The Other Morgan (Parallel Series, Book 5)

by Christine Kersey

  “You’ll stay in this room with me,” I told Amy once we got back to Nick’s place.

  “Which bed do you want me to use?” she asked, looking between the pair of twin beds tucked against the wall.

  I could tell which one DM had used because even though she’d made the bed, it wasn’t as neat as the other one. “That one,” I said, pointing to the bed that hadn’t been used.

  Amy plopped onto the bed. “I’m so tired.”

  Sudden exhaustion crashed over me—it had been a very long day. “Me, too.” I sat on my bed and faced Amy, trying to imagine how she must have felt when the Enforcers had taken her from home and brought her to Camp Willowmoss. Especially when she’d been completely innocent. All because of DM. But to Amy, it was all because of me. Did she feel any lingering resentment?

  “What’s it been like being here?” she asked.

  I’d only been there one day, but I doubted Duplicate Morgan’s experience would have been much different from mine. “It’s been fine. Nick’s really nice.”

  We talked a while longer, then got ready for bed. As I lay in the same bed DM had slept in the night before, a sense of connectedness grew within me, but I wondered if I’d ever really understand what she’d been through.

  The next day after breakfast while Amy found some books to read, Nick brought me into his office to prepare for the interviews by having me watch DM’s recording several times. By the fifth viewing it was almost as if I’d been the one experiencing the horrors she’d dealt with, and I felt more than ready to answer his questions on the record.

  Nick coached me on what to say, and after practicing for a while, we started recording. We did several ten minute clips, each one with me the only person on camera while his voice could be heard off camera.

  “My tech people will disguise my voice,” he said when we were done. “Otherwise the Enforcers might be able to do a voice analysis and discover who I am.” He smiled. “The goal with these interviews is to have you tell your story in your own words. That’s what will impact people.”

  Of course they weren’t actually my experiences, but I hoped I’d sounded convincing.

  When Amy told Nick she was ready to be interviewed, he told her he wanted the focus to be on me first, and then later he’d have her tell her story to add an extra punch.

  That evening at dinner it was just Amy, Nick, and me, and I wondered when he would reveal other members of his group. I already knew about Mills, and Paula the hairdresser, but who else was part of this resistance?

  “Doesn’t anyone else live here?” Amy asked, obviously noticing the isolation we were in.

  “People come and go,” Nick said, “but right now, the fewer people that know you’re here, the better.”

  So he was more concerned for our safety than concerned that we—meaning me—would know who else was in his resistance group? I hoped that was true.

  Soon after going to bed I awoke to a nightmare. I’d been captured by Holly and brought back to the interrogation room I’d become so familiar with by watching the video over and over. Wearing a satisfied smile, Holly had pressed the button on her controller, sending waves of agony coursing through my head and down my spine while Mills stood by and watched. I’d screamed at him to help me but he’d stared at me impassively. When I’d collapsed onto the floor, writhing in pain, he’d bent over me and calmly stated that he knew what he was doing.

  When I woke in a cold sweat, my body humming with the aftereffects of the torture device, I wondered if I’d developed some sort of symbiosis with DM, or if my over-active imagination had filled in the blanks and convinced my body that I’d actually experienced the torture.

  Unable to shake the sensation that I was in danger, I couldn’t settle down and fall asleep and decided to get a drink of water. Amy slept soundly in the other bed, so I tiptoed out of our room and down the hall. In the dark kitchen I turned on the light, took a glass from the cupboard, and filled it with cold water from the refrigerator dispenser. I glanced at the microwave clock and saw it was only eleven. I dreaded the long night ahead of me.

  Slowly drinking the water, I repeated like a mantra You’re safe here, Amy is safe here, you have nothing to fear here.

  When my glass was empty, I set it in the pristine sink, then headed towards my bedroom, but when I heard Nick’s voice coming from his office, I crept down the hall until I could hear his voice more clearly. It’s not that I wanted to eavesdrop, but I’d gotten the feeling that after his initial burst of trust, he was pulling back from me, taking a wait and see stance. I understood his reticence. After all, he had a very important operation going on here and he wouldn’t want to jeopardize it by trusting the wrong people.

