Gone (Parallel Trilogy, Book 1)

by Christine Kersey

  “Well, that’s weird.”

  “Yeah. I wonder if the guy at the bowling alley got me confused with someone else.”

  “I guess. But that’s annoying. It kind of ruined our afternoon.”

  “That’s for sure.”

  The image of Lori smirking at us as we were leaving the bowling alley suddenly came to mind and my eyebrows pulled together and I wondered if she had anything to do with the mysterious phone call to Connor.

  I shook my head, not able to believe she would do something so transparent. That would be just plain mean. Was she capable of something like that?

  I opened my mouth to tell Connor my suspicion, but then decided against it. It would sound crazy and he might think I was implying that Lori wanted to interfere with our relationship. But since we didn’t really have a relationship, that would just make us both feel awkward.

  “Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m kind of exhausted,” he said. “I’ve spent the last two hours driving myself crazy with worry. Now I just want to chill for a while.”

  I frowned as I’d been hoping he would suggest we continue our date. “Yeah, okay.”

  “I’ll see you Monday then, okay?”

  “Okay. Bye, Connor.”

  We hung up and this time I allowed myself to wallow in pity for a while. But then I thought about Lori again and wondered what she would say if I asked her about the phone call.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  On Sunday Mom wanted to take all of us on a picnic. She said she felt bad that she hadn’t spent much time with us lately. We drove to a nearby park and we all helped to carry a large blanket along with the food she’d brought. It wasn’t like the picnics I was used to having where Mom made thick sandwiches and a large bowl of potato salad, and then brownies for dessert. Instead she brought sliced vegetables, whole-wheat pita bread stuffed with a tofu-based mixture, a thermos of cold water, and for dessert, fruit.

  Though the food wasn’t what I was used to, I still enjoyed spending time with my family. Mom had also brought a Frisbee and we threw it back and forth for a while, then the boys played on the nearby play equipment while Mom, Amy, and I watched. As I sat with them on a bench, I realized that in the two weeks I’d been there I’d spent more time with my family then I had in a long time.

  It’s true that I was eager to get home to the world I had come from, but I had to admit that it hadn’t been too bad here.

  Monday morning when I got to class, Lori was in her usual seat and I slid into the seat next to her. I’d been gearing up to mention what had happened at the bowling alley but wasn’t sure how to begin. It turned out I didn’t have to, because Lori brought it up first.

  “How was your date?” Her expression didn’t betray any secrets she might be hiding.

  “It was fantastic,” I lied, a smile plastered on my face. There was no way I was going to admit that once Connor had received that message, our date had become a complete disaster. If Lori had been behind it, then I certainly didn’t want her to know that her plan had been wildly successful.

  “Is that so? Connor sure seemed in a big hurry to leave.”

  “Well, my little brother got sick, so we had to take him home. But it all worked out because by the time we got to my house, my mom was home from work so Connor was able to take me out, just the two of us. So it was actually a good thing.” Wow. I sounded so confident that I even began to believe it.

  “That’s not what I heard.”

  Lori obviously didn’t buy it and I wondered if she’d followed us and seen Connor dump me off at my house before he rushed home.

  “I didn’t know my dating life was a topic of conversation.” I paused, gathering my courage, wondering if my next words were a good idea. But when I thought about the ways she’d interfered with my time with Connor, I felt so mad that I couldn’t help it. I wanted to push her buttons. “I guess when you don’t have a life of your own, other people’s lives can be fascinating, huh, Lori?” My heart pounded as I watched her face turn beet red.

  When she spoke her teeth were clenched so tight that her lips barely moved. “You’d better watch yourself.”

  I hesitated, feeling adrenaline pulsing through my veins, but then said what I was thinking. “Or what?”

  She stared at me for a moment, then her fury melted away and a serene expression appeared on her face. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”

  The look of calmness on her face scared me more than the rage because I had a feeling she had already thought of a way to punish me. Even so, my curiosity got the better of me and after a short pause, I said, “You said you heard something about my date. What was it?”

  She stared right into my eyes. “I heard Connor couldn’t stand being around your little brothers OR you, so he took you guys home.”

  “What?” I said a little too loudly, getting the attention of the students sitting nearby. “That’s not true!”

  Lori just smiled.

  “Where did you hear that?” I asked.

  “You know. Around.”

  The teacher chose that moment to stand in front of the class. I shook my head in frustration and turned away from Lori. I was certain she had made that up to get back at me for what I’d said. After all, nobody had even known that Connor and I were going on a date.

  “Lori, I’d like you to lead us in the pledge today,” the teacher said.

  “I’d love to.” Lori glanced at me, then strode to the front of the class.

  I stood along with everyone else and said the words without even thinking. “I pledge to always follow the rules and to take care of my body. I will strive to put the good of all above the desires of one. A healthy me is a healthy world.”

  As we sat down I ignored Lori and half-listened as the teacher spoke.

  When class ended I gathered my things and left the classroom as fast as I could. What Lori had said had really bothered me. I knew it wasn’t true, so I wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was because I didn’t want anyone else to believe it either.

