Traveler by L.E. DeLano (book suggestions .txt) 📕

“I don’t know if I can,” I say shakily.

“You’ve got to. Can you take something?”

“I … uh…” My mind is racing. “I think there’s some NyQuil in the bathroom.”

“Will it put you to sleep?”

“Knocks me right out,” I answer. “I’ll get it.”

I run for the bathroom, stopping along the way to let Danny know I’m feeling sick and I’m going to lie down—that ought to keep him from disturbing me. Finn can play video games with Danny and keep him distracted—and himself awake. I grab the NyQuil and step back into the room, twisting off the cap and pouring out a dose.

“Down the hatch,” I say, chugging it back.

I set the bottle down next to Finn’s coffee and lie down on the bed. My hand reaches for his.

“Be careful, okay? If you have to leave me and run, do it.”

“I won’t leave you,” he says.

“I told Danny you’d play a game with him.”

“That’s as far as I’ll go,” he swears.

“And you’ll need more coffee. My mom drinks decaf.” I can feel the medicine making me foggy, but I have to make sure he’ll be safe.

“I’ll get more coffee if I need it. And then I’ll come back. I promise.”

I nod, and my head is starting to feel heavy. “Stay till I’m sleeping.”

The bed dips and he eases down next to me. “No problem,” he says, stretching out at my side. I turn and scooch into him, spoon-style, and his arm comes around my middle.

“Finn?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m afraid.”

“You’ve been through a lot, Jessa.”

“I’m afraid for you. What if something happens to you?”

I feel his hand come up, and it gently plays with my hair, his fingers combing through the strands as his voice calms and lulls me.

“I’ve been traveling for a while now,” he reassures me. “And we know where the danger is coming from. Once Mario’s involved, this will all be over. And then you and I get to figure out where we go from here.”

“What if I don’t want to go anywhere? What if I just want to stay plain old Jessa?”

I hear him chuckle. “You could never be plain old Jessa.”

“What if I don’t want to travel?”

“Then you don’t.” His fingers are still stroking my hair, and my eyelids are getting heavier as the minutes pass.

“I don’t want you to go away,” I tell him.

“I told you I’m not going anywhere.”

I turn my head to look back at him, and it’s not easy to do because I’m definitely feeling light-headed from the NyQuil.

“I mean after. After this is all over. I guess you’ll want to go back to whatever you were doing before.”

“What I was doing before was looking for you,” he reminds me. “And now I’ve found you. I’m not going anywhere.”

I feel his lips against my temple, and I close my eyes, savoring the sensation. He’s warm against my back, and where his arm circles my waist. His fingers are in my hair again, and then through a fog, the bright white of the classroom hits my eyes. I immediately tense and turn my head, looking around.

“Rudy won’t be joining us,” Mario tells me as I take my seat. “You can relax.”

“You know?”

“I had a hunch, after our last session. It’s confirmed now—and he’s on the run.”

“What’s going to happen to Finn? He can’t stay awake forever.”

“No, he can’t. I’ve been given permission to take on a second Traveler—which is not generally allowed—but this is an extreme circumstance.”

“Rudy has a second Traveler,” I say.

Mario nods. “Yes, he does. He’s been using Finn for information about you, and another Traveler to do the dirty work where you’re concerned. Arranging for all your calamities to revolve around Finn ended up causing more suspicion, instead of diverting it.”

“You’ll take care of Finn?” I ask. “He’ll be safe?”

“I can’t guarantee that,” Mario says quietly. “Not any more than I can for you. Forecasting can be uncertain when you’re dealing with people of free will. We deal in suppositions and potential outcomes, not absolutes. But at least we know what we’re up against.”

“Easy for you to say. You didn’t lose a best friend shortly after almost being tortured, killed, and eaten by cannibals. And now I still have to watch my back.”

“The Traveler is still out there.” Mario nods. “He’s sure to try again.”

“Or, she is,” I add. “I think it was a woman who pushed me through into Finn’s world. I couldn’t see her face, only her gloves and jewelry. It all happened too fast.”

“You should have known Rudy was going to watch there—he knew how fond you two were of the place.” Mario’s tone carries a world of consternation.

“Thank you for helping me.”

“I had a feeling Rudy would look for a reality that could do his dirty work for him,” Mario continues. “Add in the fact that Finn would be reluctant to go back to his own reality, and it was perfect for Rudy’s purposes. The Traveler couldn’t have ever had a counterpart there, so that might give us a starting place for narrowing down who it is. The trick was figuring out where in that reality the Traveler would send you, and when you fell asleep, I found you.”

“I was only asleep for a minute or two,” I say.

Mario shrugs. “I work fast.”

“Well, let’s keep that reality off the travel list as far as return visits, okay?” I shiver again, remembering. Rudy wasn’t playing games. Rudy really did want me dead.

“So … what now?” I ask.

“Rudy can’t kill you directly—normally, he can only use the Traveler to influence events around you in order to facilitate your death,” Mario answers. “But he’s gone rogue, and he’s desperate. I need to figure out exactly what he’s planning to do to be sure we’re countering properly. Stay alert, stay with Finn, and I’ll let you know what the next steps are as soon as I can.”

“I’m not just going to sit around waiting for someone to kill me again,” I tell him. “Or Finn. We’ve got some