There

by Denise Grover Swank

  I nod, grateful for his honesty. Even though he says he’ll help me—and I believe he means it—I can’t help but wonder how hard he’ll try.

  Chapter Twenty

  I shut the door to the bedroom that Jo and I share and press my back against it. I can’t face Reece right now. He would never intentionally hurt me, but I can see how he’s let himself consider the possibilities.

  My bag is on the floor and I peer inside. My breath catches when I realize that the interior has been searched. I repacked everything neatly after the attack, but the clothing is now in wads. I dump the contents onto the floor and begin to sort. Since the bag’s been gone through, I doubt I’ll find the device. Except they were looking for a black box. Evan said it wasn’t the same and they wouldn’t know that.

  I toss two pairs of jeans and a pair of underwear to the side, looking for anything out of the ordinary. When I find a small, handheld transistor radio, I smile. It looks like something my grandfather would keep stashed in his garage. Did Evan find it in the attic of the house where he and Reece stayed? Turning it over in my hands, it occurs to me that it doesn’t look like anything important, especially if Evan went out of his way to describe the original box. A description that Reece would have corroborated.

  What to do with it is the question. I close my eyes and remember the knobs and switches of the original. I never set the original one and when I tried to turn it off, I was clueless. This device is dangerous in the wrong hands, and I’m not so sure I should be handling it. I need to take it to Evan.

  A rap on the door jars me from my musings, and Jo opens it before I can respond. I consider stuffing the radio in my bag but continue to hold it to avoid looking suspicious.

  Jo shuts the door behind her and sits on the bed. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah.” I put the radio in my bag.

  “What’s that?”

  I pull it out and try to keep my hand steady. “A radio. I found it in the scavenger’s truck.”

  “Why do you have it?”

  Why is she so interested? I shake it off. Of course, she’d ask. I’ve never been interested in scavenged items before. After my run-in with Reece, I’m paranoid.

  Shrugging, I stuff it into the pack. “It reminded me of my grandfather. He used to have one in his garage and we’d listen to the radio together sometimes. It reminded me of home.”

  Confusion flickers on her face before her stone mask replaces it. She looks at my belongings scattered on the floor. “What happened? How did your clothes get everywhere?”

  It’s not an unreasonable question, but something seems off. “I decided to take advantage of running water and do some laundry.” This seems like a good excuse. There’s little here to occupy our time and we have a bathroom with running water. I’ve worn everything multiple times without washing. Clean clothes and personal hygiene aren’t a necessity when water is scarce.

  “About Reece…” She pauses.

  I look up at her, holding a shirt in my hand. “Reece is loyal to his mother. We can’t forget that. Evan used to be loyal to his father and the UR until he saw what they really stood for. I think Reece’ll come to his senses and try to help Evan.”

  “Are you so sure? They beat the crap out of each other a couple of days ago.”

  “They’ve been friends forever. Sure they’ve fought, but when things are bad, they’re still friends.”

  “Not all things can be fixed, Chipper.”

  I sigh. She’s right.

  “And consider this: when they’ve had their worst fights, what’s it been over?”

  I suck in a breath at the implication.

  “I’m not blaming you. Some of this was before you ever got here. I’m just saying that the time may come when they can’t get over it.”

  I worry that she’s right.

  She pauses. “You know, if you had some information that could help Evan, but you’re afraid to tell Reece, you can always tell me.”

  My stomach flutters, and I look down. This seems so unlike Jo, I’m not sure how to respond. “Thanks.”

  “I know this can’t be easy for you, stuck here without your family. We’re a lot alike, you know.” She twists the hem of her shirt, then looks up. “I’d do anything to get my family back.”

  My breath is tight in my throat, and I force myself to appear calm. “I’d do anything too, but it’s impossible. We’re thousands of miles from the portal and the black box got sent back to my world. Reece’s mother was our only hope. It’s pointless.”

  Her eyes hold mine. “Are you sure about that? Are you sure that Evan’s telling you the truth? Maybe he doesn’t want you to go home.”

  My heart is breaking. Jo is trying to get information out of me. I can’t help the tears that rush to my eyes. “He does. He’d do anything to help me.”

  She slides off the bed and sits next to me on the floor, taking my hand. “Julia, I know they’ve threatened you and Evan, but Reece and I aren’t safe either.”

  My mouth drops. “But Reece’s mom…”

  “Reece’s mom isn’t in charge here. She has a powerful position, but she takes orders from higher-ups. Her superiors aren’t happy that Reece showed up and brought us with him, and they won’t let us leave. But if we could get some kind of information. Anything. It might save us.”

  Relief washes over me. She’s just trying to work out a way to keep us all alive. Still, I can’t tell her what I know. I have to talk to Evan first. I wrap my arm around her back and rest my head on her shoulder.

  “I heard that they’re going to let you go see him again tomorrow. Try to get something out of him. Tell him what’s at risk.”

  My eyes close. He knows what’s at risk and that’s what worries me. But if what Jo says is correct, there’s more at risk than Evan and me. Are the lives of four teenagers more important than the survival of a universe? At this moment, sitting on the floor of a bedroom the answer is no. But will all of us agree if we have a gun pointed to our head?

