Arthur muttered, “So, ‘visit Narnia with Lucy…’ Do we need to put our brains together on that, or do you already have a good idea of what it means?”

           “Yeah, pretty sure I do. Lucy only asked me to keep a few things of her own in here, the biggest of which is this plastic dollhouse from the early 90s she loved so much. Now where…” He looked around, and spotted the closed-up manor on a corner shelf, at shoulder height. “She should really give this to Sally before she gets any older.”

           The others leaned in as he went to the dollhouse and opened it up, revealing its two floors and the six-member plastic family entombed inside. In the master bedroom was a wardrobe, as tall as the smiling mom and dad. Wes took a deep breath and pried open its door with a fingernail. A small tin jewelry box that just barely fit inside fell onto the bedroom floor, which he took out and then shined his phone light upon.

           He read aloud the words inscribed with a Sharpie, “‘If you open, there’s no going back.’ Huh…” He gave it a rattle. “Well, we’ve come this far. Can’t have an anticlimax.”

           Inside was a rock. More accurately, a dull, foggy quartz of an impressive size, but which was otherwise unremarkable. Wes dropped it into his hand and studied it.

           “Um…” Jared murmured. “Why did you hide away… an ‘emergency crystal?’”

           “I… I don’t know,” Wes said and pocketed it. “But maybe we can find out.”

           “This is delicious, Sadie,” Colin said and went for seconds on the roast. “Your cooking tastes just like what your mom made us the few times we had dinner there.”

           “She’s still the best cook in the neighborhood, as much as I try,” Sadie replied, as Wes continued to fidget with something in his pocket. “You guys have fun today?”

           “You bet,” Arthur stated. “Hey, Warren, if they bring back SiliCon next year, you should go. With your dad, if we’re not around. You might like it.”

           “I’m not big into computers,” Warren sighed, after swallowing a bunch of food. “It’s not like I think they’re just for nerds, but I only have a laptop, and I barely use it.”

           “But you’ll probably like the old games on display,” Jared added from the end of the table. “You like the vintage games part of the toy museum downtown, don’t you?”

           “I guess… Though I don’t really like crowds, either. Dad! You got a text.”

           “Huh?” Wes snapped out of a pensive trance. He released the crystal in his grip and tapped the screen of his iPhone. The message was concerning. “Ah, damn it.”

           “Daddy, no swearing at the table,” Sally flatly scolded him.

           Sadie asked, “What is it, Wes? It can’t possibly be work-related this time.”

           He grumbled, “It’s Lucy. Jace still hasn’t come home.” He thought for another second, then jolted out of his chair, leaving half a meal. “Well, I can’t let Luce worry. I’ll get in the car and drive around. This is something I’d expect from Warren.”

           “Hey, no fair,” Warren muttered. “I missed curfew one time, and it was Chad’s fault. Jace is smart, and Laurie is… diligent. They probably just lost track of time somewhere. Also, if you’re leaving all that food behind, don’t expect leftovers.”

           Wes sent Colin, Jared, and Arthur a signal with just his eyes, and the three rather begrudgingly got up as well, cutting their dinners a bit short. Still, they had gotten more than enough, and thanked Sadie for the fine meal on their way out the door.

           “Geez, Dad. You have an entire search party,” Warren, already poking at his dad’s chunk of beef with a fork, remarked. “Check Austin’s place first—they have crappy wi-fi, and it’s a cell dead zone. Oh, and ask if we’re still on for gaming tonight.”

           “Be nice when you find him,” Sadie called out as the gang headed out the door.

           “Wes, do you really need all of us to look for a couple teens?” Colin wondered.

           “We’re not; we’re going to Millie’s,” Wes said, unlocking his car once they hit the driveway. “I don’t know what’s going on… but I just had the strangest idea.”

           Back near the downtown core again, Wes parallel parked in front of the modern and tall apartment building where Millie lived. He knew he needed to get his friends more on his side before coaxing them into possibly breaking and entering.

           “This is Millie’s place… I used to think how she could possibly afford the rent, but now, I…” Wes exhaled and turned to face Arthur and Jared in the back. “Guys, I don’t want to say too much about my crazy theory right away. Still, don’t forget that the safe note mentioned her. She ‘knows the rest.’ I think if she sees the weird crystal…”

           “Wes, we’re used to you saying crazy things, so try us,” Jared replied.

