Saven Deception (26 page)

He’s amazing, and wonderful, and caring,
and loving, and
mine
. I hug my arms around my waist and grin to myself.

“That’s also a matter of opinion. He’s a
freak.”

“Things are different between us now.” I
smile as the words leave my mouth.

“I’m glad we’re heading out tonight. It’s
time you know the truth about the freaks.”

“He’s not a freak. Please stop saying
that.” I sigh. “Besides, Logan is going to explain it all to me tomorrow
anyway.”

Jarod harrumphs again. “A likely story.”

“Jarod! Stop it. He
is
going to
fill me in. He promised.”

“I recall him making a similar promise
before and failing to deliver on it.”

Of course, Jarod knows how to play on my
insecurities. “This is different,” I hiss. “He told me he loves me.” There is
dead silence on the line. “Jarod? You there?”

“Yes,” he says through gritted teeth.

I’m expecting more push back but he says
nothing. “So, um, what time are we meeting at tonight?” It’s a deliberate
tactic to divert the current topic of conversation, and I don’t care whether he
knows it or not. Jarod’s my best friend, and I don’t want to fall out with him
over Logan.

“Meet me out front at ten p.m. sharp.” He
sounds grumpy.

“’Kay. See you then.” I cut the call
before either one of us says something we might regret.

My conversation with Jarod has me on edge
the rest of the day. I know he doesn’t approve of Logan, but I don’t understand
why. Surely, if I can forgive Logan, then he can to? Or has Jarod discovered
something specifically to do with him? His cryptic comment has me puzzled.

Fern calls me late afternoon for a gossip.
She’s on cloud nine. Having secured a date with the hottie she’s been chasing for
weeks, she’s adequately distracted, and I’m able to deflect her questions
regarding Logan. I terminate the call promising to call her in the morning.

I resume my inquisitive inner monologue.
Certain things Logan said come back to haunt me. His assertion that “where I
come from we only love once” is perplexing. Somehow, I don’t think he’s talking
about Seattle. So, where is he from?

And is that true, or a figure of speech?
Also, his not-so-flippant comment about “humans” has me rattled. Is he implying
he’s a vampire or an angel or something? I chuckle to myself. I think I’ve been
reading too many fantasy books. Now who’s sounding crazy?

Bored, I decide to search for more Will
Smith movies to watch. I flick through the movie database.
Independence Day
!
Logan mentioned that one, so I click on the link and spend the next two hours
engrossed in the alien invasion movie. I snicker at a couple of one-liners I recognize.

Momentarily, I wonder if Logan’s
fascination with Will Smith is anything to do with aliens and if that’s the
connection, but I pitch that ludicrous notion from my head the minute I think
it. That’s as farfetched as believing he’s a vampire or an angel. But his words
refuse to go away and I shiver every time I linger on how he said the word “human.”
Is he really implying that he’s not human? He can’t mean that. No way. Not when
he looks as human as the next person.

Jenna enters the apartment as the closing
credits roll over the screen. I mute the TV and sit up. “Hey, Jen.” My knee
jiggles nervously. “Do you have time to chat?”

“I only came to get more clothes.” She
looks like the walking wounded, and her eyes have that all too familiar glazed
look about them.

I’m not giving up that easy. “Why don’t I
make us some coffee while you pack your stuff?” She gives me a lopsided shrug
as she walks into her room. Ignoring her detachment, I hop up and quickly fix
our drinks.

Jenna reappears as I’m placing the cups
down on the coffee table. I pat the couch beside me and she shuffles over. “How
are you?” She shrugs and closes her fingers tighter around the mug. I put my
cup down. To hell with polite conversation. “What’s going on, Jen? You can tell
me. I’m still your friend, and I’m worried about you.”

Tears surface in her eyes and the dazed
look is gone. “I … I’m …” She bows her head. “I slept with Dante. But I wish I
hadn’t. I wasn’t ready. I thought I was … I believed he could be the one … I
wish I could go back. I feel strange … I can’t think straight … I can’t think …
I want to belong to me again … now he wants to do it all the time and I …”

She’s babbling and her anguish floors me.
“Move back in here! We’ll figure out some way of keeping him from you.” I wrap
my arms around her.

