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2390568
|
Money is power and you ought to be reasonably ambitious to have it.
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|
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Rysa Walker |
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2e7bfbf
|
If your faith is so shaky that it can be undermined by books that challenge it, then something is rotten at the core. And
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Rysa Walker |
|
7080f85
|
There's no shower, no paper towels. Just the sink, cold water, and hand soap. Carrie He has a point. There's blood on my arms and neck, even in my hair. Nothing to do but start scrubbing, hopefully before someone walks in with sleepy kids in need of a bathroom break. I'd probably give them nightmares for a week.
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the-delphi-effect
|
Rysa Walker |
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33d5691
|
Why? Because your grandfather gets hunches and you have some sort of psychic abilities, do you automatically believe everything? Someone walks in your door saying she can torch the place using her mind, do you accept it as fact? Demons, vampires, werewolves? Sounds like a good idea for a TV show. Your partner is named Sam--are you sure your name isn't Dean?
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the-delphi-effect
|
Rysa Walker |
|
0994698
|
Maybe it's just the fact that this has been one bitch of a day. Either way, his question annoys me. I kind of want to reach across the coffee table and smack him.
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the-delphi-effect
|
Rysa Walker |
|
7c6e9db
|
Okay," I tell Aaron, once I've hung up. "Just so you know, Deo will call Dr. Kelsey, the police, the FBI, the entire Avengers team, and anyone else he can think of if I don't check back in half an hour." Aaron rolls his eyes. "You have a very possessive boyfriend." I start to correct him, but maybe having Aaron think Deo's my overprotective boyfriend is a good thing. I could say he's at the gym, lifting weights."
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the-delphi-effect
|
Rysa Walker |
|
1a4906e
|
Someone dropped her off in a shopping mall food court just before her third birthday. Pinned to her dress was a note with the name Anna, a date of birth, and the words, .
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the-delphi-effect
|
Rysa Walker |
|
92b1e64
|
He recorded me once, so I know exactly how I look when I'm engaged in one of these internal dialogues--and that makes me determined to avoid them in public. My eyes go blank, unfocused, like no one's home--which is ironic if you think about it, since the problem isn't that nobody's there, but rather that we've exceeded the maximum occupancy of one.
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the-delphi-effect
|
Rysa Walker |
|
cd1ed82
|
And then the light turns into a snake, and I turn into a snake, although I'm pretty sure those last two are due more to my choice of bedtime reading than to Molly's memories.
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the-delphi-effect
|
Rysa Walker |
|
e01bbcf
|
But I'm still too wound up to sleep. So I browse through the audiobooks on the intranet, hoping I'll find the one I'm looking for. It's there. . I skip to Chapter Twenty-One and forward to a section near the end. Hermione is accusing Ron of having the "emotional range of a teaspoon." I wonder if Aaron is in the car now, listening to the same thing. And then I shove thought into the folder with the others."
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the-delphi-effect
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Rysa Walker |
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9724bb2
|
Shut up!" Dacia digs her nails into my skin. "You do not do the talking. I do not need you to tell me about your other phantom . . ." She waves her hands, like she can't find the word. "The dead-in-your-head people."
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the-delphi-effect
|
Rysa Walker |
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e46d50b
|
I'd pegged you as cute-but-boring. But it looks like Kate's little pet has claws.
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Rysa Walker |
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0e9fd09
|
I smiled up at him with a hopeful look. "You could just unlace it now?"
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Rysa Walker |
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3112b7c
|
After a few miles, I push play and the audiobook starts. It might be nice to ride through the night, believing in magic for a while, magic of either the Hogwarts variety or the Muggle sort that will keep Daniel alive. But Aaron and Taylor must have been in the car a lot over the last few days, because they're way past the point where we left off. And I'd forgotten how dark this one is at the end. They're past the Ministry of Magic and back ..
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the-delphi-effect
|
Rysa Walker |
|
632489e
|
I miss, but I do hit the board, and all eight cans tumble to the ground as a result. "I win," I tell him. "The goal was to knock down the cans, right? I knocked down all eight with one bullet. Can't beat that." "I'm afraid that's not how it works, love."
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time-s-edge
|
Rysa Walker |
|
6b61590
|
Abel was arrested. So was the guy with me. Help me get Delia out of the trunk." His expression borders on horror. "Well, you knew you'd have to let her out eventually when you put her in there, didn't you?"
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time-s-edge
|
Rysa Walker |
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0b9227f
|
I wondered how much Kiernan knew about the CHRONOS key from his time on the Cyrist farm, and what his reaction would be if I told him he was eating something purchased by his great-grandson.
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timebound
|
Rysa Walker |
|
1ebfbb6
|
Before you start what?" He shakes his head. "Not telling. You have to come and see." There's a mischievous light in his eyes, and in that moment he looks so very much like his eight-year-old self, waiting for my decision to hire him as a guide at the Expo. Who could say no to those big, dark puppy-dog eyes? I laugh. "Okay, okay. You win." And even though I don't want to give him false hope, I can tell from his smile that I have."
