CHAPTER TWELVE

I turned around to find another broad shouldered, blue-eyed boy, this one with curly blond hair. Slightly older with dimples drilled into his cheeks; he had to be a relative to Zombie Zone Guy, if that mattered.

He winked at me, flashing a cute smile, before his eyes zeroed in on my sling and his face dropped. “What happened?”

Zombie Zone Guy’s glare pegged into him like a laser. “This is none of your business, Memphis. Go home.”

Memphis laughed. “It is now. Dad sent me to find you after you didn’t come home,” he said. “And since your shaggy companion wasn’t in her cave, I figured you’d finally gone for it.” He grinned mischievously. “She is cute. I see why you’d risk your neck, but seriously. Now? Not a smooth move, brother.”

Zombie Zone Guy stood, his hands balled at his sides. “Tell Dad I’m fine.”

Memphis didn’t leave. Instead, he looked at our meager campsite and tsked. “You plan to live out here? For how long?”

“Go home.”

Memphis chuckled and shook his head. “Mom should look at her arm at least, to make sure it isn’t broken. And, dude, put a shirt on while you’re at it.” He sidestepped around his brother, eyeballing his torso like he was diseased. “No one wants to look at your bird chest.”

Bird chest? Memphis’ reference made me wonder what lay hidden underneath his shirt, because his brother was pretty hot.

Zombie Zone Guy moved into his path. “I’ve got this under control.”

Memphis inclined his head to peer over his brother’s shoulder, ignoring him completely. “Sugar, you can’t possibly want to stay out here with Kaden.” He motioned me forward. “Come on. I’ll get you fixed up, then we’ll figure out how to get you home.”

Kaden. I finally knew his name. But between the two of them, I felt like a rope in a tug-of-war and the idea of going home sounded too tempting to pass up. Would Memphis really take me, though? Or was this a con to get me to go to their village? Unsure, I stood my ground.

Out of nowhere, Kaden landed his fist into Memphis’ jaw. He staggered backward, his hand gripping his injured chin. “What’d you do that for?”

“She’s staying with me.” Kaden remained rigid, arms flexed. “Go. Home.”

“Geez, brother, check yourself. There’s no way she can live off the land and survive the wild injured like this. You know we should bring her in.”

With the mention of the wild, zombies came to mind. Why hadn’t either of them mentioned them yet? Or how to avoid them? I suddenly felt exposed, unable to do much with my injured wrist.

Memphis moved toward me once again, hand outstretched. Kaden swung at him, but he ducked and pushed into his brother’s side, knocking Kaden off balance. He landed on the dirt.

He cursed and stood, dusting himself off. “I’m warning you, Memphis. Don’t push me.”

“Show me whatcha got.” His brother cocked a brow.

Kaden darted forward and swung. Memphis blocked him, returning one to his side.

The noise disturbed a flock of birds. With the ruckus, I suddenly feared we’d attract zombies. Wherever their people lived, they had to have a better option than being in the open, especially if their mom could fix my arm. I waited for them to finally give up their childish display. Instead more fists were thrown.

“Stop,” I called out.

Neither listened, sparring even harder. The dust they’d kicked up coated my throat, making me cough.

“I’m serious. Stop it!” I moved between them. They stared at me, and I straightened my shoulders. “He’s right, Kaden. I can’t stay here in the wild like this. I need help and shoes, too,” and a bra. “And what if… you know… they come.” Slightly superstitious, I didn’t want to mention the walking dead by name.

Kaden stiffened, and paused. Empathy briefly colored his features as he scanned my appearance, before the mask he wore slammed down once again, leaving him emotionless.

“Memphis is only trying to impress you, Abby. All he cares about is himself and if you go with him to our colony, you can never leave.”

“Yeah, right.” Memphis snorted, wiping at a trail of blood running from his lip. “Are you doubting your all mighty vision again?”

I turned to Kaden and glared at his lying face. He’d had a vision? Why didn’t I press him earlier?

“It wasn’t like that,” he defended quickly.

Memphis laughed. “It was believable enough for you to beg Dad to rescue Abby from Brighton, to which he denied.” He turned to me. “Looks like my little brother took matters into his own hands, Sugar.”

