Long Night Moon (The Bradbury Institute Book 2) Read Free

mind the pixies in the forest.
    “Part of Bradbury’s mission
statement has to do with our location,” Chet said. “The institute isn’t located
here by accident.”
    “There’s something in the forest.”
Eve stepped closer to the paintings, thinking perhaps she should have spoken in
the plural.
    “Three somethings, specifically,”
Chet confirmed. “At different places around the world there are gateways
to…well, to other places.”
    Eve swallowed, trying to keep her
breathing calm. There was nothing she could do about her heart rate. It pounded
in her chest almost painfully. “What other places?”
    “Bradbury is unusual in that there
are three gates here.” He moved to stand beside her, using his coffee cup to
point at the first painting. “That represents the gate we call Above.” He moved
his hand slowly to the middle painting. “This one is Below.” He paused for a
moment, then indicated the last painting. “And that’s Sideways.”
    “Okay.” Eve grabbed her apple
charm, rubbing her thumb across its cool surface. She wasn’t even sure what
kind of questions to ask.
    Chet said, “The Above gate is
closed, from the other side. There’s never any activity and the energy levels
always read low. It’s very stable. The Below gate is closed from our side, we
keep it closed. Sometimes there are energy spikes. That’s what happened last
night.”
    “Above and Below, what do those
names mean?” She had an inkling but didn’t want to say it. Couldn’t say it. It
was too much.
    Chet touched her elbow, guiding her
to meet his eyes. Eve hated roller coasters. The out of control speed, the
feeling of being flung to and fro and up so fast her eyes couldn’t even take in
her surroundings. She hated that brief elastic moment of hovering in mid-air,
knowing the drop was coming and unable to do a thing to stop it. Most of all
she hated the drop itself, that feeling that everything solid had been ripped
away. She was never ready for it.
    “Heaven and Hell,” Chet said.
    She gasped, the roller coaster drop
knocking the breath out of her. Recovering quickly she said, “You’re telling me
Heaven and Hell exist? That they’re real? And out in the forest there’s a
doorway to each?”
    “Yes.” He took a seat at the table,
gesturing for her to do likewise.
    Eve took a sip of her coffee as she
sat, more to give herself time to think than anything else. She barely tasted
the beverage. “You’re talking about the Christian version of Heaven and Hell?
They’re real?”
    Chet cleared his throat. Perhaps he
was as uncomfortable with questions of theology as she was. “If it makes you
feel any better there’s a gateway to Asgard in Memphis, behind the parking lot
at Graceland. The gatekeepers there have to get visitors from the other side to
dress like tourists when they cross over.”
    Asgardians at Graceland, now she’d
heard everything. “Are they Elvis fans?” She laughed, tension evaporating like
air out of a balloon. “Is that the only gate to Asgard and these two here the
only gates to Above and Below?” She had no trouble understanding why the
institute used other names for the gates. It was much less intimidating.
    “There are other gates to each
place, and gates to lots of other places. Above and Below just happen to be
what’s here. The Board of Directors that Bradbury answers to oversees many of
the gates, making sure access is controlled. You know, make sure nothing
crosses over that shouldn’t.”
    Eve had heard whispers of this
mysterious Board but little definite information. “This location is the only
place that’s known as the Bradbury Institute?”
    He nodded. “Using different names
is part of the Board’s strategy to keep us hidden. There’s no way to trace us
back to them or vice versa.”
    She drew her eyebrows together.
“That sounds very James Bond.”
    “The Board is a very old and
paranoid organization. When you’ve had to rebuild after having your