  As the morning went on, I wasn’t sure if it was my imagination, but it seemed like people were looking at me funny. By the time lunch came around I felt completely paranoid that people were talking about me. I saw Anne sitting at a table and sat next to her.

  “Hi there, Morgan.”

  People were just starting to come in, so no one else was at our table yet. Anne had already set out her lunch: an apple and a power bar.

  “Hi,” I said as I pulled my lunch bag out of my backpack. Feeling a little guilty that my meal wasn’t quite as meager as Anne’s, I nevertheless set out the goods: half a sandwich, an apple, and a baggie with three of my homemade cookies. Even though I’d recently heard that treats like my cookies were forbidden on school grounds, I thought the idea was so ridiculous that I almost felt a need to dare someone to tell on me.

  I pulled out my sandwich and began eating. As I chewed, I decided to get right to the heart of my concerns before anyone else joined us. “Hey, Anne.”

  “Yeah?” she asked as she nibbled on the power bar.

  “I know this will sound dumb, but have you heard anyone talking about me today?” To my surprise, she nodded and I felt my heart lurch with worry.

  “It was kind of weird, actually. I heard a couple of people saying something about your date with Connor. How he didn’t want to be there with you. What do you think that was all about?”

  I couldn’t believe this was happening. Somehow I knew Lori was behind this rumor, but what could I do about it? People would believe what they wanted. As I thought about people laughing at me behind my back, I took another bit of my sandwich to distract myself from the tears of humiliation that were pressing at the back of my eyes. As I furiously chewed, my mind raced and I found I’d finished off the sandwich without realizing it. Inhaling deeply, I slowly released my breath. “You don’t believe them, do you?”

  “Well, no. Of course not. Connor’s my brother and I know he likes you.”

  Pure joy sho
t through me, crushing all of my other feelings. I savored her comment, picturing Connor’s smiling face. “Anne, I think Lori started that rumor.” I actually grinned as I spoke.

  “I would think you’d be less happy about it.” Her face showed confusion.

  Laughing at her puzzlement, I said, “Oh, believe me. I’m mad at Lori. I’m just happy you think Connor likes me.” I picked up my apple and took a bite.

  Anne smiled. “Oh. Okay. But what makes you so sure it was Lori?”

  I swallowed the bite I’d been chewing. “Because she and her friends saw us there and then in class this morning she was all too happy to tell me what she’d ‘heard’.”

  Anne nodded as she finished off her power bar. “And I suppose you think she had something to do with the phone call Connor got at the bowling alley?”

  “Don’t you?” I asked, drinking from my water bottle.

  “I guess it’s possible.”

  “Who else could it have been?”

  “Maybe it was a mistake. Maybe the guy at the bowling alley misunderstood or maybe he gave Connor the message when he was supposed to give it to someone else.”

  Her arguments were valid and I found myself gnawing on the inside of my lip as I considered that it had all been a big misunderstanding.

  “But I think I might know how I can find out,” Anne said, glancing over my shoulder.

  I turned to see who she was looking at and saw Lori and her pals getting in line to buy some lunch. Either they hadn’t seen us or they were ignoring us.

  “Do you trust me?” Anne said

  I turned back to face her, not sure what she was implying. “Yes?”

  A sly smile appeared briefly on her face, then a look of anger replaced it. She stood abruptly and frowned at me.

  “No, Morgan,” she said loudly enough for pretty much everyone in the lunchroom to hear. “No. You need to just stay away from me, my brother and my whole family. Okay? Is that too hard for you to understand?”

  My mouth hung open and tears sprang to my eyes. Although I was certain she was just putting on a show for a reason known only to her, it had taken me by surprise. I watched as she gathered her things, completely snubbing me now, and walked past me to another table.

  My lunch forgotten, I grabbed my backpack and stumbled toward the nearest door. As I pushed the door open I glanced toward the lunchroom and saw everyone staring at me. Mortified, I was about to walk through the door, but then movement at another door caught my eye and I saw Connor just entering the lunchroom. He had missed the whole show. I watched as he seemed to notice something was going on, but before he looked my way I hurried out of the room and rushed down the hall, letting the door slam shut behind me.

  I went to the rest of my classes in a daze, reminding myself that Anne had just been pretending, but the feelings roiling inside of me were genuine. I felt completely alone. It seemed everyone had not only heard the rumor that Connor hated me so much that he had to end the date early, but everyone had either witnessed or heard about Anne’s outburst in the lunchroom.

  I was certain each and every student at my school thought I was a total and complete loser. When the bell rang to allow us to go home, relief swept over me. I had been tempted to leave school early, but had decided if I did, it would be even harder to come to school the next day.

  Before I left, I needed to go to my locker to pick up a textbook. As I walked down the hall I stared at the ground, not wanting to make eye contact with anyone. People snickered as I passed but I pretended not to hear. As I approached my locker I looked up and saw something had been taped to my locker door. Hurrying closer, I stood in front of it and stared.

  Someone had drawn a picture of a person who I assumed was supposed to be me. But this person looked like she was extremely overweight. And taped just above the drawing was the baggie of home-baked cookies I had left in the lunchroom when I’d run out.

  I ripped the cookies and the drawing down and stuffed them both into my backpack.

