatural side.”

“But if that’s true then how are you able to read my thoughts?”

“Oh, I can’t really, that’s just a little trick I learned.  Maybe one day I’ll show you how to do it.”

“So you’re like, reincarnated or something?”

Arnie chuckled, and said, “Well, I guess in a way you could call it that.  It’s not exactly that, though... it’s kind of hard to explain, but I’ll tell you more about how it works as we get to know each other better.  For now, we need to concentrate on how we can help one another.”

“What if I refuse to help you?”  I huffed, trying to sound bold.

Arnie laughed riotously, and then suddenly looked very intense as he said, “Let me put it to you this way, Ferdie.  I have waited a very long time for this opportunity and I am not going to let it go by.  You have two choices: you can help me willingly, and in return I will help you, or you can refuse to help me, which means I won’t be able to help you.  I know Gabriella told you she would help you change lines, but think about it: they are doing everything they can to keep people from changing lines, so why would they look the other way for you?  If she is able to stop me, I suspect that she will abandon you, as her job will then be done.  Look, we are going to grow to be friends.  Trust me.”

I thought for a moment, realized I didn’t have much choice, and then replied: “Ok.  Let’s get started.”

Chapter 10

We left Arnie’s office, proceeded out through the maze of halls, and got into his unmarked car.  For the rest of the afternoon, Arnie took me out on a couple of minor police calls to “get my feet wet”, as he put it, but I really don’t remember much of it.  I was in a sort of daze as a result of our conversation and I was tapping my head like crazy.

At six thirty on the dot we arrived home, and Arnie turned to me and pronounced, “I’m counting on you Ferdie.  Obviously you should not tell anyone about what we talked about.  That would make things very difficult for both of us, not to mention people would assume you have gone crazy.  And please, stay away from Gabriella.  She would do anything to stop me, including hurting or even killing you and your family.  I’ll see you tomorrow at four.  Don’t worry—it’ll be fun!”

Yeah, it’s really been a lot of fun so far... maybe for the next fun activity you can remove my toenails with a pair of rusty pliers...  “Ok, see you then,” I grumbled miserably.

Everyone had lots of questions during dinner about my first day as an intern with Arnie.  I don’t like lying to them, but in this case I don’t have any choice.  “Did you arrest any zombies?” Ariel cracked, and everyone laughed heartily.

“No, but maybe we can start with you,” I growled, feeling proud of my quick retort.  Ariel kicked me hard under the table, and I yelped.

“All right, that’s enough,” uncle Mark proclaimed loudly, although he was still laughing.

When I got done rubbing my shin in an exaggerated fashion, I asked, “Uncle Mark, after dinner, do you think you could take me over to Marsh-dog, er, Marshall’s house?  I told him I would let him know how my first day with the po-po, I mean police, went.”

Ignoring the potential insult, Uncle Mark replied, “I guess that would be alright.  You need to be home by nine, though.  It’s a school night.  And, I’ve got some things to do so you’ll have to walk.”

“Ok, thanks.  I’ll be back on time.”

“I bet you will,” teased Ariel.  “The werewolves come out at nine-o-one.”

Walking was ok with me.  It would give me a chance to think a little about recent events and decide how much I could tell Marsh-dog without telling him too much.  I rushed through the rest of dinner, said my good-byes and was out the door by seven fifteen.

Marsh-dog lived about a fifteen-minute walk away through a quiet residential area, so, although it was dark, I felt fairly safe on my own.  As I walked by the neat, stucco-clad homes all in a row I was deep in thought.  if I refused to help Arnie, I wonder if he would do something horrible to force me to help him?  And was he right about Gabriella?  What if I ran away—I might be able to hide from him, but if he’s really a demon, he probably has some special powers, like maybe he can turn into a bat or something, and he will probably be able to find me... it doesn’t really seem like there is any way out of this... maybe I should just accept my fate and hope I won’t get killed in the meantime... he did promise to help me change lines, but how trustworthy is a demon?

As I approached the halfway point in my walk, I heard in my ear, from directly behind me: “You should stay away from demons, Ferdie.”  It’s too bad someone wasn’t filming what happened next, because it would have gone viral.  I jumped about three feet in the air, being startled by the voice, and came down hard with my left foot on a sprinkler head in the yard I was walking by, which happened to be on at the time, and I caused it to break.  This resulted in a high-pressure stream of water shooting out and hitting me directly in the butt, which was close to the ground because I crouched as I came down from my jump.  The water hit me with such force that it ripped a hole through the seat of my pants and knocked me forward, and I landed face first in the gutter.

Man, I’m glad it’s dark out, because that was embarrassing.  I sat up, realizing that I had a burning sensation on my left butt cheek, and I could feel a welt rising there.  Suddenly it occurred to me that I had better get moving because whoever owned this house was probably going to come out at any moment and be rather upset with me for breaking their sprinkler.  I jumped up, soaked and dirty from falling in the gutter, and began to run, which was not that easy due to the pain in my hind end.  I sprinted to the end of the block and rounded the corner before stopping in a dark spot to examine my injuries, and to try to figure out how to keep anyone from noticing the gaping hole in the seat of my pants.  I bent over for a moment, panting heavily, and when I lifted my head there was Gabriella standing before me with an amused smile on her pixie face.

“Thanks a lot,” I hissed, “you scared the crap out of me!"

“I’m sorry, Ferdie, but that was quite amusing.”

Suddenly I remembered that I may have good reason to be afraid, based on what Arnie told me, and I started backing away slowly.  “Stay back!” I cried.  Gabriella advanced on me, but she didn’t seem to be walking; she seemed to just float forward, almost as if she was wearing roller skates.  “Arnie Hayward told me all about you!”

“Ah, my old friend Arnie Hayward.  Let me guess: he told you that I would hurt or kill you if you tried to help him.  Don’t you think if I wanted to hurt you I could have done it long ago?  I am here to help you, Ferdie.  Did Arnie Hayward tell you where he is from, and where he is trying to go?”

“Yeah, and he told me that you will do anything to stop him, including hurting or killing me!”

“He must be stopped, Ferdie.  If he succeeds, it could mean the end of everything, including you, and everyone you know.”

“Wait... Arnie told me that another demon almost made it to Heaven a long time ago, and it almost ended everything, like you said, but Arnie is not like that.  He doesn’t have bad intentions.”

“We cannot take that chance.  We need your help, Ferdie.  I need for you to let me know if Arnie is getting close to achieving his goal.  If he is getting close, then the time will come for a direct confrontation between him and me.  We need to avoid that if possible, because such a confrontation could be very... destructive.”

“So you want me to inform on him like a, what do you call it, a double-agent?”

“Ferdie, you are the rarest of all creatures because of your presence in the human and supernatural planes at the same time.  You are the ultimate double-agent.”

So if I don’t help Arnie, he will probably torture me or kill me, and if I don’t help Gabriella she will probably do the same.  I wish I could give these “special senses” to someone else.  I wish I had never heard of angels and demons.  Since I couldn’t see any way out of my situation, I decided to try to at least stall her...

“This is all coming too fast.  I need a couple of days to think this over.”

Gabriella smiled.  I could tell that she knew what I was doing, but she also seemed to understand why I was doing it.  “I will give you two days.  At that time I will contact you.  Say nothing about this to anyone.  Make the right choice, Ferdie.”  With that, she turned and just seemed to fade away.  Whoa, that was close.  I started walking, then running toward Marsh-dog’s house, holding the back of my pants together as I ran, and realizing that my left butt cheek was throbbing.

Chapter 11

By the time I arrived at Marsh-dog’s house I had decided to tell him everything that had happened to me.  He’s the smartest person I know, and I was betting that he could use his computer skills to help me figure a way out of this mess.  I know both Arnie and Gabriella warned me not to say anything to anyone, but I think if I keep this all to myself any longer I am going to go insane.  But first, I have to figure out what to do about this hole in my pants... As I was standing on the doorstep trying to come up with a plan, Marsh-dog’s mother opened the door.  “Honey, what happened to you?” She cried.  Marsh-dog’s mother was super-nice, and she treated me like I was one of her own children.  She was a small woman, not much bigger than Marsh-dog, but she had the energy of a professional basketball team.

“Oh, I just had a little accident on the way over here.  I’m ok.”

“Well, you don’t look ok!  You’re all dirty and soaking wet!  Come in here and let’s get you cleaned up.”  That’s when she noticed the seat of my pants and the angry red welt that could now be seen clearly below the bottom of my underwear.  “Uh-oh, what happened here?  We need to get some salve on that.”  She then insisted that I take off my pants.  “Oh, come on, do you think I’ve never seen a boy’s behind before?”  At her demanding, I told her what had happened, omitting the part about my run-in with Gabriella, of course.  I could tell that she was trying her hardest not to laugh, which caused me to giggle, and then she couldn’t stop herself, she laughed so hard I thought she might pass out.  Marsh-dog and his dad came in to find out what the commotion was, and when they saw me and heard, between Ms. Nolan’s gasps, what had happened, they joined in the laugh-fest.

“Man, I think you should try out for a dance part in the school musical, because you really got skills,” Marsh-dog guffawed.  I couldn’t think of a good comeback, so I just laughed along with everyone.  Just then, Marsh-dog’s Uncle Freddy came in the kitchen.  Uncle Freddy lived with Marsh-dog and his parents; he was tall and athletic, and had played semi-pro baseball up to a few years before.  When his baseball career ended, he returned to college, and Marsh-dog’s parents let him live with them so that he could attend full-time.  I had always gotten positive feelings from him before, but in that moment I could feel something very different.  I tried tuning in but I couldn’t get a good read on him.  He was laughing along with everyone else, but something seemed seriously wrong.

I knew I had to come up with a reason to get away quickly, and after a moment's hesitation, I said, “Hey, Marsh-d, ah, Marshall, do you have a towel or something in your room that I can cover my bare booty with?”  Marsh-dog’s parents didn’t like his nickname; he is an only child and as far as his parents are concerned the sun rises and sets on him.

“Yeah, man, come on, we don’t want to see that full moon any longer than we have to.”

I decided I just needed to tell Marsh-dog everything.  I couldn’t hold it in any longer, and I knew he could keep a secret if he knew it was really important.  We went down the hall and to his room, which was literally filled with computer parts, cables, computer monitors, etc., and I tapped myself on the side of the head, and said, “Sit down.  I have to tell you some stuff quick, so just listen.”  I then related everything that had happened to me as quickly as I could, including how I came to know about my special senses, and as I did so Marsh-dog’s eyes grew wider and wider.  When I finished, he sat staring at me for a moment, then said shakily, “Are you making this stuff up or are you just mental?”

“I’m not making this stuff up and I am not mental.  Look, I can prove it.  Right now you are thinking that you are scared of me and not sure what to do.”

“That doesn’t prove anything, anyone could guess that.”

“Ok, think of something that I couldn’t possibly know.”

Marsh-dog thought for a minute, then said, “Go ahead.  There’s no way you can do this.  It’s just a trick.”

I concentrated hard for a moment, and then was able to tune in to Marsh-dog’s thoughts.  It is a little like walking down a hall in my mind until I find a door with a picture of the person I am trying to tune in to on it; when I find it, I just open the door and go in, and there are the person’s thoughts.  Some people think in words, complete sentences, but most people think in a combination of words and images.  It can sometimes be a little bit of a puzzle to figure out what they are thinking, but I can almost always do it nowadays.  I get feelings from anyone who is around me, but to tune in to them takes a lot of concentration.  At any rate, I looked around for a moment at the open room in my mind, and then I saw what Marsh-dog was thinking, and a big smile crossed my face.  “So you think my sister’s hot, huh?”

Marsh-dog bolted to his feet.  “So what, are you psychic or have E.S.P or something?  This is too crazy.  I can’t believe it!"

“I guess you could call it psychic, except this is real, not fake like the people on TV.”

“What about the angel, then?  Does she have wings and stuff?  And how about the demon, he has horns, right?”

“Nah, it’s not like that.  That’s just stuff people made up.  They are supernatural, but they just look like people.  At least, from what I've seen so far.”

“I don’t think I like the idea of you reading my mind all the time.  That’s creeping me out.”

“I’m not reading your mind all the time.  I have to really concentrate to do that, and I don’t do it unless I really have to.  It kind of creeps me out too, but it’s pretty useful at times.”

Just then there was a knock at the door, and it was Uncle Freddy.  “Hey, Marshall, can you and Ferdie come out here a minute?”  I had been so wrapped up in getting Marsh-dog to believe me that I had forgotten about Uncle Freddy!

“We have to get out of here fast,” I whispered.  “We’re going to have to go out the window.”  Marsh-dog looked at me, his eyes growing wide.  It seemed like he was going to say something in a loud voice, like maybe yell or something, so I put my hand over his mouth to stop him.  I could tell that he was confused, so I took hold of his shoulders to get his full attention, and hissed, “We’ve got to go now.  You have to trust me.”  We both stood up and rushed to the window, and then realized that the window was locked; Marsh-dog’s parents had installed the lock because of all the computers and parts in the room.  “Open the window, quick!” I whispered.

“Uhh, the key’s in the kitchen,” Marsh-dog mouthed.

“Do you have anything in here we can break it with?”

“Yeah... there’s a golf club in the closet.”

There was another knock at the door, much more insistent this time.  “Come on, fellas, open the door.  I just need to talk to you.”

Marsh-dog seemed near panic; he ran to the closet, grabbed the golf club, and dashed back, handing it to me.  I steadied myself and swung the club hard at the window, and it sprayed outward with a loud smash!  At that moment there was a furious thunk! at the door, and we both whirled to see a large butcher knife protruding through it at eye level.  Uh-oh, starting to panic, got to think straight... I grabbed Marsh-dog and hoisted him through the high window, and he was cut in several places by jagged glass as he tumbled down into the flowerbed below.

“Run!” I yelled, as a second, even louder whump! came from behind me.  I turned again to see a hole in the door large enough to see Uncle Freddy through.

“Come on, guys, I’m not gonna kill you or anything,” he declared, his voice as sweet as honey, but I could see through the hole in the door that his face was a picture of insanity.  He was covered in blood, and his right ear was missing.  I grabbed a chair, climbing up on it to help me reach the window, but as I did so I glanced back, and Uncle Freddy had managed to open the door and was in the room, advancing on me quickly.  I could see that he was going to reach me before I could get out the window.  I was still holding the golf club, so I spun and swung it as hard as I could, connecting with his groin area.  He toppled forward, but as he did so he swung the butcher knife, slicing a large gash in the back of my left calf.  I shrieked in pain and fell to the floor, blood pouring from my leg, and I turned to see Uncle Freddy recovering his balance and approaching me again, this time a little more cautiously.  “Come on, Ferdie, just hold still for a minute,” he gasped.  “I have to do this, they’re making me.”

What does he mean, ‘they’re making me?’  That sounds just like what mom said when... wait... if he is being controlled by someone else, maybe I can control him... I think I might be able to stop him by putting a thought into his head!  I tuned in to him quickly and sent a thought screaming into his mind: “STOP!”  Not very creative, but it was the best I could do while under attack.  He seemed to hesitate for a moment, and a blank look came over his face; by this time he was within five feet of me, and l knew this might be my only chance to stop him.  I swung the golf club again with all my might, striking him on his right cheek, ripping a gash in the cheek and scattering teeth to the floor as he slumped to his left side.  As I ended my swing, the club slipped from my hand and flew to the other side of the room, clanging against the closet door.

“Now that really hurt,” gurgled Uncle Freddy; I could barely understand him through his ripped cheek and missing teeth, blood spewing from his mouth.  He got to his knees and began crawling toward me, knife still in hand, held out in front of him like a sword.  I tried to stand, but when he sliced me in the calf he must have cut through the tendons, because my foot was useless.  I began pushing myself backwards until I came up against the wall below the window, as he continued to crawl forward.  Man, this time I am a goner for sure.  Quick, try to go into his mind again, maybe I can at least slow him down... I tried to tune in to him again and began shaking from concentrating so hard... Ah, there he is!  I sent the same message blasting into his brain: “STOP!”  Again, he hesitated and his eyes seemed to glaze.  Suddenly, I realized that I was not alone in his mind; someone else was in there, and was clearly surprised at my new-found ability.  I could feel the other presence trying to take the opportunity to enter my mind, so I broke off the contact immediately.

Oh, crap!  Now what do I do?  Uncle Freddy began crawling toward me again, and I closed my eyes.  Please just make it quick... I heard a loud whump!, and opened my eyes in time to see the horrifying expression leave Uncle Freddy’s face, replaced by a smile as his eyes went blank.  He slumped forward on the knife and stopped moving.  I looked up, and behind him stood Marsh-dog, wielding the baseball bat he had just used to stop his uncle with a killing blow to the head.  I had been so focused on Uncle Freddy that I had not seen Marsh-dog enter the room!  Marsh-dog was crying in anguish, and fell to his knees, wailing, “He killed my parents!  Why did he... why...” and his mouth continued to move, but no sound came out.

Chapter 12

Marsh-dog and I each spent the next day in the hospital.  He had some really bad cuts on his hands and arms and had lost a lot of blood, and I had also lost a lot of blood and had to have my leg operated on to repair the severed tendons.  While we were in the hospital we were repeatedly questioned by police detectives, and were seen by psychologists and social workers.  Even Dr. Saresh came to see me, and I told him that I was ok, but he should go talk to Marsh-dog.  I wasn’t really ok, but I knew Marsh-dog needed help more than me at that point.  It’s bad enough that his parents and uncle are dead, but he doesn’t have any other family within two thousand miles, so he is pretty much all alone except for me.

The detectives asked question after question, and seemed to ask the same question in a slightly different way over and over again, almost like they were trying to see if I was lying about what happened.  Of course, I could see right through what they were doing.  I know they were just doing their job, and they are used to people lying to them, so they eventually think everyone is lying.  The thing is we did have to lie, because we couldn’t very well tell them that Uncle Freddy was possessed and I read his mind, so after everything happened, but before the police and ambulances came to the house, we made up a story about Uncle Freddy.  Before playing semi-pro baseball he was in the Army and was a Gulf War veteran, so we decided to tell whoever asked us questions that Uncle Freddy was suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (I learned about the PTSD from Dr. Saresh.  He said that people who have been through what I have been through often get it).  We decided to tell them that he had been behaving strangely for weeks, having flashbacks and stuff, and that we were just lucky to have escaped being killed by him; that part was pretty much true.

Uncle Mark, Aunt Cindy, Ariel, Jill and Debbi were all in my room when I woke up from surgery, and they looked probably as bad as I felt.  We chatted for a while, but there was really not much to say; they already knew what had happened.  They all came close at one point or another, patting me on the hand or on the head as if they didn’t know what else to do.  As they were finally leaving, Ariel asked if she could stay for a minute to talk to me, and Uncle Mark, with big, sad eyes, said, “Sure.  We’ll wait for you down stairs.”

After they were out of the room, Ariel sat next to me, and after a minute or so said, “Why do you think this keeps happening, Fordie?  It just doesn’t seem like it could be a coincidence.”  She stopped talking, although it seemed like she wanted to say more, so I waited for a minute before replying.

I knew I had to lie, although I didn’t want to.  The only thing I could think of to say was, “I don’t know.”

Ariel looked at me intently, and then said, in a shaky voice, “Well, I hope we can figure out together why this is happening.  I mean, how much more of this can either of us take?  You probably think it doesn’t bother me as much as it does you, but I’m just better at hiding it than you are.”

What can I tell her that would help her feel better but wouldn’t tell her too much?  Nothing...  “I’m sorry about everything, Ariel.  I’ve been so wrapped up in my own head that I haven’t noticed how all this was affecting you.”

She started crying a little, and then said, “You shouldn’t have to say sorry to me.  I’m the older sister, I should be protecting you, and instead you almost get killed.  Let’s talk more about this later, ok?”

Man, I’m glad she said that... I don’t want to think about this anymore right now...  “Ok, I promise.”  She walked over and kissed me awkwardly on the forehead, then turned and left.

A minute after she had walked out, Arnie Hayward walked in to my hospital room.  “Hi Ferdie,” he said softly.  “Now that you have told everyone your story, I need you to tell me what really happened.”

So I told Arnie the whole story, not leaving out any details.  He listened intently, grunting sympathetically when I told him about Marsh-dog’s parents.  When I was done, Arnie sat quietly for a minute, then said, “I’m not sure how to tell you this, Ferdie, so I’ll just come out with it.  I am sure that someone is after you, and just hasn’t been able to get to you yet because your special sensitivities have helped to keep you out of reach, even though you didn’t even realize it.  And this person obviously doesn’t care too much that others are killed in the process, and in fact might be getting a thrill out of the killing and how it has terrorized you.  I have told you that I need your help, but you also need my help, Ferdie.  I can do my best to protect you, but I need you around me to do it.  That’s another reason why we need to stick together.”

I wonder what Gabriella would say about that.  I thought about what he said for a few moments, and decided to tell him what I was really thinking.  “I think the real reason you want me to help you is that you knew someone was after me and that it would give you a super-good crime to solve, and that would help you to change lines.  I don’t think you are really concerned about me.”

Arnie chuckled quietly.  “You’re a pretty smart guy for someone of your age, Ferdie.  You’re right about the first part.  If we can fix your problems it will be some pretty decent crime-solving, and I think it will get me to the Good Line.  See, there is something else that might help you to understand what is happening here, and it has to do with physics and mathematics.  Here is the simple version: each person is born with a clean slate, and as they live they do a series of things that produce certain kinds of energy; let's call them either positive or negative energy.  Do something nice for somebody, that produces positive energy.  Pull the wings off a fly, that produces negative energy.  You get the idea.  When you get to the end of your life, there is a certain amount of positive energy and negative energy that has been created, and which line you go to depends on which kind of energy has the higher value.  And it’s not just adding up events; certain activities have higher value than others and can outweigh a number of smaller activities on the other side.  For example, if you told twenty lies, that would create a certain amount of negative energy, but save one old lady from a burning building, or solve one horrible crime... well, that would easily outweigh a thousand lies and then some.”

“This sounds kind of like what a lot of religions teach, except you are calling it positive and negative energy instead of good deeds and sins.”

“I guess that’s true.  Humans have gotten some things kind of right, you know.  Anyway, like I told you before, I wasn’t a nice guy in my previous life, but I really do want to make up for it; and, the honest truth is, I would do almost anything to avoid having to go back to the Bad Line.  You can’t imagine how bad it really is.  It’s not like the typical versions of Hell that you get from books and stories.  There are no red guys with pitchforks and pointy tails throwing you into lava.  Remember the Book of Names?  The reason that the side your name was on has three names, a space, three more names, and so on, is that is what Hell really is.  You are isolated with two other souls for all eternity, and that is your only contact.  Even if you start out thinking that would not be so bad, it doesn’t take long at all for you to begin to bitterly hate the souls you are connected to, and invariably two of the souls will gang up on one, and the souls that are there are not nice people to begin with.  Well, guess what, they become much worse because of the isolation.  Most simply go completely insane, and imagine that your only contact for all eternity is with two insane souls.  They begin to scream, constantly screaming in the agony of insanity, and before long you start screaming too, screaming for relief that will never come.  I am one of the very, very few lucky ones who got to return for a second chance.”

“Why did you get to come back?”

“That’s a good question.  Those in the Bad Line who are somehow able to hold it together, or in other words avoid going crazy, and can consistently send out positive thoughts about wanting to make up for past mistakes, are sometimes allowed to return.  I don’t know why or how that happens, but for some reason I was one of the lucky ones.  And, it almost never happens because almost no one is able to survive mentally.  It takes a really unusual level of will.”

I knew he seemed super strong.  “So when you come back, do you just take over someone’s body, like, you know, possession, or does something else happen?”

“The ones who get to come back from the Bad Line all start out as newborn babies, although we have fully adult intellect from birth.  We grow like normal humans, although we do have certain, oh, I don’t know... for dramatic effect let’s call them demonic abilities, although we generally try to avoid using them, because that usually means a return trip to the Bad Line.  Our task is to live a good life, but as you know almost none of us make it.  We usually fall back into old habits and end up right back where we started from.”

“What about things like possession?  Like I told you, when I went into Uncle Freddy’s mind I felt someone else in there, and from what you're telling me, I'm guessing it was one of you guys.”

Possession is possible, but if one of us does that we will have no chance at all of changing over.  Those are the demons that are the most dangerous, because they have nothing to lose.  If this is a demon, and if it’s coming after you, it is not interested in changing over, it is interested in causing as much havoc as possible, and taking you back to the Bad Line with it.  There is another possibility though; it could be one of The Seven, trying to eliminate some of the competition.  I didn’t tell you about that little issue.  If there are others among The Seven who have knowledge of their powers, and are less, shall we say, scrupulous than you, they may have learned certain things about their power from either a demon or an angel, namely that, if a mature member of The Seven dies, their power is spread among the other mature members of The Seven, so that they all become more powerful, more able to control others.  Just like with you, the abilities of The Seven are not fully functioning until the member reaches at least puberty, and even then most never realize their power.  You are pretty special.  You are by far the youngest to gain such advanced use of your powers.  Of course, there is one final possibility: it could be an angel, trying to stop you from helping me.”

“Is that possible?  Would an angel really kill all of those people just to get to me?”

“Angels on Earth may have many different kinds of missions, and when they are here they have free will to accomplish those missions in whatever way they can.  And every so often an angel goes rogue, for whatever reason, and that’s really dangerous.”

Ok, so demons want to kill me, The Seven want to kill me, and angels want to kill me... is there anyone who doesn’t want to kill me?

“If an angel goes rogue, what happens to them?”

“Well, in general, I guess you could say that they don’t get to go back from whence they came.”

“Man, I bet they don’t go rogue very often.  So, what about the reading minds stuff.  How does that work?”

“Well, like I told you before, because you occupy the human and supernatural planes, or maybe you might prefer to think of them as dimensions, at the same time, you are able to reach from the supernatural side of yourself into the minds of normal humans.  You can’t get into my mind or the minds of other supernatural creatures because we can’t connect with other supernatural creatures in the human plane, or in other words, not until we die.”

“Uhh, what about the ability to control people with thoughts?  I was able to stop Uncle Freddy, but it was really hard.”

“It’s really amazing that you were able to do that.  Almost none of the members of The Seven ever reach that level.  The problem is this power must be used with extreme caution.  It is not wise to use it unless absolutely necessary to protect yourself.  It is seen as negative energy, and a lot of it.  Using it very much will land you in the Bad Line for sure.  Of course, there have been those who were willing to trade eternal damnation for that kind of power in this life, but believe me, it’s not worth it.”

“Wait a minute... during your previous life, were you one of The Seven?!”

Arnie paused a moment, a wry smile crossing his face.  “How do you think I know so much about it?  That’s the real reason I'm here, Ferdie.  You see, I am concerned about you.  I'm trying to help you avoid making the same mistakes I did.”

“So, did you, what’s the word... over-indulge in your previous life? As one of The Seven, I mean?”

Arnie chuckled again.  “You could say that.  We’ll talk about that some more some other time.  Right now we need to concentrate on finding and stopping whoever is trying to get to you.”

Suddenly a horrifying thought occurred to me, and I began tapping my head madly and tears filled my eyes.  “So, really, all these killings, Marsh-dog’s parents, Uncle Freddy, my parents, they are my fault.  If I didn’t have these stupid “powers”, none of this would have happened.”

“I can see how you would feel that way, but it is just as likely that it is my fault.  It could definitely be that the killings happened to try to stop you from helping me.  That’s why we need to catch whoever is doing this as quickly as possible.  If we don’t stick together, I think the killings will continue until they get to you.”

I worked hard to pull myself together enough to say, “We can’t let this happen again, can we?  How do we stop whoever it is before it’s too late?”

Arnie thought for a minute, and then said, “I wish I knew the answer to that, Ferdie.  I think we may have to wait for whoever it is to strike again, and hopefully we will be able to be in the right place at the right time.”

“Well, I think we’ll need a better plan than that.”

“Yes.  Unfortunately, I don’t have a better one right now.”

We both spent the next couple minutes thinking, but no ideas were coming, and Arnie finally said, “Let’s sleep on it, Ferdie.  You need to rest and recover.  I’ll come see you tomorrow.”  Then he stood, patted me on the head, and walked out.

Chapter 13

I had a really hard time sleeping that night, thinking about all the things that had happened, about what Arnie had told me, and trying to understand it all.  I also was having a really hard time trying to decide what to say to Marsh-dog.  How will he react when he finds out the murder of his parents might be my fault?  I was feeling a very strong urge to run, just go away into the hills or something, live like a hermit so that no one else would be hurt by being around me.  At the same time, though, I was getting madder and madder, wanting badly to find whoever had done all this, wanting to kill whoever it is with my bare hands.  I know it’s bad to feel that way, but I couldn’t help it.  Finally, deep into the night, I drifted off to sleep, dark thoughts filling my dreams...

I jerked awake, heart beating wildly.  Whoa, what a dream... I was being attacked from above by a winged angel with a reptile head filled with huge, razor sharp teeth and vicious claws at the ends of gnarly, monstrous fingers.  I was running and diving behind rocks and trees just in time to avoid being ripped to shreds, but each time the angel dive-bombed me and missed, a different person was grabbed and carried away, body parts falling from the sky as the monster angel chomped into the person as it flew.  I tried to reach out to them as I ran, calling to them, but they didn’t seem to hear what I was saying; in fact, it seemed like my calling to them was distracting them, so it made it easier for the angel to snatch them up.  I ran and ran, dodging over and over again, until I fell into a hole in the ground that turned into a massive cave.  I tried to look around but it was very dark, so I had to feel my way along the walls of the cave.  Suddenly, a massive head appeared in front of me... a bull’s head with human eyes and mouth, giant horns protruding from the sides.  The bullhead’s face spread into a demonic smile, and began swinging from side to side, the horns slashing into me as I screamed...

Apparently I really did scream when I woke up, because a nurse ran into my room.  She saw that I was tapping myself on the head wildly, and held my hands until I stopped moving.  “I’m sorry, I was having a bad dream,” I croaked.

“You can say that again,” she said as she grinned broadly.  “Do you want me to go get anything for you?  Something to drink, maybe?”

“No, I’m fine, thanks.”

“Ok, well, try to rest.  You call me if you need anything.”  And with that she left the room.  I’ve got to go see Marsh-dog to see how he’s doing... I don’t think they will let me get up by myself, though, so I will have to sneak... the doctors sewed my leg back together and put a cast on it, so it was going to be hard for me to sneak into his room because I couldn’t move very quickly.  Well, I’ll go to the door and peak out to see if I can make it...  I turned to get out of the bed, but fell back, nearly jumping out of my skin, because there standing in front of me was Gabriella.  “Man, I wish you would quit doing that,” I snarled.

“Hello Ferdie.  I told you that I would come to see you in two days’ time, so here I am.  I am very sorry about the things that have happened since we last met.  It seems you were lucky to survive, and I am glad of that.  Now I need you to tell me of your contact with Arnie Hayward.”

“Gee, your sympathy is overwhelming.  I bet you’re a big hit at funerals.”

“I’m sorry, Ferdie.  You are right, I did not express myself well.  I’m sorry to be short, but my time is limited.”  So I told her about my talk with Arnie, and included everything.

“Thank you, Ferdie.  I will continue to come see you regularly.  It is very important that you keep me informed of everything that happens or is said related to Arnie Hayward.  There is nothing more important at this point. I wish that I could spend more time with you; I know you are spending time with Arnie Hayward and that is influencing you.  I must trust that you understand what is at risk, and when the time comes, you will do the right thing.”  Then she turned, shimmering for a moment, with a faint crackling sound, and was gone.

She’s right, I am starting to feel guilty about telling her things about Arnie... and I don’t really know for sure what is at risk... she says that, when a demon crossed over long ago, it almost ended everything.  What does that mean?  I need more information... maybe I should just make up stuff to tell her.  I wonder if she would know if I did that... I know at some point there is going to be a confrontation and I am going to have to pick sides... I just hope I pick the right one...

Again, I turned to get out of the bed, pausing for a moment to make sure some other supernatural roadblock wasn’t in the way, and then I shuffled over to the door, dragging my casted leg behind me.  I peeked out... no one there...

I hobbled across the hall as quickly and quietly as I could, still seeing no one, and rushed through the door to Marsh-dog’s room.  His arms and hands were heavily bandaged, along with some other bandages on his face and neck.  His eyes were wet and bloodshot, and it looked like he hadn’t slept at all.  He looked at me for a moment, and said, “Hey, ugly.  Is that your head or did your neck throw up?”

“Wow, that’s funny, but not up to your usual standards.  I would sock you, but with the way you are all wrapped up, I’m afraid you might put the mummy’s curse on me or something.”  We both smiled and looked down at the floor, but didn’t say anything else for a while.

Finally, Marsh-dog looked up and said, “What the hell am I supposed to do now, ‘Nando?  My only relatives are way back East and to tell you the truth, they don’t want me and I don’t want them either.  The social worker said they were going to have to put me in a foster home.”

That stunned me.  I thought for a minute, then said, “Why don’t you come and live with us?  I’ll talk to Uncle Mark.  You can stay in my room.  You can bring all your computers and junk.  You can’t go live in a foster home.  What if they move you somewhere else?  I need you here so we can put our skills together and invent computers that read people’s minds.  We’ll make a fortune.”

Marsh-dog smiled at my weak attempt at humor, but he had tears in his eyes.  “I can’t move in with you, there are too many kids there already.  Besides, I don’t think your uncle likes me.  He always looks at me funny.”

“Naah, he’s cool, he’s just kind of old-school, and he’s intimidated by your computer skills.  He probably thinks you’re going to hack into his bank account or something.”

“If I was going to do that, don’t you think I would pick someone with some serious bucks?”

“I know, I’m just kidding.  Really, you need to come and stay with us.  You’re my... my best friend.”

“Come on, dude, don’t get all mushy on me.  Besides, what about all these angels and demons and crap?  I don’t want one of them to eat me or stab me with a lightning bolt or something.”

“That’s another reason I need you to stay with me.  I need you to help me do research so that we can figure a way out of all of this.  Someone somewhere has to have written about this stuff, maybe one of The Seven from the past.  Or maybe if we can figure out who the other members of The Seven are, we can join together, help each other.”

Finally, a smile broke on Marsh-dog’s face.  “Ok, now it’s starting to sound interesting.  There has to be someone out there who knows how to beat a demon... or an angel... or both.  There’s probably a website, like, www.demonkiller.org or something, and it has to be true, because everything on the internet is true, right?”

“Ha, ha, that’s funny.  But hey, that gives me an idea.  What if we started a, what do you call it, a blorg or something, about The Seven?  If there is anyone out there who knows about it maybe they’ll write in.”

