Well, this is another classic novel that I hadn't yet read….hadn't seen the movie…didn't really know much of anything about it at all. I basically knew that this was a book set in Alabama in the 1930s and it involved a legal case with some sort of racial tension. In honor of its 50th anniversary (click through for a cool site dedicated to the anniversary celebration), I decided it was high time I pick it up and get to it.

Right from the start I was drawn in by the youthful, vibrant voice of Scout, the 8 year old narrator. I absolutely loved the way she described the town, the county, the people and everything in her life. She has such an innocent and honest way of drawing the reader in. Her simple storytelling narrative is humorous and disarming (which comes in handy as the theme gets heavier). She did a wonderful job of painting an accurate description (at least as far as I'm concerned) of 1930s Alabama. I really felt like I was there…like I knew and understood (at least through the eyes of a child) the people of Maycomb.

As I read, I kept waiting for "the shoe to drop." I knew that there was a trial somewhere in this book and that it had some climactic underpinnings in the plot. As the story continued, I kept telling myself not to worry about the trial…that it would come eventually and that I should just enjoy the wonderful writing. Harper Lee made it easy to forget the other problems that were coming up (the trial) and keep us engaged in the intrigue and curiosity of Scout, Jem and Dill. I loved the various "side stories" along the way. They gave great insight into the characters in the town as well as the character of the society/community.

Slowly (but very interestingly) we finally arrive at the trial. The tension is huge naturally and Scout is worried. Because of her young age, some of the details she focuses on and her reactions are a little different than might be expected. It was cool to see Jem's reaction through her eyes (as he gripped the railing so tightly his knuckles turned white). I absolutely loved her confused and innocent reaction to the outcome of the trial.

What I found even more interesting is that when the trial ended, there were still a considerable number of pages left in the book. I thought perhaps it would follow an appeals process or something but was glad that the rest of the story was much more engaging than just more courtroom drama.

I loved (and at the same time was disgusted) by the hypocritical action and behavior of the townsfolk after the trial as compared to their behavior before hand. Most telling was the conversation at the afternoon meeting of the ladies that Scout was compelled to join with her aunt. The way they almost acknowledged Tom's innocence and Atticus's benevolence and saying that Tom would have been fine if he'd been patient.

Then the conversation about Hitler and the Jews was an excellent counterpoint to the racial tension. I loved the way that Scout could sense that there was a disconnect in the behavior/talk/action of the townsfolk as they discussed Hitler after behaving the way they did towards Blacks. She could sense something was wrong and could almost quantify the nature of the disconnect, but she had a hard time acknowledging that there could be such a broad disconnect in the minds of people.

As we reach the end of the book, another climactic event sets events into turmoil. I "predicted" one potential "sad" ending for the book and was actually relieved to see the book turn out the way it did. There was still a degree of ambiguity as to exactly what happened, but I agree with Heck that there are times when things should be left alone. Regardless of what actually/definitively happened, the end result is good for the community. I'm a little concerned to know what happens to the Ewells and to Boo, but those sort of "loose ends" are to be expected in a novel with such an extensive depth.

There are so many wonderful themes in this book. The racial tension and description of southern life and souther racism are at the forefront. But Lee also explores themes of class and family structure, moral courage and the nature of innocence. The idea of innocence was especially interesting to me and felt especially poignant with the book coming from the voice of a young child going through such adult ordeals. Scout's innocence about the world slowly fades as she watches the destruction of Tom's innocence as well as having her conceptions of Boo Radley transform from one of horror/monster to innocent and heroic.

I am very glad I finally got around to reading this book. I feel like it is a great commentary on culture, society and prejudice. I loved the narrative voice, the humor and fun way such a heavy bunch of themes were presented. I really enjoyed the discussions between Scout, Atticus, Jem and the others. The characters were deep and very well developed and provided great depth to the story. There are so many small threads running through the story that I'm sure there is a lot to digest beyond the first read (aspects such as the fire, the teaching methods in the school, the various gifts in the tree, the other inhabitants on Scout's street, etc). This is a rich and wonderful novel that I will gladly read again.


5 out of 5 stars

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As the third book in the 39 Clues series, this book picked up where the last ones had left off both in terms of plot/story and in terms of expectations.

Another new author took over this time and did a great job of continuing the adventure in Japan and Korea. With the various details included, I wonder if part of the choice of author is based on his/her knowledge of the proposed setting for the book. In this book, we're given a fair amount of good details about the Japanese landscape, cityscape, culture and society.

The way the plot was handled in this book was interesting to me and more believable in terms of the globetrotting done by the kids. In book 2, they were essentially on their own (along with their au pair) racing around Europe. In book 3, they hesitantly take on first one alliance and then a second alliance with fellow clue seekers who help the kids maneuver through various countries.

The alliance aspect helped with the believability of travel but stretched a little thin in terms of the interactions with the temporary allies. The first alliance felt generally logical and believable especially with the subtle and enigmatic character development given during the story (I'm still not sure what to make of the guy…he generally seems "good" and like he cares about the kids, but at the same time, he seems brutal and frightening). The alliance that came a little later was less believable when considering the general character traits of the new allies. It seemed to me that they would have dropped the kids by the side of the road and stolen the kids' ally. Still, it played out well. The one character I was left a little confused about was Irina…what exactly was her initial role in the airport and with regards to those who took Amy and Dan's tickets? If she was involved in the ticket theft, why did she stay out of the picture further on in the book. I was a little confused as to where she was and why she never turned up again.

I really enjoyed the twists and turns and especially the new revelations that came. The story continues to be intriguing. The reading is quick and simple (to be expected as a children's book) but is still a lot of fun.


3.5 stars out of 5

View all my reviews

My "Wednesday Writing" posts were initially created as a writing exercise for me to try and keep myself motivated and on track by making sure that I spend at least 30-60 minutes each week (with the follow-up goal to turn it into a daily writing practice).

Over the past few weeks, I've been continuing the same story with a single post each week. To help you catch up with this serialized story, you can use the following table of contents:

1. Morning Machinations
2. Communication Between Friends
3. Daydreaming Decisions
4. Off to the Park
5. Driven
6. Coming Home
7. Revealing Photographs
8. Just a Dream?
9. At the Tower
10. Caught
11. Revelations
12. Lunchtime
13. The Watch
14. Visions
15. Escape
16. Evan (part 1)
17. Evan (part 2)

I thought I would wrap up Evan's wrap up a little more quickly, but every time I tried to, it felt like he had more to say...so I let him talk for one more week. Next week we'll get some more forward progress, but for now, here's a little more backwards progress as Evan concludes his story of future, past, and present. Rather than just leave it with Evan though, I'll keep going a little bit.

Critiques, suggestions, comments, etc. always welcome.

Enjoy.

---

Evan paused to watch Gabby's reaction once again. She sat silently in the passenger seat of the car, staring at him. He hated feeling so distant from her. It was difficult to be so close to her and so far away at the same time. In his mind, they were married, just a few weeks shy of their 6 month anniversary. With her he felt a connection he'd never felt with anyone in his life. And sadly, in her mind, at this moment, he was a near stranger to her and in all likelihood, she saw him as either crazy and delusional or as a part of some cruel elaborate joke. Either way, he felt his heart shredded each time he looked in her eyes, hoping to see compassion, understanding and love but instead finding confusion and fear. Right now, her eyes shined brightly back at him but the apprehension was unmistakable. Still, there was enough confidence and curiosity in her gaze, that Evan continued.

