Imprisoned

by J D Jacobs

  “What did you throw?” Cody asks me.

  “It was a journal I found. It wasn’t really that important.” Actually, burning the journal was me giving up on finding anybody else and ridding of all my hope altogether, but what Cody doesn’t know won’t kill him. “I sit here for a while. You can fast-forward if you want.”

  Jenkins presses another button, and the fire starts dwindling in high speed as Smoke Boy remains watching it. He eventually gets up and starts jogging back to Stevenson’s. Of course, this is where I got the bottles for the Molotov–

  Oh no. I totally forgot. I burned down Terra’s house.

  “Uhh, Jenkins, speed through this.”

  “What are you doing here?” Cody asks as Smoke Boy quickly collects the bottles, sleeves, and gas. “Making Molotovs? Ah, dude, that’s awesome!”

  “N-not really,” I stutter, getting nervous. “Uhh, Jenkins, speed this up as fast as you can.”

  “You sure?” he asks as he does so.

  “Actually, get out of this completely. I think we’ve seen enough already.” My words are rushing out; my forehead burning up. “Come on, hurry up.”

  “Wait, what happens here?” Cody asks as I toss a Molotov in the first house. It’s not going fast enough. “I’m not gonna judge you if you did anything weird. You have Molotovs, so how bad can this–”

  “JENKINS, TURN IT OFF!” I yell at him, making my way to the table and pressing buttons myself. The scene at Terra’s zips by. Maybe Cody didn’t see it. Jenkins finally presses a red button that turns the screen off completely. The room is quiet as we look at the black screen. I look at Cody, scared for his reaction.

  “Was that what I thought it was?” Cody asks, shocked. His eyes are still glued to the screen as if the scene were still being shown.

  “Cody, listen to me, it’s not what it looked like.”

  “Really? Because it looked like my best friend burning down my girlfriend’s house for no fucking reason.” His eyes fall to me. “Did you seriously do that?”

  “Look, when I got to her house… I don’t know. I thought everybody was dead. There was no reason not to.”

  “No reason not to!? Are you serious!? She could’ve been in there! She was your friend, too, and you just burned her house down! Why would you do that? Because you were bored? Was that it!?” Cody is devastated; I even think I can see tears forming in the corner of his eyes. “Jesus, Jaden, she could’ve been in there! She might’ve survived just like you did!”

  “Cody, I know for a fact she wasn’t in that house.” The only thing I could think of to defend myself is going to immediately backfire. Once it leaves my mouth, I shut my eyes, knowing what I have to tell him now.

  “How’s that?” He impatiently looks at me.

  The lump in my throat is choking me. “Because I found her body outside the Westwood wall.”

  His eyes widen. They blink furiously as he tries to grasp what he heard. “You mean…” He chokes up. Why is he acting surprised? Did he honestly think she would still be alive? “…you mean you knew she was dead and never told me?”

  “I didn’t know I should. I thought that was assumed already.”

  He shakes his head in utter disgust. His face is disappointed. “You never tell me anything anymore. Nothing about all this weird shit that keeps happening to you; I’m just left in the dark. But even the things you know that affects me and the people that I loved, you keep from me! What kind of friend does that?” He turns to storm out of the room, but I grab his arm before he does.

  “Cody, please. It’s not like that. You have to understand–”

  “Oh, I understand. I understand that you’re not the same person I went to high school with. You let the Cozmin change you.” He slaps his opposite hand down hard on my grip. “Get your hands off me.” He throws me one last bitter glare before he leaves the room.

  41.

  “You need to talk to him about it.” Sabrina drinks through her straw, eyeing me sternly.

  “It’s not that simple. Do you know how bad what I did was?” I haven’t touched my food, but that’s no surprise. I’ll probably give my food to one of the nine-year-olds that Sabrina teaches. “He didn’t talk to me all day yesterday and hasn’t said anything to me today. He even moved out of my room. Cody’s really upset with me over this.”

  “Cody can have a reason to be upset, but he has no reason to cut you off,” Sabrina assures me. “You honestly thought everyone was dead. It’s not like you meant to hurt anybody. Both you and him are in the wrong, so you two need to talk about it.”