Talking about computers seemed to help Marsh-dog feel a little better, and I could tell by the disgusted look he was giving me.  “First of all, it’s called a blog, not a blorg, and I think we’d have a better chance if we went on Facebook.  Even though that’s kind of old-school for me, there are still tons of people on there.  I think it might bring some responses if we just write what we are looking for in the profile.  We’ll have to make up some names and other info, though, in case we get some people checking us out that we don’t want, like maybe some demons or angels.”

“If we get to make up names, I want to be Biff Studlyman.  I always wished that was my name.”

“Unfortunately for you, you look more like Dork Wimpystein.  Come on, dude, we need to come up with names that will help us to be taken seriously.”  So after continued discussion I settled on D. E. Monkilla, and Marsh-dog went with S. T. Opthat. Very professional sounding.

Since we had finished with planning our Facebook strategy, I decided to get back to the issue that I was most concerned with: “So what do you think?  Do you want to come and live with us?”

Marsh-dog looked down, and when he finally looked up his eyes were wet again.  “It’s never gonna be the same again, is it?”

“No, I guess not.”  I thought for a minute, and decided to just spit it out.  “Marsh, I think, ah, I don’t really know how to say this... I think your parents getting killed is my fault.  Whoever did it was trying to get to me, and your parents were just in the way.”

Marsh-dog didn’t say anything for what seemed like a long time, but finally he whispered, “I know.  I already thought about that.  But it’s not your fault.  You didn’t know it was going to happen.  The only thing is, together we need to find whoever, or whatever, did it, and we have to make them pay for what they did.  Promise me, no matter what, we’ll make them pay.”

Now it was my turn; my eyes filled with tears and I began tapping myself on the head.  I finally was able to get out, in a quavery voice: “I promise.  No matter what, we will make them pay.”

Chapter 14

The next several weeks were filled with rehabilitation, school, and endless questions from everyone we came in contact with.  After some discussion, Uncle Mark and Aunt Cindy agreed to take in Marsh-dog, and he moved in my room with all his computers and equipment.  It was great, but his stuff (and him) made it very crowded.  Although it may seem kind of morbid, we became heroes at school because of what happened.  Everyone wanted to know how we avoided being killed, and especially how we managed to stop Uncle Freddy, who, as far as anyone knew, was clearly a deranged killer.  Of course, we knew he was nothing of the sort, and secretly mourned him, just as we did Marsh-dog’s parents.  Marsh-dog was also getting lots of attention because of his cool new scars; kids in middle school are very impressed by stuff like that.  He pretended like it was no big deal, but I knew he secretly liked the attention.  I can read minds, remember?

When we first started checking the Internet, we would enter search terms like Demon Killer, and it was amazing how many pages are devoted to computer games with the words Demon Killer in them.  I mean, thousands.  Anyway, Marsh-dog threw himself into setting up our Facebook page, which is actually called a fan page, I think, because it makes it easier for people to find because you can advertise.  We decided that we should advertise for people who felt that they had unusual sensitivities, like ESP, clairvoyance, etc., and invite them to join our page so that we could share our stories.  We knew we would get all kinds of crack-pots and curiosity seekers, but we thought that we might be able to get subtle cues that would help us separate out any that might be real.  Marsh-dog began writing a program (I have no idea how you do that) that would track people who made comments on our page so that we would know their real names, addresses, ages, and all kinds of details.  Somehow, he knows how to reach into their computers and pull out all that information.  We decided that it was important to gather all this information so that, if we were able to locate any of the other members of The Seven, we would know as much as possible about them and hopefully would know if we should contact them or stay far away from them.  Just as we thought, almost immediately we started getting lots of wacko-oriented responses.  We wasted a lot of time on those, but they were good for some comedic relief, which we could use, believe me.

Arnie visited me several times during the weeks that we were recovering, and we mostly talked about the cases he was working on.  He also told me a lot about the kind of potential powers I might be able to develop, and how we might be able to use them.  Some of it sounded pretty far-fetched, but of course all of it sounded far-fetched up to a few months ago, and it was fun to consider and imagine what I could do.

Anyway, I was continuing to get better at controlling my sensitivities, and I even began to be able to see into people’s thoughts over distances.  At that point, though, I was only able to do that if I knew the person and had a previous “entry”, which is what I call it when I go into their thoughts.  I think it must be that doing that sets up some kind of connection, kind of like putting a contact in your cell phone, so that you have a short cut to them.  It’s kind of embarrassing, but I discovered this ability when I was thinking about a girl from school who I think is cute.  I had made entry to her thoughts (which were rather confusing, by the way) the week before, while we were in a class together, and as I was thinking about her at home I suddenly realized that I was walking that familiar hall in my mind.  There was the door with her picture on it, just as if I was standing next to her.  Amazing!  I opened the door and there I was in her mind.  I was surprised and excited that I was able to do it, but creeped out at the same time, and I decided that I would only use this ability if it was really necessary, although it obviously could come in really handy.

Eight weeks after “that night”, as Marsh-dog and I called it, I finally got my cast off, and I had a scar easily as impressive as any of Marsh-dog’s.  My leg was feeble and weak, and I had a bit of a limp; the doctor told me that it might take quite a while, if ever, for me to walk normally because of how damaged my tendons were.  “There goes your pro football career,” Marsh-dog squeaked.  His voice was still cracking as much as ever.

“Yeah, but you still have a career as a “before” model,” I retorted.

“Ha, that’s funny.  Maybe you should start writing this crap down, I heard Carrot Top is looking for new material.”

I kept a straight face for as long as I could, but after a few seconds I cracked and began laughing.  “All right, dude, as usual you win.”

“It’s ‘bout time you started to recognize.  Now, dude, I am going to go out and do a little ridin’.  Want to tag along?”

“Nah, I have some... thinking to do.”

“Oh, ok, I can take a hint.  Catch you later.”  And he was out the door with his skateboard, bound for parts unknown.

Each time I met with Arnie over the weeks following “that night”, Gabriella would come to see me later that day.  When she did, I began to notice something that was getting clearer each time: before she appeared, I would see a kind of shimmering in a certain spot, as if the air in that location was vibrating slightly, I could hear a very faint but distinct crackling, electric sound, and then she would appear there.  I finally told her what I was seeing, and she seemed surprised.  “Ferdie, you are most unusual,” she said in her sing-song-y voice.  “The most advanced members of The Seven in the past have not demonstrated that sensitivity until well into adulthood, and even then there have only been a handful in all of human history.”

I didn’t know whether to feel lucky or burdened by this.  I mean, it seems cool and all, but I don’t know how or why it is happening, or what use it could have.  “What am I seeing when I see the shimmery stuff?”

“You are seeing glimpses of me in a different state.  Other humans obviously cannot see me during those times, but they also cannot see the glow that you can as you look at me.  We will have time to talk about the different state and why I have a glow that you are able to observe in a few minutes.”

“Ok, well, I have been thinking a lot about the other members of The Seven.  Do you think you could put me in contact with any of them?”

“I don’t know who or where they are.  When I am here on Earth I am “tuned”, so to speak, to you only.  And, when members of The Seven have had contact in the past, it has often turned out rather poorly.  They tend either to become bitter rivals, or to band together with intensely negative results.  There have been some exceptions, but that has been the norm.”

“Could you tell me who some of the seven have been in the past?  Are any of them famous?”

“Oh, yes.  Some of them have been quite famous, and others equally infamous.  There is a saying that modern civilization stands on the shoulders of giants, meaning the individuals who were highly unusual.  The geniuses, such as DaVinci, Newton, Einstein, Plato, Socrates, Confucius, and many others, and the artists, Bach, Beethoven, Michaelangelo, Shakespeare, etc.  Would it surprise you to know that many of these were members of The Seven?  And the infamous: Genghis Khan, Pol Pot, Jim Jones, even Hitler?  As you can see, members of The Seven can go to either extreme.  As I have told you before, many of them never realize their abilities, but those who do often are able to tap into the power of the universe to achieve great leaps or cause great destruction and death.”

Whoa.  How did I get included with this group?  I’m just a dumb teenager, and barely even a teenager.  "I know I got these crazy powers somehow, but I don’t think I deserve them, because I’ll never measure up to any of those people.  Why do you think I am advancing so fast?”

“I am not sure, but I believe that the traumatic events you have suffered, and, I’m sorry, but the resulting mental and emotional illness, have somehow led to your remarkably advanced state.  And, Ferdie, those people were great, or terrible, because of the very powers that you possess.  Of course, they had to take their abilities and decide to do something with them, but the same is true of you.  You have free will to decide how you will use your powers.  Those who come to know of your abilities may ask much of you, and it will be up to you to do what you know is right.  Now, Ferdie, because you have reached such an extraordinary level, I think it is time for you to take the next step in your development.  A step that very few, less than ten in all of human history, have been able to take.”  She then reached out to take my hand.  “Don’t be afraid, Ferdie.  You will experience some discomfort, but it will be worth it.  Trust me.  You are about to learn all about how the shimmery effect that you are able to see happens.”

How am I supposed to trust you and Arnie at the same time?  I don’t think I can really trust you but my curiosity is outweighing my fear... After a minute’s hesitation, I took Gabriella’s hand, and realized that, as far as I am aware, that was the first time that I had physical contact with an angel.

Chapter 15

We stood there, holding hands, and for a few seconds nothing happened.  I was beginning to feel a little uncomfortable and embarrassed because I could feel that my hands were sweating.  Then, suddenly, my hand began to tingle, and quickly the tingling spread to every part of my body.  It started to feel more like really high-speed vibrating than tingling after a minute; I turned my head to look at Gabriella, and she was shimmering in the same way she did just before she appeared, except that now I could see her and the shimmering at the same time.  I could also hear the crackling sound, but after a minute I realized that it was much louder... because I was hearing it coming from my own body!  I turned again to Gabriella, and it looked as if she also was vibrating rapidly and glowing at the same time, and this was really amazing to see.  I imagine that, when people talk about seeing someone’s aura, it would probably look kind of like this.

As I was contemplating, I looked down at our hands and I was shimmering in the same way that she was!  I suddenly felt sick to my stomach, and the onset was so quick and aggressive that I turned my head away from Gabriella just in time to barf violently.  I doubled over, but Gabriella held my hand tightly so that I could not fall to the ground.  Then I noticed that the ground had the same shimmery appearance; I looked around, and realized that everything had the same look, and seemed slightly out of focus, kind of like looking through cellophane.  I felt intensely sick, as if I had been on the Tilt-O-Whirl at the county fair for an hour straight.  I could just barely stand, and Gabriella whispered in my ear, “Try to relax, Ferdie.  Don’t fight what you are feeling; your body is reacting to being in a plane, or dimension, that is foreign to living humans.  Your sensitivities will help you adapt.  Let it happen.”

Try to relax.  Easy for you to say, you’re not puking your guts up all over the place!  Ok, maybe I just need to take some deep breaths... I attempted to breathe, and suddenly I realized that I had not been breathing at all!  I tried again, but there was no air to take in.  I began to panic, and felt like I was under water, drowning.  Slowly, my panic decreased, and I realized that I didn’t need to breathe.  Gabriella was watching me, and obviously realized what my panic was about, as she smiled and said, “You are in a supernatural plane in which there is no need to breathe, or eat, or sleep.  More accurately, you are in an in-between stage, where you can see, and to a limited extent, interact with, both the Earthly and supernatural planes at the same time.  This is where I am when I am observing you.  I can only observe you here for short periods of time, because it takes a considerable amount of energy to stay fixed in this in-between plane.  That is part of why you feel so ill.  Your energy is being depleted rapidly, as is mine.  I am more used to it than you, and at this point I have a higher level of energy than you, although that will not always be true.”

I wonder what that means.  But she’s right, feel completely exhausted... I’m so tired I can’t even speak...

“I am going to let go of your hand in a moment, and when I do you will return to the Earthly plane.  I know you have been overwhelmed, but I want you to look around for a moment before you return.”  I looked around as she asked, although it took an extreme amount of concentration.  I realized that I had been tapping my head with my free hand, and I decided to let it go, as it probably would have taken more energy to stop than to continue.  When things came into focus, my mouth dropped open; if I was breathing, I would have gasped and choked.  I could see my room, and just like Gabriella and me, it had a shimmery, glowing appearance, and at the same time I could see what looked like the whole of the universe; swirling galaxies, uncountable numbers of stars and planets, comets, everything.  It was sort of like looking at a superimposed picture, but that doesn’t really completely describe it either; it was as if the images were occupying the same space at the same time, and it all seemed much closer.  I felt as if I was in the middle of the universe, and the universe was in my room!  It also had the same vibrating, slightly-out-of-focus appearance, and I realized that it must be because of this in-between place we were in.  In the middle of the universe, extending to what looked like infinity, was a wavy line of globs of glowing colors; they looked somewhat like clouds, but with more substance, more defined shapes.  Each one was slightly different, which seemed impossible because of the impossible number of them.  As I looked, more globs went flying, seemingly out of nowhere, and attached themselves to the line.  It was unbelievably beautiful, and I could feel an overwhelming sense of positive energy; I am not sure what love feels like, but I imagine this must be it.  I couldn’t help myself, I began to cry; I felt like I wanted to go toward the lights, to join them permanently.  “Do the right thing.  This is what you have ahead of you if you do,” Gabriella whispered in my ear, and then let go of my hand.

The universe instantly disappeared, and I was back in my room, alone.  I fell to the ground, and was unable to move.  I realized that I had puke all over myself, but there was nothing I could do about it, because I couldn’t move.  Had I been invisible?  Was it all a hallucination?  Maybe I am finally going all the way mental... was that really Heaven?  It didn’t look like it... there were no angels sitting on clouds playing harps or anything, but it sure felt like Heaven... I need to talk to Marsh-dog and Arnie... man, do I feel sick... These were the thoughts that filled my mind as I waited for my body to recover to the point where I could move.  Unbelievable!  How many people get to see Heaven before they die?  Now I know, less than ten!

After about fifteen minutes I began to worry that I was permanently paralyzed.  I kept trying to wiggle my fingers and toes, and finally, after about twenty minutes, I was able to move my hands.  Just then Marsh-dog came in the room.  He had been taking a shower after his ride, and his ‘fro was all flat on top.  I would have made fun of him but I’m sure I looked much worse than him right then.

“Hey, stinky!  What the heck happened to you?”  Marsh-dog laughed, but then he realized that something was wrong and a look of concern clouded his face, and he knelt down next to me.  “’Nando!  What’s wrong?  Are you dying or something?  Did the demon finally get you? Or an angel?”

By this time I was able to mumble a few words.  “Can you get me a towel or something?” I managed to get out, and then I felt really dizzy for a minute, and then... well, I guess I passed out, because when I woke up, the whole family was gathered around me, and Uncle Mark was sitting on the floor holding my head in his lap.

Chapter 16

I blinked furiously, but I still couldn’t move very much.  I looked around, and everyone had really concerned looks on their faces; Ariel even looked like she had been crying.  Uncle Mark was patting my cheeks the way you would if you were trying to make someone wake up from fainting, and I heard Aunt Cindy whisper to him, “Mark, is he going to be ok?”  Uncle Mark just gave her a look that said, ‘Don’t say anything right now, we don’t want to get everyone panicked.’  Good old Uncle Mark.

I tried to say, “I’m ok, I can get up,” but I still couldn’t quite talk yet, so it came out, “I’n ogey, I can genumph.”

Aunt Cindy couldn’t help herself; again, she whispered to Uncle Mark, “Did he have a stroke?  Should I call an ambulance?”

Uncle Mark gave her a look that was even sterner, and said, “Give him a minute.  I think he just hit his head, he probably has a mild concussion.”

“Doesn’t look mild to me,” sniffed Ariel.  “He barfed all over himself, and he can’t even talk!”

Marsh-dog was at his computer, furiously typing, looking up treatments for concussions.  “The symptoms of a concussion include severe headache, dizziness, vomiting, increased size of one pupil or sudden weakness in an arm or leg.  ‘Nando has all of those, and he was out for two minutes!  Well, actually I don’t know about the pupils, but he has all the rest, and that means he has a grade three concussion!  A person with a grade three concussion (involving any loss of consciousness, no matter how brief) should be examined by a medical professional either on the scene or in an emergency room. More severe symptoms may warrant a CT or MRI scan, along with a thorough neurological and physical exam.”

“Wow, nice reading,” I chuckled.  By now my speech was clearing up enough to be understood, and I was beginning to get some control over my movements, although I still felt extremely weak.  “Someone put a gold star on Marsh-dog’s reading chart.”

“Ferdie!”  Aunt Cindy cried.  “Are you ok?  What happened?”

I knew I had to come up with a reasonable story quick.  “Well, I was, uhh...”

“It’s kinda silly, but we had a bet about who could spin around the most times without stopping.  I never got to take my turn, ‘cause ‘Nando spun around so many times that he threw up, and he was so dizzy that he fell on his head and konked himself out,” Marsh-dog lied.  He knew me well enough to know that, whatever had happened, it was not something I would be able to tell them about.

“Yeah, yeah, that’s right.  It was just a dumb game, that’s all.  I’m ok, I just need some aspirins or something.”

“And a shower.  Phew!  Throw that shirt away!” said Ariel, now back to her old self.

“Look, he seems like he’s ok now.  Let’s just keep a close eye on him,” said Uncle Mark.  “Go jump in the shower, and let’s see how you feel after.  Marshall, can you help him and make sure he doesn’t fall out of the shower?”

“Oh, dude, do I... oh, alright, I’ll help him by staying near the shower, but I am not getting close enough to look.  That’s a sight I don’t want to see.”

Man, I’ve got to hand it to Marsh-dog... the story he came up with wasn’t great, but it was better than what I could have come up with on such short notice, especially since I had just come to after being in another dimension and being paralyzed...

It took all my strength to stand and walk to the bathroom, and I did my best to pretend that there was no problem.  I didn’t realize how bad I looked until I got a peek in the mirror and saw that there was puke all over the place, even in my hair.  Man, I’m not sure I want to go to another dimension again anytime soon, unless there is some kind of supernatural Dramamine or something... I remember feeling drawn toward the lights, was that what they call the Good Line?  I wonder if that is what people catch a glimpse of when they have near-death experiences?  These and other thoughts filled my head as I cleaned myself up.  I was feeling almost normal by the time I finished my shower, and I really wanted to tell Marsh-dog and Arnie what had happened.

I think it’s time to get Marsh-dog and Arnie together... I bet Marsh-dog could really help us in our mission to get Arnie to the Good Line and get me out of the wrong side of the Book of Names, and hopefully keep me from dying at seventeen... still seems like they could have come up with a better name for that stupid book... these supernatural types are very literal in their naming of things... I still feel like I should help Arnie, even after what Gabriella has shown me, but I think it’s also time for Arnie to tell me how he is going to get me out of the Bad Line in exchange for helping him...

After getting through in the shower, I dressed and went to talk to Uncle Mark and Aunt Cindy.  I still felt woozy, weak and sick, but I had to spend some time convincing them that I was ok, and I must have done a pretty good job, because they eventually let me go back to my room.  Finally, I’ll be able to tell Marsh-dog what happened.  I walked into my room, and there was Marsh-dog, fast asleep.  I looked at the clock, and it was past midnight; I hadn’t realized how late it was.  Man!  I’ve got to tell someone about what happened!  Well, I guess I’ll have to wait until the morning... I could wake Marsh-dog, but if Uncle Mark or Aunt Cindy hear any noise they’ll come in for sure, and I better not take that chance...  I got into bed, but tossed and turned until the morning, not sleeping at all despite being literally exhausted.

The next day was Saturday, which of course meant no school day.  Apparently Marsh-dog knew it was Saturday also, because he didn’t wake up until about ten thirty, and by that time I was getting pretty loopy from lack of sleep.  “Dude!  It’s about time you woke up!  I’ve got to tell you what happened!”

Marsh-dog yawned.  “Sorry, man.  I guess I was... hey, ‘Nando...” but it was too late, I just couldn’t stay awake any longer.  I fell fast asleep, not waking until the next morning.

Upon waking up, I turned and saw Marsh-dog hard at work at the computer. “Hey, Marsh.  What’s up?”  And with that Marsh-dog jerked back as if he had seen a ghost.

“What are you trying to do, give me a heart attack?”  Marsh-dog squeaked.  His reaction was so comical that I started laughing, and it was one of those moments when something hits your funny bone just right; it took several minutes for me to stop.

“Ha, ha, that’s very funny,” Marsh-dog sulked.  “You slept so long we thought maybe you were in a coma, so excuse me for being concerned, ugly.”

“Alright, I’m sorry.  Do you want to know what happened?”

“Well that’s a dumb question, so now you are dumb and ugly.”  Marsh-dog’s pouting made me laugh again, but I got myself under control pretty fast, and proceeded to tell him about my encounter with the other dimension.  As I spoke, his eyes grew wider and wider, until I thought they might pop out of his head.  When I was finally done, it took Marsh-dog a minute to gather his thoughts, but finally he said, “So I’m living in the same room as one of the X-Men?”

Chapter 17

Monday morning, back to school.  Man, I hate Mondays.  Have I said that before?  I was going to see Arnie after school, and I planned on taking Marsh-dog with me whether Arnie liked it or not.  He was already almost as involved as me, so there was no sense in keeping it a secret from Arnie, and Marsh-dog would be able to help us with his highly developed computer skills.

My ability to read thoughts really came in handy on this particular Monday.  There was a kid at school, Arthur Tinkler, who was jealous of the recent attention Marsh-dog and I had been getting, and he’s a full-on bully.  I could tell that he had bad intentions when I saw him in our History class, so I went down the hall in my mind to the door with his picture on it, opened the door, and found that he was planning on goading me into a fight at lunchtime.  I was stressed out about what to do about it, but finally came up with a plan.

At lunchtime Arthur was waiting behind the cafeteria with several of his crew, because he knew that Marsh-dog and I walked that way every day after eating, and because there was no supervision in that area.  Of course, he didn’t know that I knew of his little plan, or that I would be walking by with about half of the football team, who had become friends with Marsh-dog and me as a result of our recent exploits.  Although I still have lots of trouble trusting people, I know these guys on the football team are just normal people; not necessarily good or bad, just average guys.  Now, Arthur Tinkler and his friends are a different story. Kind of tough individually, but they, and especially Arthur, act really aggressive when in a pack.  However, they are not anywhere near tough enough to handle the group I had assembled.  I asked the guys on the football team not to do or say anything because I didn’t want to be an even bigger bully than Arthur, I just wanted to keep from being beat up.  We walked around the side of the cafeteria and onto the blacktop area behind it, and there was Arthur and his bully brigade.  As we walked by Arthur tried to stare me down, but I just smiled and said, “Hey, Artie.  I saw you guys waiting out here, and I figured you wanted to ask me to help you with your math homework, but I thought you might be embarrassed to ask, so I thought I’d just come over and offer.”

That line would have gone down as a classic, except that my stupid OCD was making me tap my head the whole time, so that I looked like a complete and total geek instead of a tough guy.  Arthur and his friends looked at each other and started to laugh, which caused me to start laughing nervously, and pretty soon we were all laughing, even Deandre Riles, the biggest, meanest dude on the football team, in the school, and maybe in the whole town, as far as I know.  Marsh-dog was laughing so hard he fell to the ground, which made everyone laugh even harder.

“Man, ‘Nando, you’re alright,” cackled Arthur.  Even though I was obviously being made fun of, there was a positive outcome: from that point forward, I never had another problem with Arthur or his friends.  In fact, almost every time I saw him, Arthur would say to me, quietly: “Eh, ‘Nando.  Any time you got a problem with anybody, you just let me know.  I’ll take care of it, ok?”

After school, Marsh-dog and I went to the police station to meet with Arnie.  When we arrived, I had him wait in the main entrance area, near the big pillars, because I wanted to talk to Arnie about him first.  I didn’t want Arnie to know that I had him with me yet, in case he got upset.  I walked back through the maze of corridors and into Arnie’s sterile, pristine office.  The officers and office staff knew me by now, and either ignored me or greeted me with a, “Hey, hopalong, how’s the leg?”  I plopped down in the hard plastic chair across from Arnie’s desk and waited for him to finish pounding on his laptop’s keyboard.  “Stupid computer!” he barked angrily.  “All I want to do is attach a freaking document to an email, and somehow the document has disappeared!  What did I do?  I CAN’T FIND THE DOCUMENT!”

Ahh, there is my avenue to bring in Marsh-dog!  This won’t be any challenge to him at all, but Arnie will think he’s some kind of genius!  “Man, that must be frustrating,” I said with mock sympathy.  “I know someone who could find it for you in no time.”

“Well, get him or her in here quick before I smash this computer,” he growled.

“Ok, I’ll be right back.”  I ran back to the front of the station and filled Marsh-dog in.

“He’s not gonna stab me with a pitchfork or anything, is he?”  Marsh-dog whispered.

“I told you, that’s just stuff people made up to scare each other,” I whispered in return.  “Real demons don’t have pitch forks or pointy tails or horns.”

“Ok, but if he kills me with heat rays from his eyes I will hold you responsible.”

“That’s good.  Let’s go!”  With that we hurried back to Arnie’s office, and arrived just in time, as his fist was poised over the keyboard.

“Arnie, you remember Marshall, he... well, you know what happened.”

Arnie’s angry expression immediately softened.  “Hi Marshall.  I’m sorry for your loss.  I know it’s been a couple of months, but it still has to hurt.”

Marsh-dog looked puzzled, like maybe he didn’t expect a demon to show him sympathy.  “I’m doing ok, thanks for asking,” he squeaked.

There was an uncomfortable pause, and I finally jumped in.  “Marshall is a computer genius.  He can find your document for you.  You want him to help you?”

Arnie smiled.  “That would be great.  Let’s see what kind of skills he has.”

Marsh-dog seemed a little scared as he stood up and approached Arnie’s desk.  He asked Arnie for the name of the document, and then began working the keyboard and mouse with blazing speed.  Within twenty seconds he had found the document and attached it to Arnie’s email.  “You just accidentally saved it to the wrong location.  It was saved in a favorite websites list.  You had the internet open while you were working on the document, so when you went to save it you probably just didn’t notice that you were saving it there.  If you had gone into your internet options and done a delete, you would have lost your document permanently.  Lucky you didn’t do that.”

“How did you know where it was?  How did you find it so fast?” asked Arnie, amazed.

Marsh-dog was beginning to feel a little more comfortable.  “I can’t give away all of my secrets,” he grinned.

“Ahh, that’s smart.  Always keep them wondering.  You and Ferdie are a good pair.”

“Uhh, speaking of that, Arnie, umm... (tap tap)”

“Yes, let’s see, Ferdie, you want me to know that Marshall, here, knows all about you and the things you’ve been through, and that he knows that you have been consorting with the likes of angels and demons on a regular basis, and that your name is in a supernatural book indicating that you are going to die at the age of seventeen, at which time you will go promptly to Hell, and that your only hope of avoiding that fate is to commit to helping either a demon who wants to get into Heaven, or an angel who wants to keep the demon from getting into Heaven, and they have both sought your help because of your unprecedented powers and potential, does that about cover it?”

I was stunned.  How does he always know everything?  “Uhh, well, yeah, I think so...”  I couldn’t tell from Arnie’s facial expression what he was thinking, so I waited for some kind of sign that would indicate whether or not we needed to run.  I glanced at Marsh-dog, who was still sitting behind the desk, with Arnie standing behind him, and he was clearly terrified.

“Ferdie, you know I have told you not to tell anyone about any of this.  You also know that I am not stupid, and I knew that this was a possibility.  Now you must be completely honest with me.  If you are not, it could really mess things up badly for both of us, and probably your friend Marshall as well.  Who else knows about this, even a little bit?”

“No one!  I promise, I have not said a word to anyone else.  I only told Marshall because, well, he’s my best friend and he’s the smartest person I know, so I figured he could help us, and because of his parents.  I didn’t think it would be fair to keep it from him.  And because I promised him, we would find whoever did that to his parents, and, no matter what, we would make them pay for what they did.”

“Alright, then Marshall should know what he is really getting into.  But first let me ask, Marshall, have you told anyone about any of this?”

Marsh-dog gulped, and then squeaked, “No, I haven’t said a word to anyone.  I know how to keep a secret.”  Although he was obviously scared, Marsh-dog sat up straight and looked Arnie right in the eye, mustering up as much dignity as he could.  I felt proud of him in that moment; he’s a lot tougher than he looks.

“We will see,” said Arnie, with a slight tone of menace in his voice.  “Marshall, it may have seemed like fun up to now, but this is very dangerous business.  I need to know that you are in, and that I can rely on you to hold your tongue no matter what.  And I need to know that you are committed to helping Ferdie and me.”

Marsh-dog stared intensely at Arnie, and said “It hasn’t really been very fun up to now, to tell you the truth, what with my parents getting killed, and me killing my uncle and all.  I’m in for good, because Ferdie is my best friend, and because you guys are the only way I’ll ever have a shot at whoever killed my parents.  You can count on me.  Plus, I got skills.  I can write code and hack into almost anything, if I have enough time.”

You could tell Arnie was impressed, as impressed as you could be with a skinny, five-foot-two fourteen-year-old with a massive ‘fro.  “Very well.  But remember, there is no backing out now.  Ferdie, have you seen Gabriella lately?”

I proceeded to tell him all the things that had happened: going into the other dimension, getting sick, barfing, all of it.  Arnie listened closely and seemed very surprised and impressed.  “Wow, Ferdie.  No one has ever gone between dimensions at your age.  Do you know how many of The Seven have ever gone there?”

“Yeah, Gabriella told me less than ten in all of history.”

“That’s right, and no one has even gotten close to it at your age.  Since you have already had the experience of going to the in-between, it’s probably a good idea for you to see the Bad Line also.  Think of it as a sort of “scared straight” kind of visit.”

“Man, I don’t think I want to do that.  I got really sick the last time, and I think if I had stayed there much longer I might have died.”

“It won’t be quite as bad this time, and each time you go it will get a little easier.  You will never be able to stay there for long, but at least you will feel fewer effects from it.  How about this: in exchange for going with me to see the Bad Line, I will teach you how to go to the in-between on your own.”

Ok, now that would be cool, being able to make myself invisible.  “Are there any other negative effects from going to the in-between?  Like, is it considered negative energy or anything?”

“Like most things, it depends on why you go there and what you do when you are there.  If you go there because you are trying to help someone, or avoid danger, it won’t be seen as negative energy, but if you go there to peek in the girl’s locker room or something like that, it will go on the negative side of your ledger, so to speak.”

“Well, I’m not some kind of pervert or anything, so I don’t think I will have to worry about that.”

“Can I go to?” Marsh-dog squeaked.  He had been sitting quietly, but obviously was excited by this prospect.

“Sorry, Marshall.  If I took you there, you would not be able to return.  In other words, it would kill you.”

“That’s ok, forget I asked.”

We all laughed at that, and then Arnie said, “Well, are you ready, Ferdie?”

“What, right here?”

“Sure.  No place, or time, like the present.”

“But what if someone comes in while we’re in the in-between?  Won’t we be found out?”

“Marshall wants to be a part of this, so it will be his responsibility to keep everyone out until we return.  Marshall, as soon as we disappear, lock the door and be very quiet.”

“I can do that.  Is it ok if I go on your computer, play around a little bit?”

“No.  And don’t try it when we are gone, because I’ll be able to see you.  If anyone tries to unlock the door, you won’t be able to stop them, so get under the desk and do your best to hide.  I don’t think it would be good for someone to find you in here by yourself with the door locked.  We won’t be gone long, not more than two or three minutes.  Ferdie will not be able to take any more than that.”

“Man, this is sounding worse all the time.”  I was beginning to have severe doubts about going to the in-between again.  Although the first time was amazing, and I guess you could say life-changing, it also made me so sick that I really didn’t want to experience that again.

Arnie said, “Come on, let’s get this over with,” and with that he reached out his hand.  I hesitated, but then took his hand, and immediately everything took on that rapidly vibrating, shiny appearance like before.  I looked at Marsh-dog, and I could see his mouth drop open as he jumped to his feet, waving his arms in the space where Arnie and I had been, and his arms passed right through me!

“So we’re not just invisible, we’re... we’re...”

“Incorporeal.  We have no substance in the earthly dimension at the moment.”

Whoa, nice word. I’m going to have to remember that. Uh oh, I’m starting to feel sick... not as bad as last time, but my head is pounding and my stomach is really rumbling... I hope I don’t barf all over myself again!  Suddenly, I had an urge that was out of my control.  I didn’t vomit, but it came blasting out the other end!  “Arnie,” I gasped, “I just unloaded in my pants.”

“That’s fairly obvious.  In this dimension, you will have the sensation of breathing, so that means you will also smell things, and right now you don’t exactly smell like a rose.”

I quickly realized he was right.  I seemed to be breathing, and, although I smelled foul, there were worse smells all around.  Do you know the horrible, pheromone odor that you get from a squashed black ant?  That smell was overwhelmingly present here, along with others.  Most were less specific than the ant odor; unrecognizable but equally disgusting.  The smells made me feel nauseous, and if we stayed there much longer I would have upchucked after all.

“You will notice that here, all of your senses are in high alert, and all the input you receive is highly unpleasant to humans.  Because we are in the in-between, you are receiving a muted version of the unpleasantness, but it is still fairly evident that it is not a place you would want to inhabit.”

Dude, are you ever right about that...  Unlike the other dimension I got to see, this one had no beautiful view of the universe.  In fact, it appeared completely empty, except for a never-ending line of blobs of light.  If looked in either direction, the line continued farther than it was possible to see, until they appeared like sad stars at the end of the range of vision.  The shape of the blobs was similar to those in the other dimension; undefined, kind of like separate, self-contained, glowing clouds.  Here, though, instead of an infinite range of colors, the blobs were all various shades of gray, from nearly black to almost white, and there were three connected, then a blank space, then three more blobs, just as it was in the Book of Names.

Even though the line was obviously very far away from us, the sound of continual screaming filled my ears, and, aside from the gray blobs of light, all the open space, which again appeared to extend to infinity, had an angry, harassing red tint.  It also felt incredibly hot, like right on the verge of what I could stand.  If I am being partially protected by being in this in-between place, how hot is it over there?  I began feeling weighted down, as if I could no longer stand, and I could feel the line pulling me toward it.  I felt like someone had hold of me and was trying to drag me out of the in-between and into the dimension.  I felt depressed and drained of hope, and realized that it was exactly the opposite sensation as in the other dimension.  There I felt an urge to go toward the line, but here I would do anything to avoid it.

“Do you see now why I want to change?”  Arnie shouted in my ear.  He had to shout to be heard over the unbearable screaming.

“Yeah, I think I’ve seen enough.  Let’s get out of here,” I choked in return.  I was furiously tapping my head, and realized that I was actually making a bruise above my left ear.

“You need to clean yourself up, too.  I’m going to let go, are you ready?”

“You got that right.”

Arnie let go, and instantly we were back in his office.  I fell to the ground, much like after my trip with Gabrielle, but this time I didn’t feel quite as weak.  I was able to move, and I turned over to see Marsh-dog; his eyes were bugging out of his head.

