Glitch

by Brenda Pandos

  No, it can’t be.

  But there was more to this than ditching my meeting. If Kaden really saw my future-self, that meant I’d discovered how to move through time without the use of a special room and that meant I was more than just any Glitch.

  I blinked up at him, suddenly feeling like my brain was on overload. Then I rushed him. “I want to talk to her. Now!”

  Kaden’s eyes widened and he lifted his hands, palms outward. “It doesn’t work like that.”

  “Then how does it work?” I kept pressing toward him, wishing my wrist wasn’t injured so I could strangle his neck. “Tell me.”

  He backed up, pushing me off. “She just appears, unannounced. That’s it. And I didn’t ask how. She just demanded I find you and deliver a message to which you didn’t listen to and screwed everything up.”

  I ignored his insults. “Then when is she showing up again?”

  “Yeah,” Memphis chimed in.

  Kaden’s eyes swung to Memphis, his jaw working. “I don’t know.”

  “What?” I pulled my head backward. Being the cautious planner-type, there was no way I’d have someone come to the rescue without having a step-by-step plan afterward. “Didn’t she tell you where to go once you’d taken me? Where’s the rendezvous point?”

  Kaden’s face blanched. “There’s no rendezvous point. Yet.”

  I stopped, jolted by his words when the truth hit. Panic built inside me as warning bells rang loud. He couldn’t have possibly talked with my Compliment. He merely knew enough to deceive me into believing him so I’d cooperate. But why?

  Worse, he was still the enemy.

  I moved away from him and rubbed my arm, feeling vulnerable. He wanted me for some reason, and I feared what that could be. Where was the search party already? We couldn’t be far from Brighton’s walls. The abduction would be on the TVs by now and Landon would have known the second my DOD was busted, once he pulled his head out of his butt. They should have been right behind us.

  Of course my entire life would be under scrutiny in Brighton. They’d match up everything I’d said and written to what my heart rate was doing at the time. Elle and I had taken off our watches so many times, too many times. She’d be questioned. My muff was on my desk of all places and what if they found Kaden’s note hidden in my underwear drawer? They might even think I’d run away on purpose. Had my Complement’s warning not to leave been real?

  There was only one way to be sure.

  My glare zeroed in on Kaden. He needed to confess.

  “Tell me everything I told you,” I grabbed his arm and dug in my nails. “Everything!”

  Kaden swallowed and flexed his bicep. “There’s nothing more to tell.”

  I exhaled sharply. “This proves you’re lying and you must think I’m stupid.”

  “You can choose to believe me or not, Abby, but I wouldn’t make this up.” Kaden leaned forward, his blue eyes vibrant. “And I don’t think you’re stupid.”

  I pinched my lips together, wanting to scream. If I really could time travel, why didn’t I just appear to myself and tell me what was going on? Of course, I might have fainted or something, but at least I could have warned myself that the rescue party of Kaden and furry Sasquatch companion was coming, forgoing the need to tie me up, not to mention the wrist breaking incident, and at the very least, put on a freaking bra.

  “Why didn’t she just appear herself, then, and deliver this message to me?”

  “She can’t,” he said quickly. “It’s complicated.”

  “Convenient for your story, isn’t it?” I narrowed my eyes. “So let me get this straight. I couldn’t deliver the message, so I magically appeared out of thin air and told you to break into my house, tie me up, and take me into the forest because—?”

  “Not exactly in those words.” Kaden exhaled hard, visibly frustrated. “There wasn’t an easy way to get you out of Brighton. You’re recorded 24/7 and since the EA was already putting two-and-two together, the extraction had to happen as soon as possible.”

  Memphis began to throw rocks at nearby trees, yawning extra loud. I didn’t care if my questions were trivial or boring. We’d get to the bottom of this some way or another.

  “And why is that so horrible?” I asked, exasperated. “Am I some criminal?”

  “No, Abby,” Kaden looked apologetic. “You’re something more important to them than that.”

  “Like I’m the Oracle?” I chuckled under my breath.