  “How am I going to talk to him about it when he won’t listen to me? He’s been avoiding me ever since the courthouse. I don’t know what to do.”

  “Give him a surprise visit,” Sabrina suggests as she nibbles on her apple slices. “If I were you, give him time, maybe even wait until tomorrow. When he gets off work, knock on his room door and talk to him. Like adults do.”

  I consider the idea as if it was one that I hadn’t considered a hundred times already. Me showing up to his room wouldn’t work; he’d slam the door in my face. But it’s not like any other ideas have come to me yet. “You’re right. I guess that’s my only option.”

  “It won’t hurt anything. You two are too good of friends to stay mad at each other. Everything will work out fine.”

  I stay quiet, watching her eat her lunch. Sabrina’s small class sits a few tables behind her. Most of the kids have already finished their food and are now turning their attention to giving each other noogies and laughing incredibly loud. Knowing what the Cozmin has done to all of humanity, it’s good to see these kids growing up in a relatively normal school. Compared to the deranged lifestyle that Avvil had, I would definitely say that Tryton is a lot more civilized and structured.

  “How are you liking teaching so far?” I ask, nodding to her class behind her. “The kids aren’t too much for you to handle, are they?”

  “No, I love them,” she says with a proud grin. “Those kids are going to be great one day. They have to be. They’re the only future that humanity has left.”

  “That’s depressing when you consider that I just watched a kid pick his nose and wipe the booger on that little girl’s shoulder.” Sabrina follows my pointed finger to a long-haired kid giving an evil laugh while the girl sitting next to him is on the verge of disgusted tears.

  “Zachary! I saw that!” Sabrina shouts at the boy. “Go to Principal Bruno’s office right now!”

  “But Ms. Jenkins, she was asking for it!” the kid defends himself. What a convincing excuse; I think he successfully fooled Sabrina.

  “Quit lying to me. Go. Right now.” She’s so bossy. It’s pretty hot; I like it. Sabrina turns back toward me, then looks at her wristwatch (the same one I got her a few days ago for a hundred trytes). “I have to go before these kids get too out of hand. I should’ve gotten them back to class five minutes ago.”

  “You’re off at 4, right?” I ask her as she stands up from the table and throws the rest of her uneaten food in her lunchbox.

  “Technically, yes. But tonight may be a busy night for me.”

  “That’s fine.” I stand up and give her a quick kiss. “I’ll come check on you later and may or may not surprise you with something.”

  She smiles. “That sounds great. I’m sure I’ll love it.” She turns and walks over to her table of nine-year-olds, then leads them back to their classroom. I give my uneaten food to one of the kids and leave the cafeteria. She might not like the smell of the Cinnamon Vanilla candle I plan on giving her tonight, but it always warms my heart to see her eyes widen in joy whenever she opens a random gift from me. Seeing her happy is the happiest I’ve ever been.

  As I begin the cross-city hike back to the hospital, I think back to the scene in Abbi’s control room, a moment I’ve replayed in my head multiple times since it happened. One thing that has stood out to me was how Jenkins took forever to exit out of the burning houses scene. I know he’s seen that scene be
fore, but did he know the significance that Terra’s house had? Was he purposely showing it to make Cody mad at me?

  I’ve thought it over a lot. According to Dad, the show I’m going to have with Abbi has sounded like a doubtful project. The way I see it, Jenkins just wanted a reason to make Cody mad at me, all while also making me relive Westwood. On top of that, he got to prove to me that Grant has been constantly lying to me, too. Very effective way for Jenkins to punish the three people in this city that he dislikes the most.

  I let Jenkins’s puny demeanor convince me, yet again, that he might not be too bad after all. There’s no way a man that innocent can still have those intentions, right?

  “The only ones who are perceived as evil are the ones who are bad at hiding their intentions.” Jesus, I can easily recite that quote by now. Can’t get Ricardo’s loathsome voice out of my head. But he was right. Even when Jenkins looks me in the eye and apologizes for the letter, I still somehow want to believe that he didn’t write it. It’s so naïve and stupid of me.