"Upon pressing the button, I heard the machine whir to life. I prayed that my adjustments had sped the spin up time such that I would be whisked through time before Dalton or his cronies understood what was happening and tried to stop me. I smiled as I felt the familiar tingling and saw the world begin to shimmer around me. I glanced at Dalton and saw a shocked look on his face. My grin turned to a gloating smirk as I watched him, in apparent slow motion due to my own transition, begin to wave his arms, shout orders at those around us and then start moving forward to stop me.

"A second later, my smile faded as the shimmering light around me grew in intensity and encompassed Dalton, his cronies and the rest of the lab. The familiar feeling of falling took hold and I knew I was on my way back in time. But as I looked around, I saw in horror that Dalton and his men were falling along with me. My modifications to the device had made the process speed up but had also apparently expanded the proximity of its power to include most of the lab. My escape plan had been thwarted by my own ingenuity. Instead of escaping alone to the past to stop a crime, I found myself being escorted by the very criminal I hoped to stop.

"I heard Dalton chuckle as he realized my mistake. Then he shouted words of praise at further increasing his potential power. He commanded his assistants to grab the device from me and then to kill me. He must have seen the fear on my face because he laughed again. I looked apprehensively at the four men floating around me, their tight black shirts flapping slightly in the winds of time. Never before had more than one person fallen through the time shaft at the same instant. I tried in vain to maneuver myself through the air. I extended my arms and legs the way I'd seen skydivers do to cut through the sky. Nothing changed, I stayed just as far from them as before. Looking back at them again, I saw the frustration on their faces as they tried to determine how to get closer to me.

"I looked down through the shimmering haze, hopeful that the bottom would soon be in sight. That we would reach the destination before they could figure out how to reach me. Most of my personal travels through time had only been a matter of a few months into the past. Once I traveled to a moment in my childhood and I remember the anxiety as I fell through the time shaft for nearly thirty minutes before arriving. The distance I proposed to travel was just under 18 months, but I still anticipated 7 minutes of free-fall through time. I hoped that my adjustments to the device would speed up the actual journey as well. If so, there was no telling exactly how long I had to evade the men around me.

"I heard them shouting behind me and turned to see what was going on. The men around me were moving, but not towards me. I sighed in relief as I watched the 4 men in black along with Dalton each floating away from me. Dalton looked confused, then angry. Two of the men flailed their arms and looked like they were trying to swim through the air. In spite of their efforts, they floated further and further away. After a few moments, one of the men stopped moving horizontally. Two of the others floated another hundred feet and then paused floating next to each other. Dalton continued to float until he was out of sight entirely.

"Before I could ponder their motions too much, I felt myself begin to slow and knew I was reaching my destination. The air shimmered violently around me and everything grew brilliantly bright. Then I was sitting in my favorite chair in my apartment. I closed my eyes and waited for the dizziness to settle. I listened to the familiar noises I remembered from nearly two years ago. The train rushing by outside my window. Kids playing rowdily in the community swimming pool. I opened my eyes and looked at the books and the time device in my lap. It was still. Silent. Briefly fiddling with buttons and switches, I learned what I had suspected. The device no longer functioned. I knew I could repair it, but it would take time.

"Knowing Dalton would come for me, I packed a bag and rented a room at the Lakeside Motel. I spent the next couple of weeks finding and watching you and Carlisle. I wanted to talk to you, either of you but especially you Gabby. But I knew how dangerous it could be. Not only could my presence further disrupt Time itself, but I was pretty sure Dalton would be watching and ready to pounce as soon as he saw me with you. I set up some general surveillance on both of you….cameras…motion detectors….listening devices. Then I watched and waited for Dalton to make his move. Meanwhile, I started repairing the time device.

"A couple of days ago, he moved. Or rather, his cronies moved. At your apartment complex and in front of Carlisle's house sat the men in black who had fallen through with me, two at each location. From the newspaper clipping I'd seen, I still had another 11 days before Carlisle would be killed. It was always possible that Dalton would change that plan, but I suspected he would rather try to pull me in with what I already knew, especially since I knew he was trapped in this time.

"The men watching your apartment snuck in when you went to work. They thoroughly and efficiently searched your place, presumably looking for the device or evidence that I had been there. When they found nothing, they left an envelope in your fridge and returned to their car to wait. I waited a little while to see what they would do and then went to see what they'd left for you. I thought I'd been stealthy but as I came out of the stairwell to your floor I was welcomed by a fist to the face. I nearly fell back down the stairs but I was able to regain my balance in time to avoid the fall. I dodged a second punch and wheeled into the hallway to get away from the stairs.

"The two men in black blocked any chance at getting to your apartment. They weren't the same two sitting in the car out front. I realized too late that Dalton had predicted my behavior and anticipated my arrival. Leaving the pair of men out front and keeping the others hidden, he just waited for me to enter the building and ambushed me. Behind the men I saw Dalton step around the corner smiling smugly.

"He called to me, told me to just come with them and we could put all this foolishness behind us. I forced myself to be silent, turning over options in my mind. I wanted to know what they'd put in your apartment, but it would have to wait. I quickly stooped and grabbed a plant sitting by your neighbor's door and threw it at the men. They scattered out of the way but stumbled into each other slightly and the pot caught one of the men on the shoulder. I wished it was a heavy clay pot instead of a simple plastic one.

"I didn't spend too much time regretting my available weapons. Instead, I whirled around and pulled open the door to the stairwell and started jumping down from floor to floor. I went down to the third floor and then stepped out onto the landing. After making sure it was clear, I sprinted down the hall and entered the stairwell at the other end of the building before going the rest of the way down. I figured Dalton would have the men from the car waiting for me to come down. I intended to disappoint them.

"I hit the ground floor running and slammed open the door to the street. Looking around the back of the building, I scanned for possible assailants waiting at the other stairwell. I saw a single man in black standing by the door. I smirked then turned to run the opposite direction….right into the waiting arms of another man in black standing beside Dalton. He knocked me to the ground and grabbed at my backpack. Once again I felt foolish. This time for bringing the books with me that I'd brought through time. In my paranoia, I had kept them with me at all times. Now that looked like it would be used against me.

"Dalton laughed and said I was too predictable. He asked the man, who he called James, to brush me off and escort me to the car. I continued to struggle but found it hard to get to my feet properly with James yanking on my backpack and constantly twisting my center of balance. I kicked out at his knee and felt him buckle and fall slightly. As he fell, he pulled me down as well, but I was able to get up quicker than he. I twisted out of his grasp, kicked at his body and felt my foot connect with his lower back. Then, I felt the tension release on the backpack and I raced away as quick as I could.

"As I reached the edge of the parking lot, I looked back. James was on his feet again, glaring at me. From the far end of the building, one of the other cronies was running towards me. I knew I had escaped, but my escape suddenly felt unsuccessful as I watched Walter Dalton walk to a point on the sidewalk and pick up a notebook. Carlisle's notebook. I reached around to my backpack and found it hanging partly open, flapping behind me. To my relief, your dream folder and our wedding album were still inside, but Carlisle's sketchbook had fallen out. Of the three, the sketchbook was most dangerous in Dalton's hands.