I shot a quick glower at Memphis. His nickname was starting to bug me.

Kaden’s eyes narrowed. “Shut up, Memphis.”

“So you did have a vision,” I clarified.

“No.” The tips of his ears turned pink as his eyes darted away.

“He sees people… people from the future,” Memphis said with a coy smile.

What?

Kaden closed his eyes. The muscle in his jaw ticked. “Don’t listen to him.”

Memphis laughed; the snake-like kind with venom behind it. “Or you’ll what? Deck me again? If your vision is so important, why not tell Abby what future-girl said?”

I staggered sideways. “What girl?”

Fury pressed into Kaden’s features as his eyes flickered between us. “Memphis is confused.”

“Confused?” I blinked up at him, my mind racing too fast to process. Did they somehow have access to Complements, too? But how? They lived in the middle of the zombie zone without technology and the wrinkle was something only the EA had access to, or so I thought.

“Kaden,” I said more firmly. “Who did you see?”

He looked at me, eyes wide. For the briefest of moments, I could read his face. Then the truth hit me. If he was telling the truth and didn’t work for the EA as a plant, then only one person would be privy to how I ticked.

“You saw me?” I asked, my voice quiet.

He stared at me guiltily, then looked away.

“Yes.”

Suddenly, the world was spinning, or at least my head was. How was that even possible? Complements didn’t physically visit. They were broadcasted over special TV feeds that cut through the time barrier. We were never given the opportunity to explore the subject in science class—top secret intel—but I knew that much to be true.

“How do you know for sure that it was me?” I asked.

Kaden scanned me up and down. “She looks just like you for starters.”

I chewed on the inside of my lip, remembering my Complement’s lifeless eyes coupled with the dullest personality ever, and cringed. “I don’t understand. Did you hack into the system?”

His eyes lifted, the skin wrinkling at the edges. “Hack? No. She just appeared… out of thin air. One minute she’s just there, and then… she was gone.”

There was an odd change in his tone—a quality of reverence and disappointment. Like he’d seen an angel and missed her. My heart thumped a quick staccato beat. The Complement I met was far from angelic.

“Then why did she tell me something completely different?”

His brows pushed together for a brief second. “Wait, you saw her?”

“At my meeting that you warned me not to go to,” dork. I wanted to slap him upside the head. “My Complement warned me not to leave the city walls and yet she told you to kidnap me. So explain that.”

He blinked for a moment, perplexed then smiled. “Because the woman you met couldn’t have possibly been your future-self. It must have been someone in disguise.”

“What? No, that’s ridiculous. She looked exactly like me and that would mean…” Air whooshed from my opened mouth as my brain paused. The words I’d heard right after the meeting replayed through my mind again. A man had said, “Good job,” to which a woman replied, “That was close.”

He gave me a hard compelling look—one that said, “I’m telling the truth”—and the world came unhinged beneath me. Staggering backward, I found a log and plopped down. My breathing increased as the word Glitch, zinged in my head. But I refused to believe it. Being a Glitch meant my future-self had died before I turned thirty-eight… or just didn’t want to cooperate with the EA.

No, it can’t be.

But there was more to this than ditching my meeting. If Kaden really saw my future-self, that meant I’d discovered how to move through time without the use of a special room and that meant I was more than just any Glitch.

I blinked up at him, suddenly feeling like my brain was on overload. Then I rushed him. “I want to talk to her. Now!”

Kaden’s eyes widened and he lifted his hands, palms outward. “It doesn’t work like that.”

“Then how does it work?” I kept pressing toward him, wishing my wrist wasn’t injured so I could strangle his neck. “Tell me.”

He backed up, pushing me off. “She just appears, unannounced. That’s it. And I didn’t ask how. She just demanded I find you and deliver a message to which you didn’t listen to and screwed everything up.”

I ignored his insults. “Then when is she showing up again?”

“Yeah,” Memphis chimed in.

Kaden’s eyes swung to Memphis, his jaw working. “I don’t know.”

“What?” I pulled my head backward. Being the cautious planner-type, there was no way I’d have someone come to the rescue without having a step-by-step plan afterward. “Didn’t she tell you where to go once you’d taken me? Where’s the rendezvous point?”

