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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For once, the day unfolds without drama, a rare gift after weeks of chaos.
The school hours pass in a blur of routineâlectures, quizzes, and cafeteria chatterâleaving Ella, Roxana, and Eileen craving the comfort of normalcy.
After the final bell, they gather at Eileenâs house, a sprawling two-story home with a cozy dining room that smells faintly of fresh-baked bread and lemon cleaner.
The girls sprawl around the oak table, their backpacks dumped in a heap by the door, waiting for Eileenâs dad, whoâs notorious for late hours at the courthouse.
Theyâre planning a sleepover, but first, they have questionsâbig onesâfor him. âHoney, the girls need you!â Eileenâs mom calls down the hall as the front door creaks open, signaling her husbandâs arrival. âReally?â Eileenâs dad replies, his voice warm with mock surprise as he shrugs off his coat.
âThey remember us old folks exist?â âDad!â Eileen shouts from the dining room.
âCome here.
Weâre having a meeting.â Mr.
Callahan steps cautiously into the room, his tie loosened and a wary grin on his face.
Heâs a tall man with a prosecutorâs sharp eyes and a penchant for UFO conspiracies that the girls usually tease him about.
âHow much is this gonna cost me?â he asks, eyeing the trio. âNothing!â Eileen says, exasperated, as Ella and Roxana fix him with serious stares.
âItâs not about money.
We need your advice.â âMy advice?â He raises an eyebrow, glancing toward the kitchen.
âHoney, grab the video cameraâthis needs to be documented!â âStop being silly!â Eileen snaps.
âYouâre a lawyer and a prosecutor, so you know legal stuff, political stuff.
And youâre obsessed with flying saucers, ETs, interdimensional beings, and all that disclosure nonsense, right?â âI suppose,â he says, settling into a chair, his tone cautious.
âWhy? Did you see a UFO? Want me to represent an alien in court? Were you abducted? I canât believe Iâm even saying this.â âNo!â Eileen laughs, though her voice wavers with nervous energy.
âWe⊠abducted one of them! Kidding!â The girls giggle, but the sound is strained, their eyes darting to the Aladdinâs lamp perfume bottle tucked in Ellaâs bag.
âSeriously, though, weâve realized our townâs a mess.
Like big cities, itâs full of sad, depressed peopleâpeople with awful lives, who drink, do drugs, steal, hurt others.
Weâve also learned our worldâs changing, and weâre part of that change.
We want to save our town, maybe the world.
We need your advice on how to do it.
We need your help.â Mr.
Callahan leans back, rubbing his chin, his expression shifting from amusement to contemplation.
âI was expecting math homework or a science project.
Saving the worldâs a tall order.
Whereâs this coming from?â Ella speaks up, her voice steady.
âEileen has a friendâshe canât name her, confidentiality and all.
She lives in a rough part of town where bad things happen.
This friend got hurt, and Eileen wants to help.
We all do.
We donât want our crew to just be about gossiping or boys.
We want to make a difference.â Mr.
Callahan paces, his footsteps soft on the hardwood floor, as if addressing a jury.
âElla, you sound like your grandfather.
He was all about changing the world in the â60sâhippies, peace, love.
They thought theyâd fix everything, but I think they got sidetracked by too much weed.â âDonât make fun, Dad!â Eileen glares, her cheeks flushing.
âWeâre serious!â âI see that,â he says, his tone softening.
âItâs just surprising, at your age, to hear you talk like this.
I know from experience how impossible changing the world is.
Historyâs full of people who tried and failed, with only a few succeedingâsome through violence, like our Revolutionary War; others through peace, like Gandhi or Jesus.
Change comes at a great cost.â He pauses, his face darkening.
âI honor your passion, but it terrifies me.
I picture your precious young lives cut short because you tried too much, too soon.
Your mom and I will helpâinsist on it, actually.
Donât you dare act without checking with us first.
Got it? We see the dark side of life every day.
Iâve stood in morgues, pulling back sheets, seeing horrors you canât imagine.â âYouâre grounding us?â Eileenâs voice rises, incredulous.
âFor wanting to make the world better? You canât ground all of us!â âWatch your mouth,â Mrs.
Callahan says sharply from the doorway. âIâve talked to your parents,â Mr.
Callahan continues, his voice firm.
âWe werenât expecting the danger years this soon, but weâve agreed: any one of us can ground all of you.
Ask themâtheyâll confirm.
Iâm not against you; itâs my job to keep you safe.
And by the way, your mom saw a traffic cam video of you three on Jackson Street.
Itâs starting to add up.â Ella pales, her breath catching.
Eileenâs face reddens with anger, and Roxanaâs eyes brim with tears, each processing the revelation differently. âGirls, please,â Mrs.
Callahan says, stepping forward with a hug for each.
âDonât overreact.
