Hexad: The Ward by Al K. Line Page A

again.
    "Hello? Anyone?"
    "Oh, I thought it was a joke," said Dale. "What barbecue?"
    "Aha, you don't remember, do you? I thought not. It seemed odd that when I spoke to you later in the week you said something about it being a shame it rained on the weekend so the barbecue was off, but then we got interrupted and I never managed to ask."
    "Peter, if you are trying to be funny—"
    "No, I'm not, honest. Look, it's happened loads of times. I thought it was you guys being right sods, messing around, but it makes sense now, total sense."
    "What's happened? What are you talking about?" Amanda's voice rose to a shrill, she knew it, but she couldn't stop. Things were spiraling, she felt like she would fade to nothing again.
    "Look, guys, I don't want to freak you out or anything, and to be honest I just thought it was you being a little odd. Not that there's anything wrong with that," Peter said hurriedly. "I know I'm not exactly 'Mr. Normal,' but sometimes it's like you don't remember conversations we've had, like it never happened, or that when I pop in you act as if you didn't see me the day before or we didn't meet up at some convention or other. It's weird, but now this explains it."
    "What explains it?" Amanda had a bad feeling, and judging by the look on Dale's face he did too. "Dale, this is what we've been saying, it's why the pub is all wrong, why so many things aren't quite right."
    "What about the pub? Doesn't matter." Peter grabbed a Wagon Wheel and ate it quickly. "Look, after doing that jump, man, I still can't believe we did it, but anyway, it explains a lot. I think you guys are fluctuating, jumping timelines without even knowing it, living sometimes here, then other times you are in a different universe, switching back and forth, missing time here and living it somewhere else."
    "That's silly," said Dale. "We can't be in two places at once."
    "I'm not so sure, Dale. It would explain things." Amanda thought back to all the little things that seemed out-of-whack. Things not where she thought she'd put them; the garden sometimes seeming different, like plants had been moved; the feeders not on their usual branch, even the squirrel sometimes looked a little different now she came to think of it. And now and then the furniture was in different places, just a fraction off.
    Maybe it would even explain the missing food. Dale swore he wasn't taking things but often bits and pieces just seemed to be gone, and there had even been a few instances when they were sure they had a poltergeist, odd glasses or ornaments ending up smashed on the floor. Could this be the answer?
    "Guys, I'm not saying you are in two places at the same time, I'm saying that maybe you are fluctuating between this reality and another one."
    "Our right one. Our world where we should be. The stuff we did in the past that we don't remember, the saving the world business, it got resolved but we ended up in the wrong place. I bet sometimes it must shift back to us being where we should really be." It made sense to Amanda. Peter was right.
    "But what about the other us? We can't be there if they are too," said Dale.
    "Maybe they are just going about doing all that crazy jumping and saving the world you told me about," mused Peter. "Maybe when you're there you, um, the other you, is off in The Chamber, or running away from giants. Dunno." Peter shrugged his shoulders then popped another biscuit in his mouth while he thought.
    "That's it, he's right, Dale. We need to get back to our proper timeline," said Amanda. She stood up, feeling a surge of adrenaline course through her body. She paced the room as she tried to think things through, get it straight in her head.
    "I don't understand. We can't be there and here, we'd notice."
    "I don't think so. You may find things slightly different, but if this reality is almost the same as the other one then how would you know?" Peter finished off the plate. "Any more?"
    "Unless you've emptied the packet," said