Kaden’s face blanched. “There’s no rendezvous point. Yet.”

I stopped, jolted by his words when the truth hit. Panic built inside me as warning bells rang loud. He couldn’t have possibly talked with my Compliment. He merely knew enough to deceive me into believing him so I’d cooperate. But why?

Worse, he was still the enemy.

I moved away from him and rubbed my arm, feeling vulnerable. He wanted me for some reason, and I feared what that could be. Where was the search party already? We couldn’t be far from Brighton’s walls. The abduction would be on the TVs by now and Landon would have known the second my DOD was busted, once he pulled his head out of his butt. They should have been right behind us.

Of course my entire life would be under scrutiny in Brighton. They’d match up everything I’d said and written to what my heart rate was doing at the time. Elle and I had taken off our watches so many times, too many times. She’d be questioned. My muff was on my desk of all places and what if they found Kaden’s note hidden in my underwear drawer? They might even think I’d run away on purpose. Had my Complement’s warning not to leave been real?

There was only one way to be sure.

My glare zeroed in on Kaden. He needed to confess.

“Tell me everything I told you,” I grabbed his arm and dug in my nails. “Everything!”

Kaden swallowed and flexed his bicep. “There’s nothing more to tell.”

I exhaled sharply. “This proves you’re lying and you must think I’m stupid.”

“You can choose to believe me or not, Abby, but I wouldn’t make this up.” Kaden leaned forward, his blue eyes vibrant. “And I don’t think you’re stupid.”

I pinched my lips together, wanting to scream. If I really could time travel, why didn’t I just appear to myself and tell me what was going on? Of course, I might have fainted or something, but at least I could have warned myself that the rescue party of Kaden and furry Sasquatch companion was coming, forgoing the need to tie me up, not to mention the wrist breaking incident, and at the very least, put on a freaking bra.

“Why didn’t she just appear herself, then, and deliver this message to me?”

“She can’t,” he said quickly. “It’s complicated.”

“Convenient for your story, isn’t it?” I narrowed my eyes. “So let me get this straight. I couldn’t deliver the message, so I magically appeared out of thin air and told you to break into my house, tie me up, and take me into the forest because—?”

“Not exactly in those words.” Kaden exhaled hard, visibly frustrated. “There wasn’t an easy way to get you out of Brighton. You’re recorded 24/7 and since the EA was already putting two-and-two together, the extraction had to happen as soon as possible.”

Memphis began to throw rocks at nearby trees, yawning extra loud. I didn’t care if my questions were trivial or boring. We’d get to the bottom of this some way or another.

“And why is that so horrible?” I asked, exasperated. “Am I some criminal?”

“No, Abby,” Kaden looked apologetic. “You’re something more important to them than that.”

“Like I’m the Oracle?” I chuckled under my breath.

When Kaden said nothing and just stared at me, I froze and tried hard not to imagine the possibility he might be telling the truth.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Sliding my hand over my pajama pants, I looked for a pocket that wasn’t there. On any normal day, I’d have my flat screen with the Internet at my fingertips. Why hadn’t I paid more attention in history? From what I’d remembered, time travel had been a future discovery and no one in my time was allowed to know the Oracle by name; just that he or she had been this amazing discoverer of the time wrinkle bridging our two eras together. Tragically, he or she died shortly thereafter in a freak accident, and the EA not only lost the Oracle, but important advances as well. I never thought too hard why they didn’t know who the Oracle was in our time, figuring they just didn’t need them.

I pushed away the damp tendrils of hair sticking to my forehead. There had to be another explanation. And how did Kaden know so much about Brighton’s history anyway? About me?

“Well, my Complement can’t be the Oracle. She’s dead,” I breathed out.

He stood over me, hovering in a way that felt protective and possessive. “She’s alive and well, and she’s you.”

“So the EA is lying to its people? Why?”

Kaden lifted his chin and his shoulders sagged. “That didn’t come up in conversation, but I could only guess.”

Gazing into his gorgeous blue eyes, I swallowed down the dread clawing up my throat as a million things coursed and smashed into one another in my head. I didn’t carry the blue eyed gene, so it had to be something else. The fact my future-self trusted Kaden, some guy from the zombie zone, to be my rescuer didn’t sit right with me. He acted as if the EA was about to swoop in and… do what, exactly? I’d be a celebrity.

