I flinched, and dug my fingers into Jaxson’s leg. Mr. Winslow’s demanding words silenced the crowd, and the other prisoners looked at him in fear.
He scowled at them. “We don’t take lightly to having our requests ignored. Now, I recognize that all of you are eager to regain your freedom, but there is a protocol to be followed in a situation like this, and we expect compliance. Do you understand?”
The other prisoners voiced their agreement with nods and anxious murmurs.
“In light of this development, I have to insist that no one leaves this room until all interviews have been conducted. Mr. Brown, I want you to stay here and make sure no one leaves without an escort. We’ll start with you.” He pointed at Jaxson’s father.
Mr. Winslow and the three other council members besides the man who was presumably Mr. Brown headed out of the room and down the hall.
I sank down in my seat and let my nervousness overwhelm me. My body started quaking, and Jaxson glanced at me and frowned before wrapping an arm around me.
“Hey, it’s okay, Lex. He’s just trying to intimidate everyone with his authority. They’re not going to tear your limbs off or anything.”
I gave a small sniff at his Volturi reference. “Will he be able to track down the Eastons? And what will he do if he finds them? He seemed really angry.”
I could tell Jaxson was debating how best to answer me. Finally, he just shrugged and said, “I don’t know, Lex, but they’re not vigilante. They’re not going to condemn them to death just because they ran off.”
I wanted to believe him, but how did he know for sure? He’d already admitted he didn’t know much about the council.
I laid a hand on his arm and looked up at him, pleading. “If they ask you, please don’t tell them anything about the Eastons. Give them a chance to have their freedom.” Jaxson pursed his lips but nodded.
I glanced around at the other people in the room. The teachers were huddled together at one table, whispering. The three prisoners whose names I didn’t know were sitting at adjacent tables — two at one and one at the other. The youngest one, a short, wiry man with copper hair, scurried over to talk with the other two who appeared to be a couple. Jaxson’s mom eyed him and me but didn’t make a move to join us.
“I don’t mind if you want to go sit with your mom, Jaxson,” I offered.
He lifted the corner of his lip. “I’m good. Unless you don’t want me here?”
I shook my head. “No, no. I’m glad you’re here.” I suddenly realized it was the truth. Somehow, Jaxson had gone from someone I feared and avoided to someone whose presence made me feel safer. When did that happen?
“So, where did Fred and Barney go?” Jaxson mumbled.
“I don’t know. I’m not even sure if they knew where they were headed. Besides, the less we know, the better. The council can’t get information out of us that we don’t have.” I traced the pattern of the wood grain on the table, trying to convince myself of my own words.
Jaxson nodded. “You know, maybe you should delete their numbers from your phone.”
I frowned at him. “Why?”
“Well, they could confiscate your phone and send them text messages, pretending to be you.”
My mouth fell open. “Would they really do that?”
Jaxson shrugged. “Mr. Winslow seemed pretty adamant about finding them.”
I quickly pulled out my phone and tapped out a message to the twins telling them what was going on.
“Why don’t you make up a password or something so they’ll know if the message is really from you. Maybe an emoji.” Jaxson grinned.
“Okay.” I smiled back and texted them saying that they’d know any future texts were from me if they had a kiss emoji in the message.
“Of course.” Jaxson rolled his eyes at me.
I wanted to ask Griffin and Phoenix a million questions, but instead I just deleted their names and numbers from my phone. I had them memorized, anyway. Somehow, that action made it all seem so final, though. They really were gone, and I had no idea when I’d ever see them again. I opened up my camera roll and stroked my finger across the grid of pictures, all of them the twins.
“You really like those, douche bags, huh?” Jaxson peeked over my shoulder at my phone screen.
I scowled at him then sighed. “I love them. They’ve always been there for me… until now.”
Jaxson’s eyes darkened. “I can’t believe they left you. If they care so much, they should’ve stayed.”