  I hate it here, I thought as hot tears pushed their way into my eyes. Blinking several times to clear the tears, I faced my locker until I had gotten myself under control. Though I was supposed to go to track practice, there was no way I could face Connor. Instead of heading to the locker room, I walked out of the school building and began the long hike home.

  As I walked, I half-hoped Connor would pull up next to me in his car, offer me a ride, and tell me to ignore what everyone was saying because he really liked me. But the closer I got to my house, the more I came to accept that he wouldn’t be coming.

  Suddenly I wondered why I was staying in this world. What if I had been wrong and I didn’t need to wait until November to try to get home? Maybe I should try to get home now. If I didn’t need to wait, I was staying here, suffering, for no reason.

  Pushing aside my hurt feelings, I decided to walk to a nearby grocery store on my way home and pick up the last of the supplies that I needed. Then first thing in the morning, instead of going to school, I’d leave.

  The decision made the bad feelings I’d been having completely disappear. Instead, I had a spring in my step as I headed toward the grocery store. When I got there, I picked up a package of batteries for the flashlights, a six-pack of water bottles, and two boxes of the appetite-suppressing power bars.

  I had just enough money to pay for everything. After placing everything in my backpack, I walked home, thinking about how I would get up north.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Very few options came to mind. If I had some money I could take the bus, but I didn’t and stealing from Mom, assuming she even had any money to steal, was something even I wasn’t willing to do. I could convince Connor to drive me there, but how I would talk him in to that, I had no idea. Or I could hitch a ride. That had worked out pretty well for me to get here. I thought about Fred and how nice he had been.

  Fred! He had given me his phone number. Maybe I could call him and see if he would be willing to drive me back to Fox Run.

  It felt like all of my plans were finally falling into place. I walked faster and soon arrived home. No one was home yet, so the first thing I did was to take the pillowcase out of the cabinet in the garage and carry it into my bedroom. I took out the GPS device and the charger, the flashlights, and the ax, and set them on my bed. Then I took the items I’d bought at the grocery store and set them next to the other things.

  When I heard the garage door open and my family coming in the house, I unloaded my school stuff from the backpack and shoved in the items I’d laid out on my bed, then zipped it closed and put it in the closet.

  “Morgan,” Mom called up the stairs.

  “Yeah?”

  “I need your help. Can you come down here please?”

  “Okay.” I went downstairs to see what Mom wanted.

  “How was your day?” Mom asked.

  “Okay.” I paused. “What’s up?”

  “Tonight is Back to School night at Zac and Brandon’s school, so we need to eat a little early. Can you start on dinner?”

  “Oh. Okay.” This was the first time I’d been asked to make dinner and I had no idea what to make. “Did you have something in mind?”

  Mom handed me a recipe. “We should have all the ingredients.”

  Relieved that I wouldn’t have to wing it, I read the recipe and began to pull out the items I would need. Following the recipe was relatively easy and while I worked in the kitchen I was able to fantasize about how the next day would go. I would easily find the tunnel and then when I got to the hut I would hack my way through the walls. Then I would hurry home and it would be so wonderful to be back in my normal world.

  But what if the timing was all wrong? What if I needed to wait until November? What might happen then? When I came out of the hut would I still be in this world? Or worse, would I be in another world altogether?

  Doubting now if my plan would work, I waffled on what to do. But then I decided I had to try. I couldn’t suffer through two mo
re months of this place unless I knew I had no other choice. As I set dinner on the table, I tried to focus on the here and now.

  “This turned out great, Morgan,” Mom said as we ate the casserole.

  “Thanks.”

  “Can you make some cookies for dessert?” Brandon asked around his mouthful of food.

  His mention of cookies brought back the memory of all that had happened at school and my joy in leaving was tempered by the humiliation that was still so fresh.

  “Not tonight,” Mom said before I had a chance to respond.

  “Why not?” he asked. “I like her cookies.”

  Mom frowned as she glanced at me and I felt like she was silently accusing me of something, though I wasn’t sure what it was.

  “I think we’ve had enough cookies for a while, son.” Mom turned her gaze to me and raised her eyebrows, then turned her focus back to her meal.

  I thought I understood her message—No more cookies, Morgan—though I didn’t understand what the big deal was. It didn’t matter anyway, now that I was planning on leaving.

  After we finished eating, Mom told Amy she wanted her to clean up.

  “But it’s Morgan’s turn tonight,” Amy said, frowning.

  “She made dinner,” Mom said, then turned to me. “Besides, I need to talk to her.”

  My happiness at not having to clean up was quickly replaced by worry at the tone of Mom’s voice. “Okay.”

  Amy sighed loudly. “Fine.”

  “Morgan, let’s go up to my room.” Mom stood from the table.

  My worry grew as I followed her up the stairs. What could this be about? Had she heard about my humiliation at school?

  Mom sat at the foot of her bed and patted the spot next to her. “Sit down, Morgan.”

  I did as she asked, but didn’t say anything, waiting for her to take the lead. A look of sadness crept across her face and I felt my heart drop. Whether in this world or the one I had come from, I knew that look. Disappointment. I’d only seen that look on her face directed toward me one other time.