“Dude!  Dude!  Dude!  You just disappeared, just like that!  I was looking around, and waving my arms, and you weren’t there, and now, poof, here you are again!  What happened?  What...  what... what is that smell?!”

Chapter 18

After recovering, I snuck down the hall into the bathroom.  Getting cleaned up was quite an ordeal; luckily there was no one else in the bathroom or I would have had an even bigger problem.  Although it took a while, I was finally at least somewhat clean, and I returned to Arnie’s office.  After having Arnie and Marsh-dog laugh at me for about fifteen minutes, we had a long discussion about what all of this meant and how we should proceed.  It seemed to me that the dimension that contained the Bad Line (Good Line, Bad Line, more obvious and unimaginative naming by those supernatural types) was kind of similar to the common understanding of what Hell is like; the red space, the heat, the horrible smells, the screaming and suffering.  “Well, humans have gotten some things right, as I said, mostly through people who have gotten brief glimpses of the other dimensions.  Aside from the few like you who have gotten to go “between”, there have been many who have seen snippets through near-death experiences,” Arnie related.

“I thought that was all just stuff that people made up,” squeaked Marsh-dog.

“I’m sure there are some people who have said they have had such an experience when they really didn’t, but there are many for whom it is true.  You have heard of people who say that they had an urge to go toward the light that they were seeing in their near-death state, and this is the result of them getting a peek at either the Good Line or the Bad Line.”

“Whoa, that’s heavy, dude.”

“Yes it is.  And please, Marshall, don’t call me dude.”

I thought for a moment about near-death experiences, and then decided that was not a subject I wanted to tackle right then, so I said, “Ok, so Arnie, we need to find you a really good murder to solve so that you can change lines, and so that you can help me change lines and avoid getting killed at seventeen.  I think if I am able to go between on my own that will really help us.  If I get feelings from someone you are investigating, I can go between and help you catch them in the act.  What do you think?”

“Well, I think that could prove to be very helpful, and that has been part of my plan, I just didn’t think we would get there so quickly.”

“Marsh-dog can help too, he can help you get evidence to convict them once we catch them.”

“Yeah, if they’re using a computer at all, or a credit card, or a cell phone, I can get you all kinds of info that’ll help.  But remember, before all this is over, we’ve got to find the one who killed my parents.  You got to promise me.”

“What I am hoping,” said Arnie, “is that all three of our needs will coincide.  In other words, through finding your parents’ killer, I’ll be able to change lines, Ferdie will be able to change lines and avoid dying at seventeen, and you’ll get some justice for what has happened.  That may be too much to ask, but that’s what I’m hoping for.”

This made something pop into my head.  “Hey, I thought the crime you solve to change lines has to be a human crime.  Whoever killed Marsh-dog’s parents must be supernatural, because they were controlling Uncle Freddy.”

“I think there is a very good possibility that whoever did this is a member of The Seven, which would mean that he or she is human.  If that’s the case, it could work for all of us.”

“Well, here’s where Marsh-dog comes in.  He set up a Facebook page for us to find the other members of The Seven.  We’ve got tons of crazy people who have left comments, but also a couple of responses that seem like they are worth investigating, and Marsh-dog was able to use his skills to get their real names, addresses, everything.”

“Very nice.  That will save us tons of time.  I may not have to kill Marshall after all.”

Marsh-dog started backing up.  “Hey, that’s not funny,” he squeaked.

Arnie and I both had a good laugh at that.  “Don’t worry,” chuckled Arnie.  “You’re too valuable to kill.  Besides, I’ll never get to switch lines if I kill you.”

“Ok, that’s still not funny.”

“Sorry, Marshall, I’ll stop now.”

When I stopped laughing, I said, “Ok, back to business.  Can you show me how to go to the in-between on my own?”

“Well, I think you can do it, especially judging by how well you handled going between before, and based on the fact that you have been able to make remote contacts.”

How well I handled it?  Are you kidding? So far, I have barfed on myself, was paralyzed, and pooped in my pants!  “If I handled it well, how bad has it been for the others?”

“Well, as you know, no one has gone into the in-between at your age, in fact not even close, and the few that have gone in-between have become much more ill than you, and a couple have died.”

Ok, I guess that’s worse than a load in your shorts...  “If it’s so dangerous, why did you take me there?”

“Because of you being so advanced, and because Gabriella took you there first, I knew you could survive it.”

“Yeah, but how did she know?”

“She has a vested interest in you, just like I do.  If she thought it could kill you she would not have taken you there.”

Marsh-dog was obviously getting antsy.  “Come on, dude!  Show him how to do it already!”

“We’ll get to that shortly.  And, please, don’t call me dude.”

“Oh, sorry, dude.  I mean, Arnie.”

“Alright.  Are you ready, Ferdie?”

Suddenly I was getting slightly cold feet.  “Are you sure I’m ready for this?  Maybe we should wait a little.”

“Well, if you are afraid...” began Arnie.

Marsh-dog chimed in.  “Come on, man, quit tapping your head.  You’re not a chicken, not after everything you’ve been through.”

“Ok, do you want to go with me?”

“Uh, no, dude, you go ahead.  I have faith in you.”

“That’s what I thought.”  I took a deep breath, forced my hands to my sides, and said, “I’m ready.  Let’s go for it.”

“Ok, Rambo,” Marsh-dog cackled.  “Let’s don’t get too dramatic.”

Arnie and I both shot him a look, and then Arnie said, “Now that you’ve been there, you can find your way back.  You need to see it in your mind, and when you have it pictured clearly, project yourself toward the light; it will take an extreme amount of concentration at first, but it will get easier as you repeat it.  It will help to visualize it if you close your eyes.  When you start to feel the vibrations, you will also feel the path to the in-between.  When you feel it, go quickly, because it will close on you if you don’t move fast enough.”

I looked at Arnie and Marsh-dog, hoping it wasn’t for the last time, and then closed my eyes.

“Now, see it in your mind, and concentrate on projecting your body toward it.  You will feel it pulling you when you have made a proper connection.  When you feel that, don’t let anything break your concentration, or you won’t make it.  You will feel, as you are moving toward it, a little like you are vibrating apart.  You didn’t feel that before because I took you there, and I took that sensation for both of us.  You won’t experience it as pain, exactly, but it will be uncomfortable, especially at first.”

“Alright,” I grimaced.  “I can deal with uncomfortable.”  Arnie was right; with my eyes closed it was easier for me to picture the other dimension.  I was trying to visualize the Good Line dimension, of course, because that Bad Line dimension was horrifying, even if I wasn’t really in it.  Ok, I can see it... the beautiful universe... the amazing swirls of stars, so many that they would be impossible to number... the colorful, infinite line of light blobs... the almost uncontrollable feeling of wanting to join them, a warm, comforted feeling, kind of like being hugged by a billion, billion grandmothers... now what was I supposed to do?  Oh yeah, concentrate on moving my body toward it... it’s really weird to try to move your body in your imagination without moving your real body... got to increase my concentration... come on, Ferdie, focus... ok, I’m moving toward it, now let’s see if I can feel it pulling me... keep moving...

Suddenly I felt a lurch, and I was being pulled forward!  I felt kind of like I was being ripped apart at the tiniest possible level, as if each cell in my body was being pulled individually, like billions of cell-sized fishhooks had hold of me.  Arnie was wrong, this wasn’t uncomfortable, this was torture.  Come on, Ferdie, hold it together... I could feel my body shaking... wait, I’m not shaking, I’m vibrating!  I can feel the vibrations somehow coming in tune with the in-between stage, like the strings of a guitar vibrating together to make a chord... everything has that shiny, shimmery look, like when I saw Gabriella appear... ok, I feel like I’m almost there... I can see my hands; they are starting to fade out...

A loud, pounding knock shook the door to Arnie’s office.

Chapter 19

“Hayward, what’s going on in there?” came a guttural call from the other side of the door.  It was Officer Granillo, the Assistant Chief.  He is a huge man, six-foot-seven, three hundred pounds, with a pock-marked face, a large nose, and a sour disposition.  I had met him a couple of times but I did my best to avoid him, because I’m kind of scared of him.  Having made entry to his mind in the past, I know he carries a lot of anger.  Apparently I had been making some noise as I was trying to go to the in-between, and that had attracted his attention.

“Ahh, just a minute,” replied Arnie, faking pain in his voice.  “I, ahh, have a, a kidney stone.”  He then whispered, just barely loud enough for me to hear, “Come on, Ferdie!  You’re not quite there.  You have to make it, because you’re fading out, but not all the way gone, and that will be hard to explain!  Marshall, get under the desk!”

I had to think quickly.  I could really concentrate and try to go all the way to the in-between, or break off my attempt, but if I did I might be out of it, and it might look pretty strange for Arnie to have a kid lying on the floor unable to move.  Ok, Ferdie, no more playing around, concentrate harder... that knock on the door took away some of my attention... got to get it back... come on, vibrate... man, that hurts... almost there... almost...

I felt myself vibrating like before, just as I heard a key slip into the doorknob.  The knob turned and in walked Officer Granillo.  Just at that moment, the vibrating suddenly stopped.  I did it!  Officer Granillo had a puzzled look on his face.  He obviously had seen me for a flash before I slipped into the in-between, but because I had almost instantly disappeared, he was now not sure.  “What, what was, oh, never mind,” he grunted.  “Hayward, what’s wrong with you?”

I told you, I have a kidney stone,” gasped Arnie, bending over and grimacing convincingly.

“Well, you’re making enough noise to scare a demon,” said Granillo, not realizing the irony in his statement.  “Why don’t you go home or to a doctor or something?”

“I will.  I just need to sit down for a few minutes first.”

“Well, don’t take too long.  I don’t want you dead on the floor.  What happened to those two kids who came in here?”

“Oh, they, ah, disappeared a while ago.  Must have gone home.”

“Huh.  I didn’t see ‘em go out.”

“Well, you know, kids can be sneaky sometimes.”

“Alright, try not to make too much noise.”  And with that Granillo left the office.

I watched all of that from the in between, trying hard to fight off the sick feeling and to maintain my concentration.  Then I noticed that, once I was in the in-between, it took a lot less concentration to remain there than it did to get there in the first place.  Feeling pretty sick, but I think I can get through it without barfing or making a doo-doo...

“Whew, that was close.  I know you can hear me, Ferdie.  Congratulations, you made it!  You need to come out soon; you’re not strong enough to be in there more than a minute or so.  Marshall, come on out, but keep your voice down.”

“Hey, what are you trying to say?” hissed Marsh-dog as he crawled out from under the desk.  Wait a minute... Arnie told me how to get here, but not how to get back!  I began to panic, and realized that, once again, I was tapping myself on the head.  Relax, Ferdie, you’ve got to think!  Let’s see, how did I get here?  Oh yeah, I got here by visualizing it and moving myself toward it by using extreme concentration... maybe if I do the reverse that will get me out of here... so I need to visualize Arnie’s office and then move my body toward it in my imagination... ok, I see it... the desk, the chairs, Arnie and Marsh-dog...now move toward it... concentrate... uh oh, there are the fishhooks again... man, it’s worse than before... I think I might pass out... I’m vibrating again, but it feels different... like a different speed or frequency or something... I can see my hands... Suddenly I was back, and apparently in one piece!  I fell to the floor face down, breathing very heavily, every inch of my body in agony.

“Well, well, well, you are one clever boy, Ferdie.  I was all set to go in and bring you back, but you made it on your own.  I didn’t tell you how to do it because I wanted to see what you would do, but I didn’t ever think that you would be able to make it back.  Coming back is much harder than getting there in the first place.”

“Now you tell me,” I choked, through coughing and spitting.

“Man, that was sweet,” grinned Marsh-dog.  “I’ve never seen anything like it.  Well, I didn’t really see anything, but I did see you fade out and fade back in, and then you fell down and... hey, are you alright?”

I looked at my shirt and I could tell I was not alright.  It was covered with blood; my nose was bleeding badly.  My right ear was throbbing, and I touched it and looked at my finger, more blood.  I hurt everywhere, but especially my head; I felt like it was going to explode.

Arnie looked at me, obviously concerned.  “Ferdie, do you think you can get up?  We need to get you cleaned up again before someone sees you.”

It took me a minute to answer, and when I did, it was nothing more than a croak: “I’ll try.”  I rolled over onto my back, and the room spun like a ceiling fan.  I closed my eyes until the spinning stopped, then opened them again, to be surprised by both Arnie and Marsh-dog, their faces inches away from mine.

“Dude, you don’t look too good,” squeaked Marsh-dog.

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, I feel worse than I look.  Why don’t you guys do something constructive and help me up?”

They both smiled and grabbed my hands, pulling me up to my feet.  This only lasted for a second, as my legs had no strength at all, and I tumbled forward, landing on top of Marsh-dog.  “Man, now you got me all bloody!  People are going to think I’m some kind of vampire or something!”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” I groaned.  “Vampires aren’t real.”

“Yeah, well I didn’t think demons were real either, but what about this dude right here?”

“Please, don’t make me ask you again not to call me dude,” Arnie deadpanned.

“Oh, right.  Sorry du...I mean Arnie.  Let’s get this dude off of me so we can both get cleaned up.”

“Ok, but keep your voices down.  We’ve already raised enough suspicion for one day.”

Marsh-dog looked confused: “Can’t you just use your demon powers to make them forget, or block the sound or something?”

“Really, Marshall, you must stop reading comic books.  Let’s get Ferdie up, and be quiet about it.”

“Finally,” I coughed.  “I thought you guys were going to just keep chatting all day.”  Arnie then rolled me off of Marsh-dog and sent him down to the bathroom to get paper towels.  My nose had pretty much stopped bleeding by then, but my head continued to pound like a jackhammer.

After Marsh-dog was gone, I said to Arnie, “I don’t think I am going to be able to do that again.  I kind of feel like it’s killing me a little each time or something.”

“I understand how you feel, but I promise you it will get easier.  It is not killing you, but it is changing you, making you stronger, sharpening your abilities.  Give it time.  Do you remember, maybe when you were a little younger, having growing pains?  It’s kind of like that.”

“If you say so,” I said, unconvinced.  I have had growing pains, and they were nothing like this.

Marsh-dog managed to make it back without arousing too much suspicion, and, even more surprisingly, we were able to get cleaned up enough that we left the station without anyone really noticing too much.  By the time we had finished cleaning up, I felt well enough to walk, and, though I was really unsteady, I faked it well enough to at least exit the building.  Every time someone caught sight of us as we made our way out, obviously noticing the blood that still was on our clothes, I pointed to my face, smiled, and said, “Bloody nose.  Sorry.”  Although I know I’m not supposed to do it because of the negative energy it creates, I was prepared to do a little “mind control” if I had to, to get us out.  Luckily I didn’t have to; all the people who noticed us on our way out looked sympathetic, disinterested, or just plain disgusted.

As we walked out the door, Marsh-dog whispered, “Let’s don’t do that again anytime soon, ok?”

I tapped my head as we walked out, and said, “No problemo, dude.”

Chapter 20

When we got home, we had no choice but to make up a story about what had happened, and the best we could come up with was that I tripped as we were going up the steps to the police station, giving myself a bloody nose in the process.  The story was lame, but Uncle Mark and Aunt Cindy seemed to believe it, and Ariel snorted, “It’s a good thing you didn’t go out for football, ‘cause you’d be dead by now with your luck.”

Aunt Cindy said, “I hope this is a phase you are going through, Ferdie, because I am not that used to having boys around, and you seem to get hurt a lot.”

“I’m sorry, Aunt Cindy, I promise I’ll try to be more careful.”

“That’s ok, honey, I’m just worried about you boys.”

As quickly as we could, Marsh-dog and I went to our room to check our Facebook page.  By now we’d had hundreds of responses to our ad.  Some were just curiosity seekers, and most were complete kooks, but a few seemed genuinely interesting.  We hunkered down in front of the computer to check for any new responses, and found one that seemed really promising, at least the most promising one so far.

“Check this out, ‘Nando,” said Marsh-dog excitedly.  “What do you think?”

“Let’s see... this person says that she has been having experiences that seem like she is able to tap into other people’s feelings, and even thoughts... the writing doesn’t seem crazy, she seems more like she is asking for help... let’s look at her page.  Can you check to see if she’s who she says she is?”

“That’s a dumb question.  Give me a minute.”  Then Marsh-dog was in his element, clicking away, unstoppable.  He navigated back to her Facebook page, and then was able to make direct contact with her computer.  I have no idea how that happens, it seems kind of like magic to me.  Of course, reading minds and becoming invisible probably seems like magic to him.

“Looks like she is who she says she is.  Her name is Lee Ling, and she’s from Hong Kong... look at this, she is a twenty-two-year-old college student and speaks English, French, and Chinese.  She looks cute in her profile picture... hey, man, you know I like the ladies... wait a minute, Chinese people put their last name first, don’t they?”

“Uh, I think that’s right...”

“Then her real name is Ling Lee.  From what she wrote, she doesn’t seem, like, dangerous or anything.  Seems like she’s just trying to figure out what’s going on in her head.”

“Ok, let’s give her the quiz.”  After setting up the Facebook ad, we realized that we needed a test to see if the person might really be one of The Seven, and, since she was the first one that seemed real, we sent her the following questions:

1.  When you come in contact with someone, do you sometimes feel like you can actually hear and see their thoughts in your head?

2.  Have you ever had contact with unusual people claiming to be angels or demons?

3.  Have you ever seen a weird book that has billions of names in it, and when you turn it over it has billions more names written in red?

4.  Have you ever seen other strange things, like people disappearing or appearing out of nowhere?

5.  Can you fly or levitate?  (We just put that question in to see if they lie.  If they lie on it they are probably lying on the rest.)

“Ok, all done.  Let’s see what happens,” squeaked Marsh-dog.  “I think I’ll go take a shower and get your blood off of me.  It’s kind of giving me the creeps.”

“Yeah, well, your face is giving me the creeps.  Try not to slip and fall down the drain, bony.”

“Come on, man, with a brain this big I would never fit.”

“And especially not with that hair.”  And with that, Marsh-dog left the room, chuckling his way down the hall.  I think I better get out of these bloody clothes too... man, I feel tired from all that “going to the in-between” stuff... think I’ll lie down for a while...  After changing, I turned to walk to my bed, when I got a familiar feeling.  I turned in time to see Gabriella materialize.

“Do you follow me around all the time, or does it just seem like it?”  I growled irritably.

“I’m sorry, Ferdie.  I thought you might be happy to see me.”

“I’m sorry too... I’m just kind of tired.  Seriously, where are you when you’re not here?”

“I have a human life, just like your friend Arnie.  When I am not here that is where I am.  I live in Sweden.”

“What!?  Sweden is in, like, a whole other country!  How do you find me?”

“I simply visualize your location and then project myself to where you are.”

“So you know where I am at all times?”

“No, I can only guess based on where you normally are.  I project myself there, and if you are not there I project myself to the next logical location until I find you.”

“Is this the first time today that you have tried to find me?”

“Yes, why do you ask?”

“Oh, just wondering.”  I didn’t want her to know all of what had happened earlier with Arnie, so I was glad of this.  “Hold on.  You can project yourself here all the way from Sweden?  I didn’t know you could do that!”

“Oh, yes, although it is quite difficult to do.  Given your advanced state, I would think that you would be able to accomplish it, though.  That would make you the first human ever to project yourself through the in-between over a distance.  Of course, you will have to learn how to go to the in-between by yourself first, which is also quite a challenge.”

You’re telling me... obviously she doesn’t know I can already do that, or else she is a really good liar and is waiting for me to slip up...  “How long does it take you to get here from Sweden?”

“It is rather instantaneous once I visualize your location.”

“Can Arnie do that projecting over distance stuff?”

“No, there are some differences between our home dimensions, and hence some differences in our abilities.  You have managed to exceed every possible expectation with regard to your abilities, and I do expect that, with time, you will master this as well.  Now, tell me of any contacts you have had with Arnie Hayward since our last meeting.”

I told Gabriella about meeting with Arnie earlier that day, leaving the part out about going in-between by myself.  I thought that her not having that little piece of information might come in handy at some point in the future.  I told her that Arnie told me he was going to take me out next week on a case that he had been working on.

“Ferdie, I have told you how important it is that Arnie Hayward fails in his attempt to change lines, and I have told you that I must keep him from changing lines.  He will not be able to succeed without your help.  As a human you have free will and can therefore decide your course of action for yourself, but if you do decide to help him please remember that I will have to stop you as well, and I will use whatever means necessary to do so.  Please make the right choice so that we don’t get to that point.”

Man, if an angel killed you I wonder how they would do it... maybe you would just be disintegrated... however they would do it, I bet you would go to the Bad Line for sure...

“Ok, I get it.  It’s kind of tricky, though.  If I don’t help him he will probably kill me, and if I do help him you will probably kill me.  So I’m kind of screwed either way.”

“I can see how you would feel like that, but I can protect you if you make the right decision.”

“How?  You already said you live on the other side of the world and you have to guess at where I am.  I think if Arnie wanted to kill me you wouldn’t be able to stop him because he would take me somewhere you wouldn’t be able to find me.”

At that moment, Marsh-dog came through the door, while rapping: “My name is Marshall, and I don’t mean Mathers, whenever I roll up all the women like to gather...” and he stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of Gabriella and stared at her, transfixed.    “Dude, close the door, quick,” I hissed, and he backed up until the door was closed without taking his eyes off of her.  He then fell to his knees and raised his hands as if he had just seen... well, as if he had just seen an angel.

Chapter 21

“What are you doing?” I whispered to Marsh-dog, as he bowed low to the ground while continuing to keep his eyes on Gabriella, which looked quite uncomfortable.

“Don’t you have any sense?” he replied in a shaky voice.  “This is a real angel, right here in front of us.  Didn’t you ever go to church or anything?”  There were tears in his eyes; he was legitimately overwhelmed by Gabriella’s presence, which for some reason I found hysterically funny.  I guess partly it was funny because of the way he looked.  His ‘fro was all flat from just getting out of the shower, and he was wearing only a towel, which accented his extremely skinny body.  He looked kind of like a crazy homeless person praying for food.

I had to swallow hard to keep from laughing, and then said, “I stopped believing in things like angels when my parents died, and I didn’t believe in them again until one actually came to see me.  After that, though, I don’t know, it’s weird... they just kind of seem like normal people to me.”

“Man, you’re crazy.  I always knew you were mental, and now you proved it.”

This time I couldn’t hold back, I laughed hard.  “Hello, Marshall,” said Gabriella in her sing-song-y voice.  “Please, stand up.  There is no need to kneel or bow.”  Marsh-dog looked up cautiously, as if he was afraid of being struck by lightning, and slowly stood up.

“So, I guess you already know about Marsh-dog and what he knows about you and Arnie,” I said, getting over my case of the giggles.

“I know about Marshall, and that he and you are on the same path, based on your shared tragedies.  My only concern related to Marshall is his ability to avoid divulging what he knows.”

“I don’t know about divulging, but I won’t say anything, that’s for sure,” Marsh-dog declared.

“I hope that is true,” Gabriella smiled sweetly.  Just then, footsteps approached down the hall, and from the heaviness of the steps I could tell it was Uncle Mark.  “I must go quickly.  Remember what I have said, Ferdie.”  And with that, she faded away.  Thump, thump, thump! came Uncle Mark’s pounding knock at the door.

“Hey, boys, it’s time for dinner.”

“Ok, Uncle Mark, be right down.”  Marsh-dog and I had a moment of eye contact.  “Man, that was close.  These supernatural people need to be a little more careful.”  I could see that Marsh-dog was still emotional over seeing Gabriella, so I just waited for him to say something, and after a minute he did.

“I know we’re supposed to believe in stuff like angels and Heaven, but believing is one thing and seeing is another.  How could it be real?  But there she was, right in front of me.  I guess somewhere in the back of my mind, even with all I’ve seen, I thought maybe you were either making this stuff up or were just plain crazy, and the crazy was rubbing off on me.  It is real, isn’t it?”

I thought for a moment.  “Yeah, it’s real, unless I am in a mental hospital somewhere and all this is just me hallucinating, including you.  You’re real, aren’t you?”

Marsh-dog finally smiled.  “Dude, I’m the real-est.  And you know what else is real?  Dinner.  Let’s go!”

As we ate, Marsh-dog kept everyone entertained with stories that were mostly made up about how I got a bloody nose and how he saved my life by stopping the bleeding.  The stories themselves weren’t that funny, but he just has a funny way of saying things, and he kept everyone amused throughout dinner.  He had become quite a hit with the whole family, and especially Ariel and my cousins, Jill and Debbi.  Every time she sees him, Ariel says, “Hey Marshall, tell me a joke.”  He always protests in mock anguish, saying, ‘Aw, man, not again’, but he always has a new joke to tell.  I know he still has a crush on Ariel, so he definitely likes the attention.

After dinner, we went back to our room to see if Ling Lee had responded to our quiz, and to see if we could get her to talk to us.  “Marsh, what time is it in Hong Kong?” I asked.  Among his many skills, Marsh-dog has a freakish ability to tell you the time in any part of the world.

“Let’s see, Hong Kong is fifteen hours ahead of us, and its seven fifteen p.m. here, so that means its ten fifteen a.m. tomorrow there.  She’s a college student so she might be in school, but she gets Facebook on her phone, so even if she’s not home she might answer us.”

I was again amazed at his skill.  “How do you know she gets Facebook on her phone?”

“Come on, dude, you know I can’t give away all my secrets.  If I told you all this stuff you wouldn’t need me anymore, and then I would be out in the cold.”

“Nah, I would still keep you around, just for the comedy.  Ok, enough chatting, let’s see if she took the quiz.”

“Ok, let’s see... yep, she did it... on question one she says yes, she does feel like she can hear people’s thoughts when she comes in contact with them, except that they are hard to understand because they often don’t seem to be thinking in words.”

“Yeah, that’s how it is!  Most of the time it just comes as a jumble of words and pictures that you have to figure out, kind of like a foreign language or a puzzle.  Keep going!”

“Ok, number two, no, she has not met any angels or demons, number three no, she has not seen that crazy book that only you can see, but number four, she says she thinks she has seen people appear out of the corner of her eye, and that they seem to be watching her.  Hmm, could just be paranoid like you...”

“I’m not paranoid, I’m hypervigilant.  There’s a difference.”

“Whatever.  Ok, number five, no, people can’t fly without a plane or some similar device.  Looks like she passed the test.”

“Man, I think she might be for real!  She’s not as far along as me, but what she has experienced so far is exactly like me, and it sounds like angels or demons or both are watching her to see how far she develops.  We have to figure out how to talk to her!”

“What, you mean like maybe with this weird plastic box the young folks are calling a “computer”?  Or this other thing that sends voices out right through the air, called a telephone?”

“Don’t try to be funny.  You’re already funny enough looking.  I mean in person.  I need to contact her directly so I can get into her mind, see if she is really for real.”

“Well, how are you going to do that, David Blaine?  As far as I know, you can’t turn yourself into a bird yet, and I’m pretty sure you can’t walk on water.”

“Alright, so I don’t have everything figured out yet.  I think maybe... maybe I can make contact with her mind if she is one of The Seven.  I’m guessing that her mind will be, like, amplified or something, and that might make it possible.”

“I thought you couldn’t do that stuff unless you had met them in person before.”

“Yeah, that’s true, but if she’s one of The Seven I think I might be able to do it.  It couldn’t hurt to try.  And there’s something else I didn’t tell you.  I found out from Gabriella that it’s possible to go to the in-between and project myself over long distances, so in a way I can fly.  I don’t know how to do it yet, but I think I might be able to figure it out.”

“Yeah, but you still can’t turn yourself into a bird.  Now that would be a good trick.”

“Man, I could take a doo doo made out of solid gold, and you would complain about the smell.”

“Alright, alright.  Should we send her a message first over Facebook, tell her you are going to try to contact her?  Maybe it would help if she knew you were going to try to get into her mind.”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea.  Ask her if she can post a picture of where she is, that might help me too.”  Then Marsh-dog went back to his computer and sent Ling Lee the message.

When he was done, he exhaled deeply and said, “Ok, now we wait.”  And wait.  And wait.  It was ten thirty p.m., and I was just drifting off to sleep when Ling Lee’s response came in.  “Wake up, sleeping ugly.  Here we go... she says she is very excited for you to try to make contact with her this way, and she posted a picture of her apartment.  Look.”  The apartment looked small but very clean and tidy, not at all like the apartment of a typical college student in the U.S.

“Cool!  Ok, ask her if she’s by herself, it’ll probably be best if no one else is around.  And ask her to be sure not to say anything about this to anyone.  They might think she’s crazy and lock her up.”

Marsh-dog went back to pounding the keyboard, and this time the reply came back quickly.  “She says she is alone, and she hasn’t said anything about this because she thought maybe she was mentally ill and didn’t want anyone to know.”

“Dude, I know how she feels.  Ok, maybe it will help if she just thinks of the same thing, like chanting the same thing over and over.  That might help me tune in to her.  And tell her not to be disappointed if we can’t make contact, because I’ve never tried to do this before.”

Marsh-dog sent the message, and again the reply came quickly.  “She says she is going to say your name over and over again because people naturally tune in to the sound of their own name.  ‘Oh, Ferdie, Ferdie, Ferdie’,” Marsh-dog mocked.

“Hey, that’s a good idea.  She must be pretty smart,” I said, ignoring the taunt.  “Ok, tell her I’m going to start now.  This might take a while.”  I stared at her picture and the picture of her apartment, getting them fixed solidly in my mind, and then I looked at where Hong Kong was in relation to our home in little old Bakersfield, California on the globe.  I then closed my eyes and imagined myself leaving my room, flying over the hills to the coast of California, gliding over the Pacific Ocean, all the way to the island nation of Hong Kong.  For a moment I lost my concentration when I realized that I was tapping myself in the head again, and that I was shaking and sweating uncontrollably.  Then I regained my focus. Ok, Ferdie, stay with it... I can see the massive, modern city... I’ve never seen so many people packed in like they are there before... focus on her image and the image of her apartment, that will lead you to her... man, my head is hurting... don’t lose focus, you can do it...

I sped in my mind around the towering buildings, searching for any trace, any hint of her location.  I should have asked her to take a picture of her building from the outside... wait, I think that’s Hong Kong University... I feel something, in fact, I see something... what is that building... Suen Chi Sun Hall... I can see a shimmery glow from a window... I feel like I am passing through some kind of barrier or boundary... I am being hit with some kind of radiation, kind of like the rays of the sun, but more intense... Suddenly there was an explosion in my mind, and everything went blank for a minute.

I’m not sure if I passed out or not, but when my head cleared, I looked around and tried to regain my focus.  Come on, Ferdie, shake it off...wait a minute, my head has stopped hurting...in fact I feel strong... a hundred times stronger than I have ever felt before... mentally strong... I can feel my name... it’s as if it is hitting all of my senses at the same time... how could I have missed it before?  It’s so obvious and so massive... I passed through a window on the East side of the building, and there she was, sitting on her bed, chanting, over and over: “Ferdie, Ferdie, Ferdie...”

Chapter 22

My first thought upon seeing Ling Lee was, I did it!  My second thought was man, she is cute, just like her picture!  My third thought was, it’s a little embarrassing for her to be sitting there chanting my name... man, the power I’m feeling is overwhelming... I feel like I could tap into a hundred people at the same time... ok, back to the task at hand... she can’t see me or hear me... so how am I going to let Ling Lee know I’m here?  Maybe I can just get into her head to let her know I made it... I went to that familiar place in my mind where I am walking down a dark corridor until I come to a door with Ling Lee’s picture on it, then open the door and walk in.  As I did Ling Lee bolted to her feet, eyes wide, and then fell back to her knees, vomiting violently.

Man, I didn’t know that would happen... let’s see what happens when I speak to her mind... “Ling Lee, this is Ferdie.  I’m sorry, I didn’t know connecting with you would make you sick.  I can’t believe I did it!”

Ling Lee clapped her hands to her ears, grimaced, and fell to her side, as if the sound of me speaking had the same effect as being next to a jet as it was taking off.  Then, after a minute or so, her thoughts finally came through.  “Too strong... Ferdie, you are too powerful...”

I never thought of myself as powerful, but I can feel it now... how do I communicate with her without overpowering her?  How do you whisper in your thoughts?  How about if I only open the door a crack, just peek through... I imagined myself going back out the door, closing it until there was just a sliver to see in, and then whispered, “Sorry, Ling Lee, is this better?”

“Yes, better.  This is unbelievable!  Is it real, or am I ill mentally?  Please tell me, Ferdie!  It just doesn’t seem to be possible!”

I smiled to myself.  Although her English was really good, she seemed to have a few struggles.  “I know how you feel.  I’ve been feeling like that for the last several years.  If you don’t believe this, you really won’t believe all the stuff that’s happened to me.”

Oh, please, tell me, Ferdie.  I want know everything.”  And with that, it all just poured out; I told her everything, every detail.  Angels, demons, Good Line, Bad Line, Book of Names, The Seven, the in-between, all of it.  It probably took a couple of hours, and there is no way I could have maintained this connection before, but my contact with her had somehow amplified my powers to the point that I didn’t even feel a strain.  I could feel myself tapping my head at times, especially when I told her about my parents and Marsh-dog’s parents.  When I finally reached the end, I said, “I know this all seems impossible.  Believe me, if someone told me this junk, I would think they were crazy.  And sometimes, lots of times, I wish it wasn’t real, but it is.”

“So, Ferdie, what are you going to do in regards your conflict between Gabriella and Arnie?”

“I don’t know what I’m going to do yet.  It looks like there’s no way out.  I lose either way I go.  To tell you the truth, that’s the main reason I started looking for the other members of The Seven.  I was hoping together we could figure a way out.  I know that’s selfish of me, but I’m getting kind of desperate.”

“I don’t think ever I will be able to do all of the things you already have done.  It is beyond my imagination.  Still, it will very much be my pleasure to help you in any way I can.”

“You’ve already helped me; now I know I’m not completely alone, that there is another person who knows at least part of what I’m going through.  And somehow, connecting with you has really increased my power.  I don’t know if it will only last as long as we’re connected, but either way it might be something we can use down the road.  And please, don’t say anything about this to anyone.  The less people that know, the better.  You never know, those angels and demons are smart, they might get some humans to spy for them, and they could cause all kinds of trouble.”

“We will need to develop some kind code, then, when we communicate in the future.  If it is acceptable to you, I will start to work on that.”

“That’s a great idea!  I could tell you are really smart, that’s probably why you have been able to find some of your powers.  Gabriella and Arnie tell me that most people who are members of The Seven live their whole lives without ever having any idea of what they have.  Well, I think it’s time to let you go.  I’ll be in touch with you again soon.”

“Thank you very so much, Ferdie.  I feel like I have come in contact with a real, live superhero.  Although I am fearful, also this seems like a great adventure.”

