Erasing: Shadows (The Erasing Series) (4 page)

Someone who could concentrate enough to hold an area of safety—another advanced skill—might see strange things. People sometimes appeared half-formed. It was one of three possibilities: someone trying to travel but not able to bring a good representation of his or her body; someone trying to travel who had not developed a fully mature core self; or someone trying to mask and just doing it poorly from not having practiced. Jonathan wasn’t even sure if half the gang knew what masking actually was.

“Actually,” Jonathan declared, “I learned.”

“Really.” Michael’s voice lowered. “I can guess how.”
Just how much time had Jonathan been spending with Mr. advanced skills guy?

Lu and the others turned sharply to the two brothers. “Problem?” asked Trina.

“No problem,” said Michael, letting it go. “I’ll be running into Mira tomorrow morning, here in the astral. Everyone, stay on your toes.”

The group split up, off to their separate dwellings in the real world while Michael stayed to go find his future wife once again, hoping that maybe this time she would remember more.
If she’s been in the astral awhile now, it’s possible
that she’s gotten comfortable and aged some.
If that were the case, he hoped that she would recall her former life and abilities.

***

Mira ran down to the creek and over to the hay bales. Her favorite thing to do was climb on top of the bales and look up at the sky. Her chores were done until later, so she had plenty of time to daydream.

While she was daydreaming on top of a hay bale, she saw something move to her left side. She sat up awkwardly. Of course it had to be a boy. A cute one too. Flustered, she didn’t try to get off the hay bale; it might create more dirt. Here she was in a dirty dress from playing all morning, and she felt her hair flying all over her face. Probably had smudges on her face too, but she didn’t have a way to look and didn’t want to draw attention anyway. She had forgotten about her previous dream with twelve-year-old Michael.

Oh well
,
I am what I am.
The boy was stocky with brown hair cut short.

“Hey,” said the boy. “Do you live around here?”

“Yeah,” she answered, “I live over the hill. Who are you?”

“My name is Michael. We just moved in the old McArthur house down the road.”

***

He could tell Mira had changed somewhat, but still didn’t remember anything, from the way she was talking. Perhaps her unconscious had remembered something, because she appeared about twelve today, instead of nine. Not that she seemed to notice.

“Oh, that old place!” said Mira, excited. “I’ve been in there! It’s spooky!” Her voice dropped. “Not that I was trespassing or anything—they showed the house to everyone when they were trying to sell it.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t care,” said Michael with a smile. “I like exploring. Don’t tell anyone, but I might have trespassed in a few places in my day.”

“Really? So you’re an adventurer like me! Or like I like to think I am.” Mira smiled self-consciously. “I love to explore.”

Michael remembered the first time they met. Just like this. Only Mira looked older this morning than she had last night. She must have considered last night a dream, though it was really her astral self, moving about. Mira looked like she might be twelve finally, but she was still acting out of it. He had expected her memory to return at twelve. He was flummoxed. His whole plan flushed down the drain. He realized also that it didn’t help that people could be any age bodily in the astral and it might or might not coincide with their maturity of emotions or mind.

“Mi—” he caught himself before he said her name. “Um, maybe we can explore together sometime then. I like to find unknown places, and I like to learn new things. What is your name, by the way?”

“I’m sorry! Oh, my manners. I’m Mira.” She held out a grubby hand to shake.

“Nice to meet you, Mira,” said Michael, shaking her hand.
Good
.
Physical contact between them would help the connection.
“Do you go to school around here?”

“Yes, we’ll both be going to the middle school here in town.”

“Well, Mira,” said Michael, “we have two months before that happens, and I think there’s plenty of time to find an adventure or two.” Then he sensed he said something wrong. Michael rememberedthat even though Mira was a little older in real life, Mira had chased him a lot when they met before. He had reluctantly let her tag along with the gang in the astral. Well, too late for that scenario . He’d have to get himself out of this.

“Of course, I have other friends too, but I’m sure I could introduce you. I have a brother who is nineteen—”

“Wow, that’s grown up!” exclaimed Mira.

“Yeah, well, he thinks he is,” he said with a wink. Mira blushed.

