JACKIE:

Freshly pressed uniforms and a pint of strawberries; the perfect present for my Pops, Baxter. I’d give him the world if I could. I dropped the goodies outside his living quarters, knocked, and left to avoid another awkward encounter. No point in ruminating over what used to be between us. Nothing I said in this reality would make him remember me.

I carried the suitcase Grace packed for me to avoid looking like a dirty janitor on our spring break trip to Bennu Island. She took extra pity on me when I returned to her dorm covered in sewer water. I kept the kidnapping a secret, but needed to find out if Feraz placed that camera in her dorm or if Grace’s paranoia pointed to another mystery to solve.

I left Hampshire University and raced to catch up with Grace down the street.

“Hey Jackie, perfect timing. You ready to get this party started?” Grace snapped her fingers and danced. “I can’t believe spring break is finally here!”

I feigned excitement. “Yay. Can’t wait. Although it’s not too late to change destinations. The Maldives would be the ultimate proposal destination.”

“Maybe for the honeymoon. Here he comes!”

A black car pulled up. The same car Feraz used to kidnap me the day before.

Feraz opened the back car door and almost soiled himself when he saw me. The baffled look on his smug face was priceless.

“What the heck are you doing here?”

“Hey Feraz, surprised to see me?” I winked.

“Grace, explain. Now!” He got out of the car with a huff and pulled her aside, toward the trunk of the car. He didn’t try to hide their conversation from me.

“No way. She’s not invited.”

Grace sighed. “Feraz, don’t be like this.”

“Don’t blame me. You put yourself in this situation by joining the circus.” He nodded in my direction, disgust dripping from his pores.

“Feraz, you said you’d do anything to make this trip special. Being surrounded by friends makes it more fun.”

“I never said that.”

“Yes, you did. You promised an unforgettable spring break, remember?”

Feraz pulled Grace close. “Of course. This is our special trip, babe. It should be family only.”

Grace whispered, “I know, but she’s like family… in a weird way. I want my besties to share in our special occasions too. She can take pictures if anything special happens.”

“She’s your bestie now? Why? She’s a dirty janitor. She smells like a toilet.”

I slammed my suitcase into his puffed up chest, cutting their conversation short to ensure I kept my precarious invitation.

“Nice to see you too, Feraz. Hey, you’ve got something in your hair. Is that a bug?”

I slid into the backseat of the car while he fussed over his perfect hairdo, properly annoyed.

Grace sat next to me. “You look handsome as always, Feraz. Let’s go. I don’t want to be late.”

“It’s a private jet, Grace. They won’t leave without us.” Feraz sat next to Grace, still fixing his hair.

“My father waits for no one. Don’t you want to make a good impression with him this weekend? In case you have something important to ask him…”

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“I always make a good impression, Grace.”

“Not always,” I pointed out. “Hey, what happened to the leather back here?”

I pointed out the burn mark I made on his leather seat while escaping the handcuffs during his botched kidnapping attempt.

“Oh yeah, that looks bad. You should get that fixed,” Grace said, oblivious her boyfriend attempted murder.

The driver joined the conversation. “I’ll take the car to the shop while you’re away, Mr. Tal.”

Feraz sneered at me. Steam fumed from his puffed out nostrils.

The driver set off with Grace stuck between two people who viciously hated each other in the back seat. She tried to replace the thick tension with nervous banter.

“Ug, I hate how hot it gets on Bennu. Get ready for the surface of the sun. Did I forget to pack sunscreen? I burn so easily. Gosh, it’s going to be weird seeing my mom’s grave again… But I’m glad I have my besties to help me through it.” She put her arms around me and Feraz and pulled us closer.

We both turned away, looking out our respective windows.

“Better stay out of the woods, janitor, or you’ll get eaten alive,” Feraz said through clenched teeth. “The island birds are ruthless.”

“Nothing I can’t handle. Can you?”

“I’m untouchable.”