Yeah, right, superhero... if I was a superhero I would probably be able to find a way out of this mess... these superhero powers are responsible for killing my parents, and Marsh-dog’s parents, and eventually, probably me too...  “Yeah, I think it will be a great adventure.  See you, Ling Lee.”

“Please, call me Ling.”

“Ok, Ling.”  And with that, I broke the connection, and I felt myself soaring back, although much faster this time, and in an instant I was back in my room.  I was surprised to find myself standing up, and feeling ok.

“Man, it’s about time,” Marsh-dog yawned.  “It’s almost two in the morning.”

“Sorry, dude, why don’t you go to sleep.  I’ll tell you what happened in the morning.”

“Oh, no, don’t try to pull that crap.  I want details, and I want ‘em now.”

“Ok, ok, don’t get your panties in a ruffle.  First, tell me what I looked like while I was gone.”

“At first you just stood there with your eyes closed, but after a few minutes you started shaking and sweating.  I was thinking I might have to snap you out of it, but then all of a sudden, I don’t know, something happened.  For a minute you grabbed your head like it was hurting real bad, and then you started up with your tapping, but you were standing up straight, and seemed like you got some energy from somewhere, because you put your arms out to the sides and, this might sound kind of dumb, but you seemed like you were, like, glowing or something, and that probably lasted about two hours.  I was getting pretty tired and ready to go to sleep, when you finally just opened your eyes, and there you were.”

Ok, well, here’s what happened.”  I went on to tell Marsh-dog everything that happened during my meeting with Ling Lee.  Marsh-dog occasionally asked a question or two, but mostly just sat there with his mouth open.

When I was done he squeaked, “So she is one of The Seven after all, eh, Spiderman?”  I knew I shouldn’t have told him about the superhero comment!

“Yeah, and we can talk more about it tomorrow.  Now will you please let me get to sleep?”

“Sure thing, oh Mighty Thor,” Marsh-dog giggled.  I sighed heavily, and fell on my bed without even changing.  As I drifted off to sleep, I thought about my parents, and turned toward the wall so that Marsh-dog couldn’t see me, just in case I started... well, you know.

Chapter 23

In the morning I woke early, and tried to make sense of recent events.  It’s easy to see now how some members of The Seven in the past were evil; the power is intoxicating, and kind of makes you think you can do anything you want.  If you already lean toward evil, this could definitely push you over the edge.  I don’t really feel tempted that way yet, but you never know... I can also see why Gabriella and Arnie don’t want me to contact other members of The Seven.  The increase in power probably makes me a little more of a threat to them.  What if I decided to go my own way, not help either of them?  They would probably eventually have to battle it out, and that could be really bad, and who knows, they may have powers I don’t know about... they could still probably kill me anyway.  I feel like I should really help Arnie, especially after seeing what Hell is really like, but what if I’m wrong?

Speaking of Arnie, Marsh-dog and I were supposed to go on a ride-along with Arnie today, which I was kind of looking forward to, because I was hoping it might take my mind off of all this other stuff for a while.  First, though, I had an appointment with Dr. Saresh.  He says I am making progress with my OCD but I don’t know, it seems the same to me.  Uncle Mark drove me to Dr. Saresh’s office, and I walked in a little nervous as usual, because I always feel like he can almost read my mind, which seems kind of ironic because I really can read his.  After a few minutes he called me in, and I sat down at my usual chair across from him.  “Hello, Ferdie,” he said in his cheerful Indian accent.  “It’s been a couple of weeks, so let’s catch up.”

Then, as usual, he just waited for me to start talking.  Sometimes it took a while for me to come up with something to talk about, but today it came out pretty easily.  I had been wondering for a while what he would say if I told him the truth.  Would he have me committed to a psychiatric hospital, or what?  I decided that this probably wasn’t the best time to tell him about what has really been happening, because I couldn’t afford to be locked up for a couple of years right now.  Instead, I told him about some of the episodes I had been having with tapping my head (leaving out the supernatural incidents, of course), and issues I had been having with hypervigilance, which usually had to do with having difficulty trusting other people.  While it’s true that I have an issue with that, I have a reason to feel that way that most other people don’t: I know what people are really thinking.

“Ah, yes, Ferdie, it seems that you feel you must always be on guard.  I bet that is having an effect on your relationships with your family and friends, Yes?”

“Yeah, that’s probably true.  I don’t really have very many friends, and I guess I kind of keep people at a distance, and don’t let them get too close to me.  Do you think I’ll always be this way?”

“Well, remember, Ferdie, after what you have been through at such a young age, this is your mind’s way of protecting you from further hurt and pain.  What we need to do now is help you to recognize that not everyone is a threat to you, so you don’t really need to protect yourself so, well, vigilantly.  This will take some time, and will depend on your desire to change.”

I had to think about that one for a while.  In a way I have the ultimate form of emotional protection; I know what other people are thinking, or at least I can know if I want to, and that’s pretty hard to give up.  As I was thinking, I suddenly realized that I had just been sitting there and Dr. Saresh was waiting for me to say something.  “Oh, sorry, doctor, I guess I need to think about all that some more.  Can we talk about it next time?”

“Sure, Ferdie.  I get the feeling that there is something else you want to talk to me about.”

How did he know that?  This guy is really good...  “Well, actually I wanted to tell you about this dream I have all the time... what do you call it?  Oh, yeah, a recurring dream.”  Then I told him about my dream of the angel with the demon face and the bull’s head with the human face, all the people getting killed and me unable to help them.

Dr. Saresh listened quietly as I spoke.  “That must be very scary for you.  I assume you would like for me to give you some thoughts about what such a recurring dream could possibly mean.”

“Well, yeah, I would like to know.”

“I do have some ideas about it, but I would like to consult with one of my colleagues to verify what I am thinking.  Your time is about up anyway.  May we discuss it when I see you in two weeks?”

Since it didn’t seem like I had any other choice, I said, “Sure.  See you then.”

After my appointment with Dr. Saresh, Uncle Mark took Marsh-dog and me to the police station to ride along with Arnie.  We had decided that it was best not to tell Arnie about our latest experiences and my advances in developing my powers, just in case we needed the element of surprise.

As we walked in the police station to meet Arnie, we were greeted, as usual, by Miss Lucy, the receptionist at the front desk.  It was hard to tell, because I have only ever seen her sitting down, but she seems unusually tall, and, while she is really pretty, she seems intimidating.  I always thought it was interesting that she was so friendly and nice to Marsh-dog and me, but she seemed to be almost mean to everyone else.  I guess when you are at the front desk at the police department you have to protect yourself, kind of like being hypervigilant.  “Hi boys!” she gushed.  “It’s sure nice to see you.  Are you going for a ride today?”

I was a little afraid to talk to her, so I didn’t say anything for a moment, but of course Marsh-dog answered. “Yes, ma’am.  We plan to catch some criminals today.  Would you like to come along?”  Man, Marsh-dog has guts!  Miss Lucy laughed out loud, which I had never heard her do before, and it was a hearty guffaw, not what you would expect to come out of her.

“Well, I would love to, Marshall, but I have to work.  Maybe I can come along some other time.”  This is awesome!  Marsh-dog got Miss Lucy to flirt with him!

“Well, when you are ready it will be my pleasure,” purred Marsh-dog, bowing low at the waist, and Miss Lucy guffawed again, and even snorted.  We walked down the hall toward Arnie’s office, with me shaking my head in amazement at Marsh-dog.  He looked at me as we walked, and said, “Hey dude, you’re not the only one with super powers.”  I bent over laughing, and just at that moment several officers came running down the corridor in our direction, including Arnie.

“Come on, boys,” he shouted, “Were rolling.”  We turned and ran behind him into the parking lot to his unmarked car, and dove in the back seat as he was roaring out of his parking space.

Marsh-dog and I tumbled about in the careening car, and Marsh-dog squeaked, “Dude, you almost killed us!  What’s the big hurry?”

As usual, Arnie was cool as a cucumber.  “We’ve got to get to the scene of a case quickly, and don’t call me dude.”

“Oh, sorry, du... I mean Arnie.”  As we raced along, buckling ourselves in, Arnie filled us in on the details of the case.  It was a horrifying scene that brought back a flood of memories for me, and for Marsh-dog as well.  In the southeast corner of town a father had reportedly shot and killed one of his children and tried to shoot the other, but the second child managed to escape, running to a neighbor’s home, spattered with the blood of his sister.  The father had left the scene, and was “at large,” as Arnie put it.

“Marshall, why don’t you hop up here and put yourself to good use on my laptop.  We need some info on this perp.”

“On this what?”

“Perp. Perpetrator.  The person who did the crime.  His name is Javier Ordoñez.”

“Oh.  Perp.  Got it.”  Marsh-dog jumped into the front seat and began blazing away on Arnie’s computer.  Within moments, Marsh-dog said, “There’s nothing here.  No history at all on this perp.  Seems like this perp has been an upstanding citizen until now.”

“Ok.  Very impressive use of the lexicon, by the way.”

“The what?’

“The lexicon.  The... oh, never mind.  We’re here.”

We pulled to a stop at pink, stucco, one-story house with a rusty chain-link fence in the front.  The area didn’t seem exactly like the ghetto, but it was definitely in the same zip code.  The front door of the house was open, and there were police cars lining the street.  There was blood on the ground and the walls of the front room, and a woman was being held up by two officers in the front yard.  She was crying and screaming, and, although I couldn’t make out what she was saying, she was obviously the dead child’s mother.  There were people all over the place, many standing in their doorways or front yards, and some standing out in the middle of the street looking on.  Some were visibly upset, but most just had the sort of casually interested look on their faces of someone who is driving past a car wreck, almost as if to say ‘this kind of stuff happens around here all the time’.

Arnie jumped out and growled, “Stay in the car.  I’ll be back in a minute.”  He rushed to the officers who were holding up the woman, spoke to them briefly, and quickly entered the house.  I could see through the open door as he knelt down next to another officer.  Lying on the floor at their feet was a young child with long, brown hair.  She was not moving, and was surrounded by blood.  I couldn’t see her wound from where I was, but it must have been in the chest or body, because her head and face seemed normal, except for the spatters of blood.  I glanced at Marsh-dog and he seemed on the verge of getting sick.  After a few moments, Arnie rose and ran back to the car.

“Ok, fellas, hang on tight,” Arnie grunted, and we started to pull away from the house, only to be stopped by several people standing in the street, blocking our path.  Arnie honked the horn and turned on his siren, and the people started moving, although two of them flipped us off.  We finally were able to exit, tires squealing, making several spectacular high-speed turns, and eventually ending up on the freeway heading north.

“The only information I have right now is that he is in a stolen car, unknown make or model, and is heading toward Fresno.  We have to locate him before he hurts anyone else.  Ferdie, this is where you come in.  I have his picture, you take a good look and see if you can make out where he is.”  Arnie handed the picture to Marsh-dog, who was still in the front seat, and he handed it to me after peering at it for a moment with a disgusted look on his face.

“I’ll do my best,” I said, feeling quite grim, and then said quickly, “Arnie, do you think this might be the kind of case that can help you, you know, change lines?”

“Could be, but I’m not really concerned with that right now.  let’s just catch this scumbag before anything else happens.”

I suddenly had renewed admiration for Arnie, even if he was a demon.  “Ok, here goes.”  I stared at the picture for a full minute, concentrating so hard sweat began pouring down my face.  I was tapping my head so hard I opened a little cut and started to bleed.  I was beginning to think I was not going to be able to make a connection, when suddenly an image popped into my head... I trained my inner eye on the image, and I could feel myself flying forward, unbelievably fast, speeding past cars as if they were standing still.  It made me feel sick to my stomach, and I thought for a moment I was going to throw up... and suddenly there he was.  He looked surprisingly young, with a full, bushy black hair and neatly trimmed goatee, very slim and wiry-looking.  He was babbling a stream of words in Spanish... I really don’t know any Spanish except for a few of the cuss words, and his manic rambling included lots of those.  He was driving really fast, and was swerving around traffic in a way that would probably cause a wreck soon.  I quickly decided to pull back and tell Arnie what I was seeing.

“Arnie, I found him!  He’s too far ahead, we won’t catch him before he crashes and kills someone else!”

“That’s what I was afraid of!  We’ve got to stop him!”

Marsh-dog piped up.  “Well duh, Mr. Superhero, why don’t you just make him stop?  I mean, you can do that, can’t you?”

“I might be able to... what do you think, Arnie?”

“I think it’s probably our only chance.  Do it quickly, just as I say... all you need to do is get him to slow down and pull over and I’ll do the rest when we catch up to him.  You’ll have to maintain control of him until we get there, and when you get ready to take control, do it gently, so that you get control of him before he realizes it and tries to crash.  Got it?”

“Arnie, remember what you told me about taking control of a person, how it adds up a lot of negative energy?”

“Yes, but we can’t worry about that now.  And, I think stopping a killer before he kills again will outweigh any negative energy that adds up.  Are you ready now?”

I took a deep breath, feeling unusually scared.  “Ok, here goes nothing.”  I closed my eyes again, concentrating on the speeding man in the picture.  Because I had already found him, it was easier to find him again.  As before, I felt myself flying forward, hurtling past the traffic, and as I went I noticed several cars on the side of the freeway.  I guess he probably scared some people so bad with his crazy driving that they pulled over.  Ok, there he is... I shot forward, into the careening car.  Remember, be gentle, so that he doesn’t know I am taking over until it is too late for him to respond... I used my normal visualization, walking down the dark, shadowy hall full of doors until I found his... I opened the door as carefully and quietly as I could... and was greeted by evil laughter filling my mind.  I looked around the darkened, nearly empty space, and noticed, on the opposite side of the space, a shadowy figure... too distant and obscure to make out any features...

“Why, Hello, Ferdie!  I thought you might try to make contact this time, and you didn’t disappoint!  Your pitiful attempts at heroics are really hilarious... ah, but you are stronger now!  You’ll never be a match for me, but still... impressive!”

It’s him!  My mind is scrambled... got to pull it together, distract him... ask him something... “What is your name?  Are you an angel or a demon?” I screamed into his brain.  The car lurched to the side, skidding and sliding before regaining control.

Again the horrible laughter.  “Yes, Ferdie!  You have definitely increased your power.  Now is not the time to reveal myself to you completely, but don’t worry, we will meet soon enough, and when we do I will eat your heart for breakfast, after I destroy that extraordinary mind of yours... now you must go, so that I can finish this little project.”

As he was talking, I was concentrating on trying to find a way to get to him, looking all around, but finding no way to break through.  I can’t get to him directly, I can feel he’s just too well defended... I need to develop more before I will be able to go up against him again... he’s just toying with me now, he could hurt me if he wanted to and there’s nothing I could do about it...

“Oh yes, one final thing, since I know you are wondering.  Yes, it was me who killed your parents, and your little friend Marshall’s parents, and in the end I will kill you too.  That will be a red-letter day for me, I assure you.”

I felt a great wave of energy building up inside of me, and sent it screaming toward him.  “I will find you and make you pay for what you did!  You will pay!”

I could tell, even through the grief flooding through me, that the bolt of energy shook him.  “Well, well, Ferdie... our little picnic together has come to an end.  Trust me, you will have all eternity to regret your weakness...” and then he pushed me out of Javier Ordoñez’ mind.  I tried to get back in but couldn’t do it, and as I was trying I felt the car accelerate, swerve violently to the right, and ram directly into the left rear of a school bus.  The bus careened wildly, skidding until it was traveling sideways down the freeway, occupying all three lanes.  Then it tipped over, almost in slow motion, landing on two cars that were unable to get out of the way, and slid on its side until it smashed against the side of a freeway overpass.  As I watched in horror, all I could hear was the monster’s laughter ringing in my ears.

Chapter 24

After the massive wreck, I was finally released, and went whipping back into my body in Arnie’s car.  “Hit the brakes!” I hollered, and Arnie swerved to the side of the road as he saw the smoke rising ahead.  “I tried to stop him, but he was being controlled!  It was the same person who killed Marsh-dog’s parents, and he told me he killed my parents too!  He was too strong, I tried but I couldn’t... I couldn’t...” My ability to speak suddenly disappeared, and was replaced by sobs.

Arnie looked at me very intently, and then said in clear, measured tones, “Listen to me, Ferdie.  This is not your fault.  This is the work of a madman, and one who is clearly very powerful.  You can’t take the guilt on yourself.  If we are to catch this person, we all need to be at our best, and guilt will cloud your mind and stop your progress.”

“Do you know what just happened?”  I cried.  “Do you know how many people are dead or wounded because of me?  How am I supposed to not feel guilty?  I should just kill myself and get it over with so that no one else has to die!”

Marsh-dog looked very upset at that.  “Hold on, dude.  I know you are feeling bad, but remember my parents?  Remember the deal we made?  I can’t make him pay for what he did without you.  Plus, if you die I won’t have any place to live.”

I knew that last bit was his way of trying to snap me back to reality by joking with me, but I wasn’t ready for it yet.  “I’m not kidding.  Why not just get it over with?  He’s going to kill me in the end any way; he’s too strong for me.  He held me and there was nothing I could do.”

Arnie spoke again, very slowly: “Ferdie, killing yourself won’t help.  In fact, it will make things much worse.  Unless I am very wrong, and I don’t think I am, if you die there will be nothing to hold him back.  I think the only reason he hasn’t killed more people already is that he fears you, and believes that you will be able to stop him soon.  He is waging psychological warfare against you, trying to make you believe that there is nothing you can do to stop him.”

“Well, it’s working,” I bawled.  But, I was beginning to see Arnie’s point.  Wasn’t there a moment where I perceived a hint of fear in... I need a name for him... I know, I am going to call him The Coward... he is a coward, afraid to reveal himself...  As we sat there, trying to come to grips with what had happened, the blare of emergency vehicle sirens filled the air, along with skidding tires and people crying out in pain and sorrow.  All of a sudden, it all became too much for me; I shut down and turned in on myself, not talking or responding to anything being said; I didn’t really even hear anything.  This is it; I have really lost it this time... Dr. Saresh told me that, sometimes when people are faced with traumatic situations, they go into a state of... what is it called... catatonia, that’s it.  They just stop responding to anything... it’s kind of like a sponge that is completely soaked... no matter how much more water you pour on it, it won’t take any more in... I’m a sponge... I’m a sponge... I’m a...

I woke up and looked around, and I didn’t recognize where I was for a second.  As my eyes cleared, I could see that I was in what appeared to be a hospital room.  I was hooked up to an I.V. line, and there were the various kinds of machines you would find in a hospital room, beeping and flashing away.  My waking must have sent some kind of signal, because a nurse rushed in to the room, saying, in a jolly tone, “Well, look at you, Mr. Sleepyhead!  How do you feel?”

I was obviously still a little out of it, because it took me a few seconds to process what she said.  “Oh, I feel ok,” I croaked, realizing that my throat felt dry and sore.

“Well, that’s great.  You gave us a little bit of a scare there.”

“Wha, what happened?  The last thing I remember, I was in the car with Arnie and Marsh-dog.”

“Do you remember your accident?”

“No, what accident?”

“The car you were in was rear-ended by another car trying to avoid the big pile-up.  You’re friends are ok, they only received minor injuries, but you took a pretty good hit on the head.  You’ve been unconscious for a little while because of the concussion you received.”

Well, at least I’m not in a hospital for crazy people... but what a way to get over catatonia...  “How long have I been out?”

“Well, let’s see... today is the ninth, and you came in on the fourth.”

“FIVE DAYS?”

“I guess that would be about right.  You had to be kept unconscious for part of that time because of swelling in your brain, but it looks like you are going to recover ok.”

“Where are my friends and family?”

“Ferdie, its three fifteen a.m.”

“Oh, ok.”

“You should get some rest now.  I am going to go contact your doctor.  Your friends and family will be here in the morning.”

Of course I was not able to sleep, and I just kept going over what had happened in my mind.  I finally decided that we needed to stop just reacting, and make a plan to lure The Coward into revealing himself.  My mind was still kind of scrambled, so I wasn’t able to put together a plan that made any sense, but it made me feel a little better that I at least had an idea about what to do.

In the morning, everyone showed up: Uncle Mark, Aunt Cindy, Ariel, Jill, Debbi, Arnie, Marsh-dog, even Officer Granillo showed up for a minute.  They brought in balloons, candy, and Aunt Cindy brought in some flowers.  Uncle Mark seemed a little embarrassed, as he said, “Jeez, I told her not to bring those flowers.  He’s not dead, you know!”  After some small talk, everyone stood around seeming a little uncomfortable, as if they didn’t know what to say, and they all looked like they hadn’t slept much.  Finally, Uncle Mark said, “Well, I guess we better let you get some rest so that you will be ready to come home soon.  I’m sure glad you’re ok, Ferdie.  For a while there I thought you might leave us.”  Aunt Cindy was crying a little when he said that.

“You can’t get rid of me that easy,” I said in the clearest voice I could muster, which made everyone laugh.

“Mark, would you mind if Marshall and I speak to Ferdie for a few more moments?” Arnie said in a low voice.

“Sure, no problem.  We’ll see you a little bit later.  ‘Bye, Ferdie.”

After everyone else had left, Arnie and Marsh-dog pulled up chairs next to my bed.  I could see that Arnie had a nasty-looking cut on his cheek, and Marsh-dog’s left arm was in a sling.  As usual, Arnie seemed to know what I was thinking, as he said, “We may look bad, but not half as bad as you.  Have you looked in a mirror lately?”

We all started laughing at that, and then Marsh-dog squeaked, “Dude, you have to snap out of it.  Arnie and me have been talking, and there is no way we can catch this dude without you.  We’ve got to make a plan, take the action to him.  Somehow trick him into showing us who and where he is.”

I started laughing again, saw the puzzled look on their faces, and then quickly said, “No, no, I’m not making fun of you.  It’s just that great minds think alike.  Ever since I woke up I have been trying to come up with a plan to do exactly the same thing.  I haven’t thought of anything good yet, but my brain is still a little messed up.”  I thought for a moment, and then said, “Look, I know I kind of lost it back there in the car.  Well, not kind of, I lost it completely.  I’m sorry about that.  I’ll do my best to hold it together from now on.”

Arnie had a really intense look on his face as I spoke; he almost seemed like he was ready to cry, which was shocking, and his voice cracked a little as he responded. “I’m pretty sure I would not have been able to make it through all the tragedies you have experienced in your young life if I were you.  I couldn’t have more respect for you, Ferdie.  Whether I get the chance to change lines or not.”

“Yeah, man,” Marsh-dog chimed in.  “It’s just like Spiderman: ‘With great power comes great responsibility.’”  We all looked at each other for a moment, then everyone busted out laughing.

“Dude, will you please shut up with the superhero crap?” I giggled.

“Ok, we have to leave and let you recover.  Otherwise, you will not be able to resume your heroic activities,” cracked Arnie.

“Please, leave now before I decide to change sides.”

Arnie and Marsh-dog walked out laughing, promising to return the next day.  Man, I needed that... maybe I can get back to normal, or as close to normal as I get...  As I was thinking about the events of the day, I noticed a shimmery shape appearing across the room, heard the familiar crackling noise, and then a pixie voice: “I thought they would never leave.  We have much to discuss, Ferdie.”

Chapter 25

Right on cue... she always seems to show up when all the action is over.  My head was starting to pound badly by now, but I was not sure if it was the concussion or pressure that was doing it to me.  “Hi Gabriella.  I was wondering when you were going to come around.  How much of that did you hear?”

“Well, it seems that I heard most of it, although they were already here when I got near, so I am not sure.  I have been waiting for about ten minutes, which, as you know, is hard to do in the in-between.”

“You got that right.  How did you find me here?  Didn’t you say that you had to sort of come here, and then figure out where I am?”

“Yes, that’s true.  I went to your home just as your family was leaving for here, and I followed them.”

“Uh-huh.  Are you sure there isn’t something you’re not telling me about how you find me?  You sure seem to have a knack for locating me after all the trouble is over.”

“Why, Ferdie, are you becoming suspicious of me?  I think that you can tell that I have always been honest with you.”

“Well, yeah, as far as I know, but I can’t tune in to you so I don’t know for sure.  It just seems like an awful big coincidence, that’s all.  Plus, I have that hypervigilance stuff, and that makes it hard to trust.”

“Well, if anyone has a reason not to trust, it is you.  I am committed to you, Ferdie.  As I told you before, I have been following you all your life.”

“Well, then do you think you could help me out with this little problem I have of some guy trying to kill me, and everyone around me?  Because that would really be great if you could.  Now, that would really show commitment.”

“I am sorry, Ferdie.  Please tell me about what got you in here, in the hospital.”  So, I brought her up to date with all the bloody, gory details.  I even included my brief suicidal feelings and catatonia.

As I finished my story, I thought maybe I had softened her up enough to get her to help me catch The Coward.  She seemed genuinely sympathetic to what we had all been through. “...so you can see why I am asking you if you can help me catch this guy.  I am doing my best, but I don’t know how much more I can take, and from what I experienced, he is too strong for me to take on by myself.”

“Well, I think I agree with your friend Arnie Hayward.  I suspect that it is most likely that this person is a member of The Seven, but he must be getting assistance from someone.  I don’t believe that he would be so powerful otherwise.  I will do some checking with other members of the Good Line who are here, but I will need to do so delicately.  If I say something to the wrong person, or in the wrong way, I will be cut off from all communication, and that won’t help us at all.”

“So, what, do you guys have a club or something where you meet?  I thought you didn’t have contact with other angels while you were on Earth.”

“There is no formal organization or meeting that takes place, but we do get to see one another on occasion.  I will use those connections to express a concern that there may be a rogue, and we will see where that takes me.  I’m afraid that is the best I can do at this point, Ferdie.”

“Well, I guess that’s better than nothing.  Thanks.”

“Now, the matter of utmost concern.  I fear that the time for Arnie Hayward to make his attempt to change lines is approaching.  When that time comes, I will need for you to do something that you probably won’t want to do: you will have to sabotage his efforts so that he does not succeed.”

“But why me?  Why don’t you just stop him?”

“As I have told you before, a confrontation between Arnie and I would be most destructive... at this point he has a reason to hold back, namely, a confrontation between him and me would ruin his chances of success.  But if he fails, and his failure is due to my intervention, he will have no reason to refrain.”

“Are you afraid he would beat you?  Kill you?”

“No, not at all.  I am afraid of the carnage that our conflict would cause.  Our kinds do not mix well.  That is why I have not confronted him before now.  He has surrounded himself with humans, and I cannot take a chance of causing them harm.”

“You’re asking an awful lot from me, you know.”

“Yes, I know Ferdie.  If there was another way I would choose it.”

How am I supposed to sabotage him?  What am I supposed to do?”

“That is not clear now.  We will have to wait until the time gets a little closer and we know more about how he may succeed.  That will tell us how to stop him.”

“But if I sabotage him, isn’t he going to come after me?  Kill me?”

“He may try.  I will not be able to prevent that if he does, but you are the most capable of protecting yourself.  You would at least have a fighting chance.  I must go now, Ferdie.  Please consider what I have said carefully.  I cannot interfere with your free will, so you must decide, but you know what is at stake.”  With that, she shimmered for a second, and was gone.

Holy crap... they have me completely painted into a corner!  Gabriella is so focused on Arnie that she doesn’t see that The Coward is a bigger threat... there is no way I could sabotage Arnie... he’s not looking to cause problems, he just wants to change over... but what if she’s right?  How can all this stuff be on me?  I contemplated my dilemma for as long as I could, but the pounding in my head finally took over, and I called the nurse.  She ran something into my I.V., and within seconds all my thoughts faded away...

I bolted upright in my bed, gasping and choking.  Not that dream again...  The winged angel with the reptile head, diving at me from above; dodging and weaving between trees and rocks, I avoid it, but as it dives it grabs other people, taking them into the air and chomping into them, only this time the body parts falling from the sky belong to family and friends.  I call to them as I am running, telling them to follow me, but they either don’t hear or can’t move.  An arm that clearly belongs to Uncle Mark falls at my feet as I run... hair and a part of scalp belonging to Ariel flies by... and just as I enter the cave, Marsh-dog’s head hits me in the back, knocking me forward.  I tumble into the cave, blind, and run head-long into the massive bull head.  This time it has a human face, but one I can’t place, although I feel like I have seen it before... where have I seen that face?... then the horns begin tearing into me and...

“Is everything alright?  I think you were having a bad dream,” said my nurse, Ms. Castro.

“Yeah, ah, I’m ok, yeah, I was having a bad dream.  Do you know how much longer I’ll be here?  I mean, do you know when I can go home?”

“Well, if all your tests check out you should be going home sometime this morning.  You may continue to have headaches for a while, but they should dissipate over the next couple of weeks.  I bet you are ready to go home, eh?”

“You can say that again.  Thanks, Ms. Castro.”

Chapter 26

Uncle Mark picked me up at the hospital and we engaged in some small talk on the way home.  Aunt Cindy and the girls had decorated the house with a big “Welcome Home, Ferdie!” banner, and they had a cake and other treats that everyone dug into.  I hung in there, talking to everyone for as long as I could, but my head didn’t feel too well and I wanted to get a chance to talk to Marsh-dog alone, so I convinced them that I was glad to be home but needed to rest, and they let me go to my room.  Although my head did hurt, I was feeling an unusual surge of power.  Maybe that bump on the head did something positive for me... feels really strong, as if I could see through a six-foot thick sheet of metal... I wonder if this is why my head hurts... kinda like growing pains...

“Hey, ugly, how come you ran out on the party?  I was just getting ready to do my stand-up routine.”

“Go ahead and do it now.  I need something to put me to sleep, and that will do it for sure.”

“Man, you just have to be a one-upper, don’t you?”

“Sorry.  I’ll stop it, I promise.”

“Yeah, right.  I get the feeling you have some stuff to tell me, something happened at the hospital, didn’t it?”

“Ok, now who’s Nostradamus?  Maybe some of this mind-reading stuff is rubbing off on you.”  I filled Marsh-dog in on my contact with Gabriella, and told him about the dreams I had been having as well.

Marsh-dog thought for a minute when I was done, then said, “Dude, you can’t sabotage Arnie.  I know I like to mess with him a little bit, but he’s the real deal.  What do you think?”

“I think so too, but how do you go against an angel?”

“Good point, dude.  You are in a real pickle.”

“What do you mean you?  I thought we were in this together.”

“Oh, yeah, I mean we, that’s what I mean.  Anyway, here’s what I think: you, I mean we, have two big problems to solve: one is figuring out how to help Arnie without getting us all killed by an angel, and the other is catching and dealing with this dude who is killing everyone around you, I mean us, before he kills us too.  Solving both problems will mean we are gonna need a good plan, and I feel like we can solve both problems with a single plan if we play it right.  We gotta figure out a way to trap the killer dude, trick him into giving up his identity, and you have to work on increasing your mental mind stuff, ‘cause if you can’t stop him then the rest of us are in big trouble.  Since making contact with Ling Lee gave you a big power boost, I think we need to step up our plan to find the other members of The Seven, ‘cause that would probably boost you up even more.  We haven’t really gotten any more good hits on the Facebook page, so I’ve been working on a different plan to give us a better chance of finding them.  Since we know details about you and Ling Lee, like locations, ages, and that kind of stuff, you become two points in a continuum that give some information about where else to look, to kind of focus our search areas.  I have been working on some statistics with some Chaos Theory mixed in, and I think I’m getting pretty close to being able to pinpoint some areas of the world to focus our search.  Yeah, I used some big words, so what.  And don’t you think we could come up with another name besides The Seven?  That seems kind of, like, corny.  And I think you should tell your shrink about those dreams, get him to do some dream interruption on you.”

“You mean dream interpretation.”

“Yeah, that’s what I said.”

I had to shake my head in amazement before responding.  “How do you know about stuff like statistics and, what did you call it, Chaos Theory?”

“Do you think I have been taking those classes at the college for fun?  Chaos theory is just a way of making predictions about things that don’t seem very predictable, like climate forecasting, or planning the best path for a space flight, or predicting where to find five people in a world full of billions.  It’s not perfect, but it can at least point out some likely places to search.  That way we can focus our Facebook page on those areas, and maybe look for other ways to seek them too.”

“Man, I hate to say it, but you are amazing.  You better put your fingers in your ears to keep your gigantic brain from poking out of them.  And yeah, The Seven is corny, but I didn’t make it up.  Do you have any better ideas?”

“Let me think about it for a while.  How do you like my plan?”

“Well, at least it’s a place to start.”

Just then there was a knock at the door.  “Hey, Ferdie,” called Uncle Mark.  “There’s someone here to see you.”

Oh, great.  I really don’t feel like getting up right now... my head is throbbing, and on top of that we were just starting to get somewhere on making a plan...  “Ok, Uncle Mark, I’ll be out in a minute.”  Sighing heavily, I got up and walked out of my room (tap, tap) and down the hall to the front door.  There, I stared in amazement at a girl standing in the doorway whom I had only previously seen in pictures and in my mind: Ling Lee.

Seeing her in person just seemed surreal, unbelievable.  She was even cuter in real life, a little taller than I thought too.  I realized quickly that I would need to make up a story, because obviously I couldn’t tell Uncle Mark, Aunt Cindy, and the rest of the folks gathered that Ling Lee had come from the other side of the world because we had made psychic contact and she thought that I was a comic book superhero.  I stood there for a moment, trying to come up with something to say, but luckily Ling Lee was way ahead of me: “Hi, Ferdie, my name is Ling; your math teacher told me you request a tutor so here I am.  I tried to calling first but did not get an answer, so perhaps I had the wrong number.”

Nice!  Good story, and very believable... math is not my best subject, unlike Marsh-dog...  hey, I bet this is why I felt such a surge of power... but now what am I supposed to do?  Once again, Ling had thought ahead.  I tuned in to her as fast as I could, and she was saying in her mind, “Ferdie, tell them you just forgot to tell them about me, and that we need a place where can I tutor you... ask them if perhaps we could go to the library.”

I remembered to be careful with the mental strength of my response.  It would not be good if she suddenly grabbed her head and screamed out in pain, so I whispered into her brain, “Great idea.  What the heck are you doing here?  How did you get here?  Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?  This is crazy!”

She responded quickly, “We can talk at the library.  You should speak something, it looks unusual for us to stand here looking at one another.”

She was right, we had been standing there for a few seconds just looking at each other without saying anything, and everyone was staring at us.

“Cat got your tongue?” said Uncle Mark with a wry smile.

I shook my head and looked down, embarrassed.  “I’m sorry Ling, I just forgot you were coming by and I forgot to tell Uncle Mark and Aunt Cindy.  Mr. Tedford, my math teacher, told me I should get a tutor, and I told him I thought that would be good, so he contacted Ling at the college and set up the tutoring.  I didn’t remember that she was coming because, well, I’m a little forgetful since, ah, since my brain got injured.”  Not bad, now let’s see if I can keep it going...  “Mr. Tedford said that we should do the tutoring at the library because there’ll be less distractions there.  What do you think, Uncle Mark?”

