Fusion

by Rose, Imogen

  “Flying would be the quickest option, but we still have to find a way to get to SFO. This place is in the middle of nowhere,” I complained.

  “We could take the van,” Ariele suggested.

  “The Ames van? Bad idea. That van probably has some tracking device on it. Dad will haul us back before we even get close to the airport.”

  “Any other ideas? We can’t exactly walk it.”

  “Hold up. First of all, when are we going to do this?” Kellan asked.

  “As soon as possible since we don’t know when we’ll be forced to go back home again,” I said.

  “I get that, but we’ll have to do this on a day when our parents are busy doing something else. I figure that we at least need to get to Jersey before we can risk them missing us. Once we’re there, we’ll call them and tell them that we’ll be back soon, but there’s not much they can do then.”

  “Ella said that Mom promised to take her to Universal Studios, so we know that they’ll be busy for at least one day.”

  “Dad mentioned that he was coming with us. I think they think we’re all going, Kellan added.

  “Us, too?” Ariele asked.

  “I don’t know about that. Did your mom say anything?” Kellan said.

  “No, but then we were kinda last minute.”

  I got up and took a pen and a sheet of paper from the nightstand drawer. Writing things down always helped me get organized. “Okay, so we know Mom, Ella, and your dad, Kell, are going to Universal for the day. We need to find out exactly when. I have a feeling Ella expected to go today, so she’ll probably whine Mom into it tomorrow, which won’t give us a lot of time.”

  “Okay, so once they’re gone—taking the van presumably—what do we do?” Ariele asked.

  “We could call a cab,” Kellan replied. “But we’ll still have to get past Celia and your parents if they are still here.”

  We stopped talking at the knock on our door.

  “Come on in!” yelled Ariele.

  Harry opened the door but remained in the hallway with Ella on his shoulders and an armful of towels.

  “Are you ready for a swim?” Ella said.

  “I guess.” My stomach had recovered from the onslaught of way too much food. “Aren’t you getting too big for Harry’s shoulders?” I snickered at her legs dangling down to his thighs.

  “No!” She grimaced at me. “Am I, Harry?”

  “Nope, not at all. I could even get Arizona up there.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I’ve just got to get my bikini on. See you out there in five.”

  “Bring some more towels,” Harry said, before galloping down the hall with a shrieking Ella.

  “Right, let’s go swimming,” I said to Kellan and Ariele. “Grab your suits.”

  Harry and Ella were doing laps when we arrived. Boy, she’d gotten really good at the breaststroke. All she used to do was splash around like a puppy. Now she dipped in and out of the water, swimming parallel to Harry.

  I jumped off the board right behind Kell and Ariele, hitting the warm pool water. “Oh, this is nice.” I smiled at Kellan, who looked way too hot in his trunks.

  “Oh, stop staring at him,” snickered Ariele.

  “Shut up!” I splashed her and swam over to Kellan.

  “Hey,” he said, sending a fresh zip of excitement through me. I could feel Ariele laughing silently at me. I turned around and stuck my tongue out at her. As I was making faces, Kellan scooped me up and threw me toward her. I hit the water with a splash, soaking Ariele, and that was it. She went nuts throwing water at Kellan and me. I lay back in the water, kicking my feet up and down, splashing her and laughing.

  “Good grief, you guys!” shouted Ella, putting on a very Celia English accent. “Stop! Harry and I are trying to swim.”

  I got out of the water and went around the pool to jump in right next to Ella, splashing her.

  “It’s war, Arizona!” she said and joined in. Harry chuckled away until Ariele hit him with the beach ball.

  For a little while, I completely forgot everything, my mind completely occupied with fun. We played until we were exhausted and ready to hit the sack. I got out of the pool and settled back on one of the lounge chairs.

  “Scoot up,” Kellan whispered and climbed in beside me. My mind was suddenly overtaken by urges to turn around and melt my wet skin into his, so I did, slowly turning over to face him then wriggling up as close I could get. He pulled me even closer. Every inch of my skin tingled to the point of explosion.

  Then a third skin joined us, laying right on top of us, dripping water onto my face.

