“Yes sir,” Jenna said with a giggle. He scowled before she added, “I’m kind of into this Noah that takes charge and gives orders.”
But he was out the door before she finished her flirtations. She walked over to the window to watch him from above, but he wasn’t outside yet. The pizza delivery car was already parked out front. As she was waiting for Noah to emerge, her phone rang. It was her mother.
Jenna hesitated to answer. She wasn’t sure what to say, fearing she’d slip up and tell her mother about the doctor visit. She didn’t want to disappoint Noah, but she knew her mother would keep calling and worrying if she didn’t hear back from her. Finally, Jenna decided to answer and try to keep it brief. “Hi Mom!”
“Jenna, are you okay?”
Jenna had become accustomed to this anxious greeting, so it didn’t raise any alarms for her. “Yes, Mom, I’m fine.”
“What’s going on there?”
“Just hanging out with Noah, why?”
“Are you feeling okay?”
Jenna was about to tell her mother about her symptoms, but then realized it would likely lead into her trip to the clinic. She stopped herself, and lied to her mother for the first time in her memory. “I’m feeling fine, just a little sleepy. I’m planning to go to bed early tonight.”
Noah appeared through the door with a pizza in hand. He looked at her with a worried face, mouthing to ask who was on the phone. She mimed back that it was her mother. He immediately signaled for her to hang up, not to say anything else.
Jenna was confused, almost frightened by his sudden change in demeanor. Her mother was still talking, but she just stood there, eyes wide, unsure what to do next. Noah reached for the phone and spoke into it without listening.
“Hello, Mrs. Andrews. I apologize, but Jenna and I are right in the middle of studying for our first Anatomy test. As you know, it’s critical to our overall grade. She says she’ll call you back tomorrow.”
He hung up without waiting for a response. Jenna’s face went from fear to amusement, and she started to giggle.
“What?” Noah asked.
“You just hung up on my mother. Nobody treats Judy like that. I bet she’s pissed.”
The two laughed together like they’d just pulled off the best prank of all time. Then, for the next half hour, they sat and ate pizza like typical college students. They shared childhood stories, told each other about life back home, and generally got to know each other better. For an entire hour, the thought of Jenna’s mark’s validity didn’t enter her mind once.
Eventually Noah paused and got serious. “Jenna, I really like you.”
“I really like you too, Noah.”
“I want to take care of you,” he said.
“What do you mean?” Jenna asked.
“I want to make sure all of this turns out okay. I’m going to be there for you.”
“Two weeks ago, I would have told you I’m not the kind of girl that needs to be taken care of, but after today, that sounds pretty good,” she responded.
“Your mark doesn’t change who you are. You believe that, right?” he asked.
Jenna nodded, hoping to convince herself.
Chapter 15
The next morning, they woke up together in Jenna’s bed. She was pleased that Vivian had never come home. They cuddled until Jenna’s alarm ruined their perfect night. Noah was the first one out of bed, and Jenna watched him intently as he got dressed and tried to tame his morning hair using her small desk mirror. He noticed her watching and addressed her delicately.
“I know you don’t need a lot of work to look good, but when do you plan on getting out of bed?”
Jenna stretched blissfully. “I’m just enjoying the view. I’ll get up in a minute.”
“Well, we need to get to class and keep up appearances while we investigate your mark. We have no idea who that doctor’s contacting about your appointment yesterday. I booked another session with Chloe for tonight. I’m hoping we can get more information about you this time.”
Jenna wasn’t happy with his suggestion, but she knew he was right. If it were up to her, she’d just stay in bed with him all day for the rest of their lives. She reluctantly rolled out of bed and got dressed. Noah handed her a piece of leftover pizza as they walked out the door, backpacks over their shoulders. She happily accepted it, shoving it in her mouth on the way to the elevator.
“Looks like someone worked up quite an appetite,” Noah joked.
