“Yeah, I’m good.” I breathed, suddenly very aware of his hand on my body.
“Okay, then.” He suddenly seemed aware of it too and jerked his arm up awkwardly, then touched the point of his bangs. “I’m Trip. What’s your name?”
“Katie Ly… Kate. Just call me Kate.”
“Okay, Kate it is.” He smiled and reached out to tuck a stray strand of my hair behind my ear. His hand lingered on my cheek. I think my heart stopped.
His smile was contagious. I was shocked when my face responded to mimic his. Smiling was not in the plan for the day. It was a nice surprise.
“Yo, Trip! We got you a seat.”
I glanced over to see a group of boys gesturing for him to join them. They were in a flatbed trailer drowning in hay and hitched to a team of mules.
“I guess I’ll see you around,” he quirked his left eyebrow. “Eyes forward, Kate, I wouldn’t want you to have any more fateful encounters.” He leaned forward and lowered his voice as he spoke behind his hand. “Gives me an edge over the competition.” He chuckled then ran off toward the mules.
I wasn’t at all sure what that was supposed to mean, but I followed his advice and kept my face pointing in the direction I wanted to go. My heart felt lighter, like maybe this summer wouldn’t be so bad after all.
I climbed into the carriage with Pinky and Caitlyn. “Ooohhh, I like the way you play, chica!” Caitlyn bobbed her head in opposition to her shoulders. “Definitely, the cutest boy so far, mmmm….es muy guapo.”
“And solid as a wall.” I grinned and cocked an eyebrow.
Pinky and Caitlyn ogled at me and broke out in a chorus of “My heart beat is dancing for you, boy!” Pinky dangled out of the back of the carriage singing “bumbump, badabump whew!” while Caitlyn wiggled her hips, salsa style, until the carriage lurched forward and she slammed into her seat. I laughed and sang along as the boys in the hayride hooted and hollered at us. Kim shook her head and giggled.
Another girl rode in the carriage and she was gorgeous, top model stuff, for sure. Her long blond hair was wrapped around to rest on one well defined shoulder. Her shorts revealed strong long and lean legs. She was perfectly tanned a honey golden color and I swear she had periwinkle eyes that sparkled. She didn’t sing with us, she cast a glance at me then looked the other way. I was glad. She made me feel invisible and ugly at the same time.
The carriages jolted and toggled us into our seats as they began their lumbering pace down a forest enclosed lane. Our song died on our lips as the hush of the woods demanded reverence. The minute the carriage rumbled into the shadows, my heart flopped. I scanned the thicket wondering who—or what—had made that screeching sound.
“What the…” Pinky slapped her cell phone. “No reception.”
“Oh, yeah, none of your electronic devices will work here at Heartwork Village,” Kim interjected. “Right Charlie?” She called to the driver of our carriage.
“That’s right,” he chortled.
We frantically dug out our cells and iPods, tapped them and groaned.
“This is just great.” Caitlyn slammed her back against the red leather cushion and shoved her phone into her bag.
“Don’t worry. You’ll be too busy to notice,” Kim said mysteriously.
As if to punctuate her words, another screeching sound ripped out of the woods to the left.
“What is that?” I rasped out.
“Already?” Kim cocked her head to the side. She glanced around to take in all of our startled expressions. “Wow, that has got to be a record or something. It usually doesn’t start until after orientation.”
She stood up in the carriage and called out to Dirk. “Hey, did you get an early jump requisite?”
“Nope.” He turned to the cowboy slapping reins on the backs of the mules. “Did you, Chaps?”
He shook his head, too busy munching on a straw of hay to speak.
“Weird.” She sat back down, pursed her lips, and furrowed her brow in concentration.
I gawked at Pinky and Caitlyn and we all turned to scan the shadowed woods with astonished faces.
The wagons finally escaped the creepy woods and sunlight broke over us. There was a collective sigh, as if we had all held our breath while in the spooky forest. I sat up as I took in the beautiful rolling hills and white fences. A lake in the shape of a heart rested at the foot of a sloping hill, dotted with peacocks.
