Chapter 4

The movie theater Nicholas, Ellie, and Renee went was packed. Nicholas wanted to enjoy the movie he had long waited for, but he was distracted. The image of his father in the hospital bed was in his mind for the whole time. 

          Renee pulled up the car in front of her house and left the engine running.

           “Ellie, I’ve got to pick up a few things at the drugstore. You can show Nicholas his room and give him a tour of the house.” 

          “Okay, Mom.” Ellie and Nicholas got out of the car.

           “Elli, could you put this leftover pizza into the refrigerator for me? You both didn’t eat much this evening. You might be hungry later.” Renee handed it to Ellie.

          “Okay.”

          Ellie and Nicholas started heading for the house.

          “Oh, wait, Ellie. Do you have the key?” Renee said.

          Ellie turned and gave her mother a look. “Of course, Mom.”

          “Just checking,” Renee said. She watched them until they entered the house, and then pulled away from the curb.

          “Moms can get a little over protective,” Ellie said. “Sometimes they can drive you crazy.”

          “I suppose so,” Nicholas said.

          Ellie felt herself blushing. She remembered that Nicholas didn’t have a mother. She wished she could take her words back. To compensate, she took his arm and said in a cheery voice, “If you’re ready for the grand tour, let’s start with the basement.”

          He’d really never seen much of the house except for the entrance and living room.

          “Sure,” Nicholas said, secretly pleased. He and Hunter had often speculated about what lay within the house, particularly in the basement. They’d often entertained the idea—half seriously—that it might contain a secret treasure cave.

          When Ellie and Nicholas reached the bottom of the stairs, he realized the prospects of finding a treasure cave were dim. He had little interest in the washing machine or the dryer. But the door across from them suggested possibilities.

          “Do you have a key to that door, Ellie?” He smiled and pointed to her pendant. It was a gold key with a heart-shaped head—the shiny object he’d noticed when he was dazed from his bike accident. “I think that’s an ancient key to a secret room full of treasures.”

          “Uh-uh,” she said. “It’s never locked.” She pulled it open and flipped a light switch on.

          “It’s our hot-air furnace. And, boy, it does a great job. On a cold morning where we lived before, you wondered if the place was ever going to warm up.” She smiled, “my mother gave this pendant to me on my last birthday. And I certainly don’t think there’s a secret room full of treasure in our house.”

          The rest of the house was as empty of secrets as the basement, but it still impressed Nicholas. In addition to the first-floor rooms he’d seen on the earlier visit, there were Ellie’s father’s office; a play room with a billiard; a guest room; and a recreation room with a couch, easy chairs, and a huge flat-screen TV.

          Ellie’s parent’s room was the master bedroom on the second floor. It had two walk-in closets and a bathroom with a shower, tub, and sauna. A small balcony off the bedroom looked out on the front yard. Nicholas opened the door to the balcony and stepped out on it. There were eight torches in the yard below. Stone steps led down to the detached street-level garage. A cold gust of wind made him shiver, and he stepped back into the room.

          There were three other bedrooms on the second floor. All were nearly as spacious and elegant as the master bedroom. Ellie’s room was next to the master room.

          Nicholas was given the guest room on the first floor next to the recreation room.

The guest room including its own rest room and bathroom was at least four-times bigger than his room at home. Besides a king-size bed, it held a desk and office chair, a comfortable leather easy chair, a table and two chairs, a chest, and a bedside table with a reading lamp and a radio alarm clock on it. Unlike his room at home, it was warm in there. 

          “The heater in this house does a great job.” Nicholas opened one of the windows a crack.

          “I told you.” Ellie said.

          She opened the door to the walk-in closet. “Plenty of room for your stuff,” she said. “Are you ready to go and get some of it?”

          Nicholas hesitated. Images of last night’s events in the living room of his house flashed through his mind, accompanied by a memory of the words Vix Tower had said to his father: “You will bring the three diamonds to me by midnight December twentieth or you will die.”

          If only he could tell someone about everything that happened to his father that night—someone who would take his story seriously.

          Jerry?

          He’d probably say it was all in his imagination. Supernatural stuff.

          Hunter?

          He might think it was another of the fantasy games he and Nicholas liked to play.

          Allison?

          He liked her a lot, but he just didn’t know her that well.

          If only . . .

          “Nicholas . . . Are you okay?”

          “What?”

