Sleeper Cells

by Sandra Y. Desjardins

  “Is everything okay?” He scooped up the basket and followed behind her as she made her way through the hallway toward the exit.

  “As well as can be expected,” she said curtly.

  “Then why am I picking up some seriously unhappy vibes?”

  “Are you?” She pushed through the door and walked down the steps of the building.

  “Hey,” he grabbed her elbow and spun her around. “What’s up with you? What did she say that’s got you so angry?”

  “She actually didn’t say anything to make me angry. As a matter of fact, she really apologized and didn’t once try to skirt responsibility.”

  “Okay…” He stared at her. “Then what’s wrong?”

  “You first,” she pulled her arm free from his grasp and crossed them over her chest.

  “What do you mean?” He asked then sighed. “Wait, don’t even respond to that,” he dropped the rose stem into her bag so that the flower was sticking out. He took her hand into his, “Come on.” He led her toward the grass.

  “You wanna talk here?”

  “Yeah, I wanna talk here so that I can talk to you without always looking over your shoulder.” He pulled the blanket out of the basket and spread it on the grass. “Here, put this over on that corner of the blanket.” He handed her a small metal device.

  “What is it?”

  “A scrambler, just in case anyone wants to sit and try to listen.”

  “Okay…”

  “Don’t you find it the least bit annoying that not only do we have others watching our every move, but we also have all these media people?”

  “Yes.” She laughed. “You know I hate it. That’s why you come with me to all the charity events and I have stupid bodyguards—” She gasped when he pulled her against him then kissed her.

  “I miss doing that.” He leaned back and looked at her.

  “Me too…and I wish it hadn’t stopped. Or that I at least knew why.”

  “I don’t know,” he shook his head and pulled her down to sit beside on him the blanket. “I mean, we’re pretty sure it’s because of last weekend.” He sighed and sat back.

  “Jason?” She scooted toward him.

  “Lauren and I have been meeting up to—”

  “What?” She recoiled.

  “No,” he grabbed her. “That came out wrong—”

  “Are you sneaking around with Lauren?”

  “No!” He pulled her next to him. “Please, that was stupid of me to word it like that. What I meant to say was that we’ve been…ah…she’s been drawing my blood, Kat. Seriously, it’s not like that, it’s because I’m changing.”

  “Changing?” She looked him up and down, “Into what?”

  “No, not like changing into something else,” he sighed. “My body chemistry is changing. All the meds that they’ve given me aren’t working anymore. It’s like my body burns through them within hours now.”

  “Oh,” she said slightly winded. “I don’t understand.”

  “It’s almost as if, I don’t know,” he shrugged. “I’m becoming more human.”

  “And you think it has something to do with last week?” She asked.

  “Yes, I know it does. I felt different when we woke up, but it wasn’t until the following evening...”

  “What happened?” She searched her memory.

  “When we got settled on the couch…” He hinted.

  “You left,” she whispered. “I just assumed it was because you were still mad at me about—”

  “No,” he shook his head. “I wasn’t upset with you over that, or anything else for that matter.”

  “So you left for another reason?”

  “You know how we’ve kissed all this time and it’s never gone past a certain point...”

  “Yeah,” she thought about that night and remembered it being different. “Jason, maybe we can be together—”

  “No, Kat,” he shook his head. “We can’t ever be together.”

  “Jason…” she gripped his hand and energy shot up her arm. He snatched his hand away from her and tried to stand.

  “This is why I’ve been avoiding you, I need to go—”

  “No,” her grip tightened on his arm. “We have to talk about this, and we’re okay. You were right to do it here, in public, so we can be ourselves, but have enough of a reason to fight against it.”

  “Right,” he took several unsteady breaths.

  “Are you okay?” She handed him a bottle of water from the basket.

  “Better,” he nodded as she guided him onto the blanket. He tucked his head onto her leg. “Lauren has been drawing my blood three times a day and it’s not good. We got our injections on Saturday and it’s already completely out of my system. So she’s been manufacturing it for me so that it helps with all the imbalances.”