“But I also have a couple cousins staying with us this summer, and one is your age, so I was thinking we might all get along well,” recovered Michael with relief. At leastthey were on the same page.

He gallantly bowed before her and offered his hand. “Would milady like to come off the bale of hay?”

“Phew,” said Mira, giggling with a release of tension. “I was wondering how I’d get off this thing without looking like a dork.”

Michael noted another thing he always loved about her, even when they were young. She was guileless.

With some maneuvering they managed to get her off the hay bale with her dress intact and a minimal amount of smudges.

“Thank you, kind sir.” She did her best impression of a courtesy. “I would love to meet your friends. I have chores in the morning and evenings, but I have my days free. Before you came, there wasn’t anybody here except my brother.”

Michael cleared his throat. “Your brother?”

“Yeah, Paul. He’ll be going up to the high school in September.”

Michael stared at her with sadness in his eyes. “Sure,” he said in an offhand manner. “That sounds great.”

“What’s wrong? Did I say something wrong?” asked Mira. Michael made a motion with his hand. “Nah,” he feigned. “I was just thinking about all that schoolwork coming up. Yuck. Listen, I have to go.” He thought quickly.
I need to leave her wanting more.
“But if you’re around tomorrow, I can introduce you to my cousins. I’m sure you’d get along.”

“Sure,” said Mira, sounding excited again. “In the meantime, can we think of a place to explore?”

“That sounds perfect,” said Michael as he turned. “I’ll tell you what, you think of some place or new thing to show us tomorrow and we’ll do the same thing the next day. We’ll take turns. How about that?”

“Great! I can’t wait.”

Again, Michael smiled at the fact that she was too young to know to hide her enthusiasm, and he loved her more for it. He could see his future, err, current children in her. He was already halfway down the hill, partly to leave her wanting more and partly because he felt like he might cry.

“See you then!” he yelled and waved.

Thrilled and blushing, Mira was sure this would be a good summer after all.

Chapter Four

Too Many Worlds

Later that night, Michael caught up with everyone around the fireplace at a manifestation of the study in the astral McArthur house. The astral McArthur house was down the road and over the hill from Mira’s astral family farm. Michael hadn’t even had to project to make the McArthur house form and appear. The mere mention of it brought it to life, courtesy of Mira, he guessed, who would have expected it to be there. She was that good, even in her confused state. Lu and Onie went around the house looking like gurus with a level of concentration that they had not used in years in order to make the house look, feel, and smell more life-like. The study smelled like an old library with books, and the wood stove held the faint after-burn of winter logs. The carpets smelled musty but not too musty. Just enough for an old, lived in house.

Jonathan had brought the sandwiches, and the gang was chowing down.

“It’s worse than we thought,” Michael said between bites. “She’s twelve, but she doesn’t remember anything she learned. She thinks this is the real world and…” his voice trailed off. “Paul is here.”

“How is that possible?” asked Lu, biting her lip.

“She must have manifested him unconsciously,” Jonathan cautiously offered. “Since she’s kind of lost at the moment , her unconscious is doing the driving.” The subject of Paul always made them melancholy.

Michael tried to lift their spirits adding, “She’s into the adventures though, like she always was. So we just have to speed things up a bit. Teach her at a faster pace.”

“Can she take that?” asked Trina, sinking into a deep leather chair that let out moans of distress.

“Look for signs of fear,” said Michael. “If you see any, we’ll back off a bit until she’s at equilibrium.”

“There’s something else,” said Jonathan.

The group turned and looked at Jonathan. He was sitting at the astral desk, spinning around in the chair acting his astral age, but his voice sounded serious.

He stood up. “You’re forgetting the reason this all started. Brandon disappeared in the
real
world without any of us lifting a finger, or anyone else that we know of. It’s possible that Mira being lost now, or driven by her unconscious, as Michael puts it, could have consequences in the real world.”

The room was silent at this thought.

“We’re in big effing trouble,” said Zac, the first one to speak.

“No shit,” said Trina. “I knew something like this was bound to happen. It’s just been too long since we were all adept at this.”

“Except Jonathan,” interjected Lu.