  Maybe when Billy had first brought me to his house and he’d been overwhelmed by the notion of a parallel world, he’d temporarily forgotten that I wasn’t DM and told me more than he’d meant to. Of course he’d had to get me up to speed on what DM had experienced—how else would he get me to do the interviews that he wanted to post online? But now that he’d gotten what he needed from me, why would he tell me anything that could potentially endanger him or his people or their plans?

  For my own safety, I needed to know everything I could. That feeling was brought home all the more after the horrific nightmare I’d just had. Especially when the feeling of helplessness lingered within me.

  “No, that hasn’t changed,” I heard him say from where I hid in the shadows of the dark hallway.

  Then, to my surprise, I heard a second voice—one that I recognized as Mills. But it sounded odd, and after a moment I realized he was on speakerphone.

  “Good,” Mills was saying. “It’s important that we stick to the primary goal.”

  “Of course,” Nick said. “Like I told you yesterday, once the videos reach fifty thousand views, that’s when we’ll move into Phase Two.”

  “Is Morgan on board?”

  “Ah, I haven’t talked to her about it yet, but I’m sure she’ll agree it’s the best way to proceed.”

  My heart pounded. They’re talking about me, about something they want me to do. Something that Nick hasn’t told me about yet. Why? Is he afraid I won’t agree to it? What is it?

  “I’m not so sure,” Mills said. “She has to know it will put her—and her sister—in danger.” He paused. “How committed is she?”

  Put us in danger? That didn’t sound like anything I wanted to be involved with.

  Nick was quiet. “I’m still determining that, which is why I haven’t discussed Phase Two with her yet.”

  Mills laughed softly. “You might want to keep a close eye on her. It would totally screw everything up if she decided to leave before we implemented Phase Two.”

  “She and Amy aren’t going anywhere. They’re too scared of capture.”

  “As they should be,” Mills said. “Holly is apoplectic with fury that Morgan got the better of her. You should have seen her in today’s staff meeting.” He laughed, but there was no humor in it. “I thought she was going to take someone’s head off. In fact, if she ever gets her hands on Morgan . . .” His words trailed off.

  “Look, I’ll do my best, but you know there aren’t any guarantees.”

  What was that supposed to mean? No guarantees that he could keep me safe? Any feeling of security I’d had fled in that moment.

  “Maybe you can toss Holly a bone,” Mills said.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Morgan’s useful,” Mills said. “For now. But her sister is like any of the thousands of other kids who’ve been through the system.”

  “What are you suggesting?”

  “If Amy is somehow . . . found by the Enforcers . . . well, that might assuage Holly’s rage enough for us to accomplish our goals. In addition, that would really light a fire under Morgan and I’m sure she would be all-in for Phase Two.”

  What are they talking about? Would Nick really hand Amy over to the Enforcers? What can I do about it? Adrenaline coursed through my veins, a
nd my initial dislike for Mills turned into intense loathing. Surely Nick will dismiss Mills’ suggestion without even considering it.

  Up until then I’d believed that Nick had my and Amy’s best interest in mind, but now I wasn’t so sure. I nearly held my breath as I waited to hear what Nick would say.

  “Look, these girls trust me to keep them safe. Their parents are trusting me.” When Mills didn’t reply, Nick said, “Besides, Holly would break her.”

  So his main concern wasn’t Amy, but what Amy would tell Holly. Any smidgen of trust I’d had for Nick evaporated.

  “What does Amy actually know?” Mills asked.

  Nick was quiet for a minute. “She’s seen me and she knows where I live. She also knows the location of one of the safe houses. Besides that, I don’t think she knows anything. Unless Morgan’s told her about you.”

  “Hmm. That would definitely be problematic.” He paused. “Ask Morgan if she’s told Amy about me, and if she hasn’t, emphasize the importance of keeping it to herself.”

