Table Of Contents | |||||
Book 1 | Book 2 | Book 3 | Book 4 | Book 5 | Book 6 |
#SciFi #ScienceFiction #Futuristic #SpeculativeFiction #MindBending #Interdimensional #Otherworldly #PortalFiction #CosmicEncounter #ParallelRealities#GirlPower #YoungHeroes #UnexpectedHeroes #Teamwork #BraveGirls #EldritchHorror #UnknownEntity #BeyondTheVeil #DimensionalRift #AlienMystery#SciFiAdventure #RealityWarp #ExtraDimensional #StrangePhenomena #SupernaturalSciFi
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The schoolyard is hushed in the early morning light, the damp grass glistening under a pale Wednesday sky. Most students have already shuffled into classrooms or linger in the hallways, their voices a distant hum. Eileen sits alone, her back pressed against the rough bark of an old oak, her journal open on her lap. The air carries the sharp chill of late May, and she tugs her hoodie tighter, her pen scratching softly as she writes.
A van pulls up to the curb, its engine rumbling, and four girls spill out. Three head straight for the school, their backpacks bouncing, but oneâCrystalâveers toward Eileen, her steps hesitant.
"Hey, Eileen," Crystal says, her voice soft, almost lost in the morning breeze.
"Hey, Crystal. What's up?" Eileen closes her journal, looking up with a curious smile.
"Why're you out here alone? Where're your friendsâthose girls you always hang with?"
"You mean Roxana and Ella?" Eileen shrugs. "They were up late last night, some kind of drama. They'll spill later. They're skipping first period, maybe more if they sleep till noon like they sometimes do."
"Looks like you're skipping too," Crystal observes, settling on the grass beside her, her eyes scanning the empty yard.
"Yeah, if they get to skip, why not me?" Eileen grins. "What about you? You skipping too? What's your story?"
Crystal's gaze drops to her hands, twisting a loose thread on her jacket. "It's complicated. There're people in that class I don't want to see right now."
Eileen's curiosity piques. "Really? A boy?"
Crystal laughs, a sharp, bitter sound. "You must be the only girl on campus who doesn't know."
"Nobody tells me anything," Eileen says, leaning forward. "My dad's a prosecutor, my mom's a cop, so I never hear the good stuff. But you can tell meâI don't blab, especially not to my parents."
"Can I trust you?" Crystal asks, her eyes searching Eileen's face.
"Totally," Eileen says, her voice earnest. "I'm gonna be a lawyer someday, so I know about confidentiality."
Crystal hesitates, then exhales. "Okay. I live in a group home on Jackson Street. Six girls, including me. I was twelve when I moved inâboth my parents are in prison, and my grandma's too sick to take me. Nobody else in my family wanted me; they've got their own kids."
"So that's why you come in that van?" Eileen asks, piecing it together. "You all live together?"
"Yeah, the van's our ride everywhere," Crystal says. "A few months ago, two older girls planned to sneak out to a 'party'âreally just some guy's apartment. They said it'd be fun, but it was just a bunch of beer, vodka, pills, and other stuff. I was twelve, didn't want trouble, but they talked me into it."
"You snuck out?" Eileen's eyes widen. "Where was your house mom?"
"Margaret was glued to her TV show, not paying attention," Crystal says. "We went out the back, over the fence. An older boy picked us up in his car in the alley."
"His car?" Eileen interrupts. "How old were these guys?"
"The driver was nineteen. His brother's twenty-two, old enough to buy the alcohol."
Eileen's face hardens. "Did they⊠hurt you? You can tell me."
"No, it wasn't like that," Crystal says quickly, shaking her head. "When we got there, my friend Shawn was thereâLeshawn, but we call him Shawn. He's fourteen, so we were the youngest. Everyone started drinking, mixing vodka with beer, popping pillsâsome called them 'zannies.' People got wasted, acting stupid. Some girls were running around in their underwear, messing with the guys. Shawn and I went to a back room to get away, but we had a few beers too."
Eileen studies her, her voice gentle but firm. "Did you and Shawn⊠do anything?"
Crystal looks away, her voice barely above a whisper. "We hung out, and he kissed me a little. Then we messed around, and⊠it just happened. We had sex. I didn't plan itâit was weird, not like I thought it'd be. I've been avoiding him since."
"If you were drinking and didn't mean to, that's still not okay," Eileen says, her tone serious. "My dad says if you can't consent, it's rape. Is Shawn pressuring you now?"
"Shawn's a good guy, I've known him forever," Crystal says. "But his friends think I'm his girl now, so he acts like he owns me to impress them. I like him, but that night ruined everything. I just want to be left alone. Nobody owns me."
"This was when you were twelve?" Eileen asks, horrified. "Those guys could go to jail. Have you told anyone?"
