Found in Amber

by Esther Rabbit

  Zoey half smiled back. “How about eight people who feel for each other?” She tried to lighten the mood, feeling a little tense herself. In some twisted turn of fate, it was clear to Zoey the universe had brought them all together for a reason. No family was ever perfect, but she was sure she’d give her life willingly trying to protect each and every one of them. Even Alex, whose dumbfound expression hadn’t faded one bit since the most awkward of revelations.

  The ambassador and Zoey. The evidence stood right there, yet the one whose Earth given name was Alexandre, didn’t seem to comprehend the song of the heart—how not one, but two optan ambassadors had fallen for the same ordinary human turned hybrid. Sure, the ginger hair was a novelty to someone from Opt, but was that enough to turn them against the system? Humans did crazy, stupid things for love, in stark contrast to optans. And her freckles looked more like an outbreak of sorts. Or was this a strategy Jasper was using to ensure Zoey was not bound to run off with Etienne? No, he would have consulted us at least, he soon dismissed the thought, as another emerged.

  Emma was quick to register the stupor on Alex’s face. She wasn’t exactly sure what to do, so he gave his shoulder a squeeze, enough to snap him out of his contemplative state. They nodded at each other in shared silence. That small smile on the curve of his lips possibly even meant acceptance.

  Beside her, Sam, Rufus and Mia were grinning like three Cheshire cats when Jasper spoke. “So, we’re good?”

  “Never better!” Sam saved her hugs for special moments and this seemed to be one of those rare occasions when Jasper deserved a first degree encounter with her arms. Even Zoey had turned around to watch him pull an embarrassed, yet perfect smile. The way he lowered his eyelashes and crinkled his nose, unsure how to react as he welcomed Sam’s hug triggered too many emotions on her behalf.

  It wasn’t long till Lilou yelled training again and everyone got up a little more motivated than the last time.

  γ

  “Done!” Three hours later and barely visible in his fingers, the sim card emerged victoriously. Alex pulled off that smile which read pure satisfaction and self-contempt. Even Emma was singing the Rolling Stones song—naturally all in her head to avoid giving explanations that would surely lead nowhere with Alex. Yet, her shoulders did a happy dance to the same tune on the stage of her mind.

  “High five!” To her surprise, she had a few things to teach Alex too, although he mastered the high-five move once he got the conductors in place the first time around. As they bumped hands, she was quick to spring to her feet. “Do we give everyone the good news now?”

  “Not before I get this into a phone.” His work was not done, yet he instructed Emma to gather everyone around the table upstairs as he laid the finishing touches. She took two stairs at the time, forgetting she was in sweatpants and a shirt as she stormed up. Handing Alex tools was not as boring as she initially predicted, and working shoulder to shoulder with the one she initially labeled as a Grinch, proved to be mutually satisfying in the end. He’d loosened up, asking questions about her line of work, her professional motivations and explaining his duties with the Alliance in more detail than she saw him capable of.

  As soon as she reached the stone terrace, she yelled over the hedges from the top of her lungs. It was a wonder the hills didn’t come alive at her thrills, even if despite the matching enthusiasm, she was no Julie Andrews. They finally had something, although it was no guarantee it would ever work in their favor. Little by little, she saw Jasper’s head emerging from the gardens followed by out-of-breath Rufus and Sam tagging along at a fast pace. Lilou’s small frame made its way through with Zoey and Mia whose cheeks were matching color for the occasion.

  “Hurry! The sim card’s ready.” She announced ushering everyone to the table. No food was on display this time around, just the usual sidebar with water and two coffee machines.

  No one choked when Lilou went straight for the coffee.

  The sound of anxiously dragging chairs finally settled and Jasper was first to speak. “Alright everyone, so here’s the plan. You already know they’ve cut our intersats from the main system, so we’ve lost touch with the base.” He took a deep breath as he glanced at Zoey. “I won’t risk Mia’s safety nor ours by portalling back to the headquarters on Opt, because the ice is pretty thin at this point and until I know exactly who we can trust, we need to look for alternatives.”

  Rufus saw him coming. He had a stink eye perfectly ready for the occasion. “Democratically,” he insisted, shifting in his seat. His eyes went from Mia to Sam, Emma, Zoey and Lilou who was still sipping on her coffee.