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the-chronos-files
time-s-edge
|
Rysa Walker |
|
898e066
|
She doesn't say anything for a few seconds. "Are you sure, Kate? A year is a long time, especially at your age." "True. It would be a shame for you to miss my first step." She rolls her eyes. "You know what I mean."
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the-chronos-files
time-s-edge
|
Rysa Walker |
|
af582e8
|
We both look up as Katherine, Connor, and Dad enter the kitchen. Kiernan tries to be polite and stand, but I'm on the outside of the bench, and the table has him wedged in, so the most he can manage is a half crouch, which looks terribly uncomfortable. I grab the back of his shirt and tug him back down to the bench. "Dad, Connor, this is Kiernan. Katherine, you've already met." "He's changed quite a bit in the past thirteen years, however..
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the-chronos-files
time-s-edge
|
Rysa Walker |
|
0f47951
|
Connor follows Dad's lead and steps forward to take Kiernan's hand. "I'm Connor Dunne. And you can call me Mr. Dunne." There's a slight twinkle in Connor's eye, so I think he's joking. But whether he meant it that way or not, Kiernan laughs. "The hell I will, sonny boy. You need to show your elders the proper respect, or I'll take you behind the barn and give you a good strapping." Connor snorts. "No barn, and I'd love to see you try."
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the-chronos-files
time-s-edge
|
Rysa Walker |
|
3539857
|
I fake an annoyed look at his interruption. "As I was saying, your ego doesn't need to be inflated." But as I say the words, I realize that I don't think they're true. Every now and then I catch him watching me at an unguarded moment, and his eyes are so vulnerable I almost feel like I'm looking at his eight-year-old self. He clearly enjoys the banter back and forth, however, and we seem to drop into that routine naturally."
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|
the-chronos-files
time-s-edge
|
Rysa Walker |
|
65a426e
|
And I'm just thinking he doesn't have the right to guilt-trip me about this when he says, "I'm not out to make you feel bad. You were upset, and it's only natural you'd seek out comfort. It's just . . ." "You needed comfort, too." "Yeah. I'm not asking you to hold my hand and tuck me into bed at night, not that I'll argue if you find yourself so inclined. But we're partners until this is over, and I'd like to think that you at least consid..
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|
the-chronos-files
time-s-edge
|
Rysa Walker |
|
37bbba9
|
Kiernan doesn't answer. He just turns toward the door and walks out, limping. He bangs both the cabin door and the porch door on his way out. Pretty sad for someone who seems to think he's being the adult here.
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the-chronos-files
time-s-edge
|
Rysa Walker |
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c022b28
|
Not bad," he said. "Chewy and sweet, too. They sell these in New York?" I nodded, washing it down with lemonade. That wasn't where Connor had bought it, but I was pretty sure they sold them in New York and pretty much anywhere else in the country, although definitely not in 1893. I wondered how much Kiernan knew about the CHRONOS key from his time on the Cyrist farm, and what his reaction would be if I told him he was eating something purc..
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the-chronos-files
timebound
|
Rysa Walker |
|
e2a4952
|
The mistakes of one generation build upon the mistakes of the next and you get a society that no one really wanted.
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|
the-chronos-files
timebound
|
Rysa Walker |
|
0ec8b8b
|
Kiernan. I had a sudden memory of the small, scuffed-up shoe I'd seen just before I fell. He must have snatched the bracelet when the crowd gathered around me. If I managed to get out, I resolved to give him every last penny I had and cover his little face with kisses.
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the-chronos-files
timebound
|
Rysa Walker |
|
3cd780b
|
I nearly miss it, given Tate's need for speed, but as we zip by the guy in the alley, I catch a brief glimpse of his face. It's Kiernan. How did he get out before we did when he was behind us? A few seconds after we pass, Kiernan darts out of the alley, but he can't keep up. Usain Bolt couldn't keep up with Tate.
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|
the-chronos-files
time-s-divide
|
Rysa Walker |
|
cf336f2
|
Do you still have the tux you wore as Boudini?" "It's in the loft at the cabin. Why?" "You'll need it in order to pose as a server. Unless you'd rather be a male companion?" "No thanks." An evil little part of me is dying to say he has more experience as a companion, given his time with Prudence, but I bat it down."
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the-chronos-files
time-s-divide
|
Rysa Walker |
|
a61555a
|
Miss Kate!" Kiernan exclaimed, pointing. "What happened to your toes?" "What?" I glanced down, half expecting to see a leech or a cut or some other trauma, but there was nothing odd. "What are you talking about?" "Your toenails. They're all --it looks like blood!" "Oh," I laughed. "That's just nail polish. It's chipped off in a few places." "It looks like paint." Kiernan sniffed disapprovingly. I sighed. This was one of the anachronis..
