Take Me Tomorrow

by Shannon A. Thompson

  The boys were locked on one another, but neither moved. Broden knew how to fight with his fists, but Noah knew how to fight with his words. The two were indestructible together, but I didn’t want to know who would win if they fought one another.

  This was bad.

  “Children,” the roar of a voice broke them apart.

  Noah backed against the doorway while Broden turned around to search the shadows. Even though Broden had been here, he clearly didn’t know there was a man in the house all along. No one had, yet here we were, watching the man walk onto the porch to join us. The glasses in his front pocket reflected lightning into his face. The hulky man with pepper-colored hair crossed his arms as he looked us over.

  “Dad?” I managed as Argos’ tail wagged. “What are you doing here?”

  “How could I not be?” he responded with a parental tone I hadn’t heard before now. He took one step forward, and his gray eyes darted over the boys. He laid a restful hand on his belt. A blade blinked from beneath his clothes. “I don’t appreciate fighting in my home,” he said. “We have two others sleeping.” Lyn and Falo were home, but he didn’t seem to care about how we looked, torn and bloody. He looked like he was expecting it.

  Noah stiffened, “Dwayne Gray?”

  My father’s caterpillar eyebrows pushed together, and the wrinkles on his forehead became prominent. “Who are you?”

  “My name is Noah Tomery,” he answered, revealing a last name I had never heard before. “I believe you’ve been expecting me.”

  Who Are You

  My dad was involved, too.

  Even though I couldn’t get far enough away, I hid by sitting on the slanted roof connected to my bedroom window. My dad, Dwayne Gray, was downstairs, speaking with Noah Tomery - whoever that was.

  I laid my head on my knees. I had taken a warm shower to get the river off of my skin, but the night lingered. My blood boiled when I thought about it, but I shivered when I recalled Noah holding me.

  My eyes squeezed shut as I waited for the world to disappear. Even then, Noah was still in my life and so was tomo. It always had been. If I blamed Noah, I had to blame my family, too.

  “Hey,” a boy announced himself from my doorway.

  I didn’t have to lift my face to see who it was. Broden climbed out onto the ledge and adjusted himself next to me. I refused to look at him.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “Not really.”

  I wanted to be in the forest, among the acres of trees and brush. I wanted it to be daylight, so I could throw a couple of my father’s knives into the tree trunks. All of the moments of the night would disappear, but eventually, it would return with the sunrise. Lily and Miles were probably arrested, and my father had something to do with all of it.

  “Are you mad at me?” Broden asked.

  I lifted my head to look at him, but I bit my lip to prevent speaking.

  Broden smiled. “I would be,” he explained, handing his head. “I know this is hard to understand—”

  “Hard to understand?” I repeated. “Yes, it’s hard to understand how my best friend could drug everyone and call the cops. You could say that.”

  “I didn’t call the cops,” he argued.

  “Then, who did?”

  “Pierson.”

  “The door guy?” I asked before I remembered how Lily had told me Pierson was Miles’ friend. My hands curled into fist. “Of course he did.”

  “Miles knew Pierson,” Broden said. “We trusted him with our plan.”

  “You mean, Noah’s plan,” I retorted.

  Broden tilted his head, so his glare could meet mine. “It was necessary.”

  “Necessary?”

  “Noah needs a distraction,” he continued. “If the government is busy handling the biggest drug drop in the State since the massacre, they won’t have time to come after us.”

  “That,” I started, “could have easily turned into another massacre.”

  He winced. “But it didn’t,” he said. “Miles made sure it didn’t. The State won’t kill minors, and Noah needs to be hidden.”

  “He has a fake identity,” I argued too loudly.

  “That identity won’t protect him forever.”

  “I thought he wasn’t staying,” I said, but Broden didn’t respond. I dropped my face to hide my burning cheeks. “I hate him,” I managed, knowing that Broden could hear the lie in my cracking voice. I didn’t hate Noah. Not a single bit. Even though hate was all I wanted, I couldn’t feel it.