  When Kaden said nothing and just stared at me, I froze and tried hard not to imagine the possibility he might be telling the truth.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Sliding my hand over my pajama pants, I looked for a pocket that wasn’t there. On any normal day, I’d have my flat screen with the Internet at my fingertips. Why hadn’t I paid more attention in history? From what I’d remembered, time travel had been a future discovery and no one in my time was allowed to know the Oracle by name; just that he or she had been this amazing discoverer of the time wrinkle bridging our two eras together. Tragically, he or she died shortly thereafter in a freak accident, and the EA not only lost the Oracle, but important advances as well. I never thought too hard why they didn’t know who the Oracle was in our time, figuring they just didn’t need them.

  I pushed away the damp tendrils of hair sticking to my forehead. There had to be another explanation. And how did Kaden know so much about Brighton’s history anyway? About me?

  “Well, my Complement can’t be the Oracle. She’s dead,” I breathed out.

  He stood over me, hovering in a way that felt protective and possessive. “She’s alive and well, and she’s you.”

  “So the EA is lying to its people? Why?”

  Kaden lifted his chin and his shoulders sagged. “That didn’t come up in conversation, but I could only guess.”

  Gazing into his gorgeous blue eyes, I swallowed down the dread clawing up my throat as a million things coursed and smashed into one another in my head. I didn’t carry the blue eyed gene, so it had to be something else. The fact my future-self trusted Kaden, some guy from the zombie zone, to be my rescuer didn’t sit right with me. He acted as if the EA was about to swoop in and… do what, exactly? I’d be a celebrity.

  I exhaled. Exhaustion interrupted my ability to think clearly.

  “That doesn’t explain why I’m a danger to the EA. I haven’t done anything wrong.”

  Kaden gave Memphis a quick sideways glance and something like a warning exchanged between them.

  “They wanted to keep you from leaving,” Kaden finally said.

  Apparently the EA didn’t know me that well. With the threat of zombies, I would have never left on my own. A pit formed in my stomach. There was something more. Something huge. What else weren’t they telling me?

  “You wouldn’t have broken into my house and taken me if there wasn’t a bigger reason, Kaden. Don’t lie to me.”

  Memphis walked over and sat next to me. He placed his hand on my knee. “This isn’t going to be settled in a day. I think before we go any further, we should get you cleaned up.”

  I glared at him, pushing off his hand. How dare they patronize me. “No. You can tell me whatever it is you’re afraid to tell me now.” I stared into Memphis’ eyes, hoping he’d be easier to read. “What? Am I a criminal?”

  Memphis sucked his lower lip between his teeth, hiding a smile. “It’s not about what you become….” He fumbled for the right words.

  “It’s complicated, Abby,” Kaden said as if to come to Memphis’ rescue. He straightened; his jaw was set. “It’s not important to worry about now.”

  I tucked my good arm under my bad one. “I won’t go anywhere with either of you unless you tell me.”

  Kaden pursed his lips, his eyes sliding from me to his brother. “Your Complement doesn’t want you or your powers in the EA’s hands. That’s all.”

  I continued to glare. “Why?”

  “Because they’re evil, okay?” Memphis chimed in.


  “I highly doubt that.” I cocked my head to the side. “There’s no way they didn’t know I was the Oracle, seriously?”

  “They didn’t, until the meeting.” He exhaled hard and lifted his shoulders. “I rescued you before the EA could exploit you.”

  “Exploit me?” I blinked, astounded.

  “Yes, Abby. They’re not who you think they are.”

  A snort slipped from my lips. “No. I would have become a celebrity, and contrary to what you might think, they don’t arrest citizens who haven’t committed any crimes.”

  “How would you know otherwise without leaving Brighton’s walls?” Kaden raised his brow.

  Memphis sighed extra loud. “Stop talking in circles, Kaden.” He turned to me. “They want you because you’re going to be our future—”

  “Memphis,” Kaden interrupted; a warning through his teeth. “Our time lines aren’t concurrent anymore so that isn’t necessarily true—”

  “But she’ll figure it out anyway, brother… especially when we take her to the colony. And it’s no big deal. Different timelines, remember?” He clapped me on the back. “She’s handling things fine.”