Your dadâs just being a dad.
I believe youâll change the world, but for now, we need to be part of it.
Go upstairs, finish your homework, get some sleep.
Weâll talk tomorrow.â As the girls trudge to Eileenâs room, Mrs.
Callahan grabs her husbandâs hand, her voice low.
âWhatâs going on with them? This is twenty-something stuff, not middle school.
Itâs scaring me.
And whatâs it got to do with your ET obsession? You think theyâre in some UFO cult?â âIf it was a cult, theyâd be serving a leader, not acting alone,â Mr.
Callahan says, frowning.
âBut somethingâs up.
Did you see their faces when Eileen joked about abducting âone of themâ? Ella and Roxana nearly jumped, like sheâd spilled a secret.â âYou think theyâre under some entityâs influence?â Mrs.
Callahan asks, skeptical.
âA make-believe one, maybe.
Iâm not buying your ET theories.
Girls this age blur imagination and reality.â âReal or not, itâs dangerous,â he says, his voice tight.
âRemember the Slender Man case? Kids get influenced, and it can turn deadly.â âIt was Slender Man, not Thin Man,â she corrects.
âThin Man was a â30s radio show.
But I get your point.â Upstairs, Ellaâs fury erupts.
âEileen, seriously? âWe abducted one of themâ? What the heck? You donât say that in front of a cop!â Eileenâs eyes well with tears.
âIâm sorry! I was nervous, and it slipped.
I forget sheâs a copâsheâs my mom too.â âWe were just starting something good with Helana,â Ella says, her voice breaking as she stares at the floor.
âNow we might have to send her home.â âWait!â Roxana interjects, her tone firm.
âLetâs not be too hard on ourselves.
We didnât do anything wrong.
Our parents are just freaking out because they donât understand.
They donât know Helana.
Helana! Get out here and help us fix this!â The girls wait, the room silent, but Helana doesnât respond. âHelana?â Ella calls, her voice trembling.
âHelana?â âOh no,â Roxana says, her face falling.
âSheâs gone.
I bet she went home.â âMaybe not,â Eileen says, striding to the door.
She opens it and stomps her foot.
âDad! Mom! Spying? Really? Weâre not twelve anymore.
You promised!â Mr.
Callahan steps into view, his expression unapologetic.
âWe promised before we knew you were talking to aliens.
Whoâor whatâis Helana?â âSheâs our friend,â Ella says, her voice steady.
âA girl, a kid like us.â âReally?â Mr.
Callahanâs tone is skeptical.
âWhyâs she invisible?â âSheâs visiting from another dimension,â Roxana explains, her words rushing out.
âSheâs a runaway.
In her world, weâre in their history books, and she wanted to meet us.
She came without permission, and Ella trapped her in a genie bottle so she couldnât leave.
Now sheâs in trouble because she told us about our future, which is illegal there.
Sheâs our friend, and we love her.â Mr.
Callahanâs eyes widen, processing the flood of words.
âSo sheâs an interdimensional time traveler, here illegally, and you think itâs fine to befriend her? What if sheâs not what she seems? Even if sheâs a schoolgirl, what happens when her interdimensional police come looking? I canât protect her hereâor there.
Whoâs protecting you?â âWe did a prayer of protection,â Ella says, almost defiantly. Mrs.
Callahan throws up her hands.
âThis is nonsense! Youâre talking like this is real? Youâre so grounded.
One of us will drive you to school, pick you up, check on you at lunch, and youâre straight to your rooms after.
Your bikes are locked in the garage.
Understood?â âMom!â the girls chorus, their voices a mix of frustration and disbelief. âOh my gosh, will this ever end?â Eileen groans.
âHelana, thanks a lot.
This is your fault.
Hope youâre happy!â âIâm so sorry,â Helanaâs voice whispers telepathically, soft and remorseful.
âI messed up bad.
I never meant for this, and yes, Iâm in more trouble than I can imagine.
Iâm scared.â âDad!â Eileen yelps.
âCatch Momâsheâs pale and about to faint!â Mr.
Callahan steadies his wife, guiding her to a chair.
âEveryone, sit.
Time for an interdimensional meeting.â âMy parents canât know!â Ella pleads. âMine either!â Roxana adds, her voice desperate.
âTheyâll call a dozen exorcists.â âI canât promise secrecy,â Mr.
Callahan says.
âYour hiding hasnât worked out.
But weâll keep it quiet for now.
Helana, tell me about yourself.
Where are you from? What time? How old are you? Why are you here, and how do you know my girls?â Helanaâs voice trembles slightly.
âWhere to start? In my domain, time and space arenât linear like here.
I canât give my age in years, but Iâm developmentally like your girls, which is why we connect.
I came for a school project, observing historical figuresâyour girlsâbut I wasnât supposed to be seen or stay.
