R.E.solve (Rain Experience Book 2) Read online

  “Rain! Are you okay?” Ami asks.

  “I’m fine. Why?”

  “You’ve been out here for a long time. Enough to miss two meals.” Agatha replies with worry.

  “When you had stopped at the axe we feared you were stuck. We decided to come out and get you!” Ami’s gentle arms wrap around me.

  “Hey!” Eve tries to wrench Ami from me, but she’s pushed off.

  “That would explain everything I saw. I must have slowed down. But I’m unharmed; let’s head back before we lose any more time,” I suggest.

  We return to the house in what feels like just a few minutes of walking. Because they say I appeared stuck in time for a prolonged period, I wonder how much time actually passed just moving back.

  Agatha pulls the kitchen door open and a sweet smell of baked bread hits my nose. Hungry, my stomach gurgles. I grab some butter from the refrigerator.

  “This was warm when we left,” Agatha makes a statement while cutting into it and handing me a slice. “I had just pulled it out.”

  “My stomach doesn’t discriminate.” I smile at her and spread butter all over it.

  “We better not be stuck here.” Eve grumbles under her breath, but her mood lightens when our eyes meet. “I suppose if it’s with Rain at least I have someone to cuddle up to at night.”

  “Not on your life,” Ami protests. She glares while spreading peanut butter on a slice of bread.

  Peanut butter seems like a good idea. I grab a second slice and create a peanut butter and butter half-sandwich. I sit at the table, devouring it as if I’d been starved for days. The three women sit at the table as well and silence ensues for a few moments. My brain is filled with questions, but I anticipate I won’t receive any answers.

  Time is a strange thing. Despite appearing linear normally, it certainly isn’t here. Or rather, it’s possible to be in a linear time separate from another, out of sync with one another.

  “If we stayed out there, could we just get to the end of this month faster?” I think out loud.

  “Seems plausible,” Ami answers.

  “Since this was Evalyn’s doing with her power there’s no telling if the curse is still in effect,” Agatha replies. “It could have been cancelled when we landed.”

  I nod and let a grumble escape my throat, but it doesn’t keep me from thinking. Another thought comes to mind and I share it too out loud.

  “I wonder, if we could venture out farther, perhaps see if we can find where the other horse went. It’s likely stuck in time out there.”

  Ami shakes her head at me. “It isn’t a good idea. What if you can’t make it back before the house shifts? You’d be pulled and likely injured.”

  “She’s right Rain,” Eve chimes in. “It would be dumb to go out there not knowing what will happen.”

  “Because of the phenomenon, there’s really no telling what would happen if you were out there past the shift,” Agatha adds.

  “With rope we could eliminate that to some extent,” I offer up to appease their sense of security. “If it was becoming close to time, assuming there is any way to actually tell time here, I could be pulled back.

  “I still don’t think it’s a good idea,” Ami says.

  I lean back and sigh, closing my eyes to focus my thoughts.

  I’m sure there are things I could do to bide my time. I do have to rebuild the stable anyway. If the other horse doesn’t come back it will be pulled back and killed on impact, so I will only need one stall this time.

  Standing up, I retrieve more bread and a glass of water. After eating and drinking both quickly, I turn back to them and nod in defeat.

  “Okay. I’m just going out to start rebuilding the stable Eve wrecked with her stubborn attempt to stay in the past,” I jab knowing it will rile her up.

  “Hey!” she protests.

  “Do you need a hand?” Ami stands up and walks toward me.

  “Sure,” I reply.

  “Not without me!” Eve thrusts herself up and places her palms on the table.

  Back outside, I coordinate taking down the broken pieces of wood with Ami and Eve. Despite the force of the impact, Eve came out with minor abrasions, but the stable needs complete reconstruction. The four corner posts are the only things still fully intact. Using the claw of a hammer I strip the frame down to just the bare essentials, allowing us to begin repairs. Separating out the broken pieces from the salvageable ones gives me a better idea of what could be used to reconstruct. It isn’t enough. As I make my assessment, the frame with its supports and crossbeams can be rebuilt, but there won’t be a roof or walls. I remove the nails from the wood too bent to reuse and begin putting the pieces back together while Ami and Eve hold things in place for me.

