But I wasn’t having it. No way would I give up so easily. I’d worked dang hard to perfect my landing, and I was having my dream jump whether they liked it or not.
“Yeah, well, I get that it’s quitting time and all.” I tried to smile, but it felt pretty fake so I was quick to move on. “I mean, I’d just perfected the landing—I was ju
st about to jump for real, when Balthazar yelled, ‘Cut!’ and everything stopped, and, well, because of that I still haven’t gotten my jump. And the thing is, I’m ready. I know exactly what to do, so this really shouldn’t take all that long. So, with that in mind, I was wondering like, what happens next? Can you squeeze me in real quick? Can I come back tomorrow? And if so, do I get to go first?”
He looked at me, his voice gruff and hurried when he said, “You can add your name to the waiting list—Balthazar will get to you when he can.” Then he left.
I called after him. Told him I needed a little more to go on than that. But it was no use. The words never reached him.
So I did the only thing I could, I motioned for Buttercup to follow as we headed for the gate too. And even though I tried to smile and act happy for Mort’s benefit, the truth was, I felt deflated. More than a little bit devastated. Unwilling to believe my big chance was over—kaput—just like that.
“So, how’d it go?” Mort leaned down to pet Buttercup, who happily sniffed and licked his fingers. “Did you learn how to jump? What’d you think of it? You talk to your sister?”
I slunk through the gate, managed to answer his questions as best as I could. Though my heart wasn’t in it. And before we’d gotten too far, well, that’s when a whole new thought appeared.
It was just a flash, which is all I could really allow since I had no idea how to shield my thoughts from everyone else. But basically I figured since I’d worked so hard to succeed—since I’d done everything that was asked of me—well, I deserved to get what I came for. I had no intention of leaving, no intention of going anywhere, until I got my dream jump. There was no way I’d linger at the bottom of some waiting list—no way at all. That kind of thing wasn’t working for me.
“I …” I tried not to gulp, fidget, or engage in any other kind of nervous habit that might make Mort and Buttercup suspect a really big lie was in progress. “I … uh, I forgot something. I forgot my …” I almost said I forgot my sweater, but at the last second I remembered how Ever forgot her sky-blue Pinecone Lake Cheerleading Camp sweatshirt at the campsite the day we all died. How my dad turned the car around to go back and get it, and that’s when the deer ran in front of us, the car swerved off the road, and the rest, as they say, is history. So instead I just said, “I forgot my bracelet—my silver charm bracelet. I think it fell off when—”
“So you manifest another one.” Mort’s voice was a little bit edgy, maybe even testy. Now that his dream jump was over he was ready to catch the train and move on. “You know how to do that, right? You just close your eyes and envision it, and …”
Buttercup looked at me, head tilted, eyes wide, as though he was tuning in to my devious mind.
So I shook my head, mumbled something about it being one of a kind, having belonged to my sister, that it couldn’t be replaced quite so easily. Then I told Mort not to worry about me. Told Buttercup not to wait for me. Assured them both I’d be fine, would catch the next train, or perhaps even fly. Either way, I’d find my way back. I had a few ideas of where to start looking. It might take a while, but I was sure I would find it. No reason to wait. I’d catch them both later.
Then, before they could stop me, I ran.
Ran as fast as I could.
Slipping through the gate when the guard had his back turned, and making my way across the concrete, the grass, and over to the asphalt.
Heading straight for the soundstage without once looking back.
14
While all the soundstages I’d visited back on the earth plane were equipped with the latest high-tech security systems (I knew this from all the time I spent hanging out on movie sets, spying on actors and stuff before I crossed the bridge and moved Here), in the Here & Now, there was no need for that kind of thing.
Everything worked on the honor system.
For one thing, it’s not like you could actually steal anything when everything there was to be had could be easily manifested again.
And for another, in case you hadn’t already guessed, the Here & Now really isn’t the kind of place where you find a lot of criminal activity.
People Here mostly do the right thing. They want to learn and grow and improve.
They want to glow brighter so they can move up as many levels as possible.
Which is why it was so easy for me to sneak my way back inside.
But which is also why I felt so terribly guilty about having done so successfully.
Still, the guilty feeling didn’t last all that long. I had a dream jump to get to. I had no time for shame.
I needed to keep moving. I needed to find a way to be thirteen. It couldn’t wait any longer—the need was too great.
I headed toward the soundstage, figuring I’d reenact everything Balthazar had taught me. I’d go silent, go quiet, tune in to Ever’s energy pattern, her imprint, and take it from there.
Maybe I wouldn’t have access to all the stunt people and makeup artists, and costumers, and props, and all that—but there was also nothing wrong with keeping it simple.