Once again, Jacob found himself in the sea of gold, but for once he was finally conscious enough to act upon it. On instinct, he tried swimming upwards, though he felt no need to breath. While the light around him felt liquid in nature, it was more like he was floating in midair. That said, there had to be a surface, right? There had to be something more than this.

  As though responding to his thoughts, he did finally breach. However, rather than floating on the surface, he was now standing on what felt like solid ground. It had been an instantaneous transition, swimming one moment and standing the next. It was surreal and completely disorienting. He took a moment to get his bearings, looking around, when he bumped into something.

  "Easy now. You kinda pushed yourself a little too hard back there."

  Jacob let out a yell before spinning to face the newcomer. Now standing before him was a woman in perhaps her mid-twenties to early thirties. She was modestly dressed in a long white gown with green hues and a long, silk train trailing her frame, and the hem of her skirt seemed to meld directly into the light beneath them. Her silver hair was drawn back and braided, hanging down like a rope with golden twine interspersed within it. Most striking, however, were her eyes. They shimmered and glowed gold, but beneath Jacob could faintly make out an orangish amber coloring. The woman smiled at him warmly, tilting her head to one side while clasping her hands together.

  "Still, you performed marvelously. The way you bashed that bully and gave him what for. A jolly good show, I dare say, especially for one that's not had a day's worth of training. Maybe you are ready for this or at least have the potential."

  Jacob gawked at her, remaining silent.

  "Oh, but where are my manners? You may know me as Nina. Lovely to finally make your acquaintance proper. It's been so long since I've had a chance to properly entertain a guest. Not that my usual company isn't...tolerable, but it's always nice to make a new friend."

  Jacob continued to stare at her blankly.

  The newly named Nina frowned, and she waved a hand in his face.

  "Hello? Can you hear me? Bother, did that blow to the head damage you that badly? Gloria promised you were being properly protected, but then again..."

  Jacob suddenly slapped himself as hard as he could. When that did nothing, he proceeded to punch himself in the stomach, stomp his own foot, and even tried to rip out a loose tooth. If it could inflict pain, Jacob was quick and desperate to exercise it. Understandably concerned, Nina rushed over, seizing him by the shoulders and giving him a shake to make him stop.

  "Good heavens, boy! Pull yourself together! The blarney are you trying to do?"

  "What do you think?!" Jacob snapped as he struggled to keep bludgeoning himself. "I'm trying to wake up from this crazy nightmare brought on by my uncle giving me chocolate milk at the diner, forgetting my allergy like usual, so I can go back to the way things were and forget about freaky light worlds, eight-year-old super geniuses, and Zac Effron's crazy cousin from hell's angels!"

  Nina grabbed hold of his wrists, and with a little work she wrestled the both of them to Jacob's sides while fixing his gaze with her own.

  "This isn't a dream." she said. "At least, not of the conventional sort. You're currently in a realm tied to your subconscious. Your mind is sundered from your body, which allows you to manifest here."

  Jacob stared at her blankly.

  "Yes, when I say it out loud, it sounds like utter madness, and no you are not the first to bring it up to me. If I had a better way to explain it, I would. Just know that everything you see and feel while you are here is very real, but you are not trapped here. I can send you back any time."

  "Then do it!" Jacob snapped. "Send me back! Get me out of here!"

  "I will." Nina said gently. "But if you'd calm down for a moment, maybe I could explain..."

  "No!" Jacob cried while frantically squirming in her grip. "Send me back! Send me back right now!"

  All at once, Nina's sweet smile wilted, and her eyes turned hard. She gave him a quick, hard shake, and Jacob froze solid.

  "Listen." she said sharply. "I'm trying to do things differently this time. I've made some mistakes, ruined some lives, and I would very much like to NOT do that again! Especially not with you. I'm trying to ease you into this, to help you figure it all out, but I cannot do that if you are panicking and having a right snit every third of a second. So do me a small favor. Take a deep breath, and calm...down!"

  Jacob blinked before robotically obliging her request, taking a deep breath and letting it out slow. Satisfied, Nina smiled again.