          “You had a look on your face that—”

          “No, no . . . everything’s fine. I was just thinking about a quiz we’re going to have at school next week.”

          Ellie nodded. “Oh, good,” she said, but she looked worried.

          “Well,” Nicholas said, “I’d better head over there now.”

          “I’ll go with you,” Ellie said. “Who knows how much stuff you’ll want to bring back?”

          Nicholas looked relieved. “Get your coat,” he said.

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When Nicholas stepped into his living room he felt a chill. It wasn’t just that the heat was off. He couldn’t completely block memories of the previous night. He was glad Ellie was with him. She was more than just a friend; sort of like a sister.

          They packed his stuff into one of Daniel’s large wheeled suitcases.

          “I think that covers it for now,” Nicholas said. “I can always come back later if I remember something else.”

          As soon as he said it, he remembered he had to find the business card Vix Tower had shown to his father for Allison. They left the suitcase in the bedroom and went back to the living room. 

          Nicholas checked out the magazines on the coffee table where Daniel had set the business card. It wasn’t on or under any of them. He got down on his hands and knees and searched under the table and couch. Come on, where is it?

          No luck.

          “What are you looking for?” Ellie said.

          “It’s just a business card,” Nicholas said. “There’s some information on it that Allison wanted. Maybe it’s in Dad’s office.”

          It wasn’t on Daniel’s desk or his worktable, and a search of the books, magazines, and maps strewn around the floor came up empty.

          “Never mind,” Nicholas said. “I’ll try to find it later.”

          “Wait,” Ellie said. She stood absolutely still, and stared at Daniel’s bedside table.

          “What’s the matter?” Nicholas said.

          Ellie pointed to the table. “Maybe he put it in the drawer.”

          Nicholas shrugged. “I’ll check it out.”

          “I’ll get the suitcase,” Ellie said, and left the room.         

          He opened the drawer. The only thing in the small table’s drawer was a wallet-size color photograph of a young woman. She had long curly brown hair, piercing hazel eyes, and a heartbreakingly beautiful smile. He took the photo from the drawer and stared at it for several moments. He felt a gnawing sense that he knew her, yet he couldn’t place her.

          Who could she be?

          He turned the photo over and gasped.

          A short handwritten message on the back read: “To Daniel—With all my love—Olivia.”

          “Mother,” he said softly, and tucked the photo into his shirt pocket.

          He closed the drawer and headed out to the living room, where Ellie was waiting with the suitcase. His mind was racing. His heart was filled with an incredible joy that alternated with deepest sorrow.

          If only she were here to help me now!

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By the time Ellie and Nicholas got back to the house from Nicholas’s house, Renee was back from the drugstore and in the kitchen cooking.

          “Your Dad’s working late again,” Renee said to Ellie. “I’m making him something he can zap in the microwave when he gets home.”

          “Okay,” Ellie said. “Nicholas and I’ll be unpacking his things and getting his room settled.”

          When Nicholas’s clothes were hung up in the closet and stashed in the chest, and his books arranged on the desk, Ellie sat down at the table by the window. Nicholas pulled the other chair and sat down opposite her.

          “I’ve got something to ask you, Ellie,” he said, his voice betraying his nervousness.

          “Okay,” she said.

          “There’s something I have to tell someone, and I finally figured you might be the best one.”

          Ellie nodded, her expression showing curiosity.

          “It’s going to sound really weird, so can I trust you to hear me out?”

          “Of course,” she said. “What is it?”

          He took a deep breath. “Well,” he said, “it’s about the magical purple diamond my Dad found in Italy.”

          “The one that will be shown at the diamonds exhibit next year.”

          “Right. In the legend surrounding it, there are two more magical diamonds in existence besides the purple diamond. Last night, a stranger named Vix Tower visited us. He said he saw the purple diamond on the TV and that he’s the owner of it and the two other magical diamonds. He wanted my Dad to bring all three to him by midnight of December twentieth. He said if Dad doesn’t bring them, he’ll die.”

          “Oh, no!”

           “It’s true. I haven’t told this to anyone. I thought of Jerry and Hunter, but I didn’t think they’d take me seriously. I like them and trust them, but they seem too . . . I don’t know what. But you seem to have some special qualities.”

          She nodded, her face serious.