  “But mom showed us how to make them…”

  “I know, but those were all gone by Wednesday, and there seems to be more of that mystery ingredient in my blood than in yours. So Lauren has been trying to determine what it is, and she’s making injections that are suited for my body chemistry…”

  “Maybe that isn’t such a bad thing.” She stroked his hair. “Maybe with us both feeling more human we can be more normal than we ever hoped we could be.”

  “No, Kat. I don’t ever want to try—”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I almost killed you,” he sat up and sweat instantly drenched his face. “You don’t remember, Kat, but you were seconds away from dying. If your mother hadn’t—”

  “Calm down,” she grabbed him and her jaw clenched shut when the energy shot up her arm.

  “Don’t!” He snatched his hand away from hers. “Don’t touch me.”

  “I’m okay.” She lied.

  “You aren’t—”

  “I am. And you’re right. We won’t try or do what isn’t comfortable for you until we learn more.”

  “But you want to—”

  “No, I was just being—”

  “Don’t lie!” A fire alarm went off in a nearby building.

  “Jason—”

  “What if it happens again, Kat? What if we kiss and something happens to you?” He stood and started pacing. “What if we’re alone in the house and I short-circuit everything and I can’t touch you to help—”

  “Jason—”

  “And even if I could get help, Kat, it still wouldn’t matter because I wouldn’t let anyone near you! The stupid instinct that I have to protect you was the very thing that nearly got you killed!” The bells in the chapel started chiming and several other fire alarms rang out as students exited the buildings.

  “Mom said that was normal, babe. We are programmed—”

  “What kind of a monster does something like that?” He shouted, “Lauren begged me to let her save you…” He squeezed his eyes closed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Kat, if your mother wasn’t as strong as she is, then you would be dead.” He dropped back on to the blanket but made sure to not touch her.

  “You are not a monster.” She said over the fire truck sirens. “We can’t help what we are, Jason. We just have to learn how to control our powers. And we can; it’s just going to take some time…” She reached out to touch his face but he pulled away from her.

  “There are syringes,” he said with a shaky voice as he put his arm inside the picnic basket. “In the basket…”

  “Got it.” She fished for the syringe, pulled the plastic cap off of the needle, and then injected it into the fleshy region of his forearm. She didn’t want to risk pulling it entirely out of the basket so someone could see and ask why she was injecting her fiancée with a hypodermic needle. After dropping it into the basket, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled herself onto his lap. “I’ve got you, babe.”

  “Are you okay?” He asked frantically, the surge of energy causing her to cry out despite not wanting to.

  “Yeah, I’m good.” She nodded after a strange feeling swept over her and a g
ust of wind blew around them.

  He turned her so that her back was resting against his chest. He lifted the bottle of water for her and she took several sips. They ate sandwiches as they watched the fire department run to and fro. Kat and Jason weren’t going to provide that Jason had been the cause, so their search for a fire or prankster was futile. They instead sat in silence until the fire department left and everyone returned to their classes.

  “Jason,” she turned to look at him. “I’m really sorry about the other night…” She didn’t want to get him worked up again, but she wanted to clear the air. “I never meant to hurt you.”

  “None of that was your fault, Kat—I know you didn’t want to have any part of it.” He kissed her forehead. “Can you do me a favor, though?”

  “Anything,” she nodded.

  “Don’t ever disconnect again—ever, I don’t care what you’re doing.”

  “Okay, I promise.”

  “Think you can do one more thing for me?”

  “Of course.”

  “Kiss me…”

  “Honey,” she smiled as she turned toward him. “I’ve been waiting for you to ask me that all week.”

  “I love you.” He gave her a colossal bear hug.

  “I love you, too.” She chuckled as he laid her on the blanket and stared at her for a long moment.

  “I wish we were normal.” He brushed the hair away from her face.

