After (Parallel Series, Book 4)

by Christine Kersey

  At the restaurant in Fox Run Becky sat beside me, and Jim sat across from us. We were enjoying our meal, having a nice conversation, when a woman stopped beside our table and let out a loud gasp. I’d never seen her before, but Jim and Becky seemed to know her.

  “Maryann,” Becky said with a nervous smile as her gaze went between Jim and the new arrival.

  “Oh my goodness,” Maryann said as she stared at me. “Is that . . ?” Her gaze ricocheted between my face and Becky’s. “How is this possible?”

  This kind of thing was the exact reason we’d driven to Fox Run, but it turned out that no matter where we went, friends of Jim and Becky would inevitably see me. Anxious as to how Jim and Becky would explain my existence, I froze in place.

  “It’s complicated,” Jim said. “We’ll explain later.”

  Maryann’s hand floated upward and landed on her chest. “Oh my.”

  “I’ll call you, okay?” Becky said.

  Maryann’s mouth hung open, but she managed to nod.

  “Okay,” Jim said. “We’ll talk to you later.”

  Maryann nodded again, but this time she began walking away, although she kept glancing at me over her shoulder as she departed.

  “That might be problematic,” Jim said with a frown as he poked at his food with his fork.

  What did he mean by that? Was this the sign he’d been waiting for to tell him that having me around would complicate his life too much? Would this be the end of the line with him and Becky? Lowering my head, I stared at my lap and tried to control the unexpected tears that filled my eyes. I’d allowed my hopes to grow too high. I could see that now. I should have known better than to let myself grow close to these people—to anyone.

  Silence filled the space around me and I wondered if Jim and Becky were silently communicating to each other how they were going to deliver the news to me that this experiment had failed, and that they never wanted to see me again.

  “Billy?” Becky said, her voice soft.

  Bracing myself for the inevitable heartbreak, I lifted my head and met her gaze.

  “Billy, I’m so sorry,” she began.

  My breath hitched in my throat, and I found it hard to swallow over the massive lump that had formed. I clenched my jaw to stop my chin from quivering, and held her gaze. Determined not to let their rejection crush me, I kept the tears at bay by sheer force of will.

  “I’m so sorry,” she said again, “for the awful things that have happened to you, and the terrible way you’ve been treated.” Her voice softened. “You deserve so much better.”

  Her words didn’t make sense. Why was she saying nice things to me right before she and her husband discarded me like so much trash? What kind of person could be so cruel? Maybe Jim and Becky were more like my parents than I’d realized. Walls of protection began to lock into place around my heart, and if I’d been next to the aisle, I would have jumped up and fled. But Becky was in the way, and she was staring at me with her ever-present expression of love.

  Confused and hurt, I kept my lips pressed tightly together, my gaze steady on hers.

  “Billy,” Jim said, drawing my attention to him.

  At least he would say it outright, none of this trying to sound sweet and kind when all he really wanted to do was tell me to beat it.

  “Billy, Becky and I have spent a lot of time talking about you this week.”

  Here it comes. My shoulders folded inward as a kind of protection against the hurt he was about to inflict.

  A smile grew on his face. “What it comes down to is, we’d like you to move in with us.”

  Staring at him, unsure I’d heard him right, I blinked several times. His request was so unexpected, so opposite of what I’d prepared myself for, that I didn’t know what to do. “What?” I asked stupidly.

  Becky laughed beside me, and put her hand on my shoulder. “We want you to move in with us, Billy.”

  My mouth hung open and I shook my head slightly. “But, why?”

  “We want you in our lives,” Becky said.

  The reality of what they were asking began to sink in, but I hardly dared to consider that they truly meant it and I thought I should give them the opportunity to clarify. “This would be just temporary though, right?” Better to know that up front.

  Becky seemed startled by my suggestion. “Temporary? Why would it just be temporary? You need a home.” Her eyes welled with tears. “And we need you.”

  Needed me? Someone needed me? How could that even be possible? No one had ever needed me before. Well, Morgan may have, but that was different. “I don’t understand.” I needed concrete reasoning to believe her—this kind of thing didn’t happen to me, and I didn’t trust it.

  Sniffling, she got her tears under control. “Since I found you, you’ve been a balm to my soul. Maybe it’s selfish of me, but having you here is like having my Billy back.”

  I knew it. They wanted me as a replacement.

  She must have seen the look on my face because she quickly added, “I know you’re not the boy I raised, but you’re so much like him that it’s like you’re his twin brother.” Her eyes flooded with tears. “You fill a hole in my heart.”

  Could this really be happening? Could I really allow myself to care about these people? “I . . . I’m not sure.” Fear kept me from agreeing wholeheartedly, although I desperately wanted to say yes.

  “We understand how you must be feeling,” Jim said. “You’ve been through a lot in your young life, and we can see how you would have difficulty trusting people, trusting us.”

  My gaze met his. “You want me to move in too?” I needed to hear it from him directly.

  “Yes, of course. That’s why we invited you here tonight. After spending the day with you on Saturday, we knew, Billy. We knew that not only was it the right thing to do, but that it was what we wanted to do.”

