Parallel: The Secret Life of Jordan McKay

by Abra Ebner

  He pointed the gun at me now and I blinked, figuring if anyone had to die, I’d rather it be me. He whispered into Kenzie’s ear again. “It’s your friend’s fault, Kenzie.” He eyed Amy with a cheap glare. “She was all over me. What else was I to do? She was asking for it as though I’d be doing her a favor.”

  I saw Amy begin to sob and shake, the gun migrating back to her.

  “There’s no one blaming you, Max.” I inched closer, but he brought the gun back toward me.

  “I’m not falling for that, man. You stay where you are.”

  Kenzie was muttering under her breath, but I couldn’t make out what she was saying.

  I heard the distant sounds of sirens, and my heart leapt. Max heard it, too, as his face seemed to become further distraught and annoyed, the tension growing.

  “The last thing I need is for some stupid girl to ruin my whole career,” his voice cracked as though he was about to cry. “All this time I nurtured you.” He jerked Kenzie in his arms, his mental stability flipping from one extreme to the next. “And this is how you repay me?” He pointed toward me, depression lacing his face. “Falling in love with some vagrant?”

  I watched as he inched himself toward the window, the sound of cops entering the building and the reflection of lights outside. He pulled back the shade and threw Kenzie to the side where her body slammed against her desk chair. She fell limp to the floor, but I could see she hadn’t been knocked out.

  “Max it’s over. Just think about your choices.” I took another step into the room, edging closer as he looked outside, the gun still raised in his hand.

  “No, it’s not over.” I watched as he opened the window, two stories above the street. “I always get away, I’m a star.”

  I couldn’t help but roll my eyes as a cool fresh breeze filled the air. New sounds drifted toward me as I heard the cops coming down the hall, their voices calculated and poised for attack. Startled, Max looked back at me and through the door, then turned and dropped the gun to the floor with a weighted clank before climbing onto the sill.

  “I’ll be back for you, Kenzie,” he glared down at her. “You owe me,” he added with an evil nod, and with that he jumped.

  I ran to the sill as two cops came in with their guns up, watching as he landed in the bushes below, now fighting his way out as cops surrounded him faster than he could manage to get away. He was screaming and yelling, like a delusional child, and I shook my head, wondering how I could have missed this for so long.

  They cuffed Max and took him to the car. I turned and ran to Kenzie as one of the cops took care of Amy, the other leaving the room to check the rest of the floor.

  “Are you alright?” I whispered in her ear, helping her up off the ground.

  She nodded with pursed lips, fighting back tears in her own stubborn way, though it did little to hide the fact she was terrified. “I knew this was going to happen. I dreamt about it, but I didn’t know it would be so soon.” Her breath was shaking as it passed her lips, shock setting in as I comforted her. “I’m sorry,” she shook her head with guilt, guilt that was also pulsing through me.

  “It’s okay, Kenzie. Take a deep breath. It’s over.” I took a deep breath as well, relieved that it had ended without any serious damage. I cursed myself for being so careless, for wasting all my talent leaping around for so long instead of saving it to save her.

  “How did you know to come?” Kenzie looked at me as I cradled her in my lap.

  It hadn’t dawned on me until now that the only reason I did come was because of Molly. Kenzie continued to watch me as confusion prickled through my veins. How had Molly known? The sudden questions that streamed through my head only further solidified the fact that Molly was different, that Molly was up to something. But what? Kenzie touched my face, still searching for an answer.

  I swallowed. “An angel told me.”

  She let out a contented sigh. “You always save me Jordan. You’re my angel.” I could tell she was weary now, her words almost accusing me of the fact that she had known I had saved her all her life.

  She gave me the best smile she could muster as I brushed the hair from her face. “I will always protect you.”

  Another cop entered the room and came up to me. “Did you see what happened, sir?”

  I nodded as I stood with Kenzie, taking her to her bed.

  “Is it alright if I collect a statement from you?” The cop reached behind him and pulled out his ledger.

  I nodded. “Of course.”

  Statement from Dr. Ashcroft,

  Vincent Memorial Hospital, Boston

  August 4, 2009

  03:53 a.m.

  Dr. Ashcroft:

  (pause) That girl…

  Agent Donnery:

  Had you ever noticed the girl before Doctor?

  Dr. Ashcroft:

  Yes, in class that day just like every other student did. But like I said, when she spoke, something about her voice resonated with me.

  Agent Donnery:

  This is the second account he’s written of her, and then also you. Excuse me for noticing, but it seems there was a connection. Do you think she had a roll?

  Dr. Ashcroft:

  (pause) I suppose now that I know of her and what Jordan knew of her, yes. (pause) I always thought that perhaps he just found her attractive that day in Biology and that my reaction was just a fluke to the fact that I had expected the voice behind the hood to be male. But how would she know about what was happening to me? Was she like him, too, you think? It would explain how he was there to save me without Shifting to the future to know it. Molly tipped him off.

  Agent Donnery:

  (pause) Seems so. It seems as though this girl helped him in a major way.

