“Where are we going?” I had never gone into the basements of the school buildings. Not until last week when Kyle led me to The Program.
“To the tunnels. We’ll cross over to the classroom building and find a spot to hide out while I heal that leg.”
And ankle.
His grip on my hand tightened. “What happened to Jonas?”
“I don’t know. One minute you both were inside my head telling me what to do, the next… he was gone.”
We made it most of the way across the tunnel. When I stopped a second time from the pain, he reached down and scooped me up into his arms.
“You need to save your energy.” I leaned into his chest. I knew he needed every ounce of strength to heal my ankle. Unless I could somehow take on some of the negative side effects like I had when he healed Kyle.
He hugged me close. “I’ll be fine. Let’s get to a bathroom, though, so we can clean up your knee.”
And hide. “There, on the right,” I said when I saw the ladies’ restroom sign.
We were ten feet away from our destination when we heard a voice behind us. “Put her down, Jack.”
Jack stopped. He slowly turned. Jonas pointed a gun at us.
“Why, Jonas? I thought…” I didn’t know what I thought. I studied the straight edge of his set jaw and the lack of emotion on his face. My eyes traveled over his body, landing on the smooth, pale skin of his arms, void of any ink.
“Jonas, she’s hurt. I need to heal her.”
When I set you down, I want you to reach behind me and get the gun out of my waistband.
Jack slowly set me on my feet. I pretended to steady myself by hugging Jack, allowing my right hand to slide down to his waist. I wrapped my hand around the handle of the gun and lifted it from his jeans. I looked up into Jack’s concerned eyes.
This isn’t Jonas.
Meet Ty. Notice the lack of tattoos on his arms.
Jack’s face softened upon hearing that it wasn’t his friend who had betrayed us, but the relief that fell over his face was soon replaced with deep trenches of worry across his forehead.
“Turn around, Lexi.” Ty’s voice sounded somehow off to me.
“You had to go and make everything so difficult. I told you what would happen if you didn’t cooperate. I told you I’d force you to hurt Jack.”
Leaving my right arm behind Jack, I faced Ty. He was going to see through my awkwardness or hear my thoughts. Then it dawned on me. He wasn’t hearing my thoughts. At least he hadn’t reacted to any. “You’re not going to force me to do anything,” I said, with much more conviction than I felt. I hopped in front of Jack on my one good ankle and bent my right arm behind me. Jack took the gun.
Keep him talking, Lex.
Jack fiddled with the gun at my back.
“What kind of coward has to hide behind the face of someone else to exert control over little ol’ me?”
His lips quirked up. “It was definitely more fun when you couldn’t tell us apart. What’s the use in having a clone if you can’t use them to do your dirty work?”
I cocked my head, studying Ty. “You came with the IIA? They’re controlling everything you do. You know that, right?” I broke my contact with Jack and hobbled away from him. Though Jonas practically strangled Ty that day at The Farm, Ty
had
helped me find my way back out. His actions now didn’t make sense, nor did his desire to harm Jack.
The clones inside the IIA facility were simply pawns.
Ty’s lips quirked. “Controlling me? No.”
And we are most certainly not pawns.
I flinched at the sound of his mindspeak. Why was he in my head now? And not before?
“Jack is your shield,” he said, as if the brightest lightbulb in the world just clicked on in his head.
I looked nervously at Jack. “My shield?”
Ty shook his head. “Never mind.”
But he had said it—shield—and it all became clear. When Jonas… or Ty… forced me to lift a knife high above Jack, I had nearly plunged it into his chest. But Jack had rolled over, grazing my knee with his fingers… and it was then that the mind invader had vanished, and I was able to drop the knife.
There were other times, too, like now, that Ty hadn’t heard my thoughts. And now I knew it was because Jack had been touching me.
“It was you who tried to make me kill Jack.” I had accepted that it wasn’t Jonas, but staring at Ty now, it all made sense. The IIA used Jonas’s look-alike to force Jonas into my head. That’s why I had been so certain that Jonas was the one manipulating me.
“Me. Jonas. What’s the difference? It’s all part of the IIA’s plan,” Ty said.