Jonathan held up his hands and motioned for everyone to calm down. “Slow down there. I’m just bringing this up as a possibility for awareness. We don’t know anything for sure. But we do know a three-year-old somehow disappeared and reappeared using his
real body
without any of us knowing about it.”

Onie looked at the dying fire. She still hadn’t forgotten—”What are we going to do about Paul?”

“Nothing,” said Michael. “It’s too precarious. We’ll have to see how Mira herself resolves it and be there to assist.”

“Does anyone want the last sandwich?” asked Zac, with it already in hand.

The entire group turned and stared at him with disgust.

“Hey,” he said, his mouth now full of bread, “I’m a growing twelve-year-old!”

“I believe it,” said Onie.

“I have a suggestion,” said Trina.

Michael and Jonathan looked at her with expectation. Trina could always be counted on for practical ideas.

“I suggest since Mira is so wrapped up here, that some of us stay here, even at night. Maybe take turns. I’m thinking that maybe one or two of us might be able to key into her dreams here or find her astrally. Like Michael is able to do with her location.”

“I think we can all probably key into her location after all these years,” said Jonathan. “But dreams—that’s a good idea, Trina. Her dreams here are often her astral body just wandering. Is there anyone that can’t take turns?”

No one said anything.

“Okay,” said Jonathan. “The only thing I ask is that my turn not be tonight. I have a prior commitment that I need to take care of.”

“More important that Mira?” accused Michael.

“No, Michael,” said Jonathan gently. “Something that I think might help.”

Michael was too tired to argue. Keeping up with everyone and holding together the realities of both worlds was taxing. He could feel Mira’s mind helping, but she was unstable. The brunt of the work keeping up the astral reality to look like replicas of the crucial areas was up to him and Jonathan. Not to mention at twelve, he was having a more difficult time keeping his mature intellect than when he was at sixteen.

As if Jonathan heard his thoughts, he put an arm around Michael. “I know, brother. It’s going to turn out all right. I know it will.”

“Thanks Jon,” said Michael softly, head down.

“So,” said Lu, “who’s on watch night?”

After a schedule was established, Michael was ready to get out of the astral and go home, but Trina and Zac had more questions.

“If we connect in dreams, do we try to influence her?” asked Trina.

“Shouldn’t we be looking for minute differences in the real world?” asked Zac.

“Trina, and all, play it by ear. I trust your judgment,” said Michael.

“Zac, yes. Did everyone hear Zac?” Jonathan emphasized. “Be on the lookout for changes when you’re back in the real world. That means we need an emergency meeting.”

“Like we would know what to do,” Trina deadpanned.

Jonathan was unfazed. “We’ll worry about it when the time comes.”

“Anything else?” asked Onie.

“Yeah,” said Zac, “next time, more sandwiches.”

With that remark, the others went their separate ways while Lu, Trina, and Zac hunkered down for a night in the astral.

That night Mira dreamed. Paul said goodbye and hugged her, but she didn’t know why. She cried. Long faced, she didn’t want him to go off to school. She woke up with tears in her eyes. Then she thought of Michael and reminded herself it was just a dream. She couldn’t wait until tomorrow to meet more friends.

Chapter Five

Stu in the Real World

Jonathan left the astral where the group had been and went straight to Stu, but he travelled to him astrally. He didn’t have time for real-world streets, cars, and traffic. He didn’t have a clue what Stu might be in the middle of, but he also didn’t have time for formalities.

As it turned out, Stu was in the middle of a bath.

“Holy hell, man! Have some decency!” yelled Stu, looking embarrassed.

Jonathan quickly turned his head but couldn’t stop Stu from hearing him laugh. “Sorry, bro. I didn’t know you were...indisposed.” Jonathan laughed again. Then he thought of the situation and sobered up.

“What the hell is so important that you have to drop in like this unannounced?” exclaimed Stu. “Toss me a towel.”

Towel tossed, Jonathan looked around. Even at nineteen in the real world, Stu acted like a kid. His studio was sparsely furnished except for hundreds of books and one old couch. The couch doubled for a bed and a couple of plastic chairs sat in what was supposed to be the dining area. That was it. Jonathan reminded himself to bring Stu some of his old furniture that he had no use for anymore. Or better yet, some food. He knew Stu barely thought about real-world things like food and clothing.