"Once again, I had no time to regret my situation. Dalton's cronies were rapidly approaching. I cut through the bushes, hopped on my bike and sped away. As I raced across town, I cursed myself under my breath. I'd made too many foolish mistakes and Dalton had anticipated them all. I decided it was time to do something unpredictable. I decided to seek you out and work with you to fix this. I knew Dalton wouldn't expect it. I was the one always trying to talk the group out of any contact with anyone in the past, particularly anyone close to us. I always warned them of rifts and paradoxes. If there was one thing Dalton wouldn't expect, it was for me to make contact with you.

"It took a few strange phone calls but I found out about a party and made sure Julie's boyfriend was invited and that he brought you along as well. And the rest...Well, the rest you know."

---

Gabby stared at Evan as he stopped talking. When she realized he was done, she tried to think of an appropriate response to everything he'd just told her. She raced back over what he'd said but found herself getting lost in all the details. Worse, she started to feel dizzy.

She tried to compartmentalize what he'd told her. He was from the future. He came from the future in a time machine that he'd built with her help. He knew her well because they were married. Their partner in building the time machine had gone crazy and killed another partner and was now trying to get to them. This crazy partner was the man who had kidnapped Julie.

Julie! Her fear for her friend suddenly resurfaced.

"We have to go get Julie!"

"Um. Yeah. Of course. We will get Julie. But first, we need…"

"First? What first? First we get Julie, then we deal with the rest of this!"

Now Evan stared at Gabby. After all he'd just told her, this was far from the response he'd expected. But then, as he thought about it, this was exactly what he should have expected. He smiled at Gabby's passion and her loyalty and courage to help her friends. He had no idea what, if anything, she believed from his story other than that Dalton was dangerous. Even if she didn't fully believe that, she knew enough to be worried about Julie and want to help. He reached out and cupped her cheek in his hand.

"Okay. We'll get Julie."

He leaned forward to kiss her. She pulled away slightly and instead of leaning to her lips, he raised his head and kissed her on the forehead. He felt his heart ache inside him. She still didn't trust him. Didn't believe him. For now, this was all he could hope for. He leaned back into the driver's seat and put the car in motion. A moment later they were back on the freeway. Evan glanced sideways at Gabby and thought on the many happy times they'd shared. He remembered their wedding day. Their honeymoon. Their walks on the beach. Their first Christmas together. They had been so close. And now they sat side by side like strangers. He wished he could change the way things were, but he knew it was safer to let her keep her distance.

"Hey! Why are you getting off here?" Gabby slapped him on the shoulder and craned her neck to look back up the freeway offramp.

"I've got to get my bike." He nodded towards the gas station beyond the intersection. Gabby pulled back her anger but said nothing. Instead of parking in front of the gas station, Evan pulled into the parking lot next door and parked in front of an insurance agency.

"Come on. We'll leave this car here and take my bike. Dalton won't expect it and it gives us more options to make a quick getaway if we have to."

Gabby looked unsure but then got out of the car and started walking across to where his motorcycle was parked next door. Then she stopped.

"Wait a minute. We can't fit Julie on your motorcycle with us. We need to take the car." She turned and started back to the car but he called after her.

"I already thought of that. We will take a car. But not Dalton's car. He'll recognize it in a second. Not only that, but he probably has a tracking device on it or something." At the mention of a tracking device, Gabby remembered her last instructions from Dalton. She put a hand into her pocket and felt the cell phone he had given her. 'Use the cell phone I provided….and I will arrive with my team to retrieve the device and secure your husband.'

"We'll take the bike and stash it just outside Dalton's home. Then we rescue Julie in the car he won't expect. We'll have Julie drive and then you and I will get out of the car and escape on the bike. Julie will head one way and we'll head the other. Dalton won't bother to chase both of us which will let Julie get away without any problem. You and I will have a harder run for it, but I've got an escape route in mind that should get us away safely."

Gabby listened but her mind was far away. In her pocket, her hands traced the outline of the cell phone.

"Gabby? What is it? I know it sounds risky, but it will work. I know it. Gabby?"

In silence, Gabby turned and walked back to the car. She opened the back door and looked on the floor of the back seat where she'd thrown the time device during her escape. She picked it up and set it on the trunk of the car. Looking up, Evan was walking over to her. When he saw the device, he slowed, a look of incredulity on his face.

"Where did you get that?" He asked as he stepped next to the car. Pulling the device closer to him, he pressed open a panel and turned a small dial. The top of the box opened and a number of lights flickered.

"How is this here?" He picked up the box and looked at it from every angle, tracing its markings with his fingers.

"Dalton had this. He had me look into it and see the future. Or at least what he said was the future. He told me I should get you to fix it. I didn't know what he meant. I didn't know what to believe. I still don't. But….but if this thing can show us the future, we can use it to look at his house. We can use it to make our plans. We can use it to save Julie."

Evan set the box back on the trunk of the car. Suddenly his own failures made sense. It was suddenly clear why it seemed like Dalton had anticipated his moves. It was because Dalton had seen his moves. He'd looked at them through the box. Dalton had watched to see when he would go to Gabby's apartment, where he would run, what he would do. But how had he gotten the box? There was no way Carlisle had built another one from scratch so soon.

Another thought hit him then. He pulled back the top panel and looked inside. A long gouge was scratched along the inside of the box. He turned it over and looked at the bottom. One of the corners had his initials etched into the metal. This wasn't a new box. This was the box he helped build last summer. Or rather, next summer. This was the box that was used to come back in time and kill Carlisle. When Evan had pulled Dalton through again, Dalton sought out this old box and used it to make his own plans.

"You're right Gabby. We can use this. We can use this to save Julie. But not here. We need to go somewhere safe to make our plans."

Gabby began to object, but stopped herself. She still wasn't sure if she trusted Evan. She wanted to, but the potential truth frightened her. Right now, her main goal was to find and save Julie. She put her hand into her pocket and fingered the cell phone again. Right now, the keys to Julie's safety were the box, and the man who could fix it. Without saying anything, she watched as Evan put the device into his backpack and walked back to his motorcycle. He handed her the backpack to wear and then motioned for her to climb up behind him.

Mmmmmmm.....yeah! Check out the vid...

UPDATE: The YouTube link was pulled down for copyright...changing the embed to "daily motion" hopefully it stays up a little longer


Pirates of the Caribbean 4 Trailer

When I read the synopsis for The Amulet of Samarkand, I was largely expecting another Harry Potter clone or something of the same general ilk. Within the first couple of chapters, I was pleasantly surprised to find that this book has plenty of unique qualities that set it apart from the current kids fantasy books I've read lately.

One of the first things I came to enjoy was the overall tone of the writing. The author has broken the story out into two main categories and alternates between them….The categories are the point of view and voice. One segment will be from the point of view of Bartimaeus, the very old, very talented, and very sarcastic djinn who has been summoned for what he suspects will be a menial task of an underage magician. The other segment is from the point of view of that underage magician, Nathaniel, who is young, somewhat naive as to the way things work in his society, and very passionate.

The alternating voices provide an engaging counterbalance in the story and also add tension and intrigue as we, the readers, learn things from one narrator that will potentially affect the other narrator who is currently "off stage."