  “Ella!” I turned around and grabbed her, setting her down on the side. “You better dry off.” I handed her my towel.

  “So, I was thinking,” she said. “Can I sleep with you and Ariele tonight? I miss Alexa and Tallulah. It’s so boring just hanging out with Mom.”

  What I really wanted to do was spend some time with Kell. His hand on my leg was driving me crazy. I put mine over it and glanced over at the pool. Harry was busy swimming laps with Ariele. I always dumped Ella on Harry, and he never seemed to mind, but I guess Ella wanted girl time.

  “Sure,” I said. “We’ll have a sleepover. Want to do my nails?” I held them out for her.

  “Yes! I brought my favorites, but I found some awesome colors in Celia’s dressing room. She’s got a whole cabinet full of them.”

  “Been snooping already?”

  She pouted, looking totally guilty. “Maybe.”

  “Found anything interesting?”

  “Maybe.” She grinned.

  “Well, stop being annoying. Are you going to tell?”

  “Maybe.” She threw a glance at Kellan, who looked as if he had fallen asleep.

  “All right. Tell you what. Get ready for bed, and come to our room. I’ll be there in ten minutes or so.”

  As soon as she skipped off, I turned back to Kellan. He moved slightly as I touched his hair, pushing the wet strands off his forehead. I kissed him, waking his sleeping lips. As I closed my eyes, the kiss deepened and intensified, and I moved closer to him, wrapping myself around him. My throat began to feel tingly… itchy actually, and then it started to burn. I felt it begin to close up entirely, cutting off my air supply, and I panicked. Simla’s laughing–mocking–face came at me, again and again. Pushing Kellan off me, I struggled to sit up, trying to catch my breath.

  “What happened?” Kellan sat up beside me. His eyes narrowed. “Are you okay?”

  “My throat. It closed up. I couldn’t breathe.”

  “Can you breathe now?” he asked, getting up. “Harry, can you get your mom? Arizona might need some Benadryl.”

  Harry was over in a flash with Ariele close behind him. “Take deep breaths, Arizona. You’re not allergic to anything we know. Did you eat anything different today?”

  “Probably, but that’s not it. And I am fine now,” I said rubbing my neck.

  “I’ll get Mom,” Harry said.

  “No, don’t. It’s nothing.”

  “It didn’t seem like nothing,” Kellan mumbled. “You should have her look at it.”

  “It was Simla,” I said.

  The boys and Ariele freaked out.

  “Ariele, get Dr. Fox. We’ll stay here with Arizona. Which direction did she go in, Arizona?” Harry shouted.

  “No, no! She wasn’t here!”

  “Huh?” Ariele muttered.

  “Why did you say it was Simla then?” Harry asked.

  “I don’t know. Well, I do, but I don’t know how to explain it. I felt my throat burning, and I couldn’t breathe. All I saw was Simla’s face cackling at me.”

  The three of them went quiet.

  “Look, I’m sorry to have freaked you guys out. I don’t know what that was, but Simla isn’t here. Let’s go back to our rooms. I need a shower, plus Ella is waiting for me. Ariele, I told Ella she could sleep over. Hope that’s okay with you.”

  “Hold on, Arizona. I think the three of us can expla
in the Simla thing to you,” she said. She looked at Kellan and Harry, who both nodded.

  “It sounds like you just remembered the attack in the restroom at school. Simla got you by the throat and tried to choke you to death… maybe not to death, but she did leave you in a really bad shape.”

  “Why would she do that?”

  Harry explained the story to me, and as he did, I could almost see it play out in my head. I was there. It happened to me, not some doppelganger. These were my memories.

  “Do you know what triggered the recall? What were you doing when you remembered? It’s important that we figure this out in case we can use it to help you remember other stuff,” Harry said.

  I peeked at Kellan, turning a shade or two redder. I felt pretty sure that what we’d been doing had absolutely nothing to do with my sudden flash of memory and shook my head. “No, no idea,” I said to Harry.

  “Actually, I might.” Kellan shifted uncomfortably.

  All eyes were on him.