  The roof squeaked when Broden shifted, “You don’t know him.”

  “I know that he shouldn’t know my father.”

  “That’s for your dad to explain,” he pointed out.

  “Which I’m guessing he won’t.”

  “You never know,” he said.

  When we fell into silence, I could hear the others conversing downstairs. I had attempted to eavesdrop, but the conversation was muffled by insulation. Even then, I could pick out Lyn’s groggy voice as it echoed upstairs.

  The young nurse from the Albany Region suddenly had become another stranger. “Does Lyn know Noah, too?” I asked.

  Broden shrugged as if it were a possibility, and frustrated tears built up behind my eyes. “Does everyone know Noah except me?”

  “Sophia—” Broden laid a hand on my arm.

  I pushed him away. “Who is he, Broden?”

  He cringed. “I can’t explain that to you.”

  “Then, who will?”

  “I will.”

  Broden and I jumped at the interruption, and I clutched onto the windowsill, careful not to fall off of the ledge. I peered into my bedroom window to see him standing there. Noah wore fresh clothes that were borrowed from my father, and the large clothes hung off of him. His brown hair dye was washed out, and the cut on his forehead was in the beginning stages of being bandaged. My father had woken Lyn to give him stitches.

  Noah hesitantly stepped toward the windowsill before he poked his head outside. Since he was closer, I could see a knife hanging from the belt around his waist, a six-inch throwing blade that had my father’s signature – a spiraling sun − embroidered on the grip.

  My father trusted him. Whether or not I trusted him was another debate. I had never questioned my father before Noah.

  The boy opened his mouth to speak, but a cop car flew by. Even though the road was far away, Noah ducked back to conceal himself in the shadows. He exhaled as his eyes met mine.

  “Who are you?” I asked.

  “I said I would tell you, and I have permission,” he paused to look at Broden.

  He smirked. “You never did care for my permission.”

  Noah hadn’t been waiting for Broden or Miles or even a stranger to talk to me. The man he deeply respected was my father.

  “Tell me,” I demanded.

  Noah lowered his voice to a whisper, “Only if you’re sure,” he stated. “You won’t be able to look at anyone the same way again, Sophie. Even your father.”

  “I already don’t,” I promised.

  “Okay,” he accepted my request, “but you two need to come inside first. We’ll talk downstairs.”

  If You Can Risk Me

  My father didn’t work for the Traveler’s Bureau out of respect for the State. Instead, he used his position to protect himself while he worked for his real job. Dwayne Gray helped citizens cross borders illegally, and I was the first one he did it for.

  “We crossed illegally?” I croaked out the information.

  My father’s brow was heavier on his eyes. “We fled Albany when you were seven,” he continued. “Your mother was supposed to follow us, but—”

  “She gave me her ticket instead,” Lyn added, explaining how my mother had wanted the pregnant woman to be safe instead. That was the only reason Lyn had come to live with us. My mother had given Lyn her necklace, so she could prove her identity to my father.

  I stared at the sleeping Falo as I managed the only question I could
ask, “Why?”

  “Your mother has her faults, but she’s a good woman,” my father said, his voice dropping.

  When my father was quiet, I missed my mother the most. Even though I barely remembered her face, let alone her voice, I wanted her to sit next to me, to explain everything that had happened, to promise that our family was okay. But she was in the Albany Region, and I was in the Topeka Region, where the State was located. My mother might as well have been a stranger.

  “Couldn’t you get her across?” I asked.

  My father shook his head at me. “Phelps caught us,” he said as he fiddled with the glasses on his front pocket. “He was impressed that I could travel with a child and barely get detected. Instead of arresting me, he offered me a job on the spot.”

  My blood only boiled more. “How could Phelps trust you after that?”

  “I had a child with me.” And that child was me. “In his opinion, it takes a criminal to catch a criminal. The risk was lower than the gain.” And my life was the blackmail Phelps could use to control my dad.

  “I only got across because of the Phelps Massacre,” Lyn stated. “There was enough chaos to protect me.”