“Infallible? Indestructible?”

His head snapped in my direction, shocked as if I read his inner most thoughts. I was only repeating his egotistical rants from across dimensions.

Grace added, “I forgot to pack my new sandals. Bummer. There’s nowhere to shop on the island. Although the locals make beautiful jewelry. We can visit the hot springs. That’ll be fun.”

“I don’t swim with the help,” Feraz said.

Grace elbowed him. He shot daggers from his eyes, shutting down the conversation.

I looked out the car window, amazed at the difference between this dimension and the others I’d previously experienced. There weren’t throngs of homeless on littered sidewalks in makeshift tents. Without the Life Rite immortality serum, the gap between the haves and the have nots was far less obvious. Impermanence made the world a better place. People weren’t meant to live forever.

We drove in awkward silence until we reached a VIP airport. A small airplane awaited us on the tarmac.

“Jackie, can you take a few pics of Feraz and I?”

“For sure.” Grace handed me a camera. As the driver unloaded our luggage, they posed for pictures in front of the private jet, the ultimate status symbol.

“Bet you never traveled like this, huh, janitor?”

“I prefer traveling the slipstream,” I murmured. My words blew away on the wind unnoticed.

Feraz rushed to get on the plane first.

“So much for ladies first,” I whispered to Grace.

“Stop picking, Jackie.”

Men in suits sat at the front of the plane, so we moved to the back.

Feraz went straight for the champagne. “Finally! Spring break!” He poured some for himself and Grace, but skipped me.

“You should be dead,” he whispered.

“You can’t do anything right,” I whispered back. “You’re nothing like your father.”

If looks could kill… Feraz threatened me with his eyes.

Grace took a swig from her crystal champagne glass and kissed him. “I’m so excited, Feraz. We’re going to have the best time!”

I sunk into the chair by the impressive food spread so I could inhale food without being noticed. Time travel heightened my appetite.

A stewardess sauntered over to Grace. “Good morning, Miss Claudi. We’ll be leaving in a few moments. It’s time to create the flight log. DNA Identifier© please.”

Grace scanned her finger on a key pad. It turned green.

The stewardess moved toward me next. “DNA Identifier© please.”

I had no idea what my DNA Identifier© would say when scanned in this probability. Technically, I didn’t exist. What if it came up with nothing?

“Can’t we do that later? I, um, have to go to the bathroom. Excuse me.” I tried to weasel my way over to the lavatory, but the stewardess blocked the aisle.

Just then, Mark stepped onto the plane in a polo shirt and boat shoes. Everyone sensed his commanding presence and looked to him.

He locked eyes with Grace and smiled. “Hi, honey. It’s so great to see you. How’s school going?”

She bound up the aisle to give her dad the biggest hug. It was odd seeing my grandfather in this probability where he listened to Beatrice and gave up the Life Rite serum. Mark looked so young, so confident, yet so fragile after losing the love of his life and abandoning his greatest achievement. He melted into Grace’s embrace, holding the last piece of his family tight.

“Dad, come sit with us. I want you to meet my friend, Jackie.”

“I’ll meet your little friend later, dear. Need to get some work done before we hit the island. The signal is terrible there. The infrastructure has gone to pot since I reduced the scope of the Life Rite project. But I promise, once we get there, we’ll be on island time together.”

Mark and Grace hugged again, then went back to their respective entourages.

I turned to the impatient stewardess. “I’m literally flying with the man who invented the DNA Identifier©. Don’t you know who I am? Figure out your little flight log yourself.”

The stewardess stepped back, speechless yet poised. She was used to powerful people putting her in uncomfortable positions.

My bratty move worked enough for me to scoot to the bathroom. The stewardess greeted Feraz and scanned him. Luckily, she went on to serving hot towels next. I was safe for now, but it probably wouldn't be the last time someone would try to scan my DNA Identifier. One false move, and I’d be discovered!