After (Parallel Series, Book 4)

by Christine Kersey

  Amy said, “It’s a new year, so it’s time for a new attitude. Make the better choice, and choose foods that will fuel our bodies.”

  The next part was the most difficult for me to say, but I forced the words out of my mouth, reminding myself that I was only doing this for Amy. “The healthier we are, the healthier those around us will be.”

  Thankfully, Amy was assigned the slogan, and she said it with gusto. “A healthy me is a healthy world!”

  It took several hours and many takes, but eventually we finished.

  I half-hoped that Holly would say we were terrible and that they wouldn’t be able to use it, but my wish was not to be.

  “Wonderful job, girls,” she said. “I’m so excited to get this live.”

  “Me too,” Amy said.

  I tried to hide my excitement, which was easy since it was nonexistent.

  “At the first of the year we’ll hold a special assembly at your schools to introduce the new slogan, and this PSA will be the centerpiece.” Her smile widened. “Congratulations.”

  On the drive home I was quiet, but no one seemed to notice since Amy chatted with exuberance about our day. Her delight in our experience more than made up for my glumness.

  Chapter 25

  Billy

  “How’d it go?” I asked Morgan when she arrived at my house on the afternoon she filmed the PSA. I’d been at Tasco’s house for nearly a month, and I was beginning to think of it as my house too.

  She flopped onto the couch with a dramatic sigh. “Amy loved it.”

  I laughed. “That’s not a surprise. What I want to know is, what did you think about it?”

  She sat up straighter and frowned at me. “It was just like you would imagine a morning spent with Holly and her obsession with having a healthy lifestyle would be.”

  She described the way the commercial went and recited the entire script.

  I gazed at her. “Are you so against having a healthy lifestyle?”

  She stared at me, then said, “Of course not. I’m just against the government forcing us to do it.”

  “Well, yeah. I know, and I am too. But that PSA doesn’t sound like it’s forcing anyone to do anything.”

  Her lips pressed into a straight line. “Come on, Billy. You know it’s only the beginning.” A look of irritation came over her face. “Why are you arguing for their side anyway?”

  I laughed. “I’m not. I’m just trying to understand why you seem so bothered by this commercial.” I paused as I looked at her. “It doesn’t sound like it was too terrible.”

  “That’s because we don’t know where it’s going to lead. For all we know, they’ll use that to soften people up before they create more rules.”

  Now that I’d left my world behind, I’d started to become pretty comfortable with the way things worked in this world, and I wondered if Morgan was overreacting. I was sure it had been quite a shock to come to my world after being used to such unquestioned freedom here, but that didn’t mean that this world was headed to the same place my world had ended up.

  I decided it was best to move the conversation in another direction. “What do you want for Christmas? It’s only a few weeks away, you know.”

  Her features smoothed out. “I love Christmas. It’s my favorite holiday.”

  When I was a kid I’d liked Christmas just fine, but it had been a while since that holiday—or any holiday—had been fun for me. This year was going to be different though. Now that I had Morgan and her family in my life—even Tasco—I knew it had to be better than it had been in the past.

  As it turned out, Tasco had made plans to take his kids on a trip for Christmas, so Morgan’s family invited me to spend a few days with them. On Christmas Eve eight-year-old Brandon was quite concerned with the idea of me sleeping on the couch.

  “What if Santa sees you and decides not to leave any presents?” he asked.

  Trying to hold back a laugh, I told him, “I’ll hold really still, and I’ll make sure my eyes are closed. Then I know he’ll leave presents.”

  That seemed to mollify him. The next morning Brandon shook me awake.

  “He came,” he said, his eyes shiny with excitement.

  “Who?” I asked, pretending not to know what he was talking about.

  “Santa. Santa came.”

  Rubbing my eyes, I slowly sat up on the couch. “Really? I didn’t even hear him.”

  A look of disappointment came over Brandon. “So you didn’t see him?”

  “Nope. Sorry, dude.”

