Read Online Multiversum by Leonardo Patrignani - Free Book Online
Authors: Leonardo Patrignani
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slightest sign of Alex.
Jenny waited until 11.30, then remembered the words Alex had uttered during their last conversation. Heâd been able to call out to her, to contact her through sheer willpower. It wasnât an attack anymore, the way it had been in the first few years; no longer the sudden, helpless, trance-like state of the past few months. A genuine call, at his brainâs command.
Where are you, Jenny? a voice in her head asked at that exact moment. It was Alexâs voice.
In an instant, the pier disappeared and once again Jenny felt a powerful vibration, a force enveloping her and sweeping her away, as if she were a boat caught in a huge storm at sea.
She closed her eyes and focused on a point in her mind. All other thoughts vanished.
Alex , Jenny thought, timidly.
Their words rang out like church bells. Out of nowhere came the roar of thunder and the crackle of lightning, an electric discharge.
A chill spread through her body. Jenny tried to shut her eyes, but she couldnât. She sat motionless, staring at the ocean. In her brain, the sound of the waves crashing in front of her began to echo.
Alex â¦
I can hear you, Jenny .
Alex, where are you? Donât tell me that youâre not real, I beg you .
Iâm right here , said Alex. Iâm real. Iâve come all this way . Iâve come just for you .
Where are you?
Iâm right here, on the pier .
Thatâs not possible, Alex. Iâve been on the pier for more than an hour now, and thereâs not a single person on it. Are you sure youâre in Altona, just off Pier Street ?â
Yes, Jenny. Iâm about twenty metres from the street, on the first part of the pier. Iâm looking straight at a lamppost, and Iâm near a staircase that leads down to the beach .
Alex fell silent, as a new fear surfaced in his mind.
Jenny? He took a deep breath. He was afraid of losing contact any minute. Can you still hear me?
Alex, Iâm looking at the same lamppost, and Iâm right next to those steps. Exactly where you say you are .
11
Slowly, Alex sank to the ground. Jennyâs last words continued spinning through his head for several interminable seconds.
Exactly where you say you are â¦
He placed the palm of his hand on his right temple, where he felt a sharp, penetrating stab of pain. Then he looked around in confusion, blinking his eyes continually because of the migraine.
At that moment, the pier was deserted. The waves were starting to kick up, the strengthening wind, now harsh and chilly, churning a series of whitecaps.
âThis doesnât make any sense,â he said aloud. He repeated it three times. âIâm losing my mind. Thatâs the only explanation. Iâm going crazy and I just donât want to admit it.â
He looked at his backpack, lying abandoned on the pier, next to the railing.
He reached out a hand to grab it, pulled it towards him, and opened it. With one hand he reached in and rummaged around, retrieved his phone from an inside pocket, then turned it on and selected Marco from the address book.
His friend was awake, as always, even though it was 3.30Â a.m.
âAlex!â he replied, surprised by the unexpected ring of his mobile phone. In front of him, the three computers were running under the dim light of a desk lamp. The blue neon lights on the wall were turned off, just then, to keep them from overheating.
âSorry, Marco. Were you asleep?â The monotone in his voice was already evident to his friend.
âSleeping? Hardly. Iâm busy cracking a system. Iâve managed to get into the databank of a chain of video-game shops, and if weâre lucky I should be able to get a copy of the new Call of Duty delivered to my front door by tomorrow morning. Free of charge, it goes without say ââ
âJenny isnât here,â Alex interrupted him. âIâm right where we agreed to meet, but she isnât
Jenny waited until 11.30, then remembered the words Alex had uttered during their last conversation. Heâd been able to call out to her, to contact her through sheer willpower. It wasnât an attack anymore, the way it had been in the first few years; no longer the sudden, helpless, trance-like state of the past few months. A genuine call, at his brainâs command.
Where are you, Jenny? a voice in her head asked at that exact moment. It was Alexâs voice.
In an instant, the pier disappeared and once again Jenny felt a powerful vibration, a force enveloping her and sweeping her away, as if she were a boat caught in a huge storm at sea.
She closed her eyes and focused on a point in her mind. All other thoughts vanished.
Alex , Jenny thought, timidly.
Their words rang out like church bells. Out of nowhere came the roar of thunder and the crackle of lightning, an electric discharge.
A chill spread through her body. Jenny tried to shut her eyes, but she couldnât. She sat motionless, staring at the ocean. In her brain, the sound of the waves crashing in front of her began to echo.
Alex â¦
I can hear you, Jenny .
Alex, where are you? Donât tell me that youâre not real, I beg you .
Iâm right here , said Alex. Iâm real. Iâve come all this way . Iâve come just for you .
Where are you?
Iâm right here, on the pier .
Thatâs not possible, Alex. Iâve been on the pier for more than an hour now, and thereâs not a single person on it. Are you sure youâre in Altona, just off Pier Street ?â
Yes, Jenny. Iâm about twenty metres from the street, on the first part of the pier. Iâm looking straight at a lamppost, and Iâm near a staircase that leads down to the beach .
Alex fell silent, as a new fear surfaced in his mind.
Jenny? He took a deep breath. He was afraid of losing contact any minute. Can you still hear me?
Alex, Iâm looking at the same lamppost, and Iâm right next to those steps. Exactly where you say you are .
11
Slowly, Alex sank to the ground. Jennyâs last words continued spinning through his head for several interminable seconds.
Exactly where you say you are â¦
He placed the palm of his hand on his right temple, where he felt a sharp, penetrating stab of pain. Then he looked around in confusion, blinking his eyes continually because of the migraine.
At that moment, the pier was deserted. The waves were starting to kick up, the strengthening wind, now harsh and chilly, churning a series of whitecaps.
âThis doesnât make any sense,â he said aloud. He repeated it three times. âIâm losing my mind. Thatâs the only explanation. Iâm going crazy and I just donât want to admit it.â
He looked at his backpack, lying abandoned on the pier, next to the railing.
He reached out a hand to grab it, pulled it towards him, and opened it. With one hand he reached in and rummaged around, retrieved his phone from an inside pocket, then turned it on and selected Marco from the address book.
His friend was awake, as always, even though it was 3.30Â a.m.
âAlex!â he replied, surprised by the unexpected ring of his mobile phone. In front of him, the three computers were running under the dim light of a desk lamp. The blue neon lights on the wall were turned off, just then, to keep them from overheating.
âSorry, Marco. Were you asleep?â The monotone in his voice was already evident to his friend.
âSleeping? Hardly. Iâm busy cracking a system. Iâve managed to get into the databank of a chain of video-game shops, and if weâre lucky I should be able to get a copy of the new Call of Duty delivered to my front door by tomorrow morning. Free of charge, it goes without say ââ
âJenny isnât here,â Alex interrupted him. âIâm right where we agreed to meet, but she isnât
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