by Gwen Cole
“You think we’ll have trouble with them in the future?”
“The possibility of being exposed has always been there, you know that.”
I did know it and always tried to ignore it, just trying to live life without worrying every minute of every day. But maybe that wasn’t the right mindset to have. Maybe I needed to be more careful about drifting in front of people. We never knew who could be watching.
“We’re lucky we had Sam,” I finally said. “Without her . . .”
Jake nodded. “What she did was . . . I don’t even have words for it. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Me either.”
Jake sat back, putting his feet up on the bed. It made me happy—it meant he wasn’t in a rush to leave. “I’m curious to know if Logan can too. Things have definitely changed.” He eyed me. “Including you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’re different now that you have Sam. In a good way.”
The monitor that observed the rhythm of my heart spiked when Jake mentioned her. He grinned, noticing the different speed. It was the way he’d said it: Now that you have Sam. I felt it was proof we were together, and that was something to make my stomach fly.
“You see what I mean? I’ve never seen you smile so much. And trust me, you could use more of it.” He grinned widely. “You’re growing up, little brother.”
This kind of affection he was showing me was new, but it settled in my heart as if it had always belonged there. It was true that Jake was always like an older brother to me, but I had never embraced it like I should have.
It felt good to have someone watching out for me, because most of the time, it felt like I was alone. I knew now that wasn’t true.
“Thanks, Jake.” There were no joking tone in my voice, or a hint of sarcasm. I really meant it.
He nodded once. “Just remember, you know where I live, and there will always be an open room for you.” He stood but paused near my bed. “I don’t want you to leave here until you’re ready, because I know if it was up to you, you would be gone by morning.” I opened my mouth to protest, but he cut me off. “No, you’re staying. I’m going to go throw some cash at them for their silence. As for the questions, just tell them that you don’t remember anything.”
I wanted to argue, but there was honestly nothing to argue about. Sam was the only reason for me to leave, but I knew she wasn’t going anywhere. I already missed her, but I’d also never been this hurt before.
“Fine, I’ll stay, but only until I’m well enough to leave.”
“That’s all I’m asking.” He nodded once. “I’ll see you later.”
Once Jake left, the tiredness seeped back into my muscles and bones. I felt like I could sleep the night away and then the whole day after. The strong desire to see Sam lingered within my heart and chest, but it wasn’t time. I had to heal before I could see her because I knew once I did, I would never want to leave her side.
I slept through the morning and most of the afternoon, vaguely remembering nurses coming in to check on me through my sleeping haze. When I woke in the late afternoon, they gave me food and I ate it all within minutes. Doctors and nurses kept coming in after hearing that I was finally awake, and they all wanted to know what happened.
Just as Jake told me to do, I told them I didn’t remember.
There was one nurse in particular that keep muttering under her breath in Spanish as she checked my wound. She was probably in her early thirties with long hair drawn back into a messy bun.
I winced when she touched my wound too hard, and she finally acknowledged I was there. Until then, she had been off in her own world, or maybe one that made her concentrate on her job. Either way, she hadn’t yet spoken to me.
“I know you remember what happened,” she said. Although she mainly spoke Spanish, she didn’t have any sort of accent. She replaced the bandage over the stitches and pulled my shirt back down. “I’m Katrina.”
I clenched my jaw as she studied me. Instead of playing dumb, I asked, “How can you tell?”
“You don’t have a head wound bad enough. Second of all, your brother has an accent and you don’t.”
“We didn’t grow up together. Different dads in different countries.” It was a good lie. Even I was impressed with myself.
“Then how do you explain the lacerations around your wrist? You’ll be very lucky if they don’t scar.”
I glanced down at my wrist wrapped in a white bandage and didn’t meet her eyes again. “I guess when I hit my head, it made me forget,” I said. The gash on my head only needed a couple stitches, and she was right—it wasn’t even that bad of a head wound, but I kept up with the lie anyway.
“Reid.”
I looked up. It was weird hearing my name come out of her mouth. None of the other nurses had addressed me by name. They probably thought it was fake—the last name in my chart was, but not my first. “If this is something that’s going on at home, you need to tell someone.”
“No, it’s nothing like that,” I said and held her gaze.
She removed the IV from my arm and eyed me. “If you say so.”
I changed the subject. “No more drugs?”
“No, so be prepared for a rough night.” She turned to leave but paused, her eyes sweeping over me once. She gestured her hand over me. “I’m going to bring you more food before the cafeteria closes. You’re too skinny.”
That night I became restless. I wasn’t made for staying in a bed for days on end. It felt good to be free of the tubes finally, and I drifted to the roof and back a few times, waiting for my body to become tired enough to sleep. I didn’t think I could lie around for another day, and I fell asleep around two o’clock with the thought that I would leave in the morning.
But when morning came, I was awakened by Katrina entering my room. She looked flustered and not at all happy. I sat up, attempting to hold my hand over the ache in my side. “What is it?”