  “Me too…but we’ve got right now. So let’s make the best out of all the normal moments we have.”

  “That, my little buttercup, is the best idea I’ve heard all day.” He kissed her gently then lay beside her.

  After packing up the picnic basket, he pulled the newspaper from his backpack. She sat with her back against a tree while he lay with his head tucked on her leg. They laughed at their horoscopes, and then he read a couple of articles from the style section of the newspaper as she played with his hair. They talked about their classes, and friends, and avoided talking about anything that wasn’t strictly related to being human.

  He walked her to class, and after he kissed her, he handed her the rose. She brought it to her nose and took a whiff of the sweet perfume as she watched him walk away. She was glad they finally cleared the air so that life could resume to normal, or as close to normal as it could get.

  Chapter Ten Mrs. Pacman & The Square Peg

  “Trick or treat,” a group of children yelled as Kat opened the door.

  “Happy Halloween,” she smiled as she admired their costumes.

  “What are you supposed to be?” a little boy asked.

  “She’s inmate number three,” Jason kissed her shoulder.

  “Whoa,” another boy said.

  “I know,” Jason smiled as he piled candy into the kid’s bag. “Not too shabby being stuck in prison if she’s your cellmate—ouch,” he rubbed his stomach where she elbowed him.

  “Be careful, and make sure you’re parents check your bags!” She called as they ran next door. Kat closed the door and pulled Jason toward her, then ran her finger over his number. “Tell me again why you chose these costumes?”

  “Because you’re my buttercup,” he smiled and was just about to kiss her when the doorbell chimed. “And you look really hot in that orange,” he pulled the door open and greeted a couple from one of his classes.

  Her parents volunteered to take over candy duty, so she and Jason mingled as they made their way through the living room toward the kitchen. Once there, their mouths hung open when they saw Jason’s father doing shots with some of the frat boys. They stared at each other for a moment when Eric handed Jason a shot.

  “What’s he doing?” Kat asked Barbara as she grabbed water from the refrigerator.

  “Brian asked Eric why he was always so stiff,” she chuckled as she watched Eric and Jason do another shot. “He told him to loosen up, so this is his attempt to do so.”

  “Brian is a social butterfly that tells everyone they’re uptight.” Kat laughed.

  “Yeah, well he’s had a few people tell him that over the years, but when it was just us, it wasn’t as much of a problem,” Barbara stared at her for a moment. “It seems that your union with Jason has given us a bit of a run for our money since you come attached with so many humans.”

  “It isn’t too bad once they get to know you. They’ll just attribute it to being a quirky quality you have,” she shrugged.

  “I hope so. Your grandparents don’t care for us and neither does your sister.” She sighed.

  “Give it some time,” Kat scanned the room and saw Vanessa entering with a guy in tow. She guessed it was Jeremy, the guy she had been telling her about. She sounded head over heels for him, which had Kat a bit concerned, because Vanessa’s tendency to jump head first into relationships was always her fatal flaw. “Can you excuse me?” Kat asked Barbara before walking toward her sister. “Vanessa!”

  “Kit Kat,” she smiled and pulled the guy along. “Hey,” Vanessa gave her quick hug, “This is Jeremy Miller. Jeremy, this is my sister, Katarina.”

  “Star Trek, one of my favorite shows,” Kat admired their Star Fleet uniforms as she shook his hand. “And call me Kat, or Inmate number three—”

  “And I’m Jason,” he came up beside her and wrapped his arm around her waist. “Or inmate forty-seven. You must be Jeremy,” he held out his hand.

  “It’s nice to finally meet both of you,” Jeremy said. “Vanessa talks about you all the time.”

  “Lauren,” Kat called when she spotted her talking to David.

  “Hey,” Lauren called pushing passed people to get to them. “Wow, you look…wow,” she looked at Kat’s skimpy costume.

  “What?” Kat asked trying to pull down the jumpsuit that made Daisy Dukes look conservative. The handcuff belt sashed around her waist was a decorative accessory that only made it look skimpier. “Are you seriously Mrs. Pacman?” She laughed.