  My night is spent tossing and turning, as I wrestle nightmares of executions and nuclear wars. I find myself twisted in the bedcovers several times, and I find it remarkable that Jo can sleep through it all.

  After we get up the next morning, I’m fidgety and get on Reece and Jo’s nerves. We’ve been cooped up in the apartment since we were first brought here with little to do, and I’m the only one who’s left the space in thirty-six hours. There are no windows and no TVs or books. Just our own miserable company. Maybe that’s the rebels’ plan. Break us with boredom.

  When the door opens, I’m prepared for them to take me to see Evan, but instead they take Reece.

  Jo is upset by this. Anyone who doesn’t know her wouldn’t recognize her distress, but I can tell she’s tense, even though she tries to hide it. Even from me.

  Reece comes back an hour later with bruises on his face.

  I want to ask him what happened, but we still tread on shaky ground after yesterday.

  Jo has no reservations. “What did they do?”

  “They asked me why we’re here, how we found the place, and why I brought the son of a high-ranking official to their compound. They think we’re here as spies or traitors.”

  Jo nods, tight-lipped. “What do they want?”

  Reece rests his forehead in his hand. “What we don’t have. Information about how to get to Julia’s world.”

  My stomach churns. How can I sit by and watch this happen? I get up to go to my room and Reece sits up. “They said to tell you that they’ll come get you at noon.”

  Jo leans forward on the table. “Why?”

  Reece grimaces. “Relax. They want her to talk to Evan again.”

  I shut myself in my room and dig out the radio. If I take it to Evan, maybe he can get us out of this mess. I stuff it down the front of my waistband, thankful the bulky sweater I’m wearing will cover the lump. It would look suspicious if I changed shirts.

  At noon, two guards appear at our apartment. I silently follow them
out and down the hall into the jail. When the door opens, Evan looks up. Yesterday his face was covered with bruises from his fight with Reece, but today his cheek is swollen and purple.

  “Evan.” My voice catches.

  He stands. “Jules. Don’t worry. It’s not as bad as it looks.”

  The guard slides the cell door open and then closes it behind me. Evan takes my hand and pulls me closer as the guard leaves.

  “Are you okay? Have they hurt you?”

  I shake my head. “No. But they took Reece away this morning for questioning, and he came back with bruises on his face.”

  Evan looks surprised. “Why? His mother—”

  “Jo says she’s not high enough in the command chain to stop them.” My voice breaks again.

  The color drains from Evan’s face. “Stop them from what?”

  “Punishing us. Jo says they think we’re spies. Or traitors. We have to prove that we’re not. Jo says we should give them information.”

  Evan sits on the cot, resting his head in his hands. “The technology to cross into another universe.”

  I sit beside him. “It could be a bluff, Evan.”

  He shakes his head. “I don’t think it is.”

  “What are we going to do?”

  He turns his head to stare into my face. “What do you want to do?”

  “Me?”

  “This affects you too. They’ve threatened to kill me if I don’t tell them. And Mrs. Collins threatened you,” he chokes out. “I don’t know what they’ll do to you. I doubt they’ll kill you at first. Probably hurt you to get to me.”

  I swallow the fear lodged in my throat. “If we give them the box, or you give them the information to build it, it might not just be my universe affected, but others.”

  Evan nods.

  “We can’t do it…no matter what they do,” I whisper. “You have to promise me that you won’t give it to them to protect me.”

  His blue eyes glaze over with fear. “I’m not sure that I can.”

  “Promise me, Evan.”

  He looks up at the ceiling and swallows hard.

  “Promise me.”

  “I promise.”

  I take a deep breath. While I don’t want to give them the technology, I’m not willing to sit around and wait for them to beat me up, either. “Then what do we do? We have what we need. Can we get to my world from somewhere other than the portal?”

  “I don’t know. The number of universes is infinite.”

  “That doesn’t sound promising.”

  “Our best option is going back to Springfield. But I’m not sure how to make that happen.”

  “Could we try it here? What if I had what we needed with me right now?”

  His eyes widen in understanding.

  The door opens and two guards with guns enter the room.

  Evan and I stand and he pushes me behind him.

  One of them holds a paper in front of him and reads. “Julia Phillips, you have been found guilty of being a traitor to the United States of America. The sentence for this charge is death.”

  “No!” Evan shouts.

  This wasn’t supposed to happen. Evan thought they’d hurt me first. I cling to the back of his shirt as my pulse pounds in my head.

  One of the men stops in front of the barred door. “Miss Phillips, do you have anything to submit for evidence to dismiss the charges?”

  Evan turns and pries my fingers loose. “Julia, please! Let me stop this!”

  I shake my head in horror. We can’t give it to them.

  Terror washes over Evan’s face. “Do you have it?”

  My fear has weakened the wall to the other Julia’s memories, and I struggle to retain control. I nod.

  He lifts the hem of my sweater and starts patting until he finds it tucked into the front waistband of my jeans. Unsnapping the case, he dumps it into his hand and turns knobs. The screen lights up.

  The guards realize what Evan’s up to and take a step closer.