“Oh, pretty,” Caitlyn cooed, echoing my sentiment.
Dripping willow trees framed the glassy lake and a white arched bridge spanned the point of the heart. A floating gazebo graced the center of the lake and several canoes and paddle boats were scattered along the shore. Long summer days at Grammy and Pops’ lake house filtered through my mind as a sigh escaped my lips. Horses frolicked over the green hills, and red stables in the distance punctuated the picture of perfection. A flight of geese lifted out of the lake and arrowed overhead. I watched them cross us and found myself staring into acres and acres of cornfields. I couldn’t see where they ended as they tucked under the hill in the distance.
We clip clopped forward in what seemed endless acres, the soft breezes bringing scents as messengers. The fragrance of wildflowers tickled my nose and memories of lazy summer days and family picnics. My heart clenched in my chest at the thought of our not-so-happy family as we crested yet another hill, and a small village came into view.
A little red school house and a quaint white chapel framed the entrance into the village. Streets were paved in cobbled stones and circled a large fountain at the center of town. A sign below it read, “The Staying Well.” Curiosity piqued when I noticed names had been engraved into the bricks and stones surrounding the well.
This was not the detention center or army barracks I had imagined. My outlook for a potentially pleasant summer was getting brighter by the moment. I sat up straighter and drew in a deep breath feeling my nerves settle a bit.
The carriages drew a circle around the fountain and jerked to a stop in front of a graceful and enormous white mansion. A wide porch wrapped around both sides of the Victorian with gazebos perched at each corner. The building faces of the village were all connected by a covered walkway and appeared to be old fashioned store fronts. Apothecary-whatever that was, Post Office, Sheriff, Doc’s Place, signs in muted colors stood on our side of the fountain. The far side had Baths, Ermadean’s Diner, General Store, and Barber.
It was as though we had stepped into the Wild West, except everyone wore regular clothes. Well mostly. Some teens were in jumpsuits with various colored stripes down the sides of their legs and making a V in the front and back of their tightly corseted jackets. They actually looked futuristic or like super heroes and very out of place in this antiquated village.
We were herded through the door marked “Barber.” Here come the lice checks and shaved heads, I thought as I passed through the ancient looking doors. When I got inside and my eyes adjusted, my mouth fell open.
It wasn’t a small little barber shop. It was an enormous—for lack of a better word—terminal. Gray floors, walls, and ceilings were glossier than Caitlyn’s lips. There were monitors everywhere with destination information scrolling. A mechanical voice droned and echoed through the terminal about jump sites and quantum something.
A foreboding pulsed through me and my mouth gaped. The contrast between the outside and the inside might have been cool if it hadn’t screamed a warning of things to come. I glanced at Pinky and Caitlyn huddling together, whispering and frowning at the abrupt change.
What was this place? I was not the adventurous type. This place was just too weird. Tension coiled in my muscles and rippled down my spine and I knew I was about to either faint or run out screaming.
A warm hand landed on my shoulder and I looked up to see Trip standing beside me. “Steady, now,” he whispered as he scanned the place with curiously cautious eyes.
His touch was just enough to settle me. I sighed and unclenched my fists under his calming demeanor
and moved closer to him in response to the soothing effect he seemed to have.
He glanced down at me and arched a question with his sculpted perfection. I nodded in response. I wasn’t going to lose it with this cute boy standing beside me so protectively. I took a deep breath and we moved forward with the others. His hand moved to my other shoulder and stayed there as we passed gated thresholds with colored numbers and descended an escalator.
The female robot voice echoed through the corridors. “Jump arrival Cerulean Twelve.” A team of white coated technicians raced into the gate with a blue 12 posted above it. I threw a questioning expression at Trip and he shook his head as though he were as perplexed as I was.
We were shunted into a large amphitheater and the doors closed behind us. There was an enormous screen at the front of the room, and we filed into cushioned stadium chairs with tiny writing desks to the right of each chair.
