I put on a big smile, trying not to be obviously weird. Raf! There you are! Come on, let’s go! I breezed past him out the door, praying he would follow without having to jack him.
Hey, Kira, I just wanted to talk, he thought.
I know! I know! My sandals clattered on the stone steps as I hurried down.
You know?
When I reached the bottom, I glanced back. Gerek wasn’t following us, so I slowed and tried to step down my panic. The humidity had finally released its hold on Gurnee, but I was still breaking out in a cold sweat.
I pulled out of Raf’s head before I was tempted to tell him too much.
He matched my pace as I headed away from the school. “I can’t…”
“Still a changeling, I guess.” I gave a jerky laugh. The school had emptied out, so there was no danger of being seen talking out loud. And it was unreasonably good to hear his voice.
“Can I walk you home?” He whispered in that conspiratorial tone we used when I was a zero. I let him stay by me, not knowing what to say. Before, I would have shared anything with Raf. Now that my life was an intricate maze of lies, it seemed there was nothing I could share.
We walked in silence for a while.
“You seem to be doing well. With the change, I mean,” he said. “Well, except for now.” I smothered the part of me that cared that he noticed.
“Yeah, it’s good.”
“Maybe sometime, when you’re able to read, we could hang out. Just mindtalk for a while.”
Well, that wasn’t going to work. At all. “You said you were going to stay away from me.” A lump in my throat cut off anything else I might have said.
“Yeah.” He dropped his eyes to his oversized sneakers. I picked up my pace, to outrun the heartache that loomed ahead. “I’ve messed this whole thing up,” he said. “I don’t want to be that guy that was yelling at you in your room.”
Water pooled in my eyes and blurred the sun-burnt grass and the white concrete together. Raf was killing me with guilt by trying to take the blame for a mess that was completely mine.
When I didn’t say anything, he kept going. “I want to be a better friend than that. And you’re right. You can date whoever you want.” He was making an effort to keep the anger out of his voice, but I still heard it. Raf was trying to be the friend he thought I needed. He couldn’t have found a more lethal way to break my heart. The tears pooling in my eyes crested the dam.
“You are my friend, Raf.” I choked on the words. “You’re a great friend. The best. Ever.” I bit my lip, hard, because the secrets were welling up inside me, threatening to spill out like the tears. I’m a mutant jacker, Raf. Everything is a lie. I bit even harder, welcoming the sharp pain that held the words in. Gerek, I reminded myself. My secret was even more dangerous for Raf now. I stabbed the urge to tell Raf anything, hoping it would die quickly.
“Hey, are you…” He peered at me. “Why are you…?” I was walking so fast I was nearly running. I needed to get to my house before my resolve faltered. Raf kept pace by my side. Within a minute, we had reached my front door.
“Kira.” He stopped me before I could bolt to safety inside. “If you want to talk about anything…” I threw my arms around his broad shoulders and marked his soccer jersey with my tears. Then I dashed in the house and closed the door on him. Leaning against it, I slowly sank to the floor.
“Kira?” my mom called. She peered down the stairs, holding a long silver ladle and a soft cloth. Seeing me slumped against the door, she hurried down. I stared at the floor, unable to get up or muster a lie.
“Raf,” was all I said. She pulled me close with the hand that still clutched the ladle and let me spill my tears on her shoulder.
chapter TWENTY-ONE
The next morning, I complained to Simon about Gerek’s threat.
We were in our daily hushed, early-morning meeting at my locker. I didn’t mention the fact that Gerek nearly caught me not jacking into Raf’s head.
“Gerek was only trying to convince you to join us,” Simon said, but he looked troubled.
“I said I’d keep the Clan’s secret,” I said. “Didn’t you tell him? Why is he harassing me?”
“He’s just worried,” he said. “It would be easier if you joined us, Kira. Then they wouldn’t be concerned about you blowing everyone’s cover.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not interested.” Although I was rethinking that now. If I joined the Clan, maybe they wouldn’t stalk after me and my friends. Or maybe I could convince them I wasn’t worth the trouble. “Besides, my skills aren’t rockin’ like yours. Why do they even want me?”