  Evan’s face jerks up. “I haven’t tested it. If this doesn’t kill us, I have no idea where we’ll end up. Do you still want to do it?”

  It’s not a difficult decision. “Yes.”

  A vortex of air swirls around us and the guards step away from the now-open gate.

  Evan wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me to his chest. “Julia, are you sure about this?” He looks worried.

  The vortex becomes tighter as the air begins to undulate.

  His eyes shine with unabashed love, and I know my life would never be the same without him. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”

  He lowers his mouth to mine and I dig my fingers into his shirt. I’ve done this once, so I know what to expect, but it still doesn’t prepare me for the sheer force of my body ripping through dimensions.

  I’m flung across a field and land on my side. The sun shines brightly in the sky and I’m lying in grass. A sweet floral scent I can’t name tickles my nose. Not that I can breathe it in. My chest refuses to work, and I’m lightheaded from lack of oxygen.

  “Jules.”

  Evan’s faint voice drifts toward me as black spots fill my vision.

  No, I can’t die here, not after everything we’ve been through.

  Evan’s face fills what’s left of my peripheral vision. “Jules,” he whispers as he drags himself toward me. His hand finds mine and squeezes.

  When I try to squeeze back, my hand won’t cooperate. I’m paralyzed.

  Evan sees the terror in my eyes. His hand finds my cheek and he leans close. “You can do it. Take a breath. Just take a breath.”

  I will my chest to expand and nothing happens.

  “I love you.” I mouth.

  “Take a breath, Julia!” He’s regained control of his own breathing and his voice increases in volume.

  Everything is fuzzy.

  He shakes my arm. “Take a breath!”

  I give one last push to my ribcage and my lungs expand.

  He swipes the hair off my forehead. “That’s my girl.”

  I take several deep breaths then start to cough.

  Evan rubs my arm until I stop. We lay on our sides face to face. Somehow we’re holding hands. I don’t remember how that happened. “We did it.”

  Evan smiles softly and whispers. “We did it.”

  “Where are we?”

  He releases a tiny laugh. “The same place we were before we left. We’re lucky we didn’t appear in a building or inside a cliff.”

  “Could that have happened?”

  “We don’t change locations, just universes.”

  I realize we’re in the direct sunlight and our skin isn’t covered. “The sun…”

  His hand tightens over mine. “We’re okay. We’ve been lying here for at least five minutes and neither one of us has burned.”

  My eyebrows lift.

  A sheepish look covers his face. “I’ve been checking you.”

  I love this about him. That he watches over me at all times. That he loves me enough to give his life for mine. I roll over and kiss him. He pulls me closer until our chests and legs touch.

  His hand tangles in my hair and his kiss deepens. We lay in a field full of flowers in sunshine that doesn’t burn our skin and we’re alive. Gloriously alive. My heart bursts with love and I never want to forget this moment. As long as I live, I want to remember this moment with Evan. Two people who love each other so much that we will risk everything to be together.

  “Do you think this is my universe?”

  He shakes his head. “The chances of that are mathematically improbable.”

  “So we’re in another universe and have no idea what to expect. It was a crapshoot.”

  He grins. “That’s one way to put it.”

  “I don’t care if it’s my universe or some other one. As long as I’m with you, that’s all that matters to me.”

  He kisses me again with a tenderness that brings tears to my eyes. We’re safe and we’re tog
ether. Nothing else matters.

  “So where do we go from here?” I ask, my head spinning with the possibilities.

  Evan frowns. “There’s only one place we can go. We have to go back.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  I blink sure I’ve heard him wrong. “What?”

  “We can’t stay here, Jules.”

  I sit up, incredulous. “What are you talking about? What do you mean, we have to go back?”

  He sits up in front of me and takes my hand in his. “We may have gotten away, but we left Reece and Jo behind to deal with the aftermath of what we’ve done.”

  My eyes sink closed. How can I be so selfish? I was so wrapped in the happiness of getting away and feeling safe for the first time in weeks that I forgot about my friends. “What kind of horrible person am I?”

  Evan gathers me in his arms. “You’re not a horrible person. Your body and mind are still in shock from crossing. You would have figured it out in about two minutes.”

  “So do we need to go back now?” I don’t want to give this moment up, but I can’t let Jo and Reece suffer for what we’ve done.

  “No. We need to wait. When we traveled to your world and back, we both slept for hours afterward. It would be too dangerous to go back now. We’ll wait until we wake up, then go back.” He leans into my face. “How are you feeling?”

  “A little tired, but okay.”

  “I messed with the settings on the box. They aren’t the same as they were before. I’m hoping it’s less traumatic for our bodies, and we’ll need to sleep a shorter time. But it was a risk using it. I hadn’t tested it. We could have been killed.”

  “We weren’t.” I sigh. “So we need to figure out what to do when we go back.”

  Evan nods. “They may think that Reece and Jo knew all along what we were doing and punish them for it. They may be holding and interrogating them now.”

  Anxiety flutters in my chest. “They were already holding us, just not in a jail cell.”

  “We have to go back and either try to help them escape or try to convince the officials that I was the only one who knew.”

  “You want to turn ourselves in? I’d rather break Jo and Reece out.”