Cheating Time (14 page)

Before I could go in search of Jayden,
Tawney dropped to the ground next to Gran and leaned back her head,
using the hard log as a pillow. Deciding now wasn't the time to
think too long or too hard on why Tawney was so weak and tired, I
headed in the direction Jayden had gone. Seconds later, I found him
throwing a bow over one shoulder and a quiver filled with arrows
over the other.

"I'm going with you," I informed him while
dropping my backpack to the ground and rummaging around in it for
weapons of my own. I was glad to see I'd been armed with a bow,
arrow, and gutting knife. I pulled out the knife and its sheath and
buckled it around one of the loops on my jeans. Then I slung the
quiver over my shoulder and wrapped it around until it was situated
on my back in such a way that I could reach back and grab an arrow
very easily.

Rather than sling the bow over my other
shoulder, I held it ready, hoping and praying we didn't have to go
far before we found something we could kill, cook, and eat. I
wasn't sure how much longer I'd be able to put one foot in front of
the other. I feared my energy was nearing its expiration.

Jayden looked amused when he said, "You're
tired. You wait with them. I'll be back before you know it."

I shook my head. "No. I'm coming with you.
Together we can get this over with quicker."

Jayden was the only one of us who didn't
look like he was about to collapse with fatigue. He offered me a
lopsided grin and said, "You think so."

Offended by his mirth, I squared my
shoulders, raised my chin, and said, "Yes, I do."

I was competitive and suddenly determined to
kill our supper or die trying. Without another word, he headed
toward the deepest part of the forest, tucking back and around
trees every chance he got. He was so quiet I wondered if he had
special powers that prevented limbs from cracking under his feet.
Every single time I made the tiniest noise, I cringed because I
knew he wanted to berate me.

Because I wasn't nearly as talented as
Jayden at being quiet, it was taking me a lot longer to make my way
through the woods. He'd gotten at least fifty yards away from me in
just a matter of minutes. When I heard a grunt next to me, I
stilled. So did Jayden.

I moved slowly and methodically as I pulled
the arrow from the quiver and nocked it. Then I reared back, aimed
the arrow at the wild boar that was rutting around the forest floor
in search of food, and let it go.

Thwap!

The pig's squeal was loud but only lasted a
few seconds. My aim had been true. The arrow had pierced his heart
deep enough and violently enough to kill him instantly.

The hog was small, but there was still a
loud thud when his solid body collapsed to the ground. I didn't
wait for Jayden. I'd killed the animal and had every intention of
dressing it. I may not know as much as Jayden, but I knew that had
to be done without delay.

If I were being honest, I'd almost rather go
hungry tonight than dress this hog, but it was dead and we all
needed the protein its meat offered. Straddling the animal, I
pulled the knife from its sheath and studied the boar's belly,
considering the best plan for getting this job done quickly. Then I
lifted the knife above my head, steeling myself for what had to be
done.

Seconds before my hand came down and the
knife stabbed through the boar's teat-covered underside, Jayden
grabbed my wrist and said, "You killed it. I'll dress it. If you'll
go back to the campsite and make sure we have a fire, I'll be there
in about a half hour."

My stare bounced between Jayden and the dead
animal. I was tired, and it was bone deep. That exhaustion kept
Jayden's words from sinking in. When they finally did, I slumped in
relief. Jayden was right; I could let him prepare the meat for
us.

Relaxing, I nodded my head and said,
"There'll be a fire when you get back."

Before he had time to change his mind, I
stumbled to my feet and began eyeing the forest floor for fallen
limbs big enough for the fire. Spotting a few that were the perfect
size for me to carry, I went to work on my next chore.

With my bow over my shoulder and my arms
full of wood, I headed back to the campsite. I ignored the gory
noises coming from Jayden's direction. I'd hunted with Jayden
enough times to know exactly what he was doing behind me, and I was
even more grateful that he didn't make me dress that damn hog
myself.

