Hunted (39 page)

I laughed. “Now you know how I’ve been feeling all along.”

“Yeah, I guess.” He looked thoughtful. “After she read the letter I asked her what she’d experienced.”

My eyebrows shot up. “And what did she say?”

“She said she’d been staying at some girl’s cabin.”

“Yeah, Rochelle Candee’s.”

He nodded. “Yeah, that’s the name she said. Anyway, she said that she’d gone off by herself into the forest and that it was really weird. One minute it was warm and sunny and the ground was dry, then the next minute it was cold and there was a bunch of snow on the ground.”

“Really?” I looked out the window at the snow covering the ground, then back at Billy. “It snowed the night I ran away—which was last night—and then the next morning I went through the tunnel and into your world. But when I arrived in your world it was warm and sunny. When she switched places with me I guess she ended up in the forest here. And it sounds like it was after it had snowed.” My eyes widened. “It’s like she was only here for one day.”

Billy smiled. “If you’d let me finish telling you what she said…”

I laughed. “Sorry. Continue.”

“So anyway, she said she wandered around for a while, kind of lost—I guess her sense of direction is as bad as yours—and then she saw some houses through the trees. She said as she walked toward them she suddenly felt dizzy. She stopped and closed her eyes, waiting for the dizziness to pass. When she opened her eyes the snow was gone. She kept walking toward the houses and that’s when I saw her and took her to Nick’s place.”

“So she
was
only here for one day.” I shook my head. “When she had that dizziness it must have been when I crossed back over, which made
her
cross back into her world.”

“Yeah, I think so. Especially since she said the snow disappeared. There was no snow on the ground today in my world.”

I nodded. “For some reason, when I crossed into your world I went back two months, but for her it was just one day. Kind of like my family thinking it was just last night that I ran away, even though it’s been more than two months that I was gone.”

He grinned and nodded. “I don’t know how this parallel universe stuff works, but you have to admit it’s pretty cool.”

I laughed. “Yeah, except when you end up in some horrible world like the one you’re from.” I paused. “What made you change your mind about coming here, anyway?”

A guilty look crossed his features. “I have to be honest. I never really thought you’d end up in some other universe—I mean, last time you and I went through that tunnel, nothing happened—and I didn’t want to encourage you, so I thought it would be best if I tried to convince you to stay.”

I nodded. “So you thought if you convinced the crazy girl to stay, she would eventually forget about where she came from. I see how this works.”

He looked chagrined. “Yeah, something like that.” He grinned. “So anyway, once I figured out what you’d told me was true, I had to go see for myself.”

“What about Nick and his group? Don’t they need you?” I was worried that if Billy stayed here and felt he had no purpose, he would eventually come to resent me.

“Like you said, that video is making a huge difference. I think they can get by without me.” He leaned closer to me. “Besides, who’s going to help you figure out how to get around?”

“My sense of direction isn’t
that
bad.”

“So now you don’t need me? You think I should go back?”

Even though I knew he was joking, his words put me into a panic. I grabbed his arm. “No, please don’t leave me again.”

His features softened and he rubbed my back. “Hey. It’s okay. I’m not going anywhere.”

Relief swelled within me. “Good.” Then a thought occurred to me. “What about the Billy in this world?”

He grimaced. “Yeah, I was thinking about the same thing. I don’t want to put him in danger. He’d be completely unequipped in that other world.” He paused, looking thoughtful. “I wonder if his parents are like mine were.”

“Let’s look him up online and see where he lives.” I finished putting the lasagna together and slid it into the oven, then took Billy by the hand, and brought him over to the computer.

We Googled his name and were shocked when an article came up.

“Oh my gosh.” I pointed to the article. “He’s dead.”

We leaned closer to the screen as we read about the car accident that had killed Billy Foster a few days before.

“That is really weird,” Billy said. He looked at me, his forehead crinkled in concern. “Do you think that means I was meant to die? Do you think all this world-changing somehow threw that off?”

“I don’t know.”

“Well, I guess it means the Billy from this world won’t be sent to where he’s being hunted.”

“Yeah. That’s good at least.” I looked at my best friend/maybe-boyfriend. “I guess that also means you can’t be with your parents.”