  "Alright then. I'll go ahead and send you back, but you and I are going to be having a long chat later. Trust me, you'll want to be ready for what the Sterling Star has in store for you."

  Jacob frowned.

  "The Sterling...Star?"

  He looked down to his chest where the small pendant hung.

  "Wait, are you..."

  "No, sweety." Nina said with a sad shake of her head. "I'm not your mum, but know she loved you very much. Now off you go."

  She released him while stepping back, and Jacob found himself being enveloped by light.

  "Oh! One more thing!" Nina shouted as her shape began to vanish from his sight. "Be sure to remember those words! They'll be very important later!"

  "Wait!" Jacob shouted as he was completely encased.

  ..........................................................................................................................................

  Jacob suddenly bolted upright.

  "What words?! What're you talking about?!"

  Jacob then paused, and he realized he was lying in a bed. Sadly, it was not his own, and the room was far too clean to be his apartment. The dream had passed, but it appeared the nightmare was still persisting. To further his frustration, there was Lance, though at the same time he felt relieved that the boy seemed alright. In fact, there didn't seem to be a scratch on him, not that Jacob could see. The eight-year-old was studying Jacob carefully, pushing up his freshly repaired glasses while cocking his head to one side. He was just staring at him, and the distance between their faces was well beyond what was considered comfortable.

  "I'm not that handsome." Jacob growled. "Back off!"

  Lance blinked, and he stepped away, though his head remained cocked.

  "Heterochromia." he said.

  Jacob scowled.

  "What'd you call me?"

  "Your eyes are different colors. Heterochromia. Gotta say, I liked the gold better."

  Jacob blinked in confusion, and then he felt a rush of hope. Looking about, he spied a full-length mirror in the corner of the room, and he immediately got up and raced over to it. As soon as his shape came into view, he was delighted to see that his blue and green eye were indeed back on full display, and he had his normal brown hair back as well. Jacob could have melted with relief. He had always felt rather self-conscious about his eyes, but that previous look made him look like a reject from Comic-Con.

  "Thank goodness that mess is over." he said with a sigh. "Finally, things are starting to get back to normal."

  He turned back to Lance, and he took a better stock of where they were. It was another apartment, though much better maintained. Unlike the rundown shack of a building the old boarding house in Lowtown had been, he noticed a more vivid color pattern of gentle pearl and puce as well as more geometric detailing in the mold lining of the ceiling. More than that, there were hardwood floors, and not the cheap kind either. Even the sheets he had been sleeping on appeared to be silk or some other expensive material. It was the closest thing to lavish Jacob had ever truly known in his life.

  "Ok, I'll bite." he said. "How long was I asleep this time?"

  "Roughly twenty-four hours." Lance replied. "But, from what I understand, your features returned to their default before we were brought here."

  That stirred Jacob's memory, and he recalled his little skirmish with Blazer. He checked himself over, and to his surprise he could see only minor bandaging. He was positive one or two of his ribs had been broken, if not his skull getting bashed in, and his throat should have been bruised. Instead, he was only lightly bandaged, and his skin was pristine. The same was said of Lance, who Jacob was certain had suffered a broken neck. In fact, the kid should've been in worse shape. But perhaps that could be tabled for later, as Jacob could remember being lifted into a man's arms. At that moment, there was a knock at the door, and Jacob spun to face it.

  "Uncle Laramie?"

  It was a brief hope, and one easily dashed as the door opened not to reveal Jacob's wayward uncle. Instead, it was a man he didn't recognize with sandy blonde hair and wearing a tweed sweater. He was also armed with a tray of breakfast, which Jacob's empty stomach pined for.

  "Oh, you're awake!" the man chirped with a large grin. "Glad I made extra portions then. Have a seat while it's still hot."

  Jacob immediately struck a defensive stance, eyeing the man warily until Lance approached the man and stood at his side.

  "It's alright, Jacob." Lance assured. "This is Doc Derrows. I told you about him eariler."

  The man, Doc Derrows as he was called, nodded his head.

  "You can call me Howard if you like." he said. "It's alright. You're safe here."