  “And if she has?”

  “Then they’re both becoming a liability.”

  “I’m not sure I agree with that, Josh. Morgan did well in the interviews we recorded, and I’m sure there’s much more she can do for the cause.”

  “At some point you’ll have to cut her loose, Nick. She’s toxic, and chances are good that they’ll find her eventually, which means they’ll find you.”

  “Don’t panic now. I have things well in hand. No one knows she’s here except you.”

  “Don’t forget her family.”

  “They have no idea where this house is.”

  “Don’t you think they’ll want to see their children from time to time? Then what? How will you arrange that? How will you prevent them from being followed?”

  Nick sighed. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

  “You’re the one in charge, but you and I both know how the Enforcers operate. When her family gets tired of hiding out and they decide to go home, the Enforcers will bug their phones and low-jack their cars immediately. You can count on it.”

  In the silence that followed, my thoughts churned. How long until my family got tired of staying in the safe house? What would happen if they went home? Would that mean I’d never be able to talk to them again—let alone see them? An ache began in my chest and I tried to rub it away, but it only settled deeper into my heart.

  “There’s something else you need to know,” Mills said. “Something serious. Something that may involve Morgan.”

  “What is it?”

  “They found Hansen’s body.”

  “His body? He’s dead?”

  “Yes.”

  “How did he die? Where did they find him?”

  Hansen’s dead? How could that possibly involve me? Isn’t his death a good thing? I closed my eyes as I concentrated on Mills’ explanation.

  “Remember that Morgan and Billy had some coordinates programmed into a GPS device?”

  “Yes.”

  “Evidently a pair of Enforcers decided to check those coordinates again today. Of course they didn’t find Morgan—all they found was a tunnel that led to a small building. They searched the area around the tunnel opening and that’s when they found Hansen’s body.”

  “How did he die?”

  “It looks like he fell and hit his head on a rock, but due to the fact that he was in the area Morgan and Billy had pinpointed, they’re blaming the two of them.”

  “What are these coordinates?”

  “I don’t know. Why?”

  “Just curious.”

  At the mention of a tunnel, my thoughts flew. That must be how Duplicate Morgan crossed over. Is there some way to get those coordinates? What would I do with them? Am I brave enough to actually try to cross into Duplicate Morgan’s world? What about Amy? I can’t leave her here to fend for herself.

  “Nick, do you see now why I said Morgan’s toxic? Not only did she escape Holly, but they think she murdered an Enforcer. They want her head on a platter. Billy’s too.”

  “Yes,” Nick said, his voice resigned. “Yes, I understand.”

  The ominous tone in Mills’ voice shattered my fantasies of finding the tunnel and escaping. There was no way for me to get those coordinates. No, what I needed to focus on was protecting myself and Amy. Billy was long gone, off to reunite with DM.

  It was just me. And I was ill-equipped to survive.

  Chapter Nine

  When Nick said good-bye to Mills, I scurried back to the bedroom Amy and I shared and climbed into bed. My heart drummed against my ribs as I frantically tried to construct a plan.

  If Duplicate Morgan was here, she’d know exactly what to do. But I have no idea. And I don’t know who to ask.

  Fear and trepidation swept over me and I broke into a cold sweat. Throwing back the blankets, I sat up on the side of the bed, then covered my face with my hands. Amy’s even breathing filled the space around me and I peered through my fingers to see her curled on her side.

  I was the big sister and it was up to me to protect her. But how could I protect her when I didn’t even know how to protect myself?

  I replayed the conversation I’d overheard, and though at first I tried to persuade myself that Nick would never do anything to purposely put Amy and me in danger, the more I thought about it, the more I became convinced that he would put himself and his cause above our safety.

  Especially when I recalled the tone of his voice after Mills had told him that I was wanted for murder. Murder! Mills had said I was toxic, and Nick had said he understood. But what did that mean? What did he understand? That he had to get as far away from me as possible?