His eyes grew a little wider. “I told you. Molloy has a soft spot for the younger jackers.”
My occasional glimpses of Gerek made him seem less concerned about young jackers than making sure I didn’t get out of line.
For the rest of the week Gerek kept his distance and didn’t send me any more cryptic messages via friends from the past. Raf kept his distance as well, but I saw him everywhere.
He lingered in the hall or sat nearby at lunch—within sight, but out of thought range. It was reassuring, in a strange way, except for the permanent scowl etched in his forehead. I hoped his dark looks were only for Simon at my side.
The crew gathered at our usual Friday meeting spot on the bleachers, conspiring for the weekend. The next day was Simon’s 18th birthday, so Katie teased him, saying she’d turn him in for touching a minor. Simon declared all activities remotely considered kissing would cease.
I hoped he wasn’t serious. Sometimes it was hard to tell, with him being a consummate liar and me not far behind.
I scoured my brain for a gift for Simon. What do you get a boy who can mindjack to get anything he wants? Then I realized I was the one thing that Simon couldn’t have just by using his wily powers. He couldn’t force me to be with him or his Clan of fellow jackers. He couldn’t jack his way into my heart.
Maybe I could start acting like a real girlfriend.
When Simon asked me out before, it was only an excuse to meet with Gerek. But I could tell the hurt and anger when I brought up Raf was real. A genuine date might make the perfect gift. It was true that I didn’t date, and my dad probably would skin me alive if he found out. Then again, he would have a heart attack if he knew half of the things I’d done in the last three weeks. As I was devising a way to sneak out for a birthday date with Simon, Katie and the boys rose up from the bleachers.
Leaving so soon? I asked Katie.
Leave us. Simon’s voice boomed through their minds, and I flinched. What was the hurry? School hadn’t even let out. He draped his arm across my shoulder, careful not to touch my bare arm.
Leave, Katie echoed. Ok, we’re going, love birds.
I waited until they were out of range before whispering, “What was that all about?”
“Sorry.” He didn’t look sorry at all. “I couldn’t wait any longer to show you.” He pulled a rolled sheet of parchment out of his backpack. The official holo-stamp of the high school hovered above a bunch of writing testifying that he had received his diploma.
“Get out!” I said. “But your birthday isn’t until tomorrow.”
He bit his lip. “I’m impatient.”
I rolled my eyes. “How many people did you have to jack?”
“It was easy after I convinced Martin to hack into the school system and change all my classes to complete. He has his uses.”
“Wait.” The idea of completed classes sank in. “Aren’t you coming back on Monday?”
He stuffed the diploma into his pack, then captured me with that intense stare of his. “No.”
The word hung in the air. I wouldn’t see him in class or the hallways. No more jacking practice in the library or sneaking up to the bleachers to hang out and sometimes kiss. My stomach looped into a knot. “What are you going to do?”
“You know,” he said. “I’m working for the Clan full time now. I’m giving Molloy my vow tomorrow.”
He scowled. “It’s my chance to get out of here.”
“But… you’re not leaving Gurnee, are you?” My voice hiked up. Would his work with the Clan take him out of town? Would I not see him again, even outside of school? I didn’t like the panic climbing up my throat.
He searched my eyes. “Come with me, Kira.”
I swallowed down the fear. “Come with you where?”
“Just come to the ceremony. Check it out. There’s a big Clan meeting tomorrow and I’m going to make my vow then.” He lightly brushed my hair back. “I want you to be there.”
My birthday present to Simon crystallized before me. Simon was jacking his way out of high school, and I could help celebrate his acceptance into his Clan of fellow mindjackers. And if I came to the ceremony, maybe pretended to consider joining, Gerek wouldn’t be so suspicious. The Clan might let me hang out until I graduated like Simon, and they’d leave my friends alone.
“Okay,” I said. “I’ll come see what this Clan of yours is all about.”