  Dr. Ashcroft:

  It explains the dream as well, because in the dream I had dreamt that I had been hurt, but when I wasn’t, I didn’t see that it was him there to Shift it as usual. This time I saw a girl, and it must have been Molly.

  Agent Donnery:

  Tell me about the dreams. Did you ever mention them to Jordan?

  Dr. Ashcroft:

  I did tell him, because I wanted to know how he would react. Like I said, I saw a man in my dreams that was a lot like him, and the memories of the boy from the bus, though vague, still remained somehow. For some strange reason I always hoped he’d say that he’d had the dreams too. I guess it worked out to be a little more than dreams for him, though. It was his life.

  Told by Dr. Ashcroft,

  Stories from the journals of Patient #32185

  October 2, 2005

  04:27 p.m.

  “Are you ready to finally get that coffee?” Jordan gave me a smile, and I couldn’t help but feel it lift my spirits.

  “Yes, I’m beyond ready. Starving too.” I put my hand on my stomach, my arms dappled with bruises where Max’s hand had held me. “Let me just grab a sweater.” I ducked back into my room as the cops disappeared around the corner down the hall, finally done with all their questioning and evidence-gathering.

  “Sure, take your time,” he lingered at the door. “Perhaps then we’ll forgo coffee and just get dinner. We can go down to that sports bar.”

  I laughed. “The sports bar is the best you can do? I almost died Jordan. I want something amazing.”

  He smirked and chuckled. “How did I know you’d say that?” He paused. “I just didn’t want to make it seem like too much of a date, especially when your ex-boyfriend just tried to kill you and your roommate. It seemed presumptuous.”

  I pursed my lips. “Screw him. I want a date.” I gave him a wink. My number one priority at this moment was to put it all behind me, and that was exactly what I was going to do.

  “Well, then, I guess it’s Aujourd’hui, then,” he said it as though he knew French.

  I raised my eyebrows. “You want to take me there? I was thinking a step above bar food, not complete French, but I’ll take what I can get.” I smiled. It had been a dream of mine to go to Aujourd’
hui just once, but I never had the money.

  “I may be a bit under-dressed but…”

  “Wait,” I walked over to Amy’s closet. Amy had gone to the hospital with the cops, the cut on her face in need of stitches. “She has men’s clothing in here, I swear.”

  He tilted his head and gave me a strange look. “How did I guess.”

  I laughed, making light of the situation. “Don’t think she’s going to acquire much more now. She may turn into a nun after today.”

  I opened the door on the right hand side, the party side, fishing through toward the back where shirts and slacks were draped in laundry bags. Amy had a thing for keeping men’s clothing as a sort of souvenir, though I never quite understood what the men wore home.

  “What size are you?” I looked him up and down, and I swear I saw him blush.

  “A 34 should be fine.”

  I fished through each, finding the extensive collection somehow appalling. “Here,” I pulled a black suit and held it before him, “This will work fine.”

  He took it and pulled off the plastic, “Are you sure it’s clean?”

  A loud laugh escaped my lips. “Let’s hope.”

  He lifted one brow. “You know, I’ve never really worn a suit before.”

  I pressed my brows together, “Never? Not even for your entrance interview for Harvard? Then what about to Aujourd’hui?”

  He shrugged. “I guess I got into Harvard on charisma alone. And as far as Aujourd’hui goes, it doesn’t matter when you only go at closing and you’re alone. There’s no one to impress other than tired waiters and burnt out chefs.”

  “I see. Well, there’s a first for everything, isn’t there?” I started to close Amy’s closet, but then an idea came to mind. My dress selection was rather bland, and in the spirit of the night, I felt like pretending to be someone else. I opened the door once more, fishing through her evening wear until I finally found a black dress with capped sleeves, the only tasteful one in the bunch. I looked at my bruises and then back at the dress, finally deciding that I really didn’t care. I had makeup, after all. I pulled the dress from the rack before fumbling through her shoes, finding a pair of black heels to match.

  I blew a few thick strands of hair from my face as I stood, looking at Jordan.

  “Er… where should I dress?” He was standing in the middle of the room like a lost boy.

  “Oh, just dress here. I don’t care. Nothing I haven’t seen before.” I waved him away, trying to make him comfortable, though I doubted there was little I could do.

  He continued to stare with a nervous look on his face.

  “Here, I’ll turn around if that makes it easier.” I faced the wall as I began to undress, relieved to get out of these clothes. I could sense the fact that he hadn’t turned around as fast as I had, and there had been a moment there where I felt him watching me, and I smirked.

  I stripped down to my underwear and pulled the dress from the hanger, pulling it up over my hips, as it fit snug. I looked over my shoulder, catching him in his boxers as he pulled on the pants. He didn’t notice me so I continued to stare, watching as his muscles flexed, his arms fighting with the pants.

  His skin was tanned and dappled with freckles, his hair curling ever so slightly as it lay against the nape of his neck. My gaze trailed down his back where I narrowed my eyes to look closer, admiration now replaced with alarm. There was a bruise across his side that swallowed his abdomen from his belly button to the base of his spine, as though he’d been beat to the ground and kicked repeatedly. Perhaps he’d gotten it at the party after I passed out, though his face seemed unscathed. Things had gotten so hectic in the past few days that I never found the time to talk to him about what had really happened.