The storyline is engaging as well. It takes place in a (presumably) contemporary England in which magic users are a sort of elite class. Unlike the Harry Potter world, magicians are not hiding from the non-magic-users. Instead, they are integrated into commerce, politics and other elements of society. There is a definite distinction between magic-users and non-magic-users, but the distinction is one of class and power rather than one of secrecy.

While the book/trilogy is named after Bartimaeus, the plot revolves around Nathaniel and the various events during his apprenticeship. He is apprenticed to a fairly inept and almost non-present master. Nathaniel has good teachers and a strong passion to learn, so he actually engages in his own self-paced learning by sneaking into his master's books and devouring all the knowledge he can.

At first this extra knowledge/talent looks like it will be a great boon for him when he is first introduced to other magicians. But after being put down, he seeks revenge through a fairly small prank for which he is punished. This punishment in turn increases his desire for revenge, and the downward spiral continues out of control (enter Bartimaeus, the Amulet from the title, murder, political intrigue, and more trouble than Nathaniel bargains for).

The writing style is smooth and easy to follow. I especially liked the Bartimeus segments for his snarky voice and hilarious footnotes. The plot is interesting and flowed nicely, revealing the nuances and tension bit by bit until the powder keg is ready to explode.

I really enjoyed this new take on the children/youth fantasy market. I am curious to see the direction the rest of the trilogy takes. I suspect it will be just as entertaining.


4 out of 5 stars

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Last weekend I took the kids to see Despicable Me. They begged to see it in 3D and I relented. First, I just want to comment that while the 3D animation was alright, it certainly didn't seem like anything to get overly excited about and I definitely didn't see it as being worth the extra $2 per ticket.

The movie was a lot of fun. The animation was well done. The writing/direction was funny. The voice acting was good. From a high level, the story was fairly normal and semi-predictable...think of a sort of high-tech, spy-vs-spy version of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." What set this apart from "Grinch" and "spy versus spy" was the quick paced humor coupled with creative scenes and clever writing.

The absolute 'over the top' nature of the villains and their goals (steal a pyramid, steal the moon, etc) illustrate the general tone of the movie. The characters are highly stylized charicatures. The environments, gadgets, effects are outrageous and fun. The general plot/story is fairly stereotypical but the way things play out is unique and entertaining.

This is not a wild and crazy action movie. It's also not a simple and fluffy kids cartoon. It's somewhere in between. It's thoughtful, humorous and a lot of fun. The exciting and crazy moments are just plain entertainment goodness. The tender moments are warm and kind.

In the end, this is just a fun movie that's entertaining for the whole family.  Gru was hilariously evil yet lovable.  The girls were great.  And the minions were a riot.  There wasn't anything scary or offensive.  Give it a whirl.


3.5 out of 5 stars

In the preface, Lewis suggests that this book is a sort of response to Blake's "Marriage of Heaven and Hell." Now, I haven't read that particular book, so I can't say how adequate this particular response is, but overall, I really enjoyed the themes, presentations and thoughts brought out in this book.

The basic premise is that Lewis finds himself in a strange gray town where he boards a bus with a number of other passengers. After a somewhat strange trip, he finds himself in a beautiful, but strange location. He follows some of the other passengers as they explore the new land and are met by the inhabitants. TO "spoil" the premise a bit, the "gray town" represents HELL and the shining land at the end of the bus ride represents HEAVEN. The passengers are ghosts who have taken a trip from Hell to Heaven...and as they are greeted by the brilliant beings in Heaven, we learn that the inhabitants from Hell are given the option of staying in Heaven. Naturally there are some rules in order to stay (they must give up remaining vices, pride, animosity and embrace the everpresent and all important love of God).

The book is broken into a series of vignettes as the narrator watches the behavior of the visitors from Hell and their interactions with Heaven and with the angels they find there.

At first, the narrator wanders alone through Heaven but after a time he encounters an angel who engages him in conversation. The remaining chapters then reminded me a bit of the interaction between Dante and Virgil while Dante wandered through the various levels of Hell/Inferno and made observations on the inhabitants there.

This book is another great example of Lewis's thoughtfulness and insight into religion, heaven, hell, God's love and other elements of Christianity. It's not as scholarly as "The Four Loves" and isn't as allegorical as his Narnia series. It's more akin to his work with Screwtape and shares many similarities. We are again shown examples of how the human mind gets caught up with pride, offense, lust, greed and other elements that hold us back from attaining our eternal potential. Where Screwtape is very tongue in cheek and has the humorous voice of a devil, Divorce is humorous at times but also has a certain sadness in its poignancy. In Screwtape we were distanced from the actual temptation and fall of humanity. Here we get to see individual humans who have fallen from Grace and (sadly) hold fast to their fallen state even while sitting on the borders of Heaven itself.

I really enjoyed this book. It had a lot of very thoughtful segments and passages. I found real examples in each of the character sketches he presented. There are a few points of religion on which I vary quite significantly from Lewis's proposal, but from a high level, I found this exploration very intriguing, well crafted and (although certainly a fiction) of the general feeling and spirit of the concepts of Heaven and Hell.

I want to share one particular passage really stuck with me in pointing out the importance of our own agency and choice:

"There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says, in the end, 'Thy will be done.' All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find. To those who knock it is opened."

In God's plan for us, He truly wants us ALL to return to Heaven to partake of His presence, but He will not force us. The choice is always ours. But He cannot modify the laws that dictate who may and may not enter Heaven and His presence. If we choose the path that takes us away from Heaven, that is our choice. He will present us opportunities again and again to repent of our choices and choose His path. But in the end, it is a matter of choices and the consequences of those choices.

I found this book very thoughtful, insightful and inspirational. It shows great insight into the human mind with relation to the eternal. It also does a great job of illustrating how our own failings may hold us back even if we don't acknowledge them.

Well worth reading.


4.5 stars out of 5

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Not much more to say about this other than...Awesome work guys!

My "Wednesday Writing" posts were initially created as a writing exercise for me to try and keep myself motivated and on track by making sure that I spend at least 30-60 minutes each week (with the follow-up goal to turn it into a daily writing practice).

Over the past few weeks, I've been continuing the same story with a single post each week. To help you catch up with this serialized story, you can use the following table of contents:

1. Morning Machinations
2. Communication Between Friends
3. Daydreaming Decisions
4. Off to the Park
5. Driven
6. Coming Home
7. Revealing Photographs
8. Just a Dream?
9. At the Tower
10. Caught
11. Revelations
12. Lunchtime
13. The Watch
14. Visions
15. Escape
16. Evan (part 1)

With these posts, I've tried to keep a general 'length.' Today's post is longer than my intended length. Part of it is that I couldn't decide on a good stopping point. Part of it is that I wanted to lay out a decent backstory without bogging down on too many details. I'm not really happy with the way this flowed and the break it makes from the core story. I'm also not real keen on the way I ended it this week.

Hopefully it still works out well for you and provides good info to continue on next week.

Critiques, suggestions, comments, etc. always welcome.

Enjoy.

---

"Bear with me as I try to bring you up to speed. I'm not sure how much you've already been told or suspect. There is some danger that what I tell you may have unintended results and further exacerbate the problems already underway. I will share as much as I feel is safe but will unfortunately have to keep certain things from you both for your own safety and the safety of the universe."