  Jasper nodded, jumping straight to the point. “Our options are simple: we stay here in the safety of the time loop for as long as we have without ever moving forward or we portal to Opt with Mia’s help so I can access the general headquarters and alert the officials of what the Chancellor has been doing-”

  “Which may mean their word against ours at this point.” Lilou interfered, shooting Rufus a meaningful stare.

  “And the risk may be in vain…” Jasper added, cocking an eyebrow “—or we go for the least predictable option—we contact Etienne, see if we might have a common enemy in this case and if he’ll share some intel.”

  “Look” Sam jumped, “I don’t want to burst your bubble, Jasper, but he was doing all of this supposedly for Zoey, right? What do you think he’s going to say when you come round and tell him ‘hey, turn over your conspiracy to me because my officials attacked us all, oh, and by the way, I’m dating Zoey now’?!”

  “You’ll be reduced to corn starch before you get a chance to explain yourself!” Rufus shook both his head and his index finger, not amused in the slightest.

  Jasper let out a long sigh. “Etienne’s mindset doesn’t work like yours. I don’t want to go into these details but if he’s true to his cause he’ll do the right thing!”

  Mia stiffened. ‘True to his cause’, Jasper’s words rang in her ears. When his cause held her father’s death as a consequence, it became her business. In her view, Jasper was mad to think an optan capable of so much death and abuse could suddenly do the honorable thing. ‘Honorable’ had nothing in common with him nor Beck.

  When she spoke, she even surprised herself. “One phone call, Jasper. And you’ll both keep your relationship hidden.” Mia made her final point. “If he knows you two are together, he’s capable to take it out on all of us, on our families, it could get real ugly.”

  Beside her, a snarl of firmness crawled in Rufus’s voice. “We won’t be at his mercy again.”

  “We’ll always be at somebody’s mercy, can’t you see?” Zoey broke, her fingers pressing hard against her temples. “If it’s not James, it’s the Alliance, if it’s not the Alliance, it’s another threat!” Her arms fell defeated against the table, just when Alex made his skippy way through. Unaffected by the ongoing conversation, he settled the phone on the table and pulled a chair.

  “All in favor of Zoey calling Etienne?” Alex’s question automatically went with a raised hand, watching the rest blossoming shyly, one by one. He wasn’t expecting a unanimous vote and neither was Rufus, who eventually surrendered to Mia’s view. “Alright, Zoey, everything should work exactly like on your previous phone.” Alex gave her a hopeful look in spite of her hesitant gaze.

  Everyone stared a little too long at that phone, and they all held their breath a little as she finally reached for it.

  There it was, the number she last answered in Pamplona, staring her in the face. If she stopped to look at it too long, too many thoughts would effervesce. She pushed the dial button and pressed the phone to her ear. It was an action that silenced all of them. Rufus held the table in his grasp but kept his eyes down, in tune with Mia. Sam held Emma’s hand under the table and placed the other on Zoey’s knee. Jasper intertwined his fingers as they waited.

  “Hello?” When Zoey spoke, it brought all their eyes to her.

  “Zoey?” James’s voice answered. “Where are
you?”

  She closed her eyes and focused on his voice. “James, I—I think you were right. When you released Mia, there has been a change in the officials’ plan in Pamplona.” She took a deep breath. “They tried to ambush and kill us.”

  “Bit of a damp squib since you’re alive and kicking. You alright, luv? Where you at?” She felt the self-control in his voice. “Should’ve known, your phone was off for too long.”

  “I’m fine, Lilou, Jasper and Alex rescued us. They went against their superiors, James and we’re safe now, but we don’t know for how long.” Zoey felt Sam’s fingers squeezing her knee.

  “Ah, you must be in one of their time loops. Smart move, Lilou.” James’s voice cracked and Lilou caught her name from across the table. “I’m impressed.”

  Zoey held her breath for the next question. “They want to speak to you, and they’re hoping you’ll be open to communicate. I’m not here against my will, Sam and Emma are here, Rufus, Mia. We trust them, James.”

  “Blimey, quite the crowd too...” James was quick to continue. “I’d like you to go handsfree for the following part of the conversation if that’s alright.” She pressed the screen and placed the phone on the table between herself and Jasper.