“It’s not like they wanted me anyway.”

“It could have been different in this world.”

He nodded. “I guess I’ll never know.”

“I’d love for you to live here, but I kind of doubt my parents would go for that.”

He smiled. “Don’t worry about it, Morgan. I’m sure I can figure it out. I’ll be eighteen soon enough and in the meantime, I can take care of myself.”

“But where will you live?”

“As long as there aren’t Enforcers after me, I’m sure I can find a safe place to go.”

I smiled. “No Enforcers in this world.”

The front door opened and Mom and Dad walked in. I jumped up from the computer and ran to Dad, throwing my arms around him.

“Morgan,” he said, as he absorbed my weight. He hugged me back, then pulled away. “Mom told me you were home, but I’m really disappointed in you. I can’t believe you put us through all that worry.”

His words cut me to the bone and I felt tears starting. “I’m so sorry, Dad. I’ll never, ever run away again. Ever. I promise.”

He looked at Billy, then looked at me, a question on his face.

“Dad, this is Billy Foster. Billy this is my Dad and Mom.”

Billy stood and walked over to Dad and held out his hand. Dad shook it.

“Billy helped me, Dad.” I was desperate for my parents to like him. “He helped me get home.”

Dad looked at Billy then back at me. “What do you mean?”

“I was lost. In the forest. Billy found me and helped me get home.” That was mostly true. Billy didn’t find me in the forest, but if it wasn’t for him, I wasn’t sure I would have made it home.

Dad smiled at Billy. “Thank you for helping Morgan.”

Billy shook his head. “I’m just glad she made it home safe.”

Dad seemed to believe my story. He nodded. “Me, too.”

“Can Billy stay for dinner?” Brandon asked.

Dad glanced at Brandon, then at Mom, who gave a slight nod. “Of course,” he said. “It’s the least we can do to thank him for helping Morgan get home.”

Billy helped me finish getting dinner ready—we tossed a salad and browned French bread—then we all sat down to dinner. As we ate and talked, I was a little worried about Dad interrogating Billy—after all, I’d never had a boy over for dinner before—but Dad didn’t ask any awkward questions, and thankfully neither did my brothers.

“I like your parents,” Billy told me as we washed the dishes.
 

Normally I wouldn’t have volunteered to make dinner
and
clean up, but I figured it was the only way to talk to Billy privately. I knew he wasn’t allowed to go into my room, and it was too cold to sit outside. “Yeah, I kind of like them too. I just didn’t realize it until I got home.”

“And that lasagna was so good. I’ve never eaten such good lasagna.”

I laughed. “I thought you said you’d never even had lasagna before.”

He grinned. “True, but if I had, I’m sure it wouldn’t have been that good.” Billy rinsed off a plate and handed it to me, and I placed it in the dishwasher.
 

“Hey, Morgan,” Amy said as she walked into the kitchen. “Do you need any help?”

Normally I would have been irritated that she was interrupting—it wasn’t every day that I had a boy over for dinner—but things were different now. I smiled at her and put my arm around her shoulder. “No, but thanks for asking.”

She smiled back.

I thought about how the Amy in the other world had leapt up to defend me when Mrs. Reynolds had said I wasn’t Hannah Jacobs. She hadn’t hesitated, even though she could have gotten into deep trouble. Warmth filled me at the memory and my arm tightened around her shoulder. “You know what, Amy? I think we should hang out more.”

Her face lit up at the suggestion. “Really?”

I nodded. “Yes. You’re my only sister, after all.”

“Okay.” Her voice showed her excitement. She glanced at Billy before looking back at me. “I have homework to do.” Then she walked up the stairs.

“You’re lucky you have a sister you’re close to,” Billy said.

“That’s the thing. We’re not close. But I plan to change that. After what I went through with her . . .”

His eyebrows shot up, like he was saying
It wasn’t
this
Amy.

 
I laughed. “Well, you know what I mean. Anyway, now I realize it’s dumb for me to tease her and be mean to her. She’s the only sister I have.”

Just as we finished cleaning up, Mom came into the kitchen. “It’s time for Billy to go home, Morgan.”

“Already?”

“It’s cool,” Billy said to me, then he turned to Mom. “Thanks for dinner, Mrs. Campbell.”

