“But not for Galen?”
“He doesn’t care about things like that,” I confirmed. “He just wants to be happy.”
“And you make him happy.” It wasn’t a question.
“We make each other happy,” I clarified. “We’ve surrounded ourselves with a great group of friends. We’re a tight-knit group.”
“I’ve only ever wanted you to have people to love,” Mom replied. Her eyes scanned left and right. “I’m glad you’ve found that.”
I followed her gaze, uncertain. “What are you worried about?”
“You shouldn’t be here,” she replied. “I hoped he was lying when he said you would come through.”
“Who told you I was coming?”
Mom shook her head. “We can’t get into that. There’s no time … and I’m afraid that if I tell you the wrong thing you’ll make a bad decision that will get you killed.”
“I don’t make bad decisions.” I said it fast and in matter-of-fact fashion.
Mom arched a dubious eyebrow.
“I hardly make bad decisions,” I corrected quickly.
That nudged a small smile out of her. “You got that quirk from your father.” She wagged her finger, then pointed. “We must go. It will take a few minutes to get to the door. We can’t linger. He will come looking. There’s something I must show you on the way.”
I hesitated. I’d grown comfortable talking with her, but I didn’t know if I could trust where she was taking me.
“Hadley, I understand that you don’t trust me. I don’t blame you, but I don’t have time to build trust. Follow your instincts. What do they tell you?”
“That I should probably trust you,” I replied on a sigh.
“If I don’t get you through this door, it will be a long time before I can get you through another.”
“How long?”
“A few hours.”
I pursed my lips. I had no doubt, on the other side of the door I’d wandered through, Booker and Aurora were freaking out and calling Galen. I didn’t want to torture them but if this was to be the only chance I had to talk to my mother, maybe being absent a few hours wasn’t the worst thing in the world.
I opened my mouth to suggest just that but she was already shaking her head.
“Here it will only be a few hours. On your side it will be a few days.”
My mouth fell open as reality set in. The time difference between planes had been explained to me before. “How long have I been gone from my world?”
“By the time I get you back, twelve hours will have passed,” she said.
I lurched to my feet. “Galen.”
“He’ll be worried,” she surmised.
“He’s going to be a basket case.”
Sympathy flattened her lips. “Then we must be quick.”
She took the lead, understanding that I wouldn’t be comfortable turning my back to her. I was starting to grow tired, as if the air was thin on this side. She cut through some ruined bushes and stopped before a garish tableau straight out of aCriminal Mindsepisode. Or, more aptly, aHannibalepisode. It almost looked like art. A really creepy, really gross art exhibit. A body — a human body — had been strung up like an angel, his insides on the outside.
“What the hell is this?” I demanded, again grateful that I hadn’t eaten before leaving to search for Wesley.