He pulled me close and pressed his lips to mine. “Thank you,” he whispered between kisses. “Thank you.”
“Okay, okay.” I laughed lightly, basking in the warmth of his lips.
I seriously hoped the kisses wouldn’t end tomorrow.
chapter TWENTY-TWO
Mom had some demens idea about a Mom-and-Kira night.
The smell of popcorn wafted from a bowl on the couch while she flicked through the sim-cast choices on the screen. My breakdown over Raf on Tuesday had convinced her I needed a girl’s night intervention, and it couldn’t have come at a worse time. The Clan ceremony loomed barely an hour away, and my options for escape were disappearing.
“One of these is a romantic comedy,” she said. The scrolling sim-cast list halted for a moment, then continued on. “It has that actor you like, the cute one.”
“They’re all cute, Mom.”
She grinned, as if I was playing along. “Here it is.” She directed the mindware display to start the download. “Seventeen Days. Have you heard of it?”
“No, but I’m sure someone falls in love and lives happily ever after.” I crossed my arms and hovered at the edge of the living room, refusing to come in. “I don’t think a romantic comedy is good for my state of mind right now.” I hoped she would buy my pathetic gambit. It wasn’t too far from the truth, with my worries about Simon leaving school.
“Oh.” She stopped the sim-cast mid-download. “Well, we can watch whatever you like. Come take a look.” She gestured me over to the couch. I stood my ground and contemplated jacking her to watch while I went out. My insides squirmed at the idea, but I couldn’t sneak out, and I had no plausible excuses to leave. Her shoulders dropped and she flicked a glance at the time display on the screen.
I narrowed my eyes. “Are you expecting someone?”
“Well, um, Rafael called earlier.”
My mouth fell open. Mom wasn’t usually this underhanded.
“I only told him we were watching a sim-cast tonight.” She stared at the popcorn bowl, like she might find forgiveness there. “He said he might stop by,” she said quietly.
The blood rushed to my face. Through the haze, I realized that Mom had inadvertently given me a way out. “I can’t believe you invited Raf!” I shouted more forcefully than necessary. “I’m so out of here.” My shoes were lying near the stairs. I tugged them on with exaggerated passion and surreptitiously checked my pocket for my phone. I would scrit Simon once I was free of the house.
“Kira, wait!” She spilled popcorn in her haste to rise up from the couch, but I didn’t want to give her a chance to apologize.
“I’ll be back when you’re done having Raf over!” I pounded down the stairs and slammed the front door on my way out, hoping my display was sufficiently violent to keep her from coming after me. I knew she would worry and resolved to scrit her later. But she should have known better than to invite Raf.
I pulled out my phone to scrit Simon. My running shoes whispered down the street, and the late afternoon air seeped heat through my shorts and t-shirt. I didn’t have a chance to dress up for Simon’s big ceremony, but I was lucky to get out of the house at all. It would have to do.
Simon’s black hydro car was waiting when I arrived at the school parking lot. My fortuitous exit plan gave us a little extra time, which we spent making out in the car. His starched white shirt crinkled under my hands, leaving him rumpled for his big event. To be fair, it wasn’t entirely my fault. Simon’s kisses were more enthusiastic than normal.
“Where does your Mom think you’ll go?” he asked between nibbles on my ear.
“I don’t know. Probably figures I’ll walk it off and come home.” I remembered my earlier plan. “Maybe I’ll scrit her and say I’m going to a friend’s.”
“Good idea. Then she won’t call the police when you don’t show up an hour from now.”
I sent her a vague scrit about an unidentified friend, giving me room to conjure a good lie before I came home, and went back to kissing Simon until we had to leave.
Once Simon had programmed an autopath and we glided out of the parking lot, I belatedly asked, “Where’s the Clan meeting?”
He glanced sideways at me. “Molloy owns a warehouse in Glenview, and the Clan holds their big meetings there.”