  “What is that from?” I turned, revealing the fact I had been looking as I walked up to him. He covered himself with his hands, the pants now buttoned though he seemed shy as though any inch of skin was like being naked. I, on the other hand, had no reason to be shy.

  “Oh, nothing.” He put his hand on the bruise though it hardly hid anything.

  I traced the tips of my fingers from his elbows to his hands, pulling them away, “Is it from the party? Did they attack you?”

  He looked down at me, his eyes locked on mine as though he hadn’t been paying attention to what I was saying. He nodded.

  I ran my hand across the bruise as he winced away, my touch tickling his skin. “Does it hurt in your gut?” I was analyzing him in a medical manner, making sure there wasn’t any internal bleeding.

  “My gut?”

  “Yeah, your gut.” I gave him a stern stare.

  He shook his head.

  “Are you sure? You haven’t spit up any blood or anything?”

  He shook his head again, but I doubted he was telling the truth; men rarely did. I drew my hand away from his stomach.

  He blinked and turned away to grab his shirt, pulling it over his shoulders as he buttoned it, ending the conversation. I took it as his way of telling me to stay out of his business, but if he thought I was going to ignore it all together, he was wrong. He played with the collar, not sure what to do.

  “Here.” I walked up to him and unbuttoned the top button, ruffling the collar to give him a relaxed yet sophisticated look since I didn’t have a tie for him, but I liked it that way. From my desk I grabbed some of my own hair gel and rubbed it in my hands, running my fingers through his hair as he closed his eyes, as though he had rarely been touched by another person.

  “Have you had a girlfriend before?” I grabbed his chin and made him look at me so that I could inspect my work.

  His eyes searched mine. “No.”

  I smiled, holding back a laugh as I sensed it may come across as rude. “Never?” I was a little surprised. I figured someone as handsome as him would have had at least one.

  He shook his head. “It never worked out for me to have one. I, uh…” he paused. “…traveled a lot as a kid.” He put his hands in his pockets.

  I nodded, feeling brave. “A mother?” It was clear he lacked a sort of tenderness, something only a mother could teach their son.

  He looked away from me. “No.”

  I felt my heart sink with sadness, wondering what life was like without a mother. “I see.”

  I dropped the subject as I grabbed a bottle of cover-up and began smearing it on my arm, walking to the mirror to give him some space. Jordan watched me as I reached to get the back of my shoulder, straining my arm. In the reflection of the mirror, I saw him grab the bottle off the desk, putting some on his hand and walking up behind me.

  “Here, let me help.” I felt his eyes on me as though an artist at work, taking in every inch of my beauty as his cold palms met my skin, making me shiver.

  He stepped back and smiled as he inspected my back, rubbing the rest of the cover-up on a towel that hung near the door. “There, all gone.”

  There was an awkward moment of silence before I spoke. “Well, are you ready?”

  He nodded and grabbed the coat from my bed and hooked it under his arm, making sure to keep his hands safely tucked in his pockets as we left the room and made our way to the parking lot. Once in the car, it was easy to get to the restaurant, suggesting Aujourd’hui was more than just a place he went from time to time, but a frequent hang out.

  “You come here a lot, don’t you?” I looked at him as he shut off Amy’s car. We took the car figuring she wouldn’t care, especially considering all Jordan had done for her.

  “Yes.” He jingled the keys in his hand.

  “So the scruffy hero has a sophisticated hideout.”

  He shrugged. “Small luxuries, is all. When your life is like mine, it’s nice to know you always have a place to go, where things are played in a orderly fashion.”

  I felt sadness for Jordan. Such loneliness. There was a guarded air around him, something I had sensed from the beginning, as though his life didn’t matter nor didn’t count, as though there was no one but him in his worl
d, both body and soul. I was envious of his secret life, and I felt now that I wanted to be in it as well; the only two souls on this planet.

  I unbuckled and got out of the car and I walked up beside him, hooking my arm in his as he looked down at me. I did not look back, letting him know with that simple gesture that I was here; that he was not alone. We walked to the restaurant in silence, the sounds of the city acting as our sole entertainment. When we got to the door I finally spoke. “Excuse me for saying this, but I feel sort of funny being here.”

  “Why is that?”

  I shrugged. “It’s just so fancy.”

  He looked at me. “It’s only fancy if you think of it that way. Think of it as though you’re at home, that everything in the restaurant is something you’ve missed. Besides, I thought you wanted to eat someplace fancy.” There was a hint of reproach to his voice.

  I felt bad for a moment, as though I’d gotten him all dressed up for nothing. I shook my head. “No, I do! I’m just not used to it like you clearly are.”

  He looked down at his clothes. “Well, I’m not used to this, if it makes you feel any better. Bit uncomfortable, really. Never thought I’d see the day.”

  I let out a sharp breath. “What! You look great. Like a secret agent that’s taking the night off to take his female conquest to dinner.”

  He snorted. “Okay, I’ll buy that. Is this a game to you, or something?”