Back at the campsite, I saw that Tawney was
asleep. Everything about her resting on her laurels while I hunted
and built fires wasn't sitting very well with me. If I were
thinking straight, I'd know it was the fatigue speaking and not the
real me. The resentment building in me wasn't a sentiment I
normally experienced when it came to my orphaned cousin. I'd seen
Tawney earlier. She couldn't have done anything else even if I'd
demanded it.

Ever intuitive, Gran saw the glint of
irritation in my eyes and said, "Leave her be. I'll help you build
the fire."

He tried to stand, but his leg wobbled.
Suddenly, I was as irritated with him as I was with her.

Motioning with my hands for him to keep
sitting, I said, "Stay. I have to get more wood for the fire. If
Jayden comes before me, tell him I'll be right back."

A few feet from our campsite, I found a
honey hole of branches perfectly sized for carrying and fire
building. Thankful for small miracles, I loaded my arms, carried
them back to the site, and began building a fire fit for a hog.

As soon as I had it burning at a slow and
steady rate Jayden would appreciate, he returned carrying meat
straps from the boar and a quiver full of washed black mulberries.
From his backpack, Jayden, the always ready and prepared camper,
pulled out a metal contraption that could be used to rotate the
meat over the fire.

Nothing we did—not the racket I made while
building the fire nor the conversations we had while Jayden cut
slits into the meat and embedded mulberries inside of it in order
to tame the gaminess—seemed to faze Tawney. She slept through it
all.

I let Jayden monitor the strips of meat as
they cooked and, one at a time, pulled the self-expanding tents
from the backpacks. Each was only big enough to fit one person
comfortably. Two if you didn't mind sleeping very close. Following
Jayden's instructions to the tee, I staked them down so no one
would get blown away should a big storm blow through in the middle
of the night.

As soon as I hammered in the last stake,
Jayden called, "Carlie, come eat. I'll finish that."

"No need. They're all up," I said, eying the
four upright tents with pride and satisfaction.

Back at the fire, I saw that Tawney was
still asleep. I may have been irritated with her earlier, but now I
was concerned.

"Tawney… sweetie," I hummed, feeling her
forehead and checking for fever. She was warm and didn't even
flinch when I touched her.

The MicroPharm is supposed
to prevent illness. I don't understand.

Suddenly even more anxious, I glanced at
Gran. He was a man of science; surely he knew what was going one.
He nodded his head.

"She's been sick and I've just not noticed?"
I asked, hating myself for not having seen what was going on with
her sooner.

Before we left the damn
farm.

The man of few words said," She's been more
tired lately. Taking both morning and afternoon naps."

"How long?" I asked, studying her.

I meant how long had she been napping so
much, but the second the words left my mouth, I remembered he knew
the exact dates of our deaths based on our genetic makeups. He knew
if this was a mild illness that was being combated by the
MicroPharm device or if this was
the
illness that would eventually kill her.

When I remembered him chastising me for
considering waking her and the way he'd offered to get the wood for
the fire so she wouldn't be disturbed, anxiety bloomed in the pit
of my stomach and made the back of my head ache. Tawney's father's
mother and his sister had died in their twenties from an
inheritable and genetic form of lymphoma.

Gran saw what I was thinking but not saying
and nodded his head before looking away and wiping the corner of
his eyes. I studied him like I'd just been studying Tawney. His
nose and eyes were red and running, and he was clearing his throat
every few seconds. It was taking all he had not to break down and
mourn the imminent loss of his granddaughter. It took all I had not
to join him.

It was in that instant when I felt the most
sorry for him. In the form of a burden that only he could carry,
he'd known her whole life she'd die early. He'd known last night
when we left my parents that they might never see her again… even
if we were allowed to travel to the academy.

Like Gran, I wanted to cry.
Long and hard.
In one day, I'd lost both of my
parents, and very soon, I'd lose the only sister I'd ever had.

"What's going on?" Jayden asked.