  “But what about my story?” I had to be sure they had no doubts about this offer. I’d rather live in a homeless shelter than move in with them with such high hopes only to have them smashed later on.

  Jim nodded. “I’ve come to terms with it. I suppose I believe it.” He chuckled. “I mean, the fact that you exist kind of proves your story, doesn’t it?” Sadness swept over his face. “Besides, you’re so much like our Billy. How else could that be possible? Becky only gave birth to one child, so an actual twin would be impossible.” He smiled as he shook his head. “I know there are things in this world I don’t understand.” He was quiet a moment, then his voice dropped to a near whisper. “Sometimes you just have to go on faith.”

  Faith? Was that good enough? Maybe faith was what I needed. Faith to believe that they would truly love me. As I allowed myself to consider their offer—truly consider it—a feeling of peace settled into my chest. I didn’t know how this would work out, but it felt right to at least give it a chance. Give them a chance. I gazed at Jim, then looked at Becky, and the walls of protection around my heart crumbled. A genuine smile curved my mouth as my heart pounded. “Okay. I accept.”

  Fresh tears filled Becky’s eyes, but I knew they were happy tears this time. She slid her arm around my shoulder and tugged me against her side. “I’m so glad, Billy. So glad.”

  Her complete jubilation filled me with happiness too, and I smiled at these people who would become my family.

  Chapter 63

  Morgan

  I stayed up until Billy got home, but as soon as I saw his face I knew something had happened. Something good, but something big. The rest of my family was upstairs, so Billy and I were able to talk in private.

  “Hi,” I said. “I didn’t know you were going to be gone when I got home.”

  He smiled. “Yeah, Becky picked me up from school.”

  “What did you guys do?”

  His smile grew. “They took me out to dinner and invited me to move in with them.”

  “What?” He’d said it so casually that I wasn’t sure I’d heard him right. “Move in with them?”

 
“Yep.”

  “What did you say?” We sat on the couch, then he told me about their conversation and his decision to move into their house. He was obviously happy about it, and although he would be moving an hour away from me, I was happy for him. “That’s great. When will you move?”

  “We haven’t decided for sure, but soon.”

  Once he moved away, how often would I get to see him? The thought of hardly ever seeing my best friend saddened me, but I forced a smile on my face.

  Obviously sensing my reticence, he drew me into his arms. “We’ll still see each other a lot,” he said. “I promise.”

  “I know.” But I wasn’t completely convinced of it.

  “I need your advice though,” he said as he released me.

  I needed his advice too, but I focused on his needs first. “Okay. What’s up?”

  He told me about Becky’s friend who had stopped by their table at dinner. “I think she thought Billy had come back to life or something.”

  “I can see why she’d think that.”

  “Exactly. Which is why Jim and Becky want me to help them figure out what to tell people. I mean, they have a lot of friends who were there for them when their son died. They’ll have to tell them something when I suddenly come into the picture. We talked about all of the options we could think of, but we didn’t come to a decision.”

  “Maybe they could tell them that you’re Billy’s long lost twin.”

  “I think most people know they only had one kid though, and that there was never a twin. Besides, why would I have the same name?”

  I pursed my lips as I thought about it. “You could change your name.”

  He shook his head. “I’ve bounced around so much that my name is the only thing that’s been constant. If I change it, then I’ll feel like I’m losing some of me.”

  “Yeah, okay. I guess I can understand that.”

  We were quiet as we considered what else they could tell people.

  “I guess you could tell them the truth,” I finally said, since I couldn’t think of anything else.

  His mouth turned down into a frown. “That’s what I thought too, but imagine what will happen if that gets out.”

  “And you can count on that getting out. There’s no way that could possibly stay a secret. Not with the Internet and social media.”

  “That’s my biggest fear. I mean, why can’t I just lie low and live my life?”

  “Because people are curious.” I laughed. “Wouldn’t you be if you heard about some kid being from a parallel world?”

  “Yeah, I guess so.”

  “I know I would.”

  He was quiet for a minute. “I don’t see any other solution.”

  “Maybe Jim and Becky can ask their friends to not tell anyone.”

  “Yeah. That could work. I guess I’ll tell them to just tell the truth.” He sighed. “I don’t know what else we can do.”

  We sat quietly for a few moments, then I decided to tell him my news. “Hansen called me into his office today.”

  “Really? What did he want?”

  I told him about my conversation with Hansen, and then the worrisome news that the hacker was going to go forward with breaking into the HLO’s database. Billy didn’t say anything. “Yes,” I said. “I wish I’d listened to you and told Hannah I wouldn’t be their spokesperson, but it’s too late now.”

  He smiled at my confession. “Yes, it is. So what are you going to do?”

  I stared at him as my mind—and stomach—churned, then I made a snap decision. “I’m going to tell Hansen.”

  His mouth fell open. “Seriously?”

  “I don’t know,” I nearly squeaked. “No, I can’t.” I flung my head against the back of the couch, then turned and met his gaze. “But I have to, don’t I?”

  “What’s the worst that can happen if you keep it to yourself?”