I exhaled. Exhaustion interrupted my ability to think clearly.

“That doesn’t explain why I’m a danger to the EA. I haven’t done anything wrong.”

Kaden gave Memphis a quick sideways glance and something like a warning exchanged between them.

“They wanted to keep you from leaving,” Kaden finally said.

Apparently the EA didn’t know me that well. With the threat of zombies, I would have never left on my own. A pit formed in my stomach. There was something more. Something huge. What else weren’t they telling me?

“You wouldn’t have broken into my house and taken me if there wasn’t a bigger reason, Kaden. Don’t lie to me.”

Memphis walked over and sat next to me. He placed his hand on my knee. “This isn’t going to be settled in a day. I think before we go any further, we should get you cleaned up.”

I glared at him, pushing off his hand. How dare they patronize me. “No. You can tell me whatever it is you’re afraid to tell me now.” I stared into Memphis’ eyes, hoping he’d be easier to read. “What? Am I a criminal?”

Memphis sucked his lower lip between his teeth, hiding a smile. “It’s not about what you become….” He fumbled for the right words.

“It’s complicated, Abby,” Kaden said as if to come to Memphis’ rescue. He straightened; his jaw was set. “It’s not important to worry about now.”

I tucked my good arm under my bad one. “I won’t go anywhere with either of you unless you tell me.”

Kaden pursed his lips, his eyes sliding from me to his brother. “Your Complement doesn’t want you or your powers in the EA’s hands. That’s all.”

I continued to glare. “Why?”

“Because they’re evil, okay?” Memphis chimed in.

“I highly doubt that.” I cocked my head to the side. “There’s no way they didn’t know I was the Oracle, seriously?”

“They didn’t, until the meeting.” He exhaled hard and lifted his shoulders. “I rescued you before the EA could exploit you.”

“Exploit me?” I blinked, astounded.

“Yes, Abby. They’re not who you think they are.”

A snort slipped from my lips. “No. I would have become a celebrity, and contrary to what you might think, they don’t arrest citizens who haven’t committed any crimes.”

“How would you know otherwise without leaving Brighton’s walls?” Kaden raised his brow.

Memphis sighed extra loud. “Stop talking in circles, Kaden.” He turned to me. “They want you because you’re going to be our future—”

“Memphis,” Kaden interrupted; a warning through his teeth. “Our time lines aren’t concurrent anymore so that isn’t necessarily true—”

“But she’ll figure it out anyway, brother… especially when we take her to the colony. And it’s no big deal. Different timelines, remember?” He clapped me on the back. “She’s handling things fine.”

Fine? I cringed at his confidence in my reaction. His diagnosis couldn’t be further from the truth. And what did he mean by differing timelines? I wouldn’t let on this freaked the heck out of me, not when they were so close to telling me everything.

“I’m what, Memphis?” I held my shoulders stiff, braced for the worst.

Kaden’s eyes swung to mine, apologetic. “The reason this is all so important is because your Complement leads our colony in the future.”

The words took a moment to sink in. I sucked in a short breath, the realization practically knocking the wind out of me; then laughed, a caustic snip that sounded like I’d choked on my spit. “Okay, now I’ve heard everything.”

He had to be kidding. Hell, no! No, no, no. I shook my head to try to wake myself up from the nightmare. Forget reality, I’d fallen into the rabbit hole.

“Don’t worry about it. That happens in a different timeline.” Memphis chuckled. “You may never be the leader here.”

I shook my head, trying to make sense of what he was suggesting. They spoke as if our decisions didn’t affect the future, like the timelines ran parallel. “I’m lost.”

Kaden blew out a frustrated breath. “Your Complement is the leader in her time, which could have been our future if we’d made the same decisions, but we didn’t so… The EA of that time can’t find where the rebellion is hiding—exactly—and your Complement was worried they’d threaten you to get answers, or worse—”

“Honestly, this will all make sense after you eat and get your arm looked at. Let’s get to the colony,” Memphis added.