Jenna smirked and kept eating. This was the happiest she’d ever been in her entire life, yet she was completely unsure of what her future held.
Maybe ignorance is bliss.
Class felt extraordinarily difficult that day. The minutes dragged on, but Jenna tried her best to pull it together and get through the lab assignment. Noah was focused and quiet, but that wasn’t unusual for him. She looked over at Vivian’s lab partner, working solo as Vivian was MIA again. He caught her staring at him and gave her a wink, causing her to look away quickly.
Jenna stared at Noah’s hands as he carefully carved into the abdomen of their new carcass. As he pulled moist animal parts out and handed them to her, she carefully arranged them on their assignment board. Watching him work was exciting her, and her mind drifted back to their night together. Her body recalled the new sensations she’d experienced, giving her a flood of endorphins.
Jenna felt flushed, so she excused herself to the restroom. She splashed water in her face and gathered her composure. Looking in the mirror, she was a little frightened. College was being especially unkind to her appearance. She looked a little gaunt, and definitely unkempt.
Maybe I should book a hair appointment or something.
When she felt she was as presentable as she was going to get, she returned to class. Noah asked if she was all right with just a glance. She nodded to let him know that she was fine, and they continued with their assignment in silence, like two good little soldiers. Noah helped her label everything and, with the professor’s blessing, they were released early from class.
Free from obligations for the rest of the day, they held hands all the way back to her dorm. Noah kissed her goodbye and promised to pick her up for dinner before meeting the hacker. Jenna was surprised, and a little sad, that he was willing to leave her alone after everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours. Trying not to mope in front of her boyfriend, she went inside and lost track of time for the rest of the day. By the time she checked her phone, she realized it was time to go. Jenna quickly changed clothes before running to meet Noah downstairs.
They repeated their previous date night, again eating at Luigi’s before going on the car-to-car adventure, followed by the weird pat-down ritual in the dark. Then they were greeted by the same hacker. Chloe didn’t acknowledge that she’d ever met them, but she did emit a familiar vibe. Jenna still felt like her attitude was uncaring, but that didn’t matter. She could feel herself relax as they followed Chloe through the maze back to her spot, or office, or whatever it was.
Everyone got settled without any small talk. The hacker girl started typing. “Name?”
Jenna took a deep breath and said, “Jenna Andrews.”
Chloe clicked away on the keyboard, pausing periodically to read and click within various screens. Jenna watched her face, since the stuff on the computer didn’t mean anything to her. It might as well have been written in another language.
Maybe that’s what hackers really learn, how to decode nonsense.
Noah squeezed Jenna’s hand, and she realized she’d been sighing pretty loudly for several minutes. But Chloe didn’t seem to notice; she was locked onto her search, oblivious to the others in the room.
After a little while longer, she sat back, just staring at the monitor. As a protective measure, Jenna started to lower her expectations about finding anything. Then Chloe lurched forward, and typed and clicked some more. Finally, she spun around in her chair to face them, grinning ever so slightly. “Some of the records ar
e sealed.”
“Sealed? What does that mean?” Jenna asked.
“Sealed means sealed. It means I can’t get to them. They’re locked.”
Chloe’s tone was even more condescending than usual. Jenna hadn’t realized that was even possible, much less that she was a person needing sealed records.
“But I thought that’s what you do, get into things you shouldn’t be able to access. I thought hackers were supposed to be really smart.”
Chloe’s face revealed the extent of the internal damage from Jenna’s passive insult. She sighed before responding, “I am smart, but I can only do so much. I’m not a miracle worker. Anyway, I did find out that Jenna Andrews is definitely a murder mark, which explains the alteration. And her birth name is Ramona Christenson.”
“Wait. What did you just say?” Jenna asked.
“I said I’m smart.”
Jenna ignored the sarcasm and patiently waited for her to continue. Chloe succumbed, and quickly summarized her findings again in her most disinterested tone. “Jenna Andrews is a confirmed murder mark, and her real name is Ramona Christenson.”