Evan glanced over at Gabby to gauge her reaction. She stared at him blankly. With all that had happened in the past two days, she was beyond much in terms of instant reaction. Her mind tried to process what he could possibly mean by 'the safety of the universe' but, unable to place the concept within any appropriate framework, she instead let the matter drop and tried to convince herself that he would either make things more clear or convince her that he, and thus everyone else she'd met recently, was entirely crazy. She nodded softly.

"I'm listening."

Evan cleared his throat and looked back out the front window.

"As I've already told you, my name is Evan. I was born in northern California. I'm the oldest of four kids. My family moved from California to Ohio when I was ten. It was quite a culture shock. Not finding the same range of activities in the midwest as I had on the coast, I dove into books. I passionately devoured science fiction from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

"After graduating High School, I spent a few years working odd jobs and traveling the U.S. trying to get a feel for the world and my place in it. I turned 20 and returned to Ohio to go to college. I did a double major in Electrical Engineering and Psychology. I just couldn't decide which field interested me more. I worked for an engineering firm for a couple of years and then moved out here to continue my studies. First I got a Masters and now I'm working towards a Doctorate in physics with an emphasis. I'll graduate next spring after presenting the findings of my rather mundane research project.

"While acting as a professor's aide this fall, I will meet and help tutor a lovely girl taking a general physics class."

"Wait. What do you mean, 'this fall'?" Evan looked over at Gabby. Instead of answering her question, he continued the story. He watched as her expression circled from confusion to curiosity to embarrassment and back to confusion again.

"While I'm tutoring this fall, I will meet this girl. Just before Thanksgiving break, I will ignore my inhibitions and ask her on a date. We will have a wonderful dinner followed by a carriage ride downtown through a light snowstorm and topped off by a quick stop in a cozy diner for a hot drink before going home. For the next 4 months, we will get to know each other through many other wonderful dates. Mid-spring, she will nobly suggest that we slow things down so I can work on finalizing my thesis. Instead of agreeing to this, I will propose marriage. "

"One of my professors and good friends, Dr. Walter Dalton, will happen to overhear one of our conversations and become intrigued. Dalton's particular interest is in the field of relativity. He has published a number of rather insightful experiments on the effects of gravitational time dilation, the relativity of simultaneity, and even attempts to create and analyze the existence of closed timeline curves using the Gödel metric." Evan noticed the growing confusion on Gabby's face.

"Sorry, most of that doesn't mean much of anything to you. Dalton is interested in how the theory of relativity can be used to explain, prove and actuate the reality of movement through special space-time geometries. In common terms, he wants to prove that time travel is possible. His published experiments validate much of what has discussed by people whose names you may recognize: Albert Einstein, Carl Sagan, Stephen Hawking as well as the work of many others whose names will be foreign to you.

"Dalton is passionate about time travel to the point of obsession. Many of the projects I will work on with him involve building devices he believes can dilate the fluidity of time and allow us glimpses into the past of future. I was skeptical of his claims and theories, but the devices he wants to build are so intricate and amazingly interesting that I will quickly be caught up in the excitement.

"As I said, Dalton will overhear a conversation between us. Between this girl and I. My wife and I. The conversation will involve a discussion about some dreams the girl has had off and on through her life. The dreams were filled with disorientation, swirling colors, images of herself and her family in strange situations. The dreams recurred frequently and with the same general feeling and presentation, but generally with different events happening to the people inside the dream.

"Dalton will interrupt our conversation to ask if she ever noticed any particular similarity in the flow or in the objects in the dream. Ga….er, the girl reveals a book and will show us drawings of her dreams. After some discussion, Dalton decides there is importance in certain elements of the dream. He identifies some key similarities but the one he focuses on most is a small silver box in the corner of a number of the pictures. He will recommend a book on lucid dreaming and controlling dreams and then asked her to come to him the next time he had the dream. More specifically, he will ask her to try and focus on the silver box and to describe it to him."

Evan paused and looked to Gabby again. Hints of confusion still hung at the corners of her eyes but her overarching expression was somewhere between curiosity and anxiety. He began to worry that he was saying too much and decided to skip ahead.

"Late next summer, Dalton will introduce me to a man named Thomas Carlisle who was an inventor of sorts and also heavily interested in time travel. Apparently, the two men were working through the intricacies of a device that would allow a person to actually look through time. As they talked more, both men became convinced that will a few modifications, they may even be able to take what they called spectral journey through time. But the concepts they were coming up with were beyond Carlisle's ability to construct. So they asked me to build a device based on his specifications.

"By next fall, we will have developed a device that allows us to peer through the windows of time. Looking into the past will be largely successful. Looking into the future has limited successes but we attribute the spotty nature of future-gazing to the extreme fluidity of the future. I will first amazed first at the mere fact that the device seems to be working then I will quickly become overwhelmed by the possibilities and responsibilities that come with the device. During use, the device is dangerously hot to the touch and emits a high pitched whir that gives us all headaches throughout the experiments. We also have to frequently replace bolts, belts, gears and other moving parts that quickly wear out. But otherwise, the device is a success.

"In spite of my reluctance and suggestions to the contrary, Dalton plans a date to conduct his first spectral journey. Based on his experiments, Dalton believes that the device will allow him to come through the device as a wraith, a non-physical being with no ability to influence the time his being will occupy. I will argue that the amount of energy required to even conduct the experiment is highly dangerous. I suggest that we first try to send inanimate objects or small animals through the device. He will argue that without the first hand report of a human mind, there will be no way to validate the true results of the experiment.

"And so it will be that on September 3rd of next year, Walter Dalton will become the first man to travel through the device. The results are different than anticipated. Dalton comes through the other side of the device not as a wraith as expected, but fully tangible and functional in the past. Our experiment sends him 1 day into the past. Carlisle and I watch through the device as Dalton navigates his office, writes on the chalkboard and leaves a note on his desk. I quickly run to the desk and find the note just as I observed it being written through the device. We tap a few buttons and bring him back to us. His excitement is overwhelming. Not only could he pass through time, but he could do so as an active participant.

"Over the coming weeks, we will conduct many more experiments and attempt to travel farther and farther through time. Each of us takes a turn. When I first experience passing through the device, I am amazed at the exhilaration of it. I am left with a feeling of utter euphoria. But I also begin to feel twinges of fear at the repercussions of this device.

"On October 12, Carlisle will announce his desire to push the limits beyond anything we've tried before. To that point, our voyages are limited to trips of no more than a few weeks. Carlisle tells us that he wants to travel ten years in the past and call his father who died ten years ago. He wants to have the conversation he's always regretted postponing.

"Dalton and I watch through the portal as Carlisle is sent spinning and reeling. We watch as his body plummets through a formless void filled with swirling clouds of green, orange, purple and blue. We watch in horror as his arms flail and he hangs, hovering in an empty space, but will all appearance of falling. We begin to worry that we've gone to far. That Carlisle will be lost to us.

"Then, abruptly, we see Carlisle sitting on a sofa. Only it isn't Carlisle. Or at least, it isn't the Carlisle we know. Squinting and twisting my face, I am able to make out general features that I know to be his. I see his square nose. His pale green eyes. The scar on the back of his left hand. Missing are the heavy wrinkles of a struggling inventor. In place of his thinning dirty grey hair is a thick mop of curly brown hair. I realize that I am looking at Carlisle the way he existed ten years ago.