  I walk by Bridge Park and suddenly become drawn to it. I don’t want to go back to that cold hospital right now. I want to stay here for a minute, bask in the sunshine and breathe in the outside air.

  I walk through the park, shaking the hands of everyone who greets me. The park isn’t that crowded, but it’s still lively. Lots of people have gotten used to me walking around the city, but many people are still very warming to see me. I make my way through the park until I see a man lying in a hammock between two trees that stand tall at the top of a small hill. I make my way up the hill, trying not to disturb the man who’s nose-deep in a novel.

  I sit on the ground, my back against the trunk of the tree. The view out into the park from the hill is comforting. It’s so much more relaxing to be outside than in that hospital room. Being inside gives me anxiety; I guess I have Ricardo to blame for that.

  “Well, well. Long time, no see,” I hear from the man in the hammock. Once I hear his voice, I grin. Should’ve known better than to expect someone to actually be reading in the park.

  “Haven’t seen you since my Atonement,” I tell Xander as I continue looking out into the park. “Never got a chance to thank you for saving me. I’d be dead if you didn’t show up.”

  “Oh, I know. And even though both of those statements were simply facts, I’ll take them as a thank you.”

  “I’m sure you know the predicaments I’m in right now, with Cody and the letter.” I turn around to see him pushing himself to swing higher in the hammock. “What should I do?”

  “About your friend? Easy: apologize. Be upfront about it. He was hit with two devastating facts: his girlfriend is dead and his best friend doesn’t seem to care. First one isn’t that much of a shocker. Second one is going to need some clarifying.”

  “Good point,” I admit, “but what about the letter? What should I do about that?”

  “Why should you do anything about it?” he presumptuously asks.

  “Pretty obvious: because someone in this city wants me and Cody out of the picture. And I can almost guarantee you that it’s Jenkins.”

  “Okay, everything you said was an assumption,” he tells me, “but let’s pretend you’re completely right. So what? This person had the chance to get both you and Cody out of the picture and failed to do so. You think this person is going to do anything to you two now that you guys are both safely in Tryton? Good luck carrying that out without starting a riot. Nothing bad is going to happen to you as long as the people here love you. Trust me.”

  The assurance is nice, but it doesn’t help ease my thoughts. “Thanks. But if you’re wrong–”

  “I’m never wrong,” he gloats. I watch as a book flies over my legs and lands softly in the grass at my feet. “I’m about to take a nap. I can tell you want something to do while you sit there, so read this book. It’s a classic. Five stars.”

  I reach over and pick up the book. How to Get Distracted as I Disappear Behind You, by Alexander Bryson.

  42.

  I’ve been pacing my room and running through my thoughts for an hour now. I can’t seem to convince myself to go to Cody’s room and apologize; not because I’m not sorry, but because I’m afraid I’ll say the wrong thing again and make things worse. My alarm clock glows 9:13 PM. After lethargically exploring Tryton all day, I met Sabrina for a quick dinner. She was busy, but still took the time to see me. She also loved the candle I got for her. I knew that my procrastination ended when our dinner did, but I’ve been finding ways to prolong it in my room. Read some magazines. Talked to a few of the nurses outside my room. Read over the letter in the cigar box a few times.

  If I’m going to apologize, I need to do it now. There’s no sense in keeping my best friend mad at me.

  I pat my back pocket and finally leave my room. Cody moved into an empty room on the fourth floor, so I make my way to the elevators and head there.

  The fourth floor is a lot more crowded than mine. I greet my way past the nurses until I make it to room 411. I take a deep breath, then knock on the door.

  Cody opens the door a few seconds later with a bitter look in his eyes. “What do you want?”

  “I came to apologize,” I wholeheartedly tell him. I wait for him to respond, but he doesn’t. I notice the bitterness leaving his face as he looks at the floor. “Can I come in?”

  He looks up at me. “Sure.”

