“Calm down,” Billy muttered. “Jeez.”
I glared at him, hating him at that moment because nothing seemed to ruffle him and I wished I could be like that.
The passenger window glided down and a female voice yelled, “What do you think you’re doing?”
Billy squatted down and looked inside. I stayed behind him, ready to bolt.
“Oh, hey, Dani,” Billy said, then turned to me. “Look, Morgan. It’s Dani.”
A wave of relief crashed over me and I bent over and looked into the open window. “Hi.”
“Why are you outside walking around?” The fury was clear on her face. “Does Jack know about this?”
“I wasn’t aware we needed his permission,” Billy said.
Dani looked back and forth between us. “Get in.”
“No, I don’t think so.” Billy began to stand.
I stayed where I was, not sure what to do. Did I want to anger these people, or keep them on my side? Without their help I didn’t have a good way to help my sister. But Billy had a point too. Why did we need their permission to go on a walk? Were we prisoners?
“Morgan?” Dani asked.
“We, uh, well, we wanted to make sure our new looks were still working.”
Dani’s eyebrows drew together. “Why now?”
Billy leaned toward the window. “You all seem so eager to have Morgan go back to Camp Willowmoss when she’s a wanted criminal, I just thought before she was exposed to people who hate her, we should see if random strangers would recognize her.” He paused. “You do want to make sure the Enforcers don’t recognize her, don’t you?”
Dani seemed a bit flustered by his logic. “Of course we do.”
“So we’re all in agreement,” he said, smiling.
Dani stared at him for a moment. “What did you have in mind?”
Billy glanced at me and I could tell he was pleased he’d won. “We want to go to the plaza and walk around.”
For a second I didn’t know what he was talking about, then I remembered that in this world the plaza was their version of a mall—the only difference being that there was no food court.
“It’s probably not even open yet. Plus all the kids your age will be at school, so you’d really stand out. I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”
Billy seemed to consider this. “Fair enough, but this afternoon there will be plenty of kids our age there. We want to go then.”
I looked at him, wondering why he thought he could speak for me. The more I thought about going to the mall—plaza—the less I wanted to go. Not only would kids our age be there, but plenty of Enforcers would be there too.
“Look,” Dani said. “I think we all need to discuss this and plan it out.”
Billy shook his head with vehemence. “No. No. You people haven’t even come up with a plan on how to get Morgan out of Camp Willowmoss once she’s in. I’m tired of waiting for you to plan. No. We go this afternoon or Morgan and I are gone.”
My eyes widened at his pronouncement. I opened my mouth to protest, but he put his hand on my back and I stayed silent. What was he trying to prove anyway?
Dani looked at me, I guess to see if I agreed with Billy. A sudden feeling of loyalty toward the boy who had done so much to help me—and truth be told, was still looking out for me—came over me and I nodded my agreement. “Yes. We need to test my new look some more. I need to feel confident that it’s going to work.”
Dani sighed and looked out her window, then back at us. “Okay. Fine. We’ll do it your way. But for now please come back to the house. This afternoon I’ll drive you to the plaza myself. I promise.”
She continued on to the house and we turned around and walked back. The rest of the day I found it hard to focus on the different activities we engaged in—watching TV, playing games, cleaning up, working on our studies. I kept visualizing how the afternoon would go. Billy and I would be walking down the middle of the plaza, maybe stopping to window shop every so often, when out of nowhere a dozen Enforcers would surround us and take us into custody.
At four o’clock that afternoon Dani came into the family room and announced it was time to go. I’d been halfway hoping—okay, maybe more than halfway—that she would break her promise and we would stay here, but Billy seemed eager to go. He jumped up, then turned to me with a smile and pulled me up.
After a brief discussion, Dani decided no one else could come along. It would just be Billy and me. A short time later we pulled up to the plaza.
“I’ll wait here,” she said. “But if something happens and you’re recognized and arrested, don’t contact Jack or me. We can’t take a chance on having our group discovered.”
A chill shot up my spine. If anyone recognized us and turned us in, we’d be on our own. That thought terrified me. I looked at Billy to see if he’d changed his mind, but he didn’t seem deterred by her warning.
“Okay,” he said, then opened the door and got out.
Reluctantly, I got out too. Even though I was scared, I knew if there was to be any chance of succeeding in going back to Camp Willowmoss, I’d have to conquer my fear. This was just a bunch of stores. If I couldn’t manage to go in there and survive, there was no hope of me going into Camp Willowmoss.
Billy and I walked side by side towards the entrance. I think he sensed my trepidation because he took my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. I appreciated his presence—there was no way I could do this on my own. No way. Which made me worry even more about going into Camp Willowmoss by myself.
We walked through the doors and headed toward the long walkway that stretched to the department store at the other end of the plaza. Dozens of teenagers wandered the plaza, which helped me feel less conspicuous. We stopped at a cell phone kiosk and I looked at the latest phones, then realized this whole mess had started with me wanting a new phone. Now not only did I not have a cell phone, I also didn’t have my family—or my world, for that matter.
Billy let go of my hand—which I immediately missed as my security blanket—and began looking at the different phones. After a few minutes I poked him in the arm. “Let’s go.”