I shifted in my seat, remembering a Glenview stop along the T-94 line on a rare trip south into the city. My dad had taken us to visit Navy Pier, one of the few museums left when the city depopulated under the range ordinances. The towering downtown skyscrapers filled with commuting workers during the day, but Dad insisted we take the train out before dark.
“Are we taking the Metra?” I checked the sun sinking in the sky, hoping Glenview wasn’t too close to the city.
“It’s only about forty minutes by car.”
It was easier and faster to take the train and an autocab rather than weave through endless suburban streets. Maybe Simon wanted to show off his sporty car to the Clan. Or maybe he didn’t want to leave a record of our trip.
“Does everyone drive?” I asked.
“I don’t really know. The Clan doesn’t usually all gather in the same spot, but this is a special occasion. I think most of the Clan will be there. Only Molloy has met all the members. It’s safer if we don’t all know each other.”
“Safer from what?” What could a band of mindjackers be afraid of? Sure, they didn’t want their cover blown. But was there more than that? “Are there other Clans?”
He paused for a moment. “Not in Chicago New Metro. Clan Molloy is the only one here.” I arched an eyebrow at him, but he ignored me.
We broke out of the forest of housing tracts and wove through a run-down industrial park that reminded me of the area where Simon found the only convenience store in North America without security cameras. Gray metal warehouses lined up like ammo cases and caught the red glow of the setting sun. Jagged shadows made the ramshackle buildings seem ready to collapse. Simon pulled up to a side door and parked between a scattering of cars.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
I eyed him. He was the one who should worry about being ready. I was only checking out the Clan and supporting him on his big day. But I nodded anyway.
“All right, once we’re inside, just stick by me and follow my lead.”
“Sounds simple enough.”
His soft gaze turned into a softer kiss, then he stepped out of the car and opened my door. I hadn’t expected him to be a gentleman, so I was already halfway out. He held my hand and shut the car door. The sound echoed off the metal canyon of warehouses.
He paused at the door of the warehouse and took one last look at me before pulling down the handle. About two dozen people milled around the cavernous warehouse. Pallets of goods lined the walls, and giant chains hung by a garage door on the far side. Clutching my hand a little harder, Simon steered us toward the loose crowd gathere
d in the middle. They orbited a tall, beefy man standing next to a gray metal table and chair. His long red hair flared out from his head, tamed only by a band in back, and he greeted each Clan member as they drifted his way.
Simon whispered, “That’s Molloy,” which I had already figured out. He appeared about thirty-five and stood like a man used to giving orders. Scanning the other jackers, I recognized a couple of faces. A dark-haired Hispanic woman lingered at the periphery of the crowd and looked very much like the reference desk librarian at the Gurnee Public Library. A gangly man with a hook nose stood next to her and appeared to be the ticket guy from the old Marcus Theatre that Raf and I liked to visit. There seemed to be more young jackers than old, with Molloy the oldest, but the Clan members were like anyone you would see at the grocery store or a soccer game.
All jackers hiding in plain sight.
Was this it for the New Metro area—a couple dozen jackers that occasionally met in a rickety warehouse? But Simon said the Clan was careful and didn’t let in just anyone. There had to be more, like me, who would rather simply pass for readers and have a normal life.
A thin, pasty man shadowed Molloy, his face impassive. He was plain in every way except for the steel gray eyes that were trained on me. I glared back at him and wondered what his problem was. His stare was like a force on my head, like he was trying to push on my mind, which didn’t make any sense. Simon had told me he couldn’t get into my head, and I was pretty sure it was simple bad manners to try to jack me as if I were a reader he could control. Pasty Man’s eyes widened slightly and the corner of his mouth turned up as the pressure got worse.
I pushed him hard, away from my head and all the way back to his.
I gasped when I sank deep into the gel of his mind. He was a visitor, not part of Molloy’s regular Clan, and he had special plans for me, if my head was as hard as they thought. Before I could think about what that meant, he pushed me back out. It had all taken less than a moment, but I realized a crucial thing in that tiny slice of time.
What Tomorrow May Bring Page 12