  “Uh, the hacker gets caught, they tie it to our group, and then they come after me. And then I go to prison.”

  “Oh. Well when you lay it out like that, yeah, that is pretty bad.”

  My voice went up an octave. “I know.”

  “What’s the worst that will happen if you tell Hansen?”

  “The hacker gets caught and he goes to prison. But I’ll be off the hook.”

  “Hmm. I like that one better.”

  “So do I, but I don’t want to be a snitch.”

  “I know you don’t, but if the hacker won’t listen to Hannah, then it’s his own fault, right?”

  “I guess. But I just don’t want to be that girl. You know, the one everyone hates because she told on someone.”

  “Maybe you can arrange it so that you can come back to Fox Run.”

  I hadn’t thought of that. “Hmm. Maybe.” I frowned. “But you won’t even be there. Not for long, at least.”

  “Okay, you two,” Mom said as she came into the room. “Time to call it a night.”

  We told her Billy’s news before I headed up to my room to go to bed, and she was really happy for him. When I finally slipped between my sheets, I had trouble falling asleep. Besides my mixed feelings about Billy moving, I couldn’t decide what to do about the hacker. And I had to make a decision soon.

  Chapter 64

  Morgan

  “I’ll see you after school,” Billy said before Mom drove me to school. I gave him a quick kiss good-bye then went out to the car and headed to what felt like my day of doom. It seemed that no matter what I chose, I would lose. It was just a matter of how severe the consequences would be.

  “Are you okay, Morgan?” Mom asked. “You’re really fidgety this morning. Are you upset about Billy moving in with his parents?”

  “No. Well maybe a little.” I couldn’t tell her the real reason for my anxiety.

  “He’ll only be an hour away. You’ll be able to see him all the time.”

  “I know. But it will be so different.”

  “Of course it will be, but he’ll be much happier.”

  I couldn’t argue with that. After she dropped me off I walked straight to my locker, my mind on what to do about the hacker.

  “Morgan,” Hannah called to me.

  When I turned to see her walking straight towards me, I realized she was my last hope to avoid having to confess to Hansen. “Hey.”

  She seemed to be in a good mood. “Today’s the big day.”

  So soon? “Why? Why is he still doing it?”

  Her smile never faltered. “I guess he thinks it’s the right thing to do.”

  I didn’t understand why she seemed so happy about it, and suddenly I wondered if she’d actually tried to talk the hacker out of it. “You mean the day We Can Choose comes to an end?” I didn’t mention how I would be the one getting the worst of it as that didn’t seem to bother her.

  Her forehead creased. “That’s not going to happen.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “Because I have confidence, that’s how.”

  I stared at her a moment. “How many people know about this? I mean, besides you, me, Sara, Olivia, and Kate? Which is kind of a lot of people to know about someone doing something illegal.”

  “I trust all of those people.”

  “So no one else knows besides them?”

  She shook her head. “No.”

  “You’re sure?”

  She frowned. “Yeah, I’m sure.”

  “How?”

  “How, what?”

  “How can you be sure?”

  “How can I be sure about you, Morgan? I’ve known my other friends way longer than I’ve known you, yet I’m trusting you.”

  “Yeah, and I’m trusting you, which I’m now regretting.”

  “What?” She put her hands on her hips. “Why do you say that?”

  “Last week you said your friend wasn’t going to do it, so I agreed to be the spokesperson. But after we put the video up, suddenly he changed his mind? How do I know you weren’t just lying to me all along about him deciding not
to do it just to get me to agree?” And suddenly I knew that that was exactly what she had done. The look on her face—like she’d been caught—confirmed it.

  “That’s not what happened,” she said.

  “Did you even try to change his mind yesterday?”

  Her lips formed a straight line as she stared at me, like she was trying to decide what to tell me. “No,” she finally said. “I didn’t. I want him to do it. It’s what has to be done. Why can’t you see that?”

  Stunned by her admission, I didn’t know what to say, but then I recovered. “Aren’t you worried about getting in trouble? About killing We Can Choose?”

  “Of course. But after I thought about it I decided it was worth the risk.” She narrowed her eyes. “What about you, Morgan? What are you willing to risk?”

  I thought about the time I’d spent in Camp Willowmoss. That had been bad, but my time at Camp Stonewater had been even worse. I vividly recalled the torture I’d experienced, and remembered when Holly had broken me. I knew my limits. “I’ve risked more than you’ll ever know. But I’m done with that. I’m done being the poster girl for making things right. Of course I don’t want the government to have so much control, but I’m tired of it being up to me to fix it.” I stared at her. “I’m just . . . done.”

  I shut my locker and spun away from Hannah, and walked toward my first class.

  All through class my mind was spinning. Did I really mean it when I said I was done? Did I really want to give up that easily? Would someone else take up the cause? How much did I care about We Can Choose?

  By the time the bell for the end of first period rang, I’d made a decision, and when I walked into my second period class I went straight to Hannah and sat beside her. “I have to tell you something,” I said as I took my books out of my backpack and set them on my desk.

  “What?”

  “I’ll try to support your group, but I’m out as the spokesperson.”