  Fine? I cringed at his confidence in my reaction. His diagnosis couldn’t be further from the truth. And what did he mean by differing timelines? I wouldn’t let on this freaked the heck out of me, not when they were so close to telling me everything.

  “I’m what, Memphis?” I held my shoulders stiff, braced for the worst.

  Kaden’s eyes swung to mine, apologetic. “The reason this is all so important is because your Complement leads our colony in the future.”

  The words took a moment to sink in. I sucked in a short breath, the realization practically knocking the wind out of me; then laughed, a caustic snip that sounded like I’d choked on my spit. “Okay, now I’ve heard everything.”

  He had to be kidding. Hell, no! No, no, no. I shook my head to try to wake myself up from the nightmare. Forget reality, I’d fallen into the rabbit hole.

  “Don’t worry about it. That happens in a different timeline.” Memphis chuckled. “You may never be the leader here.”

  I shook my head, trying to make sense of what he was suggesting. They spoke as if our decisions didn’t affect the future, like the timelines ran parallel. “I’m lost.”

  Kaden blew out a frustrated breath. “Your Complement is the leader in her time, which could have been our future if we’d made the same decisions, but we didn’t so… The EA of that time can’t find where the rebellion is hiding—exactly—and your Complement was worried they’d threaten you to get answers, or worse—”

  “Honestly, this will all make sense after you eat and get your arm looked at. Let’s get to the colony,” Memphis added.

  My brain was stuck on the word: rebellion. This meant an army, guns, fighting, bloodshed. Heart pounding, I shook my head. It was one thing to run away, but another to retaliate.

  I stepped backward and studied their smug faces. How could they assume I’d go along with all of this? Just blindly acknowledge I’d been the Oracle? That my entire life had been a ticking time bomb as the EA awaited for me to become a blip on their radar? That by attending my meeting, they’d finally clue in so they could swoop in and… use me as bait? If anything my birthday had helped me slip through the cracks and the EA hadn’t been prepared. The Oracle… future me… whoever, couldn’t possibly be leading this so called rebellion. She was a hero, not Brighton’s most wanted.

  “You’re all full of crap.” I scanned the tree line and looked for an escape. “I’m going home.”

  “What part of being held as bait and possibly killed doesn’t make sense to you?” Kaden barked, his temper flaring.

  I turned at him and laughed. “Killed?”

  “It’s a possibility.”

  With a roll of my eyes, I snorted. This was too much. “Pretty compelling story. You had me going for a minute. How much is my ransom?”

  Kaden balled his hands into fists and I practically felt the waves of frustration rolling off of him. “This is absolutely ridiculous. Have you forgotten I warned you not to go to your meeting? The last thing I wanted was to risk my life to kidnap you. For what? What could I possibly ransom you for?”

  I yanked my head back. “Power? Control? The use of my abilities?”

  Kaden laughed and shook his head. “You don’t even know how to use your powers, so how’s that going to help me?”

  “You have to want something,” I said quickly.

  Memphis snorted. “Yeah, I’m sure he does.”

  My cheeks felt like they’d caught on fire, and I instantly wished I could take back what I’d just implied.

  “Shut up,” Kaden said between his teeth. He turned to me, his mouth opening and closing wordlessly. A trail of red burnt all the way to his ears. Then he turned and marched around the fire. “There’s no ransom. I honestly came to save you.”

  I clenched my jaw, fighting the side of me that wanted to believe him, wishing he wasn’t so convincing. Maybe I had misjudged him. Then I remembered Roofus. My rage burned again.

  “Says the guy who killed my neighbor’s dog!”

  Kaden’s head whipped around. “I didn’t kill your neighbor’s dog.”

  “I saw his lifeless body on the ground—”

  “He was sleeping.”

  “Stop lying to me—” I moved closer to him, wanting to grip onto his shirt—if only he was wearing one.

  “I hypnotized him.”

  “You what?”