She said something in Spanish. It sounded like a curse word. Then she stopped and stared at me. Her eyes shifted to the door, thinking hard about something. “Some people from child services are downstairs. They got word of you. And your brother, who paid the bill, didn’t give us any real contact information.”
I needed to leave. It didn’t matter if I was ready or not, it was time. My heart pounded hard, but I reminded myself that they couldn’t keep me here even if they wanted to.
“When are they coming?”
“Soon.” She must have seen it in my eyes, because she came closer and put a hand on my arm. “Just breathe for a moment, okay?”
I nodded because she was right. I was already starting to freak out. I kept thinking about the night Mom and Dad died, when I waited in that office until I couldn’t take it anymore. I couldn’t do that again.
I needed to leave.
“Reid, look at me.” I looked. “Whatever is going on with you, you can tell me.”
“I can’t be put into the system,” I said, hurriedly. “I won’t.”
“What happened? Did you have a bad experience? If you did, you need to report it.”
I was already shaking my head. “No, no, it’s not that. It’s just—” I paused, wondering if I could trust her. “I’m almost eighteen, so there’s no point.”
“No point in what?”
“No point in starting.”
I saw the moment she realized what I meant. She stood and came around to sit in the empty chair next to the bed.
“You need to tell me the truth when I ask these next questions, okay? Because I cannot, in my good conscience, let you leave until I know you’ll be taken care of. Has this happened before?” She gestured to my wrist and my stomach.
“No.”
“How long have you been living on your own?”
There was a roar in my ears and my heart pounded. “A few years,” I said, almost a whisper.
Katrina nodded. “You know, I was in the foster system when I was younger.�
�
The roaring lessoned a little. “You were?”
“Yes. I was scared at first—you know, all those horror stories in movies and books about bad foster parents. And yes, there are real stories too. But you know what? Most of the homes aren’t like that. The people are doing it because they want to help kids in situations like yours.”
“I know.”
She cocked her head, smiling. “Do you?”
I tried not to smile and said, “Maybe they should have someone like you working for them.”
Her smile slowly vanished. “When I meet kids like you, I wish I was.”
“You don’t have to worry about me, I promise. My birthday is coming up. There’s no point now.”
She nodded and asked her final question. “Are you living somewhere safe?”
I hesitated and another voice spoke in my place. “He’s living with me. I’ll even give you the address if you want to check it out yourself,” Jake said, standing in the doorway.
Katrina looked back at me and I nodded.
Jake said, “We might not be blood, but we’re still brothers.”
“Then I suggest you both leave before they come looking.” She put a hand on my arm and said, “You take care of yourself, okay?”
I nodded, and once she left, Jake asked, “You ready to go?”
“Yeah.”
It took me a little while to get dressed. Jake offered to help, but I needed to do it on my own, to prove to myself I was still strong and able. After a few minutes, I was ready to go—jeans, T-shirt, jacket, bag over shoulder, and hair its usual unkempt way.
Then I was gone. This time not alone.
SAM
NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
AFTER LEAVING REID AT THE HOSPITAL, THE NEXT twenty-four hours was a blur. Mostly because I needed to sleep, and I did, from early that evening until late the next morning. I was supposed to go to school, but Mom called them, first apologizing for my missed days and then letting them know I wouldn’t be there until tomorrow.
I got a new phone and texted Nella right away, letting her know I was safe and everything was okay, and that I would see her at school—which felt weird even thinking about. I had traveled to countless countries in just a couple days and now I had to go back to school?
I wasn’t sure how I could manage it.
But for the first time in a long time, my whole family was under the same roof, which made being normal a little more bearable. Logan was stalling going back to school, and even though he should have gone back by now, I was happy he hadn’t yet.
When I went downstairs for breakfast, he was sitting at the table eating cereal. He looked like he’d just rolled out of bed, and I wished he were there, looking like that, every morning.
I sat down next to him and poured myself a bowl.
Even though we were out of immediate danger, it was hard going back to “normal” life. Especially since normal life before now never consisted of us talking about how we had these abilities. It had always been a secret to me, and I was still trying not to be bitter about it.
The day before, Mom wouldn’t leave my room until I halfway forgave her.
She kept saying, “It was for your own safety, I promise.” And “I wish I could have been there for you.”
I knew she would have been if Buck hadn’t taken them both, so part of it wasn’t her fault.
It was just a lot all at once.
And the biggest thing? My whole family kept looking at me like I had two heads because they had all seen what happened in that warehouse, and nobody knew what to do about it, or how to talk about it.
I found myself wishing I could talk to Reid, which didn’t feel right when my family was already there.
Mom came into the kitchen then, glancing at us both before pouring herself a cup of coffee. Dad came in next, and I suddenly knew what was about to happen.
We were going to have a talk.
Logan and I shared a quick look as our parents sat down at the table. Would I have gotten into trouble if I just drifted away? Probably. I still wanted to do it. Logan looked like he wanted to disappear too.
“We need to talk about what happened,” Mom announced.
Logan peeked over at me, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.
“Look,” I said, wanting to get it over with. “You guys didn’t tell me about anything and that’s okay. I get it, I really do. But I don’t want secrets between us anymore.”