  What about Amy? Mills had said she was a liability. I knew what that meant—get rid of her. It sounded like I’d become a liability as well.

  What would Nick do with us? He couldn’t turn us over to the Enforcers. Could he? Didn’t I know too much now?

  I considered what I knew. I knew Nick was leading this resistance group, and I knew that Enforcer Mills worked for the resistance. But that was all. With my nonexistent sense of direction, I was certain I wouldn’t be able to tell the Enforcers where Nick lived. All he would have to do is lay low, maybe move to one of his safe houses. Mills would have to go underground. Besides that, I couldn’t do much damage.

  But what if Nick kept me around? Would he be in more danger if I stayed with him, or if he let me tell the little I knew to Holly? I didn’t know, but I couldn’t take a chance on finding out. Somehow Amy and I had to get away from Nick and Mills. That would be hard enough, but the bigger challenge would be in evading capture by the army of Enforcers who wanted my head on a platter.

  And I had no clue how to do that.

  I considered the option of finding my way back to my family, but immediately knew that was a non-starter. Besides having no idea how to find them, I remembered that Nick had made it clear that my presence could be a danger to them. I didn’t want to put my parents and little brothers in any danger.

  Amy and I were on our own.

  I lay back on my pillow and stared at the ceiling. Moonlight trickled in through the edges of the blinds and I watched shadows dance on the walls as the wind shook the bare branches outside my room. Soon the weather would turn colder. I imagined Amy and me sleeping outside in the dead of winter and felt a shiver work its way through my bones.

  Then I pictured DM. What would she do in this situation? Maybe if I pretended to be her I could come up with some idea of how to proceed. Taking several deep breaths, I closed my eyes and visualized the girl who I imagined was brave and fearless.

  An image of her and Billy sitting close together, plotting and planning, came into my mind, and I could almost hear her voice in my head.

  “First we need to make sure we have some basic supplies,” she’d say.

  “Like what?” Billy would ask.

  “Well, it’s going to be cold, so we’ll need warm jackets. We’ll also need food and
water.”

  “Where will we sleep at night?” Billy would ask.

  “I’m not sure yet,” she’d say. “We’ll want to look for shelter. Maybe an abandoned building.”

  “How will you carry your supplies?”

  “We’ll need to get a backpack,” she’d say. “I think Amy has one we can use.”

  Billy would nod. “Good idea.” He’d pause. “What about protection? You know, in case the Enforcers find you?”

  My eyes fluttered open as my heart pounded. If the Enforcers found me I didn’t know what I would do. I pictured them surrounding me and saw myself freezing, paralyzed with fear. They’d capture me easily. I probably wouldn’t even have the strength to fight back.

  Even so, I couldn’t stay at Nick’s. I needed to gather a few supplies, and then Amy and I would get out. Now that I’d come up with the bare bones of a plan, exhaustion settled over me like a heavy blanket, and my eyes grew heavy. I fell into a deep sleep and woke to Amy gently shaking me.

  “Morgan, breakfast is ready,” she said. “Wake up.”

  Groggy, it took me a moment to remember where I was, but when I recalled that Amy and I were in danger, all sleepiness fled. “What time is it?”

  “I think it’s eight o’clock. Nick knocked on the door and said he made us breakfast.” Amy was already dressed.

  After overhearing Nick’s conversation with Mills the night before, I worried about facing him. Would I be able to hide my newly obtained information? Information that he most likely had no intention of sharing with me. Would he be able to tell that any trust I’d developed towards him had been shattered? What would he do if he was able to tell? Would he send for Mills and have him take both Amy and me to Holly?

  The idea sent a shiver of terror rolling up my spine until the hairs on the back of my neck stood straight up.

  “Come on, Morgan. I’m hungry.”

  “Okay.” Squelching my panic, I threw back the covers and dug around in the clothes DM had left behind until I found a pair of jeans and a sweater, then I carried them to the bathroom and got dressed. Her clothes were a little big on me, but they worked well enough.