           “I mean, she could be home, right?” Arthur added. “We see her, show her the quartz, and maybe she tells you it’ll heal your chakra or something. Then we go back to Desert Tree, find the kids, and play some Jackbox. But, yeah, tell us what’s up first.”

           “What if… Jason got into some sort of trouble back in 1998, and that’s why we never saw him again? I mean, who can say for sure what he and his… weird dad were running from. I don’t know what happened to him, or why his text was either insanely delayed or actually scheduled to arrive today, but if he says Millie may have answers…”

           “But if he needed our help over twenty years ago, Wes…” Colin murmured.

           “The whole thing is bizarre, I get it. I wish I could say more about what I got going on in my head. It’s just… N-never mind. Arthur, we might need your help here.”

           Arthur looked at Wes like he had no idea what he was talking about, but got out of the car with the others nonetheless. They proceeded into the immaculate lobby with slate floor tiles and a fake waterfall, and Wes led the way to the reception desk, where an older woman was watching TV on her phone that was propped up against a book.

           “Good evening,” she said and took out her single Air Pod. “Can I help you?”

           “Ah, we’re friends of Millie Vanbusen,” Wes said. “We haven’t seen her in a long while, and I was hoping we could… go up to her unit, or, like… meet her down here?”

           “Oh, Ms. Vanbusen? Hold on, I’ll try buzzing her.” She pressed one of the many resident call buttons, and waited for a response. After several seconds, she replied, “I’m sorry, she doesn’t seem to be home, or isn’t… answering.” After a beat, she leaned closer and spoke candidly, “To tell you the truth, I wasn’t even sure she had any friends. I haven’t seen her come in or out of the building in quite some time, either. I assume she’s on an extended vacation or something; she’s still keeping up on her rent.”

           Feeling pressured by his buds, Arthur let out a sigh, then stepped up and took out his wallet to flash a special ID card. “Ma’am, sorry to bother you, but I work for the government, and there’s an active investigation involving Ms. Vanbusen. Me and my… associates need to take a quick look at her unit. It’s a matter of… uh, national security.”

           “Oh, my! Is she in some sort of trouble? I just knew there was an explanation for her odd behavior. Well, I don’t want to know or be involved. Here’s a copy of her room card.” She handed over chipped plastic. “Number 605. Please, try to keep things quiet. I wouldn’t want to scare the other tenants.” She added in a nervous whisper, “We’ve already received numerous… comments about her… ‘aloof’ behavior.”

           “Thank you for your cooperation,” Arthur replied with a pleasant smile.

           They hurried over to the elevator, and only exhaled once the doors closed and they were going up to the sixth floor, with Jared remarking, “Good job, Arty…”

           “I can’t believe that worked,” he huffed. “But here I am, acting like this is some kind of critical concern, when it could all be a lot of nothing. You owe me, Wes.”

           “Millie has to have some answers,” Wes shakily reaffirmed.

           Like most modern apartment buildings, the floor hallway was plain, very quiet, and only featured gray carpet and white walls. They went to Millie’s door, Arthur giving it a knock but only waiting a few seconds before swiping the card over its receiver. It unlocked with a click, and he slowly pushed his way into a lightless apartment.

           Wes spoke up, not too loudly, “Millie? Are you in here? Hey, it’s your old friends, a little worried about you.” He sniffed. “The air seems a bit… uncirculated.”

           The four slipped inside, softly closed the door behind them, and looked at the row of light switches, but wordlessly decided to keep the room dark, illuminated only by the other city buildings in the window—and the glow of a bulb from the bathroom, its door opened just a crack. No noise was coming from inside, so they made it their first stop. As if he really were in an investigation, Arthur opened the door cautiously and with his sleeve, as to not leave any prints. But they only found a typical small bathroom, clean and nearly empty of supplies; no bottles of shampoo, no tube of toothpaste.

           “It does look like she hasn’t been here in a while,” Colin murmured. “But why’d she leave the light on? Hm… What’s this?” He picked up a bottle by a small tipped-over trash can. “Contact lens cleaner, empty. Looks like she was rummaging… But why?”

           “You’re making this out to be some huge mystery, Colin,” Jared said as he hit the light and they left the bathroom. “I’m sure she keeps any devices and computers still here locked down, but if we look around, maybe we’ll find something about the crystal.”