Dad said, “We don’t want that either. That’s why we’re here.”
“So just to make it clear, you guys had no idea that Logan or I could inherit both your abilities?”
Mom and Dad glanced at each other, and Dad finally said, “Logan never showed any signs, but we always thought there might be a possibility.”
Logan spoke up next, leaning forward a bit. “But you also never told me that. Maybe if you asked me to try, we would have known for sure.”
“There’s not a guidebook for this stuff, okay?” Dad said, looking a bit frustrated at the situation. “We were doing what we thought best, and we’re sorry if we messed up somewhere along the way.”
After a moment of silence, I said, “It doesn’t matter, dwelling on the past. That’s what Buck did and look what happened.”
Dad nodded and Mom said, “You’re right.”
“So when Sam uses both abilities, she somehow messes with space and time and creates some sort of rift?” Logan paused there, waiting for us to react.
I couldn’t help myself. I had to laugh, just from the way he said it. “Yeah, but I wouldn’t recommend it. I had a nasty headache for a whole day afterward.”
“Laugh all you want,” he told me. “But it’s pretty cool. Plus . . . you sort of saved everyone.”
“You were amazing,” Mom agreed, looking at me in a way she hadn’t before. Everyone was staring at me and I hated it. But the tension between us was suddenly gone and I felt at home again.
“Hopefully, that’s the last time it needs to happen.”
Logan muttered, “Under those circumstances.” I gave him a look and he said, “What? It’s really cool, and who knows when it’ll come in handy.”
After that, there wasn’t much serious talk. Logan kept coming up with elaborate things to do with the “rift,” and what he would do with his once he figured it out. He always knew how to make me laugh.
Dad finally got up, saying he was meeting Knox for lunch, and I wondered for the first time if this was the start of peace between drifters and sliders. Looking around at my family, though, I realized it had started way before now.
REID
TEXAS, UNITED STATES
AFTER WE LEFT THE HOSPITAL, JAKE TOOK ME OUT to eat at a diner in Texas. The place was packed, but we were able to find a free booth in the corner. The employees knew him by name, and he didn’t even have to tell them what he wanted to eat. They already knew.
It felt good to be back in the world again. Where I could just eat pancakes and make jokes with Jake, even though my side hurt every time I laughed. It felt good to just be.
After we finished eating, Jake took me back to his new apartment. I was expecting something similar to the last one—a nice city view with glass walls, expensive furniture, and a luxury bathroom.
Instead, he brought me to a small apartment in Brooklyn with brick walls and no high tower view. It was sparsely furnished, but with normal furniture. Like something you would buy secondhand, but I couldn’t imagine Jake buying a couch that someone else had owned.
“This—is your new place?” I asked, confused.
“Well, yeah, it’s all I can afford, what with starting a new job.”
I rounded on him. “You got a job?”
“Christ, don’t act so surprised. I’m not as dense as I pretend to be, you know. I’ve been hearing what you say and you’re right—even though we have these abilities, it doesn’t mean we should take advantage of them. I figured it was time to put my degree to good use. Which means no more stealing.” T
hen he pointedly looked at me and added, “And no more fighting.”
“If you don’t steal, I won’t fight,” I promised.
“And now that I have a job, you have to go back to school.” He saw my face and put a hand up, stopping me. “That’s the rule with you living here. You’re going to get your diploma or GED or whatever, I don’t care. No more cutting corners. If you’ve been going to enough of those college classes, you’ll be able to jump right into your senior year.”
School. I hadn’t thought about school in so long. Just the normalization of school scared me. Having a normal life scared me.
I wasn’t sure if I knew how.
Jake put a hand on my shoulder and said, “You aren’t alone, okay? You wanna see your room?”
That put a small smile on my lips. “You aren’t going to put me on the couch?”
“If I did, I don’t think you’d stay.”
“I still would.”
I looked at him and he looked at me. For the second time, he was out of words.
Jake nodded to the right. “Come on, I’ll show you.”
He pushed a sliding door to reveal a bedroom with windows facing the street and a new bed in the middle, freshly made with new sheets and a new comforter. The dresser was empty, ready to be filled with the few possessions I had, and the walls were empty. Like a fresh slate.
“I guess this beats where I’ve been staying,” I admitted.
Jake gave my shoulder a squeeze and said, “Welcome home.”
After I moved half my stuff into the room, I left to see Gavin. He would have been in the hospital still, but his family had enough money to bring him home and hire a nurse to be there day and night.
I thought about knocking on the front door, announcing my presence, but there was a chance his family wouldn’t let me see him.
So in my usual fashion, I drifted right into his room.
Gavin happened to be drinking a glass of water when I appeared, and he choked on some of it.
He coughed out, “Please, by all means, just come on in and make yourself at home.”
His room was neat, looking as if someone had cleaned it from top to bottom before he came home. It was on the second floor, and his huge floor-to-ceiling windows had a view of the pool. Today the curtains were halfway closed and the TV on the dresser was playing a show on mute.