My brain was stuck on the word: rebellion. This meant an army, guns, fighting, bloodshed. Heart pounding, I shook my head. It was one thing to run away, but another to retaliate.

I stepped backward and studied their smug faces. How could they assume I’d go along with all of this? Just blindly acknowledge I’d been the Oracle? That my entire life had been a ticking time bomb as the EA awaited for me to become a blip on their radar? That by attending my meeting, they’d finally clue in so they could swoop in and… use me as bait? If anything my birthday had helped me slip through the cracks and the EA hadn’t been prepared. The Oracle… future me… whoever, couldn’t possibly be leading this so called rebellion. She was a hero, not Brighton’s most wanted.

“You’re all full of crap.” I scanned the tree line and looked for an escape. “I’m going home.”

“What part of being held as bait and possibly killed doesn’t make sense to you?” Kaden barked, his temper flaring.

I turned at him and laughed. “Killed?”

“It’s a possibility.”

With a roll of my eyes, I snorted. This was too much. “Pretty compelling story. You had me going for a minute. How much is my ransom?”

Kaden balled his hands into fists and I practically felt the waves of frustration rolling off of him. “This is absolutely ridiculous. Have you forgotten I warned you not to go to your meeting? The last thing I wanted was to risk my life to kidnap you. For what? What could I possibly ransom you for?”

I yanked my head back. “Power? Control? The use of my abilities?”

Kaden laughed and shook his head. “You don’t even know how to use your powers, so how’s that going to help me?”

“You have to want something,” I said quickly.

Memphis snorted. “Yeah, I’m sure he does.”

My cheeks felt like they’d caught on fire, and I instantly wished I could take back what I’d just implied.

“Shut up,” Kaden said between his teeth. He turned to me, his mouth opening and closing wordlessly. A trail of red burnt all the way to his ears. Then he turned and marched around the fire. “There’s no ransom. I honestly came to save you.”

I clenched my jaw, fighting the side of me that wanted to believe him, wishing he wasn’t so convincing. Maybe I had misjudged him. Then I remembered Roofus. My rage burned again.

“Says the guy who killed my neighbor’s dog!”

Kaden’s head whipped around. “I didn’t kill your neighbor’s dog.”

“I saw his lifeless body on the ground—”

“He was sleeping.”

“Stop lying to me—” I moved closer to him, wanting to grip onto his shirt—if only he was wearing one.

“I hypnotized him.”

“You what?”

“He was making too much noise, but that’s not important.” Kaden remained close, his sweet breath wafting over me as his demeanor softened. “I wouldn’t risk my life for a lie, Abby. Why can’t you understand you’re important? More important than you could possibly know. And it’s rather exceptional, really, that you’ve remained undetected this entire time.”

I shook my head. How could I accept this to be the truth? “Okay, genius. If you know so much, how did I go from being the Oracle to becoming the leader of this group of—” I fumbled for the words, unsure what to call them, “zombie zone rebels.”

Kaden closed his eyes. “This isn’t a joke, Abby.”

I raised my brows. “You’ve yet to convince me otherwise.”

“I’ve told you everything you should know, so if that doesn’t convince you…” He clenched his jaw, working it for a second before opening his eyes again. “Hopefully your Complement will knock some sense into you, since you’re being so stubborn.”

“That’s if she shows up again.” I huffed, refusing to acknowledge anything.

I might have agreed, if it didn’t sound so ridiculous. Stubborn or not, my Complement would need to appear. Of course I’d be eating crow for days afterward, but I wasn’t ready to embrace the reality I could be the Oracle, or lead a rebellion against the EA. Being held for ransom was far easier to swallow.

“Fine, I’ll cooperate, but only if you get word to my parents. They’ll be worried. And my best friend, Elle. She could do something really stupid to try to find me. And Landon.”

Kaden’s eyes narrowed. And in that instant, he slammed his mask of apathy back into place, leaving only hard lines to his face. “Things have been too dangerous as it is. No one will be returning to Brighton anytime soon.”

I searched his face, wondering where this hot and cold thing stemmed. One minute he’d open up, then the next, he’d shut me out.

“Kinda hard to lead a rebellion when you don’t attack your opponent,” I mumbled under my breath. Who was he to tell me what I could and couldn’t do?

