When All is Null and Void

Chapter Twenty-Eight

"Who was with you?" Rhea asked.

"When?" Caleb asked.

"In the Void."

She had to have seen that for herself. Why was she asking? "Danielle," he responded, when Rhea's probing eyes told him not to lie.

"And who is Danielle?" Rhea crossed her arms now, taking a step backward from Caleb. She didn't seem angry.

"She's just a girl I met."

"And who is Danielle?" Rhea crossed her arms now, taking a step backward from Caleb. She didn't seem angry.

"She's just a girl I met," Caleb replied.

Rhea sniffed. "Ringlock is an unfortunate prognosis for a Timewalker," she said moments later. "As I'm sure Alexander explained, it is not easily reversed. Despite the years of the ring's existence, Ringlock is still a mystery. It's rare, and the only known remedy is time itself. You'll have to wait for the ring to release its hold."

Caleb said nothing. She hadn't asked a question of him, and his bring still remained foggy from the imposed sleep, even as adrenaline pushed him to run, to jump, to dosomething.

She asked one more question: "How did Danielle get into the Void with you?"

"I don't know," Caleb replied. "Didn't you see?"

She tsked. "Whatever lurks in the Void wants Danielle. It wasn't youthat caused the Hop. She did. I want to know why."

Caleb remembered the beast had been in the very first experience with the Void. "No one gets stuck in the Void," he said, unsure why. Though Alexander didn't believe it, Caleb wanted to. The thought was too disturbing. To be locked away in darkness? He shivered.

"We lie to hide the truth from people. That is a lie told to keep the truth hidden." Rhea rubbed her hands together. "It's a bit chilly in here," she said, as if she hadn't been the one to cause icy fear to bloom in Caleb's chest.

He had questions, but for some reason he couldn't ask them.

"Entering the Void is impossible, except for when a guide is available." She crossed her arms, and stood with her legs shoulder width apart. "It seems—and your memory corroborates this—that Danielle is somehow a guide to the Void. Your ring saved you both, but I don't know how."

Caleb didn't say anything. He didn't know what to say.

When Rhea squatted, she was face-to-face with Caleb. "I want you to get to know this girl. Befriend her, love her, whatever. Know her and eventually you'll reveal your abilities. I want to know the extent of her connection to the Void. Bring her to me, and we can help her."

The last sentence set a stone in Caleb's gut. "How can she help?" he finally said.

"That is unimportant."

"Can't you just get her yourself?" Caleb asked. That seemed the logical thing to do. Especially if she was connected to the Void.

"There are plenty of reasons why you are better suited for this, reasons I am not required to tell you." Rhea's voice was soft. "The Void leaks are getting worse every day, but when you control time, you don't feel so rushed.

Caleb stared at Rhea. What did that even mean?

"You were the one to meet her. You'll be the one to investigate her further. I don't need to be."

"But we erased her memory," Caleb said. "She gave me her number, but she won't be able to remember some random kid she met at a party she doesn't remember being at."

Rhea shrugged. "If she was so inclined to give you her phone number after a few minutes of talking, I'm sure she would be inclined to get to know you. No matter how you got her phone number."

Caleb's heart continued to pound. He wasn't sure if it was the adrenaline coursing through his veins, or what Rhea was asking him to do. His stomach swooped.

"Do we have a deal, Caleb?" She extended her hand.

"Yes." It felt wrong, duplicitous and conniving, but Caleb shook Rhea's hand.

"You're free to go," she said.

"But what about the pain?"

"It'll wear out within the week. You can still Hop, but try to keep it to a minimum. When you take Danielle to the places of her wildest dreams, don't go too wild." She tapped her wrist Holo, and a moment later Peggy entered the room to escort Caleb out. Peggy said nothing, and she kept a few paces ahead of Caleb. She led him to Alexander, who was feeding bits of bread to sparrows in the rose garden.

"What happened?" Alexander stood up and looked Caleb over, as if appraising whether he'd been tortured or not.

"Let's talk about it later," Caleb muttered. Except, he wasn't sure if he should. Alexander might outright refuse.

Together they Hopped back home.