  No less cautious but all the hungrier, Jacob drew near as Howard set the trey of food on the bedside table, Lance already helping himself to some French toast glazed in honey. Jacob tentatively nibbled on some buttered toast while still eyeing the man carefully. His brain was still flashing back to the fight and everything before he blacked out. He had hit the floor hard, but he had remembered a loud noise; a gunshot perhaps. The fellow before him looked rather plain almost to a comical degree, and he didn't appear the type to carry firearms. Still, he looked moderately robust, so it was likely he was indeed the one that carried him here. Disappointing, but it gave the impression he meant no harm. Seeming to sense his thoughts, Howard pulled up a chair to sit.

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  "I'm sure Lance has told you about me a little." Howard said. "I've known him since Sophia took him in. I used to work as a part time counselor at Paradiso. You could say I'm Lance's pseudo guardian after Sophia passed."

  "Sophia?" Jacob asked while shooting Lance a look.

  Lance met his gaze, and he twisted his mouth.

  "He means Abuela. It's Spanish for Grandma. You didn't know that?"

  No, Jacob did not know that, and he didn't like the little punk's tone after getting beaten to near death for him. However, that did leave Jacob with another question.

  "You left an eight-year-old to live alone in a derelict building?"

  Howard adopted a more sheepish look while rubbing at the back of his neck.

  "Yes, well, it wasn't my idea." he said nervously. "Believe me, I tried to adopt Lance in the proper method. But, and I'm sure you picked up on this, the boy can be rather stubborn and a little too smart for his own good."

  "I take that as a compliment." Lance chirped with his hands on his hips.

  "Any time I got him away from Paradiso, Lance always made his way back. Didn't matter what I tried, and I didn't want to involve the police in the matter. So, I made regular checkups as well as offered a small allowance to help him stay afloat and even helped him make a business model so he could be self-sufficient."

  He then shot Lance a hard look.

  "Of course, had you mentioned you were being harassed by a gaggle of goggle wearing goons, I might've been more insistent on you staying here."

  Lance simply waved him off.

  "Only one of them wore goggles. Besides, I heal easy."

  "That's beside the point, Lance!" Howard snapped. "You're very lucky I happened upon the place when I did. If it weren't for this young man, you might not have even been here right now."

  "Well, duh, this is where you brought him, and I came along for the ride."

  "Lance!"

  Jacob watched the little back and forth, rather flummoxed by Lance's nonchalance. As Howard said, both of them had almost died, and yet Lance was still as cool as a cucumber. In an odd way, Jacob couldn't help but respect how calm under fire the boy could be. Eventually, Howard took a calming breath, and he elected to return his attention to Jacob.

  "But where are my manners?" he said. "I don't think I ever got your name, young man."

  "Jacob." Jacob said, his muscles finally relaxing. "No last name."

  Howard's smile faded, and his face lost its color.

  "You don't...say." he said, his tone stilted. "Oh, my. Now I see why she was excited."

  Jacob's own expression fell.

  "Uh. She?"

  Just then, a new shape filled the threshold of the bedroom door. Namely, the very familiar and unwanted shape of Detective Deborah Sackett. Her eyes met Jacob's, and Howard and Lance held their breaths.

  "Jacob..." Deborah started, but she didn't get the chance to say more.

  The teen was already on his feet and bolted through her, knocking her to the floor and making for the nearest exit.

  "Jacob, wait!" Deborah pleaded as she tried to rise.

  "BERNIE! HUG!" Howard screamed.

  Jacob had just reached the door, his hand reaching for the handle, when a large shadow swept over him, followed by its very heavy owner. Jacob was slammed onto his back as the long thick tongue of a Saint Bernard dog swept across his face in a big, sloppy kiss. Jacob gave a disgusted cry as he tried in vain to shove the heavy brute off as Deborah, Lance and Howard rushed into the room.

  "Get this gargantuan goliath off of me!" Jacob roared angrily.

  "Bernie, down!" Howard commanded.

  The large dog removed itself from Jacob, but no sooner was he on his feet did Deborah tackle into him. Jacob struggled and thrashed, but the detective was adamant to hold on.

  "Let go of me! Get off!"

  "Just calm down, please! We need to talk!"

  "I have nothing to say to you, you hack of a cop!"