“Well, everyone was getting ready to leave any way.  But are you sure you should go anywhere?  You were complaining about your head hurting and you just got home from the hospital.”

“Yeah, but I’d hate for Ling to have wasted a trip over here, and I feel a little better.”

Aunt Cindy chimed in, “He does look a little better, Mark.  Maybe it would be ok, but maybe Marshall should go with them.  He might be able to help, you know what a whiz at math he is.”  Aunt Cindy also had a wry smile on her face, and I was beginning to think that maybe they thought I had a crush on Ling or something.  A little quick mind contact told me I was right.  As if!  She’s way too old for me... she is awful cute though...

Then it was Uncle Mark’s turn.  “Well, if you think so, I guess it would be alright.  You need to come straight home if you start feeling bad, you hear?”

“No problemo.  I promise.”

“Marshall, you keep an eye on him, and make sure he gets home if there’s a problem, ok?”

“Sure.  You can count on me, Mr. Wilson.”

“I think it’s probably time for you to start calling me Mark.  Or better yet, how about calling me Uncle Mark, like Ferdie.”

Marsh-dog looked a little emotional for a second, and then said, “Sure.  I’ll make sure he gets home safe, Uncle Mark.”

We turned quickly to go, and as we were walking out the door, Uncle Mark said, “Ferdie, aren’t you forgetting something?”

I pondered for a second, and then walked over to give him a hug.  “No, knucklehead, I meant your math book!” he laughed, and within a second everyone joined in.  I smiled, ran to my room, grabbed my math book, and darted out the door before I had to hear any more ridicule tossed my way, followed quickly by Ling and Marsh-dog.  Of course, Marsh-dog couldn’t resist getting in a few digs.  “That was smooth, dude, I mean smooth.  You want to give me a hug too?”

Chapter 27

On the way to the library, Ling was hit with a barrage of questions.  “Why didn’t you tell us you were coming?  What are you doing here?  Where will you stay?  Didn’t it cost a lot to get here?  What about your school?”

The questions were coming so fast and furious that all she could do was laugh and say, “Slow down please!  I do speak English, but it is not my first language, so it is hard for me to understand your questions when they are traveling so swiftly.”  Her use of the phrase “traveling so swiftly” hit our funny bones and Marsh-dog and I started giggling.

“Sorry, Ling.  I can’t believe you’re here!  Let’s start with this question:  why didn’t you tell us you were coming?”

“I thought that you would try to talk me out of it if I told you I wanted to come here.  After all that you told me, I knew that I must come here and do whatever I can to help you in solving your life-and-death problem.”

Marsh-dog and I looked at each other again and stifled more giggles.  “How did you afford to come here?  Don’t you have people at home who’ll wonder what you’re doing?”

“My parents are quite... wealthy.  They believe that I am coming here to attend college and to learn English more fully.”

As I was contemplating what to ask next, Marsh-dog spoke up: “Hey, dude.  Don’t look now, but we are on the wrong side of the road.”  We all screamed, and I grabbed the wheel and steered us over to the curb, scraping the tires of the rented car against it as we came to a screeching halt.

We sat for a moment, catching our breath.  “I am sorry, in Hong Kong we drive on other side of the road.  I will be more careful, I promise.”

“Dude, maybe I should drive,” squeaked Marsh-dog.

“You’re not old enough.  And, you don’t know how to drive.”

“Man, I dominate on Need For Speed, you know that.”

“Real driving’s not the same as a video game.”

Finally, we worked up our nerve to continue on to the library, with Marsh-dog and me directing where to turn, and Ling driving very slowly and carefully.  Suddenly something occurred to me:  “Hey, Ling, how were you able to rent a car and drive?  You’re not from the U.S.”

She fumbled in her bag and pulled out a card, handing it to me: “Fake driver license.  You can get anything in Hong Kong if you know where to ask.  Ferdie, I came here to help you make a plan to stop the person who has been killing the people around you.  Tell me, have you had any other contacts with this person?”  I realized that she didn’t know anything about Javier Ordoñez, the wreck we were in, The Coward’s threats, or how he was able to control me, so I filled her in on all the current events.

When I was finished, Ling said, “We have much work ahead of us if we are to defeat this person.  We must improve your powers, and perhaps you can help me to improve as well; this would make me more power to assist you.”

Just at that moment we rounded the corner of the library.  “Hey, I thought going to the library was just an excuse to get out of the house,” Marsh-dog complained.

“Well, at least we’re not lying quite as much if we actually go where we said we were going.”

“Yes, and I thought perhaps you could show me the book you mentioned, Ferdie.  I am curious to see if I will be able to see it as you can.”

“Well, Gabriella told me members of The Seven have the ability to see it, so I bet you can.”

We lurched into a parking place, jumped out, and ran into the library.  We slowed as we walked past the front desk, and I said Hello to Ms. Mabel, who scowled in response as usual.  I could tell that she was curious about why I had Marsh-dog and Ling with me, and she watched us until we rounded the corner to the rows and rows of book shelves.  It occurred to me that I better check Ms. Mabel out to make sure that she wasn’t too troubled by us, so I walked down the corridor in my mind to the door with her name on it and peeked in, but she didn’t seem to be thinking about us at all.  Maybe that’s just how she looks all the time...

Just in case, I decided we should find a place to sit and pretend to have Ling tutor me in math first so that it looked slightly less suspicious.  We found a table and some chairs that were in an open area and sat down.  Ling spoke first, as she whispered, “Ferdie, I have been wondering about this book that we have come to see.  Why do you think this writing method of communication was chosen to pass on this information?  It seems to be as inefficient and unnecessary when the angels can communicate with their minds.”

I thought about this for a minute.  “I’ve wondered about that too.  But think about it: people have been communicating with books and writing for thousands of years.  If you pass on information and ideas with spoken words or thoughts, you’re gonna forget things for sure, but if it’s written down you can always go back to it so that you won’t lose it.  I mean, it seems like writing things down is, like, a favored method of humans, and we came from somewhere, so I bet that preference was around before we were.”

“That’s fascinating and all, oh great thinker, or is it stinker, but don’t you think we oughta do what we came here for?” squeaked Marsh-dog.

I looked around, and, seeing no one in the area, said, “Ok, let’s do it.”  We got up and walked slowly to the seventh row of bookshelves (hey, seventh row... I wonder if that’s a coincidence?) and went to the far end, against the wall.  I pulled out the book on teenage vampires, and just behind was the Book of Names.  I could tell that my abilities of perception had gotten stronger since I had last been here, because the book now had the same glow as when I looked at Gabriella.  Ling’s eyes were bugging out, as she obviously could see the book, and clearly she hadn’t been expecting to.

“Ferdie!  I can see it!  I can’t believe it!”

“Ok, not so loud, Ling.  You’re going to attract attention.”

“Oh, I am sorry.  I just got a little too excited.”

Marsh-dog piped up, “Hey, dude, I think I see it too.  Naah, not really, I don’t see anything.  Are you sure you’re not just making it up?”  I reached behind the stack and pulled the big old book out, setting it on the table at the end of the row.  Marsh-dog laughed and said, “Man, you look like one of those dudes in the fake glass box... what do you call it... oh yeah, mimes.  You look like you’re carrying something and putting it on the table, but there’s nothing there.”

“Oh, yes, there is, and it is most beautiful,” whispered Ling.  She seemed like she was on the verge of crying.  “Ferdie, could we please look inside?  I have wanted so much to see this since the moment you told me about it.”

“Ok, but we better hope no one comes down this row while we’re looking at it.  I bet it would look pretty funny for us to be sitting here reading an invisible book.”  I opened the book from the “Good Line” side, and we thumbed through the pages for a few minutes; Ling stared, completely engrossed, and Marsh-dog yawned.  He obviously was not getting the same enjoyment out of a book that was invisible to him as Ling and I were out of a book we could see.  I flipped to the last page, saying, “Ok, watch this.”  Ling almost fell out of her chair when she saw the names appearing out of nowhere.

“I know you told me about this, but it is one thing to hear about it, and much so different to see it in front of my eyes!”  Marsh-dog and I looked at each other and snickered again at her use of English, although we obviously had no room to talk.  Imagine what would happen if we tried to speak Chinese?

“That was the good part,” I whispered, “now watch what happens when I turn it over.”  I flipped it over and opened the book, and the look on Ling’s face immediately changed, just like mine did when I first saw it.

“This does not make me feel well,” Ling breathed, “I don’t really want to see more.”

“Well, wait a minute, let me show you the end so you can see what the problem is.”  I hurried forward to the last page, and there was my name, with the same date as before, now just a little over three years away, and getting closer all the time.  This time, though, right next to my name was another one in weird writing that I couldn’t read.  It looked Asian, like maybe Chinese... I looked over at Ling, and her eyes were open very wide, her face as white as a ghost.

“Ferdie, why is my name next to your name, with the same date also?” she asked, her voice trembling.

“Uh-oh, that’s not good.  I think it means that you and I are scheduled to die at the same time.  I should have never contacted you, Ling.  You would have been better off not knowing any of this.  Maybe if you turn around and head back to Hong Kong right now and forget about all this you’ll be ok.”

Then I heard a voice whispering in my ear: “I’m sorry, but it is too late to go back.  Your fates are tied together now, and cannot be untied.”

Chapter 28

Not again! When are people going to stop sneaking up on me in this library?  We had all been concentrating so intently on the book (of course, Marsh-dog was concentrating on us looking at an invisible book), that we were startled out of our seats by the man now standing behind us.  I instinctively reached out for a connection with his mind, but none was there.  Angel or demon... which is he?  Then I got a closer look... tall, very tall... NBA basketball player tall... dark skin, like maybe from Mexico or South America, or even the Middle East or India... head shaved completely bald... except for the tattoos going up both sides of his neck, he looks like a king-size Mr. Clean... dressed casually: jeans, a faded black t-shirt and tennis shoes...

The man grinned at us expansively, and then erupted with a booming laugh at the looks on our faces.  “Relax, my friends.  I am here to help.  My name is Rafael, and I have been following our young lady here, Ms. Ling Lee, for quite some time.  I know of your advanced knowledge and abilities, so I will not waste time with any attempt at subterfuge.  Just as you have what you would call an angel watching you, Mr. Ferdie, I am here to watch over Ms. Ling.  Isn’t that nice?”  Then came another broad smile and laugh in a low, resonant tone, and his Caribbean accent came through clearly.

“I knew it!  I knew it!”  Ling shouted.  “I have seen you very momentary at different times over the past years, and I knew you somehow were watching me!”

“Ok, I know we’re all a little excited, but we have to keep our voices down,” I hissed.  “You never know who might be around.  I mean, look, I’ve met two different angels and one demon in here.  This is a crazy place.”

As I said this Marsh-dog fell to his knees with his head bowed again, and he was nudging me to get me to do the same.  We all turned to look at him at this point, and we couldn’t help it, we all busted out laughing.  “Hey, dude,” Marsh-dog said somewhat indignantly, “I’m not taking any chances.”

Just then Ms. Mabel, the librarian, came around the corner with an extremely stern look on her face.  “I need to remind you that this is a library, not a night club.  You will need to keep it quiet or I will have to ask you to leave.”

Rafael bowed low at the waist and addressed Ms. Mabel.  “Please allow me to apologize for my friends and me, madam.  It was very rude and inconsiderate of us to speak in such loud voices.  We simply became over-excited, since we have not seen one another in such a long time.  We will refrain from such outbursts, I promise you, and if for some reason we cannot, we will leave this wonderful library so as to avoid disturbing you or any of the other patrons.  Will that be acceptable to you?”

It was clear that Ms. Mabel had been expecting a fight, but that completely took the wind out of her sails.  “Well...well, of course that would be fine,” she stammered.

“Thank you so much for your kindness, madam.  If there is anything else that you require, please allow me to be at your service.”  Whoa, this dude is even smoother than Marsh-dog!  Ms. Mabel gave us all a look, then walked back to the end of the row and was gone.

“Ok, can we be a little quieter now?  We’ve got a lot to talk about but it is going to look kind of suspicious if we get kicked out of here,” I whispered.

Marsh-dog had regained his composure by this time, as he hissed to Rafael, “Dude, you have an impressive rap.  Almost as good as me.”

Rafael smiled widely again. “Very good, my friend.  I like this one, Mr. Ferdie.  He is very clever.”

“Yeah, he’s clever, alright.  Too bad he’s so ugly,” I giggled.

“Dude, don’t make me break out my ugly jokes.  You know I can beat you.”

“Alright, alright, I quit.”

“We have very much to discuss,” said Ling.

“Sorry, you’re right.  This is really weird, you know.  A new angel shows up out of nowhere and right away we’re joking and laughing like it’s something that happens every day.”

“Well, Mr. Ferdie, it seems that I have that effect on people.  But Ms. Ling is right, there is much to discuss.  We residents of the Good Line who are here watching over The Seven keep ourselves unknown to those to whom we attend until such time as they become self-aware; that is to say, aware of their difference.  As you know, Mr. Ferdie, most members of The Seven never become self-aware, so there is no cause for contact in those cases.  But you two are the lucky ones!  And our young friend here, Mr., aah, what is your name then, sir?”

Marsh-dog looked like a deer in headlights.  He gulped and said, “Marshall Nolan.”

“Everyone calls him Marsh-dog,” I interjected.

Rafael began to laugh at that, but quickly covered his mouth to decrease his volume.  “Mr. Marsh-dog!  That is beautiful!  You are the luckiest of all, you know.  No one gets to know us like this when they are not a member of The Seven, but I know how important you are to Mr. Ferdie, and of course you know how very special Mr. Ferdie is.  He is one of a kind.”

“Yeah, so he’s always saying.  Hey, so do you know Ferdie’s angel, Gabriella, and his... uuh... I guess demon, Arnie?”

“Yes, I have met with Ms. Gabriella, a wonderful young lady, and although I have not met Mr. Arnie, I know of him.  I also know of the terrible events in your lives, and how Mr. Ferdie is being tormented by someone... very tricky and very dangerous, that one.  I am here to help Ms. Ling, and she is here to help Mr. Ferdie, so we are all here to help one another.  Isn’t that wonderful?”

Not quite sure what to think of this guy... is he really what he says he is?  I don’t know if my hypervigilance is acting up, but maybe I should test him a little... maybe the straightforward approach is the best way to go...

“Uuh, sorry to ask, but how do we know you are who you say?  For all we know, you could be from the Bad Line, or even one of The Seven.”

Rafael grinned again, wider than ever.  “Very good, Mr. Ferdie!  You should be suspicious.  There are many bad people around, and I could be one of them, yes?  I have an idea.  Why don’t you and I go to the in-between together?  In the in-between, we supernatural types are more sensitive to one another than here.  You will know for sure then.”

I think that sounds right, but what if he is from the Bad Line, or what if he’s even The Coward?  If he gets me there he would probably be able to keep me there long enough to kill me... but it’s not time for me to die yet, remember?...

I took a deep breath and whispered, “Sounds like a good idea to me.  When should we go?”

Rafael laughed heartily.  “You are really something, Mr. Ferdie!  I think there is no time like the present.”

“We can’t do it right here though, what if someone sees us disappearing or reappearing?”

“Come, my friend, where is your daring, your sense of adventure?  And suppose someone does see us.  Will they think they are really seeing people disappear and reappear, or will they just think they are seeing things?  Let’s live a little, Mr. Ferdie!”

“You’re a little bit wild for an angel.”

Rafael guffawed again.  “Right you are, Mr. Ferdie!  So, what do you say?”

This guy acts like a clown, but I can see he is no pushover... he uses his personality to put people at ease, but I get the feeling there is a killer instinct in there somewhere... I sure hope he is what he says he is, he’d be a great guy to have on our side...  “I say let’s go for it,” I growled in the most intimidating voice a fourteen-year-old can muster.

Ling was watching in wide-eyed anticipation, but of course Marsh-dog had a smirk. “There you go with the Rambo crap again.  Next thing you know you’ll be ripping off your shirt and tying on a headband.”

Marsh-dog was right, and he always knew just when to confront me a little.  “Sorry about that, dude.  Taking myself a little too seriously, I guess.  Anyway, I’m ready if you are, Rafael.”

Rafael reached out to take my hand, but I said, “You don’t need to do that.  I can go on my own.”

Rafael looked completely stunned.  “Mr. Ferdie!  I cannot believe this!  You can’t really go to the in-between on your own, can you?”

“Well, yeah, I’ve done it a few times.”

For the first time Rafael seemed to be at a loss for words.  “But, but, this has never been done before!  How, how did you, oh my goodness, Mr. Ferdie!”

I shrugged my shoulders.  “I’m not sure how or why, I just seem to be able to do it.  I can’t... what’s the word magicians use?  Oh yeah, I can’t apparate yet, but I can make contact over long distances with my mind, without going to the in-between.  That’s how I contacted Ling.”

Rafael quickly sat down, as if he would have fallen over if he had not had a chair to sit in.  “This is just too much, Mr. Ferdie.  You are indeed the most unusual human ever.  Let’s go to the in-between quickly, before I faint.”

We all giggled, then Rafael stood next to me, and we both started to vibrate.  Ok, here goes... here come the fishhooks... man, that part doesn’t get any easier... I can see through my hand... there it is, the whole universe, and the Good Line right through the middle of it... I looked over at Rafael, and I could see that he got there a little before me, and was staring at me with a shocked look on his face.  “Mr. Ferdie, you really can do it!  I had my doubts, but I was wrong!  I am guessing that you can’t stay here very long, though... are you feeling ill yet?”

“Yeah, I’m either going to barf or poop or both any second.  What should I do now?”

“Just look at me and search your mind.  That will tell you what you need to know.”

I did as he instructed, and in a moment I got a very clear image of Rafael as one of the blobs of multi-colored light that make up the residents of the Good Line.  Is that image real, or could he have planted it in my brain?  I don’t think he could do that without me knowing it... this is just my hypervigilance again, isn’t it?  Well, I guess I trusted enough to get this far... I think the thing that I am not trusting is my own instincts...

”Ok,” I grunted, “let’s get out of here.  I believe you, and I’m feeling pretty sick.”  The truth was, though, that I was not feeling as sick as I had before.  It almost seemed as if I was getting used to being there, and I think I could have stayed there for quite a while before needing to leave.

“Very good, Mr. Ferdie.  One last quick look at home.”  Rafael glanced out toward the Good Line, stretching out eternally through the universe, which was superimposed in my vision on the racks of books, the walls and ceiling of the library, even on Ling and Marsh-dog.  “Ok, I am ready.  Here we go!”

We both reversed the process, and in moments were back with our friends, who were staring in googly-eyed disbelief.

“Dude, I am never going to get used to that,” squeaked Marsh-dog.

Ling added, “It is so much more the different to see than to hear about it.  Do you think it is possible that I may follow you there one day?”

I looked at Rafael, and he shrugged.  “I think it may be possible, Ms. Ling, especially if Mr. Ferdie is willing to help you get there.”

“Yeah, that seems right.  I know when Ling is near me I get a boost of power, and I bet it works for her too.  What do you think, Rafael?”

“Well, there is some precedence for this kind of proximity effect, although not to the extent to which we are contemplating.  Mr. Ferdie is so unusual, though, that I think Ms. Ling may very well be able to make leaps in abilities that would not otherwise be possible.”

Ling’s eyes were wide, and she seemed a little scared, but excited at the same time.  “I would like to do whatever I can to help Ferdie, and even his friend Arnie, and even myself.”

“Ok, but here’s the thing about going to the in-between: there have only been a couple of people in the whole history of people that have been able to do it without dying in the process.  In other words, it’s a pretty big risk, and there is a chance that things could go bad.  Even if they don’t, you will get sick for sure.  I still feel sick when I go there.  It’s not a place that was meant for living people, so our bodies don’t react well to it.”

Ling still looked scared, but a look of determination was there also.  “Like Rafael has said, our fates are tied together now.  I think this is something I must do to help you, or die in the trying.”

“Well, ok, but let’s agree on one thing: none of us is dying anytime soon, ok?”

Everyone smiled at that, but we were not quite as jolly as before.  Marsh-dog finally broke the silence.  “We have a lot of work ahead of us, dudes, but right now I’m hungry.  Let’s get something to eat.”

Chapter 29

The next couple of weeks were filled with training, or “tutoring”, as far as Uncle Mark and Aunt Cindy knew; I think they were a little suspicious because of how often I was getting “tutored”.  It mostly consisted of repeated mind contacts between Ling and I, in which I showed her how to go to the in-between, including every detail, every potential outcome, every explosive bodily function.  By now Ling had rented an apartment on the bluffs near the college, and we had decided that it was more secure for us to do our training there for now.  We were a little worried that Uncle Mark and Aunt Cindy might check on us at the library and find that we weren’t there, so I would periodically make contact with their minds just in case we might need to race down there.  As a mental game with myself, I would try to make contact with either Uncle Mark or Aunt Cindy while simultaneously maintaining contact with Ling, and I discovered that, while it was difficult, I could actually do it. In order to make it happen, I had to divide my attention, kind of like a musician playing an instrument and singing at the same time.  That’s a little trick that I am not going to tell the others about quite yet, because that advantage it may come in handy later.

While Ling and I were working on getting her to the in-between, Marsh-dog was continuing to work on his formulas for finding the rest of The Seven.  In the midst of all this, Gabriella and Rafael showed up at the same time one evening during one of our tutoring sessions.  This was the first I had seen of Gabriella in a couple of weeks, and I had begun to think that either something had happened to her, or she had abandoned me.  She assured me that she had been watching me periodically from the in-between during those weeks, which, to be honest, creeped me out a little bit.  It was clear that she and Rafael were acquainted, but also clear that she was somewhat uncomfortable with him being around.  In fact, it seemed like she thought he might be a negative influence.  Or, maybe she just didn’t buy in to his flattery, I’m not sure which.  At any rate, she seemed even more focused on making sure that I keep my watch over Arnie and report to her if anything new developed.

“Please don’t forget what we have discussed, Ferdie.  It is of ultimate importance.  There can be no mistake.  Everything else must take second priority.  When we can be sure Arnie Hayward is no longer a threat, then I will do what I can to assist you with your tormentor, but until then we must not lose focus.”

Rafael, watching the interaction intently, interjected, “Please, Miss Gabriella, can you not see that Mr. Ferdie is doing his best?  You of all people know what he is capable of, and I have no doubt that, when the time comes, he will perform admirably.  Isn’t that right Mr. Ferdie?”

“I’ll do my best, but I still think Arnie is not a threat to the Good Line.”

Gabriella sighed.  “You know why we cannot take that chance, however small it might be.  Far too much is at stake.”

“Yeah, I know, the end of everything, blah blah blah.”

For the first time since I had known her, Gabriella seemed exasperated, and she gave me a look that was a mix of disappointment and sadness.  I instantly regretted my sarcasm, but didn’t know what to say.  Luckily Ling chimed in, saying, “Please remember how young Ferdie is and all that he has had to been through.  We have been work very hard and is very tired.”

Marsh-dog and I snickered a little at Ling’s linguistic gaffe, which helped to cut the heavy mood.  Gabriella’s expression changed to a serene smile, and she said, “Thank you for that reminder.  You are right, Ferdie has endured much, and is under a great deal of pressure.  Nevertheless, we simply cannot fail.”

“Don’t worry.  When the time comes, I’ll do what I have to do.”  Even as I said this, I knew it wouldn’t be easy... I might not be able to stop Arnie, and I don’t even know if I should... on the other hand, how could I take the chance?  Gabriella says if he succeeds it could be the end of everything... what does that even mean?  It’s hard to imagine everything just suddenly being gone... is there an explosion, or does it all just disappear?  How am I supposed to know what to do?

Suddenly it occurred to me that I had never really gotten advice about what to do from the two people who knew the most about what I was going through, Marsh-dog and Ling.  I can’t talk to them when Rafael and Gabriella are around, though... they might not say what they really think... I’ll have to talk to them when the angels are gone... when the angels are gone... sounds like the title of a book, or maybe a death-metal band...

“Hey, wake up, Captain America.  You’re not going into another coma, are you?”

I realized that I had “zoned out” for a minute, and shook my head to bring myself back to reality.  As I did this, I instinctively made contact with Marsh-dog’s mind, which had become much easier for me, and I could now do it very quickly. I found nothing but long, impossibly complicated strings of math formulas.  He’s doing this stuff in his head?!  I couldn’t do it with three calculators and a year!

“Sorry about that, I spaced out.  I know this is important, but we also have this other problem: how to stop The Coward from killing more people.”

“Dude, who is The Coward?” squeaked Marsh-dog.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you guys.  That’s what I call this person who is after me.  I call him that because he won’t tell me who or where he is, and also ‘cause I think if I call him that it might insult him into making a mistake.”

Marsh-dog snickered. “Dude, so now you’re giving super-villain names to your enemies?  Someone please get this guy a cape and a mask.”

“Alright, alright, very funny.  But how about you, Einstein?  How’s it coming with finding the rest of The Seven?”

“Well, you know, I was wondering, can’t these two angels just tell us where they are?  I mean, they all have guardian angels, don’t they?”

Rafael roared with laughter.  “Mr. Marsh-dog!  You are far too clever!  Of course, that would be so much easier, wouldn’t it?  Think of this, though: having Mr. Ferdie and Ms. Ling together has greatly increased their power.  In this case, it is clear that both of them have good intentions, but suppose the other members of The Seven were not so pure and scrupulous as they?  If all their power were consolidated, they would be unstoppable, even by the angels, as you call us.  You have no idea what kind of havoc they could, and probably would, wreak upon the world.  It is for that reason that we have no ability to know where one another lives on earth, or who the other members of The Seven are.”

“Wait, Gabriella, I thought you told me you see each other sometimes?”

“There are occasions where we meet, but we do not reveal where we are living or other details, unless there is an extreme situation, such as this one.  That is how Rafael and I are acquainted.”

Huh.  I’m not sure I really believe that.  It would be more likely that they know everything and only reveal it as they need.  On the other hand, can an angel lie?

“Ok, that’s all great, but we still have to find The Coward and put an end to him.  I know you don’t like the name, but it fits.  And here’s something I bet you didn’t know.  Marsh-dog is kind of supernatural too.  He’s super-smart, and knows how to use technology like no one else.  Tell ‘em what you’ve been working on, Marsh.”

Marsh-dog is great in the spotlight.  He slowly put his foot up on a chair, rested his elbow on his knee, and put his fist up under his chin in a thinking pose for a few seconds.  Then, in a mock-serious, lisping voice, he sang: “Yes, I love technology, but not as much as you, you see.  But, I still love technology, always and forever.”

I fell to the ground laughing, while the others looked on with blank expressions.

“Come on, don’t tell me you haven’t seen Napoleon Dynamite!  The wedding scene, with LaFawnduh and Kip and the horse and... oh, come on!”

It was clear that angels were not up on their pop culture references, but a light seemed to come on for Ling, as she said, “Napoleon Dynamite!  I have seen the pictures but not am familiar with this song.”

Rafael was clearly not getting it.  “This Dynamite person sounds rather dangerous, with such an explosive name.  We must hear more about him.”  Gabriella just looked on with a slightly amused expression, kind of like The Mona Lisa.

I continued to giggle as I said, “Maybe some other time.  Marsh, quit messing around and tell them what you’ve been doing.”

“Alright, alright.  I’ve been working on some formulas for narrowing down where the rest of The Seven might be.  It’s pretty complicated, and there are billions of possibilities.  Don’t ask me to explain it to you.  It would take too long, but it’s kind of like building climate models for weather fore casting, and the slightest change can have a really big impact on the outcome, so you have to be really careful with the math and include all possible variables.  I have it pretty much narrowed down, though, to the most likely five areas in the world that the rest of The Seven might be in.  If they have any idea that they have special abilities, like Batman and Ling over here, and if they use technology, or if they are even in an area that has modern technology, I’m pretty sure I can find them.”

All of us were looking at Marsh-dog with eyes wide but a little bit glazed over, the way you would look if you were listening to something you know you should pay attention to but it is way over your head.  As usual, Rafael broke the ice.  “That is truly amazing, Mr. Marsh-dog.  How do you do it?”

Marsh-dog returned to his thinker pose, and said, “Extreme brain power.  And I told you not to ask me how.  Anyway, the way I see it, we have three jobs now: find the rest of The Seven, stop Arnie Hayward from “changing lines”, and most important, putting a permanent stop to Ferdie’s “The Coward” dude.  That last one’s pretty important to me too.  Oh, and what about Ferdie and Ling and that crazy invisible book?  They are both supposed to die at the same time according to what they tell me, ‘cause I can’t see it, and both end up in the “Bad Line”.  Can’t we do something to help them?”

I had lost my giggles by now, as things were turning serious.  “I’ve been thinking about that, and I have a feeling that if we stop The Coward that will change.  I’m not sure, but the feeling is strong.  What do you think, Gabriella?  You said that you could help me avoid the fate the Book of Names has waiting for me.”

“Stopping this person you call The Coward would likely bring a significant amount of positive energy to you, and that can influence the outcome.  Stopping Arnie Hayward in his attempt to change lines would have an even larger positive energy result, and would very likely change the outcome that is predicted by the Book of Names.  Doing both would virtually assure a positive outcome for you and Ling.”

Man, I don’t want to die, and I sure don’t want to go to Hell, but how can I back out on Arnie?

We were silent for a moment, and Rafael cleared throat and said, “Well, my good friends, the only way we will be able to accomplish all of these tasks is to divide our efforts.  I believe Mr. Marsh-dog is working hard, setting his considerable intellectual abilities to the task of locating the rest of The Seven, so that should be left to him for now.  Mr. Ferdie and Ms. Ling have been toiling away at sharpening their skills in hopes of putting an end to Mr. Coward, so they should continue to focus totally on that arduous task.  Ms. Gabriella and I can endeavor to keep track of Mr. Arnie Hayward for the time being, and we can all pull together from our various activities should the situation warrant it.  Divide and conquer, as the saying goes, eh?”

Although still somewhat suspicious of the angel’s motives, I had to admit that this made the most sense.  Then something occurred to me: “So why are you willing to let us look for the rest of The Seven, then?  It seems like you should be trying to stop us.”

Gabriella and Rafael exchanged glances, and I could tell that there was something really big that they were not telling us.  Finally, Gabriella spoke: “Please understand, it is important that we, Rafael and I, are careful with what we say to all of you.  Sometimes when you speak of things, when you reveal things, it has a way of calling them into being; a self-fulfilling prophecy, so to speak.  Let me just say that this is an extraordinary time in human history, and we may very well need to consolidate the power of The Seven in order to deal with what is coming, and in order to consolidate the power of The Seven we need to know two things: where they are, and whether or not we can count on their positive participation.”

“Well, then isn’t this one of those extreme situations you’re talking about?  Can’t you angel people just get everyone together?  And come on, you know you can trust us.  Just tell us what the problem is so we know what we’re facing, as if what we’re already facing wasn’t enough.”

Gabriella and Rafael looked at one another again, and this time Rafael spoke, after a heavy sigh. “Please, Mr. Ferdie.  We have said many times, you are special, unique.  Perhaps the most unique human in all of human history.  However, there is another, and it seems that the other may have been successful at consolidating the power of at least some of the rest of The Seven, and that the angels who are responsible for those may be under their control.  We are not quite sure how this is being accomplished, but we cannot take any chances with letting them know where we are, or who you are.  That is why we must get information about them in other ways that they would not expect or easily understand, and also why Mr. Marsh-dog’s plan for finding the rest of The Seven is necessary.  It is not likely that they will suspect or be able to detect his efforts.  We cannot allow them to know where you are.”

Ling, Marsh-dog and I looked at one another, our eyes wide.  Ling said, “What is the reason they try to consolidate power?  Do they have a plan?”

It was Gabriella’s turn again: “It appears that the one attempting to consolidate power is intent on causing as much pain and suffering as possible before eventually wiping out the human race.  This is why we allowed you and Ling to come into contact, why we allowed her to come here to be with you, and why we must see if there are any others who can join us to stop this threat.”

I looked around at our little group and chuckled.  How is this rag-tag gang going to stop something like that?  “So, is The Coward this other person you are talking about?  If it’s him, he probably already knows where I am.”

“We think that he likely is doing the other’s bidding; he is being used as a distraction from the real threat.  We do not think they know exactly where you are, but rest assured they are looking.  And even if they did, we do not think they would risk a direct attack on you right now; they are wary of your power.  When the other feels the time is right, however, he or she will attempt to eliminate you.  You, and we, are the only thing standing between them and the eventual elimination of the human race.”

“But dude, why?  Why would they try to kill everyone?” asked Marsh-dog.

“There are those who are simply evil; those who kill because they want to, for no other reason than they enjoy it.  We are the equal and opposite reaction to that.  Think of Newton’s third law of physics.  Their attempts to find and eliminate Ferdie are their attempts to defeat the third law, so to speak.  To give them the luxury of acting on the human race without having to face being stopped by our merry band.”

“So when do you think they might try to “eliminate” me, as you put it?”

Rafael looked at Gabriella again, and she said: “You have seen the date.  It is written in the Book of Names.”

Chapter 30

After the revelation from the angels we tripled our efforts at getting Ling trained; following many tandem trips to the in-between (at first she got so sick I didn’t think she would be able to continue, but I have to hand it to her, she has guts.  She never hesitated, no matter how horrible the trips were for her), we hatched a plan to double-team The Coward.  Assuming we could get her to the in-between on her own, the next time he attacked she would hide there to avoid detection until I had his attention, then she would drop out of the in-between and attack him, startling him enough that I would have the chance to enter his mind and control him.  I know I’m not supposed to control people because of the negative energy it creates, but in this case I am willing to take my chances.  Before we finished our training, though, he attacked again, and we weren’t ready for him.  I don’t know if I’ll live past seventeen, but even if I live to be a thousand I’ll never be able to get past what happened next.

Uncle Mark was not his gruff but jolly self that night.  He complained of a horrible headache and was snapping at everyone; we all scattered to our rooms to avoid his wrath.  “Dude, what’s up with Unkie?  He needs some Prozac,” Marsh-dog complained.

“Yeah, man, maybe he’s having an aneurysm or something.”  At that moment there was a knock at the door, and it was Uncle Mark.

“Hey, guys,” he called through the door.  “Sorry for my crabbiness.  I just wasn’t feeling very well but I’m ok now.  I’m taking everyone out for ice cream, come on along.”

We didn’t have a good reason to say no, and of course there is always room for ice cream, so Marsh-dog and I piled in the rear seat of the SUV and Jill and Debbi got into the front with their dad.  Ariel decided not to go at the last minute, and Aunt Cindy asked Uncle Mark to just bring some back for her.  “Are you sure you don’t want to go?  It’s gonna be quite an event,” Uncle Mark grinned.  “No?  Ok, your loss!  We are going to stop by the shed on the way there.  I have a few yard tools I need to pick up, but it’ll just take a minute, and then we’ll be back with the cold stuff!”  We shot down the lane toward... wait a minute, we’re going the wrong way... something seems funny here... I need to make contact with Uncle Mark... uh oh, nothing, completely blank!  That’s not good...