“You don’t understand. It’s too late.” Her
tears dry up and her face displays silent acquiescence. She stands up, rubbing
her sleeve across her face. “Forget I said anything. Don’t involve yourself.” 
Reaching into her bag, she pulls out a set of beautiful cream and gold
patterned undies. She hands them to me. “I made these for you a while back. I
hope they fit.”

“Thank you.” A tormented sob escapes my
mouth. “Don’t go back to him, Jen. Stay. I’ll cancel my plans. Please don’t
leave.”

“I have to go back. You can’t help me. No
one can.” With those ominous parting words, she walks out of the apartment
leaving me alone with my troubled mind.

***

A couple of hours later, it’s nearly time for my rendezvous
with Jarod. I change into a pair of black cargo pants and a long-sleeved
form-fitting black utility top. Shoving my feet into my worn black sneakers, I
tease my hair into a tight ponytail. A flashing icon on my D-pad alerts me to a
waiting message, but there’s no time to check it out now.

I exit the apartment, closing the door
quietly behind me.

“You look like a miniature hot ninja” is
Jarod’s greeting. He’s similarly attired with the addition of a black ball cap
pulled down tight over his head and a bulky utility belt wrapped around his
waistband.

“The best things come in small packages.”
I mock punch him in the arm.

“Ow.” He rubs his upper arm. “You pack a
mean punch for such a little thing.”

“Call me miniature or little again and
you’ll find out how mean a punch I pack.”

“Bad ass,” Jarod mutters, grinning.

“So, what’re we up to?” I ask as we walk
away from the apartment complex.

He glances briefly over his shoulder
before lowering his voice. “I’ve confirmed that they
are
building other
cities underwater already even though ‘The Experimento’ hasn’t concluded. Not
only that”—He leans in conspiratorially—“They’ve ramped up construction in the
last few weeks, and there’s been a crap ton of visitors coming and going. I
discovered there’s a convoy leaving here tonight for a tour of the new cities,
so we’re going to stow on board and see for ourselves what they’re up to.”

My eyes are out on stalks. “Jesus.”

“You want out?” He peers at me from under
the lip of his black cap.

“No way. I’m all in.”

He raises his fist for a knuckle touch.
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of you.” He smiles confidently.

That sounds familiar, and it reminds me.
“What about the stuff you were saying about Logan? Did you discover something
about him?”

His smile disappears. “I know stuff, yeah.
You’re not gonna like it.”

That’s basically another version of what
Logan said to me. “You need to tell me.”

“I will. But let’s get on board the Subvee
first. Once we’re settled, I’ll share what I know.”

We hop on the RT and journey to the last
stop. I haven’t been to the main terminal since the day we first arrived in
Thalassic City. “Here,” Jarod says, as we alight from the train, placing a
black woolly hat in my palm. “We need to stay inconspicuous and your hair is
too identifiable.”

Twisting my hair into a messy bun, I stuff
it under the hat. Jarod reaches over and secures a few stray strands that I
missed. “Keep your head low and if anyone stops us, let me do the talking.”

I balk at the insinuation that I can’t
handle myself but I let it go. The terminal is like a graveyard at this hour
and we already stick out like a sore thumb.

When we reach the ground floor, Jarod
takes my hand and strides purposefully ahead. We zigzag back and forth, and his
head rotates every so often. After a little while, I realize he’s ensuring we
stay out of camera range. Jarod stops in front of a narrow blue door.
Extracting a small square device from his waistband, he secures it to the door.
I glance anxiously around me. A low click echoes in the silent hallway and the
door opens inward.

He pulls me into a brightly lit stairwell
with stairs that run in both directions. We descend two steps at a time, and
though I struggle to keep up, I don’t complain.