  Just then, there was an audible click, and the two looked up to see Howard locking the front door. There was another click, and they could see Lance doing the same to the window that led to the fire escape. Howard then brought his easy chair to the door, putting it just in front of the knob before taking a seat. He then held up the house key so both Jacob and Deborah could see it.

  "This...is the key to the future." Howard said, his voice now firm and methodic. "To take this key, you must first resolve issues of past and present. To do that, both of you need to calm down, get off of each other, and have a seat so that we may speak like calm, rational human beings and not slobbering, mangy animals. No offense, Bernie."

  Bernie let out a loud woof before retreating to his bed in a corner of the room. Taking this as a cue, Deborah got off of Jacob and retreated to a couch while Jacob took a chair adjacent to her, putting as much distance between them as he could. Satisfied, Howard pocketed the key, took out a notepad and pen, and he looked up at the two.

  "Naturally, there is a lot to unpack here." he said softly. "Both of you are very high energy, and your stances on the current world has caused and understandable schism. If we are to move forward, we must first air out these grievances."

  "What is this, marriage counseling?" Jacob muttered angrily.

  "I am a psychiatrist, yes." Howard said matter-of-factly. "I'm also the man that's been driving miss Debbie around town trying to find you after you exploded in the police station, so I'd say I have some right to put you both in this position. So here's how it's gonna work. You two are going to work out your issues and come to some sort of compromise, and none of us are leaving until you've reached a settlement."

  "But she's the one with the problem!" Jacob insisted while pointing an accusatory finger at Deborah. "She accused my uncle of being a mad bomber."

  "I said no such thing!" Deborah retorted sharply. "I merely presented a series of coincidences that lined up with some crimes that were under investigation."

  "Then you sicked your boss on me as some sort of accomplice!" Jacob went on, never missing a beat.

  "Again, no I didn't!" Deborah snapped. "The commissioner is a lazy beatnik that looks for the simplest solutions for complex problems. It's not my fault that he's bad at his job!"

  Jacob scoffed and turned his head.

  Deborah in turn took a deep breath, and she sighed through her nose.

  "Jacob, for what it's worth, I don't think your uncle did anything wrong. Besides borrow a lot of money that he clearly had no means to repay."

  "He would have so." Jacob retorted. "It would've just...taken...a long time. People just need to be more patient is all."

  "Ah, there's a thought." Howard said. "It sounds to me like you're being impatient yourself, Jacob. I can personally assure you that Deborah's been quite worried for you. She's not slept a wink."

  Jacob rolled his eyes.

  "Aren't you supposed to be impartial in this, Doctor Quack?"

  Howard rolled his eyes.

  "For the record, yes, but Deborah's not been letting me sleep either. It's probably in short supply for you, but you can put your trust in me. Deborah's been running herself ragged just wondering if you've been ok."

  Jacob kept his cold shoulder to Deborah, but his fury was cooling a bit.

  "Why would you even care?" he asked. "You want to arrest me that bad?"

  "Of course not." Deborah said softly. "I can't imagine how terrified you've been. Your uncle disappears, your home burns down, that mess in the police station, and apparently you got in a fight with a local gang. In truth, you're very lucky to be alive."

  She shifted about, moving from the couch to an end table, putting herself just a little closer to Jacob.

  "I really don't think your uncle did the bombing. I can say that he has been to these places but so has everyone in this city. I also talked to the owners, and, minus your old building super, they had nothing but nice things to say about your uncle. But the fact that he's disappeared isn't a good look, so it doesn't matter what I think."

  Jacob turned just a tiny bit.

  "But he wouldn't have done it."

  "And I want to believe you, but the fact of the matter is that everyone in town is terrified and doesn't know what to do about it. Buildings are literally falling around our ears and people are losing their homes and their businesses. I wouldn't be surprised if your uncle was being used as some sort of scapegoat since he's an outsider, but that could also mean he's involved in some manner. Maybe not willingly, but it's still a possibility."