The room swirled. In an instant, what Jenna had felt for some time was confirmed. Something wasn’t right; her life had always felt too perfect. Though she never would have guessed such a reality, Chloe’s words cut right through her, triggering an overwhelming sense of grief. She grieved the loss of her life, the one she’d always expected to have. For some strange reason, discovering that she was never meant to be a doctor was more painful than learning she was actually born to be a killer, but the name revelation was throwing off her equilibrium. Knowing she was adopted was one thing, but she’d never suspected that her parents had changed her first name.
While she reeled internally, trying to maintain her balance, Noah casually asked Chloe if there was anyone else that could help them get into the sealed records. She talked about what type of records they were and the special clearance they had before giving him suggestions for whom to contact. At some point, Jenna quit focusing on Chloe’s words, lost inside her own tumultuous mind.
Jenna’s world was still spinning. She focused on Chloe as a focal point, trying desperately to enact her meditative breathing techniques. Jenna studied the girl’s hair, which was nice and shiny today, pulled back in a messy ponytail. Light reflected off the computer monitor to Chloe’s glasses, and her face was expressionless as always. Chloe’s posture was extremely relaxed, like she didn’t have bones in her body, though her voice was nearly mechanical. If it wasn’t for her slinky body, Jenna would have sworn she was some kind of machine.
Jenna examined the entire room, looking up in the corners and around on the floor. The entire space was stark and empty, but there was a small blinking red light centered above the door. Jenna’s paranoia began to kick in, causing her to question whether they were even in part of the Sub. Everything seemed too bare and inefficient for her liking. She stood and grabbed Noah by the arm. “I think we’re ready to go.”
No one seemed surprised in the least that Jenna wasn’t interested in learning more about her birth name or her true mark origins. The trio snaked back to the entrance in silence. This time Noah and Jenna, knowing the drill, waited patiently outside the entrance for a car to pick them up. Within ten minutes, a car from the Sub magically appeared, as if on cue. After they got in, Noah rubbed her leg softly.
“How ya doing, Jenna?”
“I don’t know. I’m not sure how to feel. I wish emotions didn’t exist.”
“I’m sorry, Jenna. I can’t imagine everything you’re going through right now. Forget about that junk. Only the Sub knows the truth about you, so nothing’s going to change. You and I are both going to be doctors. One day in the future, we’ll be starting our own practice together.”
Jenna smiled, hoping that he was offering a glimpse into his romantic feelings for her. She wasn’t sure if he meant it or if he was just trying to cheer her up, but either way was nice.
When they finally arrived back at her dorm, Noah stopped at the entrance and hugged her. She quickly sensed he was saying goodbye. Her heart felt broken. “You’re not coming up? I mean, I thought we already broke that seal.”
“Oh, I definitely want to come up to your room. But—” Noah paused, like he was about to deliver the most horrible news.
“But what? Are you afraid of me?” Jenna asked tentatively.
“No, of course not. I don’t believe that stuff, and neither should you,” he said. “I just think you need some time alone. And I know you need some rest, which you definitely won’t get if I come up. I promise I’ll be back around 8:30 to walk with you to class. Sound good?”
Is he really not afraid to be alone with me now? Why not?
Jenna pushed those paranoid thoughts from her mind. Noah hadn’t done anything to indicate the murder mark news was impacting his feelings for her. She knew he was right, and she realized how much she needed someone to force her to do the right things, instead of whatever brought her pleasure. She nodded pathetically, still hoping he’d change his mind.
Tough love sucks.
They hugged again, this time deeper and for much longer, like neither wanted to let the other go. Eventually Noah released her, and she walked sluggishly up the steps. She turned around at the top to wave, but Noah was already gone.
What the F?
Jenna fought the urge to run after him and find out why he took off. She also felt inclined to just leave and do something else, go to the library, try to find another party, anything but sit around in her lonely room. But she ultimately decided to do the right thing, per Noah’s orders.