He looked at me like he’d forgotten I was there and annoyance flashed through me. We turned away from the kiosk and took a few steps toward another store when I saw a pair of Enforcers walking in our direction. My stomach clenched and I feared I might vomit right there on the plaza floor. That would surely get the Enforcers’ attention, so I swallowed convulsively to get my gut under control.
Billy took my hand again. “You belong here, Morgan,” he whispered. “We’re just two kids hanging out at the plaza after school.”
I nodded, unable to speak for the abject terror that had gripped me.
Billy tugged me forward and I forced my feet to move. I was wearing the glasses—and no makeup, since I wouldn’t be wearing it in Camp Willowmoss—and hoped that having them on my face, plus my new funky hairstyle, would be enough to keep the Enforcers from connecting me to the wanted girl—one Morgan Campbell. As they got closer, my heart pounded so hard I was certain they must see the rhythm under my shirt. They spoke to each other—not a care in the world—and glanced at the people in the area. I tried not to look at them, but couldn’t seem to stop myself, and the gaze of one of them brushed over me. I could tell he didn’t approve of my weight—after all, I’d gained several pounds recently, on top of the few pounds I’d already needed to lose—but then his gaze slid off of me and onto someone else.
After a moment they’d passed us and I thought I would faint with relief. The only thing keeping me upright and mobile was Billy’s hand in mine.
“See?” he said softly. “All they saw was a fat girl. They didn’t see you at all.”
I wasn’t sure if I should feel insulted or comforted, but decided on the latter because I knew that’s how Billy meant it. “Thanks.”
We walked around a while longer, then went back to Dani’s car, sliding into the back seat.
“So it all went okay?�
�� she asked.
“Yep,” Billy said.
“Even when the Enforcers stared at me,” I added, giddy that I’d passed this trial.
“Enforcers?” She turned in her seat to gape at us.
“Yeah,” Billy said. “It was no big deal. They just walked past us.”
Dani spun back around, her gaze shooting in all directions.
“They didn’t follow us,” Billy said.
She looked at Billy, her lips compressed. “You have no idea how hard we’ve worked to keep our identity concealed.”
Billy didn’t say anything, just stared back.
Finally Dani started the car and we drove back to Jack’s house. When we arrived, everyone, including Jack, wanted to hear how it had gone. Now that it was over, I was more than happy to tell them every detail.
“Sounds like your disguise is working pretty well,” Jack said. “That’s good to hear.”
That night I slept soundly, my confidence in my disguise growing. The next morning at breakfast I was surprised when Billy wasn’t already at the table. And when breakfast was over and he hadn’t shown up, I became alarmed. “Where’s Billy?” I asked Nathan and Mitch. After all, they shared a room with him.
They looked at each other. “I don’t know,” Mitch said. “He wasn’t in bed when I got up. I assumed he’d gone somewhere.”
He hadn’t mentioned anything to me about going somewhere. I pushed back from the table and ran to his room. His bed was unmade and there was no sign of him. I heard the front door close and I sprinted toward it, my heart racing in relief that he was back. But it wasn’t him. It was Dani.
“Good morning, Morgan.” She had a bright smile on her face.
“Do you know where Billy went?”
She looked confused. “Went? What do you mean? Isn’t he here?”
Fresh panic pounded through my head. “No, he’s not.”
“Maybe he wanted to test his disguise a little more.”
I bit my lip as I digested this. Would he do something like that without telling me? He must know how worried I’d be. “Maybe,” I said slowly.
“Tell you what. Let’s give him some time to come back, and then we can start looking for him. Okay?”
I didn’t know what else I could do. “Okay.”
But an hour later he still wasn’t back.
Chapter Thirteen
“We need to go look for him,” I said to Dani and Jack, who were talking in low tones in the family room. “Please.”
Dani turned towards me. “Morgan, be honest with me. Has he ever said anything to you about leaving?”
I vividly recalled his comment two days before when he’d stated he didn’t want to stay around and see me ruin my life. I’d believed him then, but after the day before when I’d felt so much closer to him, I thought he’d changed his mind, that he would stick around and support me. “Well, sort of.”
“What did he say?” Jack asked.
“He kind of implied he didn’t want to be here when I went back to Camp Willowmoss.”
Dani glanced at Jack, then smiled at me. “There you go, then. He must have been upset and left.”
I didn’t like it. Of course not. Why would I? My one true friend had abandoned me. My shoulders slumped and I sank onto the couch.
“It will be okay,” Dani said, coming over to sit next to me. “We’re still here.” She gestured to the room where Jack, Nathan, Mitch, and Kelly were assembled. “We’re here to make sure this mission is successful.” She smiled at me again. “It’s important to all of us that this goes right.”
I tried to push aside my devastation that Billy had left me and recalled his concern that Jack and Dani hadn’t come up with a plan to get me out of Camp Willowmoss. “Speaking of the mission,” I said, wishing intently that Billy was by my side to back me up, “What ideas have you come up with to get me out of Camp Willowmoss once I get my sister and the information you want?”
“We were just discussing that,” Jack said from his easy chair. “And we’ve come up with some really great ideas.”
