Chapter 2—Michael
“So it is starting to come back,” he said out of relief.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnvLazqsF9s
“What’s coming back?” I asked him.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrYtvoZtQtI
“Your memories,” he said. “All of these images, they’re your memories. Pay closer attention to them,” he added, stepping aside. I walked up to an image and placed my hand on it.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtn8IjGj8DL
In a flash of light I was watching a birthday party, where a younger version of me was blowing out the candles on a cake. In the spots my parents were supposed to be, though, were two blank, white spots.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡilkTMBWm9m
“What’s with the blankness?” I asked him.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoMwbWbNAMt
“The memory’s been blocked,” he explained. “Somebody doesn’t want you to know the truth about who you are.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbQBGGrFKAQ
“Who, though?” I asked him, even though I thought he was just a figment of my imagination.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ35bJDqiecq
“No, I’m not somebody you’re imagining,” he told me, almost as if he was reading my mind. “I really am dead, but this is the real me that you are seeing in front of you.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsSioGyDXC5
“Wait, what?” I demanded.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGnjD6WlYkG
“You have a powerful gift,” he told me. “You are a Bridge.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrcIaitMH3L
“A what?” I asked him.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrgOYhi8PwV
“A Bridge,” he repeated. “A Bridge is a person who can communicate with people who have died.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgLvSf2u7TA
“Are you serious?” I demanded. I was sure right then that it was a dream.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7P9FezyW58
“Very serious,” Michael told me. “I am very glad to see you awake, though. I couldn’t contact you when you were in the coma, or else I could have explained this all to you then.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvRByTLsbZN
“No problem, big bro,” I replied, feeling strangely light-headed for being asleep.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMTAiypBlFI
“That’s another thing,” he said. “I’m not your brother.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNuEwXIVent
“What?”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ59BA4HwgPu
“Everything my parents told you was a lie,” he told me. “They aren’t your parents, either.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpraFnB16e9
“What are they doing, then?”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy7mUmr5NPp
“They are Destroyers,” he told me.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp8XMgKPqks
“You lost me.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTGUpUdhkvw
“Destroyers are the only people able to get rid of a Bridge’s power,” he told me. “That’s why they call themselves ‘Destroyers’. They ‘destroy’ Bridges.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLwEHkhoOPv
“What does this have to do with me?”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqD3ADcXpGI
“My parents are special kinds of Destroyers. They take a Bridge into their home and try to ‘rehabilitate’ them so that they don’t need their powers anymore,” he explained. “That’s what they tried with you. They took you in when you were small and raised you as their own, hoping to erase any trace of Bridge powers in you just by keeping you ignorant of them.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLA7sTvmshA
“What happened, then?” I asked him.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ8ghVbAD8b
“It didn’t work,” he told me. “Now, so that you don’t get confused, some, but not all of what they said was true, but very little of it. About a month before the ‘accident’, they discovered that you had been Bridging with Dad’s ancestors.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlePlnkW1YO
“Bridging?”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl9hW62tooO
“‘Bridging’ is when a Bridge uses their power like you are,” he said. “When they discovered this, they tried to keep you busier to prevent you from having a chance to Bridge, but then you started doing it in your sleep, like you are now. From then until the accident they had been preparing a Wipe.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡij9oz63tYF
“What’s a ‘Wipe’?” I asked him, confused by all the terminology.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdIke61M1nC
“It’s when they wipe your memories and start you over from scratch,” he said. “It usually blocks a Bridge’s powers without getting rid of them, which kills the Bridge.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVzbDK2lzUs
“Why didn’t they?” I asked him.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt4oJgzgWko
“I helped you escape,” he told me. “I had already known you were a Bridge, so when I found out they were going to Wipe you, I helped you escape. I snuck you out of the house and we managed to get five miles away before they found out. They sent out vehicles to stop us, and one of them ended up pushing us over a cliff, which caused the wreck. They were heart-broken when I died, but relieved that you had lived. The people they sent after us performed a Wipe on you before anybody could get there.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡubiicAyJ8j
“How is a Wipe done?” I asked.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKUEsP5qK5R
“They inject a chemical into your brain, which causes permanent memory loss,” he explained.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0EXKOReZHC
“How is it I can see all these memories, then?” I asked him.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaEOUc90uVs