“Uncle Mark, could you turn up the radio?  I love this song.”  I didn’t really care about the song, I just wanted to be able to whisper to Marsh-dog and I didn’t want to take the chance that he might hear.

“Sure thing, Ferd the bird,” he replied cheerily.  Man, something is really wrong, he is never like this...

“Marsh,” I whispered as low as I could, “we’ve got to get out of here.  Something is not right.  The next time we stop, you and me are going to bail, and I’ll grab the girls and pull them out.  If nothing is wrong, we’ll blame it on my OCD and concussion.  Got it?”

Marsh-dog nodded. His eyes were wide but he was ready to act.  Too bad he and I didn’t get the chance.  Just as we looked up, Uncle Mark pulled a very large butcher knife out from under his seat and plunged it deep into both girls’ chests.  Blood flew from their wounds; they had shocked looks on their faces, but it was clear their injuries were fatal.  “Sorry, girls, I had to.  No choice in the matter.  Now you boys come up here a little closer, ok?”  Uncle Mark’s face had the same horrific grin that Marsh-dog’s Uncle Freddy had during his attack on us... that must be one of the calling cards of The Coward... Uncle Mark swung the knife at us but was not able to reach back far enough to make contact.  As he swung the knife he careened to the side of the road, and had to slow down to straighten out the car.  I reached into his mind to control him long enough for Marsh-dog and me to escape, and of course there he was, The Coward.  “Why, Hello there, Ferdie!  I just knew I could count on you!  My, my, I can feel that you have been working out a little, so to speak.  Too bad that you are too late once again to stop me, not that you could anyway!”

I let out a string of profanity, and screamed, “GET OUT!”  An explosion of energy flew out of me, and I could tell that The Coward was really stunned.  Before he recovered, I used my divided-attention trick to gain control of Uncle Mark while also monitoring The Coward, and I sent a message shooting into Uncle Mark’s brain: “Uncle Mark, drop the knife and stop the car!”  He flinched, and his face went slack; he dropped the knife and began applying the brakes.  Ok, maybe we’ll get out of this after all...

I could feel that The Coward was recovering; he was obviously shaken, as he said, “Very impressive, Ferdie!  It will be much more entertaining when my master gets... oh, did I say that?  Oh my, it appears that I have let the cat out of the bag!  Oh, well... back to the matter at hand...”  And with that he began sending bolts of energy at my mind, one after another.  I was able to dodge and deflect most of them, but some found their mark, and, while they were not as powerful as the shot I took at him, they were making it very difficult for me to maintain control over Uncle Mark while simultaneously trying to defend myself from The Coward.  He went from the gas to the break repeatedly, causing us to lurch wildly down the street.  So Gabriella and Rafael were right, The Coward is just a lackey, an underling...

As one bolt came toward me I dodged out of the way and said, “Hey, do you know what I call you?  I call you The Coward.  Afraid to show yourself to me, afraid to tell me your name or anything about you.  Why not come and face me like a man, instead of the sniveling chicken that you are?”

I was hoping that might distract him for a second, long enough for me to get the SUV slowed down so that Marsh-dog and I could get out, but instead I heard The Coward’s hearty laughter.  “The Coward!  That is beautiful!  Really, Ferdie, is this any time to resort to petty insults?  Your time will come, my friend, I know you have seen it in the book, but right now I want to get your little friend, to make him pay for interfering with my handiwork in the past.  Besides, my master has reserved the pleasure of dealing with you.  He will attend to you at a time and place when he can take his time, really enjoy himself.”

“Hey, I’ve been wondering, why always a knife?  Aren’t there easier ways to kill people?”

The Coward laughed and said, “Of course other methods would be easier, but a knife is so... intimate.  You have to get close, and you can see the pain and fear in their eyes... much more stimulating.”

As he talked, I watched the speedometer.  Ok, down to twenty five mph, we can probably survive that... I reached over to unlock the door... No!  He has the doors locked from the front!  Ok, concentrate... Uncle Mark, unlock the doors... unlock the doors...

As I watched, his hand went over to the switch on the door panel... faster!  I can’t hold this up much longer... his finger froze over the button...  “Not so fast, young man!  I have not yet dealt with your little friend!”  At that moment I realized that The Coward could not divide his attention as well as I could; he was putting all his effort into controlling Uncle Mark.  I sent another explosion of energy his way, and he was stunned again, long enough for me to regain control of my uncle... push the button now!... and he did!  The doors unlocked with a familiar click, and I looked at the speedometer... twenty seven... we’ll have to chance it...

I leaned over, quickly opened Marsh-dog’s door, and pushed him out, shouting, “Jump!” and out we went, me out the rear passenger side and him out the rear driver’s side.  As we jumped, Uncle Mark picked up the knife and swung back, catching Marsh-dog on the side, slicing through his shirt and the flesh of his side, just below the rib cage.  I hit the ground on the side of the road and rolled and...

The rest of what happened was told to me later, I did not experience it first-hand.  I struck my head on the pavement as I rolled, and I was out like a light.  If I hadn’t been knocked out I probably could have changed the eventual outcome...

I woke up in the hospital, again, and looked around.  There was Marsh-dog, with a huge cast on his leg, and bandages on his head, arms, and hands, and Arnie, with the most solemn expression I have ever seen on a person.  “Hey, look, it’s Rip Van Ugly,” said Marsh-dog, without a hint of humor in his voice.

“Hey, guys.  What happened?”  I asked, fearing I already knew the answer.  Over the next few minutes, once they got their composure, Marsh-dog and Arnie filled me in on what happened after I was knocked out...

I rolled to a stop on a grassy area on the side of the road next to a shallow gully that ran parallel to the pavement.  Marsh-dog fell into the middle of the road, his side slashed and left leg broken through just above the ankle.  He dragged himself out of the road as quickly as he could toward where I had come to rest, and glanced up to see Uncle Mark barreling down on  us with the SUV in reverse!  Somehow, despite his injuries, Marsh-dog was able to push me down into the gully and rolled in after me just in time to avoid being run over.  The SUV came to a screeching halt and Uncle Mark jumped out, running around the back to the SUV to see if he had hit us.  When he saw that we were not there, he cast his eyes about wildly until he saw us lying in the gully.  He roared with laughter and slapped his knee, saying, “Well, look at you fellas!  You look a little worse for wear... just wait right there, I’ll come down and get you!”

He had the butcher knife in his hand, and was advancing on us with the maniacal grin still plastered on his face.  Marsh-dog looked around for some way to defend us, and his hands found a softball-size chunk of concrete.  He hoisted it and threw it with all the strength he could muster, and either Uncle Mark was not expecting it or his reflexes were slowed because of his being under the control of The Coward, because the concrete hit him full in the face, knocking him backward and causing a crimson spray to gush out of his nose.  Uncle Mark wiped his face, spat out a wad of blood, and said, “Now Marshall, what did you do that for?  If you would just hold still for a minute, we could get this over with...”

Uncle Mark stood up and began advancing again, when a car came to a stop behind the SUV.  Apparently they were Good Samaritans, saw him bleeding from the face, and thought he needed help.  They couldn’t see us in the gully from where they were, or else they might not have stopped.  Uncle Mark spoke again, but Marsh-dog said it was a weird, different voice, not his, that came out: “Alright, Marshall Nolan, you have escaped me once again, but make no mistake, I will make you pay for interfering, and when I do, you will wish you had died here in this ditch.  It would have been much faster and less painful than what I have planned for you now, I assure you.”  Uncle Mark then ran to the SUV, jumped inside and roared away.

Two more cars had stopped by now, and one of the good people had reached us.  Marsh-dog tried to tell them what had happened but couldn’t to get it out, and quickly fainted from loss of blood from the wound in his side.  He was going to try to contact Ling, see if there was something she could do, or maybe Gabriella, or Rafael, or even Arnie, but he couldn’t.  It was too late, anyway.

You know the rest of what happened.  The Prologue, remember?  Arnie, Marsh-dog and I sat in my hospital room, looking at each other in numb silence.  What do you do?  What do you say?  It certainly doesn’t seem real, and yet there it is.  It would be so easy to just slip back into catatonia... just nothing, no feelings, no thoughts, just comforting emptiness... Wait a minute... is that how I want to go out?  Give in without a fight?  Who’s going to stop them if I don’t?  And what about Arnie, who’s going to stop him when the time comes?  Or maybe, who’s going to help him get through when the time comes?  What about Ling?  She came half way across the world to help me... do I just abandon her?  And Marsh-dog, he saved my life... twice!

Finally, I cleared my throat and croaked, “So what do we do now?”

Arnie looked dejectedly at the floor, and said, “There are a few other things we need to talk about.  This is very difficult... your Aunt Cindy is having a really hard time with what has happened.  She sort of... well, she is out of touch with reality.  She’s in a psychiatric hospital right now and they are saying that, if she does recover, it will take quite some time.  Ariel has gone back to Kansas to stay with your Aunt Martha; since you have no other family here, there was no good reason for her to stay.  You missed the funerals, which is probably good.  They were really tough to get through.  Since I’m sure you’re wondering, you have been out for five days.  I’m sorry, Ferdie.  I should never have gotten you involved in any of this.  I should have just accepted my fate, lived a good life and hoped for the best.  I should have...” and his voice trailed off, as he quickly wiped tears from his cheeks.

Marsh-dog looked up, and it was clear that he was working hard to hold it together.  “Hey, dude, we’re all guilty.  We all could have made different choices along the way, but we didn’t, and it’s too late for that now.  It’s pretty obvious that we need to catch this Coward dude as quick as possible, or more people are gonna drop around us.  Tell him the rest.”

By now Arnie had regained his composure... he sure is emotional for a demon... and spoke slowly: “There are a couple of other things.  Social Services say that you and Marshall will need to either go to live with relatives or be placed in foster homes.  Neither of you have relatives here, so you would have to go far away to stay with them, and if you were placed in a foster home, it might be here but it could be in another part of the state.  It is very unlikely that you would be placed together.  There are two other options: I could attempt to get Social Services to place you with me, get a temporary foster parent license.  I would like to try that, but it might be a hard sell.  The last option is that you and Marshall go off-grid, run away.  My preference would be to have you boys stay with me, but after all you’ve been through, I think you are more than capable of making the decision for yourselves, whether the state thinks you are or not.”

As I listened I could feel myself getting a little angry at what I was hearing.  “Well, we have to stay together!  If we split up now we’ll be picked off one by one, like sitting ducks!  Our only chance of stopping... them, whoever they are, and our only chance of surviving, is by staying together!  Isn’t that obvious?  You have to take us in, and if you can’t, we have no choice but to go, what did you call it?  Off-grid.  If we do that, we can stay with Ling... it’ll be easy for me, I can stay hidden, but harder for Marsh, but we’ll manage it somehow.  Marsh, am I crazy?  What do you think we should do?”

“You and me, we’re brothers.  We can’t split up.  I like your plan, and even if it doesn’t work we have to stay together.  And yes, you are crazy.  And ugly.  If you keep falling on your head, you’re gonna to get even uglier, if that’s possible.”

“Uuh, speaking of that,” Arnie interjected, “the doctors are very concerned.  This is your second major concussion, and they are worried that you may suffer permanent brain damage, either this time, or certainly if there were another blow to the head.  They have been waiting for you to come out of your coma to assess your level of damage.”

I thought about that for a second, then raised my hand and tapped myself on the head.  “I can still do that, and I can wiggle my toes, so I am probably ok.”  It occurred to me that any brain damage I had could have an effect on my abilities, so I reached out to Marsh-dog’s mind.  Ok, no problem... not the math formulas again... how about my little split-attention trick... maybe there is a nurse nearby... let’s see... there are three... wait... three?!  How am I making contact with them all at the same time?  I couldn’t do that before...

Marsh-dog looked up, startled.  “Hey, dude, I can feel that.  How am I feeling that?  I could never feel it before... it feels like you’re tickling my brain.  How are you doing that?”

Whoa... I have made a major jump in power... maybe I should get my head injured more often... wait till The Coward, and his master, gets a load of this!

Chapter 31

Arnie did everything he could, but Social Services would not agree to placing Marsh-dog and me with him permanently.  We had been staying with him while he was trying to work through the system, which took about two weeks.  His apartment was just like his office, perfectly spotless and almost completely bare, with just a few pieces of tasteful, modern furniture.  “I don’t like clutter,” Arnie told us when we commented on the spartan interior, in the understatement of the decade.  Despite its lack of stuff, it was a really nice apartment in a gated area, and we were a little sorry that we had to leave.

The day before Social Services was to come and pick us up for placement in foster homes, we just... disappeared.  Actually, we snuck out in the middle of the night and went to Ling’s apartment.  We set the alarm for three a.m., figuring that was the time of night we were least likely to get noticed (three a.m. always makes me think of that great book by Ray Bradbury... let’s see, how does it go?  Oh yeah... it’s a special hour... Doctors say the body is at low tide then.  The soul is out.  The blood moves slow.  You’re the nearest to dead you’ll ever be save dying... scary!)  Needless to say, we were not able to sleep so we didn’t need the alarm clock anyway.  We didn’t tell Arnie that we were going to leave that night.  Of course, he knew we were going to leave at some point, but we just figured that it would be easier for him to be convincing when Social Services came looking for us and he had to tell them we had run away.

I took the opportunity to try to project myself through the in-between and apparate in Ling’s apartment, and I was able to do it just like the angels!  It felt different from projecting myself mentally.  I felt more in control; I could slow down or speed up the travel to my destination as I wished, and I could stop along the way.  And, I hardly got sick at all!  I was able to put myself there physically, not just mentally, another trick I was not able to accomplish before my head injury!

I tapped myself on the head as I looked around the apartment, and found Ling sleeping; not wanting to wake her, I disapparated and popped up next to Marsh-dog in the spare room we had been staying in at Arnie’s apartment, startling him so badly that he fell to the ground.  I quickly clapped my hand over his mouth to keep him from making noise and waking Arnie, and clapped my other hand over my own mouth to keep from laughing.  “Sshh!  Are you ready?  Let’s get out of here!” I hissed.

“Do we have to?  I kinda like it here, it’s really clean,” whispered Marsh-dog.  We picked up the belongings we could carry and tip-toed to the door of our room, opening it slowly to avoid making any noise.  Quietly, gingerly, we walked out of our room and made the right turn to the front door... I tapped myself on the head as we went... unlocked the door and walked through... closed it silently behind us, (tap, tap) and walked out into the night.

Although we had a world of responsibility ahead of us, in some other ways we had now relieved ourselves of responsibility; no school, no one to answer to except ourselves.  It was an exciting feeling, and we were a little giddy on our way to Ling’s apartment.  It was on the opposite side of town, about seven miles away, so we had a lengthy walk, or I should say I had a lengthy walk... Marsh-dog was, of course, riding his skateboard.  I could have been there in the blink of an eye, but we were both enjoying the cool of night.

“Hey, watch this!” I announced as we traversed down a darkened residential street, and Pop! I disappeared and reappeared on the other side of Marsh-dog.

“Wow, that’s great,” he deadpanned sarcastically.  “Do it again.  It never gets old.”

“Hey, your voice is not as squeaky as it used to be.  You must finally be going through puberty or something.”

“Yeah, dude, check out my moustache.”

“Let’s see... yeah, I can see one hair on the left side of your lip there... looking good!”

“Man, your jealousy is really sad.  You should get some counseling or something.”

We continued this way, moving along, enjoying ourselves, feeling free, at least for a little while.  The weight of the world, and everyone in it, would come soon enough.

Chapter 32

It was about five in the morning when we finally arrived at Ling’s apartment, and we were feeling pretty tired.  We probably would have just leaned up against a wall and fallen asleep, but her apartment was on the second floor of a complex in, let’s just say, not the best area of town.  The sun would be rising soon; we would be easily seen up there, and the last thing we wanted to do at that point was attract attention to ourselves, so I went through the in-between into her apartment, unlocked the door for Marsh-dog, and in we went.  I had made mental contact with Ling the night before and told her we would be coming, so she was not surprised by our arrival.

“This mental contact is good, much cheaper than cell phone!” declared Ling, coming out of her room as we entered.

“Yeah, but the calling plan is very exclusive, there are only seven people on it.”

Marsh-dog and I flopped down in Ling’s extra bedroom, him on the bed and me on the floor, and were sound asleep in seconds.  When we finally awoke, the sun was going down, and we were both raging with hunger.  “Hey Ling,” shouted Marsh-dog through the bedroom door, “you got anything to eat in this place?”

We already knew the answer.  Ling is a bit of a compulsive shopper, and the fridge and all the cabinets in the small kitchen area of the apartment were completely packed with a huge variety of food.  The only thing is Ling doesn’t like to cook, so if it can’t be eaten right out of the package, or at the most, cooked in a microwave, she doesn’t buy it.  “No, I have nothing,” Ling replied, “maybe we should go to fast food!”

That sounded ok to us, so we jumped in the rental car and off to fast food we went.  On the way, we talked about our next steps.  “Ok, we need to get organized, so let’s talk about what we need to do short-term to get ourselves completely ready to catch... umm... now that we know there is more than one of them, what should we call them?”

“Hmm... how about the Chicken Crew?” offered Marsh-dog.  “See, ‘cause they’re chickens, and there’s a crew of them, and... naah, that’s no good.  I don’t know, why don’t we just ask them what they call themselves, right before we squash them like cockroaches?”

“Hey, how about The Cockroaches?  No, that’s no good either.  You’re right, let’s just wait on that.  But let’s not make the mistake of thinking it’s gonna to be easy from here on.  They’ve been kicking the crap out of us up to now.”

We all chewed on that for a minute, and then Marsh-dog said, “I need to get ahold of Professor Reyes up at the college, so he can help me finish up my population models.  Last time I talked to him he told me he doesn’t think he can teach me anymore, that I know more than he does.  I still think he has a few things he can tell me, though.  Only problem is, he might know we’re runaways, so he might be tempted to turn me in, but  I think I can talk him out of it.”

“Ok, now we’re getting somewhere.  What about you, Ling?  What do you need to do next?”

“Well, I have been feeling... more power.  I think it is time for me to go to in-between alone.  Then, when happens another attack, we can do our plan.  I am ready for battle.”

“Whoa, slow down there, Lady Rambo.  She’s almost as bad as you, ‘Nando.  Almost, but not quite.”

“Ok, that’s funny, but just remember, they want to kill us, all of us, including you, and there is a pretty good chance that they will succeed.  It’s gonna take everything we have, and more, and even then at least some of us probably won’t make it.  We probably need a Rambo attitude if any of us are going to get out of this alive.”

“Come on, dude, you know that’s just my way of dealing with stuff.  We’re gonna make them pay, remember?  I may not be a superhero like you or Ling, but you know I have some skills of my own, and when the time comes you can count on me, no matter what.”

As Marsh-dog was talking, I got an image in my mind of all the things we had been through together; the people both of us had lost, how he saved my life, not once, but twice, the challenges we still had ahead of us, and I just couldn’t help it, I started tapping myself on the head and my eyes filled with tears... I turned my head to hide it, but they could hear it in my voice, as I said, “I’m sorry, Marsh.  I should know better.  You’re the last one who needs a lecture from me.  I wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for you.”

“Hey, dude, me too.  Remember when you threw me through the window when Uncle Freddy was coming in?  And remember when you pushed me out the car door?  Yeah, I got pretty jacked up both times, but at least I’m still here.  And look at all the cool scars I got to show for it.  Now let’s stop this love-fest and order some cheeseburgers.”

We pulled through the drive-thru, scarfed our food down on the way back to the apartment, and were in a little lighter mood.  “Ferdie, when we get back I want you to help me go in-between by my own.  I think I can do it... I feel very strong, and the last time we went together I only vomit a little.  What do you think?”

“I think if anyone can do it, you can.  You know what?  If you make it, you will be the second person in history, after me.  That’s pretty cool, huh?”

“It is very exciting, and I hope it will make us able to complete our plan.”

“So Marsh, when do you think you’ll be able to pinpoint the areas in the world where the rest of The Seven are?”

“With a little luck I think I can have it done this week.  It’s kind of funny, Professor Reyes doesn’t know what I’m working on but he’s really interested in the process and the math behind it, so he lets me use a bunch of computers at the college to do the simulations I need to run.  When I get it all done, he’s gonna want me to tell him what I did and why, so I’m gonna have to come up with a good story.”

“Why don’t you just tell him the truth, that you’re helping some people with supernatural powers find some other people with supernatural powers so that they can do battle with an unknown supernatural enemy, and that there are also angels and demons involved?”

“Naah, it needs to be something believable.  I’ll think of something.”

We arrived at the apartment, and as we entered we were startled to find Gabriella and Rafael in the middle of the living room area.

“Mr. Ferdie!  Mr. Marsh-dog!  What has happened to you?” Rafael cried.

“Oh, apparently you haven’t been keeping tabs lately.  There have been some heavy events, and we had to go rogue.  Marsh, can you tell them what happened?  I don’t think I can get through it.”

“Ok, dude, but it won’t be easy for me either.”  Marsh-dog told them everything that happened, and as he spoke the angels’ faces became more and more crestfallen.  About half-way through his description of recent events, I had to excuse myself, and I went into the bedroom and...well, you know.

Man, this is great.  What a group of heroes... two angels who always miss all the action, a college student from Hong Kong, a skinny brainiac, and as their leader, me... an emotionally disturbed, cry baby, possibly mentally ill teenage runaway... sounds more like the cast of a reality show than the team that is going to save the world...

After a few minutes I composed myself and went back out into the living room, and Marsh-dog was just finishing bringing Gabriella and Rafael up to speed.  The angels exchanged grim looks for a minute, and then Gabriella spoke, looking directly at me: “We, Rafael and I, have come to a decision.  We cannot continue to maintain our lives in other parts of the world.  We are of very little assistance to you if we can only make occasional contact.  Therefore, we have no other choice but to leave our homes and families and come here to be with you.  We were hoping that we would not have to take this step, as we have human families and it is very difficult to leave them.  However, it is now very clear that this is what we must do.  We cannot take the chance that you may be defeated and killed when we could have helped to prevent it.  As you know, we cannot interfere directly; if we were to do that, we would lose our status as members of the Good Line, as angels, so to speak, and upon our deaths would be relegated to the Bad Line.  There is a situation that may arise, however, that would require our direct intervention, and we are prepared to do so if there is no other choice.”

“What situation?  What do you mean?”

Gabriella and Rafael looked at each other again, and this time Rafael spoke: “Mr. Ferdie, you may remember that, upon our last meeting, we expressed a concern that there may be angels who are under the control of the others, and it now seems clear that this is true.  It seems likely that these angels will be forced to intercede directly, against humans, and if that is the case we will be forced to defend against them.  If this happens, things would get very... messy.  Angels are powerful in the earthly plane... that is why the penalty of changing lines if we should directly interfere with humans exists.  Nevertheless, Mr. Ferdie, Ms. Ling, Mr. Marsh-dog, if we must act in this way, rest assured we will, regardless of the outcome for us.”

“So, dude, wait a minute... you guys are moving here?  This apartment is gonna to get really crowded, and aren’t the apartment managers gonna get suspicious?” asked Marsh-dog.

Rafael gave his usual, thunderous laugh, and said, “We will not be living here, Mr. Marsh-dog, but we will be nearby.  Ms. Gabriella and I will be masquerading as a married couple, Rafael and Gabriella Johnson.  It has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?”

“Ok, so when is this supposed to happen?  We don’t have any time to waste.  The Coward and his master, and whoever else they have on their side, could strike at any time and we need to be ready when they do.  I don’t think I could take any more dead people on account of me.  And, Rafael and Gabriella Johnson?  Don’t you think you could have come up with something a little more... I don’t know...”

Rafael smiled broadly, saying, “Ethnic?  Mr. Ferdie, didn’t you know that the Vikings roamed all up and down the Americas, including the Caribbean Islands, and settled in some of those areas?  I have Swedish ancestry, can’t you tell from my blond hair?

“But you don’t have... oh, never mind.  When are you coming for good?”

“Mr. Ferdie, here we are, and here we will stay.  All the necessary arrangements have already been made.”

“That is fantastic!” cried Ling.  “It will be so good to have you here always!”

Rafael and Gabriella exchanged looks one more time, and Gabriella spoke: “We are happy to be here also, and are ready to complete this most important mission.  However, there is one more surprise... we can sense the building of power by the others... Ferdie, I suspect you can feel it also.”

“Yeah, I was hoping I was wrong, but now that you bring it up, I guess I might as well admit it.  Feels like the air is buzzing, and not in a good way.  I can’t tell where it’s coming from, though.”

“Yes, we are having the same sensation.  This is why we feel the need to bolster our ranks.  Hopefully we will succeed in recruiting at least some of the other members of The Seven, but we cannot count on it at this point.  So, for this and other reasons we have sought the help of someone with, shall we say, a different set of skills and abilities... it will likely give us an element of surprise, and will definitely increase our combined powers.”

At that moment, there was a shimmering, and a crackling, electric sound in the air next to Gabriella, and I heard Marsh-dog say, long and low, “Duuuuude!”

The shimmering person, not yet completely visible, replied, “Marshall, I have asked you before, please don’t call me dude.”

Chapter 33

Ling, Marsh-dog and I all cried, simultaneously, “ARNIE!” and rushed toward him; he held his arms out to stop us, and said, “Whoa, slow down, it’s just me, Arnie, not the Beatles... or whoever is popular these days!  I’m just a lowly demon, trying to make his way in this world.”

“But what... how... I thought...” My questions were all mashing together and I couldn’t seem to get them out.

Arnie smiled, saying, “Maybe you should tell them, Gabriella, since this was your idea.”

Gabriella smiled her Mona Lisa smile, and said, “We have formed a treaty, so to speak, for our short-term mutual benefit.  It is highly unlikely that the others will anticipate us having a denizen of the Bad Line, or a demon if you prefer, with us, and we can use this to our advantage.  Demons have certain abilities angels do not have, most notably the ability to go to the side of the in-between that borders the Bad Line.  It is likely that at least some of the others will be moving from place to place through that side of the in-between, and Arnie Hayward will be able to detect their movements.  In addition, he is highly skilled at combat, especially in the supernatural plane, and that will help us succeed.  Almost as skilled as me.”

I had never seen either one of them in action in the supernatural plane, and I was very interested to hear them talking about it.  What would it look like, sound like, feel like?  Explosions, lasers, limbs and other body parts flying here and there?  I wonder how I would fare in a battle like that?  I imagine they would cut me to pieces...

Arnie laughed out loud at Gabriella’s jab, and said, “Perhaps we’ll get the chance to test that out one day, eh, Gabriella?”

“Perhaps... of course, assuming that we are successful in our task, it will still be my duty to prevent him from changing lines, and he is well aware of that.  We have all come to the realization that the threat of the others is more urgent and must be addressed quickly, before they are able to acquire enough power to defeat us.  The one that they are calling master is singular, much like you, Ferdie.  We are not sure if this person is a member of The Seven, or is some sort of hybrid or abomination, but the power we are sensing is very unusual, although immature at this point.  In essence, we need all the help we can get, and that is why Arnie Hayward is here.”

I was getting a little overwhelmed by all that was happening, and I began tapping my head furiously.  A truce between angels and demons?  This must be an even bigger deal than I thought... these guys are taking a massive risk by doing this... I guess it’s time for me to come clean about the new powers I’ve been hiding... they’ll probably have ideas about how that can help us...

“I, umm, I have a little confession... I’ve made some progress in my powers that I haven’t told you about because I thought... well, to be honest, I thought I might need them as protection against you supernatural types, because I wasn’t sure I could trust any of you, and to tell you the truth, I’m still not sure, but here goes anyway.  I can transport myself through the in-between now, and I can read the minds of a bunch of people at the same time.  And I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m pretty sure I could control a bunch of people at the same time... ‘course, that’s not something I would do unless I really had to, because of all the negative energy it would create for me, and, you know, it’s just not right to control people like that.  I can also send... I guess you would call it a wave of energy, into peoples’ minds, stun them, maybe even... kill them, if I had to.”

I looked at Arnie, and he looked completely shocked; his mouth fell open, and he was blinking furiously.  I turned to look at Gabriella and Rafael and noted that they had guilty looks on their faces; they glanced at each other and then looked at the floor, as if the dirty carpet of the apartment had suddenly become fascinating.  Ling just looked... I guess anguished is the right word.  Rafael spoke first: “Mr. Ferdie, we also have a confession to make.  I, for one, must say that I am so sorry for feeling this was necessary... while we have all been in awe of your abilities, we have been concerned about your... shall we say, emotional state, which is certainly understandable, considering all the tragedies you have been through.  We needed someone to watch over you, not just physically, but also to watch over your mind, to gauge your emotional state, so to speak, so that we would be able to... intercede, if it was necessary.  That is one of the reasons we allowed Miss Ling to come here.  She has been making contact with your mind and reporting your emotional state to me so that we would have the knowledge we need, as we cannot make this contact with you ourselves, as you know.  Because of this, we were already aware of the leaps you have made in your abilities, which, by the way, are certainly miraculous and unprecedented.”

It took a few seconds for the impact of Rafael’s confession to sink in, and then I felt a rage building inside me like I had never felt before.  “I knew it!  I knew someone was spying on me!  I could feel someone was making contact, but as soon as I realized it, the person was gone!  I thought it was my imagination, or that I was hallucinating or something, because it happened so often, but instead it was you supernatural idiots, and my good friend, Ling, just went right along with it, huh!?”

My head was throbbing from the tapping I was doing, and I looked down and noticed that I was fading out a little.  I’m going to the in-between without even trying or noticing it!  Ok, pay attention, Ferdie... calm down a little bit... but how am I supposed to calm down after what these freakin’ angel jerks did?  I was shimmering and fading a little, and heard the familiar electric, crackling sound; there were surprised looks all around, and they backed away cautiously.

Ling was the first one to work up enough nerve to speak.  “I am so sorry, Ferdie.  I didn’t want to do it, but... you have to understand...” and then she burst into tears.

I turned on Marsh-dog angrily, but before I had the chance to ask, he returned my angry look and said, “Don’t look at me, dude.  I didn’t know about any of this crap.  For all I know, they’re doing the same thing to me.  You can check my brain any time you want, you know I’m telling the truth.  I wish I could do the same thing to your brain, but I’m afraid all I would hear is wind coming in one of your ears and out the other.”

I wanted to continue to be mad; I had every right to be furious at what they’d been doing.  In fact, it felt good... it would be satisfying to just let loose on all of them, blast them into oblivion.  As always, though, Marsh-dog took the wind out of my angry sails, and... well, what I did is laugh.  I started laughing and couldn’t stop, and because laughing is contagious, like yawning, the others began chuckling, even Ling, who had been crying moments before.  I guffawed until I fell to the floor.  I laughed until I thought I was going to pee my pants.

When I was finally able to talk, I snickered, “Look, I wish you’d trusted me a little more and didn’t feel like you needed to spy on me, but I wasn’t honest with you either.  Do you think we can all promise not to pull any of these kinds of tricks on each other from now on, though?  Can we be like the Three Musketeers, one for all and all for one?  Any chance of that?  ‘Cause if there isn’t, then there’s no way we’re gonna make it, and I think we all know it.  You guys know more about what we’re facing than I do, and that’s not a good situation.  I need to know everything if we’re gonna have a chance of succeeding.”

Gabriella, who had been bent over laughing, straightened herself up, returning to proper angel decorum, and pronounced, “You are right, Ferdie.  We can no longer afford any kind of subterfuge.  However, you now know everything we know.  Even though it is highly discouraged, essentially forbidden, we have been in contact with other angels, and they either know nothing or are under some kind of control.  None of them have been able to provide any kind of helpful information.  For now, it appears that we are on our own.”

All along I have felt a little distrust of these angels... I thought before that it was maybe just my hypervigilance making me suspicious, but now they have given me a good reason... even Ling... how could she spy on me like that?  Arnie obviously didn’t know about their little scheme... either that, or he is the greatest actor of all time, and for some reason, once I got to know him, I have never felt the same kind of distrust for him... well, I have one other little trick that they don’t know about... I can just shut my mind off to others, make it impossible for Ling, or anyone else, to snoop on me...

“Ok, so obviously we’ve got no time to waste.  Ling, tell them our plan to catch The Coward, assuming you’re still planning on helping me.”

“Ferdie!” cried Ling, stung by my snide comment.

“Come on, dude,” scolded Marsh-dog, “it was lame, what they did, but think about it.  You do act kind of weird sometimes.  Not that I blame you, what with the stuff you’ve been through and all.  They had to make sure, and I guess they felt like they couldn’t just ask you.  They could have asked me, I don’t think anyone knows you better than me.  Maybe they don’t trust me either, or they think you’ve got some kind of mind-control thing over me or something.  As if you could do that to me, my brain is too big for that crap.”

Ah, Marsh, you’re the best... always knows what to say to get me to lighten up, not take myself so seriously... I’m gonna have to compliment him on that one of these days...

I turned and walked over to Ling, put one arm around her shoulder, and said, “I’m sorry Ling.  That wasn’t fair.  I don’t blame you for what you did.  Let’s just agree not to waste any more time doing it, ok?”

Ling hugged me tight around the waist and cried, “I am also sorry, Ferdie.  I did this because they needed me to, but it made no difference to me where concerns you.  I would follow to you no matter what I found out.”

“Ok, dudes, let’s get this love-fest over with and get to work, alright?” grunted Marsh-dog.  “Either that, or let’s get something to eat.  I’m ok either way.”

Chapter 34

Over the next several hours, through the rest of the day and on into the night, Ling, Marsh-dog and I explained our plan to catch The Coward to Arnie, Gabriella, and Rafael.  We gathered around the small kitchen table of the apartment under the harsh glare of the unshaded hanging lamp, with Ling, Marsh-dog and I dashing off diagrams on a legal pad, and just as quickly tearing the pages off and throwing them aside as parts of the plan were discussed and rejected, creating a mound on the floor around the table as the debate about the details of the plan continued.  Finally, Marsh-dog grumbled, “Dude, I’m getting hungry.  You mind if I grab something, Ling?”

“Of course not.  I too am feel hungry... can you bring something for all of us?”

Marsh-dog was at the cabinets, rummaging through the tightly packed, pre-packaged food items, and in a minute returned... with a box of Pop Tarts and a six-pack of Pepsi.  Rafael roared with laughter, as always.  “Mr. Marsh-dog!  If we eat this, we will be hyper, like a group of sugared-up ten-year-olds at a pool party!”  Still, we all dug in, and the snack was devoured in no time.