  “Yeah, Mr. Square Peg couldn’t think of a more ridiculous couple’s costume.” Lauren snorted as she stepped closer and whispered, “I think I got an opening tonight.”

  “From Russia?” Kat assumed.

  “With love,” Lauren winked as she stepped back and greeted Jason.

  “Hey,” Ariel called as she made her way to them. “Oh, hey, I thought of that costume!” She pointed to Lauren. “I’m glad we went with Cleopatra and Marc Antony…the modest version…” She eyed Kat’s costume. “You could have perhaps gone a bit longer?”

  “Her boots come all the way up over her knees,” Jason pointed out. “And with those fish-net stockings it’s almost like she’s covered from head to toe.” He teased as he pulled Kat to the dance floor. “You look amazing.”

  “Do I?” Kat asked, “Because it is a bit revealing...”

  “No it isn’t. And you look beautiful, so don’t pay them any mind.” He twirled her then pressed his cheek against hers and they smiled.

  “Did your mother have to invite the media?” She snorted when the photographer disappeared into the crowd. “They could go snooping around the house.”

  “Yeah, with all the security measures that are in place, I doubt we could make it up to our bedroom without being put in your belt.”

  “Ha, ha,” she added dryly. “Maybe instead of going to law school you can manage to support us as a comedian,” she teased.

  “Maybe…so what did Lauren whisper into your ear?”

  “She thinks Vladimir may be free this evening.”

  “Is she that anxious to be with him? I mean, we are in the middle of setting him up.”

  “Yeah,” she looked at Lauren. “But she’s miserable, so I don’t wanna burst her bubble.”

  “So does that mean she needs your help?”

  “Probably, I’ll catch up with her in a second.” She leaned up and kissed him. “I love you.”

  “And I love you,” he smiled.

  “Are you okay?” She studied him.

  “Yeah, I just…I don’t know. I don’t want you going to Russia
tonight. I kinda had something in mind.”

  “Oh, yeah…” Kat ran her finger over his number. “Do tell?”

  “I have to do a little reconnaissance, so I thought I could take you with me.”

  “Okay, you’ve definitely got my attention. I’ll go catch up with her and see what the plan is.” She turned her neck so he could kiss her. “What else? It looks like there’s still something pinging around up there.”

  “I don’t know. I just got a weird vibe…”

  “You’ve been getting those a lot lately.”

  “Yeah,” he looked down at her for a moment. “I don’t know how to describe it…it’s just a feeling…” He chuckled. “That’s pretty lame, huh?”

  “Not if that’s the only way you could describe it.”

  “It’s this weird stomach thing…almost like an odd twisting kind of feeling, but not really…and it only happens when I get around certain people…or people in weird moods.”

  “Like me?” She asked when he looked away.

  “Yeah, I can feel when you’re bothered by something or when something’s wrong.”

  “Like when I walked in on Vanessa?” Several weeks after the Roger Incident, Jason confessed that he had gone in search of her that fateful evening because he knew something was wrong. His gut instincts regarding her, and everyone else for that matter, were getting stronger. It was yet another anomaly that her mother couldn’t explain because she had never heard of such a connection. “It’s okay, babe.” Kat grabbed his chin and forced him to look at her again. He had described that night as one of the most horrifying experiences of his life and one he hated even thinking about, so she changed the subject. “So who gave you the weird vibe?”

  “Your sister’s new beau,” he nodded toward them.

  “It’s weird seeing her with someone other than Pete,” and Roger.

  “Yeah, I don’t get a warm fuzzy about him…it’s weird.”

  “What do you think it means?”

  “Hey,” Barbara interrupted. “The photographer wants a picture of us with Katarina’s parents. They asked everyone to meet them upstairs. I guess the den is set-up.”

  “Yeah, sure, Mom,” Jason said forcing one of his brilliant but false smiles that made Kat chuckle.