"Like the police?" Crystal scoffs. "No way. There's no evidence, and the other girls won't talkâthey'd get in trouble too. They'd deny it. And I'd be a 'cop caller,' the worst thing you can be on my block. That can get you killed. You live in your fancy neighborhoodâyou don't get how it works where I'm from. The rules are different."
"Really?" Eileen frowns, skeptical. "This is a small town. You're making it sound like some big-city gangland. Is it that bad?"
"It's small, but it's no different," Crystal says, her voice hard. "My parents were in the gameâdealing drugs, moving stolen goods, trading guns. They got set up, took the fall for an OG, a crime boss. That's why they're locked up, and I'm in the group home. It's the same here as in Chicago or LA, just smaller."
"Does your house mom know you're sneaking out?" Eileen asks.
"She knows," Crystal says. "But she won't do anythingâshe'd get in trouble. She gets paid a ton to keep us there, so she looks the other way. Stuff happens every day, and she ignores it."
"You could talk to my parents," Eileen offers. "Maybe they can help."
"A prosecutor and a cop?" Crystal snorts. "No offense, but that's a bad idea. The other girls would blame me, and I'd end up in juvie. Thanks, but I'm good."
"Are you pregnant?" Eileen asks, her voice low.
"No, I got lucky," Crystal says.
"Are you still⊠with Shawn or anyone else?"
"No, just that once," Crystal says, her eyes flashing. "Why all the questions? You a cop too?"
"No, I'm not a cop," Eileen says, her voice softening. "I like you, and I'm worried. I won't tell anyone, not even my friends. But you can talk to me anytime. If there's a way I can help, let me know."
"Thanks, Eileen," Crystal says, her expression warming. "You're cool. But don't try to helpâyou'll get hurt. I've always been on my own, and nothing's changed."
"I might have ways to help I can't talk about," Eileen says, pulling out her phone. "Give me your number. Call me if you need me."
Crystal hesitates, then nods, taking the phone and typing in her number. "Thanks, but stay off my block. You have no idea the trouble you'd find there."
The bell rings, sharp and insistent, and the girls head inside for second period, Eileen's mind swirling with Crystal's story.
By fifth period, Roxana and Ella finally drag themselves to school, their eyes heavy from the previous night's drama. The final bell rings, and the girls gather their bikes from the rack, the late afternoon sun casting long shadows across the pavement. Eileen, her face set with determination, stops pedaling and turns to them.
"I've got a favor to ask," she says, her voice urgent.
"What's that?" Ella asks, adjusting her backpack.
"Let's ride down Jackson Street on the way home," Eileen says. "And bring Helana. I want her to use her powers to get a feel for the place."
Ella stares at her like she's lost her mind. "Jackson Street's not on the way home! It's over the bridge, past the creek. First, it's way out of our way. Second, we're not supposed to go there. Third, we'll be late, and our parents will freak. Are you crazy?"
"And the bridge doesn't even have a bike lane," Roxana adds, her voice tight. "We could get hit."
"Okay, yes, I'm crazy," Eileen admits, her eyes blazing. "But I'm on a missionâa secret one I can't talk about. I need to know what's happening over there. That neighborhood's been there my whole life, and I know nothing about it. It's just 'over there,' where we never go. Please, just this once. If we ride fast, it won't take long."
"Is this about a boy?" Ella asks, narrowing her eyes. "Are you stalking someone again?"
"No, it's about a girl," Eileen says, her voice firm.
"What?" Ella and Roxana exchange shocked glances.
"Are you⊠into girls now?" Ella asks.
"Huh?" Eileen blinks, then laughs. "No, I'm not gay. All I can say is a twelve-year-old girl was assaulted over there, and it happens a lot on that block. I want Helana to help me understand the neighborhood. I'm going to be a lawyer somedayâthis is the kind of stuff I need to know."
"Helana, is she for real?" Ella asks, her tone skeptical. "Or is this about a boy?"
"Don't put me in the middle!" Helana's voice hums in their minds, amused but firm. "I won't read her mind without permission. Her intentions don't feel malicious, so maybe you can help with her mission. It's a rough areaâI can sense that from hereâbut I can protect you from physical threats. I can't stop a speeding bullet, though, so there's some risk."
"We should do it," Roxana says, her voice resolute. "Eileen's mission might be a calling from God. We have to."
"Crap, I'm gonna regret this," Ella mutters. "Fine, but we pedal fastâover the bridge, to the traffic light, turn around, and back. No stopping, ever, for anything. Got it? And let's stash our phones in our lockers so we don't get tracked."
The girls have never pedaled so fast, their bikes kicking up dust as they race across the narrow bridge, the creek glinting below. The wind whips their hair, and their hearts pound with a mix of fear and adrenaline. On Jackson Street, a few young men lean against a chain-link fence, tossing out lazy catcallsââHey, baby, whatâs up?ââbut nothing more. The girls reach the traffic light, whip around, and speed back, collapsing in a breathless heap on their side of the bridge, safe but shaken.