  After what feels like several hours of steady work on the stable, we’ve completed as much of it as we can, the rest of the wood little more than scrap. Feelings of disappointment intrude on the accomplishment, knowing I won’t be able to finish it and now I have nothing else to bide my time. Ami smiles at me, lessening the blow, before heading to the garden. Eve hangs around, leaning against the house and when I go to walk away she grabs at my hand.

  “Since we have little to do and nowhere to go, I have an idea for a way we could kill some time.” She winks and pulls me in.

  “Me too.” I lean in close, pressing my shoulder into hers and craning my head around her neck to whisper. “More work.”

  Eve scowls, disappointed. I pull away and walk off toward the garden to see if I can assist Agatha with harvesting produce. She already has several baskets filled up. Saving her the strain, I bring the heavier ones inside.

  Fruits and vegetables will take us only so far. With no direct sunlight, as far as we know, the plants will likely stop producing. The stores under the house should last us the month. If we run out and the house doesn’t shift through time, we will find ourselves dead soon after they’re exhausted.

  I set the baskets on the counter and head back out for more. On my way out I bump into Ami who is also carrying baskets. Holding out my hands I offer to take them.

  “It will be easier if you bring them to me,” I suggest.

  She willingly hands them over. Turning it into something of a game, we move back and forth and each time we do we seem to increase in speed. Because she has to move farther away from the house to pick up the baskets, I reach the door before her.

  While she’s on her way back with another load I joke, “You’re so slow. Hurry up!” I grin.

  She sticks her tongue out and hands the baskets to me, but before I can turn back into the house she has already run back to grab the last. Running into the house I toss them down and return to the door just as she arrives. I reach for them but she plays coy and pushes me out of the way. Agatha follows Ami in, looking at me and smiling.

  Her sunny attitude during a crisis is amazing, though I suppose we have to keep our spirits up and not let worry take over.

  Taking the food to the basement storeroom, we sort it and check the current supply across the shelves for any which may be going bad. The moisture in the room is low, assisting in keeping the food as fresh as possible. We find a little produce which has gone bad. It seems like a waste to dump it. I take it outside and throw it near the horse so it’s not a complete loss.

  We could use a compost container at some point in the future. We just need some more lumber for it and then this food could be repurposed.

  After several hours of being up and working, I’m drained and fatigued. Back in the kitchen my stomach grumbles. I open the refrigerator and stand there with the door ajar. There are some leftovers, but nothing looks satisfying right now. I force myself to eat a pork chop. Shutting the door I tear into it with my teeth. It’s savory and salty, causing my mouth to salivate. My sense of taste seems heightened. Whether it’s due to my hunger or some strange effect of where we are, there’s satisfaction from the texture and flavor I didn’t think my body was interested in. While I grab a plate and head for the ta
ble, Ami and Agatha come up from the basement and they too pick at leftovers. The three of us sit at the table together. It’s quiet and calm until Eve finds her way in and complains.

  “You guys are eating without me?”

  I look back and shush her with the bone from the pork chop in front of my mouth instead of my index finger. She lets out a ‘humph’ and pulls out her own leftovers. When she moves to the table to sit with us, Ami is on my right and Agatha is on my left, leaving no room for her to sit next to me. She mutters under her breath, irritated about it and likely everything else.

  I finish my food and instead of letting it sit around in the house I open the back door and lob it as hard as I can, aiming for the white land. Satisfied with my success, I close the door. Returning to the table, instead of sitting I stand with my hands rested against the back of the chair.

  “You know, we could probably dump any garbage out in the time distortion,” I chuckle. “I don’t know where you’ve been putting it Agatha, but it has to be piling up somewhere.”