"After a few moments, Carlisle recovers from the shock of his voyage and we watch as he moves to the phone and dials up his father. He talks to his father about the past. About missed opportunities. And about how much he loves and admires him. Then, he returns to the sofa and stares directly at us. I know he can't see us, but having him stare through the device at me is unnerving. Especially with the new face of youth.

"Dalton flips the switch and pulls Carlisle back through the device. Once again, the voyage is longer than our previous experiments, but successful. With another few similar tests we determine that the length of the fall in the device is proportionate to the distance to be traveled. More importantly, we learn that when we voyage through time, we arrive in the place of ourselves as we were at the instant we arrive. Dalton theorizes that this would prohibit travel to times before we were born and he also suggests that travel to the future is dangerous as we never know when we might die. Still, he is curious to know what would happen if we were to travel to a time where we do not already exist, either past or present."

Evan pauses again and looks to Gabby. She returns his gaze, no idea what she can say or even if he expects her to say anything. For the past few minutes, she has heard the unbelievable. She has been told that this man sitting before her, along with another pair of men and, presumably her own future self, will invent a machine that allows people to travel through time. The thought is both mind boggling and unbelievable. She opens her mouth to speak, then closes it again. She starts to talk again and closes her mouth again. Too many thoughts are flying through her brain. She can't formulate a single question or comment. Evan watches a moment more in silence, then continues.

"So. Next winter, we approach a number of firms with proposals for funding. We keep our findings entirely secret and only reveal a portion of the theories that lead to our success. Most of the companies will laugh us out of their buildings. But finally, on November 17, we meet with a firm willing to advance us a significant sum and provide us with a state of the art laboratory. We use our new wealth to further tune the existing device which by now is beginning to show look frazzled due to the inexperience and inexpensive materials used to create it.

"By mid-December, we will have created a very elegant, very beautiful device. Using the same schematics, we replicate our work and create three individual devices. We are able to dramatically reduce the power requirements as well as eliminate a number of annoying side effects such as static discharge and an aftertaste of tinfoil after a voyage. With improvements in materials and construction, we also find that the device functions at a lower temperature. It is actually cool to the touch. Because of this, one of our subsequent experiments will lead to a new discovery.

"As Dalton travels through the device to purchase some strange candy bar long since discontinued, he accidentally touches the device while leaning forward to enter the time stream. As he does so, the device vanishes in front of Carlisle and myself. We frantically power on the other two devices and focus their view on Dalton's destination. We find him staring dumbounded at the device in his hand. We then watch as he twists the dials and falls through the device again. The device disappears from his hand and the Dalton we now watch shakes his head in confusion and then wanders out of the room.

"A few minutes later, Dalton appears in the room holding the device in his hand. He reveals that he has conducted four voyages since he left the room. In each case, he carried the device with him and was able to look through it to times past and future. He announces that this is our greatest discovery since we built the device. He proposes that if we can carry objects to and from the past, the possibilities open to us have expanded exponentially. Grinning, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out the candy bar he had traveled to the past to eat."

Gabby, by now, had heard too much without hearing what she really wanted to know.

"OK. So, to sum up, you and your professor and inventor friend built a time machine. And then he used it to go back and get a candy bar?" Gabby's incredulity was straining behind the desire to laugh. Evan started to reply but then Gabby continued.

"I'm sorry. This whole story is interesting and all, but it's just crazy. And it doesn't do anything to explain to my why you people are doing what you're doing. What does this have to do with me? Why has this Dalton guy kidnapped Julie? And how am I supposed to get her free?" Gabby realized she was yelling and breathing heavy. She forced herself to calm down by glaring at Evan. He took a deep breath before answering.

"I see what you're saying. I just got caught up in sharing the story with you. I've missed talking with you Gabby. I've been her, in this time, for nearly a month. And all that time, I've had to stay away from you. You have no idea how hard it is to be so close to the person you love more than anything and to know that you shouldn't talk to her. That you can't talk to her."

His soft brown eyes grew softer as they filled with compassion and longing. Gabby felt their warmth. Her face and hands began to get warm. Evan smiled gently at put his hand on her knee. He started to lean forward which made Gabby's cheeks even hotter. She quickly leaned back and covered her face with her hands then shook her head to clear it and stared into his face, willing down the warmth growing inside her.

"Ok. So let's assume for a minute that you've made a time machine. That what you're saying is true. That you and I…that you and I are married. That still doesn't explain why you're hear or what Dalton wants."

Evan's smile faded slightly. He took his hand off her knee and his eyes turned cold and serious.

"You're right. I'm here to stop Dalton." He closed his eyes and shook his head before continuing.

"After Dalton carried the device on the voyage, he quickly realized the greater potential. He saw the immense power he could wield and he began making plans. Carlisle and I tried to reason with him, to force him to take it slow and avoid possible paradoxes, none of which we had really explored before. He turned paranoid. Delusional. He shut us out. We thought he would shake it off. Come to his senses. But then one day, Carlisle disappeared. I searched all over for him but couldn't find him anywhere.

"As I did an Internet search for him, I finally found him. Or rather, I found an article about him. In a small column, a community paper thanked his family for the kind donation he had made to their local park. Included with the article was a picture of Carlisle and an image of a plaque at the park dedicating the playground to Thomas Carlisle. The plaque included his birth date and his death date. Carlisle is found dead in his home next week."

Evan looked up as Gabby's faced turned from curiosity to fear. She started to ask something but Evan cut her off.

"I knew immediately that I had to do something, and do it quick or both you and I would likely share the same fate. I called your cell and our home phone but there was no answer. I raced home as fast as I could but the house was empty. I tried to think what I should do. What I could do. Then the phone rang. It was Dalton. He said that he wanted me to help him. He wanted me to build him another set of devices and to help him come up with a way to mass produce them. He said he had a team in place that he wanted me to train.

"I fought down the desire to threaten him. To tell him what I knew about Carlisle, but I knew that would just be signing my own death warrant. I wondered what it would feel like to be killed a year in the past. I then realized the potential danger in such actions and wondered what sort of problems Dalton may have already caused. I calmly tried to explain my hesitance to help him and my fear that he was tampering with forces that could destroy us all. He told me that was what my wife had said I would say.

"I felt my stomach fall through the floor and my mouth turn dry as salt. I mumbled something incoherent but somehow he knew what I was thinking. He explained that you were at the lab. That you were his guest until I agree to help him. This time, I couldn't fight down the urge to scream. I yelled at him through the phone. I threatened him. I told him that I would make him regret this through his entire life, past, present and future.

"He just laughed and told me to be at the lab within the hour if I wanted to see you safe. Reluctantly, I went. Under armed guard, I was forced to show some of the non-documented techniques used while creating the devices. I worked under his suggestion to modify the power coupling to be more efficient and better insulated. As I worked, I noticed that the diagrams I was working from were different than before. The were elegant and sophisticated. The lines were clean and deliberate. The schema I held in my hands were not the work of Thomas Carlisle. Pretending to be comparing my new model to the old model, I pressed a few buttons on an existing device. Instead of whirring to life, the device sat silent and still.

"That was why Dalton needed my help. He had killed Carlisle prematurely. He had created his own paradox. He had killed the inventor of the time machine and in so doing, had broken the machine. I wondered how he had managed to return to the present with a broken device. I wondered what he planned to do once I gave him a device that worked. For the next 24 hours, I worked as slowly as I could, trying to come up with some sort of plan. I was allowed to see you through a surveillance camera but was never shown where you were being held and never allowed to talk to you.

