Chapter Twenty

Charles and I spent the rest of the day outside. He seemed to be more comfortable there than he was indoors, and I was starting to feel like I really needed some fresh air. We sat at a park and watched ducks while we ate a late lunch; Charles was entranced by the way they would dip their heads beneath the water to peck at algae. I watched him staring at the ducks, lost in the moment, and I wondered what he was thinking about. But it seemed a better idea to let his mind stay wherever it was. It was the closest to peaceful I'd seen him since he came back.

After lunch, we took a walk around the park. I decided there was one subject I needed to broach. "Charles, what did you mean you need me to come back with you?"

He kept looking straight ahead and didn't answer; for a moment, I wasn't sure he had even heard me. "You've never been there, the other dimension," he finally answered. "Whatever kind of power they have over me, you're not affected by it. I just thought ... I don't know, I thought you could help."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Just come back with me, see if there's some way to trap them back where they came from." It surprised me somehow that he didn't have more of a plan, but I suppose I should have expected it. I was about to ask what he thought I could do to the shadows when my phone rang.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Hello, is this Adam Fenton?"

"It is."

"My name is Dr. Lee. Francis Lee. Craig Curtis asked me to call you. He said you have a friend who's going through some trouble at the moment." Craig was Daniel's older brother; they must have just cut out all the middlemen in getting someone to me.

"Oh, yes," I answered. "Can you hang on for just one moment, please?" Then, to Charles, "Hey, I have to run back to the car; forgot something." I hoped he wouldn't notice the lie, but I'm sure it was obvious. He didn't call me on it, though. I started back toward the car.

"Yes, Dr. Lee?" I confirmed. "Well, it's my friend." I relayed the entire story as quickly as I could, ending with how Charles was now seeking my assistance in returning to the other dimension. Dr. Lee didn't seem fazed by the mention of the phenomenon which started all of this; knowledge about the other dimension must have been more widespread than we'd thought back in school. It seemed like something that a lot of people knew about but just lost interest like we all had. Eventually, it seemed, people just forgot about it out of nothing more than apathy.

"Adam, you will be paramount in assisting Charles," Dr. Lee told me. "These hallucinations are almost certainly psychological in nature, and as such, Charles' own brain holds the key to returning itself to normal. I will still need to see him, of course, but for now, I would suggest you go along with his plan. If he truly believes you will be able to help him, the chances are very good that you will be able to; that may be our best chance at solving this as quickly as possible."

I thanked him. Hanging up the phone, I turned back to look at Charles; he was watching the ducks again. I couldn't help feeling we were back at the same place we had been eight years ago: Charles had gone to the other dimension, and I needed to figure out how to do the same. Only now, it wasn't to keep up with Charles; it was to save him.