Free Memories from a Different Future: Jump When Ready, Book 2 by David Pandolfe

really young then—not much older than Ian is
now. They seemed so happy to have found each other again. You could totally
tell they really loved each other. They still seem that way, all these years
later.”
    “That’s really cool,” Jamie said. He waited a moment
before adding, “But I’m thinking this is safe, unless the house gets hit by a
meteor or something.”
    For Nikki, it wasn’t just that everything seemed safe for
Ian. You never knew, of course. A house could catch on fire, someone might trip
down a flight of stairs. More, she felt it somehow—everything was fine
here. “Agreed,” she said, reaching out to signal that it was time to move on
again.
    This time, Ian sat in a restaurant sharing a pizza with
the two guys Nikki saw that night when she’d made her presence known through
the Ouija board. Thankfully, Jamie spared her any more feedback about her
little stunt while she told them what she knew about Ian’s friends.
    “Ian’s life really seems to be going great,” Henry said.
    Silence followed between the three of them as Henry’s
words resonated.
    “Which is exactly why we’re here,” Nikki said. “Let’s
keep moving.”
    Another sudden shift—a gray morning as Ian crossed
through the doors of a shopping mall, the inside brightly lit and decorated for
the holidays. The cheerful, familiar music contrasted totally with the chill
Nikki felt rippling up the back of her neck.
    “I think this is it,” she said. “We need to pay
attention.”
    “It looks like he’s just shopping,” Jamie said. “Not
likely he’s going to—”
    “Just watch.” Nikki glared at him.
    At the same time, she suddenly found it harder to hold
the three of them there. She felt like, if she broke her concentration, they’d
be pulled right out of there again. As if the connection she’d established was
ready to snap. She thought about what Martha had said before—that they’d only
be able to experience Ian’s future events up until the moment of his death. She
checked to see if Henry and Jamie had picked up on anything like the buzzing
tension she felt vibrating through her but clearly they hadn’t. If anything,
they seemed slightly bored, looking around at the people shopping.
    A moment later, Nikki recoiled against the ear-splitting
wail of an alarm going off. Like everyone else, Ian stopped in his tracks to
see what was happening. Within seconds, a kid raced around the corner—dark hair
and eyes, legs pumping as he bolted toward the doors Ian had just crossed
through.
    “Stop!” Behind the kid, a security guard struggled to
keep up. He barked something into the radio on his shoulder.
    The doors behind Ian opened and a cop ran inside, gun
drawn. He spotted the kid immediately. “Police! Stop now!”
    The kid stopped running, head swiveling as he searched
for escape, his eyes full of panic. Nikki saw something else in his eyes—a
complete lack of hope, as if he’d known all along this moment would come.
    “Drop your weapon!”
    It all happened so fast. Nikki just now saw the gun in
the kid’s hand.
    “Drop it! Do it, now!”
    Nikki had no idea what set Ian in motion. But something
compelled him to run directly into the line of fire. In that same instant, the
kid raised his gun.
    A blast clapped like thunder. People screamed.
    Ian catapulted backward.
    The connection broke.
    ~~~
    Nikki, Henry and Jamie stood in front of Halfway House, eyes
wide, breathing hard, as if collectively waking from a nightmare.
    It took a moment before anyone spoke. Nikki’s legs
trembled, like she might drop to her knees. Finally, she found her voice.
“Please tell me Ian’s life doesn’t end that way!”
    Jamie shook his head, disgusted. “It’s just so unfair.
How old is he now, maybe nineteen?”
    “He just turned twenty last month.” Nikki couldn’t bring
herself to tell them that she’d actually witnessed Ian’s birthday celebration
with his friends—another time when she’d crossed over to reassure