  A short time later the rest of the family came down to the living room, and after everyone opened their presents, we had a big breakfast. Warmth pulsed through me as I began to realize that Morgan’s family had kind of become my adopted family.

  Chapter 26

  Morgan

  On the Friday after Christmas break we were on an assembly schedule. Dread pounded inside me as I knew this would be the big reveal of the PSA Amy and I had done.

  Though Amy had told everyone she knew about it, the only person I’d told was Billy. I hadn’t even told Rochelle. I don’t know why. Maybe in the back of my mind I’d hoped it would just go away.

  At the end of health, Billy and I went with the rest of our class to the auditorium. This time we were one of the first classes to arrive so we sat near the front. A large white screen hung down, obviously in preparation to show the PSA.

  Billy sat next to me, and when I saw Mr. Cunningham walk onto the stage ready to begin, I held tightly to Billy’s hand.

  “I know you hate this,” Billy murmured next to me. “But you have to stay calm.”

  “I know,” I said. But saying it wasn’t the same as doing it, and I hoped I could fly under the radar.

  “Good afternoon,” Mr. Cunningham said. “I trust that you all had a good holiday break.” A number of kids cheered, and once they settled down he went on. “We have a return guest today, someone who is here for a special presentation.” Then Mr. Cunningham looked right at me. “I trust that you’ll give her your full attention and be on your best behavior.”

  I narrowed my eyes. Why did he feel the need to warn me? Was she going to do something I wasn’t going to like? The thought made my heart pound, and any calm I’d forced on myself fled.

  “Now, you may remember when Mrs. Bennett from the Healthy Lifestyles Organization came to talk to us late last year,” he said.

  Several kids booed at that, but they quieted when Mr. Cunningham glared at them.

  “She told you about a contest, and today she has some exciting news.” He paused and smiled. “Please welcome Mrs. Holly Bennett.”

  A smattering of applause greeted her as she took the mic from Mr. Cunningham.

  “Good afternoon, students,” she said, her white teeth shining in the lights.

  She wasn’t looking at me, so I took the opportunity to study her. It was eerie to see her standing there under the bright lights when my memory of her alternate-self was so fresh in my mind. The self who directed a pair of Enforcers to hold me down while a third person injected the torture device into the base of my skull. Her words on that day echoed in my mind. Remember, Morgan. You wanted this.

  A shudder raced through me, and Billy gently squeezed my hand.

  “As Mr. Cunningham reminded you,” Holly said. “We held a contest to find the best slogan for our Healthy Lifestyles Initiative. As many of you probably know, your very own Morgan Campbell’s sister won this contest.”

  I felt everyone’s eyes shift to me, and I tried to stop myself from sliding down in my seat.

  “What most of you don’t know, however,” she went on, “is that Morgan helped her sister come up with the winning slogan.”

  Blood rushed to my face in mortification. I was the girl who’d protested what her organization wanted to do, yet I’d helped with the slogan?

  “At least she didn’t tell them that you actually came up with it,” Billy whispered in my ear.

  I glanced at him and saw the half-
smile on his face, then I faced Holly and hoped everyone else was looking at her now too.

  “We are pleased to announce Amy Campbell’s winning slogan,” Holly said. “But I think it would be appropriate if Morgan told you exactly what it is.” She looked right at me. “Please come up on stage, Morgan.”

  This was unexpected and I wanted to bolt.

  “Go ahead,” Billy said. “Just get it over with.”

  I turned to him. “I don’t want to do this.”

  “I know,” he said. “But you don’t have a choice.”

  Choice. That’s what this whole thing is about. And I was about to exercise mine.

  “Come on, Morgan,” Holly urged. “Don’t be shy.”

  My gaze shifted to her, and I felt such loathing for this woman that I was certain it shone from my eyes like a beacon. When my eyes met hers her smile faltered, and I knew she could read the hatred in my face.

