he blushed when I thanked him for it. Don’t get me wrong, he was a good-looking guy who knew how to take care of himself, and we had an easy camaraderie that could transform into something deeper if encouraged. He was also one of the few people I could actually trust.
But the way I felt for Ethan eclipsed all of that. Perhaps one day when I finally got over the vampire, Finn and I could have something, but that day wouldn’t be coming any time soon.
No, for now, all there was between Finn and me was friendship. And Ethan … well, he wished for a day when he didn’t want me anymore, so I guess all I could do was wish for a day when I didn’t want him anymore either.
6.
The next morning, I woke up in my bed, not knowing how I got there. Finn must’ve carried me in after I fell asleep watching Inception. I went downstairs, and he and Ira were eating breakfast. Finn informed me that Pamphrock had set his slayers the task of manufacturing large quantities of Rita’s mist spray, except instead of putting it in plastic bottles they were working on using modified fire extinguishers for maximum efficiency.
Now why didn’t we think of that?
Rita and I resumed our magical studies in her RV. It was when I came across the book from yesterday, the one about other dimensions and their inhabitants, that I paused to think.
I flicked to the page at the front with the publishing info. The copyright was registered in 1995. Perhaps the author was still alive? I could find him and question him about how he knew all this stuff. Had he been to another dimension? And more importantly, had he ever been to the hell dimension where my dad currently dwelled?
A hard knock on the door of the RV startled me from my thoughts. I shot Rita a questioning glance.
“That’ll be my new client. I told him to come over today. I haven’t met this guy before, but a regular of mine referred him. Apparently, he wants me to cast a spell that’ll boost his self-confidence and help him to move up the ladder at work.”
She went to open the door, revealing a tall, brown-haired man wearing trendy black-rimmed glasses and an immaculate white shirt.
“Hey, Brian, isn’t it? Come on in.” She stood aside, and the guy stepped into the RV. Rita eyed him, like she was either suspicious of him, or she was up to something. Could’ve been both. Brian was so tall the top of his head skimmed the ceiling.
“I have something I need to do,” I said to Rita as I stood. “Do you mind if I borrow this book for a while? I’ll return it later.”
“Sure, go ahead,” she replied, waving me off, and I left her to her session with Brian.
In Finn’s living room, I borrowed his laptop and scanned down the publishing page of On Other Dimensions and Their Inhabitants again. When I typed the publishing house into an online search engine, I found a bare-bones website with little information. Then when I typed in the name E.J. Edwards, miraculously the man popped up as the first result.
I gaped at the laptop screen. Edwards was a physics professor at a very prestigious university. When I looked at his profile there was a picture of a grey-haired man of about sixty and his bio was pretty normal for a professor. There was nothing that would lead you to believe he had an interest in the supernatural, or that he once wrote a book about other dimensions.
I did a little more digging and found the phone number for the physics department where he worked. When I called, I got through to a very chirpy receptionist, who informed me that Professor Edwards was currently on a yearlong sabbatical, but if I’d like to leave a message she’d be happy to pass it on.
“Um, would it be possible to get another number where I can reach him? There’s an important matter that I need to discuss with him.”
“I can’t give out his personal contact information, I’m afraid,” she replied. “However, I can give you his university email. I know he checks his messages there at least once a week.”
“Oh. Okay, yeah I’ll take his email then.”
I scribbled it down, and we said our polite goodbyes. Then I opened up a blank email and tried to form a coherent explanation as to why I was contacting him. The words