Wedged between Pinky and Trip, I fingered the pencil on my desk. As soon as we were all seated, the lights dimmed and a video started. Loud pulsing music and colorful modern graphics assailed us. Caitlyn was already gnawing on her pencil. The pretty blond girl and the cute blond boy, Corey, sat in front of us. They might have been twins they were both so strikingly gorgeous.
More teens in the charcoal and color-striped jumpsuits raced through the scenes in various actions, running, jumping, ducking. Words flashed across the screen.
Face your fear.
Overcome your insecurities.
Defeat your enemies.
Find your Center.
Our weapons.
Are not weak.
They are Mighty.
The throbbing music and blaring guitars were perfectly orchestrated to enhance the video and the actors ducked and escaped harrowing near misses, the details hidden by the close up frames of their astonished faces.
I glanced down and saw Trip’s fingers dance across his knee in time with the music. I cut my eyes to his and he wiggled his brows and quirked the corner of his mouth. His lips stole my attention as I thought about how soft they would feel pressed…uh…no! Don’t go there!
I jerked back to the screen as the music faded and a short round woman appeared. Her black skin glistened and her accent was heavy, but I couldn’t quite make out where she was from.
“Welcome to Heartwork Village, Jumpers. My name is Mama Ty. This will be the only orientation you receive. We will not repeat this information, so take note.”
A scurry of pencils and notebooks flying open across the auditorium crackled over the audio track.
“You will be divided into jump teams. This team will be your family while you are at Heartwork Village. It is important that you stay with at least one other member of your team at all times. The more together time you have with your team, the better your chances of survival.”
There was a collective gasp in the room. Survival? My eyes flashed to Trip. His brows narrowed in concern.
“You will be randomly selected to make Quantum Jumps. They could come at any time after orientation is completed and you will not receive any notice or instruction. To prepare yourself, get to know your team members. The more you know about them, the better your chances, so this is no time to clam up. Open your mouth, open your hearts to one another. Tell your darkest secrets, hold nothing back.”
I choked out a huff of breath. I was not verbose in any sense of the word. I was quiet and kept my business to myself. If transparency was the ticket to survival, I was a goner.
“Under your seats you will find a survival pack with your team color. There will be twelve jumpers to a team. I suggest you find all of your team mates as quickly as possible and your jump commander. Remember, stay together, be open, and survive. Blessings on your jumps.”
Loud music accompanied the credits, then the screen faded to black.
“That was it? That was orientation? What the crap? That didn’t tell us anything!” Pinky’s voice pierced the silence of the room as she scowled at the black screen.
“Yeah, when is chow time?” Another angry voice called out in the darkness.
We all chuckled and the lights slowly came back up. I noticed several adults standing around the perimeter of the auditorium in the dark gray jumpsuits with slashes of color.
I nodded toward Dirk. “I guess they’re the jump commanders.”
“Yep. Guess so. Well let’s see what team we are on?” Trip bent over and pulled his pack out from under his seat. A lime green stripe swathed at a diagonal across the front of a small black backpack.
Please be green, please be green. I thought as I pulled out my own pack.
“Yeeeesss!” Pinky squealed next to me. I jerked around to her. “We are on the same team, Kate!”
The lime green slashes across our packs drew a smile, and I raised my face to Trip. He grinned and gave a smug nod.
I immediately spotted Dirk and noted his color was orange, not green. “I wonder who our jump commander is,” I mumbled.
“Over there.” Caitlyn pointed, swinging her lime green pack over her shoulder. It seemed they put most of the same color packs in the same area. The people in the rows ahead of us and directly behind us also had lime green packs.
I looked to where she was pointing and spotted a short athletic looking blond with lime green stripes down her jumpsuit. She was sparklingly cute with an all American look to her. Bright blue eyes twinkled at us as we drew near her corner. What was it with all the blue eyes around here? I peeked beneath my bangs to Corey, the cute blond boy, and his face lit up when he saw me looking at him, then he cast his eyes to the ground and ducked his head, awkwardly.
