Free Doubt by Anne-Rae Vasquez Page B

it a dream? She sat up, looked around, and saw that she was alone. How long have I been sleeping? Where is everyone?
    She stood up , adjusting her eyes to the darkness and walked towards the doorway, bumping into a stool. She picked up her backpack, which was still sitting on the table. She walked out of the classroom into the dark hallway. She reasoned that the building was running on power from the generator, due to the earthquake. It was creepy being alone in the dark.
    She could see light coming from Dr. Saeed ’s office across from the classroom. As she walked closer to the doorway, there were voices involved in an intense conversation. Slowly, she approached the door. Kerim was standing in front of Harry and Dr. Saeed in front of a desk, and they were seated at the meeting table. There was no one else in the room.
    “…and that’s what you really think happened? Time travel? C’mon Harry, I know there are strange things happening, but that?”
    Harry was smiling, and his hands were animated as he spoke.
    “Like I said earlier, it’s all in my father’s notes. Dr. Saeed was helping my father prove their theory that there are portals or black holes in locations around the world. My dad worked with Dr. Saeed to gather data from multiple sources that included satellite imagery, and a geographic information system.”
    He turned to Dr. Saeed. “Tell him about the experiments with the kids.”
    Dr. Saeed crossed his arms. “Aaron Doub theorized that gifted children’s extra sensory skills could help connect or bridge the present to the future.”
    Harry’s grin grew wider, as he said, “Child prodigies have natural abilities that are remarkable for children their age. My father believed that the reason for this is because their brains are able to process data and information like computers. His tests proved that they use fifty times more brain cells than average children or adults. They theorized that if we placed a gifted person at a location where a black hole or portal exists, it would be the key to unleash the energy to open up the portals.”
    The expression on Kerim’s face said loud and clear that he wasn’t buying anything they were saying to him. He sat down on the edge of the desk.
    “So is that how the earthquakes happened?” Kerim inquired. “Gabriel’s apartment is one of the locations of a black hole?”
    Kerim leaned towards Harry and pointed his finger at him.
    “That’s why you wanted Cristal to go there. And you needed me to keep her safe. Is that it?” He paused. “When the earthquake happened, I saw a white light coming out of Cristal’s chest that shot up to the ceiling and it went right through to the ground.”
    Cristal’s heart started beating faster. I can’t believe Harry set me up . She clenched her fists and felt her face turn red. She stepped closer to the door but kept herself from entering.
    Kerim now had Harry and Dr. Saeed’s full attention.
    “What do you mean a white light?” Dr. Saeed asked, crossing his arms and tilting his head.
    “Can you describe what it looked like?” Harry interrupted.
    Kerim took a deep breath. “The light came from the ceiling down into her chest and then it went into the ground. I saw images above her head like a movie playing on a screen.”
    He paused, as if trying to recollect what he had seen.
    “Go on,” Harry said.
    “Well, I saw you, Cristal, Dr. Saeed, Gabriel, Rinaldo, and Adel. I was there, too. There was another guy, dark-skinned, brown hair. I couldn’t see him very well.”
    Dr. Saeed glanced at Harry and then looked back at Kerim. “Could be Sami?”
    Kerim continued, “We were standing outside somewhere, and it was hot. The sun was hitting the grey wall behind us. Cristal moved to the center, and all of a sudden there was a white light coming out from her chest. It was weird, because it looked almost like a mirror of what was happening in front of me.”
    He sat back down on the edge of the desk and fell