  “You’re right. It’s in the basement, in the tool area until we reach a time that has waste management, but it’s been a couple months,” she replies.

  “Well, I could take care of it later if you’d like,” I offer, giving myself something to do for at least a few minutes.

  “Can we do that?” Ami asks. “I mean, I know out there doesn’t seem like our planet but if we put it there will it stay?”

  “Why not? There’s nothing there.” I grin at her. “I’ll take care of it after I take a nap.” I push off the chair and straighten my back, stretching hard and letting out a groan.

  “Sleep well.” Agatha’s sweet voice comes from behind a cup of tea.

  “I’ll see you up there,” Eve chimes in and winks.

  Looking back at Ami, I comment, “I need a lock on my door as soon as possible.”

  Ami giggles and nods. Eve scowls, irritated by my comment. Taking time, rather than being a slob, I close my door and undress to climb under the covers. Tossing and turning for a few minutes I realize I’m too warm and stick one foot out which seems to appease my body. While I try to slip into a restful state, my mind still has things it wants to pester me with.

  I was the king of Asta at some point previously. Why did Drake attempt to kill me? Who is he? Could he be a fellow ruler of another land and just wanted mine? I went out to the woods with him, likely willingly. Why? I couldn’t have suspected foul play or else I think I’d have had the foresight to realize something was amiss because of the feeling he gives me now. Perhaps I was just blinded by trust under my previous persona.

  Was I a good king? Just? Kind? Friendly? Strong? I suppose I’d like to think who I am now is similar to who I was then. Though I may be a little violent at times, it is out of necessity or to help people.

  What is my name?

  My mind finally becomes as heavy as my body feels, the thoughts fade as if they had never existed in the first place. Sleep finds me.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  The horse neighs and whinnies, waking me from my slumber. Though I’m drawn unwillingly to consciousness, I feel well rested. I hope the quiet void had all been a bad dream. But even without drawing the curtains back its permeating light is flooding the room, illuminating nearly everything. It crushes my wishful thinking.

  I stand and dress in clean clothes, a white t-shirt and blue jeans, before I make my way downstairs. My throat is a little dry and rather than get a glass I’m feeling nostalgic for drawing up a bucket, some remnant of my past creeping in. At the well it appears it’s still quite full, and there are no traces of sand left from Eve’s time only two months ago, both good things for us. After taking a large drink for myself I unhook the bucket and bring it to the horse.

  While he drinks, I look up at the apple tree. Though ravaged by the sandstorm, it has already begun to recover with new leaves and blossoms growing. Unable to offer an apple to the horse, I leave the bucket on the ground momentarily and pull a small bale of hay over so he has more to eat than the bits I threw out earlier.

  Sitting on the end of the bale, I stare at the two saddles sitting against the other side of the tree. Curiosity takes hold again, and I want to venture farther out into the nothingness. I contemplate both for and against going out there, battling it out in my head. The allure of adventure gets the better of me.

  Hoisting the saddle onto the horse, I tighten the girth, undo the lead rope, and vault up on him. I loop the rope around the saddle’s horn, slip my feet into the stirrups, and press gently to get him to trot. We circle the house a few times so I don’t spook him before wandering out onto the white.

  When the horse makes his first few steps out onto the whiteness, the silence of not being able to hear his hooves clop against it is a little unnerving. It’s the same as the axe. I try to shrug the feeling off. Just outside the grassy boundary, we again circle the house and stop at the side with the half built stable.

  It all looks normal. It’s crazy. Out here time is passing slower. Or at least appears that way. I wonder what this place is. It has physical properties, but I doubt anyone has ever seen such a place in the whole of time.