"Finally, I came up with a plan. I would fix the device. I had already determined the deficiencies and knew I could make it work. I decided that I would fix the device but before handing it over to Dalton, I would use it myself to escape to the past. I would return to a time before Carlisle was killed. I would watch for Dalton to arrive in the past and would intercept him before he could kill Carlisle. I wasn't sure exactly when Dalton had gone back to kill Carlisle and I also needed to make sure I had plenty of time to get in position, so I planned to return one month before Carlisle was killed.

"My biggest risk was that Dalton and his men would grab me or the device before I could enter it. I had to speed up the process of the time voyage. I made a few adjustments and dramatically increased the power. Dalton seemed to suspect I would try something as he increased the guards around me while I worked. He also made sure that whenever he left the room I was forced to stop working. He wanted to be present for every screw I turned, every bolt I fastened, every wire I soldered.

"It took nearly a week, but I was finally ready. I had convinced Dalton that I needed to see Carlisle's schematics and your dream book in order to finish my work. He was obviously skeptical, but he allowed me to place the two books on the table as I worked. The schematic book was obviously not Carlisle's work, but it was an adequate reconstruction from someone's memory. I kept the books close, scanning their images and working through my plan. I knew that once I went back in time, there was a possibility that Dalton might still do something to cause my own device would stop working properly. In such a case, I would need the ability to recreate the device in order to stop Dalton. Having the books with me would give me that advantage.

"With each passing hour, Dalton grew more anxious for me to complete my work and more paranoid that I was stalling. He was partially right. The changes I had made were untested and I was nervous to be the first one through the device. I was trying to take as much time as I could to make sure everything was right. But it was evident from Dalton's mannerisms, that I was running out of time and trying his patience.

"So, six days after first entering Dalton's lab, I decided it was time to act. I methodically tinkered with the device, pulling the books close and poring over the images. I casually watched the armed guards mill around me. I gritted my teeth as I watched Dalton strut around the lab. Then, I pressed the button."

If you've read my previous reviews, you'll know that I've been enjoying the Percy Jackson series. I keep worrying that it may start ebbing downward in terms of entertainment/enjoyability/etc but in this third book in the series, Riordan keeps the momentum and excitement going strong. I'll try to keep spoilers to a minimum here but I will assume some familiarity with the Percy Jackson series in general. If you haven't read them yet, you should start with Lightning Thief and work your way through the series. The author does a good job of bringing you up to speed and each book stands on its own, but personally I think it's worthwhile to start at the beginning and follow the adventure through.

Titan's Curse opens with a pretty good teaser adventure to start things off. Percy and his friends are off to recruit some new half-bloods to the camp. Naturally a bit of danger comes along with it. I actually liked this element a little more than the "attack at Percy's school" from the previous book, mainly because it shows Percy's growth as a character in that he's now being entrusted with the task of helping bring in more half-bloods. This initial adventure ends with a mix of success and disaster and becomes part of the impetus for the main quest in the book.

I have mixed feelings on the character and plot dynamics in this adventure. The general plot reminded me a little of the first book in that it was a sort of "journey" quest to take our heroes cross-country in search of a particular person. They encountered different challenges along the way, but the main form felt a little reused. I was also bummed to have very little Annabeth in this book. I really liked the way she and Percy interacted and wanted to see more. Still, it was cool to get to know Thalia a bit better and find out more about her (although by the end of the book, I'm left wondering what her future involvement will be).

Overall, the adventures and the mythology were a lot of fun. Very well written and researched. I really liked the villains in this particular book. They were a lot of fun and provided some cool new tension. The story also opened up new information for the overarching plot of the series (in terms of details on the main prophecy as well as some new curve balls into how it will play out).

I'm still really enjoying this series and look forward to the final couple of books to see what's going to happen. So far, the series is still staying at the "young adult" / "middle readers" reading level rather than increasing in depth and intensity. They are becoming more complex, but not with leaps and bounds by grade/age level. Personally I kind of prefer it that way. For kids who are reading these books as they come out, it would make sense to have the reading level step up with each book because the kids will naturally get older. I felt like the Harry Potter series made a few leaps in complexity/depth that felt a little out of place. With Percy Jackson, I think it's still possible for a kid to read the whole series (I'm making assumptions about the last books) without having to mature a few years while waiting publication of the next book. At the same time, there is enough depth and adventure to keep older kids (and even adults) engaged enough.

Once again, another great book in a fun series. Give it a try. :)


4 out of 5 stars

View all my reviews

Jon Paul over at Sky Meets Ground found and posted this cool little web app over at the "I Write Like" blog. The app prompts you to paste in a chunk of your writing and then it analyzes the writing against a database of famous authors. There's no indication as to how the analysis happens...I suspect it's a combination of sentence and paragraph length/structure, dialog versus scene, adverb/adjective usage, and other word frequency. Still, it would be cool to have a peek at the criteria. :)

In any case, I ran the analyzer against a number of my "Wednesday Writings" posts starting with the first few stand alone stories and then pulling chunks from my ongoing story that I've been working on over the past few weeks.

The results were varied and kind of interesting. Here's who the analyzer suggested my writing is like:

How about you? Who do you write like?

My "Wednesday Writing" posts were initially created as a writing exercise for me to try and keep myself motivated and on track by making sure that I spend at least 30-60 minutes each week (with the follow-up goal to turn it into a daily writing practice).

Over the past few weeks, I've been continuing the same story with a single post each week. To help you catch up with this serialized story, you can use the following table of contents:

1. Morning Machinations
2. Communication Between Friends
3. Daydreaming Decisions
4. Off to the Park
5. Driven
6. Coming Home
7. Revealing Photographs
8. Just a Dream?
9. At the Tower
10. Caught
11. Revelations
12. Lunchtime
13. The Watch
14. Visions
15. Escape

Critiques, suggestions, comments, etc. always welcome.

Enjoy.

---

Gabby reflected on recent events as she flew down the freeway hardly conscious of the other cars on the road. She kept returning to the image of James's bloody hand clutching his stomach. The sound of the gunshots still echoed in her mind. The thought that she had actually shot someone terrified her. Even in the practice sessions of her self-defense course, she had flinched at the idea of actually hitting or hurting anyone. Her instructor had done his best to help her realize that violence for the sake of self-preservation was acceptable, but the pacifist inside her still winced at the idea that she had hurt someone.

As the next sign passed, she found she was nearly thirty miles from her apartment. Dalton's instructions had suggested going there to meet up with her husband and win his trust and his help. She glanced in her rear view mirror and saw the motorcycle keeping pace with her a few car lengths back. She couldn't see the man's face through the visor of the black helmet, but she was certain it was Evan.

Her mind flashed through images of the past few days. The strangely attractive man at the party. A vague recollection of kissing him in the back seat on the way home. Talking with him in her daydream. Following him up a winding mountain road. And then watching as he whipped his motorcycle around and disappeared in a cloud of dust leaving her stranded on the mountain with no explanation. She remembered her frustration and confusion as he drove away.

Even though she couldn't explain their relationship or understand the connection, she truly felt as though they belonged together. She felt an underlying pull to him and thought he felt the same way. She'd never been in love before, not really, but that was the only way she could explain her feelings towards him. But then, watching him abandon her high in the mountains and then with the revelations from Dalton, she wasn't sure what to think.