           “This apartment is so bare-bones. Personality wise, I mean,” Wes noted, while taking in the sight of the darkened living room and the twilight cityscape outside. “No pictures on the walls, no trinkets or memorabilia lying around… We really should’a been nicer and more inclusive with her growing up. She did join our circle in the end, but maybe we never stopped seeing her as the socially-awkward creepy spy at DTE.”

           “You can’t put it all on us,” Arthur argued. “We invited her to plenty of our get-togethers and let her hang… around us, but she never really opened up.”

           “Yeah, I guess. It’s just that it hasn’t changed much, either. She helps us out and watches over the kids sometimes, but even now, she is still a bit aloof.” He went quiet when they heard the sound of papers hitting the nearby bedroom’s carpet. “Huh?”

           They tuned their ears to the next room over, and heard some angry mumblings like, “All this effort, and I still miss details,” and, “I’ll be lucky if I have even one more shot at getting this right…” Among other subdued esoteric ravings.

           Things were silent for a few moments, but then the door suddenly tore open. A very on edge Millie with messy hair stopped mid-step in the doorway, where she stared at the group and attempted to hide her anxiety by trying overly hard to compose herself.

           “Um… Millie?” Wes spoke up. “You doing okay? Sorry about breaking in, but… Look, the guys are in town, and we decided to check on you. Wanna, like… chill out?”

           “What?” she snapped. “I, uh… I can’t talk right now. Sorry, I gotta get going. Why am I even apologizing? I didn’t invite you guys over. Get out. I’m… busy.”

           “We can help, if you’re in a bad place or something like that,” Colin offered.

           “I don’t need your help. What I need to do is leave.” She checked her watch. “I’m almost out of time. They always show up right at… Will you guys just go away?”

           “Who’s after you?” Arthur asked her. “I may be able to get them off your back.”

           “Grrr…” Millie glowered at them—and took out a crystal remarkably like the one Wes had found. Hers was glowing a very dull blue, only noticeable thanks to the low light. “You know what? It doesn’t matter. I don’t care if you see a magic trick. Bye. Out of here.” They watched her squeeze the quartz, repeatedly. “I said… Come on! Work!”

           Arthur, Jared, and Colin looked borderline scared by Millie’s behavior, but Wes put on a brave face and took a step closer, taking out his own crystal on the way.

           “I’m sure it’s tough, whatever you’re going through. I’ve had times like that, too. But it looks like… you also have one of these things.” He held up his quartz. “So… you must know what they are, right? Why would I hide it away? What can it do?”

           Millie stared at the object, a sly grin appearing on her face. But then she scowled and asked, “You went through the front door, didn’t you? You tripped the security.”

           “Uh. How else were we supposed to get in? I don’t hear any alarms…”

           “The cops probably aren’t the only ones about to converge on this place now…” She mumbled something quietly, and sighed. “Whatever. I’ll still get it right this time.”

           Without warning, she snatched the crystal from Wes’ hand in a swift motion and pressed on its surface tightly. Within a couple of seconds, it too began to glow blue.

           “Hey!” Wes exclaimed. “That’s still mine. Look, Mill, I’m trying to be nice, but—”

           “Stop!” boomed a deep, commanding, and unfamiliar voice. “Drop it. Now!”

           The guys hadn’t seen or heard them come in. How could they have? It wasn’t as if they were expecting more visitors, especially the kind that didn’t even use the door.

           Bewildered, they turned to see three tall, muscular men dressed like some sort of police unit from a sci-fi future—each of them wearing shades and armed with imposing laser rifles. There had been three bursts of light a split second beforehand, and then the officers were just there, in the middle of the living room. Yet apparently, Millie seemed to know who these gentlemen were, and didn’t take kindly to their arrival.

           “Only warning, timer!” a second cop ordered, “Jump, and we will find you!”

           “Good luck with that,” Millie scoffed, and gave her stolen quartz a squeeze.

           She vanished in a flash, and her displaced mass produced a faint breeze. The biggest of the cops had picked up on her readiness to flee through space or time, and fired off a sphere of electricity that passed through the spot where Millie had just been, which dissipated harmlessly against the apartment’s kitchen wall.

           “Damn,” the officer grunted. “Sergeant, did you get a solid ID on her?”

           “Facial recognition came through,” he replied. “Don’t worry, rook. We always track down rogue timers. Now, then… Maybe these locals know something.”

           The three hulking peacekeepers turned to face the intruders, still stunned silent.