  “That’s okay,” I said. My gaze flicked to Mr. Cunningham, who stood off to the side of the stage. “I’m fine down here.”

  My refusal obviously threw her, because she seemed to struggle for a second to know what to say. Finally she pushed her fake smile back onto her lips. “All right. Well, I suppose I’ll tell you.”

  She gestured to the large screen hanging behind her, and Amy’s poster appeared in full color.

  “As you can see for yourself, the winning slogan is ‘A healthy me is a healthy world.’” Holly applauded, and a number of kids did as well, evidently following her lead. “Yes, thank you.” She paused as she waited for the applause to peter out. “Now it’s time to show you a brief commercial that Morgan and her sister made to go along with the winning slogan.”

  I didn’t make it, I wanted to shout. I just participated in the stupid thing. Holly made it sound like Amy and I put it together. Frowning, I waited while the lights were dimmed, then I looked at the screen hanging in the center of the stage.

  The commercial was brief, but effective, and I glanced at the faces of the kids around me. Some were actually nodding like they agreed with the message.

  The lights came back on, and Holly took the stage. “Wasn’t that great?”

  The applause was a little more enthusiastic this time.

  “Yes,” Holly said. “Morgan and her sister did a terrific job.” Another pause until the clapping stopped. “This commercial is online now, and soon you’ll see it on TV.” She paused again, obviously trying to get everyone’s attention. “I have one other announcement today.”

  What? I didn’t know about any other announcement that was tied to the PSA.

  “What is it?” Billy asked me.

  I shrugged, but I had a bad feeling.

  “As part of our Healthy Lifestyles Initiative,” Holly said, “your school district has been selected to participate in an important pilot program. Beginning next week all students will be required to stop by the nurse’s office every thirty days to have their weight recorded.”

  Chapter 27

  Morgan

  I gasped in shock. Weigh-ins? Here? In my world?

  The auditorium erupted in chatter, and Mr. Cunningham took the mic from Holly. “Settle down,” he demanded. “Settle down.”

  After several moments everyone quieted, and he handed the mic back to Holly.

  “Thank you, Mr. Cunningham,” she said with a smile, like the news she’d just delivered was a positive development. “I’m sure you’re wondering why we want to gather this information. Well, that’s just it. We’re interested in looking for trends. We’re not going to keep track of each person’s individual weight, but rather we’re going to combine the data for the purpose of seeing how effective our Healthy Lifestyles Initiatives is.”

  “What if we don’t want to do it?” a girl called out.

  Holly’s smile never dimmed. “Participation is not optional.”

  I felt my body tense as the urge to say something crept up my throat. My gaze shot to Mr. Cunningham, but he wasn’t looking at me. He must have known about this announcement. That’s why he’d looked directly at me when he warned us to be on our best behavior.

  “I’m not going to do it,” another girl shouted from somewhere in the middle of the room.

  I was glad other people were speaking out—it made it less necessary for me to say anything.

  “Think about our new slogan,” Holly said. “A healthy me is a healthy world. If we don’t all work together, then our society will be headed down the wrong path. The path to obesity. The path to poor health. The path to shorter life spans.” She paused. “Your leaders—the people we voted into office—they believe this new path is the best path for our country.

  “One day,” Holly continued, “your generation will be in charge, and if you decide we should take another direction, you can change it. These weigh-ins will help us to help you. Where we find patterns of weight gain, we can adjust the food choices to accommodate that.”

  Her smile grew. “All of these changes are there to help you to have a healthier life.”

  I squirmed in my seat as thoughts churned through my head. I had no interest in what our ‘leaders’ thought was best for me, and I didn’t want to wait years to make a difference. I wanted to be able to make my own decisions now. It seemed lots of other kids felt the same way.

  I was on my feet before I’d made a conscious decision to stand, and since everyone else remained seated, all eyes shifted to me.

  “Morgan,” Holly said as she zeroed in on me, her smile dimming several watts. “Did you have a comment?”

