D. MacHale - Raven Rise

Mark was in a daze, still watching Ms. Jane Jansen. He had to snap himself back to reality.

“Uh, yeah, sure. Thanks.” He took the money and stuffed it into his wallet. Mark wanted to get out of there and get back home. He needed to talk to the others.

“Don’t mind her,” the girl whispered. “She’s old school.”

Mark took a chance and asked, “Why was she so ticked that I asked her about the star?”

The girl shrugged. “Who knows? Some people don’t like to talk about it.”

“About what? Tattoos?”

The girl gave Mark a strange stare, as if he had just asked the most ridiculous question in the world.

“You’re kidding, right?” the girl asked. “I thought you were traveling, not living under a rock.” The girl pulled up her sleeve to reveal that she, too, had the star tattoo on her arm.

Mark gasped. He couldn’t help himself. The room was suddenly getting hot. He backed away, headed for the door.

“What about your receipt?” the girl called.

Mark didn’t answer. He was too busy running away.

(CONTINUED)

“Maybe it’s a Dr. Seuss thing,” Courtney said.”Remember The Sneetches? All the cool birds had ‘stars upon thars’ and wouldn’t hang out with the regular-old Sneetches on the beaches.”

Mark gave her a sour look.

“I was kidding,” Courtney added.

She took a big bite from a carrot. Mark had stopped on the way home to pick up groceries and of course bought carrots. The two sat in the kitchen of Mark’s home, eating and speculating. On the table in front of them was the mysterious book cover.

“Patrick’s been sitting in the living room staring at the TV,” Courtney commented. “He’s like a couch potato from the future. All he needs are chips and dip, and he’ll be set for weeks.”

“Can you blame him?” Mark asked. “The guy’s an academic. This is like the best research project possible. He’s living his own history.”

“Or maybe he’s just too scared to get his butt off the couch,” Courtney quipped, taking another bite of carrot. “I can’t blame him for that, either.”

“It’s weird,” Mark said thoughtfully. “The bank lady didn’t want to talk about the star, and the girl made it seem like it was something everybody knows about.”

“You don’t think it’s just some innocent thing?” Courtney asked. “Like a peace symbol or a yin yang?”

“It’s the symbol that marks the gates, Courtney,” Mark snapped.

“Yeah, but it’s just a star,” Courtney shot back. “It could be coincidence. I mean, stars exist in other places besides the gates.”

“Sure,” Mark said patiently. “Like on this book cover from Third Earth. And hanging over the fireplace in the Sherwood house on top of the flume. And suddenly on the arms of old ladies and young girls and thugs from the future who are willing to torch a library to destroy it and-“

“All right, I get it,” Courtney said, holding up her hands in surrender.

Mark raised the book cover to the light, staring at it for the thousandth time, as if the simple word and symbols would suddenly reveal secrets they hadn’t before. “Ravinia,” he said thoughtfully.

Courtney added, “That sounds kinda like Dr. Seuss too.”

“Stop!”

Courtney huffed and tossed the rest of her carrot into the sink. “I want to go back to my house and get some clothes. Your mom’s stuff is a little too, oh, I don’t know… wrong.” She stood up to show Mark she was wearing a pair of jeans that were two inches above her ankles and a sweater that was so tight it made her look as if she were wearing doll’s clothes. “If Bobby can wear his own boxers, I say I can wear my own things too.”

Mark looked her over and laughed.

“That doesn’t help,” Courtney snarled.

Patrick started yelling from the other room. “Hey! Hey! Come here! Hurry!”

Mark and Courtney bolted from the table and sprinted into the living room. Patrick had sprung to his feet and was standing in front of the couch, staring at the television screen.

“What?” Courtney yelled.

“Look!” he shouted, pointing to the TV.

It was a huge, flat-screen monitor that the Dimonds did not have when Mark left Second Earth. On screen was a montage of happy, wide-eyed faces, all looking up at something while raising their hands. There were all kinds of people, all ages and races. Stirring music played. It seemed to Mark like some kind of inspirational film. The image became wider to reveal there were many people. Thousands. All looking up at the same thing.

“What is it?” Courtney asked, confused.

“Keep watching,” Patrick ordered.

A smooth but authoritative man’s voice cut through the music, saying, “It is yours. It is ours. It is everything.”

More faces were seen. Multiple images, fading in and out, superimposed over one another. All seemed to be in awe of something. Close-ups were superimposed over wider shots of hundreds of people.

“Touch it,” the voice offered. “Feel it. Become part of it.”

“This is kind of creepy,” Courtney grumbled.

“Shhh!” Mark implored.

The joyous faces were replaced by a close-up image of an old man. He looked to be in his seventies, with salt-and-pepper hair that was perfectly combed. The guy looked like a kind grandpa with strong eyes. He wasn’t a doddering old man. He was sharp. He held a small, warm smile as he gazed out onto the sea of faces. It was the old man that all these people were looking at and holding up their hands to. The images became even wider to reveal that he was wearing a simple white robe and standing on a circular stage above the huge crowd of people. His arms were spread, as if he wanted to hug them all in his loving embrace.

“Yeah so?” Courtney said impatiently. “Looks like some kind of televangelist.”

“Wait,” Patrick cautioned.

The voice then said, “The Convergence is upon us.”

“What?” Courtney shouted. “Shhh!” Patrick chastised.

The voice continued, “March twelfth. Madison Square Garden. Touch the future and the past.”

The old man stood on the stage in the center of a sea of arms and adoring faces. It looked like a sports arena. People on every level were reaching their arms out as if to touch him, but were too far away to make actual contact. The music reached a crescendo as a huge image appeared above the man for all to see.

Courtney gasped.

“Oh man,” Mark whispered.

It was the star. The star from the gate. It exploded with light. The crowd cheered. Some seemed overcome with the image and fainted dead away. The eyes of the others sparkled with the light that glowed from the giant star. The image was replaced by a glowing, animated version of the star that filled the TV screen against a background of black. The music rang out and the voice said with passion, “Ravinia. Yesterday, today, and forever.” The star faded out. The screen went black. A second later regular programming continued. A rerun of Seinfeld. Courtney, Mark, and Patrick stared at the screen, stunned.

It was Mark who was able to speak first. “Did he say the Convergence was upon us?”

“Yeah,” Courtney confirmed. “And Ravinia.”

“Who is he?” Patrick demanded.

Mark and Courtney shook their heads and shrugged. Neither had ever seen him before.

“What is a Madison Square Garden?” Patrick asked.

“Big indoor stadium in New York City,” Courtney answered. “That was like a commercial to promote an event there.”

“It was like a commercial to promote the Convergence!” Mark corrected. “Could that have been Saint Dane?”

Patrick nodded thoughtfully. “March twelfth. That’s today.”