He sighed and sat down in a chair that appeared out of nowhere. “I saved your life,” he said. “When the car was going over the cliff, you weren’t buckled in. You were about to go flying out of the car, which would have killed you for sure, but I pulled you back in. I don’t remember it exactly, but whatever I did, it cost me my life. That sacrifice, a life for a life, created a bond between us.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYI3YpidzkP
“Think of it as a backup for a computer. We had each others’ memories. When they performed the Wipe on you, I still had a copy of them all, so I kept them safe until I could return them to you, which I am doing right now as we speak,” he told me. “Also, because of the bond, I can still contact you, which restored your connection to your powers.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwG8Vk0XIID
He was about to say more, but my vision flickered to darkness and back.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaLU07TYmON
“We don’t have much time before you wake up,” he said nervously. “I’ll contact you tomorrow night. If my parents spend the night at your room tomorrow, don’t hold your coin. If they leave for home, hold it in your left hand over your heart as you fall asleep. This will let me know it’s safe for us to talk without them knowing.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGZEjXNz6eW
“What am I supposed to do during the day?” I asked him as it started to fade.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBqeVCA2AQV
“Act like you did yesterday,” he told me. “And do not tell anybody of this.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYWXt0cz1ts
He waved goodbye to me and I barely had a chance to return it before I woke up to a knocking at the door.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcR1VkMxkf3
“Come in,” I said, eyes flashing open.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPHw8tf6peE
“How did you sleep?” the nurse asked as she walked in to check that my vitals were still all where they were supposed to be.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT6FFOneQTe
“Like a log,” I replied, stretching as much as I could.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqdNqvTOMLS
“Looks like we can detach you from some of these machines,” she told me with a smile when she saw all the results, which were fine.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAUtL5ZdIHV
“Thank you,” I told her. She detached me from the EKG and an IV drip.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNRxfX2DuMu
“If you need anything, just press the button,” she told me.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2eJ0zJJfoY
“Thank you,” I replied. When she left and had the door closed behind her I got out of bed and raced for the bathroom as fast as I could.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡucJ7cNd17A
As soon as I was done I grabbed a pair of boxers from the bag ‘Dad’ brought from home and pulled them on to give myself a sense of privacy before going back to the bathroom and looking into the mirror.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEXVG7SpeC1
“Who am I?” I asked myself as I looked into the mirror. I pondered over that question for ten minutes before deciding that I would ask Michael the next night, if his parents weren’t at the hospital then.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYJ3bOC9G3V
“How did you sleep, honey?” Mom asked me when they got there. They may not be my parents, but it’s easier to put it down like this.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqqleEOvLMa
“Good,” I replied. “How did you sleep?”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmmEjTP8GPZ
“Very good, thank you,” she said. “Has your breakfast arrived yet?”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBvxwmdP7FA
“No, but it should be soon,” I told her. “Where’s Dad?”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOkfIr3jnfb
“He had to go to work,” she said. She showed me a bag she brought with her. “I brought more stuff from home,” she told me.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3s1iJhEGjh
“Thanks,” I replied, taking the bag from her. Inside the bag were a couple of books, a model car and a packet of papers.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmakSi4gL2e
“What the packet for?” I asked her.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKX7ZaCVMx1
“Slips that need to be signed,” she said. “I just put them in there because they’d be easier to carry,” she added, pulling them out.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhXfladUVvy
I pulled out the model car out of the bag. “1969 Charger, right?” I asked Mom, holding it up to the light.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTqrCIajJbZ
She dropped the papers. “How do you know that?” she demanded.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1WIYmhhsa2
Oops. “I may not have my memory, but I can still tell you the year of any car you place in front of me,” I said, making up something fast.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMJzZooHG6C
She smiled. “That’s good,” she said. “That means you still have your fundamental knowledge.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS8mV88UoMu
She was right about that. From what I could recall, every time I would make another model car, I’d study up on the make, model, and model year.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDApgzWpSCT
“That was the first model car you ever built,” she told me. “You worked on it with your father.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj9zkZUkw2H
“It’s cool,” I commented. I set it on the bedside table right before there was a knock at the door.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3IQkgz2WOA
“Come in,” I said. The door opened and someone came in with my breakfast.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡddBSD5VAyO