Then she thought of Julie and was spurred to action. As the next exit approached, she signaled and slowly moved down the offramp. A red light stopped her and she glanced back. A dusty red van had exited right behind her but through her side mirror she could see the motorcycle idling patiently behind the van. She turned into a gas station and pulled between a pair of cars into an empty parking spot directly in front of the glass doors. Whatever confrontation was about to happen, she wanted to be sure there were plenty of witnesses. She didn't know who to trust but she was tired of taking chances and following instructions blindly.

She closed her eyes and sighed briefly then looked around to see where the motorcyclist had gone. She found him parking his bike in a spot at the north end of the lot. He stepped off the motorcycle and pulled off his helmet. Gabby's heart started beating faster and her skin grew warm. She watched as he smoothed his short, curly hair, messed up from the helmet. A soft stubble had started to grow along his jawline and gave his powerful face even more distinction. While she stared, his brown eyes raised and met her own eyes. A shudder flew over Abby's body and she blushed softly as his lips became a soft, gentle smile. He titled his head to the side, nodded at the door to the gas station then winked, and went inside.

Gabby sat clutching the steering wheel. She watched Evan calmly walk through the glass doors and begin to wander between the candy bars, magazines and air fresheners lining the aisles. She couldn't take her eyes off him but he didn't look at her. He scanned the shelves as though searching for something but not finding it. Finally, Gabby turned off the car and walked inside.

Somehow between the car and the door to the store, Gabby lost site of Evan. She scanned the rows intently but couldn't find him anywhere. She walked to the back of the store to start methodically working her way forward when she felt a hand on her shoulder. He didn't grab her or hold her forcibly, but Gabby jumped in spite of herself and wheeled on her heels to confront Evan, her own arm raised ready to strike out at him. As soon as her eyes met his, all anger and fear melted away. She felt her body slump slightly and her muscles grew momentarily limp. She actually stumbled slightly and Evan quickly reached out his other arm to steady her. When she straightened up, he smiled at her and waited.

Gabby returned his gaze. She'd gotten off the freeway and come to the gas station preparing for a confrontation with Evan. Now that she stood face to face with him, she wasn't sure what to do next. She stared at his gorgeous brown eyes for what felt like forever. The air around her grew thin and her vision started to fade. She felt dizzy again and shuffled away from his hands to lean against a nearby counter and support herself. As she reached the counter, the world started to spin violently and everything around her started to blur. She heard Evan start to speak to her, but his voice was hollow and distant and his words made no sense. Then, everything went black.




Gabby felt the blackness surround her and she began walking. There was no sense of direction or location, but she felt she needed to keep moving. In the distance, she saw a light and a hint of people moving around. She started running towards the light but it seemed to stay just as far away. Then at the edges of her sight, she felt light growing but as she turned her head to the left or the right, the light moved away from her staying just out of reach. A soft rumbling of noise came next, unintelligible and soft but growing in volume. As the sound increased, the light from her sides increased in intensity and slowly worked its way around until a dull light hung all around her. The sounds slowly turned into voices.

"Gabrielle? Gabrielle?"

"Is she ok?"

"What happened?"

"Does she need an ambulance?"

"Gabrielle?"

"Did anybody see what happened?"

"Get some water?"

"Gabrielle? Can you hear me?"

The dark patches in the light slowly took on form until Gabby recognized Evan hovering over her along with handful of other shoppers and a cashier in a red and white polo shirt with a terrified frazzled look on her face. Gabby looked around to find herself sitting on the floor next to the drink fountain. Two of the onlookers, a pair of teenage boys with tons of piercings and spiky hair, nudged each other and then walked to the front of the store grinning and mumbling something to each other.

"Are you alright dear?" The cashier held out a small plastic cup filled with ice water. Gabby took the cup without thinking and swallowed a sip. She still felt a little lightheaded. Had she really just passed out? She'd never done that before. The feeling of having been unconscious in this place sent shivers of embarrassment and fear over her. Goosebumps popped up on her arms and she shuddered involuntarily.

"She'll be fine. I'll just get her a little something to eat and some fresh air." Evan wrapped his arm around Gabby's back, placing her arm over his shoulders, and stood slowly but fluidly bringing her to her feet. She still felt dazed but she leaned her head against his shoulder and let him hold her steady. The cashier twisted a strand of her silver-grey hair, still looking uneasily at Gabby. She opened her mouth to say something but Evan beat her to it.

"Come on hon. Let's get you out to the car and get you home."

He slowly walked to the door. One of the teenage boys pushed it open and let them pass. Gabby heard the boy stifle a laugh as she passed. She lifted her head to turn and chew the boy out but as she did, her head began to spin again so she let it fall back to Evan's shoulder. He led her to her car and slowly lowered her into the passenger seat then walked around and climbed into the driver's seat. He felt around momentarily for the keys then slid his fingers gently into Gabby's pocket and pulled them out. As she felt his fingers slide across her leg Gabby felt her body shudder again. She inched herself slightly away from him but at the same time, she felt her heart beat faster and her palms get warm.

"Sorry. Just getting the keys." He smiled at her as he started the car up and pulled back out onto the road. As they drove Gabby just stared wordlessly at him. He felt so familiar. So safe. So right. But she also felt scared and unsure. She squirmed in her seat and struggled to sit up straighter. As she did, Evan turned them into a parking lot in front of some plain office building. He found an empty spot near the building entrance and put the car into park then turned and faced Gabby.

He slowly put his hands forward, moving slowly, deliberately as though approaching a frightened puppy. Like a frightened puppy, Gabby pulled back slightly then tilted her head, curious as to his intent. He curled the fingers of his right hand and lightly brushed her left cheek, softly sliding stray hairs back off her face and tucking them behind her ear. With his other hand, he cupped her jaw softly and tilted her head to face him.

"Gabrielle. I know these past few days have been crazy for you. I'm sure you are confused and a little scared. You probably don't know what to think or what to believe. I should have come to you sooner. Confided in you. Helped you understand what's going on. I fear my hesitance has caused you pain. I will work to atone for that now. I will help fix the problems that I should have prevented in the first place. The rules we put in place are there to prevent interaction like this. But we are beyond the rules. I should have seen that sooner. I should have been there to help you. To protect you. Please forgive me."

Gabby kept her eyes set on his face as he spoke. She watched as his mouth formed each word. She saw the sympathy and remorse in his eyes. She felt his fingers softly caress her cheek as he spoke. Inside her, she felt a desire growing to lean forward and bury herself in his chest. To let him hold her tightly against him and block the world away. She wanted the comfort he was trying to offer. Her body ached for reassurance. For protection. She started to lean towards him then pulled back and pressed his hand off her cheek.

"I….I don't know you Evan. I want to…I need….I don't know who you are." She forced herself not to cry but her voice cracked softly as she spoke. She leaned away from him, pressing her back against the car door and staring at him. A veil of sadness fell over Evan's face and he pulled back away from her, still staring intently at her eyes.

"I know. I'm sorry. I understand. I didn't realize how hard this would be. Please, give me a moment to explain. And then I hope you will allow me to help protect you. To save you."

Evan and Gabby stared silently at each other for a moment, then he turned and stared out the front windshield and laid his hands lightly on the steering wheel. Clearing his throat, he spoke again.