right now. I have to find him.’
‘Olivia,’ Evie sighed, ‘you’ll find him, when he wants to be found.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Theo has his own issues he’s working through right now.’
‘So what are you saying? That I shouldn’t look for him?’
‘No, I’m saying it may be harder than you think to find him and while you are looking make the most of the advantages that come your way.’
‘I don’t understand.’
‘Olivia, you must’ve noticed by now that the sun hasn’t set.’
‘I did actually,’ she frowned.
‘Time has no meaning here,’ she tried to explain, ‘time is passing at a different rate in the real world, just as it passes differently in every realm and dimension. While you are here, time has slowed to an almost infinitesimal rate. When you return to the real world, things are going to happen very fast. You need to be ready, so while you’re here take the time to learn what you can.’
After a moment she nodded and Evie relaxed.
‘I have to go now,’ she told her, ‘but there is one more thing.’
‘What’s that?’
Evie pointed over the road to Jackson’s pub The Salted Bone.
‘There’s someone over there who needs you.’
‘Theo?’ Olivia breathed hopefully.
‘No, someone else you will recognize but might not exactly be the man you know,’ she replied cryptically.
‘What?’
‘Just go and take a look,’ she nudged her off the bench.
‘Will I see you again?’ Olivia asked quietly.
‘Oh I expect we’ll run into each other, sooner or later. What is it my friend Fiona is so fond of saying? The dead never stay dead.’
Olivia smiled and turned towards the pub.
‘Oh and by the way,’ Evie called out causing Olivia to turn back, ‘cut Mags some slack. She was only doing what I asked her to and it hurts me when she hurts.’
Olivia nodded and headed towards the pub. Her thoughts drifting back to Mags, she’d been pretty hard on her too. It hadn’t helped that she had found out the truth about her friend’s relationship with her late Aunt and that she had kept her silence for years, allowing her to believe that her Aunt hadn’t loved her or wanted her. A fresh wave of guilt left a sour taste in her mouth as she pushed the door to the pub open and stepped into the darkened room. Maybe she should make peace with Mags when she got back, if she got back.
She made her way through to the bar area, easily navigating the tables and chairs in the dim light. She could see a figure with dark hair sitting at the bar with his back to her, an open bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue on the counter next to him as he raised a glass to his lips. She stepped closer and caught his reflection in the mirror behind the bar.
‘Sam?’ she gasped loud enough for his back to stiffen and for him to turn slowly on his stool to face her.
‘Sam?’ she breathed in relief as she moved closer to him, ‘I’m so glad to see you, how the hell did you find me?’
It took a moment to realize something was wrong. Sam didn’t look as if he was pleased to see her, in fact he was looking at her very strangely and as she stepped closer to stand directly in front of him she got a bit of a jolt. He didn’t look right, in fact he looked younger, much younger. The man she knew was about the same age as her, if not slightly older, but this Sam looked barely more than seventeen.
‘Sam?’ she asked uncertainly.
‘How do you know my name?’ he asked accusingly, ‘and who the hell are you?’
Olivia’s heart plummeted. Great she thought, that’s just great, the one person in the world who could’ve helped her find Theo and find a way back to the real world and he didn’t have a clue who she was.
Chapter 5.
‘Who the hell are you?’ Sam asked angrily. ‘Did my father send you?’
‘I have no idea who your father is,’ she replied carefully.
‘How do you know who I am then?’
Suddenly his eyes lost some of the anger and he focused on her more closely, as if he
‘Olivia,’ Evie sighed, ‘you’ll find him, when he wants to be found.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Theo has his own issues he’s working through right now.’
‘So what are you saying? That I shouldn’t look for him?’
‘No, I’m saying it may be harder than you think to find him and while you are looking make the most of the advantages that come your way.’
‘I don’t understand.’
‘Olivia, you must’ve noticed by now that the sun hasn’t set.’
‘I did actually,’ she frowned.
‘Time has no meaning here,’ she tried to explain, ‘time is passing at a different rate in the real world, just as it passes differently in every realm and dimension. While you are here, time has slowed to an almost infinitesimal rate. When you return to the real world, things are going to happen very fast. You need to be ready, so while you’re here take the time to learn what you can.’
After a moment she nodded and Evie relaxed.
‘I have to go now,’ she told her, ‘but there is one more thing.’
‘What’s that?’
Evie pointed over the road to Jackson’s pub The Salted Bone.
‘There’s someone over there who needs you.’
‘Theo?’ Olivia breathed hopefully.
‘No, someone else you will recognize but might not exactly be the man you know,’ she replied cryptically.
‘What?’
‘Just go and take a look,’ she nudged her off the bench.
‘Will I see you again?’ Olivia asked quietly.
‘Oh I expect we’ll run into each other, sooner or later. What is it my friend Fiona is so fond of saying? The dead never stay dead.’
Olivia smiled and turned towards the pub.
‘Oh and by the way,’ Evie called out causing Olivia to turn back, ‘cut Mags some slack. She was only doing what I asked her to and it hurts me when she hurts.’
Olivia nodded and headed towards the pub. Her thoughts drifting back to Mags, she’d been pretty hard on her too. It hadn’t helped that she had found out the truth about her friend’s relationship with her late Aunt and that she had kept her silence for years, allowing her to believe that her Aunt hadn’t loved her or wanted her. A fresh wave of guilt left a sour taste in her mouth as she pushed the door to the pub open and stepped into the darkened room. Maybe she should make peace with Mags when she got back, if she got back.
She made her way through to the bar area, easily navigating the tables and chairs in the dim light. She could see a figure with dark hair sitting at the bar with his back to her, an open bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue on the counter next to him as he raised a glass to his lips. She stepped closer and caught his reflection in the mirror behind the bar.
‘Sam?’ she gasped loud enough for his back to stiffen and for him to turn slowly on his stool to face her.
‘Sam?’ she breathed in relief as she moved closer to him, ‘I’m so glad to see you, how the hell did you find me?’
It took a moment to realize something was wrong. Sam didn’t look as if he was pleased to see her, in fact he was looking at her very strangely and as she stepped closer to stand directly in front of him she got a bit of a jolt. He didn’t look right, in fact he looked younger, much younger. The man she knew was about the same age as her, if not slightly older, but this Sam looked barely more than seventeen.
‘Sam?’ she asked uncertainly.
‘How do you know my name?’ he asked accusingly, ‘and who the hell are you?’
Olivia’s heart plummeted. Great she thought, that’s just great, the one person in the world who could’ve helped her find Theo and find a way back to the real world and he didn’t have a clue who she was.
Chapter 5.
‘Who the hell are you?’ Sam asked angrily. ‘Did my father send you?’
‘I have no idea who your father is,’ she replied carefully.
‘How do you know who I am then?’
Suddenly his eyes lost some of the anger and he focused on her more closely, as if he
Similar Books