  My father’s face twisted. “After that, we lost all communications with your mother.”

  I swallowed my nerves. “Is—is she dead?” I asked.

  His eyes flickered to Noah. “Apparently not.”

  My head whipped to the side to stare at the blonde boy. “You know her?” I asked.

  “I met her,” he admitted. “Two years ago.” He didn’t elaborate after that. He obviously didn’t know.

  I turned back to my dad, “We could’ve stayed there with her—”

  “You do not want to live in the Albany Region,” Noah defended from the loveseat next to me. Lyn hit his shoulder, and he silenced. She was stitching his brow, threading the needle through his hairline, and she did not need him to speak while she did it.

  “It’s in ruins,” she added when he quieted. “People are fighting every day just to survive there.”

  I winced because I didn’t remember. I only recalled our shabby apartment. It was dirty, but it was warm, and it had been home. My mother gave me baths. My father read to me before bedtime. They watched movies together at night. I remembered listening to them when I was trying to sleep one room over. Even though I searched my memory, I didn’t have a deep recollection of the streets. Only crowds surfaced. Other than a train ride, I couldn’t even remember fleeing. I had slept most of the time.

  “Albany is horrible,” Lyn continued softly as her nimble fingers hovered over his stitches. He never winced. “Your father saved you by getting you out of there, and your mother saved my son by getting me out.”

  “But no one thought the truth mattered to me,” I snapped, knowing that my emotions were taking over.

  “You should be proud,” Noah spoke, ignoring Lyn’s warning once more. She tapped him again, but he continued, “The Albany Region fell into chaos, because they saw freedom in their futures, and they were willing to fight for it. They’re still fighting for it.”

  “Freedom?” I repeated. “From what?”

  “From Phelps,” my father answered. “This country didn’t used to be this way, but people accepted it until they found hope again,” he paused. “Tomo gave them that hope.”

  The information I knew was scarce. Originally, tomo had been created and distributed by the pharmacies as a helpful drug that aided takers with confidence. It battled depression. It prevented anxiety. But it grew into something sinister – an accidental hallucinogenic when the dosage was increased. After people began using it recreationally, the fights began. The Phelps Massacre killed too many, and the drug was outlawed.

  “It’s a drug,” I said it as if I had to remind them of it. “It’s just a hallucinogenic.”

  No one responded.

  “Isn’t it?”

  “No,” my dad said. “It’s not.”

  “There’s a reason people think ‘tomo’ means ‘tomorrow,’” Broden added. It truly revealed the future, and it gave users a better chance at dealing with it.

  “We’re not Phelps’ enemy. The drug is,” my dad explained. “He could blow a thousand of us up, but he still wouldn’t have won. Not as long as this drug gives people hope. As soon as he can destroy that, he’s destroyed us.”

  Tomo was the freedom from Phelps and all of his control.

  “There is definitely a war happening,” Lyn agreed, her dark eyes shining with approval. “And if we’re going to win this war, people like your father are vital for our success.”

  “Let me guess,” I continued sarcastically, “transporting teenage boys is vital to our success, too—”

  “Sophia Elizabeth Gray,” my father snapped, warning me to leave Noah’s situation out of the argument. Noah simply smiled.

  “I returned for a reason, Sophie,” he said, stirring my annoyance with his light-hearted attitude. “I was originally from here.”

  “I got that,” I said, “but you have yet to explain.”

  Noah didn’t move as Lyn finished up the last of her stitches. He hovered his hand over them, but Lyn smacked his fingers away. “Don’t touch them,” she warned.

  Noah laid his hand on his lap and blinked, but he didn’t wince. The stitches looked awful.

  Broden laughed from across the room, “We’re twins now,” he joked, gesturing to his eyebrow.

  Noah smirked. “I’m the better looking one.”

  Both of the boys laughed as if they were regular teenagers hanging out instead of young criminals that had dealt tomo to a large group of minors. If it weren’t for Falo sleeping, I would’ve screamed at both of them.