Kaden began kicking dirt onto the fire.

I wanted to stay mad, but the only thing that still had me confused was the risk he’d taken. He knew I’d fight him, from the abduction to the truth of who I became in the future. Not to mention the possibility of getting caught by the EA and being punished. Even his dad told him not to come. Was Memphis the only person who believed him?

“What would have happened if you didn’t come and take me?” I asked.

“They would have forced you to make your Complement comply,” Kaden said plainly. “And if that didn’t work, kill you.”

I lifted my chin in disbelief. “Really?”

He leaned forward, eyes lit with a vengeful fire. “Never underestimate the power behind the EA. They’re vicious and they fight dirty. You were their last resort to get to the rebellion.” His stare probed into me. “And your survival, both now and in the future, is the key to their undoing.”

My breath caught. This was more than just a mission of mercy. He expected me to return the favor and rescue his people.

I lifted my good hand. “I don’t know who or what you think I’m capable of becoming, but I’ll never be your hero.”

Kaden’s nostrils flared. He moved his jaw as if he wanted to say something. Then, at the last second, he turned away. More and more, his reactions told me he acted in good faith and each time I rejected him, he took it personally. But it wasn’t my fault I ruined his delusions of the future. I was merely a girl. Maybe magical, but still mortal, who when trying to save herself broke her wrist. He couldn’t put that much faith and trust into me.

“That’s why she needs to come to the colony, Kaden.” Memphis moved closer to me. “It’s not safe out here, especially once they start roaming in the woods. Besides,” he turned to me as a cold gust of fear blew up my spine. Yes, let’s not forget the zombies, boys. “We’ve got shoes and clothing back at camp.”

“That sounds good.” I shirked off my fear and my eyes fell to my dirty toes. Memphis wore old-school red Converse. There’d been a similar pair in the museum in Brighton from the Decadent Years. Stuff they’d made before The Attack, when we loved materialism more than being responsible to the planet. But I did love those shoes.

“Nice shoes.” I pointed, slightly jealous.

Memphis turned up the toe and smiled. “Cool, huh? I’d scoured the warehouse looking for them just last week. Might need to get Vans next time, but we’ve got tons of pairs for ladies. They’re just too narrow for me—”

“You’re right,” Kaden interrupted, his voice icy. His eyes were fixed on the tree line, watching like a gazelle for predators.

Memphis’ brows pressed together. “Huh?”

“You should take her to the colony. It’s safer there, for now.”

Memphis blinked. “What are you going to do?”

Kaden didn’t turn around. “Set up a decoy.”

A decoy? So that’s how they kept the zombies away, by using something to distract them. Smart. But a part of me wanted to keep tabs on Kaden. Chances were he’d run across the EA’s search party and Landon should be at the forefront, maybe. That or he didn’t care. Did he know the truth about who I was? Would he insist I go home? Of course, I’d just blame the Sasquatch, since Kaden was wearing the fuzzy coat, too. My brain stuttered for a moment. Why was I intent to protect him?

At the rustle to my left, I jumped and scooted closer to Memphis. A furry human-like face peered from the brush. Kaden’s Sasquatch.

With a quick nod to his companion, Kaden opened his backpack and took out another T-shirt, slipping it on. He turned to his brother, seriousness imprinted on his face. “Can I trust her with you?”

Memphis put his arm over my shoulder and held me close. “Of course, brother. She’s safe with me.”

I wanted to snort. Between the two of them, they treated me more like a delicate flower than a future leader. Whatever else Kaden hadn’t told me, I hoped Memphis would accidentally spill, especially about these warehouses filled with shoes.

Kaden finished putting out the fire and collected his camping gear, sliding everything neatly into his pack. As he trudged off into the forest, distrust swelled inside me. Kaden’s little Oracle story had me going, at least during the heat of the conversation, but I still didn’t completely believe him. I’d figure out a way to get home with or without his help, asking Memphis if I had to. Both Landon and Elle would know what to do and help me discover the truth, if I truly was the Oracle.

I waited for Kaden to turn around and say good-bye. Like a ghost, though, he merely disappeared into the trees.

Date: 2015-02-03; view: 586