  “We can all hear you now, James.”

  His voice had already lost its usual softness. “Well, I’ll be gobsmacked if you didn’t manage to take me by surprise, Lilou. The Alliance’s rebel children are growing in number, I see...”

  Lilou was quick to lean forward. “I can’t believe I’m saying this” she looked straight at Jasper as she said it “but I think we might have a common enemy this time around.” She chose her next words carefully. “You know me well enough to anticipate this is not a game or some sort of trick to get you to tell us your plans—”

  “So the Alliance doesn’t surveil and protect now, do they?” His tone sent a chill through Mia, but she did her best to keep her cool and not release that long line of obscenities stinging her tongue. She took a deep breath as she heard Jasper take the lead.

  “I believe the Minister is working hand in hand with the new Chancellor to cover-up your actions and terminate all the parties involved,” Jasper added. “You and I both know the time loop can only be discontinued from the inside, which leaves us with you as a possible ally or enemy in this affair. Which will it be?”

  “I see you made a speedy recovery, Ambassador,” Etienne recognized Jasper’s voice in an instant “but trust works both ways.”

  “James, please!” Zoey snapped. “They’ve risked their lives for us! I trust them more than I trust you and it pains me to say it. If you want to make things right, you’ll start now.” She didn’t really feel the tear crossing her cheek, because at that moment only rage coated her voice. “You took too much from all of us!”

  “I did,” his voice broke as he gathered himself “tell you what, I’ll agree to a meeting as long as you’ll be there, Zoey. If you portal to a remote location in Pamplona, the Alliance will be on to you like hound dogs,” he sighed, leaning back in his chair. “The only two untraceable locations are my lab in Geneva and the lab in Pamplona.”

  Mia shook her head and whispered. “Beck is in Pamplona.” She folded her arms across her chest and slumped her body against the backrest.

  “There’s no one at the lab in Geneva,” Etienne caught Mia’s whisper. “And I give you my word I won’t hurt any of you as long as Zoey’s there. It’s my final offer.” Sam buried her face in her hands as Etienne gave Jasper the coordinates one by one. “Tomorrow at 9 a.m.”

  Jasper’s eyes met Zoey’s as he replied. “We’ll confirm it via text message.”

  The democratic vote was bound to happen again. An uneasy look washed over everyone’s faces; Mia gritted her teeth and beside her, Rufus’s face changed color.

  “As you wish.” Were Etienne’s last words before he hung up. How one man managed to create so much tension made Sam uneasy. Neither of them had any trust left for Etienne, but they all read determination in Zoey’s eyes. Somehow, she wanted to face him, and retreating in her little corner wouldn’t fly this time around.

  All hands went up in direct contrast to the brain’s message. The beauty of democracy: ignoring the gut feeling but doing what would benefit the overall situation. It wasn’t only about what Mia felt, it was about moving forward, so when Jasper announced he’d portal to Geneva with Zoey, they resisted the urge of joining, in favor of working on their enhancements. And knowing Zoey was going to come face to face with James made Emma’s hairs stand on end.

  γ

  “Anything can happen tomorrow, really.” Sam pressed her knees to her chest on her side of the bed and craned her neck to get a better look at Emma who was still in the bathroom, getting her PJs on. She hadn’t said much since dinner and this only pushed Sam to dig further. “I mean, Jasper will be there with her, but that’s no indication that James will behave.”

  “Would you stop torturing yourself?” Emma’s voice cracked as she made her way to bed. Neither of them really felt like sleeping alone lately. Her blonde hair was pulled in a high ponytail, revealing the mother of stress rashes on her neck, another gift Mother Nature gave her since the divorce.

  “Your tough-love bite is getting worse, you know.” Sam felt the mattress move under Emma’s attempts to get under the blanket and pull it up to her nose as she rolled her eyes, too aware of her rash.

  Emma moved to the side, resting her head on her arm while she shot Sam one of her looks. “Do you ever just miss Carlos?”

  She was not expecting the question. “Are you missing Frank now?” Sam slid under the covers herself.