I shook my head. “I told them to go. I wanted them to. They need to be with their family right now. It was the right thing to do. I told them I’d be fine on my own, but I already miss them. They always knew just what to say to make me feel better.” My voice grew soft with regret, and I wished I could go back in time and tell them to stay with me. Tell them I needed them.
Jaxson looked at me with kindness and sincerity. “Well, I might not be as silver-tongued as Sonny and Cher, but I’m here for you if you need somebody.”
He was wrong, he did know the right words to say, and my heart melted a little at his promise.
Jaxson’s father came out a few minutes later, looking stressed, and Mr. Winslow motioned for Jaxson’s mother. Mr. Merritt walked over to our table and sat down next to Jaxson.
“I’ve always had faith in the council, but I’ve never been questioned by them. Or should I say interrogated? By the time I was done, I wasn’t sure about anything.” He ran his hands through his raven hair the same way Jaxson did, only his was a lot shorter.
“You can return to your room once we’ve finished questioning you.” Mr. Winslow glared at Jaxson’s father.
Mr. Merritt got up and headed out of the library, and Jaxson and I glanced nervously at each other.
“So, what are you going to tell them?” Jaxson asked.
I shrugged and twisted a lock of hair around my finger. “The truth, I guess. Why? Is there something you think I shouldn’t tell them?”
Jaxson wrinkled his brow and steepled his fingers beneath his chin. “I don’t know, I just wonder how they’ll respond if they know how powerful you are. Maybe we should alter the story a little bit.”
“We can’t, Jaxson. All these people were there and saw the same things. The council will know we’re lying if our version is different from theirs.”
His words worried me, though. I knew my power was above average — extraordinary, even. Would it be dangerous for me if the council knew that? I hated feeling ignorant.
We tried to pass the time by playing a silly game of Fruit Ninja on our phones that buried my stress under a pile of sliced fruit and giggles. It would return for a moment every time someone came out and they called back another person, but time after time they called someone besides me, and I started to think they didn’t want to talk to me after all.
Eventually, though, there was no one left but me and Jaxson, and my body stiffened when Mr. Winslow looked at us. He motioned for Jaxson to follow him, and I let out a deep breath, but I knew that time was ticking. I was definitely next.
10
I hauled my suitcase down the back stairs, carrying it instead of using the wheels to avoid any unnecessary noise, my sneakered feet tiptoeing on the edges of the creaky, wooden steps. My brother was supposed to wait a couple minutes and then follow me.
I peeked down the hall, looking for any witnesses to my exit, but at this time of night, everyone was in their dorm rooms. Old-fashioned wall sconces cast dim, golden circles of light every dozen feet or so, but otherwise the halls were dark.
My heartbeat echoed in my head as I padded down the hall, and I strained to hear over it, but the only other sounds were the groans of the old building settling. I stopped for just a second to glance at my locker, but I didn’t try to open it. There was nothing in there I needed, and besides, it was way too squeaky. I spun the knob one last time before moving past.
The only other sound I made was the metal thunk of the crossbar as I pushed the door open
, and the tiny click of the latch as I slowly eased the door shut behind me. Then, I was outside, and the sounds of the night — the hum of the parking lot lights, the squawk of a bird, the chirping of insects — seemed deafening in comparison.
My parents stood up against the side of the building, out of the line of sight, waiting for me and my brother. I could hardly believe it was actually them. All these years I’d assumed they were dead or gone forever; I’d given up on ever seeing them again a long time ago.
But here they were, alive, looking exactly like I’d expect them to look ten years later. Maybe a bit more haggard due to their stressful living conditions, but still, there was no question in my mind who they were. It still seemed surreal to me, and I stared at them, trying to justify these two opposite realities in my mind. When my mother smiled at me, my heart confirmed the truth, and I headed over to them.
We stayed still and quiet, just in case, until Phoenix emerged from the building a few minutes later, then we silently headed towards the sleek, black sports car that shined under the moonlight. The license plate could be easily traced back to Anders and this school, but I doubted that the council would want to involve the police, so we were probably safe to drive it for a little while.