In my world, weâre consciousness beings, spiritual entities.
We create physical forms or planets with thought, and their location in time and space is fluid, unlike your fixed planets born from cosmic dust.â âWhen I studied your girls in our history lessonsânot books, but something like themâI was awed by them.
I fell in love and had to meet them.
My love made me visible, and Ella captured me.
She released me later, but we chose for me to stay because weâre friends, and we love each other.â âWhat about your parents?â Mr.
Callahan asks.
âWhy havenât they come for you?â âTime travel is a-temporal,â Helana explains.
âIâll return the instant I left, so they wonât know Iâm gone until Iâm back.
But Iâll carry experiential inertiaâchanges from my time hereâthatâll ripple through our history lessons.
Those like me will feel it, and Iâll face punishment and restitution.â âSo youâre a fugitive,â Mr.
Callahan says flatly. âTechnically, no, since in my time, this hasnât happened yet,â Helana says. âIâm not into technicalities,â he counters.
âYouâre hiding here because youâre scared to go home, right?â âYes,â Helana admits quietly. âThe term here, little girl, is âYes, sir,ââ Mr.
Callahan says, his tone stern but not unkind. âYes, sir!â Helana replies, a hint of relief in her voice. Eileen leans toward Ella, whispering, âHe called her âlittle girl.â Heâs adopting her.
I know my dadâweâre good.â Mr.
Callahanâs gaze sharpens, and for a moment, his eyes flicker to a corner of the room, as if catching a glimpse of something.
âHelana, I shouldnât believe you, but I trust my girls, and you seem truthful.
You appear to my mind as a young child, vulnerable.
So Iâm choosing to trust you.
Here, we have a legal term, *in loco parentis*ââin place of a parent.â Since your parents arenât here, Iâm claiming that role for you, as I have for Ella and Roxana.
Youâll respect me as you would your parents.
Understood? And by the way, youâre grounded too until we sort this out.â Eileen whispers again, âTold you!â âYes, sir! Thank you, sir!â Helana says, her voice bright with gratitude. âDad, somethingâs wrong with Mom,â Eileen says, nodding toward Mrs.
Callahan, who sits staring blankly at the wall. âHer filters are up,â Helana explains.
âHer brain isnât recording this.
After she sleeps, itâll fade like a dream.â âProbably for the best,â Mr.
Callahan says.
âSheâs not ready for this.
Letâs not discuss it around her.
Weâve got plenty to talk about later.â He pauses at the door, turning back.
âOne more thing, girls.
Before you sleep, imagine Tinkerbellâs outfitâvividly.
Picture crafting one, different colors for each, putting it in a gift box, and giving it to your friend.
Helana, next time I see you, youâd better be wearing clothes.â âHe saw you?â Ella shrieks, her eyes wide. âHow?â Helanaâs voice quakes.
âIâm naked? Iâm mortified.
I love your dad, Eileen, heâs cool, but I canât face him again.â âItâs fine,â Eileen says, grinning.
âWe all ran around naked here as kids.
Youâre one of us now.â âThat was when you were babies!â Helana wails.
âIâm so embarrassed.â âGet over it,â Ella says, a teasing edge to her voice.
âWhatâs with the Tinkerbell outfit? Are you her size?â âIâm about that size relative to you, but no wings,â Helana says, still flustered.
âHe really saw me.
This is awful.â âRelax,â Roxana says.
âYour dadâs not creepy, Eileen.
Heâs just a dad.
If we imagine these outfits, can you wear them?â âYour dad must know about consciousness beings,â Helana says.
âMaybe I can.
Iâve never tried.
If I get gift boxes in the morning, Iâll let you know.â âCan we see you then?â Ella asks, her voice rising with excitement. âMaybe,â Helana says.
âIf we all focus, I might have enough energy to manifest.
Your dadâs intensity scared me into visibility.
This has been a weird day.â âForget Tinkerbell,â Ella says, grinning.
âLetâs imagine some awesome outfits for our friend.
Goodnight, everyone.
Dream up something cool.â
---
In the quiet of Eileenâs room, Ella opens her diary, her heart heavy with frustration and fear.
Just⊠unreal.
Now Eileenâs dad is all up in our business, acting like Helanaâs his kid too.
This is badâso bad.
I knew Jackson Street was a mistake.
Those stupid traffic cameras. The day started so well, then it all fell apart.
Roxana and Eileen canât keep their mouths shutâthey just blab and make everything worse. Iâm terrified Mr.
Callahan will drag Helana to his UFO meetings or disclosure conferences, parading her like his personal ET.
Iâll warn him: if he exploits her, Iâm sending her home, and thatâs it. Iâm sad, mad, and sick with anxiety tonight.
Please, let tomorrow be better. Iâm gonna imagine some cute outfits for Helana, then crash. Goodnight, Diary.
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