“Well, it looks like we have a lot of personality in our team.” She beamed as she scanned each of us. “Makes for more interesting jumps.”
We gathered around her in a half circle. “My name is Mel. I will be your jump commander and this…” She pulled a tall lanky boy forward. “…is Donnie. He is our junior jump commander.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and rolled his eyes.
They didn’t look much older than we were. “I have had 86 successful jumps, and I have never lost a team member yet. Let’s not make this year a first.” She cocked an eyebrow in warning. “Donnie has completed 46 jumps and actually won the championship his last year as a jumper.”
“Excuse me.” Caitlyn raised her hand, finger pointing in the air, in a truly ghetto gesture. “What the crimping frak is a jump, anyway?”
I couldn’t help but smile at her brazenness.
We all fixed our attention on Mel.
“Whatever you have brought with you, whatever nightmares you have run from, whatever monsters are in your closets, that is what you will encounter on a jump.”
“I don’t quite understand.” A guy with creamy amber skin nervously shifted and toyed with a gauge in his earlobe big enough to poke my finger through.
“You won’t fully understand until you encounter one,” Donnie answered.
“What is this cryptic bull crap?” Pinky slammed a fist on her hip.
Mel sighed. “Yep, this is going to be an interesting year. Come on. Let’s get to the cabin and I will try to explain everything before a group of you hits a quantum sphere. I hear they are starting early this year.”
Swallowing, I latched my hands together to stop the shaking. I looked up at Trip, fear trickling up my spine and opened my mouth but no question formed on my lips. I didn’t even know what to ask.
He reached down and took my hand in silence. The warmth of his tight grip steadied me as we followed Mel and Donnie through large metal doors into the dusky sky.
“Our cabin is just down the hill, near the outdoor amphitheater. The tennis courts are back there, the pool is behind the pumpkin patch.” Mel kept a stream of orienting information filtering to us as she pivoted around and walked backward for a few steps, then turned and walked forward a few, alternating between them.
A golf cart whizzed by and Kim from the carriage ride waved. “Good luck!”
�
��I don’t understand. Why does the golf cart work, but the cell phones don’t?” The Asian featured guy grumbled.
“Quantum pulses,” Donnie explained. “Only certain quantum signatures work here.”
“Whatever that means,” Caitlyn snapped.
The sky had fallen into darkness as we approached a homey looking log cabin. A yellow glow emanated from the screen porch and the front door yawned a wide welcome. The smell of comfort food wafted out to us and we quickened our pace.
Trip squeezed my hand and we smiled at one another. The hair on my arms stood up and a jittery sensation filled the air. “What was…” I turned toward Trip and my eyes flicked up and settled on his hair. Brown spikes sprayed around his head like he was doused in static electricity. A curious expression crossed his face as his eyes searched his bangs. Millions of tiny ants crawled across my skin.
Ssssskeeeeeert! A loud and familiar screeching sound blared behind us and we whirled around in time to see Pinky, the tall model-like blond, and the oriental boy captured in a large sphere of shifting light that swirled around them like white water rapids, then they were gone with a pop! The night resumed its cricket chirruping as though nothing had happened.
Mel sped past us and skidded to a stop at the edge of where the bubble had been. “Well, crap!” She slammed her foot into a stone and it shot into the night.
The soup was thick and creamy, warm and soothing. We dipped large chunks of whole grain bread into the potato based dinner as we sat around a large farm table. Donnie walked around the table and spoke comforting words, patted shoulders and encouraged us all to eat heartily and prepare ourselves for the jumps ahead.
“The suit looks good on you,” Trip commented without looking at me, just his characteristic grin plastered across his face.
“Yeah, right,” I rolled my eyes. “Charcoal and lime, my best colors.” I picked at the bread and then beaded it between my fingers.
“Seriously, it’s a nice fit.” His silky tone carried more meaning than his words.
The Torn, Book One of the Holding Kate Series Page 2