“Thank you,” I replied. The person nodded and set the tray on the table before walking back out.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG9jDrblzFC
“Do you want me to bring it over to you?” Mom asked me.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrEttiAWquZ
“No, I’ve got it,” I told her. I climbed out of bed and managed to make it to at chair that was sitting next to the table.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkon3K0mPf5
“You’re looking a lot better today,” she told me when I finished eating.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Xrt6IoFXn
“Thanks. A good night’s sleep can do a lot.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡirABfpxKwZ
“Did you have any strange dreams?” she asked.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Kgz2z0q6v
“Nope,” I replied, not missing a beat.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNPH7JLuln1
“That’s good,” she said.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMFUPjTShzQ
Over the next hour another psychologist came by to check on me and they drew some blood to run some tests on.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhXKkMWEHNO
“If the results are good, you should be able to leave tomorrow,” the doctor from the beginning told us. “We just want you to stay after one more night to make sure.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjEssHGEjD4
“That’s okay,” I said.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV0cKhUPQpG
We got comfortable and Mom ended up having to leave for work, and Dad wouldn’t be there for four hours, so I took a nap, not caring if Michael decided to communicate or not.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvlKOIjFYWv
“I thought I told you to hold the coin,” Michael told me the moment I closed my eyes.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGdP9P37Bu0
“That’s for tonight,” I told him. “I was just planning to take a short nap before your dad gets here in four hours.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjYpXoMW0X1
“Do you know if you’re going home tonight or not?” he asked me.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgrPnZfHPOC
“No idea yet,” I replied. “If the results are good, though, I’m being released tomorrow.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqNDHW7yiZF
“Have you found the flash drive?” he asked me.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE1YVGPffkO
“Yeah. Why?” I asked him.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJEGO1t9NKg
“Those of us who are have a bond with a Bridge can influence events in the real world slightly, so I had my mother grab the journal with the flash drive in it,” he explained. “When you get home and have a good chance, plug it into the computer in your room and play the video.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAxuJxz7GEW
“What is the video about?” I asked him.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO5WNMfLHR9
“It’s you,” he told me. “You made a video before we left, knowing that there would be a chance of a Wipe being performed so that you will know who you are.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnaFl17sDuL
“Who am I, anyway?” I asked.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVdRQ9wA34u
“You’ll find out in the video,” he told me. Everything started to fade again.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVlF2MjqGQ8
“At least tell me my real name!” I told him.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXmMlL1j4pU
“Liam!” he yelled as he faded even more. “Liam Fisher!”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs6lZxHb4iy
“There one check off the list for my identity,” I told myself when I woke up to an empty room. “Liam Fisher,” I mumbled. “Sounds nice.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ289SIQQmkO
A few minutes later Dad walked in. “Hello, there,” he said when he saw me. “How was your night?”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5CkbAFPPMZ
“Good. How was yours?”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4rDHQ84MX4
“Good, thanks for asking,” he told me.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdgD7P1aAGG
“Anytime.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Fj4IU9frf
He sat down in a chair and I adjusted my bed so that I was sitting upright enough to be comfortable.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnSSoDS1wm5
“What did your mother bring from home?” he asked me.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBRMIc3zKZI
“Some books and a model car,” I told him, gesturing to the bag and car.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV9Wq4HQoI5
He smiled when he saw the car. “Do you know what car that is?” he asked.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwbolpH6VqT
“1969 Charger,” I told him. “I had almost the same conversation with Mom.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8PJ9aZtyKU
“Does this mean your memory is coming back?” he asked me.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrMK1FX76dJ
“No. I just know what kind it is,” I replied.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLwErL2whDM
“It’s also the first model car we ever built together,” he added.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjmRcTKbjXG
“Mom told me,” I told him.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8sJ5uDhM0p
He nodded and sat down in a chair, looking at me strangely.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC44FjgA9qI
I did my best to ignore the look as I pulled out a random book from the bag Mom brought that day. Fortunately, this book wasn’t hollow, so I opened to the first page and started reading. It was one of those mystery novels with hidden passages mentioned every other page. I had reached halfway through the book when I saw a picture slipped in between the pages.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKQTE2pnVIw