The sticking point in the discussion of our plan to catch The Coward revolved around the participation of Arnie, Gabriella, and Rafael.  They wanted to participate in the trap we had planned, but we felt that their presence would probably be noticed in advance and would scare off The Coward, and we didn’t want to take that chance.  “I feel strongly that Rafael and I need to be there with you,” Gabriella asserted.  “If he has angels with him, you will be unprotected.”

“Ms. Gabriella is right, Mr. Ferdie,” agreed Rafael.  “We cannot take the chance of angels attacking you.  You will have no defense against them.”

Arnie listened carefully, an intense look on his face, and then spoke: “Wait, hear them out.  I tend to agree with them.  If you two are there, they’ll sense you and be scared off.  The sooner we can catch them, the better, we don’t want to give them any more time to build their power base.  I think it would be best if I go with them, because the others won’t be expecting Ferdie to have a demon with him, and I can protect them from angels long enough for them to do what they need to do.  As you said yourself, Gabriella, I am highly skilled in combat, both in the physical and spiritual plane.”

At first I didn’t want any of them with us, but I realized Arnie was probably right.  Plus, I really wanted to see him in action.  Plus, if we’re lucky it may be a case that will give Arnie what he needs to make it to the Good Line, and that was becoming more and more important to me.  As I was thinking, Ling added, “I must agree with Arnie.  I think they will not be, what is the word... anticipate him.  It will give us the surprise advantage.”

Marsh-dog and I stifled yet another a snicker at Ling’s continuing struggles with English, and he said, “Look, dudes, I’ve been working up our statistical odds while you all have been wasting your time talking, and the way I figure it, there is a seventy three percent chance that, if you angels go with us, those other dudes will know you’re there and they’ll back out, which gives them an eighty two percent chance of succeeding in the long run, because they’ll know what we have.  It’s a tell, or like showing your hand in poker.  There is about a fourteen percent chance that they’ll guess that we have a demon with us, which is pretty good odds for us, and gives us around a fifty five percent chance of stopping them the next time they show up.  If we don’t get them then, our odds go way down, so we better take our best shot.”

Once again, we gave Marsh-dog a wide-eyed gaze, as if we were looking at a space alien or something, and Rafael broke the silence with his hearty laugh.  “Beautiful, Mr. Marsh-dog!  I must ask, though, how did you come to those statistical conclusions?”

Marsh-dog stood and puffed himself up as big as a scrawny, five-foot-two genius with a giant ‘fro can get, and, in his most impressive, cracking voice, said, “I’ve been keeping track of everything that’s happened up to now, and that makes it easy for me to make statistical predictions, using some formulas I learned from Professor Reyes and some that I invented on my own.  I would tell you to have ‘Nando check my brain to see if my math checks out, but he won’t understand it.  What he can do, though, is tell you dudes that I am telling the truth.  ‘Course, like Professor Reyes says, you can use statistics to prove whatever you want, it’s all in how you spin it.”

I didn’t have to check, I knew Marsh-dog was telling the truth.  Besides, if he wasn’t, I didn’t want the others to know, and I didn’t really even want to know myself.  “He’s telling the truth, and he’s right, I wouldn’t understand the math.  I think we have to go with the plan that we’ve come up with.  If it doesn’t work, we’ll come up with a new plan for the next time, but this gives us the best chance of catching The Coward before things get worse.  What do you say?”

Gabriella and Rafael looked at each other, and I could see that they were struggling with the idea, but also had a look of resignation on their faces.  Gabriella spoke, a grave tone in her voice: “Very well, Ferdie.  You put us in a very difficult position, but we will proceed with the plan that you have described, and we will not interfere or intercede.  Be aware, though, that this also means that we will not be able to save you if you should fail.  And, as Marshall has correctly estimated, should you fail in this attempt, the chances of future success will decrease significantly.”

After that, there was a very somber feel in the room, and I realized that I was tapping my head again.  As usual, Marsh-dog broke the tension.  “Hey, you got any more Pop Tarts around here?”

The next several days were spent mainly with Ling and I going over how to make our coordinated attack on The Coward, practicing going to the in-between with her, and working on her staying there as long as possible without getting sick.  She had worked herself up to about two minutes on her own, which Gabriella, Rafael, and Arnie all thought was really good.  “Ms. Ling, your progress is almost as impressive as Mr. Ferdie!” enthused Rafael after one of Ling’s excursions.

Ling’s face was white as a ghost, and she was on the verge of sickness as she gasped, “Thank you, but I don’t think it is so.  Ferdie is only one of his kind.  I do my best, though.”  I turned away, feeling a little embarrassed, but feeling good at the same time.  I can tell what people think of me if I want by reading their minds, but it is nice when someone says it out loud for others to hear.  When I turned back around, Marsh-dog was entering the room.

“Hey dudes, I was just doing a little checking, and it looks like the simulations that I have running up at the college will be done tomorrow, so we should have some info about where the rest of you dudes are.  Then we just have to figure out how to contact them.  You can fly to wherever they are on your invisible magic carpets, but you’ll need me with you to pinpoint who they are and where they are.  Are you sure you can’t teach me to do that “in-between” thing?  That would make stuff a lot easier.”

“Sorry, dude, if I took you there you would come out the other end nothing but a skeleton with clothes on, which is kind of what you look like anyway, now that I think of it.”

“Man, don’t try to tear me down just because you’re jealous.”

Just then there was a loud pounding at the door, and Marsh-dog and I instinctively dove for cover behind the couch, not wanting anyone to find us due to our status as runaways.  Ling, Rafael, and Gabriella also froze, but then we heard a loud, hissing whisper from the other side of the door: “Hey, it’s me, Arnie!  Open up!”

Ling walked to the door as slowly and quietly as she could and peeked through the peephole, and then swung the door open.  Arnie burst into the room, flinging the door open and nearly knocking Ling to the ground.  He didn’t appear to notice, as he announced, “This is it.  I just picked up a call about a multiple murder on the north side of town, a mother and two children, and the perp appears to be the father.  He’s on the run, we’ve got to move fast.”

Marsh-dog, Ling and I made eye contact, and collectively gulped.  “Dude,” croaked Marsh-dog, “exactly the same pattern.  He wants us to know, he’s expecting us to chase him!  All of a sudden I got a bad feeling about this!”

Ok, think... Marsh-dog’s right, he obviously wants us to go after him... otherwise, why would he repeat himself this way?  Is it possible that this is some random guy who did this, and not someone who is being controlled?  I don’t think so... no, it’s too exact...  “Look, I get how you’re feeling, but he’s expecting just me.  He may be setting a trap for me, but he doesn’t know about Ling and Arnie.  We have to stick to the plan.”

We all sat silently for a moment, and everyone was wearing a grim expression as we contemplated what to do.  Then Arnie broke the silence: “If we’re going to go, we need to do it now.  I’m with Ferdie, this is our chance to catch him before things get worse.”

At that, Marsh-dog bolted up out of his seat and cried, “Ok, then, dudes, let’s roll!” and Arnie, Ling, Marsh-dog and I ran to the door, sprinted down the stairs to Arnie’s unmarked car, and leaped in, Ling and I in the back and Marsh-dog in the front.  Arnie hit the gas with gusto, we lurched backward in our seats, peeled out of the apartment parking lot, roared off to the scene of the crime, and to whatever fates awaited us.

Chapter 35

“Dude, watch out!” shouted Marsh-dog as we spun around a corner, nearly skidding into oncoming traffic.  Before Arnie could respond, Marsh-dog held up his hand and said, “I know, don’t call you dude.  But it would be pretty bad if we die in a car crash before we even get there!”

Arnie’s expression didn’t change; he had the steely look of a seasoned Marine approaching combat.  We careened across lanes of traffic, roared through twisting turns, barreled through residential areas, and arrived at the scene of the crime in four minutes, a rate of speed that would have frightened a NASCAR driver.  As we went, we monitored the chatter over the police radio, and it appeared that the killer was still in the home, which was surrounded by officers.  This time, unlike the last time we confronted The Coward, we flew into an upscale part of town, swerving through a neighborhood of huge lawns and stately two- and even three-story homes, passing joggers dressed in all white as we tore on.

We finally pulled up to an enormous, nine-foot-tall, black wrought iron gate with imposing spikes at the top of the bars.  This was in front of an even more enormous house, complete with multiple balconies overlooking the massive circle drive in front.  The drive was bordered on the outside, leading up to and away from the house, by tall palm trees, and as I scanned I noticed that there was a second gigantic gate about forty yards to our right at the other end of the circle drive.  Six patrol cars were parked in front of the fence, along with a couple of unmarked cars including ours, and the officers were crouched behind their vehicles, apparently awaiting further orders.  I felt a twinge of sadness as I watched, knowing this was the kind of scene that Uncle Mark would have been overseeing.

Arnie jumped out of the car, ran up to a gruff-looking officer behind one of the vehicles, and yelled, “McCandless!  Is anyone in contact with the suspect yet?  Any negotiations going on?”

Officer McCandless turned his head slightly, as if it were an extreme inconvenience for him to reply, and grunted, “Granillo’s on the phone to ‘im right now.  He’s over yonder,” and he jerked his head to the right.  Just past the last patrol car in front of the second gate was Assistant Chief Granillo, dressed in a too-tight, grey, pin-striped suit and looking as if he had come straight from the office.  He was listening with a scarily intense look on his face, his cell phone pressed tightly to his ear.  As I watched, I saw his face suddenly go slack; I glanced around, and noticed that all the officers seemed to have the same blank appearance.  Uh oh, I’ve seen this before... it’s the same look that Uncle Freddy had on his face when I controlled him... Uncle Mark too...

On the right side of the massive home a drive way extended out of sight, apparently leading to a garage behind the house.  A huge black SUV came barreling down the drive way and toward the second gate, behind which stood Granillo.

As I watched I began to feel horror building; the SUV was going to ram the gate, and Granillo was not moving!  Arnie also realized what was happening, and he was sprinting toward Granillo for all he was worth, but it was clear that he was not going to get there in time.  Someone’s obviously in there controlling all these officers... whoever it is has learned the same trick I have!  What am I gonna do?  Arnie’s not gonna make it... got to do something...

Not knowing what else to do, I gathered myself and sent a mental bolt blazing into Granillo’s mind, releasing so much energy that I fell backward.  I could feel someone in there, and whoever it was recoiled in stunned surprise and pain; the bolt was so powerful that the person became dislodged and was expelled from Granillo’s brain.  Granillo shook his head and looked up; in a flash he realized that the SUV was upon him, too close for him to get out of the way in time.  At that moment, Arnie disappeared, right in front of everyone, and in an instant Granillo went flying to the right, just out of range of the gate as it was blasted open; it flew outward and down, and one half of the gate smashed into the nearest patrol car, crushing the roof flat.  As the gate continued to spin, one of the pointed spikes at the top of the gate impaled an officer who had been hiding behind the vehicle in the right side of his abdomen, carrying him like a rag doll before coming to rest in the middle of the street.

Officer Granillo, while avoiding the flying gate and SUV, was also worse for wear; he sailed about twenty feet and slammed up against a large brick post, falling in a heap, unconscious but alive.  Arnie reappeared next to Granillo, quickly leaning over to check his condition, and then ran back to the car at top speed.  As he ran, I realized that none of the other officers saw him disappear; they had all been under mental control, but were now shaking their heads, appearing stunned and confused.  Ling, Marsh-dog, and I all burst out of the car at once, running toward the officer who had been pierced by the fence; he was now screaming for help, and the other officers had not yet cleared their minds enough to realize what had happened.

“Come on!  We’ve got to get this gate off of him!” I shouted, “You guys grab that side and I’ll get this one, and pull hard!”  We all took hold of the gate, but we could barely move it, much less get it off of the officer; his cries were sickening and I realized that there was not much we could do to help him.

“Look out!” came a shout from behind me; we turned to see Arnie rushing up, and dove out of the way just in time, as he grabbed the massive iron gate with one hand and yanked it away from, and out of, the officer, tossing it aside as if it were made of paper.

Ling, Marsh-dog and I stood, mouths gaping, utterly stunned; Marsh-dog found his tongue first, gasping, “Dude!  How did you...”

“No time for questions!  Get in the car!” Shouted Arnie, and we all turned and sprinted, diving into our seats.  “Ferdie, get the other cops to help those two!” he yelled, and instantly I took control of a couple of the closest officers, doing the mental equivalent of slapping them awake, and turning them toward Granillo and the previously impaled officer.  Their eyes widened as they realized that two of their comrades were injured, one gravely; they dashed toward them as we peeled out, leaving a cloud of dust and smoke in our wake.

“Dude, check your face!” Marsh-dog cried, and I realized that there was blood streaming down the right side of my head and onto my cheek.  I wasn’t injured from what had happened, but I had been tapping myself on the side of the head so hard that I opened up another small cut.

“I’m ok, it’s just a scratch,” I quickly responded.

“Yeah, I know, I just didn’t want you to get any blood on me, BBP’s, you know,” said Marsh-dog seriously, but he couldn’t hold it together, he started laughing.

“BBP’s?” I asked, beginning to giggle a little myself, in spite of the situation we were in.

“Yeah, blood-borne pathogens.  Don’t you ever pay attention in school?”

“We’re not in school anymore, remember?  Plus, if I remember right, my grades were better than yours.”

“Maybe, but it’s not about grades, it’s about brains.”

Arnie cleared his throat loudly, and growled, “This academic discussion is very interesting, but do you think you could focus on the situation at hand for now?  And, Ferdie, Marshall is right, you do need to clean off that blood.”

Marsh-dog and I looked at each other, slightly embarrassed, and I said, as I rummaged around in the back seat for something to wipe my head, “Sorry, Arnie.  Ling, how are you doing?”

Ling wasn’t looking too well.  Her face was white and she was shivering; I felt guilty that I had been too busy with my own concerns to notice her.  “I am feeling a little sick from the car, but I will be ok.  I think I need a little bit of air from the window, please.”

Arnie rolled Ling’s window down slightly just as he sped into a turn, whipping onto the freeway, and even though we all had seatbelts on, we were thrown to the left side as the car seemed on the verge of flipping.  Arnie somehow managed to keep it under control; we straightened out and flew down the freeway at a hundred, no, a hundred-ten, no, a hundred-twenty miles per hour.  Then Marsh-dog blurted out: “Hey, du...I mean Arnie, how the Hell did you do all that stuff back there at that big house?  All three of us couldn’t even hardly move that big gate, and you just picked it up and threw it with one hand!  And you made that big cop in the suit fly like he was a... I don’t know, like a doll or something!”

I was glad he asked, because we were all wondering the same thing, although I was pretty sure I knew at least part of the answer.  However, Arnie was in no mood for conversation: “We’ll discuss that later.  Right now, let’s just concentrate on the job at hand.  Look there.”  Fifty yards in front and to the right was the big, black SUV with the now partly-smashed front end!

Ling and I gazed at one another.  I could see that she was scared but also seemed very focused and determined.  “Are you ready, Ling?”  I whispered.

Her eyes narrowed as she said, “Yes.  Very much absolutely.”

I resisted the temptation to look at Marsh-dog as he made the slightest snicker, and said, “Ok, this is it.  Marsh, be sure to keep an eye on me, and if anything looks funny slap me as hard as you can.  Ling, you know what to do.  Give me thirty seconds to get over there and get The Coward’s undivided attention, and then you’re on.”

“Hey, ‘Nando, you said to slap you if anything looks funny, but you look funny all the time.”

“Marshall!” shouted Arnie.

“Ok, ok, just joking, jeez.  Don’t worry, I’m on my game.”

I gulped, my mouth suddenly dry, and remembered to quit tapping my head.  “Here I go,” I whispered, and in a flash I was in the mind of the killer.

Chapter 36

Darkness; shadows moving in the distance; sounds bouncing all around, echoing; crackling, electric sounds, as if energy were gathering in the air, waiting for someone to harness it, or suffer by it.  Then, the familiar, cackling voice: “Well, well, well, Hello there, Ferdie!  It’s about time you came calling!  Once again, though, far too late to prevent any bloodshed, eh?  What a shame for the boy who would be hero.  Well, if it’s any consolation, they died a little quicker than your parents did, or the parents of your little friend, or your uncle and cousins.  So much killing, so much suffering, and all because of you.  You could end all of this, you know.  Just a bullet to the head, or a jump off a bridge, or even a simple step in front of a train.  With you gone, we would have no reason to continue the killing, would we?”

I could feel the rage building within me; I knew he was taunting me, trying to get me to lose control, and he was close to being successful.  “Killing myself won’t solve anything!  You and your master will continue to kill because you like it, and with me gone you’ll have no one to stop you!”

The Coward laughed maniacally.  “You haven’t been very successful at stopping us up to now, have you?  And what makes you think that is going to change?”

“How ‘bout this?” I screamed, and sent a massive ball of pure energy flying his way; this was the biggest, most powerful I had ever produced; flaming yellow, with blue around the edges, with little sprays of energy flinging off of it as it spun.  He was able to move quickly enough to avoid a direct hit, but it exploded near his shadowy figure, and I could tell that he was both stunned and surprised by the power I was able to harness.

I’ve got him on the ropes... if I get a direct hit on him I’ll be able to knock him out... ok, remember the plan... count... twenty two... twenty three ...twenty four...  I could feel The Coward recovering, and suddenly, as I counted twenty seven seconds, he screamed, “NOW!” and I felt another presence go flying by me, too fast for me to react.

What was that!?... Got to divide my attention... see what it was and where it was going...  I extended part of myself out, following the other presence, and I got the sense that it was like me, one of The Seven!  Like me, but at the same time, different... not sure how... Oh no! It’s attacking Ling!  She wasn’t ready for it!

Ling had been waiting for the thirty seconds to pass before attacking, and the other presence burst into her mind at twenty eight seconds, so she was not prepared to defend herself.  She was being mentally pummeled, her mind being blasted by wave after wave of energy.  Even though she was blindsided by the attack, she quickly went into defense mode, and she was twisting and dodging the bolts of energy as best she could.  I could tell, though, that she was injured and it would only be a matter of time.  I could hear The Coward laugh hysterically as I fired another blast in his direction, while simultaneously going to Ling’s defense.

“So, Ferdie, you planned a sneak attack on me, eh?  So sorry for you and your friend that I was “tipped off”, as they say!”  At that moment I managed a direct hit on The Coward, he screamed, “AAARGH!” and then I couldn’t see or feel him; he was either dead or unconscious.  I sent a blast at the presence that was attacking Ling, and it recoiled immediately, flying out of her mind.  I could see the big, black SUV begin to swerve; it listed to the right, slowing as if whoever was driving had fallen asleep and had taken his foot off the gas.  We flew past it as it rolled into the chain link fence on the side of the freeway and stopped moving.

Because my attention was on the battle being waged in our minds, I didn’t know what was happening in the physical world until that moment.  I snapped back into my body just in time to see, for the briefest of moments, a patrol car to our left, and I saw an officer leaning out the window, firing on us!  I ducked, pulled the unconscious Ling down with me, and saw an unbelievable sight out of the corner of my eye: Arnie’s body was expanding and flattening out, covering both driver’s side windows!  His right arm continued to steer the car as he did this, and he yelled at Marsh-dog, “Get ready to take the wheel!”

“What the hell is going on!?” I screamed at Marsh-dog.

“I don’t know, dude!  These cops pulled up on us, and we thought they were trying to help, but then they started blasting at us!  It’s that dude, McCandless!”

Arnie was obviously using some of his demonic abilities that we had no idea about.  He had spread himself out to cover the windows to protect us from the hail of bullets that were riddling the side of the car, and he was being hit repeatedly.  He gasped, “Marsh-dog, take the wheel,” and started to go limp.

Marsh-dog did take the wheel; his eyes were wet as he whispered, “He called me Marsh-dog,” and he cranked the car hard to the left, directly into the path of the patrol car.

The next few seconds went in super-slow motion; as we careened to the left, I could see McCandless squeezing off a few last shots, his eyes wide and mouth twisted into a frozen grin; a couple of the bullets flew through the driver’s side window, just past Arnie’s receding body; one hit Marsh-dog in the right shoulder, twisting his body to the right, just enough for the second bullet to pass directly into the left side of his chest; I flew into McCandless’ mind, blasting him with all my might, just before the two cars collided; I could feel whoever had been controlling him being blasted out of his head, and I could feel McCandless’ brain literally melt and die; just as the front ends of the two vehicles made contact, Marsh-dog swerved the wheel to the right, straightening out, as the other car lost control, turning onto its’ side and rolling repeatedly before coming to a stop against the guard rail in the center of the freeway.  Marsh-dog somehow pulled our car over to the right side of the freeway, and we collided with tall bushes along the passenger’s side until we came to a rest a quarter of a mile up the road.

I looked down at Ling; she was unconscious, but alive, and didn’t appear to have any bullet wounds.  Arnie was groaning slightly; he had been hit by dozens of shots, but he was still alive, at least for the moment.  I went into Marsh-dog’s mind but... nothing.  Wait... something there... come on, Marsh... come on...

I listened intently, and then I heard it.  Laughing.  It started off impossibly faint, but built quickly until I clapped my hands over my ears and screamed.

“Ferdie, Ferdie, Ferdie, that was quite a little tussle back there, wasn’t it?  I must admit, I am injured.  Good for you!  But, I will recover, while your friends, unfortunately, will not.  More blood on your hands, eh, Ferdie?  Oh, and how does it feel to be a murderer?  You killed your first man today, poor officer McCandless!  He was a serviceable spy for us, but c’est la vie, there will be others.  Stupid humans, they have no idea what’s in store for them, do they?  But you do, don’t you, and you’ll have to live with that, won’t you my old friend?  Yes, I do think of you as my friend.  We’ve been together for quite a long time, you and me.  No, don’t try any of your “mind-bombs” on me, I’ll be gone before you have the chance.  Oh, and the one I had with me, the one I had attack your supernatural friend?  Gravely injured by you, I’m afraid, so you may have a second murder on your hands.  The clock is ticking, Ferdie.  Remember the book?  Ah, you’re surprised.  You’re not arrogant enough to think you’re the only one who can access the book, are you?  Remember, Ferdie, pride comes before a fall... Well, I must take my leave, but I’ll be seeing you... soon.”

“WAIT!  WAIT!  I just want you to know, before all of this is over there’ll be one more killing on my hands: you.  I will make you pay for what you’ve done.”

“Me?  Ferdie, don’t try to play the tough guy with me; I know you too well.  Besides, you have no chance, and I am not really the one you want.  I am just the vehicle; my master is the driver, but he is well beyond your reach.  Just do the honorable thing, Ferdie, the sooner the better.  ‘Bye now!”

As soon as The Coward was gone, so was Marsh-dog.  I looked around the car, blinking, not knowing what to do; blood was running down my face from the cut I had reopened because I was tapping my head harder than ever; Ling was still unconscious, but breathing, clearly alive; Arnie was breathing and moaning, and had returned to his normal shape.  Ok, come on, it’s time to act... got to get these guys out of the car... better get Arnie first, he might not make it...

I tried to get out the rear passenger side door, where I was sitting, but couldn’t get the door open; it was smashed up against the tall bushes on the side of the freeway.  I turned and climbed over Ling to get out the driver’s side door, yanked open the driver’s door, grabbed Arnie around the shoulders and pulled him out and onto the gravel.  He grunted painfully as I pulled him out; I set him down as carefully as I could, face up on the ground, and there were spreading flows of blood from all over his body, soaking his clothes.  He coughed violently, spitting blood from his mouth; he was trying to talk, so I leaned in close to hear, as he whispered, “Is everyone ok?  We got ambushed, Ferdie... they had humans working for them... cops... I knew there was something about that McCandless I didn’t like...”  He stopped to cough again, groaning, “Did we do it, Ferdie?  Did we stop The Coward?”

I grimaced, tears beginning to fall, and said “Sorry, Arnie.  He was tipped off about our plan, and he had another of The Seven with him.  They... they attacked Ling before she could come in and help me.  She’s hurt, but I think she’ll be ok.  Marsh, though, he’s...” and I couldn’t talk for a minute.

Arnie coughed again, spitting blood.  “I’m sorry, Ferdie.  I did the best I could.  I... I just got hit too many times.”

“How did you do that thing, spreading your body out to cover the windows? And why didn’t you save yourself?  You could have gone to the in-between, couldn’t you?”

“Pretty good trick, huh?  Just have to manipulate the molecules a little... you’ll learn how to do that, and more, if you can avoid getting killed.  I could have saved myself, but that was too risky... you guys would have been sitting ducks, so the only thing I could do was stay put and take whatever they had to give...” and he coughed again, a distinct rattle in his lungs this time.

“Some demon you are, going around trying to save people.”

Arnie gave the slightest of smiles.  His eyes glazed over a little, and then he stopped breathing.  Hang on, don’t let yourself slip away like before... catatonia will not help right now... wait, if Arnie is... dead, maybe I can catch him in the in-between before he goes... wherever he’s going... which side of the in-between, though, the Good Line or the Bad Line?  It has to be the Good Line side... please let it be the Good Line side... he did everything he could and more, because he was a good person in the end...

Chapter 37

I quickly faded into the in-between, and there, in the gauzy, confusing space that seemed to be both in the world we know and in what some would call Heaven at the same time, and yet really in neither, stood Arnie.  Normally when you go to the in-between you look just as you do in the real world, but this time Arnie looked completely normal.  No bullet holes, no blood, nothing.  His voice even sounded normal, as he said, “I waited for you, Ferdie, I hoped you’d come.  I’m glad you came when you did, I couldn’t really wait any longer.  Look out there, isn’t it beautiful?  I can feel it pulling me...”

I noticed Arnie was no longer looking at me, but behind me... I turned around, and there was Gabriella, with the same blonde, pixie hair and flowing robe that I remembered from the first time I saw her.  “Hello, Ferdie, Arnie,” she intoned, her voice musical as ever.  “I’m very sorry, Arnie.  You know I must stop you from reaching the Good Line.  I know you tried hard to live a good life, and in the end you saved many lives with your actions, thus amassing quite a surplus of positive energy.  Nevertheless, you know why I cannot take the chance.  I think you also know that if I could make things different I would, but it is not within my power to do so.”

As Gabriella finished, I was tapping my head and raising my hand at the same time, and she gave me her Mona Lisa smile, saying, “Did you have a question, Ferdie?”

“Um, yeah... I’ve been meaning to ask one of you for a while... every time we’ve talked about Heaven and Hell and the in-between, it’s all about physics and dimensions and stuff... is that really all it is?  I mean, is there such a thing as God, or the devil, or any of that kind of stuff?  I know probably everyone would like to have the answers to those questions, but I guess I’m a little closer to knowing for sure than most people... I mean, I know about you guys, right?  This isn’t just something I imagined, is it?”

Gabriella and Arnie made eye contact and smiled broadly, and then Gabriella said, "Yes, it all seems rather mathematical, or scientific, doesn’t it?  Think about it this way: ten thousand years ago, if you were alive and you saw an airplane in the sky, you would have no frame of reference, no experience from which to relate to such a thing, so your mind would have to come up with some explanation that was reasonable, based on what you knew.  Chances are you would eventually come to the assumption that it was some kind of magic, something supernatural, beyond all understanding, and you might worship it as a god.  Now think of something you take completely for granted, like a cell phone.  If you had one only two hundred years ago, people would come to the assumption that you were a magician or wizard of some kind.  All planes of existence work based on certain physical laws, and humans are reaching the point that they can scientifically speculate on them, but they cannot know for a physical certainty, try as they may.

“Arnie and I know you better than anyone, Ferdie.  We have been on opposite sides of you, so to speak, since your birth and have followed you every step of the way.  Your emotional struggles have hurt you deeply, but they are also what make you so strong and unique.  Is there a God?  I hope that question is answered for all of us one day.  Are you imagining all of this?  What do you think?”  And she leaned forward and kissed me on the forehead.

No, I don’t think I am imagining this... my imagination is not good enough to come up with all this stuff...

Arnie put his hand on my shoulder, and said, “You know I am going to do my best to get to the Good Line, Gabriella.  I know you will do your best to stop me.  Ferdie, one way or another, I’ll be seeing you again.”  Then, in less than an instant, he was gone.  I turned and saw him, now a blob of light, streaking toward the Good Line; it seemed impossibly far and yet close enough to touch at the same time.

I turned the other way, and Gabriella quickly said, “Ferdie, search your mind, you will know what to do.”  Then Gabriella was after him, faster than a shooting star, blazing across the universe.  It was clear that he was not going to get there before she caught him.

I thought hard about what Gabriella said, and about what I was seeing, trying to put the two together.  How could the Good Line be a universe away and yet right next to me at the same time?  I think she was trying to give me a hint of some kind... she said that she would make things different if she could, but it’s not within her power... she said that each... what did she call it... plane of existence, works on certain physical principles, and what I am seeing tells me that... no, that’s not possible, is it?... she said what I have experienced makes me strong and unique... they’re traveling toward the line, but I don’t think I have to travel... I think I can be in both places at the same time!

I knew I couldn’t hesitate anymore; it was now or never.  If I am able to stop her, he’ll make it to the Good Line, which could mean “the end of everything”, as she put it, but if I don’t stop her, he’ll be exiled back to the Bad Line... he doesn’t deserve that... he paid the price to get here, and in the end, he paid it because he’s a good person, not because he had something to gain... I know that’s true... but how can I take the chance?  The whole universe is at stake... what do I do?

I reached out, placing a bolt of energy straight in their path, too close for them to avoid smashing into it.

Arnie blazed right through the energy bolt as if it wasn’t there; Gabriella, however, was knocked off course.  In the instant that it took her to recover and continue chasing Arnie, he got far enough ahead of her that there was no way for her to catch him.

He flew into the Good Line and she broke off her pursuit; he shimmered with an orange light, bright enough that I could pick him out for a few moments, before he blended in with the other lights, shining, amorphous, spreading across the length of the universe; as I continued to watch, other lights sped out, joining the line in an unending stream.  I couldn’t help thinking about Marsh-dog, wondering which one of the lights was him, and smiling and crying at the same time.

Chapter 38

I snapped back from the in-between just in time; people were coming up to the car, panicked and chattering about what to do.  I knew that Ling was the only one besides me still alive, so I stood up and rushed to the back seat to check on her; she was lying face up across the seat, and was just coming around.  She didn’t have any obvious physical injuries; I whispered, “Do you think you can get up?  We need to get you out of this car.”

Ling looked up as I held her head; she appeared dazed for a moment, and then said, “Yes. I think I can so.”

I helped her pull herself up to a sitting position, and then helped her out of the car.  She was wobbly but able to stand, as she whispered, “What happened, Ferdie?”  She then glanced down and saw Arnie sprawled on the ground; her hand went to her mouth as she gasped.  I turned her away from him; her body went limp, and I caught her just as she fainted, laying her carefully on the asphalt.  What should I do?  When the police come, they’ll realize that I am a runaway and take me in, put me in a foster home... we’ve got to get out of here fast...

While the crowd that had gathered was looking at Arnie and Marsh-dog, I pulled Ling around the back of the car, next to the bushes where we were unlikely to be seen, took her hand, and faded into the in-between.  I could hear someone in the crowd gathered near the car say, “Hey, where’d those other two kids go?”

Someone else responded: “What other two kids?”

“Well, they were right here a second ago.”

“Yeah, wasn’t there a Chinese girl or something?”

“Well I didn’t see them.”

I smiled to myself.  Pretty soon they’ll have themselves convinced that we were never there!  I held onto Ling’s hand and transported us back to her apartment, where Rafael and Gabriella were waiting.

Try as she might to appear angry, I knew that Gabriella was doing that for everyone else’s benefit.  While she had to do everything in her power to try to keep Arnie from reaching the Good Line, I knew in her heart, her real, human heart, that she wanted me to stop her.  That’s why she gave me the hints, hoping and trusting that I would figure it out in time.  So, I let her yell at me, like she had never yelled before; I just took it, and acted as guilty and sorry as I could, but she and I both knew it was an act.

When she was finally done, I gathered up my courage, and said, “There’s a couple of things I am really wondering.  I put energy in the way of both of you, because I couldn’t decide what to do and I figured I would just stop both of you.  How did both of you go through it?  Why did Arnie go through it without even slowing down?”

Gabriella thought hard about how to reply, but finally it appeared she just decided to be honest, as she said, “As you know, Arnie Hayward was just ahead of me, and I was quickly advancing on him... my concentration was completely on him, so I did not feel the barrier you had put in place until it was too late.  Arnie was able to pass through it by harnessing the positive energy he had accumulated, and it was clearly enough to get him through, but because I did not know the barrier was there, it knocked me off path just enough.”

I thought about that for a minute... I was surprised that they got through it at all, because I thought that I had placed enough energy in their path to stop almost anything.  “How was I able to be get out in front of you and Arnie, to be at both places at the same time?  I don’t understand that at all.”

“That has to do with your ability to be in the earthly and supernatural plane at the same time... for you, the dimension in which the Good Line exists is infinite, and yet, under the right circumstances, you can reach any place in it instantaneously.  That is, any place but the Good Line itself.  You cannot make contact with the Good Line or its inhabitants.  Not while you still live, and not while you are bound for the Bad Line.”

I thought about that, concentrating hard, and realized that I was not going to be able to understand it, at least not right now.  “So what happens from here?  When will we know if the universe is going to fall apart?”

Gabriella looked at Rafael; he cleared his throat and said, “Well, Mr. Ferdie, each moment that goes by makes it slightly less likely that it will happen.  We think that, if it hasn’t happened by now, it probably won’t.  At least, not because of our friend, Mr. Arnie Hayward.  However, there are a couple of other circumstances that we now need to turn our attention to.  While the one we have called The Coward, and his master, are clearly intent on killing people, it appears that their real intent is to do exactly what we feared might happen with Arnie; they would like to get to the Good Line, thus causing a chain reaction that will end with the destruction of the universe that you alluded to.”

“But why?  Wouldn’t that mean that they would be destroyed too?”

“Yes, but it appears that they believe that they have an answer for that.  It seems they believe that they can control which planes, or dimensions, will be destroyed, thus leaving the remainder of the universe at their disposal.  Ultimate power, so to speak.”

“Whoa.  What are we supposed to do now?”

“Why, our task has not changed.  We must find them and stop them before it is too late.”

Finally, Gabriella spoke again: “There is one other thing you should know, Ferdie.  Because I failed in the task that had been assigned to me, I will not be able to return to the Good Line when my life ends.  Although I will retain my supernatural abilities until I die, I am, just as you, sentenced to eternity in the Bad Line now, and we all, you, Ling, and I, are listed in The Book of Names under the same date.  We will all be dying at the same time.”

I looked over at Ling; she was sitting on the couch in the living room of the small apartment, and she was blinking furiously.  “Ferdie, I think the one who attacked me has damaged me, I am afraid.  I cannot see out of my left eye.”

