Dangerous Designs Read online

  ***

  It was a relief to step into her own bedroom once again. Having the portal in here was downright convenient, just not conducive to getting a good night's sleep. Who knew what or who else might crawl through? If only she'd known then what she knew now, she'd have created the portal somewhere else but still close by. It would be all too easy to end up trapped in her room.

  Her fingers stroked her swollen lips. Eric. She hadn't wanted to leave, to leave him. For all the comfort of being home and seeing the same old furniture and purple walls she'd lived with for years, there was no relief at being back.

  Dumping her backpack on her bed, she headed for the washroom. At the doorway she stopped, a niggling sensation reminding her she'd yet to be separated from the stylus since this mess had happened. It didn't feel right even now. She ran back, did a quick change of clothes, snagged up her bag, and then headed to the washroom. Downstairs, the evening air had cooled the house. Darkness added to the clamminess. The empty feeling gave it a sheer iciness. Surely her mom had to be home by now, but apparently not. She'd traveled to another dimension and back and her mom was still out with her friends. Weird.

  Heading to the den, she checked on the wall. And couldn't stifle the sigh of relief that there was no evidence the Louers had tried to break through again. There had to be a way to stop the Louers from coming here permanently. The last thing she wanted was to keep an eye on the wall every time she came home or left the house.

  Could she draw a lock on the original door? Or draw another dimension between her world and theirs? Then if they did cross they'd end up there and not know there were more layers. Did just drawing something like that make it so? That brought her back full circle; just what capabilities did the stylus have?

  Retrieving her sketchbook from her room, she decided to find out.

  She pulled up the old rocker, turned on the pole lamp and sat facing the repaired wall. Figuring out a solution could take some time. Would the stylus figure it out for her? She held the thought of a permanent solution, of a locking system and a dimension between her world and theirs, then let the stylus work.

  If the Louers found a better world similar to hers, they might be happy there and look no further. Her world was lovely. They might find it a holiday resort, compared to their current living standard. Not realizing what she was doing on a conscious level, she rocked gently in the chair as her hand flashed and dipped, crossed and slashed through its creation process.

  She closed her eyes and leaned her head back. How she could do this without looking she didn't know. Still, she was so tired...and she let the room slip away.

  The front door opened a little later. Storey recognized the familiar sound of her mom's return. Damn. She rubbed her eyes with her left hand. Moonlight poured into the dark room, lighting her sketchbook. The stylus was still busy creating. She didn't want to stop. This was too important.

  Her mom walked through to the kitchen. "The power is out, Anton."

  It was? The power had gone out and she hadn't noticed? Had she actually slept? Then the rest of her mother's words registered. Storey stiffened, her eyes widened even as bile rose up the back of her throat. Anton? Her father? No way.

  The deep male voice made her heart beat a jungle roll in her chest.

  "Probably just the breaker. There could have been a power outage, I suppose. I'll go check."

  Jesus, it almost sounded like him. At least, as her imagination could remember. Her dad had left ten years ago. What was he doing here and why would her mother act so...so normal about it all? And how the hell would he know where the breaker was located?

  Swallowing heavily, Storey glanced at the clock. She'd been in here for an hour plus. In the dark. "Hi. I'm in the den," she called out.

  "What are you doing sitting here all alone with just that little bit of light? Are you okay? And why aren't you in bed asleep?" Her mother entered the room, worry evident in her voice. Storey was sorry for that. She hadn't meant to be a constant concern.

  And there was more to come. She needed a cover story for the cracks in the wall, too. "I'm just sitting here. I couldn't sleep, so I came down to draw, but it's too dark without lights. Weird. Then there was that even weirder tremor earlier."

  "What? An earthquake? We didn't feel a thing." Storey’s mom hurried to her side, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay? You weren't hurt by it, were you?"

  An odd rose perfume wafted over Storey. Odd, she didn't recognize it. "No. Just restless afterwards."

  "Oh, dear. You should have called. We'd have come home." Her mother looked around the small room. "I hope there's no damage."

  "I couldn't see much with the power outage. Maybe a little cracked paint." Storey grinned in the dark. What a great cover story. And dreamt up in mere seconds.

  "As long as you weren't hurt, the rest is nothing. It's probably time to throw up another coat of paint anyway."

  Storey smiled.

  "What's with your bag?"

  That worried note had entered her mother's voice again. Storey glanced down at her backpack, thinking quickly. "It has my art stuff in it."

  "Oh." And there, that predictable relief again. Storey didn't think she wanted children if it meant a roller coaster ride of emotions like that. A man walked into the room. Storey stiffened, searching the gloom to see his features.

  Her father.

  Her heart and mind took an immediate hit. No contact in ten years and now he just walks in like he owned the place. Her eyes locked on him and wouldn't let go. How many times in the last ten years had she wanted, needed to see him again? She gulped softly. Not trusting herself to either slug him or hug him, she chose to stay sitting.

  "The tremors must have knocked the power out. There's no phone either. I can go to a neighbor’s house to check and see if they have at least a cell phone working or wait until morning. They might have it fixed by then anyway," he said.

  Storey's gaze widened. He was acting as if he lived here - the nerve. And how did he know about the neighbors?

  "Considering the time, we might as well go to bed. The power will be back on in the morning, I'm sure."

  Storey wasn't. Her world had been rocked several times tonight. Her hand still sketched at a mad pace under the cover of darkness. She needed to finish. Soon. At one point, exhaustion should take over. Mental chaos had already moved in. At least there was no room for the nagging doubt about leaving Eric and his people alone to fight this war.

  "Storey, are you going to bed now? You have school tomorrow."

  "It is a school day tomorrow?" It felt like Saturday. Then Eric had said it was Sunday. Crap. She was twisted up time-wise, as well. Damn.

  "No, Sarah. Remember, she has the day off."

  Storey stared at him in the dark. She did? She didn't remember that. Good thing the lighting hid her expression. Besides, how would he know?

  "Oh that's right," Her mother turned back to face Storey. "She was supposed to go on that stupid religion field trip. Like we would want you learning about other religions. We're Roman Catholics all the way.."

  Religion field trip? Roman Catholic? Uh oh! Who'd stolen her mom and put these fakes in her place? Storey didn't know what to say. Something major had happened. Not to her, but to her family.

  "Are you two feeling alright?"

  "I'm not too sure." Her mother rubbed her forehead. "In fact, I'm starting to feel slightly woozy. I think I'd better head to bed." She traipsed out of the room. Storey couldn't believe what she saw briefly in the ray of moonlight. Her mother wore a dress, like a regular dress and high heels. That so didn't happen. Where were the floor length hippy dresses and bangles that jangled with her movements?

  "Where were you guys? You mentioned it earlier, but I forgot."

  Her father spoke from the doorway. "At church, of course. We understood you needed to stay home and do your homework. That's always been your priority and we're so proud of you for it. Now don't stay up late." He walked out, leaving her stun
ned and gasping for air.

  What had just happened? Something major had shifted in her world. If these were her parents, then they weren't in her normal world. She glanced down at her drawing. Could she have done this? Could she possibly have created another dimension? Another reality? A parallel reality?

  Oh God.

  Please not. And if she had, which one was she in now?