          “Nicholas,” she said, “some people have certain gifts that others don’t have. They can see in a different way, hear in a different way, and experience the world in a different way. I’m one of them. When I was little, I thought everybody could sense things the way I could. As I grew older, I came to realize most people couldn’t. I decided it would be best to pretty much keep those gifts to myself.”

          “My knee?” Nicholas said.

          “What about it?”

          “After your Mom put ointment on the cut the day of the accident, you put your hand on the bandage and I felt a little buzzing sensation. Was that what made it heal so fast?”

          “Let’s just say it helped,” Ellie said.

          Nicholas shook his head in wonder. “That is really something.”

          “And now,” Ellie said, “I think you have something very serious and very mysterious to tell me. Believe me, Nicholas, I won’t laugh at you, and I won’t doubt you. We have to trust each other.”

          A wave of relief swept over Nicholas, and he began to share with Ellie the nightmarish events that had been haunting him. As he talked, Ellie listened intently, making no comments, allowing him to unburden his soul.

          When Nicholas finished, he let out a great sigh and slumped down in his chair. “That’s it, Ellie,” he said. “If I can’t get those diamonds, Vix Tower and the Dark Shadow will kill my father. I don’t know what to do.”

          “I’ll help you, Nicholas,” Ellie said, “but first we must know what happened to the two lost diamonds. And we need to know the relationship between them, Vix Tower, and the Dark Shadow.”

          “But where do we even start?” Nicholas said.

          “We start in the past,” Ellie said. “Tonight I’m going to take you on a journey that few people have ever been on. We’ll have to travel back in time. Whatever happens, you must trust me. It’s the only way we can help your father.”

          Nicholas looked confused. “How in the world could we ever do that, Ellie? It doesn’t seem possible.”

          “Many things don’t seem possible—until they happen,” Ellie said. “I’ll tell you about my another gift.

When I was five years old, my grandmother—who I loved very much—was diagnosed with stomach cancer.

          One day my mother came to my room while I was playing with my dolls. ‘Put your best dress on, Ellie’ she said, ‘and be sure to brush your hair. We’re going to the hospital to see Grandma.’

          When we got to the hospital, I didn’t recognize Grandma first. She had lost her hair and was as skinny as a skeleton. Her eyes looked sad and blank. My mother pulled aside her covers and began stroking her boney legs. Grandma sighed with pleasure and gave me a weak smile.

          ‘Ellie,’ my father said, ‘why don’t you stroke Grandma’s legs for her?’

           Grandma looked so awful, I was too scared to touch her—or even talk to her. I ran from her room.

          My parents didn’t scold me. But when we got home, I went to my room and cried because I felt so bad about not comforting Grandma. I don’t how long I sobbed, but I stopped when my mother came to my room.

          ‘Put your best dress on, Ellie’ she said, ‘and be sure to brush your hair. We’re going to the hospital to see Grandma.’

          I felt an incredible thrill come over me.    

          Everything happened as it had happened before, until we got to the hospital. This time I rushed to Grandma’s room and pulled back her covers. I said, ‘Grandma, let me stroke your legs for you.’ She looked at me and smiled. I stroked her legs until she drifted into sleep. I was so glad to see her happy. At the same time, I couldn’t believe that I got to make it up on the same day.

          I said to myself, ‘is this real?’

          Just as I doubted that moment, my body was literally dragged back to home from the hospital by force, like time was rewound. When I opened my eyes, I was back in my room where I was before.

          Somehow I’d traveled back in time and had a chance to change a sad part of my life.”

          Ellie smiled. “I don’t know how I learned to go back in time, Nicholas. But ever since then I’ve secretly practiced that ability. And now I’m taking you back in time with me.”

          “Is that really true?" Nicholas said.

          “I’ll let you be the judge of that,” Ellie said.

           She headed for the door. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

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Ellie came back with a white candle about 5 inches tall and a candleholder from the dining room and set it on Nicholas’s table. She turned the overhead light off but left the bedside lamp on.

          She came back to the table and handed him a lighter. “Not yet.” She held up her hand, palm toward him.

          Nicholas waited for her direction. She glanced at the radio alarm clock on the bedside stand. It was a few seconds before nine o’clock. 

          “Light it!”

          As the wick caught fire, she said, “Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and clear your mind. Focus on our wish: We want to go back to the root of the diamonds. You must trust your power and be strong willed. That’s the only way we can return safely to the present time.”