Great.  What else can go wrong?  We thought we were so smart, but they were a step ahead of us the whole time, and now Arnie and Marsh-dog are gone, Ling’s blind, and we’re all going to Hell... what am I supposed to do?

“I need a little time to think, to try to figure out what to do.  I’m going to go to the in-between for a few minutes.  Please, don’t follow me.  I just need to think.”

Gabriella looked sad and sympathetic at the same time, as she said, “We understand, Ferdie.  We will not disturb you.  You must know, though, that we will need to make new plans very soon.”

I sighed heavily.  “Yeah, I know.”  I became a shimmering shell, and then disappeared into the in-between.

Epilogue

The universe is unfathomably large, and some physicists and other academic types believe that there are a very large, maybe infinite number of universes out there somewhere.  They also believe that it’s at least theoretically possible to move between these universes, which some describe as being similar to bubbles that are right up against one another, which is why it is potentially possible to move between them; they are right there, if we only knew how to see them or access them, perhaps via wormholes or some other process that is unknown.  Maybe as one of The Seven I’ve been given the cosmic key to unlock the universal gate, or could be it’s something else completely, but in any case... I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of this sight... seeing the whole universe like this, spread out right in front of me... I wish everyone could see it, I bet there would be a lot more peace in the world... speaking of peace, how are we gonna find the rest of The Seven? Man, I can’t believe Arnie actually made it... I miss Ariel... I miss Marsh... I miss everybody... but Marsh was my best friend, and I owe him my life three times over... I wonder if that one of The Seven that I blasted died... I killed McCandless... how am I supposed to feel about that?  It’s hard to think of myself as a murderer, and he would have killed more people if I hadn’t stopped him, but maybe there was another way... I let my emotions control me and now he’s dead... this stupid “power” is too much of a burden... I’m not good enough or smart enough to handle it... he was being controlled, so he probably didn’t even deserve it... how am I going to find the rest of The Seven without Marsh?... I’ve got to get ahold of Ariel... should I tell her everything? Man, how did it all get this far...

I was so deep in thought, no one could blame me for jumping out of my shoes when I heard, from right behind me: “Hey, dude.  Shouldn’t you be, like, making some plans or something?  And it’s a good thing they don’t have mirrors in this place, ‘cause you’re looking uglier than ever.”

“Marsh, is that you!?!??”

“Well who did you think it was, Batman?”

I looked at him, my eyes bugging out... There’s blood all over his shirt, but he doesn’t seem hurt... wait, we’re in the in-between, how is he still here? “Marsh, we’re in the in-between!  How are you still here?”

He gave me a sly smile and said, “So you mean to tell me you don’t know everything?  I thought you had super powers, but now I’m disappointed.  But guess what I found out?  I can stay here if I want.  It takes some effort, I can feel that line pulling on me, but I can resist it.  My work’s not done, so I’m not ready to go.  Besides, who else is going to get you out of this mess if I’m not around?  And did you know there are other people here too?  They’re not right here, but they’re around, I see some of them sometimes.  You can’t talk to most of them, they’re kind of mental.”

After everything that had happened, this was all too much.  I couldn’t help it; I started crying like a baby.  “Marsh, I’m sorry, I thought I would never see you again, I thought you were gone forever.  I can’t believe it.  I still don’t see how you are able to stay here.”

Marsh-Dog got a funny look on his face, like he felt sorry for me and wanted to laugh at the same time.  “Well, that’s because, dummy, I am what you call a ghost.”

“So is this what ghosts really are?  People hanging out in the in-between?”

“Well, obviously, dude.  Really, you gotta open your eyes up once in a while, get out of your head.”

“So, what, you’re just going to stay here, see what happens?”

“Nah, I’ll be here to help.  I can see everything that goes on out there, you know.  You can come here to ask me for advice, which you will need to do pretty much constantly, right?  Plus, who’s going to tell you how ugly you are if you don’t come and see me?”

“You’re going to insult me even from the grave, aren’t you?”

He giggled, slapped his knee, and said, “When I have a job to do, I see it through right to the end.  Look, nothing has changed.  We still have to stop those other dudes before it’s too late, and you can’t do it without me.  I can still help to find the other Seven dudes too, and I have a feeling that there’s a lot more to come before it’s all done.”

“So what do we do first?”

“I’m gonna go over to the college, see if I can figure out how to get Dr. Reyes to continue my project.   You need to get back there and see what you need to do to help Ling, and work on those crazy X-Men powers.  There has to be a way to fix her eye, she’s not going to be much help the way she is right now.  There’s a ton more adventures ahead of us before all this crap is over, dude.  I’m pretty sure these others are even worse than we think they are, so we’re going to need as much help as we can get.  We’ll figure it out, though.  With my brains and your magical powers, how can we lose?”

I can think of a million ways we can lose, but we can save that for later... right now we need to stay positive... how did I get so lucky to have Marsh-dog as a best friend?  I’ll have to tell him that one of these days...  “I guess I better get back there and get to it, right?  I can’t hang around with ghosts forever.  Plus, it’s getting spooky in here, all the rattling chains and yelling “Boo!” and stuff.”

“Oh, here we go.  Bring on the ghost jokes, but just remember, for every joke you know, I know ten.”

“That’s ok, I’ll still try.  Marsh, I... I’m sure glad... well, you know what I mean.”

“Ok, mushy, don’t start crying or tapping again.  And yeah, I know what you mean.”

“See you later, then?”

“Yeah, see you.  And don’t forget, somehow, some way, we are going to make them pay for what they’ve done.  No matter what, we’re going to make them pay.”

###

HI!  THANK YOU FOR reading my book.  I hope you enjoyed the first installment of the Ferdie and The Seven saga it as much as I enjoyed bringing it to you.  Won’t you please take a moment to leave me a review?  As an author, I very much depend on your feedback; it’s really the lifeblood of writers like me, and your reviews allow me to continue to write stories like this for your entertainment.  To make it as easy as possible, I have included a link below for you to click.  It will take you directly to the Ferdie and the Seven book one review page on Amazon, then just click the button that says Write a Review.  Thank you so much!

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Ferdie & the Seven

Book Two:

Time Flies

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Prologue

The afternoon sky took on a threatening tone, prompting Pasquale Sanna to rush through the recovery of his fishing nets.  The fishing had been good and the hold was nearly full, so Pasquale didn’t feel bad about quitting a few minutes early, and definitely did not want to get caught two kilometers out to sea during the infrequent but powerful storms common to the coast of Isola di San Pietro.  Although generally an area of temperate climate, the fall day was rather cool, and Pasquale shivered as he bent to his task.  Tall and lean, with a dark complexion and unruly mop of black hair, he looked more like a fashion model than fishing boat hand.

“I can’t wait until I can leave this all and go off to college,” he mumbled, in his preferred proper Italian.  “I am getting big guns from all this work, though,” he smiled to himself.  La Eleonora, their small, ten meter converted lobster boat, was quite ancient, even for the area, but she was what they had, and they made the most of her; he thought of it as his, although it was owned by his grandfather.  The winch for their nets had long since deteriorated, but the Sanna’s persisted by spreading and gathering their nets by hand, an extremely labor-intensive method.  The catch usually consisted of grouper and sea bass, but occasionally they would also net a barracuda, which meant a bit more struggle in the gathering.

Pasquale grunted from the effort while ruminating about his current lot in life and what the future may hold.  “I wonder what the girls are like in college... I bet there will be girls from everywhere, maybe even from the US!” he enthused.  So it went until, gazing starboard, he noticed a speed boat coming in his direction.  Boats of this kind were rather uncommon, especially two kilometers out to sea, which made Pasquale curious.  “Hmm... maybe they are coming to warn us of the storm, or perhaps they need help,” he said to no one, as he watched it approach.  The coming craft was long and low, and looked expensive to Pasquale, as it sped through the chop being generated by the oncoming weather.  It was soon close enough for him to see that there appeared to be only one person on board: a large, blond-haired man, with skin so white he appeared nearly translucent.  Pasquale waved, signaling him to approach on the port side, so as to avoid running afoul of the net.

Now directly alongside the La Eleonora, the man stood at the stern of his boat; he was very tall and broad, lumberjack-like in appearance.  He had the broadest of smiles on his face, and began speaking in German; Pasquale knew some German from school, and recognized that the man was asking if he could come aboard, saying something about engine trouble.  Huh, seemed to be traveling awfully fast for engine trouble, he thought, but welcomed the man aboard with the best German he could muster: “Yes, yes, you join on boat mine.”  The man grinned wider still, and heaved himself on board.

Whoa, Pasquale thought, I’m tall, but this guy is really big.  He looks like an American football player.  “You speak the Italian?”  He asked in his broken German.

The man laughed heartily, and said, “No, my friend, but I speak English.  How about you?”

Pasquale grinned in return; his English was definitely better than his German.  “Yes, I can speak to you in English,” he responded.  “My name is Pasquale.”

“Well, Pasquale, I had better get to shore, or risk getting caught in this storm.  By the way, what is your last name, friend?”

Pasquale thought it curious that the man said “I” instead of “we”, but chalked it up to English not being his first language.  It’s a mistake anyone could make, but still...  “My last name is Sanna, Pasquale Sanna.  I did not catch your name, though,” he said, now feeling slightly uneasy.

The big man, still grinning crazily, said “That’s because I didn’t throw it.  My name is Engelbert.  Engelbert Engel.  Yes, like the singer.  It is a terrible name, I know, but it was given to me by my parents, so I could not refuse it.  Pasquale Sanna, you say?  Are you any relation to Leonardo Sanna?”

There is a singer named Engelbert?  Now that is weird, thought Pasquale.  “My grandfather’s name is Leonardo Sanna.  He’s probably not the only one, though, so I don’t know if he is the one about which you are asking.”

“No, perhaps not,” Engelbert continued, “it’s just a name I know from many years ago.”

“Well, Engelbert, let’s get your boat tied up, and maybe you would agree to help me finish hauling in my net.”

“Oh, yes, my friend, I would be happy to help you,” said Engelbert, and he turned toward the port side, reaching down to his boat.  As he did, Pasquale turned to the starboard to continue pulling in his net, so he did not see Engelbert come up from his boat with a very large knife. The big man approached him with shocking stealth.

“Engelbert, my friend, if you could just...” Pasquale looked over his shoulder to see the knife being swung in an arc toward his back; he squealed in surprise and spun away, the knife catching him instead in his left triceps, slicing neatly through and spraying blood onto the deck of the La Eleonora.

He fell to the deck, looking up in shock as blood gushed from his arm.  “Hold still and it will all be over in a minute,” said Engelbert, now in guttural German.  Pasquale pushed himself backwards, scooting on his backside in a panicked attempt to get away from the big man.  Engelbert edged forward, knife held sword-like in his left hand; despite his terrorized state, Pasquale noticed that it appeared as if Engelbert had cut off his own nose, as blood was streaming down and pouring off his chin.  “Just let me get this over with,” he bellowed, now in English.  He leaned forward, knife extended, and in a desperate attempt to protect himself, Pasquale threw his good arm in front of his face.

Suddenly, Engelbert froze in place, his face going slack; he shuffled with an odd, truncated gait to the edge of the La Eleonora, and then flung himself off the deck of the boat and into the deep waters of the Mediterranean Sea, quickly sinking below the choppy surface.

Slowly, slowly, an elderly figure rose up the steps from below deck; his weathered face, with an immense nose and unruly halo of white hair, was bent
against the now stiff easterly wind.  Leonardo Sanna, grandfather of Pasquale Sanna, shook his head, saying in his native Tabarchino, “No, no, not today.  Not my grandson. You may not have him.  Not like his father.  No, no, no...”

####

I’M A KILLER.

Not a natural born killer, like those people in that crazy movie, but I’m a killer just the same.  I melted a guy’s brain with the power of my mind, and that guy just happened to be a police officer.  Yes, he had just fatally shot my best friend, but still... things have gotten crazy, and it seems like it started so long ago... give me a minute, and I’ll get you caught up on what’s happened so far.

My name is Ferdie Shamley, and I have some unusual abilities and some unusual problems.  I can read minds, I can even control people with my mind, and I can use my mind as a weapon.  I have to avoid using those powers, though, because it leads me down a path toward eternity in Hell, or the Bad Line, as the supernatural types call it.  I can also make myself invisible by going to a place called the in-between, which is a space in between our universe and the universes where Heaven, or the Good Line, and Hell, or the Bad Line, exist.  I also have a nasty case of OCD and hypervigilance, and probably PTSD too.  If you think all this makes for a complicated life, you’d be right.

It seems like death has been following me always.  When I was twelve, I witnessed my mother kill my father with a butcher knife, and then kill herself with a rolling pin to the head.  Before she died, she told me that she would have killed my sister, Ariel, and me if she had gotten to us.  She also told me that she didn’t want to do it, but someone was controlling her mind and she couldn’t resist it.

After my parents’ funeral, Ariel and I went from our home in Colorado to Bakersfield, California, to live with our uncle and aunt, Mark and Cindy Wilson, and their two daughters, Jill and Debbi.  They were nice to us and did everything for us they could; Ariel seemed to recover fairly well, but I developed a couple of weird OCD habits, including tapping myself on the head every time I entered or left a room.  When I was in a stressful situation, I would tap my head repeatedly.

Not too long after our move to Bakersfield, I found the Book of Names in the library, and it had in it the names and dates of death of everyone who ever lived; on one side, it had the names of people who had gone to Heaven, and if you turned it over you saw the names of the people who had gone to Hell.  As I was trying to determine the purpose of the book, a weird, pixie-like lady came up to me to explain it, and turns out that lady is an angel; in fact, you could say that in a way she is my guardian angel.  She was assigned to me because I’m one of a group of people called The Seven, which is an obvious name since there are only seven of us in the world at any time.  Most of The Seven never realize that they have supernatural powers, and they just live out their lives like anyone else.  Some of us, though, like me, learn of our powers and develop them.  Because we’re partly human, we have free will, so we can use our powers however we decide to, but we’ll all be held to account in the end.

Right after meeting Gabriella, I met Arnie Hayward, a person we would call a demon.  He was from the Bad Line; he came back to Earth to try to make up for the negative things he had done in his previous life, and to get over to the Good Line.  Just about the only way for him to do it was to earn lots of positive energy by solving murder crimes, and he asked for my help because of my special abilities.  Although I was scared of him, I also thought he was honest and sincere so I decided to try to help him change lines.

Meanwhile, a separate group of supernatural types were gathering, and in fact they were the ones responsible for my parent’s death.  They want to kill me, but not before they torture me by killing everyone I get close to.  My best friend, Marshall “Marsh-dog” Nolan, a short, skinny, skateboard-riding computer genius with a giant ‘fro, was the only normal human who knew what was happening with me, and he paid the price for it... The Others, as I call them, killed both of his parents and almost killed Marsh-dog and me by possessing his uncle Freddy, but Marsh stopped him with a baseball bat.

We managed, through Marsh-dog’s computer skills, to make contact with another member of The Seven: Ling Lee, who lived in Hong Kong.  She came to Bakersfield to be with us in our attempt to stop The Others before they killed even more people, but we were not able to stop them from possessing my Uncle Mark, and they caused him to kill his kids and himself.

The main person I have had contact with from The Others is a guy I call The Coward, because he won’t tell me his name or where he’s from, and because I think calling him that might irritate him a little bit.  Anyway, during the times we have contact he tells me they are going to keep killing people all around me until they can finally get to me, and I could stop it all by just killing myself.  To tell you the truth I have considered it.  Gabriella tells me that would not stop them; it would just make it worse.  She says the only reason it’s not worse now is that they are afraid of me because I’m so “powerful”.  I can tell you, though, most of the time I don’t feel all that powerful.

Eventually The Others got to us in a big way.  We knew they were going to do another killing, so we planned a surprise attack in which Ling, who had really worked on her abilities, would follow me into the fight.  They had been tipped off somehow, and ambushed us before we were able to put our plan in action.  As a result, Ling got blasted, and it blinded her in one eye; they also shot Arnie so many times that even his super-tough demon skin couldn’t protect him, and he died.  He made it to the Good Line in the end, though, so I guess it was all worth it.  Or almost, anyway... because they also got Marsh-Dog.  But guess what?  He wasn’t ready to go, so instead of heading out to the Good Line, he’s staying in the in-between until we stop The Others or they stop us, and if we don’t succeed... well, that’s it for everyone.  So, my best friend is a ghost, and my team consists of two angels who are reluctant to use their angel powers, and Ling, a powerful but half-blind member of The Seven.  Dude, we need to get some more help or we are screwed.  And the clock is ticking... 781 days to go for all of us, according to the Book of Names, not that I’m counting or anything...

Chapter 1

The walls of the small apartment on the bluffs near the university in Bakersfield, California seem to be closing in on me.  My OCD quirks have gotten worse over the past few months since Arnie and Marsh... well, since they died, at least in the earthly sense.  Sometimes I get in these loops where I am tapping my head without knowing it and other times I find myself flipping the lights on and off for no reason.  It’s getting really annoying, both to me and the rest of the crew.  The weird thing is it’s been six months since we were ambushed by The Coward, and we haven’t heard anything from them since.  Obviously we can’t just keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, but we don’t seem to have many other choices at the moment.  Maybe that’s why I’m going crazy.  I wish I could go and talk to Dr. Saresh, the psychologist from India that I used to see, but it’s too much of a risk because he might have to turn me in to Social Services, and that would be a mess.

Since we lost Marsh-dog and Arnie, there are four of us left: Ling, Gabriella, Rafael, and me.  In our little apartment, it’s me in one small bedroom, Ling and Gabriella in the other, and Rafael crashing on the couch in the little living room.  I’ve been spending most of my time practicing at getting to the in-between: that space between dimensions, or universes, or whatever they are.  I can get there instantaneously now, and I can stay there for quite a while before I get uncomfortable, maybe a couple of hours at a time.  It’s a weird, shadowy, fuzzy place, the in-between.  When you’re in there, you can see two locations at the same time, sort of superimposed on one another, and it’s confusing.  For the sake of having a name for them, I’m going to call the different places universes because that’s what it seems like to me, although I don’t know if they’re that, or if they’re something else entirely.  The universes I have seen so far are the one containing the “Good Line”, as the supernatural types call it, which we humans know as Heaven, and the one containing the “Bad Line”, which, you guessed it, is what we call Hell.  So let’s say I’m in my room here in our little apartment, and I decide to go to the in-between.  There is a certain vibration or frequency that I can connect with that will take me to one side, and a different vibration or frequency that will take me to the other side.  I generally go to the part of the in-between containing the Good Line, because being on that side is much more pleasant.  I can see the walls, desk, chairs, and everything else in my room, and also the whole universe at the same time, with the multicolored row of lights that make up the Good Line, extending across and out, seemingly forever.  Calling them lights doesn’t exactly describe them; it’s kind of like a cloud that has a distinct boundary and is lit from inside somehow.  That’s the closest I can get to describing them correctly.  Anyway, while you watch, you can see more of these amorphous blobs of light flying past to join the Good Line, and it gives you the greatest feeling you can imagine.  Once you get past being made sick by being in the in-between, I mean... it’s not a place that was meant for live humans, even half-supernatural ones like me.

Like I said, though, I’ve gotten used to it, which is a good thing, because that’s where Marsh-dog lives now.  There is no way I would have gotten this far without him, and we still have a lot more to do.

On day 781 and counting down, I faded into the in-between to talk to Marsh-dog.  I remember the first time I went there; it felt like the tiniest fishhooks in the universe hooked on to every cell in my body and pulled me in.  In other words, it was painful; it kind of felt like torture to tell the truth.  Ok, here I go, and here come the fishhooks... doesn’t even hurt anymore, just kind of uncomfortable... now tuning in to the right vibration, or frequency, or whatever, and...

I am in the space between universes.  The sight just never gets old... then, as usual, I heard behind me, “Hey, ‘Nando... it just doesn’t seem possible, but you have gotten even uglier than the last time I saw you.  What’s going on, dude?”

“Hey, Marsh.  I would slug you if I knew my hand wouldn’t go right through you.  And I told you before, ‘Nando is short for Fernando, not Ferdinand.”

“Yeah, I know.  I just use it ‘cause it annoys you.”

“Well, mission accomplished.  What’s up with you?”

“Oh, just rattling some chains, saying ‘Boo!’ a lot, you know, typical ghost stuff.”

“Well, now we know one thing for sure, being a ghost does not improve the quality of your jokes.”

“Ha!  Very funny.  Being alive hasn’t improved the quality of your looks, either, by the way.”

“Alright, alright, you win as always.  So what have you really been doing?”

Marsh-dog’s expression turned serious, and he sat down on a rock that somehow appeared out of nowhere.  “I’ve been trying to make contact with Dr. Reyes up at the university.  If I concentrate I can push the keys on the keyboard of his computer and I’ve been trying to talk to him that way, but so far he just thinks he has some kind of virus.  I need him to let me into the system so I can complete my simulations.  I was so close to locating another of those Seven dudes; you know, supernatural dorks like you, and cool ones like Ling, when that jerk McCandless shot me and I ended up here.  I do not like that dude.  Anyway, somehow I need to get him to do just a couple of things, and then let it run.  It won’t even take long, but it has to get done.  Plus, did you know there are other ghosts in here?  I run into some of them every once in a while.  I can’t talk to them, though, they all seem like they’re mental or something.  Sorry, I’m kind of free-associating; I need someone to talk to.”

It suddenly seemed as if Marsh-dog might cry, and I couldn’t really blame him.  “I’m sorry, Marsh, I wish there was something I could do to change your situation.  But remember, we are in this together, no matter what happens.  And we are going to make them pay, no matter what.”

“Yeah, well, let’s get this crap wagon rolling, ok?  I don’t want to be stuck here forever.”

“So what should we do to get Dr. Reyes to help complete your... what did you call them?  Stimulations?”

“Dude, If we went with stimulations instead of simulations we would get a whole different kind of result.  Let me think... hey, how about this: how would you feel about going down to the college and talking to Dr. Reyes yourself?  You could tell him we were working on the simulation together and you’re trying to finish it up as a memorial to me or something.”

“Dude, I’m not sure about that.  What if he tries to contact social services or the police?  Does he know who I am?  Did you ever talk to him about me?”

“Man, are you a narcissist or what?  Do you think I’m going to talk to everyone I know about you?  ‘Hey, Dr. Reyes, have I ever told you about my friend, The Great Ferdie?  He’s a superhero!’  Of course I haven’t told him about you; he won’t know you from The Green Lantern.”

I stared at Marsh-Dog.  “Man, being in this place is making you crabby.”

“Yeah, well you try staying in here permanently with crazy ghosts and other stuff floating around.  It’s creepy.  Sorry dude, you’re right, I need to calm down.”

Now he had my curiosity aroused.  “What do the other ghosts look like?”

“Oh, mostly like sheets.  What do you think?  They look like people, dummy.  They all just seem kind of like, I don’t know, blanked out or something, like they’re so preoccupied with whatever’s keeping them here that they can’t pay attention to anything else.”

“So you can’t talk to any of them?”

“Well, none so far.  They just act like I’m not there.  It’s freakin’ weird.”

“Dude... you said there’s some other stuff in here besides other ghosts.  What did you mean?”

“I’m not sure yet... there’s something here but I don’t quite have a handle on it.  I’m gonna figure it out, though, just give me a little time.”

“Ok, well, if I go over to the university to talk to Dr. Reyes, what should I say?”

The conversation swung to more constructive things, and soon it was time for me to leave, as I was beginning to feel a little nauseous.  “Ok, dude,” said Marsh-dog, “You think you got it?”

Putting on my gruffest voice, I growled, “Sure, I got it.  Just leave it to me, because... I’m Batman.”

Marsh-dog started cackling, which was music to my ears.  Ah, finally got him to loosen up a little bit!

“Alright, Batman, you better take off, but if you call me Robin I swear I will haunt you from the grave.”

Then it was my turn to laugh.  “Ok, dude, I’ll see you later.”

Chapter 2

I faded back into the claustrophobic world of our little apartment, and standing right in front of me was Ling Lee.  Ling is looking a little rough... she’s usually careful about her appearance, but her hair is kind of messed up and her clothes are wrinkled... I wonder what’s wrong... I mean, aside from being thousands of miles away from home, being blind in one eye, and having a death sentence hanging over her head?  “Hi Ling, I was just talking to Marsh-dog.  We were making some plans that include you, so I’m glad you’re here so we can talk about it.”

Well, apparently that was totally the wrong thing to say.  Looking intense and angry, she growled, “You cannot just make plans for me without speaking first to me, you know.  I am not your servant.”

Wow, something is wrong.  What did I do?  Oh, there I go again... it might not have anything to do with me, so why would I immediately think it’s something I did? Come on, dude, not everything is about you...  “I’m sorry, Ling.  What’s going on with you?  You seem awfully upset.”

Ling’s anger faded and was replaced by tears.  “Oh, Ferdie, I too am sorry.  There are many problems I need to discuss, can we now talk?”

I harbored a secret smile, because her way of saying things has always been funny to me for some reason.  “Sure, do you want to, like, sit down or something?”

We went into the little kitchen and sat at the table below the window looking out onto the surrounding neighborhood, and the university in the distance.  Ling had regained her usual composure, and said, “These are the problems, Ferdie: I have not seen my family and friends in many months, and I am the, how do you say it?  Sick for home?  No, homesick, that is it.  The next problem is I cannot see from my left eye; this is not so bad, but I think it is affecting my ability somehow.  I cannot seem to get back to the in-between very well, and when I am able, I feel very ill, more than before.  And, I am sorry to not be brave, but I do not want to die, and most of all I do not want to go to that bad place, Ferdie.  I am very much afraid.”

Ling was shaking a little as she spoke, which made me feel terribly sorry for her and guilty for getting her mixed up in everything.  I felt like I was going to cry, but I stopped myself... come on, that’s not going to do any good right now, let’s come up with some ways to help instead... She seemed to know what I was thinking, as she said, “Please, Ferdie, do not feel bad.  It was my choice to come here and help you, to be a part of this quest.  I am feeling bad for myself but I will conquer my feelings if you will help me.”

After that I couldn’t help it, a few tears leaked out.  “Well, what if you flew home for a week or two?  You could tell them you’re on vacation from school or something.  We can manage without you for a little while.  And as far as your eye goes, I wonder if we should take you to a doctor.  I know we’ve been avoiding it, because it may bring up some questions that we can’t answer, but maybe getting to the in-between has something to do with eyesight... I’m just thinking out loud, but we rely on our sight so much, maybe you need both eyes working to get to the right frequency or something.  I don’t know for sure how it works, but I bet that has something to do with it.  And as far as going to the Bad Line goes, I’m not looking forward to that either.  We’ve got to stop The Others; I feel sure that if we do it will change our future, and then it will be up to us and our behavior as to where we end up.”

Ling walked to the window and stood there for a moment, gazing out thoughtfully with her arms crossed tightly over her chest.  Finally, she said, “Yes, I think that is true.  So much of going to in-between is picturing the place in your mind, how you say, envisioning it, and because one side is damaged, my aim is a little off.  To do it I must squeeze my vision and look a little not in focus, and it is difficult to keep it like that.  It causes headache.”

As she was talking, I felt part of an idea taking shape in my mind.  Hmm... I might have something that could help...  “Hey, Ling, I was just thinking... when I first went to the in-between and felt the vibrations, or frequencies, or whatever it is that happens to get us there, it reminded me of something one of my teachers discussed when we were studying science.  She was talking about medical stuff, including MRI machines and how they work.  Are you familiar with them?”

“Oh, yes, I was in the study of technology at the university in Hong Kong, and we learned about the magnetic resonance imaging machine.  Very interesting.  Powerful magnets cause certain atoms to line up in a predictable way, then send pulses of radio waves through, making very clear picture of inside the body.  Very clever machine.”

“Ok, I’m thinking out loud again, but isn’t that kind of what we’re doing when we go to the in-between?  I mean the part about our atoms lining up in a certain way?  I know it’s not exactly the same, but I just wonder if there is some point in there that... um, how about this:  you know how I can see into another person’s mind?  How I just picture walking down a hall until I find a door that corresponds to them, and open it and there I am in their mind?  So here’s what I’m wondering... if you were at some point in going to the in-between, and I was in your mind at the right moment, maybe I could see not only what you’re thinking, but also the actual structure of your brain.  Do you see where I’m going with this?”

Ling’s eyebrows scrunched together thoughtfully.  “So if you were capable of this, and if you were knowing what to look for, you could perhaps see where my vision problem is.  You do not think there is any way possible that you could even cause my problem to be fixed, do you?”

“Well, I didn’t think that far ahead, but maybe it’s worth a try... I can do lots of other crap I had no idea was possible, right?”

“Please, Ferdie, I do not want you to do the crap in my brain.”

“No, that’s just an... oh, never mind.  How about we start by looking up how the eyes work.”  We dashed to one of Marsh-dog’s computers and did a little research on the brain, especially how the eyes work and how they are connected to the brain.  “Hey, look here, Ling.  Did you know that the ocular nerves decussate at the medular level on their path back to the occipital lobe of the brain?”

A puzzled expression crossed Ling’s face.  “You have not an idea what that means, do you?”

“Well, no,” I snickered, “but it sounded good there for a minute, didn’t it?”

We continued researching in this manner until we felt we had an accurate mental picture of the structures of the eyes and nerves.  “Well, do you want to try it?  I promise, if I’m able to actually see into your brain, which is a big if, and see any kind of problem, which is an even bigger if, and can cause something to change in there, which is the biggest if of all, I won’t do anything that could hurt you or make things worse.  In fact, how about this: I’ll just take a look in there, and then we’ll stop and talk about it before doing anything else.  Is that good for you?”

Ling smiled, clapped her hands, and said, “I think to try is worth it.  What is the American saying?  Oh, yes, ‘nothing ventured, nothing gained’.”

“Yeah, but there’s this other American saying: ‘no good deed goes unpunished’.  Let’s hope that saying doesn’t apply to this situation.  By the way, have you seen Gabriella or Rafael lately?”

“Well, they have a way of disappearing often without notice.  And, it is interesting how they also seem to appear just when they are being thought about.”

“Yeah, I’ve noticed that too.  Well, anyway, are you ready to give it a try?”

Ling took several deep breaths, and I did the same.  It seemed like a good idea, but now it just seems risky... Ling stood up and said, “Ok, Ferdie, I am ready.  What should I first do?”

“Well, I’ve done this exactly zero times, so we’ll have to figure it out together.  Let’s try this: I’m going to peek into your mind, and when I’m there I’ll give you a signal.  What should we use?”

“I am happy to do the high-five.  Would that be a good one?”

“That’s a perfect one.  High-five it is.  Ok, get ready...”

I did my old trick: I walked down the hallway in my mind until I found Ling’s door, opened it just a crack, and peeked in.  I held my hand up, we high-fived, and I don’t know why, that just seemed funny to me so I started giggling.  Of course laughing is contagious, kind of like yawning, so Ling started up too.  “Ok, Ling, I’m ready.  Start going toward the in-between, and I’ll let you know if I see anything.”  Ling’s concentration was strong, but she was still struggling.  She’s right, this is really difficult for her now... she was getting there easily before, but now she’s shaking and sweating... I don’t think she’s going to get there... wait a minute, she’s starting to vibrate... I can feel her mind fading, though, like she might pass out... oh crap...

I had to lunge out to grab Ling as she fell, and I eased her down to a chair at the kitchen table.  Her eyes were rolling around, unfocused, but she recovered swiftly.  “Whoa, Ling, you scared me there!  What can I do for you?”

“Please, Ferdie, a drink of water.  I have bad headache.”

I ran to the sink and poured some water, then rummaged around in one of the cabinets and grabbed the Ibuprofen.  Dude, I hope this water is ok... better take three Ibuprofen... two is for wimps... Ling downed the pills, choked a little bit, and said, “In just a minute I will be ready for trying again.  Will you be ready also?”

Dude, Ling is tough.  “I’m ready when you are,” I said.  It only took Ling about a minute to recover; we repeated the process, again with a high-five, and I peeked into her mind.  “Ok, Ling, going to the in-between, take two!”

Ling looked at me a little confused, and said “I cannot take two, I have already taken three.”

“No, not that, it’s like in the movies, when they... let’s just give it a try, ok?”  Then she began her second attempt.  Whoa, she’s shaking like crazy... come on Ling... wait, what am I seeing?  I can see her thoughts, but fading in, kind of superimposed, not clear yet, I can see... is this her actual brain?  It’s too jumbled up, I can’t tell what’s what... she’s getting closer to the in-between, and it’s getting a little clearer... I’m in the wrong spot in her brain... how do I move in here?  I can’t believe this; I didn’t think it would really work... I can see the long, what are they called... oh yeah, dendrites... how is Ling doing?  Looks like she’s going to make it this time... really close... I can see wherever I am in her brain super clear now, but I don’t see her ocular nerve... it’s not how it looks in the textbooks, everything is mashed together... I’m on the wrong side, I have to push forward and to the right... wait, is that the back of her eye?  There it is!  Uh oh, it’s starting to get fuzzy... she’s almost there but not quite... it looks like the perfect point to see what’s going on is like three-fourths to the in-between... I wonder if it’s possible to hold it there... that’s going to be tricky...

Ling was struggling again, so I removed my hand from the high-five and said, “Ok, Ling, that’s enough for now.  Let me tell you what I saw.”  We sat down and I gave her a full description; of course we were both pretty excited that it actually seemed to be working.

“Ferdie, this is truly amazing; is there anything you cannot do?”  Ling gushed.

“Well, the one thing I absolutely want to do is to catch The Others, but I haven’t been able to do that yet.”  Still, it felt good to know that I was continuing to progress.  I wonder if I’ll ever be able to do that stuff that Arnie could do... uh oh, don’t think about Arnie, you’ll start to leak again... get it together...  “What we have to do is figure out some way to get you to just the right point but then stop there, and I don’t think that’s going to be easy, because right when you get to that point the fishhooks are pulling so powerfully that you can’t resist them.  I think we’re going to need help with that.  Maybe...”

I was unable to finish my thought, because from behind me came a deep, familiar voice, with the lilting, vaguely Caribbean accent: “This is an interesting and unprecedented experiment, Mr. Ferdie, Ms. Ling; there really seems to be no end to your precociousness.” and then the signature booming laughter.

About the Author

LARRY BUENAFE HAS BEEN writing seriously for several years; before that, he was writing in a frivolous and immature manner.  He is an avid reader of science and science fiction of all kinds.  He has three other books currently available, including the second and third in the Ferdie and The Seven series, Time Flies and Fractals.  In the real world, he is a full-time high school administrator (there are some unwritten books contained in those experiences, I can assure you) and part-time musician.  Would he make his living via writing if he could?  Why yes, yes he would.  Perhaps you could help with that endeavor.  He lives in central California with his wonderful wife and has two amazing daughters.  Wonderful?  Amazing?  Yes, he insists it is so.

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