  “Is that weird?” Emma drew in a short breath. “I mean with everything that’s been going on, it just makes me long for comfort. Like my mind wants to go to a safe place with no more fucking surprises—”

  “And we all know Frank’s a man of few surprises,” Sam rolled her eyes, giggling under her breath. Thunder cracked outside their window as rain pierced the leaves of the nearby trees. Storm mode—on.

  γ

  The skies broke and Zoey was still alone in her bedroom, listening to the violent song of the rain. The air was charged this evening; she could feel it in her bones and her breath came heavy under the same accords. Sleep wouldn’t come tonight, so she neared the window in the silk nightgown and matching cardigan she’d borrowed from the closet. Lightning crossed the skies, illuminating the garden patch in front of her window. She didn’t want to be alone. It all felt a little colder, a little unsettling.

  When she felt the pressure shifting, she knew he was coming, and turned around to face the blue light cascading by her door, releasing itself in waves against the wooden floor until it faded, leaving Jasper’s frame unaltered in the dim light. He was still in his navy waistcoat and pants, the sleeves of his white shirt rolled up. Somewhere too deep to ever admit it, this felt like the last time she’d lay eyes on him, the fear of tomorrow creeping up in every thought. She couldn’t really read anything but worry in the flicker of his eyes as their gaze locked for a short second. He walked toward her without saying a word and pressed his palms on the window sill beside her, lost in the wet landscape.

  Lightning creased the sky, casting a blue glow on his profile. He never looked more like an angel than he did now, with his hair tumbling in blonde waves and brushing past the line of his collar. Thunder rippled and Zoey’s eyes fell on his chest, coming down in uneven breaths just as he parted his lips and turned to her.

  Whatever it was, he didn’t voice it.

  There was no doubt right then and there that he made time stop, shattering her inner hourglass as soon as his fingers dragged along the line of her arm and softly curled around her fingers. She didn’t even feel when he brought her fingers to his lips and swallowed her torturous thoughts at the feel of him.

  “Whatever tomorrow brings, Zoey,” she felt a strong arm curling around her waist until his cheek was glued to hers “I’ll never let anything happen to you.�
� He held himself back on Paseo Sarasate, he could’ve taken Etienne before he made his move. “I promise.” There wasn’t an ounce of hesitation in his voice and he made her numb again, every inch of her becoming aware of how soft he felt against her cheek.

  When she spoke, her voice came charged. “I guess that makes two of us. I won’t let anything happen to you either.” She could barely light a match, yet the intention never faltered.

  “Was he a good boyfriend to you?” Jasper using the word ‘boyfriend’ was weird enough to begin with. The question itself felt foreign coming from his lips.

  It caught her off guard. “Care to elaborate?” For some reason, they never had this kind of talk before and curiosity got the better of her. “What does a good optan boyfriend do?” Zoey’s brows shot up.

  To his surprise, she looked amused, so he returned the grin. “Well, apart from ending the life of two perfectly good snowdrops and risking it all for a Snickers bar on Valentine’s Day… not much.”

  “Is this you asking me to be your girlfriend?” She cocked a brow his way.

  “I gather you were pleased with the offerings then.” Jasper chuckled, tilting his head as he turned his back to the storm, resting his elbows on the window sill. She kept an eye on his profile, on the way the curve of his lips deepened, revealing the faintest dimple hanging carelessly on his cheek. Jasper didn’t falter as he spoke. “But supposing I did…” There was a new edge to his voice. Heat rose from her chest to her cheeks so she was quick to spin around in the opposite direction, trying to mask the unintended gasp. The heavy downpour got even louder and this time around, not only the leaves were shaky.

  “You’re teasing…” Lightning struck again, the skies coming alive in a violent roar before Zoey got a chance to continue. She felt the chill making its way from underneath the wooden frame, but this time, she lost focus. He was behind her; a hand propped on the windowsill next to hers.

  For a moment, all stood still, etched in time as his fingers traveled from her waist, past her ribcage and to the hollow of her neck. The pulse began, turning her knees to butter, intensifying from the feel of a heartbeat to a tidal wave, sweeping all of her in warmth until he needed both his arms around her. This felt so intimate, as if their bodies shared a secret, feeding off each’s need to eliminate all space separating them. He spun her around, their eyes glazed with the same wonder. “That’s how I feel about you, Zoey.” He whispered. “I don’t want you to be my girlfriend; I want you to be my everything.”