  “The night after the attack, when I stayed with Arizona…” He coughed. “In the middle of the night, she kissed me, her throat still raw from the attack. I think that might have triggered this… kissing me that way.”

  “Get out!” Ariele spewed.

  “I concur,” Harry said. “Anyhow, I guess that makes sense.”

  I didn’t remember that kiss, but if that’s what brought on the recall, I’d be more than happy to explore that trigger again.

  “Wipe that goofy grin off your face.” Ariele laughed. “Come on, we better go if Ella is waiting. And you, Kell, jump back in the pool.”

  “So,” Ariele said, as we walked back to our room. “All thoughts of David are now in the past?”

  “They have to be,” I said sourly.

  “I guess, but are they?”

  How could they be? David had been my dream. I had totally planned my life to include walking down the aisle in a Marchesa gown and saying, “I do,” to him. And I couldn’t shake that image. Not yet. “I don’t know.”

  “You and Kellan is all I have known, and you guys are perfect together. It’s not like you’re exactly pushing him away.”

  True. In fact, just the opposite. All I wanted to do when he got within inches of me was jump his bones. I could feel his strong desire for me, and it drove me to him, hungry for more. And now, right before the Simla scare, I had felt something so euphoric when I kissed him. I had been so invested in the sense of being completely with him.

  “In fact,” Ariele continued, “you’re totally loving his attention. Jump his bones already, and save us all from more of this unrequited lust crap.”

  “So, we haven’t yet?” It was a question that had really gnawed at me. It wasn’t like I could just ask him.

  “Nope. Not that you told me about, anyway. And you did tell me everything.” She frowned.

  We were at our room and stopped chattering when we spotted Ella in my bed, reading on her iPad.

  “What took you so long?” she asked, stretching.

  “You tired?” I asked.

  “A little. Can we do your nails tomorrow instead?”

  “Sure, but aren’t you going to Universal?”

  “Yeah, but I can do them in the car. Mom said it’s a long ride.”

  “I was thinking of not going.”

  “Oh? What about you, Ariele?”

  “Gonna stay here with Arizona.”

  “Why? It’ll be fun!” She pouted.

  “I need a break, and I don’t want to be stuck in that van for five hours. Plus, if the three of us don’t come, it’ll be a bit more space for you.”

  “Kellan’s not coming either? Your mom and dad aren’t coming, anyway,” she said to Ariele.

  Darn. We’d have to figure out how to get past them. “What about Celia?” I asked.

  “No, just Mom, Harry, and Kellan’s dad now I guess.”

  “Harry will make sure you have a great time.”

  “Yep, I know. Maybe we can do a girl’s day out to the spa or go shopping?”

  “Perfect.”

  “Good, that’s settled. I am going to go and take that shower now,” Ariele said and disappeared.

  I got into my pajamas and slipped under the covers with Ella. “So? I haven’t forgotten what you said before. Are you going to tell me what you found in Celia’s closet?”

  Ella got up and reached into her bag. Pulling something out, she clutched it against her chest so I couldn’t see what it was. She climbed back into bed.

  “Ella! Did you steal something from Celia’s closet?”

  “Borrowed. I am going to put it back.”

  “You better. Okay, what is it? Show me.”

  She reluctantly handed me the pictures—three of them. I studied them carefully—pictures of Ella with Celia.

  “These are nice. You look cute.”

  She scowled. “Look at them properly, Arizona! Look at my hair!”

  I looked again. Ella was wearing a red wig, and Celia must have done her makeup. She looked different but still cute. I shrugged.

  “That’s not me,” she hissed.

  “Huh? Yes, it is.”

  “No, it’s not,” she insisted. “I didn’t play dress-up or get my picture taken today.”

  I was confused. These were clearly pictures of Ella. “What are you saying? Photoshopped? Why would Celia do that?”

  “I don’t know! It’s weird, though, right?”

  “Totally. Have you shown these to Mom?”

  “Not yet. She’s been with Celia all evening.”

  “Hey,” I said as Ariele came out the bathroom. “Check these out.”

  Ariele glanced at the pictures and had the same reaction I did. When I explained, she looked at me funny, biting her lips.

