Above the Vaulted Sky - Page 115

Chapter Seventeen

                  Three words reverberate through my brain as we continue through the park.

                  The Great Beyond.

                  How valid is the argument? Is it actually conceivable that Penny might have continued on and skipped this whole bit of the afterlife. This could be an in-between place. But what does that mean? Do I have to prove myself?

                  ‘I suppose you looked for that girlfriend of yours if you tracked down your friends so quickly,’ Teague suggests.

                  ‘Stop playing with me, Teague,’ I say. ‘Are you in my head?’

                  ‘No, just exceptionally clever,’ he replies.

                  ‘No one likes a show off.’

                  I close my eyes again. Elle and Yates look like they’re moving away, the dots growing fainter in the distance. I quicken my pace.

                  ‘What’s your proof for this Great Beyond theory?’

                  ‘It’s all in The Alchemist,’ he says. ‘Look, Easton. You’re smart, and your friend clearly have some understanding in Ghost Physics…’

                  ‘I thought ghosts were from fairy stories?’

                  He ignores me. ‘You could work for me. Do you think I’m a religious nut? I’m not blindly going forward looking for this beyond. I’m looking for tangible proof of the afterlife. If I find it, I’ll be rich…’

                  ‘That’s your problem,’ I reply. ‘You’re not in science for the discovery, you’re looking for money. Einstein or Edison or Newton. Cavendish, any of those scientists, none of them were interested in the money.’

                  ‘Oh and you knew them personally did you?’ He laughs. ‘You children, you hero worship people and think they’re saints because you’re told to. I don’t idealise anyone, we’re all human. We’re all capable of blowing up a house to save our own skin.’

                  I feel the bubble of anger rising in my throat. ‘You see that’s where your wrong.’ I point an accusing finger at his oversized nose. ‘I might not have known anyone I idolize but I know myself and I would never stoop so low. Actually, I’d never be stupid enough to put myself in danger in the first place. What you’re doing is playing at being God for money.’

                  ‘I have that right,’ he says under his breath. ‘I was born and I developed an intellect that far surpasses the majority. It’s people like me who keep the world turning.’

                  ‘Oh…shut up, Teague,’ I say. ‘Sooner I get you to leave me alone the better. After that you can go blow yourself up all you want.’