Faith knows that she has overstepped her boundaries with Jared. The full scope of what she has done really hits her as she drives home with Doc after leaving the Bits-n-Bites cafe. Jared not only fired her from the part-time job she had been doing for him, but he also evicted Doc and barred both of them from the cafe and the little basement lab where Doc had been working. Faith apologizes profusely to Doc for being so arrogant and pushy. All she can do is pray that Grandpa Mark will agree to give him a job at the research center. … Continue reading Chapter 5.11 – Recognition

When the Bits-n-Bites café opened, it seemed too good to be true.   What better place to hang out and do a Final Warcraft boss raid than a shop filled with killer gaming boxes AND a full kitchen? But lately, the place has come to remind her more of work than play. Jared Wiley is getting himself one heck of a deal. Faith bends over backward to keep his network secure; sometimes even getting up at night when he calls worrying about hackers or doomsday viruses.   She has never seen the greasy little snake work a day in his life. But … Continue reading Chapter 5.10 – Clout

The dreams have been recurring for weeks.   It is in that twilight between sleep and consciousness when she hears her name being called. The voice is so trembling and weak… she is hurt, scared, and in terrible pain. She just repeatedly calls out for Hope, perhaps believing that she will somehow be heard.   During the fog of dreamtime, Hope searches for some clue to help her understand what is happening. Although she hears Kacey only in her dreams, she knows there is something wholly real about it. There was a connection the instant they met. It is a kinship that … Continue reading Chapter 5.9 – Dreams

Broken…   Well, not technically broken; but definitely bent. Some kind of anomaly, really. But certainly not good.   The timestream only moves forward. It is an unbreakable law of quantum physics. But its path is being bent like a section of pipe, perhaps in an effort to intersect itself so that two points meet. No, it’s a terrible analogy. Far too simple to accurately explain what is happening. But good enough to get the idea across.   The discovery explains quite a bit, actually. Somebody has been tinkering with time. Well, not tinkering, really. More like tampering. The energy … Continue reading Chapter 5.8 – Loop

One great thing about best friends, is that they’re always willing to look past the small gaffes that sometimes cause problems in other relationships.   Faith apologizes to Jimmy immediately as they get on the road back to Sunset Valley. He shrugs his shoulders and suggests that he has no idea what she is talking about, then changes the subject back to his widget, and the amazing little shop filled with old pieces, parts, salvage, and gadgets.   After a very long and tense break in the conversation, Faith declares that she has absolutely no right to feel lacking in anything. … Continue reading Chapter 5.7 – Confusion

Tinkering with cars isn’t exactly Faith’s idea of fun.   But since becoming a teen, Jimmy seems more interested in keeping his head under the hood than in video games. Faith does manage to keep herself interested though, and she learns quite a bit about the mechanics of his vintage land yacht. Besides, by helping him finish his car early, she takes away his excuse to skip the Final Warcraft raid party tonight. The guild really needs his Dwarven Scout to help in the boss fight.   After some creative searching on the web, she is able to find the … Continue reading Chapter 5.6 – Hormones