  “Why’d you come back, Noah?” my father interrupted as he leaned forward to study the blonde. “You must have been safer wherever your family fled to.”

  Noah’s laughter died with his frown. “My family didn’t get out safely, sir.”

  Broden paled. “That’s not what you told me.”

  Noah’s eyes dropped to his watch. “I know,” he said, barely audible above the thunder that rolled over the house. The weather wanted to drown him out. “I wasn’t going to say anything,” he admitted. “I didn’t think it was necessary.”

  “What happened?” Broden asked. “Is everyone okay?”

  Noah shot up from the couch and walked a few feet away. He paced, and every footstep was louder than the first.

  My father cleared his throat. “Phelps informed me of the escape,” he said. “I can tell them if you can’t.”

  “My father left ahead of us. He lived,” Noah began suddenly. “My mother and Liam were killed,” he rambled so fast that I was unsure of what I was hearing. “Rinley got caught. I don’t know where she is.”

  Broden’s jaw locked into place, and his fingers tightened on his kneecaps.

  “That doesn’t tell me why you’re back,” my father stated, unfazed.

  Noah’s expression was emotionless. “Well, sir—”

  “Dwayne,” my father corrected.

  Noah choked at the informality, “Dwayne,” he repeated awkwardly before clearing his throat. “I’m here to get my sister out.”

  “I’m risking my safety for you, son,” my father’s voice deepened, and Argos’ ears perked up at the tone. “I’m going to make sure my safety − my family’s safety − isn’t in jeopardy for lies.”

  Noah’s eyes landed on Argos, but only for a moment. He turned his gaze to me, and I sucked in air. “All due respect, sir—” he paused as he returned his focus to my father. “Dwayne,” he corrected, “I wouldn’t risk another family for my own, but I want my sister back. I need her back.”

  “Is your life worth risking for your little sister?” Broden asked.

  Noah’s shoulders rose. “Rinley is my family.”

  “Then, why didn’t you say anything about Liam?” Broden didn’t believe him anymore than my father.

  Noah looked between the two. “This isn’t about him.”


  “So, tell us what it is about,” my dad dared.

  Noah’s foot tapped the tiled floor, and his hand reached up to his stitches one more time. Lyn whistled to warn him, and Noah looked at the young woman with a clarity I envied. They shared something unexplainable – the ability to communicate with only a glance – and they had just met. They were connected for one reason. They had witnessed the effects of a war I was previously oblivious to.

  When Noah dropped his eye contact, he spoke, “You decide if you can risk me,” he said, refusing to explain in depth. “Now, if you can excuse me—” He left the room like a gentleman, but his footsteps echoed through the house like a monster’s. Falo stirred.

  Lyn skimmed her fingers over her tattoos. “I’m going to go talk to him.”

  My father nodded, even though Noah didn’t seem like he wanted to be bothered. “Or make some tea,” she corrected before following him into the kitchen. I waited for them to speak, but I only heard silence.

  Falo turned over in the chair, yawned, and fell back asleep. I envied the fact that his mother stood in the next room over. Mine was miles away, and she may not even be alive. Even if she was, she would never be in my life again, and I wasn’t sure I could accept that. Her silver necklace felt too heavy to wear.

  My father’s hand rested beneath his chin. “He’s not telling us everything,” he muttered.

  “He’s hiding something,” Broden agreed.

  “Like he’s the only one who’s done that,” I snapped, defending the only person I thought I wouldn’t fight for. “I didn’t know about any of this.”

  “I was hoping you wouldn’t have to know,” my father defended his choices, “but this is getting more serious than you realize, and Noah needs to understand that we need to be informed if we’re going to continue.”

  “He’s a teenager,” I said. “Just like me.”

  “You don’t remember, do you?” Broden was sharp. “Who Noah is?” he pressed, but when I didn’t respond, his eyes widened. “Do you know anything about the Tomery family?”

  My cheeks burned, but Broden glared at me as if I should’ve been responding with a clear answer. Unfortunately for him, I didn’t know anything.