The Boy in my Locker

SERIAL STORY

CHAPTER 10: THE WINDOW

“Charlie? Is that you?” I sneaked up the side of a series of rocky steps and peered into the galac c win‐ dow—out through the li le mirror in my locker.

“Aubrey, you’re alive, I can’t believe it.” A blurry fog spread over Char‐ lie. Light escaped through his face, almost making him ghost‐like. “Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“The news is here, did you know?” Charlie con nued. “Like, every sta‐ on on the planet. You’re famous.”

Strange men and women holding microphones and fancy cameras spread out behind Charlie. “How did they find out about this? I didn’t want anyone to know.”

“Are you kidding? You vanished. The school security cameras caught everything on video. You guys just, like, disappeared—you and that weird dude.” Sta c charges froze Charlie’s face for a second, like a bad satellite recep on. “It’s the DM Energy, isn’t it, Aubrey? It’s totally the DM Energy. I knew it—I knew it when you were talking about it. You’re in a parallel world.”

Charlie was smart like that—he drove me nuts—not only had it fi‐nally occurred to me of his superi‐ority on the trumpet, the kid was a ‘child prodigy’. “Yes, but we’re stuck here,” I replied.

I felt a tap on my leg. “Excuse me, Ms. Aubrey?” Truent stepped up on the rocks. “You’ll have to keep your voice low. The seekers have been known to reach this al tude if they’re desperate enough.” I nod‐ ded and turned back to Charlie. “It’s going to take a few days to get back. We have to harness energy.”

A news reporter peered into the window beside Charlie. Her mouth moved, but no words came out. She appeared to be talking to Charlie.

“How have you survived this long out there?” Charlie asked, speaking for the lady. “This reporter wants to know if there is food and water?”

I looked at the lady staring at me like I was some sort of Extra‐Ter‐ restrial—like I was a science proj‐ ect. “I could do with a sandwich, but I’m okay. It hasn’t been that long. Has it? Why can’t she talk to me?” “You’ve been missing for two months,” Charlie replied. “She wants to know how you survived so long? Who’s with you? Are you injured? Tell us what it’s like there? Is it a habitable planet? What kind of sandwiches do you like?”

I shook my head and closed my eyes ghtly. “Did you say two months?” I couldn’t believe it. It didn’t make sense. “Charlie, Char‐ lie, stop. Tell her to stop asking you ques ons.”

“It’s the DM Energy, Ms. Aubrey,” Truent whispered. He stepped back up on the rocks behind me. “It manipulates space and me.”

“He’s right,” replied Charlie, through the window.

“I’ve read about it. Scien sts don’t know a lot about it. It’s so unpredictable. That’s why they’re here too. That’s why everyone is here.”

“The end‐of‐year‐concert. Did I miss it?” I asked, slightly curious why that came to my mind.

“It’s next week,” replied Charlie.

“Mr. Meebly says you can do a solo if you’re up for it.” “I can’t miss that concert, Charlie. You go a get me back. I have to redeem myself.”

“We’re trying,” Charlie replied.

“These scien sts are really trying. They can’t figure out what did this.”

“You did this,” I said, feeling a li le surge of anger resurface.

“Me?”

“Yes you,” I replied. “You took my trumpet. You got us trapped here. Tell those scien sts to hurry. Why can’t they get us back?” I swung at the massless window, wishing Charlie’s face was actually in front of me. “Why can’t they talk to me? Why is it just you talking?” “It’s the transversal, Ms. Aubrey,” Truent said, now standing on the step next to me. “The Transversal has collided with Charlie’s internal energy. The window is only open when he’s present.” “What? That makes no sense,” I said. I wanted to explode. I wanted to go home.

“What about energy? Why can’t they harness energy, like we did? They can make noise, right? Tell them to clap their hands. Do something. They can make enough decibels for all of us to get back.”

“You need to be quiet, Ms. Aubrey. We can’t make noise. Please remain calm.”

“I am calm,” I replied.

“Listen,” he con nued. “The win‐ dow is only open when Charlie is present. They can’t get to you, no ma er how much energy they pro‐ duce. It just doesn’t work.”

“But what about Charlie? He can do it.”

Truent shook his head. “I’m sorry, Ms. Aubrey. Only you. You’re ex‐ posed. I must have exposed you to the energy when I first talked to you in your locker. This energy has a mind of its own. It’s selec ng what comes and goes.”

“It doesn’t make sense,” I mu ered to myself.

A deafening scream exploded into the darkness. I whipped my head around to see Megan’s face disap‐ pear over the ridge, pulled down by a mammoth, ape‐like arm.

***

We sat in silence.

Terrified to move. Truent’s group returned to the ridge about an hour a;er the Seek‐ er had taken Megan—only three of them made it. They had been in hiding all this me.

They told us we exposed too much energy, which was their polite way of saying I couldn’t keep my trap shut.

“They know you’re here,” a girl said to Truent and me. She took off her bulky goggles and breathing device. Her face was kind, her eyes, bright blue, almost glowing in the darkness.

“If we quietly and carefully work through the night as a team, we should be able to harness the energy for the transversal,” a boy added. “Othello‐3 will collapse at any moment. The air is too thin, the atmosphere is too unstable. On a side note, Truent’s group happened to see where the Seeker took Megan—some cave near a gas pit.

Every now and then, a distant cry broke the stale silence. I knew what it was—and I couldn’t take it.

“You’ll never return,” Truent said to me.

He knew what I was thinking. “You can’t save her.” But I couldn’t just let her die. Could I? Truent’s group took turns pulling and pushing the rusted lever next to the panel like they were pump‐ ing water from a well.

I stepped in a few mes to help but didn’t yield much energy at all. These kids were older and stronger—prac ‐ cally teenagers. They suited me up with a breathing mask to help me with the thinning oxygen levels. I spent most of the me perched on the top stone, next to the win‐ dow, high up above the land. Flash‐ es of light spread out over the hori‐ zon. Charlie’s face appeared from me to me, checking in on me, as though several days had gone by on Earth. He didn’t say much. Some mes he was alone — some‐ mes he wasn’t. I wondered if he thought I had turned into an alien.

“I’m going to save her,” I whispered to Charlie, finally. “I’m going to save, Megan.”

Final chapter May 13

It’s the transversal, Ms. Aubrey