Finally catching up, Jack moved closer and placed his fingers on my arm.
I can’t believe there’re two of them.
I met Ty when Jonas led me inside The Farm on campus.
Ty cocked his gun. “Step away from her.”
No, don’t, Jack. He can’t hear my thoughts while you’re touching me, and he won’t kill me. So stand behind me.
How do you know?
Jack asked.
The IIA is here for me. They want something from me. I heard Sandra tell the agents not to hurt me.
Was this before or after you sprained your ankle?
“I said, step away.” Ty waved the gun at us haphazardly, which made me more nervous than the possibility that he might actually pull the trigger on purpose. I had read somewhere that most shooting incidents are from a gun accidentally going off.
“Look, Ty. Tell me what it is you want. Maybe we can work something out.”
“We’ll work something out all right.” He smirked. “Tell your knight to step away. I’ve got something you want. Information I’ve been instructed to tell you and only you.”
I looked back at Jack with a raised brow and nodded.
“Fine,” Jack said. “I’ll lower my hand, but I won’t step away. Tell her quickly.” The warmth of his hand left my lower back. But his close proximity remained.
Okay, Ty, out with it.
You will come with me, and I promise to return Addison to Wellington.
My heart picked up speed just hearing Addison’s name.
How can you promise that?
I’m not promising it. Sandra is. They haven’t done anything to Addison yet, other than insert a tracker into her brain, but they will program her tracker soon if you don’t come. And if you’ll come, Sandra promised to return Addison to Jack, here, at Wellington.
Frightened of what Sandra might do to Addison through a tracker, I was tempted to take Ty up on his promise, but I didn’t believe him. I reached my hand behind me. Jack immediately grabbed it, silencing Ty from my head while I searched for Jonas.
Jonas, can you hear me?
Been waiting for you to get Ty out of your head. My plan backfired on me. I tried to reason with that crazy clone of mine. He rewarded me with a blow to my head.
Did you hear what he said?
I asked Jonas.
Yes. He’s lying. They would never let Addison go now that they have her.
“What’s it going to be?” Ty asked, becoming impatient.
What’s he want?
Jack held more tightly to my hand.
I gave my head a small shake.
He wants me to return to The Farm with him.
Fat chance of that.
When I remained silent, Jack stepped closer, careful not to lose contact with me while continuing to hide the gun in his hand.
That’s not all, is it?
What do you mean?
I mean, you’re silent. You’re considering whatever it is that he offered in return.
Jack’s heat on my back made it even harder to concentrate. His hand left mine, traveled up my arm until it reached my cheek. Applying pressure, he turned my head, forcing me to look at him.
What are you not telling me?
When I didn’t answer again, he slid his hand down my body and pushed the small of my back, bringing my body flush with his. His eyes burned into mine.
Jack.
I squirmed under his gaze.
Don’t “Jack” me. Tell me.
I took a deep breath.
He said the IIA would trade Addison for me.
Jack’s face reddened.
No! Not even an option.
Jack. Be reasonable.
I. Said. No. I’m not trading one person for another.
“Okay, time’s up.” Ty’s footsteps sounded behind me until I felt something hard press into the middle of my spine.
I lowered my eyes to the gun Jack still held between us, then peered up at him.
Duck to your right!
Jack said in my head.
Now!
With no time to think, I darted right, falling to the floor. Jack’s arm swept upwards, hitting Ty’s hand and knocking the gun loose. The metal made contact with the hard tile floor and the gun slid against the wall.
Jack pointed his gun directly between Ty’s eyes. “Tell me who is in charge at the IIA.” A vein in Jack’s neck was pulsing as he held Ty’s neck with one hand and the gun with the other.
“Sandra,” he choked.
“Who else?”
I crawled across the floor and sat beside the gun, just in case I needed it. My ankle throbbed.
Though Ty struggled for air, a smirk filled with arrogance spread across his face. “That is the question, isn’t it?”
“Answer me.” Jack pulled back the hammer on the gun.
Jonas appeared at the entrance to the hallway. “Jack, don’t.” He then looked at me, scanned my body starting at my face, and stopping when he saw the blood seeping through my jeans and the unnatural way my ankle stretched out in front of me.