“Like what?”
He laughed. “We’ll break it all down for you once we have a solid plan. But don’t worry, Morgan. We’re going to get you out of there.”
That was easy for him to say. He wasn’t the one going into the lion’s den, as Billy had called it. “How long do you think I’ll have to be in there?”
“Just a week or two,” Dani said.
I did a quick calculation. If I was to get to the tunnel on time, and if I spent up to two weeks in Camp Willowmoss, I’d need to get inside within the next two weeks. “When do you think I’ll be ready to be dropped off at Camp Willowmoss?” As I said the words, my heart pounded a little harder. The reality seemed to be getting ever closer.
Dani’s eyebrows went up. “I didn’t realize you were so eager to go.”
“It’s not that,” I said without thinking.
“Then what is it?”
I couldn’t exactly tell them I only had until November tenth to get back to a tunnel that would take me to another universe, but I did have another good reason. “I just want to get my sister out. The longer she’s in there, the more traumatized she’s going to be.”
Dani nodded. “Yes, I can see how that would be a worry for you.”
Her calm attitude irritated me for some reason. Maybe it was because I knew she really had no idea what went on inside the F.A.T. center I’d been in. Or maybe it was because she would be safely outside while I would be risking everything. For their cause. Did she truly appreciate what I was going to do? Sudden anger toward them bubbled up inside me. Because of them I’d been forced into a position that had led to Billy leaving me. I stood. “I need to be alone for a while.” I went into the room where I’d been staying, and closed the door.
I lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling, picturing Billy sneaking out early this morning. Why couldn’t he even come say good-bye? Was he afraid I’d try to talk him out of leaving?
I rolled over and faced the wall as tears filled my eyes and dripped down my face. All along I’d known how much I cared about him and how much I’d relied upon him, but it wasn’t until that moment that I truly understood how alone I felt without him. He was the only person who knew my secret, and yet he’d stayed by my side. When we’d left Fox Run after my failed attempt to get back home, he’d promised me—promised me—that he would make sure I got back to the tunnel in time. Now that was all in question. I was completely on my own. Could I even get there without his help? I would have to. I had no other choice.
But what about this crazy mission to Camp Willowmoss? Should I even do it? Should I risk it? Before, in the back of my mind, I’d believed Billy would make it all work out for me. Somehow. But now he was gone and it was all on me. Did I really have it in me?
Then I pictured Amy, who at that very moment was probably hunched over a toilet, scrubbing away someone else’s excrement, an Enforcer hovering over her, taunting her, as she worked in a drug-induced stupor. Could I condemn her to six months of that? And probably longer, once they added on the time to punish me for stabbing Hansen and escaping. She was only thirteen. And she had done nothing wrong.
Gut-wrenching guilt over what I’d caused battled with crushing terror over what my future held. I curled into a ball, wishing with every fiber of my being that this was all just a nightmare, and if I could just wake up it would all magically go away. I squeezed my eyes closed and pinched my arm over and over, but nothing changed. I was still in this world, Amy was still in the F.A.T. center in my place, Billy had still left me on my own, and it was still up to me to make everything right.
I rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling for another minute, then pushed myself off of the bed. I went into the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face, clearing away the evidence of my tears, then went back into the family room, resolved to get this done and over.
“Morgan,” Dani said. She looked pleased that I had come back on my own.
I sighed, gathering my courage. “Let’s make this happen.”
Dani’s smile grew. “Wonderful.”
I didn’t know that I would call it that, but I was committed to this crazy mission—one hundred percent—and now I wanted to get it over with.
~*~*~
The next twelve days seemed to fly by as the clock ticked ever onward toward the day I would be going back to Camp Willowmoss. I’d gained fourteen pounds since arriving at Jack’s house and I knew that would be more than enough to qualify for a stay at the F.A.T. center. The wound on my arm had healed nicely and the cream Dani had provided had made the spot where Billy had cut out the chip virtually invisible. Unless Dr. Bradley—assuming she would be the one to insert the chip again—was looking for something out of the ordinary, she would never notice the faint mark. Jack and Dani had also worked with me on a backstory, in case any of the kids I met wanted to get to know me.
For the last week I’d been wearing my new contact lenses, the ones that were supposed to trick the retinal scanner into believing I was someone else, and hide my true identity. The ones that worked eighty percent of the time—in the lab. I fervently hoped they would work in real life.
It was Sunday, October twenty seventh—exactly two weeks until I had to go into the tunnel and attempt to get back home. The next day someone was going to drop me off at Camp Willowmoss and I was terrified. When I’d made the commitment to go back, I had felt good about it. But now that the time was imminent, all the fear I’d held down was insistently pushing its way fully into my consciousness. There was no hiding from it now.
Brynn did a fresh dye job and trim on my hair. Then, after dinner—it really felt like a last meal—Dani asked everyone to gather in the meeting room. When we got there, a woman I’d never seen before sat on the couch. She looked like she was in her forties. Her make-up was expertly applied and her hair was swept into a chic knot at the back of her head. The only people that seemed to know her were Jack and Dani.
Hunted (Parallel Series, Book 3) (Parallel Trilogy) Page 10