  Jacob didn't say anything. The truth was that he had been thinking something similar along those lines. His uncle was a brilliant man, but he was clumsy and had a hard time thinking things through. There was also his personal project, whatever it was. He was always lamenting never having enough money to get it working. Could he had gotten mixed up in something illegal or dangerous? It wasn't a thought he wanted to entertain, but it had been gnawing at him, burrowing into the back of his brain. He sighed, and he finally turned around fully.

  "What's going to happen to me, then?"

  He felt positively puny asking that. Like he was a four year old that lost his mother in a mall. Deborah, however, seemed well versed dealing with such children as she smiled and tenderly touched his shoulder.

  "For now, you'll be staying here. With the commissioner as he is right now, I wouldn't dare try to bring you back to the station. Besides, you'd more than likely end up in a foster home, and I personally would feel better if you were with someone I trusted. Howard's already no stranger to fosters, apparently."

  She shot a look from Howard to Lance and back again. Howard met her gaze with a chuckle and raised his hands sheepishly. Jacob also looked to the psychiatrist and then to Lance. The boy smiled at him and flashed a thumbs up. Jacob then breathed a sigh of defeat.

  "Fine. At least the beds are comfortable here."

  Lance's smile faded into a sneer, and he pointed his thumbs-up downward angrily.

  "For now," Howard spoke up, "you and Lance should finish breakfast. It's getting cold by now, and you need to recuperate your strength. Go on."

  Jacob's stomach once more rumbled, reminding him that he hadn't been filling it properly. He sighed in defeat and rose and motioned for Lance to follow. In response, the boy turned his head defiantly to the side and marched away, all while muttering something about "uncomfortable beds". When the two were gone and the door was shut, Howard finally unlocked his door and moved aside so Deborah could leave, but he noted she had a look on her face. A look he knew all too well which made his blood pressure rise.

  "Something you'd like to share with the class, young lady?"

  Deborah tugged anxiously at the arm of her coat, and he could just barely see the end of a terrible burn just above her wrist. A haunting memory of the past carried into the present.

  "I truly don't think his uncle did it, Howard." she said. "No, I'm all but convinced who's really involved, and that's why I'm all the more concerned for Jacob's safety."

  Howard twisted his mouth to one side, and he cocked his head.

  "Deborah, we've talked about this." he said softly.

  "I know." Deborah said exasperatingly. "Believe me, I've tried not to think about it but look at it from my perspective. When did Lowtown start getting bad? When the boardwalk burned down. It was bought up by an unknown party that refused to fix things, and criminals were able to use that disused part of town to hide their malice. This caused to more damages and closures and more phantom purchases until that entire part of a city became a festering cancer of sin. Now we've got buildings falling, and according to my sources their properties have already been bought up. It's a pattern, and one I've been following ever since I was a little girl. It's the reason I became a cop in the first place. It's him, Howard. It's the Slumlord. I'm certain of it."

  Howard stood and approached her, gently taking her by the shoulder and having her look him in the eye.

  "Deborah, it's not that I think you're crazy..." he began.

  "Spare me the buts." Deborah cut him off. "Believe me, I know how nonsensical it all sounds, but you can't deny that something rotten has gotten a hold of Grummsdale, and I'm afraid it's about to get a whole lot worse."

  She gently shrugged him off and started for the door.

  "I'll be checking in now and again. You have our cover story?"

  Howard nodded.

  "Jacob is your nephew from Detroit whose family is having trouble. I still think you leaving him with your psychiatrist kind of kills your cover, though."

  "My boss bombs my house on a good day. The last thing I need is for him to find Jacob after nearly beating him to death in the interrogation room. If anyone asks, it's just for his protection, and you're my most trusted friend."

  "And yet you still won't get coffee with me." Howard said with a smarmy grin.

  Deborah looked back at him, flashing a catty smile before waving and walking out. Howard just rolled his eyes and made his way to the kitchen to wash the dishes. As he did, he looked out the window to the various billboards that dotted Uptown's skylines, and three in particular caught his eye: Nevermore Pharmaceuticals, Seraphine's Beauty Products, and Omni-Records. Three new businesses on the cusp of opening, and all three were slated for properties in Midtown. Properties that had been suddenly opened to the market due to tragedy. He did indeed see the lines Deborah was drawing, but he tried hard not to think about it. He had enough problems to deal with now.