  I walk in his room, which is nearly identical to mine. “Nice place,” I compliment him. “I’m sure it beats living out of a duffle bag on the couch.”

  “Yeah, it does,” he agrees.

  “Look, I’m sorry about what happened. You’re my best friend and you deserved to know what happened to Terra.”

  “It wasn’t Terra that upset me, Jaden,” Cody begins, walking over to sit on the edge of his bed. “It has more to do with how you’ve been acting since you came to Tryton. You’re not the same.”

  “None of us are the same anymore, Cody. That virus changed us all.”

  “Yeah, but things with you are different in a different way.” His eyes maintain a sturdiness to them.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean you don’t tell me anything anymore. Take for instance the time in Avvil when you passed out and told everyone that you had some type of vision. You shrugged it off, like it happens all the time. And it probably does, because I remember something similar happening when you first got to Tryton. You never told me anything about having any visions.”

  “I never got around to it,” I defend myself. “If I’m being honest, I didn’t think you would believe me. It was this random ability I was given when I woke up in Westwood. I don’t even know how to explain it, so how was I supposed to convince you that I wasn’t lying?”

  “You have no problem mentioning it to Grant, though. You tell him everything now. You trust him too much, more than you even trust me.”

  Is he jealous of Grant? I want to call him out on it, but I know that will only make things worse. If he really thinks that I don’t trust him anymore, then the ace I have hidden in my sleeve should convince him otherwise. “Fine. You think I trust Grant more than I trust you? You want me to show you something that I haven’t shown anybody else on this planet?” I reach in my back pocket and pull out the letter. “This letter was handed to me by Miguel Ricardo himself. He told me somebody from Tryton wrote him this letter and sent it to him, but he wouldn’t tell me who wrote it. That’s why he had me locked up and was looking to throw you in the Arena. Read it.”

  I hand him the letter with authority. He unfolds the letter and reads it all the way through, then skims it a few more times. “You can’t say that I don’t tell you anything or don’t trust you anymore. I’ve never showed anybody this letter, and I trust you won’t tell anybody about it.”

  He reads it a few more times, his eyes scanning it. “You think I’m the extra?” he asks.

  “Yes. I think Jenkins wrote that letter to Ricardo. I don’t know if I should do s
omething about the letter. If so, I don’t even know what to do.”

  Cody chuckles as he remains eyeing the paper.

  “What?”

  “You really think Jenkins wrote this letter?” he shrewdly asks.

  “Yeah, who else could it be?”

  “Grant. And it’s obvious.”

  “What!?” The fact that Cody would accuse Grant throws me off. “Jenkins wrote that letter to Ricardo. Why would Grant do it?”

  “C’mon, Jaden. Did you not hear what Jenkins said the other day in the control room? Grant lied to you about Abbi. There’s no telling what else he lied to you about. Grant had the same fame as you did before you swiped it away from him. Grant doesn’t want you around. This makes perfect sense.”

  “It makes no sense at all,” I bark back. “First off, why would he even want you dead?”

  “Did he ever say my name in the letter? No. He says he wants the ‘extra’ dead. I jumped on the helicopter last minute, so there’s no way he was writing about me. He wanted Jenkins dead. I mean, Jenkins is the man who locked his precious bird up, right? Grant has reasons to dislike Jenkins.” He folds the letter back up. “Think about it: who has access to Abbi so she could secretly fly a letter across the country and tell someone to kill his people? It’s obvious, Jaden. Grant has never been on your side. He’s wanted you and Jenkins out of the picture this entire time, and what better time to do it than when you two go on a mission to some mystery city.”

  I can’t believe what I’m hearing. The fact that he would have the audacity to accuse Grant of this infuriates me. “That is bullshit. Grant did not write that letter. I know for a fact that Jenkins wrote it.”

  “Why are you still stuck on Jenkins being the villain?” Cody asks as he stands up. “You would think that since you’re dating his daughter, you would have some sympathy for the man. Have you not seen him lately? He’s a dead man walking! Did it ever occur to you that Ricardo put that bracelet on Jenkins because someone told him to?” He tauntingly shakes the letter in his hand.