  I nodded, then dove in. “I think the weigh-ins are a mistake.” Out of the corner of my eye I noticed movement and I shifted my gaze to Mr. Cunningham, who had taken a couple of steps toward Holly. When his gaze met mine, he shook his head, but I ignored him as I focused back on Holly.

  “Weigh-ins are just the first step,” I said. “Next thing you know, we’ll have to weigh ourselves at home so that the government can take note of—” I held up my fingers to do air quotes. “‘—weight gain patterns.’ And then what? Will the government adjust our meals at home too?”

  “Now, Morgan,” Holly said, her face showing a battle between the fake smile and a deep frown. “I think you’re getting way, way ahead of yourself. The government has no intention of doing any such thing.”

  Her gaze locked on mine, and a shocking thought filled my mind. If she had access to the torture device in this world—and it was still in my neck—would she be pressing it about now?

  She laughed, like I was being completely ridiculous. “Where do you come up with these things, anyway?” She pursed her lips. “You have quite the imagination, don’t you, Morgan?”

  As much as I wanted to scream that such a thing had actually happened, and that I’d lived it, I clenched my jaw to keep the words from flowing out of my mouth and into the open space of the auditorium where I wouldn’t be able to take them back.

  “You said it yourself,” Holly said as she gestured to the screen where the PSA had been shown a short time before. “The healthier we are, the healthier those around us will be.” With a furrowed brow, like she was completely confused, she shook her head at me. “Was that all a lie? Did you not mean it?”

  I felt Billy slide his hand into mine and I glanced at him as he sat in his seat, then I looked back at Holly and glared at her. “You know I only said it because it was on the cue cards.”

  Her eyes widened, like her confusion had worsened. “If you were so against this, then why did you do the PSA in the first place, Morgan?” She chuckled. “It makes you look kind of . . . how should I say this? Hypocritical.”

  There. She’d said it. In front of my whole school. And now everyone would think it. “I did it for my sister. You told my mother that you wouldn’t let Amy be in your stupid commercial unless I did it too. That’s the only reason I agreed to do it.”

  I heard gasps coming from the students around me at my obvious insubordination to an adult, but I tuned them out as I focused on the wo
man who seem determined to turn my world into a place that would make everyone’s lives miserable.

  She shook her head, like that was completely false. “But Morgan, that simply isn’t true. Be honest now. You begged me to let you be in it.”

  That was a complete and total lie, and I knew she knew it. On top of that, I couldn’t believe we were having this argument in front of the whole school. What was her game? And was I playing right into it? I decided it was time to put an end to this. Especially with the murderous look on Mr. Cunningham’s face. “I revoke your permission to use me in your commercial,” I called out.

  “My agreement is with your parents,” she said. “You are a minor, which means you don’t have the legal standing to change the contract that your parents signed with the HLO.” She laughed softly as she looked around the room. “But don’t worry. You’re getting the attention you so desperately seem to crave.”

  I followed her gaze and saw that at least half the kids in the room had their smart phones out, filming the exchange. When I met the gaze of the boy filming me from the row right in front of mine, he smiled, but held his phone steady.

  Feeling defeated, and knowing I was going to be in deep trouble with Mr. Cunningham, I decided I’d said enough, and I sat down.

  The boy in front of me turned back to the front, and I hoped everyone else was losing interest in me as well.

  “Well, then,” Holly said. “That was exciting, wasn’t it? There are strong feelings on both sides of this issue. Your leaders feel very strongly that they need to do all they can to help you to make healthy food choices.” She glanced at me, then said, “Despite what some say, I expect full cooperation from all of you in regards to the monthly weigh-ins that will begin next week.” She smiled again. “Thank you so much for letting me speak to you today.”

  A few students clapped, then Mr. Cunningham dismissed us. My gaze met his and he pointed to me, then pointed in the direction of his office. I got the message and turned to Billy. “I’m going to talk to Mr. Cunningham.”