  It hit me. She didn’t have to say it, especially not in front of Ella. As she opened her mouth, I wanted to jump up and clamp it shut. “Don—”

  “It’s probably photoshopped,” she said lightly. “Maybe it’s for a scrapbooking project or something.”

  Phew.

  “Should I show them to Mom, or do you think it might ruin a surprise?” Ella asked.

  “Show it to Mom but wait until after Universal.” If Celia was hanging out with Ella’s doppelganger, Mom had to know about it. But I’d rather the shit hit the fan after we left for Princeton.

  Ella had obviously not shared her plans for the day with Mom. Her assumption that the trip to Universal was this morning took Mom by surprise.

  “But, Mom! I got us all up early so we can head off.”

  Well, that explained the four-thirty in the morning breakfast. She’d woken us all up way before dawn, telling us that breakfast was ready. She’d obviously prepared it herself. We’d walked into the kitchen, yawning and looking like zombies, to a table set up with bowls of cornflakes and juice, which Ella expected us to count as morning fuel.

  Even Ariele’s parents joined us, looking discombobulated at having been awakened so early. We all sat around munching while Ella and Mom battled it out about the trip. Ella won when she played the you said card. Mom had told her that Universal was the reason for the trip. So that was that.

  “Mom, I’m not coming.” I yawned.

  She looked disappointed. “I know it’s early, but you can sleep in the car.”

  “Just don’t feel like it. I’m going to hang here and relax.”

  Mom nodded with empathy, probably wishing she could do the same.

  “I’m out as well.” Ariele perked up.

  “And me,” Kellan added.

  “You still want to go?” Mom asked looking at Ella, clearly hoping she’d not.

  “Yes! Harry will take me on all the rides. Won’t you, Harry?”

  Harry laughed. “Yes, but way to cop out, you three!”

  “Good,” Mom said. “What about you, Glenda? Pierre?”

  “You should go. It’ll be fun,” Ariele encouraged.

  Ariele’s mom shook her head.

  “Come on, hon,” he
r husband said, “let’s make a day of it. Larry, are you going?”

  “Yes, I’m driving.”

  Dr. Moreau looked resistant, but her husband’s bright smile melted her. “What if we get recognized?”

  “I think you’ll be fine. It’s been so long, and Ariele won’t be with you. It’s her picture that was plastered all over the place,” Celia said, coming into the room. “I see you got breakfast, but let me know if you want anything else.”

  I noticed Ella casting a suspicious look at Celia, and I nudged her, whispering, “Not now. Wait until you get back. Okay? We don’t want a blow-up right now when you’re in a hurry to get on the road.”

  She nodded.

  Shortly after Ella, Mom, Harry, and the others left, Celia knocked at our bedroom door and peeked her head in.

  “Girls, I have to go. Will you be okay here on your own? I have to leave for the day. There is plenty of food in the fridge, and if you need anything, just call Greg or me.”

  I decided to go for it. “Do you have a car we can borrow?”

  “Oh, well, there is a spare in the garage. Were you planning to go somewhere particular? Olivia didn’t mention it.”

  “No, not really,” I said as casually as I could. “I don’t like being stuck out in the middle of nowhere without transport. It’s a bit frightening.”

  “I know what you mean. Most towns outside the big cities are like this with no public transportation. And I guess there would be no harm in you driving into town for a coffee except that you don’t have a valid driver’s license here?”

  I shook my head, but Ariele held up hers. “I sure do.”

  “Well, you’re the last person we want identified at the moment, so put that away. Come with me.”

  We followed her into the kitchen where she picked out a set of keys from the key holder. She ushered us into the large three-car garage and pointed to a red Mini Cooper. “You can use that only in an emergency. Here is the key.”

  I took it, trying not to beam too widely.

  “Will you be okay? I’m going to Hollywood, so I will be gone all day and won’t be back until later tonight. I am sorry. I didn’t plan to leave you all alone. I had assumed you would be with Olivia. There is just something I have to do today.”

  “Oh, don’t worry about us,” I reassured her. “After yesterday, we really need a day to just hang out and relax.”