“Tell me who,” Jack yelled.
“Who what, Jack?” Jonas moved closer. “I don’t care for Ty either, but killing him isn’t what you want to do.”
“Oh, yeah? Why not?”
“Because he’s just another victim.”
A gagging noise escaped Ty’s throat. “I’m no victim.”
“That’s not helping, Ty,” Jonas said.
Ty laughed again, and a chill moved down my spine. “Tell him who Sandra’s partner is.”
Jonas stared at Ty. Jonas’s face was unreadable. Did Jonas know what Ty was talking about? Did he already know who was helping Sandra? And what prompted Jack to ask?
Your boyfriend forgot one small detail in this plan of his to make me talk,
Ty mindspoke to me.
He forgot that without touching you…
My head snapped to attention.
Now, don’t even think about mindspeaking with Jack. Grab the gun.
I glanced sideways, and without a second thought, slid my fingers under the handle of the gun and brought it to my lap.
Stand and walk toward me.
I did as I was ordered. I limped toward them. Jack yelled at Ty, but I couldn’t hear the words any longer.
Shoot him. Now!
Ty yelled.
I lifted the gun and pointed it at Jack’s chest. Sweat formed along my hairline. The throbbing in my ankle was almost unbearable. I held the gun tightly. My finger curled around the trigger and began to squeeze.
Lexi, no!
Jonas’s presence filled my head. He bulldozed his way through Ty and Jack and tackled me to the ground. A gun went off, but I didn’t know if it was the one I held, or Jack’s. Pain erupted through my shoulder.
Before I even had a chance to get my bearings, I heard another small explosion. Smoke filled the hallway.
I tried to push myself up. Jonas lifted his shirt over his head and thrust it at me.
Breathe into this. I’m going to take some of your pain away while you and Jack get to that bathroom.
He pointed twenty feet away at the door we were originally headed for.
Whether it was from adrenaline or the strength in Jonas’s words, I managed to hobble over to Jack, who was hacking from the smoke. I took in a deep breath through the T-shirt, then placed it over Jack’s face. We supported each other, ran for the bathroom, and didn’t stop until we were safely inside.
Jack helped me to the floor, then stood to assess all of my injuries.
~~~~~
Jack only threw up twice after healing my injuries. I had done my best to enter his mind and lessen the side effects of the healing process.
I lay against the wall, out of breath and lightheaded. “What do you think is happening?”
“I don’t know, but I’m feeling better. I’m going to check it out.” He grabbed the gun from its resting spot on the sink and brought it to me. “Here. Hold this. Anyone enters this bathroom, I want you to shoot them.”
I gaped at him. “Jack, no.” I moved to my knees and pushed myself up. “I’m fine. We’ll go together.”
Jack stared at me for a few seconds before finally agreeing. “Fine. Stay behind me.”
The hallway was quiet. We heard shouting in the distance, though. We eased our way down the hall. Jack held the gun in front of us with one hand, and held my hand with his other. The smell of smoke was still intense. As we approached the stairwell, Jonas appeared.
“They’re gone,” he said, out of breath.
I let out a huge sigh of relief.
“Gone? Are the police here?” Jack asked.
“Yes, and so is the fire department.” Jonas glanced down at my ankle.
All better?
I nodded. “It was Dia, wasn’t it? She got them into Wellington without sounding any alarms.”
“That’s right. And they set off a small bomb to throw authorities off while they escaped.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that Sandra was your mother?” Jack asked Jonas.
“Would you have trusted me if I had?”
Jack looked at me. “No, not once I met Lexi.” He reached out and cupped my cheek. “But I would have put some of our background together much faster. Made different decisions, for sure.”
I knew what he meant. He might have refused to come to Wellington. To meet me.
We were meant to meet, so don’t even go there. Sandra would have found me eventually, anyway.
I leaned my face into his palm.
We have to find a way to protect each other.
“What’s next?” Jack asked.
“Next?” Jonas sucked in a deep breath. “We train. We become stronger than the IIA. We rescue Addison. We take charge of our own lives.”