I took a shaky breath and decided Tawney's
death was the last thing I wanted to talk—
think
—about. I had to be strong for her, I had to
be strong for Jayden, and I had to be strong for Gran, because when
he lost Aunt Christi, his baby girl, he'd spent an entire year in
the lab, working twenty hours a day on…

Oh my God! He was working
on ways to cure lymphoma.

Shaking away my thoughts, I blinked back
tears.

"Tawney's sick. I'm going to get her up and
make sure she eats and drinks. Then I'm going to get her to bed," I
explained.

Jayden, not realizing the severity of the
situation, said, "The MicroPharm prevents most sicknesses."

I shrugged my shoulders. "Not in all
cases."

Everything about my tone was short and
clipped, and I hoped he understood that the last thing I wanted
from him was more questions. At least not while Gran was near and
Tawney could wake any minute.

"Tawney… sweetie," I said, patting her face
with more force than I'd normally use when waking her.

Her lashes fluttered open, and she looked
around like she was trying to remember how we got to the middle of
the forest. When she laid eyes on Jayden, who was standing behind
me and watching Tawney as closely as me, her cheeks flushed and she
jerked up.

"
Oh my God!
How long have I been asleep?" she asked, stroking her hair and
straightening her shirt, acts that were more for Jayden's sake than
Gran's or mine.

If I'd not just found out she was sick, I'd
poke fun at her vanity and we'd giggle. Now wasn't the time for
that. Pulling her shy smile and gaze from Jayden, Tawney saw the
fire. Her stare jerked my way.

"I-I'm sorry, Carlie. I was going to build
the fire."

I shook my head and grinned at her. "You
were tired and needed your rest. Gran and I took care of
everything. Don't worry about it."

More than ever I wanted to pull her into my
arms and hug her like I hugged Mom and Dad before we left them. I
was acutely aware of the unbearable burden Gran had been carrying
around most of his life. He'd known for the last sixty years when
every one of his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren
were going to die. Those are the kind of secrets that would shave
years off your life based on what I'd been feeling for the last few
minutes.

Next to me, Jayden interrupted my morose
thoughts.

"Tawney… you should have seen Carlie kill
that wild boar. One minute she was behind me, whining like a baby,
and I was wondering if I was going to have to throw her over my
shoulder to keep her from scaring away our supper. Then she heard a
grunt, notched her arrow, and let it rip. You would've loved seeing
her in action. For the briefest moment after she killed it, I
thought she might faint," he chided me while talking to Tawney like
he always had during our weekend survival training.

Tawney, my sweet and supportive cousin,
smiled up at me. "Carlie has always been able to do anything she
put her mind to."

Between the two of us, Tawney was the
prettiest. She possessed the kind of beauty that was so natural
smiles were not required for boys our age to approach her and
instantly be enamored. But when she did smile, it was gloriously
radiant. As if she were a walking, talking, living, and breathing
angel, she had the kind of glow about her that people would pay big
bucks for.

As quickly as her stare left Jayden, it was
back on him. She literally couldn't take her eyes off the
Surrogate. I was reminded that she'd always had her own crush on
him. Mine had come before hers and had faded. Once hers came, it
never left.

It's because she's more
loyal than you, dumbass.

Jayden had singlehandedly lightened the mood
in the camp. If his plan hadn't worked, I'd have caught him behind
a tree and throat-punched him for making fun of me.
Almost fainted indeed.
Since it had worked, I was
willing to let it slide.
This
time.

"Well, I don't want my humiliation to be for
nothing and all of my hard work to go to waste. Jayden, bring
Tawney one of those skewers, and I'll get her a bottle of water," I
ordered after deciding I still had a few more jobs to do before I
could go to bed. Getting Tawney fed and hydrated were among the
most important ones.

Tawney sat up, and like Gran had earlier,
she acted as if she were going to get her own food and water. I put
my hand on her shoulder and held her down.

"Stay where you are," I insisted.

Before she had time to debate me, Jayden was
back offering her a long, slender skewered piece of
mulberry-embedded meat. Our supper was hot, and after Jayden's
preparation, it looked and smelled phenomenal.