My father reached out a hand to open the drivers’ side door but then paused and stepped away, nodding at me. “I think you better drive, Son. It’s been an awfully long time since I was behind the wheel.”
Phoenix frowned, and I knew he wanted to do the driving, but I was more cautious than him. My mother climbed into the back next to Phoenix, and I slid behind the wheel. My father took the seat next to me and ran a finger over the lit-up GPS display, his eyes wide with curiosity.
“Where to, Dad?” The word still felt foreign in my mouth. I hadn’t called anyone dad in ten years. I’d always called my foster parents by their first or last names, depending on their preference.
“Well, I’d like to be in Evansville, Indiana, by the time the banks open, but after that, I guess any place is as good as another.”
Phoenix poked his head between the seats. “Don’t you want to go back to your family, let them know you’re alive?”
My father turned and looked at him, his face drooping. “No, Son, we can’t do that. That’s the first place the council will look. Besides, those people aren’t our allies. We’re on our own.”
“So, what are we going to do, just start a whole new life somewhere?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what we have to do. I’ll withdraw the money from my savings account, and we’ll use the money to make a fresh start anywhere you’d like.”
My dad seemed excited about it, but the idea saddened me. I wanted the chance to be a part of something bigger than just the four of us. I wanted aunts and uncles, grandparents and cousins. I guess it was still better than just me and Phoenix, and even that was better than what some people had.
I thought about Lexus, essentially all alone in the world. My brother and I were the only people in the world she could turn to, and here we were, abandoning her. My heart dropped into the churning pit of my stomach. How could I justify leaving her? I wanted to pull out my phone and call her, tell her I was sorry, and promise never to leave her again.
Instead, I poked at the GPS and programmed in Evansville, Indiana. My parents needed me too, and I’d made my decision. Lexus understood; she’d encouraged us to go. And at least she had Jaxson to turn to if she needed help.
I shook my head; I couldn’t believe I was relying on him to take care of Lexus. But somewhere along the line Jaxson had turned into an ally, and I knew he’d look after her. His comment about sharing still riled me, though. Was he serious? Was he interested in that kind of relationship with her, and did he really think since Lexus was dating two guys she’d be open to adding a third? Sharing her with my brother was one thing — we were twins, we were used to sharing. But Jaxson?
I couldn’t think about that right now, I was under too much stress as it was. The best I could hope for was that Lexus would still feel the same about me the next time I saw her.
“So, where would you like to go, Son? Sky’s the limit. I’ve always thought the Southwest sounded nice.”
My body tensed and my blood ran cold at his suggestion. That was thousands of miles from here! Thousands of miles from Lexus.
I shrugged, trying not to show my distress. “We moved around a lot, but I’ve never really been anywhere outside of central Indiana.”
He frowned, and I wasn’t sure if it was because of our tumultuous childhood, or our lack of adventure.
“Well, surely you’ve dreamed about living somewhere else. Indiana isn’t exactly the most interesting place for a teenage boy, unless things have changed a whole lot since—” He let his words die off, unwilling or unable to put a name to his experience.
“I like it here. I don’t need a lot of entertainment. I’m not really into partying,” I answered, pretending not to notice his lapse.
“That’s right, you said you liked reading and drawing. I’d love to see some of your sketches, Son.”
My cheeks turned red as I imagined his reaction to my sketchbook. It was nothing but page after page of Lexus.
I drove till the sun came up. My mother and brother both dozed in the backseat, and my father watched the GPS in fascination. We stopped for gas a few hours into the drive, and I used some of my cash to pay and buy my mom and dad Cokes and Snickers bars, things I was sure they hadn’t had in years.
A text came in from Lexus, and my blood seized when she said Jaxson suggested the council might confiscate her phone and try to impersonate her. I was grateful for the warning — I hadn’t thought about that, but now I had one more thing to worry about. When she promised to end every text with a kiss emoji, my heart melted a little like the chocolate warming in my pocket.
Miss u already
Flying Free Page 5