          She took both his hands in hers and closed her eyes. “Focus your mind,” she said.

          Nicholas closed his eyes and tried to concentrate. The harder he tried, the more tightly he squeezed her hands.

          Images of his father’s suffering, of the Dark Shadow, and of Vix Tower flashed through his mind.

          He fought against them.

          I must go back to the past to find the missing diamonds . . .

          I must go back . . .

          I must . . .

          “I will go back!”

          Nicholas was swept up in a whirlwind, losing all perceptions of time and place. His hands grew damp and he no longer could feel Ellie’s hands—

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“Nicholas,” a familiar voice said.

          Nicholas opened his eyes. “Ellie! I thought I lost you.” He sighed with relief. “Are we in the past?” 

          She looked around at the surroundings; there were a long beach and a jungle behind it. That was all she could see. “I don’t think so.” She furrowed her eyebrows. What am I doing here? I must focus on going back to the time and place where I was supposed to be. 

          From behind them came the trilling of a bird’s song. They turned and saw a large green, yellow, and black bird—some kind of parrot. It was sitting on a tree limb in a jungle that bordered the beach. The limb extended over the beach. Beneath it an eight-foot wooden picnic table was set up on the sand. 

          They exchanged glances, and then hurried over to it.

          “Wow!” Nicholas said.

          The table was loaded with an unusual feast: a large platter of various sorts of biscuits and pastries, two baskets of fresh fruits—some were kinds they’d never seen before—and a crystal bowl of swirled white and pink whipped cream.

          “Is this for us?” Nicholas said.

          Ellie looked up and down the beach. In both directions, as far as the eye could see, it was deserted. “Who else?” she said, and reached for one of a pastry.

          Nicholas took one, too, and they each dipped them into the whipped cream bowl and took a bite.

          “Wow!” Nicholas said again.

          Ellie said nothing. She closed her eyes, and the smile on her face spoke for her.

          When Nicholas finished the pastry, he took a fruit from the basket. It was shaped like a peach, but it was multi-colored. He broke it in half, and it gave off an enticing fragrance. Instead of a pit, it had a soft aqua seed at the center. He popped it into his mouth. Incredible! It was like a candy drop that tasted of peach and condensed milk.

          “I’ve been hungry because I couldn’t eat enough pizza tonight after I saw my dad like that in the hospital.” Nicholas said.

 “Me, too. We’ve been hungry. That’s why we were drawn to this place.”  Ellie said and bit into a yellow pear that turned out to be a sponge cake layered with creamy vanilla frosting and white chocolate syrup. 

          The two looked at each and shook their heads.

          “I wish they served stuff like this in the school cafeteria,” Nicholas said.

          Ellie smiled, “That would be great.” She reached for a silver-and-gold- striped banana and peeled it open, wondering what in the unknown period of time it would taste like.

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When they’d had enough of the curious and delicious taste sensations, Ellie said, “We should get going.”

          Nicholas looked up and down the beach. “Which way?”

          Ellie pointed toward the jungle.

          “Why that way?” Nicholas said.

          “I don’t know, exactly,” Ellie said. “I just have a feeling—and it’s strong enough so that I think we should follow it.”

          The jungle seemed too thick to get through, and they walked along the edge of it until Ellie came to a halt. “Wait,” she said.

          A moment later the jungle leaves rustled softly and a narrow opening appeared in it. It was a clear trail, about 75 feet long. On the other side of it, a huge stone wall stood. A tall iron gate in it was open wide. They looked at each other and nodded, and then proceeded into the opening.

          As they were moving toward the gate, it began to close.

          Ellie grabbed Nicholas’s arm. “Run!” she said. “We’ve got to get through it!”

          They dashed toward it. But the faster they ran, the faster it closed, finally slamming shut when they were just a few feet from it.

          Frustrated, they pounded on it with their fists.

          “What should we do now, Ellie?” Nicholas said.

          Ellie thought for a second, and made up her mind. “We back up and then we run right at it,” she said calmly.

          “What?” Nicholas looked at her in confusion.

          “Come on,” she had already started backing up. “We don’t know when it will open again.”

          He followed her back about twenty feet, and they both turned to face the gate.

          “Trust me; we’ll be okay,” she said confidently. “Are you ready?”

          “As ready as I’ll ever be,” he said.

           “Then let’s go!”

          They charged straight toward the gate.