She smiled. “You’re welcome. Thanks for helping Morgan get home.”

 
“Mom,” I said, panicked that once Billy walked out the door I’d never see him again. “Billy doesn’t have anywhere to stay.”

Billy twisted in my direction, frowning.

“Oh?” she said.

He looked at her. “No, it’s fine.”

Mom’s eyes narrowed. “Where do you live?”

I knew Billy didn’t know this area at all, so I wondered what he’d come up with.

“Uh…we just moved here and I don’t remember the address.”

Mom didn’t seem to buy it. “Why don’t you let Morgan’s dad drive you home? It’s awfully cold outside.”

He shook his head. “No, that’s okay.”

Mom’s eyebrows went up. “Tell me the truth. Do you have a place to stay tonight?”

Billy’s jaw clenched, then he shook his head.

“Why not? Where’s your family?”

I was desperately trying to come up with a reason why Billy didn’t have anywhere to go. An answer that wouldn’t cause Mom to call child welfare services or something, but Billy spoke first.

“I’m kind of not in contact with them.”

Mom’s eyes narrowed again—never a good sign. “Morgan, what’s going on here?”

I felt my composure slipping. I stared at the floor and muttered, “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“Really.” It wasn’t a question.

I looked at Mom’s face and saw storm clouds brewing and knew any magic I’d worked earlier was starting to lose its charm.

“What if you told her the truth?” Billy said.

Stunned, I just stared at him.

“Now there’s an idea.” Mom smiled at Billy. “I think I like this boy.”

I cupped my hands over my nose and breathed out, “You won’t believe me.”

Mom pulled my hands away from my face. “I have an idea. Wait here.” She strode away and I stared at Billy.

“She’ll lock me up if I tell her the truth. She’ll think I’m absolutely insane.”

“You need to give your parents a chance.”

A moment later Mom was back with Dad at her side. “Here’s what we’re going to do,” Mom said. “Billy can tell Dad what he knows, and you and I will have our own talk.” She smiled. “Okay?”

I didn’t know any other option, so I nodded.

“Please follow me,” Dad said to Billy.

He took a step to follow Dad, then turned to me. “Just tell the the truth, Morgan.”

I nodded and watched them head for the stairs.

“Boys,” Mom said to Zac and Brandon. “Please go upstairs and get ready for bed.”

They complained but eventually headed up to their rooms.
 

“Let’s sit, Morgan.”

Chapter Forty

I sat by her on the couch and she turned to me, a questioning look on her face. I took a deep breath and dove in, telling her everything that had happened to me since the night I ran away—the night before to her, two months before for me. I had to admire her ability to keep her expression neutral as she listened to my story, although I saw glimmers of shock flash across her face from time to time.

When I got to the part about being tortured, her calm expression changed to anger. I wasn’t sure if she was mad at me because she thought I was lying, or what, but I pressed on with my story, finally ending with getting home.

When I finished, I sat back against the couch cushions, emotionally rung out.

She stared at me for a moment, then stared at the wall. “Let me see your neck,” she said abruptly.
 

I turned so the back of my neck was visible and I felt her fingers probing the spot where Nick’s people had removed the torture object two days before.

“Hmmm,” she said. “Now your arm.” She pulled my right arm where she could see the place where the second chip had been cut out. The wound was small, though visible. She released my arm and looked at me. I couldn’t tell what she was thinking.

A few minutes later Dad and Billy came downstairs. Mom stood and headed to Dad, while Billy came and sat by me.

“We’ll be back soon,” Mom said as she followed Dad upstairs.

“How’d it go?” Billy asked.

“I’m not sure.” I couldn’t imagine what Mom was thinking and I wished I could be a fly on the wall of their bedroom as they discussed what we’d told them. “What about you with my Dad?”

Billy laughed. “He’s hard to read, but he didn’t throw me out the window, so that’s good, right?”

I laughed. “Yeah, I guess so.”

We sat there for a few minutes in silence, lost in our own thoughts. “Hey,” I said. “I just thought of something.”

“What?”

I grabbed his hand and dragged him with me upstairs to my room.

“Should I be in here?” He looked around my room and I was doubly glad I’d cleaned up earlier.