Making sure Dad didn’t see it, I adjusted it so that I could see it. It was a picture of me at a birthday party, the same as the memory Michael showed me, but this time, instead of blank spaces, two people were standing behind me.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2WH9kkPMAN
My real parents.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWc0deUaA7z
I almost dropped the book out of shock, and I would have if my mind weren’t thinking back to the memory, replacing the fake picture with the real one in front of me.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMmNSP9ywkr
I quickly recovered and slid the picture closer to the beginning of the book before I continued reading.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0rpc88Fy8r
“What book is that?” Dad asked me a few minutes later.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLfICWPufSO
I showed him the cover.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZvNuWvnDif
“That’s a good book,” he told me. I nodded and turned the page.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLpo3KzXlBH
About an hour later I finished the book mere moments before there was another knock at the door.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEH5BlVGrF9
“Come in,” I said, tossing the book back into the bag.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwpfU2yyHq4
The door opened and in came the doctor with a clipboard.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCBL2bglHiB
“What are the results, doc?” I asked him.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡila1mJlPoT
“All of your tests results are great,” he told me. “I just need your father to sign some forms and I need talk with him privately.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmYK90tV2Uj
Dad and I thanked him and they left to discuss whatever needed to be discussed.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWxiThKIgom
When the door closed again I grabbed the second book, flipping through the pages quickly in case I had hidden anything in it before the accident.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8HJaiNhzz0
I had searched through it twice and was about to give up when I saw a slip of paper flutter out of it and land on my chest.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4gcvfF8ya4
I picked it up and read the tiny, cramped words in it:784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgcvJRamp3E
The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhyvskKdUzz
Top shelf, exact middle. When you pull it out, push the button behind it.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzhInMj0azx
“So that’s how you get to the hidden room,” I mumbled. I slid the piece of paper into the other book, next to the picture, and started reading the new book.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU5gPHWJ1gH
“We can leave tomorrow at noon,” Dad told me a few minutes later as he walked back in.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡickbkzNGo7
“That’s good news,” I replied. “What did he need to talk with you about?”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTV3ZSxP2RM
“He just needed to make sure we had a psychologist that can do a few check-ups to make sure you are mentally healthy,” he said. “Not much.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ06UAfFm3qq
“Okay,” I replied, turning the page. A few minutes later somebody came by with my lunch, so Dad went down to the restaurant downstairs to eat while I ate in the hospital room.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJCFbg4018J
“How’s the food?” Michael asked me, appearing suddenly.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxMrrLI5zmZ
“Whoa!” I said loudly. “Did I fall asleep?”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxeGoyb9HSm
“No, you didn’t,” he said, laughing lightly. “Bridges can use their powers when they’re awake or asleep. It just takes a bit more concentration while awake.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAiNfqU8qKx
“How is this happening, though, when I don’t even know how to use my powers yet?” I asked him.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVogE4gAQ6o
“Did you already forget about the bond?” he asked. “Because of the bond we share, I can start the conversation without you having to do anything.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuIwFLVFH7k
“Why are you here, though?” I demanded. “If your dad walks in, it won’t look good.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8TgOhc4uZI
“Calm down,” he told me. “He just got to the restaurant downstairs. It’ll be at least ten minutes before he gets back.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSb3WmpE6xT
“You’d better be right,” I told him. “By the way, thanks for having your mom grab those books.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBzsVqhibpq
“Anytime,” he replied. “You should eat, though. I don’t want you getting sick any more than my parents do.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTXJ75rvXmn
I glared at him for a second before picking up my burger.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhFg9TTzx9Y
“You never answered my last question,” I told him between bites.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIjBd1t9aWv
“I came here to help you gain control of your powers,” he said. “You see, Bridging is more than communicating with dead people.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo4JbOsVXY5
“What else is there, then?” I asked him.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Kn4CgKgbC
“First of all, you can see what I can see,” he told me. “If you can talk to a person who has a bond with a Bridge, even if that Bridge isn’t you, then you can see what they can see as long as they are in this world. If they are where I was last time we talked, you can’t. For example, if I were to go down to the restaurant, you would be able to see Dad eating with a very low chance of him seeing me. He has very low sensitivity to usage of Bridge powers.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8BPfRS6Ess
