JACKIE:

“Take me to my mother’s house. I need to see Grace immediately.”

Was my mother still alive in this timeline?

“Yes, ma’am.”

Gus drove me through the poverty-stricken city, past throngs of homeless living in makeshift tents on the littered sidewalks. A scruffy man held a sign that read, Trained Doctor Will Work for Food. The corner grocery store boasted a sale on bread for half a million dollars a loaf. I looked up at the Grid to avoid the desperation.

Gus used his DNA Identifier to get through the toll into the upscale neighborhoods. He drove into my mother’s sprawling estate, complete with several lawns of healthy green grass.

“Stay here, please.”

Gus nodded.

I rang the doorbell and the butler let me in.

“Where is she?” I asked.

“Miss Grace is indisposed at the moment,” he said coldly.

“I need to see her. Now!”

“Look what the cat dragged in,” my mother interrupted from the foyer. She tidied flowers in a precious vase.

I ran to Grace and wrapped her in the biggest hug. Even in this timeline, I realized how absent she’d felt throughout my life. I love my mother, but the nannies and boarding schools didn’t exactly help us foster the best relationship.

Still, not having her in my life at all in the other stream made me suddenly appreciate her immensely. Our relationship was far from perfect, but at least she was with me growing up.

I held onto our embrace as if it were the first. She squirmed under my firm hug, then eased into it.

“Is everything okay, Jackie?”

“I knew we’d find you, mom. Dad knew we could save you, and he was right. It worked!”

Grace pulled away and looked at me suspiciously, so I tried to relax.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

As I stepped back from her, I saw how Grace’s youthful skin glowed, even at her age. She looked gorgeous thanks for all the best face creams.

“So, what’s new, Mom?” I tried to say it casually, but it came out so cringe-worthy and awkward.

“I love how the Grid sparkles after the rain. Beautiful, isn’t it? My big charity event is coming up. Can you believe the Millers haven’t RSVPed yet?”

I feigned interest as she yapped about her shallow frenemies. I looked around her spotless, palatial home, often featured in magazines. It looked like a museum, empty and devoid of life. Like props on a stage that were never actually used until this moment.

“Hey, where’s dad?” I asked, again failing miserably to play it cool.

Grace looked at me, deadpan. “Honey, he left years ago. I don’t know where he is. Do you want me to schedule an appointment to see your therapist? You’re acting a little strange.”

Her answer echoed in my mind. He left years ago, of course. But there was nothing he wanted more than to be with her. He’d spent his whole life searching the slipstream for a solution. There’s no way he would leave her…

I grabbed her hands and sat mom down on the vintage pleated sofa in front of the fireplace. I looked her in the eyes. “Mom, I need your help. Firestorm needs our help. He’s stuck in the past, but the future is now.”

“Are you on drugs again, Jackie?”

“No! I swear!”

“Who is Firestorm?”

“Firestorm is Dad! There’s no way, after all he’s been through in the slipstream, that he would decide not to be here with you. Not after all we’ve fought for.”

Grace’s forehead wrinkled with confusion, which says a lot since it’s been numbed and paralyzed from Life Rite anti-aging products.

“Besides,” I continued, “he’ll know what to do about the future. It’s being written as we speak… We’ve got to stop Mark from creating those drones. Trust me. Things will not end well with those things sniffing around. We’re safe for now, but not for long. In the meantime, we’ve got to save the kids in cages!”

“Jackie, I’m going to call your therapist. You can tell me… I’ll try not to judge… Are you using drugs again?”

My family is so dismissive. I doubled down.

“Mom, stop. I need you to trust me. If I found Dad, would you at least talk to him? Do you still love him?”

Grace looked at me, surprised. “Of course I still love Zayne. I’d do anything for him, but I’m telling you. Something changed in him. He was keeping something from me. He refused to let me in anymore, and a marriage can’t survive secrets.”

She politely dabbed at her eyes to keep from crying.

“I know, but…”

What could I say to convince her to come with me? I was still piecing together the significance of it all. The slipstream worked on probabilities, and the probability of events is determined by who we are and what we focus on. Beatrice understood that deeply. We had to return the favor and save Zayne, Firestorm, my dad.

“I know how much Dad loves you. He’d do anything for you. Give him another chance. Please,” I begged.

Grace and I locked eyes, and she nodded. Deep down, did she remember, too?

“Where is Zayne?” she asked. “Where are we going?”

“Back to Bennu Island.”

Her shoulders slumped.

“Anywhere but there, Jackie. I can’t go back there. No, I simply refuse.”

Could I reunite my parents in this new timeline? What would be the consequences if they came back together?