Back in her room, she looked over at Vivian’s empty, perfectly-made bed and then to her own, which was a mess from her, uh, sleepover. She decided that Vivian probably wasn’t ever coming back. It was possible that she’d finally been arrested, but Jenna wasn’t holding her breath. She took a bottle of water from the small refrigerator at the foot of her bed and drank the entire thing in two swallows. Feeling content, she lay down on her roommate’s nice bed and drifted off to sleep with ease.
*****
Thrashing hands, slurping noises, total darkness. Jenna was having another nightmare. In this one, she was down on the ground, fighting with someone. Everything was dark, so she couldn’t tell where she was. Heavy earth scents told her she was likely near bushes or trees. She was lying on her back in the grass, which was wet and smelled clear, like after a gentle rain.
Jenna fought back against her attacker with all her might, not even knowing who it was or how she got there. Her back was cold, and she saw her own breath in front of her face, but nothing more. She felt like she was fighting a faceless foe, some invisible force. Her hands pounded back and forth until she was exhausted and her knuckles ached. She felt her will to win slipping away, and she started to give up, to accept defeat.
Then she heard music building in the distance. It was a familiar song, but she couldn’t recall the name. As Jenna tried to get up, she felt pinned down by this unknown person sitting on top of her. The music kept getting louder, like someone was carrying a radio toward her. There was a loud click, and she was suddenly awake.
She quickly realized that her phone alarm was playing the song from her dream. Jenna sat straight up, breathing hard from the nightmare, but comforted when she recognized that it wasn’t real. She reached over to dismiss her phone alarm. As she moved, she felt something warm and wet around her waist. Her phone slipped out of her hand, dropping to the floor with a bang. The alarm kept playing the song, progressively louder.
Jenna stared at her hand, which was covered in a dark liquid. She looked down at her shirt and saw that it was soaked in fresh, bright red blood. It was everywhere, all over her bed. Her entire body throbbed. Jenna screamed as she tried to jump up, catching her feet in the sheets and landing violently on the floor, flat on her face.
She scooted away to rest her back against the wall, breathing heavily. The song on her phone was deafening. Jen
na grabbed her phone to silence it, debating if she should call for help. She noticed that the door leading out to the hallway was slightly ajar, which made her terrified that whoever had attacked her would be back. Slowly she scooted toward the door to shut and lock it. Then she returned to her safe spot on the floor, under the window and out of sight of the external world.
She cried so hard she physically shook, but she tried with all her might to keep from making any noise that would draw attention to her. Jenna deduced that at least part of her nightmare must have been real, but she had no idea what had actually happened. Maybe she was still asleep, and the bad dream wasn’t finished. After a few desperate attempts to make sense of what happened, she concluded that Vivian had returned to the room and stabbed her.
Is this because I slept in her bed? Is she trying to frame me? Does she know about my mark?
She wondered why Vivian hadn’t finished the job. Either Jenna had fought hard enough to stop her, or the phone alarm had scared her away before she could finish. Jenna pressed a pillow hard against her stomach. She was already dialing 911 before she realized that she didn’t feel any pain.
She put the phone down while peeling away the pillow. Then she started removing her clothes, doing a cursory body check for wounds. It was hard to be sure, since she was fully covered in blood now starting to dry, but she couldn’t find any wounds at all. She was completely unharmed, at least physically.
Using her crime investigation movie expertise, Jenna examined the room from top to bottom. She didn’t see any bloody footprints on the floor near the door, and she couldn’t find any obvious weapons lying around. Yet here she sat, covered in someone’s blood, most likely not her own.
She grabbed another bottle of water from the refrigerator and poured it on a washcloth, which she used to scrub her entire body. Now that she could get a clean look, Jenna was positive that she wasn’t injured. The only thing she found was redness and pain around her hip area, covered by a small bandage.
Marked Page 15