“Is there more than that?” I asked him.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF9RclnXPHd
“You can borrow the strength and knowledge of a person like me,” he explained. “A perfect example of this would be you borrowing my strength, which adds it to your own, and using it to break through a barrier.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBhUtVrsTBW
“This is sounding better by the second,” I said.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCnwpNo4PDR
“The trick, though, is accessing those powers,” he said. “Every Bridge needs a specific item to give them access to those powers, almost like an amulet of sorts. That’s why I want you to hold onto that coin tonight if my parents aren’t here. That coin is your amulet. All of those materials it’s made of are conductors of Bridge energy. They enhance your powers enough for you to access them. Once you do it, it’ll be hard to forget.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡySw5li4jn7
“That’s another benefit for the Destroyers with the Wipe,” he told me. “It gets rid of the memory of how to access the powers so that, even if they realize what their powers are, it’ll be almost impossible for them to access their powers without a mentor.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjDuKryomuJ
“Can’t you give me the memory when I access my powers so that I know how?” I asked him.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsxtllOTaeY
“I can only give you so many memories at once without overloading your brain, which could turn counter-productive for you,” he told me.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkKM2IIIZhA
“Where are you when you aren’t here?” I asked him.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmo3D8kNnQR
“Where all dead go,” he said simply.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXuSdy4aEWi
“And that is…?”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgQgF5NI9Jf
“There is no name for it,” he told me.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5jSSVyAfkJ
“Okay, then,” I sighed. “Is there anything about home that your parents didn’t tell me?”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGhcrmHGDVQ
“A few,” he said. “First, the house is about four floors, has ten bedrooms and fifteen bathrooms. It’s huge.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE0YkbMi2zq
“Do I have any pets?” I asked.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡASzATu4duF
“Last I knew, you had a turtle,” he told me. “I’m not sure what happened to it after the accident. He was a cute little guy, about a year old. He was a birthday present after your goldfish died.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGpWPKye0k2
“That was nice of them,” I commented. I grabbed the coin off the table. “So…how does this thing work?” 784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgmktTdO2b9
“I’ll show you that tonight,” he assured me. “It would take too long in the short time we have left.” He took a step back and closed his eyes. “Dad’s fifty feet down the hall,” he said. “Goodbye. Remember what I told you,” he added, fading the entire time.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsoOXFPYCZj
Less than a second after he faded completely Dad walked in.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiXBvuXsdQS
“How was lunch?” I asked Dad.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfzZlGrBVGH
“It was good,” he replied. “How’s yours?”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxsU6QNYA32
“Same,” I said. I finished my bottle of water and set the cover back onto the tray before going back to the bed.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsmsGRk0q2R
“How far are you in that book?” Dad asked me when I was comfortable.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtMyqBeh2h3
“Almost done,” I said. “It’s a good book.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKUQdEqJfQJ
“I’m glad you like it,” he told me. “It was your favorite.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIbXLs5Hn3v
“I can tell why,” I replied. “It’s a good book.” I turned to the next page as Dad grabbed the remote and turned on the television and changed the channel to a news station.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn9kboaL7ol
“Would you like your mother or I to spend the night with you?” he asked me about an hour later when I had finished the book.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8h2t7jF8cQ
“I should do fine by myself tonight,” I told them, trying to not sound very eager.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLoS0WijTxL
“Are you sure?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF2Z638u1Oj
“I’m sure,” I assured him. He stared at me for a few more seconds before looking back to the television.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCft0K42BQR
The next few hours were pretty monotonous, but not long after dinner Dad left to go home for the night.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUOncyFBafY
“We’ll be back tomorrow at ten o’clock,” Dad told me. “Your mother and I are going to be spending the rest of today preparing for your arrival home.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSitaq7QIbv
“Okay,” I replied. He stood up and grabbed his coat, hugging me tightly before leaving.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcUY7MXHo2M
“You should get some more sleep before you leave tomorrow,” a nurse told me a few more minutes later as she came in to detach me from another machine.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZn2Q0qxJPI
“I probably will,” I replied.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBKzbG7bqij