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|
the-chronos-files
timebound
|
Rysa Walker |
|
c7d83a4
|
And with that, he began walking at a rapid clip toward the Sixtieth Street station. Several members of the crowd I'd just pushed my way through came over to help me up, and one rather gallant gentleman, who was eighty if he was a day, tottered a few steps after Simon, shouting and shaking a fist in the air.
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|
the-chronos-files
timebound
|
Rysa Walker |
|
9acc815
|
Kiernan hoists one of the bags and slips the strap over my shoulder. I grab the other one, and soon I'm loaded like a pack mule, lugging two bulky military duffels in addition to my backpack. Trey leans down to give me a goodbye kiss, but his lips are quivering with barely suppressed laughter. "What?" "You should see yourself. The toga, the sandals, and now this. You look like a short Greek Rambo." "Athena, Goddess of Modern War," Kierna..
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|
the-chronos-files
time-s-divide
|
Rysa Walker |
|
2efdada
|
Kiernan spins around nervously, eyes flicking between the door we just entered and one at the other end of the room. "You forgot to mention the guards. , Pru!" "Why? You've got a gun. And Evie says your friend there is a baby ninja."
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the-chronos-files
time-s-divide
|
Rysa Walker |
|
100dfd1
|
Mom says I should erase it. That this present is our reality and everything on this little drive is fiction. She may be right. But there's plenty of truth in fiction.
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|
the-chronos-files
time-s-divide
|
Rysa Walker |
|
8d84663
|
I'm not sure why he's flustered until I realize there are now five of us and the table is set for four. Pru waves her hand dismissively. "Don't bother. The dark-haired one is just my bodyguard. He can stand." Kiernan seems entirely unfazed by the comment, but her tone pisses me off."
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the-chronos-files
time-s-divide
|
Rysa Walker |
|
01df34c
|
And don't get all pissy if they laugh at you." "Why should I take it personally? I didn't pick this costume, so they'll be laughing at you, not me." A faint ghost of his old grin surfaces, but disappears almost immediately."
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the-chronos-files
time-s-divide
|
Rysa Walker |
|
7b76258
|
The manager rolls his eyes. "Sorry, miss, already picked my dozen--" "So make it a baker's dozen," someone yells from the back. "Bet she can't hit the bloody nail anyway. Give us somethin' to laugh at." That voice is clearly Kiernan's, and most of the men chuckle. - Kiernan comes back about ten minutes later and takes his seat. "Good work." I snort. "Don't give me that. I heard you back there." "Just seeding the crowd. A time-honored pra..
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|
the-chronos-files
time-s-divide
|
Rysa Walker |
|
356ae52
|
I toss the formal dress from 1905 onto the chair next to him. He glances up, removing the headphones. "Did you decide to do a bit of shopping in London?" I give him a wry smile. "Does this look like something I'd buy? Your great-grandfather picked it out."
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|
the-chronos-files
time-s-divide
|
Rysa Walker |
|
2030c45
|
Kiernan, the less you know, the better. You're always telling me to just trust you and do what you're asking, and I do--" He snorts. "When it suits you." "Okay, but I do when it seems important. And this is really, really important."
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|
the-chronos-files
time-s-divide
|
Rysa Walker |
|
4b5b542
|
I'm not following any of this, you know. Beecher who?" "Henry Ward Beecher." Another slug from the bottle. "He's a preacher. Hey, that rhymes." Well, that answers any questions about whether the alcohol is working."
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|
the-chronos-files
time-s-divide
|
Rysa Walker |
|
59159fe
|
Victoria Woodhull and her sister were the 1870s equivalent of the Kardashian sisters.
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|
the-chronos-files
time-s-divide
|
Rysa Walker |
|
1536cc9
|
And then I had to jump back and get my gun. I thought it was in your room." I glare at him. " gun was in my room. Yours wasn't, because this afternoon." "Because I couldn't find it in your--"
|
|
the-chronos-files
time-s-edge
|
Rysa Walker |
|
31a16d4
|
A few seconds later, I heard Katherine's voice from below. "Kate, you have a gentleman caller." I rolled my eyes. "How is it that a grandmother from the twenty-fourth century sounds like she's from a Charles Dickens novel?" Connor shrugged. "Maybe both eras seem like ancient history to her. Could you tell me the difference between what they called a boyfriend in 1620 and in 1820?" This time I gave in to the temptation to stick out my ton..
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|
the-chronos-files
timebound
|
Rysa Walker |
|
0de8190
|
He shrugged. "Yeah, but me dad said th' only way to learn is t' ask questions. An' it's hard to do that with buttoned-up lips. Anyway, I c'n tell that one you're followin' is a bad bloke. He has those eyes. He always give me the evil look when he comes up that hill, kinda like you did this mornin', but I could tell you was jus' scared. Not mean." "I was scared," I said. "'Course you were," he replied matter-of-factly. "You're new here a..
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|
the-chronos-files
timebound
|
Rysa Walker |