  “He was making too much noise, but that’s not important.” Kaden remained close, his sweet breath wafting over me as his demeanor softened. “I wouldn’t risk my life for a lie, Abby. Why can’t you understand you’re important? More important than you could possibly know. And it’s rather exceptional, really, that you’ve remained undetected this entire time.”

  I shook my head. How could I accept this to be the truth? “Okay, genius. If you know so much, how did I go from being the Oracle to becoming the leader of this group of—” I fumbled for the words, unsure what to call them, “zombie zone rebels.”

  Kaden closed his eyes. “This isn’t a joke, Abby.”

  I raised my brows. “You’ve yet to convince me otherwise.”

  “I’ve told you everything you should know, so if that doesn’t convince you…” He clenched his jaw, working it for a second before opening his eyes again. “Hopefully your Complement will knock some sense into you, since you’re being so stubborn.”

  “That’s if she shows up again.” I huffed, refusing to acknowledge anything.

  I might have agreed, if it didn’t sound so ridiculous. Stubborn or not, my Complement would need to appear. Of course I’d be eating crow for days afterward, but I wasn’t ready to embrace the reality I could be the Oracle, or lead a rebellion against the EA. Being held for ransom was far easier to swallow.

  “Fine, I’ll cooperate, but only if you get word to my parents. They’ll be worried. And my best friend, Elle. She could do something really stupid to try to find me. And Landon.”

  Kaden’s eyes narrowed. And in that instant, he slammed his mask of apathy back into place, leaving only hard lines to his face. “Things have been too dangerous as it is. No one will be returning to Brighton anytime soon.”

  I searched his face, wondering where this hot and cold thing stemmed. One minute he’d open up, then the next, he’d shut me out.

  “Kinda hard to lead a rebellion when you don’t attack your opponent,” I mumbled under my breath. Who was he to tell me what I could and couldn’t do?

  Kaden began kicking dirt onto the fire.

  I wanted to stay mad, but the only thing that still had me confused was the risk he’d taken. He knew I’d fight him, from the abduction to the truth of who I became in the future. Not to mention the possibility of getting caught by the EA and being punished. Even his dad told him not to come. Was Memphis the only person who believed him?

  “What would have happened if you
didn’t come and take me?” I asked.

  “They would have forced you to make your Complement comply,” Kaden said plainly. “And if that didn’t work, kill you.”

  I lifted my chin in disbelief. “Really?”

  He leaned forward, eyes lit with a vengeful fire. “Never underestimate the power behind the EA. They’re vicious and they fight dirty. You were their last resort to get to the rebellion.” His stare probed into me. “And your survival, both now and in the future, is the key to their undoing.”

  My breath caught. This was more than just a mission of mercy. He expected me to return the favor and rescue his people.

  I lifted my good hand. “I don’t know who or what you think I’m capable of becoming, but I’ll never be your hero.”

  Kaden’s nostrils flared. He moved his jaw as if he wanted to say something. Then, at the last second, he turned away. More and more, his reactions told me he acted in good faith and each time I rejected him, he took it personally. But it wasn’t my fault I ruined his delusions of the future. I was merely a girl. Maybe magical, but still mortal, who when trying to save herself broke her wrist. He couldn’t put that much faith and trust into me.

  “That’s why she needs to come to the colony, Kaden.” Memphis moved closer to me. “It’s not safe out here, especially once they start roaming in the woods. Besides,” he turned to me as a cold gust of fear blew up my spine. Yes, let’s not forget the zombies, boys. “We’ve got shoes and clothing back at camp.”

  “That sounds good.” I shirked off my fear and my eyes fell to my dirty toes. Memphis wore old-school red Converse. There’d been a similar pair in the museum in Brighton from the Decadent Years. Stuff they’d made before The Attack, when we loved materialism more than being responsible to the planet. But I did love those shoes.

  “Nice shoes.” I pointed, slightly jealous.

  Memphis turned up the toe and smiled. “Cool, huh? I’d scoured the warehouse looking for them just last week. Might need to get Vans next time, but we’ve got tons of pairs for ladies. They’re just too narrow for me—”