âThank you,â Eileen pants, her cheeks flushed. âThat was quick. Helana, what did you see?â Helanaâs voice is heavy, thoughtful. âThe emotions there are overwhelming. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of those bugsâemotional parasitesâare swarming. Thereâs too much to unpack, so Iâll focus on one thing: angst. Not just teenage angst, but a deep, pervasive kind.â She pauses, gathering her thoughts.
âEvery being has an internal identity templateâa vision of who they believe theyâre meant to be, defined by how theyâd complete the sentence âI am.â When your external reality aligns with that template, youâre fulfilled, happy. When it doesnât, youâre consumed by anxiety, driven to do whatever it takes to become that person. Failure breeds depression, even suicidal thoughts. Across the bridge, I sensed one older woman, a grandmother baking banana bread for her grandsonâhis favorite. Her internal and external identities match perfectly. Sheâs content, wanting nothing more than what she is. But many others, especially the young, are far from their templates. Theyâre angry, anxious, depressed, lashing outâsometimes violentlyâto claim the life they feel entitled to.â
âIn your world, children are taught to aspire to certain identitiesâsuccess, fame, wealthâbut often lack the resources to achieve them. No matter how hard they try, they fail, over and over. Others chase fictional templates from music videos, books, or storiesâlives that donât exist. They spend their days chasing a lie, failing to become the fiction. I felt one young manâs angst vividly. His template is fame, a big house, a flashy car, money, women lining up to date himâimages from music videos and tales of superstars. Itâs a fantasy few achieve, and he never will. Heâll likely die young, chasing a life thatâs not real, his sorrow turning to self-hatred, dulled only by drugs or alcohol.â
âThis angst is a persistent grief, a pain so deep many seek constant intoxication to escape it. If I scored the angst on Jackson Street from one to ten, Iâd give it a seven. But hereâs the hard truth: in your neighborhood, with its big houses and green lawns, Iâd score it a five. The painâs nearly as bad here, just hidden by money and nonviolent coping mechanisms. Before you judge Jackson Street or try to fix it, look closer to home.â
âAre you sure youâre our age?â Ella asks, half-joking. âYou sound like my guidance counselor.â Helana laughs. âIâm channeling my social studies teacher. This is what we study in my school.â âSo how do we fix it?â Eileen asks, her voice fierce. âFour girls canât fix a planet with billions of struggling people,â Helana says gently. âItâs more complex than Iâve described. The reason I came to you is because, in the future I saw, you did make a differenceânot a complete fix, but a step forward. Thatâll take generations, but you moved the needle. If you try to solve it all now, youâll burn out, feeling the same angst as those who fail their dreams. Grow up, take it one step at a time, and youâll do remarkable things. That future is still within reach.â
âAre you making a difference in your future?â Ella asks. âHave you seen it?â âI plan to,â Helana says. âBut I canât look into my own futureâitâs forbidden.â âForbidden?â Eileen asks. âLike, against the law?â âNot a law, exactly,â Helana explains. âWhen people in my world peek at their future, they often see something they dislike and jump back in time to change it. That causes unintended consequences, usually making things worse. They keep bouncing through time, trying to fix it, but temporal inertia snaps the timeline back. The result is brain damageâtemporal loop hallucinations, where overlapping timelines blur their perception. They canât tell whatâs real and go mad. No cure exists, so itâs forbidden.â
âBut some do it anyway?â Eileen presses. âItâs like riding your bike into traffic,â Helana says. âYou can, but itâs foolish. Some, in my world and yours, choose foolish things.â âGirls, we gotta go!â Ella interrupts, her voice urgent. âOr Eileenâs mom will roll up in her police car, lights flashing, and drag us home in handcuffs.â The girls laugh, the tension breaking, and pedal home, the weight of the day trailing behind them.
Later, in the quiet of her room, Ella opens her diary, her legs aching and her mind racing.
Dear Diary,
What a crazy day. Eileen dragged us on some mission to check out Jackson Street. We shouldn't have gone, but she and Roxana were all in, so I caved. I've got a bad feeling about it.
My legs are killing me from pedaling so fast. They were shaking so bad on the way back, I could barely keep them on the pedals. We learned Jackson Street's rough, whichâduh. But Helana says our neighborhood's almost as bad, just better at hiding it. Double duh. Our world's a mess, but that's not news.
I'm glad Eileen's found a mission that's not about chasing boys. I hope she can help that girl who was hurt. But I worry she and Roxana will go too far, take too many risks. I tag along to protect them, but I'm scared they'll try something alone and get hurtâor worse.
I'm praying for a drama-free day tomorrow. I don't know how much more I can handle. Goodnight, Diary.
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