When our feet hit the lowest level, he
withdraws another metallic gadget from his indispensable waistband. A red
flashing light streams out of a hole in the side when he presses it. The thin
beam of light guides the way.

The closer we get, the faster my pulse
pounds.

We step into a low-ceilinged basement that
looks like an engineering room. Blasts of hot air billow all around us, the
force of it knocking me over. Jarod hauls me up to his side. Wide, steel,
rectangular block-like structures surround the space on both sides, and a
myriad of different sized buttons emit a multitude of flashing strobe lights
that crisscross in front of us. Several separate stations housing the base of
different shuttles and craft fill the center space. Jarod drops his shoulders
and secures his hand in mine. His head skims the ceiling as he leads me off to
the side. Ducking beneath the underbelly of a vast craft, we race toward the
next docking station.

A man dressed in khaki overalls rounds the
far side of the shuttle, and I clamp a hand over my mouth to stop my startled
gasp from betraying us. Jarod reacts assertively, pushing me into a small
crevice in the wall. His large body swamps mine, and my face is pressed into
the throbbing pulse in his neck. He’s as anxious as I am even if he doesn’t
outwardly show it.

Mercifully, the man doesn’t spot us, and
after a few vomit-inducing seconds, he walks away. Jarod collapses into me for
a fleeting moment, and then we’re on the move again.

The choking swirl of air is tumultuous and
Jarod’s cap whips off his head. I clamp a hand on my hat as we make a mad dash
forward. Jarod stops underneath the mammoth underbelly of the now vibrating
Subvee and swings an arm around my torso, heaving me into his side.

He presses a button on his waistband, and
a tiny clip shoots upward, hooking the inner ledge of the square opening that’s
slowly drawing closed. My feet leave the ground as we’re towed upward into the
swaying craft. The opening is narrowing as we ascend, and I squeeze my eyes
shut. If I’m going to be crushed, I’d rather not witness it in advance.

Jarod flings us forward, and we crash land
on a cold, hard surface. Something pops in my wrist and I cry out. Jarod slams
his hand over my mouth. I glance sideways. This looks like the storage part of
the craft. Row upon row of boxes and crates are uniformly stacked along the
side wall, and numerous thick steel planks and shutters are neatly lined up in
front of them.

After a few minutes, Jarod relaxes his
hold. “Stay here for a second. Don’t move.”

I prop myself up into a seated position.
My hat has fallen off, my bun’s come loose, and my hair tumbles in messy waves
over my face. With my good hand, I inspect my injured wrist. Gently prodding it
with the tips of my fingers, I bite down hard on my lip as an intense burst of
pain shoots from my hand to my elbow.

Jarod crawls over beside me, grinning
wildly. “We did it!” He punches the air and I roll my eyes. Noticing me
cradling my hand, he frowns. “Are you hurt?”

“I think it’s sprained.” It’s already
starting to swell on one side and there’s an accelerating heat building
underneath the skin.

“I’m sorry, Sadie.” Jarod looks contrite.

“It’s not that bad,” I lie. “I’m sure the
doc can fix it. Forget about it. Will anyone come in here?” Subconsciously, I
look around.

“Nah. The only people on board are the
pilots and the passengers. We’re safe here.” He pats my hand. “Don’t worry.”

“How are we going to see anything from
here?” I inquire, wondering if we’ve risked ourselves for nothing.

“I’ve still got a few tricks up my
sleeve.” He winks. Removing a silver sphere-like object from his waistband, he
scoots forward and fixes the disc to the outer wall. Nothing happens at first,
but then the sphere starts to change shape, expanding outward in uniform
proportions, until it’s the size of a circular glass window. The silvery color
starts to change, growing lighter and lighter, until it’s fully transparent.

At first, I can’t make sense of what I’m
witnessing, but as my eyesight adjusts, I let out a low whistle. The device has
transformed into a window, and we can see the flowing waves of the ocean as we
zip through the water.

As the craft veers a sharp left, I spot
the transparent off-white material of another dome in the distance. I shimmy
over beside Jarod. “You promised to tell me what you know.”