Kingdom Keepers(25)

Finn: Okay. We’re all here.

Each of the others said hello. Then Finn continued.

Finn: we’ve all had basically the same “dream”

or we wouldn’t be here. Maybeck and I both felt

kinda sick, like fainting, earlier today, anybody else?





The dialogue bubble above Willa’s character started “talking.”

willatree: yes. I felt awful, but only for a few minutes.

angelface 13: me too

philitup: yup

Mybest: so what’s with that?

Finn: they aren’t dreams, charlene and philby and I were all in the park last night. I got burned on the arm. when I woke up, I had the same burn on the same arm. it’s for real. It wasn’t a dream.





Maybeck’s character moved around the room but stayed close enough to chat. Willa got up off the couch and moved over next to Charlene. No writing appeared above any of the characters.

Amanda said, “I think you freaked them out.”

Finn complained, “What was I supposed to do?”

angelface 13: I saw him get burned. It’s for real.

philitup: what’s weird is that over there we look like our DHIs, but Finn getting burned means we must be part

Finn: human. Part DHI, part human. That’s what Wayne, the old guy, said we were.

Mybest: does anyone hear how completely stupid this sounds?

philitup: we all got sick at basically the same moment. That may sound stupid, but it felt awful.

Mybest: so what we do?





Amanda, looking on, said, “Now, Finn. You’ve got to tell them now.”

Finn: if we all go to bed—to sleep—at the same time tonight, maybe we’ll arrive there together.

Mybest: tell me you’re kidding?

Finn: That’s the way it works, I’m sure of it. Wayne wants us all there at the same time.





Finn felt a rush of heat: all five of them had crossed over at various times. They all shared this same experience. His fingers hovered above the keyboard.

Finn: the only way we’re gonna know what’s up is to go to bed at the same time and hope we wake up over there 2gether. tonight. K?

One by one, the characters answered.

willatree: I’ll be there.

angelface 13: I’m having trouble falling asleep, but I’ll try.

philitup: I’m there.

Mybest: word.





Finn’s character stood up from the couch. He went to the corner and dropped the can into an open box—his makeshift trash can. Charlene followed his lead and did the same.

Mybest: we all play VMK, right? What if that’s got something to do with it?





He had a point, Finn thought. The game had an otherworldly quality.

Finn: we’ve got to talk to Wayne. How about 9:00 tonight?





Each of the characters agreed to the time, a text bubble appearing above their heads. Then, one by one, they checked out. Finn’s character stood alone in the empty room.

“You look kinda lonely just standing there,” Amanda said.

“I think I’m afraid,” Finn admitted. He couldn’t believe he’d said that aloud.

“I bet they all are too,” Amanda said. “Remember that fear is a human emotion. A DHI wouldn’t feel fear.”

The way she said it, so calm, and like she knew what she was talking about—really knew it—gave Finn this strange tingling feeling. He thought how strange it was that Amanda had just showed up the way she had, become his friend right as he began crossing over. How could he ask for a better friend? And yet…Was there something she wasn’t telling him?

He caught a look in her eye as if she’d said too much and now regretted it. She looked away, breaking their eye contact.

“Finn?” It was his mother calling from downstairs. It disturbed the moment. Finn didn’t ask Amanda anything—but he’d wanted to.

He checked the time. It was going on eight o’clock.

“I can drive Amanda home now,” she hollered upstairs.

“I wish I could go,” Amanda said. She didn’t mean home.

“Yeah, that would be cool.” He caught himself using that word again. She’d teased him about it earlier, but not now.

“It’ll be all right,” she said, standing. “Remember everything so you can tell me.”

He walked her downstairs to the door, where his mother was waiting with a smile. The three of them walked out to the driveway. Finn took the backseat. Amanda and his mom talked about boring girl stuff: favorite shopping malls and places to get your hair cut.

She lived on the far edge of their school district, in what had once been a small church. There was a stained-glass window in the center of the roof’s peak: a blue background with a white angel. Lit from inside, it looked as if the angel were flying. He didn’t know why, but it seemed appropriate for Amanda.