  I turn the horse and gallop past the area which I had previously walked, glancing over my shoulder every few moments in order to keep an eye on the house. Letting a few minutes elapse, I turn back around and see the house is a speck in the distance. Looking back in front of me I think I see something; another speck, smaller than the house. I have to squint to see if my eyes are playing a trick on me but it seems there is clearly something there. It is a black dot against a white backdrop. My heart beats quickly and I spin the horse back to the house. I put him to a full gallop. On my approach to the house I see no one at first. But like last time, blurs become visible and finally I see Ami, Agatha, and Eve standing there, all frowning at me. The moment I’ve breached the boundary I am scolded by all three of them.

  “Rain! What were you thinking?!” Ami asks frantically.

  “You really should have told us what you were doing.” Agatha keeps her calm, but her furrowed brow tells me she’s unhappy.

  Eve swings her arm back and launches it at me. I can’t escape fast enough and she catches me in the shin. “What if you’d died out there? Who would I make beautiful babies with?” Eve yells, gathering a spiteful glare from Ami.

  “I’ll go mad being cooped up,” I tell them, grinning from ear to ear and rubbing my leg. “No one was outside to tell me ‘no’ so I went for a ride. More importantly, there’s something out there. You can’t see it from here but it’s there and I want to know what it is.”

  “That’s stupid! If you can’t see it from here it means from there you wouldn’t be able to see the house and you could get lost trying to find your way back!” Eve says sensibly.

  Ami quirks her eyebrows at Eve, glancing out of the side of her eye surprised she has any sense about her. But her attention is back on me and I can see she agrees. Their collective attempt to dissuade me isn’t working. I’m set to go and I trot around them, facing the horse back to the white.

  “We had to take shifts watching for you to come back. We think you were out there for two days,” Agatha mentions. “We didn’t want to venture out that far on foot, so we waited here.”

  “We can’t miss the opportunity to find out what’s over there,” I’m still excited at the prospect of potential life beyond our bastion. “Maybe it’s the horse. Maybe it’s other people who need help.”

  “Or maybe it was a mirage or hallucination,” Ami says.

  “Maybe, but I can’t take the chance it’s a person and didn’t try to help.” I shrug.

  “So you’ll risk yourself? Can you survive an impact from that distance if the vortex pulls you back in?” Ami tries to reason.

  “I’ll survive. How much rope do we have?”

  They all sigh at different intervals and Agatha is the one to respond.

  “Several ropes, including the one you have.
Not enough to keep a handle on you all the way out there.”

  “That’s fine. I’ll use them as directional markers so I can find my way back.” I’m confident.

  No further arguments against my plan arise. Hopping down I grab the lead rope and hand it to Eve. She tries to hand it off to Ami, but Ami refuses, and she’s stuck holding the horse. Agatha heads to the house, but before I can follow she motions for me to wait here. Ami pulls me aside by the arm to beyond the apple tree. Eve watches with suspicion in her eyes but stays put.

  She pulls in close to me and whispers with a serious tone, “I’m going with you.”

  “I’d like that actually,” I whisper back and smile. She blushes and I take it she probably expected me to deny her.

  Agatha returns with a couple coils of rope wrapped on each arm. It seems there’s enough to leave a path for a fair distance if used at the point of the house becoming a speck on the horizon. She hands them to me and I hoist the rope up on the horse, hooking them on the horn. While I do, Ami yanks the rope from Eve’s hand and jumps up into the saddle, garnering a brash and loud protest.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” Eve asks, her arms thrown to the side while stepping up to the horse.

  “A good question,” Agatha’s soft voice counterbalances Eve.

  “He’s going to need someone to keep him company and he said he’d enjoy it if it were me,” Ami says to antagonize Eve.

  “If you’re going then I’m going!” Eve tries to climb up on the horse, but Ami kicks her in the chest.

  “Get off!” Ami breaks her normally calm demeanor and yells at her.

  “How dare you! You little…” Eve tries to grab Ami but I intervene, blocking her.

  “All right, enough!” I command. “Eve, you’re staying here. There’s not enough room on the horse for three.”

  The hurt on her face is apparent, but I feel no remorse for denying her what Ami and I have. Eve storms off into the house and I mount the horse, sitting in front of Ami.