Hexad: The Chamber by Al K. Line Read Free Book Online

turquoise ocean.
    The beach was busy but not crowded, and they had jumped to a quiet corner where nobody noticed their rather sudden arrival. Further up the sand, closer to a number of rustic, but he knew would be expensive, palm thatched huts, fish was cooking on a charcoal barbecue, the smoke wafting down to them and mingling with the tangy salt spray cooling them slightly as a gentle breeze blew in from the ocean.
    The Bahamas. Perfect.
    Dale lay back in the white sand, letting the warmth seep into his bones and burn away the crazy day like it was nothing but a sun-induced dream as he fell asleep listening to the gentle lapping of the waves on the idyllic shoreline.
    But that wasn't the case, not really — as much as he wished it was he knew that life for the foreseeable future was going to be anything but tranquil.
    Still, there was the moment, and Dale was going to do his best to make the most of it. He took off his battered boots, pulled off his socks, then rolled up his jeans to just below the knee. Standing up he let out a "Hot, hot, hot," dancing around like he was walking across red-hot coals as the burning sand made it impossible to stand still.
    Amanda started laughing at the sight, and all Dale could manage was a "You coming?" before he dashed for the shallows in an attempt to cool his feet down.
    It's nearly as hot as the sand.
    Dale stood with the water halfway up his shins, amazed at the temperature. It was like getting into the bath rather than the cool sea he was used to in England, but he'd been abroad enough to know that he shouldn't have expected it to be cold. Still, it was better than the sand.
    Amanda joined him, and for a moment there was nothing but the sound of the waves, the shouts of the cook touting for business for his freshly cooked fish, and the sun sparkling white off the ocean.
    Perfect.
    "Dale, what are we going to do?"
    The spell was broken, reality inescapable. Dale wished the moment could have lasted forever but it was wishful thinking. He was surprised he'd been able to put the day behind him at all, but maybe the totally bizarre nature of it was too much to take so he'd simply been able to block it out as something that had happened to someone else, not to him?
    Damn, there I go again. This stuff could seriously mess with your head.
    "Dale?"
    "Sorry, just trying to hold onto this." Dale took in the beautiful view with a terrible feeling that it would be a long time until they got to relax again. "Let's go somewhere where we can sit and have a drink. We need to talk."
    Amanda looked at him worriedly, but turned back toward the beach. "Okay, but I don't have any money. You?"
    Dale checked his pockets but knew he never carried money in them. His cash and cards were always in his wallet, a wallet that the other him had taken to the pub. "Nope."
    They dried their feet in the sun for a few minutes, used their socks to brush the sand off before covering up, and then they both said at the same time, "Home."
    With a smile Amanda set the Hexad and they jumped back to the only place either of them really wanted to be.
    No matter how beautiful it was on the beach, there was no place like home.

 
     
     
     
     
     
    Time for a Plan
    3 Years 11 Days Past
     
    "Where are we?" asked Dale.
    "Home, of course."
    "Um, no, I meant... them. The other us. Ugh."
    "Oh, we're on holiday in Venice, so we have the place to ourselves," said Amanda smiling.
    "Damn this stuff is confusing. How the hell are you supposed to make sense of it all?"
    "That's the point, you aren't. Cuppa?"
    "Yes please, but there won't be any milk will there." Dale really hated his coffee without milk.
    "Well, if what happened in my version of events happened in yours, then there will still be half a bottle in the fridge. Remember? You forgot to throw it out before we left and it stank when we got back."
    "Haha, I remember."
    Damn, this is too mental for words.
    Amanda busied herself in the kitchen, and Dale sank back into the sofa,