“Nevva lost her parents,” Bobby said. “It’s one of the things that drove her to Saint Dane.”
“We’ve got to find him, Bobby,” Courtney said. ‘You can’t go alone. I read how tough it was for you to be alone. Don’t do it again.”
Bobby rubbed his eyes angrily. He looked to Courtney like he wanted to scream.
“He’s my friend too,” Courtney said.
Shortly after, Courtney sat at her kitchen table with a pen and paper to write the impossible. She had to say “good-bye” to her parents. As she sat staring at the blank notepad, she had no idea how to put what she felt into words.
“We should go,” Bobby said.
Courtney wiped away her tears, gripped the pen, and simply wrote: “I love you both more than I can say. Try not to worry about me. I’ll see you soon. Courtney.” She folded the paper in two, placed it on the kitchen table where it was sure to be seen, and looked around the room. She wondered if she would ever see it again. Or her family.
“Second thoughts?” Bobby asked.
“Let’s go,” Courtney said.
Half an hour later the two were standing at the mouth of the flume, staring into infinity.
“How do you feel?” Bobby asked. “I mean, physically. You’ve been through hell.”
Courtney took a second to answer, as if she were doing a mental inventory of her injuries. “You know what I feel like?” she asked.
“Tell me.”
“I feel like all the work I did to heal was getting me ready for this,” she said with confidence. “I am so ready.”
Bobby smiled. That was pure Courtney.
“How is this gonna work?” Courtney asked.
“I don’t know,” Bobby said. “I guess we should just hold hands.”
484 487 Bobby held out his hand.
Courtney took it and laughed. “Remember when we all went to the movies after that inter-city Little League game?”
“You mean the game I hit the homer off of you?” Bobby replied.
“And I struck you out three times,” Courtney shot back. “Yeah, I remember.”
“I worked it so that I could sit next to you in the theater because I was going to try and hold your hand,” Courtney confessed. “But you didn’t.” “I was scared.”
“You? Scared?” Bobby said jokingly. “I’ll bet that was the last time.”
Courtney laughed too, then got serious and said, “It wasn’t the last time. I’m scared right now. I’m going to do my best, Bobby, but I’ll never be like Loor.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Bobby said. “Neither will I.”
They both chuckled at that.
“Do you really think Mark is on First Earth?” Courtney asked.
“Maybe,” Bobby said. “It would fit. But I wouldn’t know where to start looking for him, especially with Gunny gone. I think we’re doing the right thing, at least to start.”
“Me too,” Courtney said. “I’m scared, and totally excited.”
“Then let’s go,” Bobby said. He looked into the flume. “Ready?” he asked.
Courtney nodded.
Bobby called out, “Third Earth!”
The flume came to life. Both tensed up, fearing that the tunnel would crack the way it did the last time Courtney traveled. The light appeared from far in the distance and grew quickly. The jumble of sweet notes grew louder. The gray walls melted to crystal…
485 488 And the tunnel didn’t crack.
Courtney stepped closer to Bobby and put her arms around him.
“I want to see the future,” she said. “Good thing,” Bobby said. “You’re about to.” The light engulfed them. Courtney squeezed Bobby tighter and said, “Hobey-ho. Let’s go.”
The light flashed white, and a moment later they were gone.
(TO BE CONTINUED)