When she left I snatched my coin off the bedside table and did as Michael said, holding it in my left fist, which I had positioned over my heart.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUagN0sKDlJ
“You fell asleep early,” Michael said when I closed my eyes.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5OCwnrAJBB
“Your dad left and neither of them will be coming back until ten tomorrow morning,” I replied.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmDNo2KpxvI
“Good,” he told me. “That’ll give us more time.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQZ0wagZDBh
“The first thing I am going to teach you is what your amulet does,” he said. “It is a conduit for your powers. It’s what allows you to focus. The materials have to be specific, or else it won’t work. It took you a while to find this coin online. Also, Destroyers have never been able to discover the exact materials need to make one, so they were clueless when you ordered the coin.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUtTatdLGnd
“How do I use it, though?” I demanded.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaq6aQSlyt0
“Hold the coin tightly,” he told me.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVpLeSDl2mD
“Already done.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4geRB2ldkJ
“Now, the next part is a bit trickier,” he added. “You need to focus inside yourself, to every memory you have of somebody you know that has died. It would be easier if you use me since we’re already communicating.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMQBTs9MKKe
I did as he said, going to every memory he gave me of him, from my first memory of him to the day before the accident.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj8vhsaoE43
“Now that you have them all, focus all of that memory into a small part of yourself. Because of the coin, though, you can focus on that,” he told me. “Just imagine every memory flowing from your head into the coin.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNh2IOL2Q1a
I did this, too, and soon the coin began to glow dimly.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYV10HXQlZo
“Good,” he murmured to himself. “Now, disconnect yourself from the memories.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQLUOzgYtWG
“What?” I demanded. “How is that possible?”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡil8h38mrt4
“You have a connection to all of your memories,” he told me. “If you look at it as an outsider you can see it. Imagine the connection being cut.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ973r28asNK
I tried. I saw each memory as he said, and when I did I could see a connection, almost like a fine silver thread, leading from it to my body. I cut the cord. I did that with every memory until they were all disconnected.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKzaTTHd2pM
“That’s very good,” he said. “Now that you have essentially ‘downloaded’ your memories of me onto the coin, you are now able to contact me at any time. All that you need to do is be in contact with the coin. Once you do that, just focus on me and you will be able to do it.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0opWIISjNV
“How was I able to contact the people who lived in the house a while ago, though?” I asked him. “I had no memories of them.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRlYyZvnliI
“Before the accident, you had become quite skilled at Bridging,” he told me. “You could take in memories just by holding onto something that a deceased person held once. Almost all of your spare time was spent up in the hidden room, Bridging with people long dead.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJuOAtkeTaB
“Impressive,” I said.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx77Wqsx1XI
“Yeah. I’d show you how to do that stuff, but I don’t know how you were able myself,” he told me.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaRWuscWT07
“Looks like it’s a mystery I’ll have to solve myself,” I replied.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcto5qRM2oc
He spent the rest of the night teaching me how to tap into his former strength and to see through his eyes.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxGwKbs8Oqs
He was right about to tell me some of the secrets of the house when I woke up abruptly to knocking at the door.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCuC1ayOkQE
“Come in!” I shouted, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfl8uIlBhru
“I’m here to take out the rest of the IV’s and disconnect you from everything else,” a nurse told me, opening the door as she spoke.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmH2r6gpsTC
The first thing she did was unhook the needles for the IV’s that had already been taken out. Fortunately they were both in the same arm so that he didn’t have to use two bandages, only one large one.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoNaCq64pUd
“If this hurts, just let me know,” he told me as he unhooked and removed the last two IV’s. Fortunately, it didn’t hurt at all as he removed them quickly and painlessly, covering them both with a single bandage.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcIJ5taa2iF
“If there’s anything else you need, just let us know,” he told me before walking out.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1TC5tLWhYd
When he closed the door I grabbed the bag with clothes in it and went to the bathroom to get dressed.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtGUxI5nwgg
“Was my sense of fashion really like this?” I asked myself. The clothes all looked like they were from designer stores, which they probably were. I’m not bashing that style, but I just prefer the more casual look.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrsSgHqf9Q4
I didn’t really have any other choice, though, so I pulled on the polo shirt, khaki pants and black shoes.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaUFGOVYFzF
“Well, you look nice,” Mom asked as she and Dad walked in at ten o’clock exactly.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBBQfvRcgGI
“Thanks,” I replied.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlOYgmesfx8
“We got your room cleaned and back to the way you had it before…” Dad hesitated. “Before this all happened.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO8R8lkf0hl
“Thank you,” I told them.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo7zrpoDvLP
“It’s nice to see you off of all the machines,” Mom told me, smiling widely.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMXw4KpUyhr
“It’s good to be off all of them,” I replied. “What’s today’s date?”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDJE90ECfKX
“February 27,” Dad said. “Your birthday is in three weeks, on March 20.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtLbNHhQbba
“Cool,” I replied.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgOUpK6B6Xt
“Is there anything else you want or need to know about home?” Mom asked me.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJaHIVfXlSA
“Did I have any pets?” I asked them, even though I already knew the answer.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnp21ulF2yi
“Yes, you do,” Mom answered. “You have a painted turtle, just over a year old.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ5DCvYwlH7
“What happened to him after the accident?”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzouTZ5uh2Z
“The housekeepers looked after him,” Dad explained. “He’s still doing fine, although he’s a bit bigger.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvPGYmK6u8s
“That’s nice,” I said. “Where’s my room compared to the rest of the house?”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxlu13NqdaR
“Your room is actually separate from the house,” Mom told me. “The tower your room is in was originally a guest suite. The bedroom part is on the second level, the first being a bathroom and sitting area. You loved it the moment we gave you the choice of moving into a different room. It’s in the far back left corner of the house.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlvGGhWkpXF
“Sounds awesome,” I replied. I checked the clock. It was about 10:30.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXGy0IucYun
“We still have some time before you can leave,” Mom told me.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUnmErA3JJR
During those 90 minutes Mom and Dad taught me the names of the house staff from the housekeepers to the gardeners.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEOQq6tfsY2
“You are now free to go,” a doctor told us when he checked my vitals to make sure I was still in good condition.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTJsoFCd2v4
“Thank you,” I told him.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6vADznr2iB
Mom and Dad grabbed the bags after I had put all of my extra stuff in it and we walked out to an elevator, which we took down to the lobby.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRthhBr2CXK
Once the front doors to the hospital opened a blast of cold air came at us.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡniwRhdq3q5
“Oh, sorry about that,” Dad told me. He pulled a coat out from a bag that had been sitting in the room since before I woke up and handed it to me.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡptwZmMj7P2
“Thanks,” I replied, pulling it on quickly. It blocked the wind very well.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9x2B8JVFl6
“The car’s over here,” Mom told me, directing me to a black SUV.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSjhh3xhPpz
They placed the bags in the back of the car as I got into the backseat, buckling up once I was comfortable, making sure I had my coin as well.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY8HtrqNAJz
“Are you comfortable back there?” Dad asked me when they were inside the car.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgb7aUvKXd8
“Yeah.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL8syXX8HRU
“All ready to go?”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKdVWNcXlPo
“Yeah,” I repeated. They buckled themselves in and soon we were cruising along a highway.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6lYWZRtU4q
Even though I could remember the house, it still caught me off guard when we arrived.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvdOYM654yx
“Whoa,” I gasped when we pulled up to the house.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP8W9xRsIwq
It looked like an old castle that could have jumped right out of the medieval times. It was three stories tall except for a tower at each of the four corners, which appeared to be two stories with a large conical roof starting above the top level (I took this to mean that every tower featured a ‘hidden room’).784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvNE9G90cRR
“It’s very large,” Dad told me. “Ten bedrooms, fifteen bathrooms. If you need help getting around, just say the word.”784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPzyzJ6sX24
“Thanks,” I replied, getting out of the car.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjSdZfakTmF
“Welcome home!” the entire staff cheered as I walked through the large front doors. They were all gathered beneath a banner that had the same words printed on it.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcDgFXtd3pv
“It’s good to have you back, Mr. Murphy,” a tall man in a suit told me, shaking my hand.784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqRxbfdq5Tm
“Um, good to be back,” I said, surprised by it all.
784Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSPMcZMG5xf
