I stayed hidden in the ship’s shadows as I memorized everything about him in that moment. My hands shook at my sides. I couldn’t tell him that tomorrow I would leave him to face Sandra.
I felt the soft touch of a hand on my arm. “Lexi.” Seth pulled me backward into the shadow of a balcony overhead. He looked straight out into the dark depths of the ocean, not making eye contact with me for even a second.
“What is it?”
“I ran blood tests on Jack.”
“Yeah? Did you find anything?”
He rubbed his hand back and forth across his unshaven jaw. Finally, he met my stare. Hope spilled from his eyes, leaving them dull and empty. “Yes. His white blood count is through the roof.”
“What does that mean? Infection of some sort? Can we give him stronger antibiotics?”
“It can mean a huge number of things, but based on how fast his white blood cells are crowding out his red blood cells, his body seems to be acting like a person in the late stages of leukemia.”
“Leukemia? As in cancer? How could Sandra have given Jack cancer?”
“I don’t think he has cancer. I think his body’s been instructed to act like it has cancer. Or as if it’s been overtaken by a severe infection. And if we don’t stop the multiplication of these diseased white blood cells, or force his healthy cells to crowd them out, he’ll die.”
My heart constricted, leaving me nearly breathless. “Do you have any ideas?”
“A few, but we aren’t at a hospital, and I’m afraid that even if we were, we would still need a miracle.”
“A miracle,” I repeated. I grabbed onto a railing and looked out across the ocean. There wasn’t a single light anywhere other than from our own boat. Waves and crests of water lapped against the hull, rocking us in a soothing motion. “Or perhaps a clone who has the ability to heal cancer or diseases of the blood.”
“Jonas.”
I whipped around. “What did you say?”
“Jonas is supposed to have that ability.”
“Supposed to? Why didn’t I know this? He never mentioned it.”
“I had been working with him. It’s a tricky power—healing cancer. He hasn’t been successful at it yet.”
“If he can heal such medical catastrophes, does that mean he could also cause them to happen?”
Seth remained silent as I stared at him with eyes that could drill through steel.
“Could he have instructed Maya to do this to Jack?” The same way Ty instructed Jonas to almost drown me?
I took Seth’s continued silence as confirmation. But why would Jonas do this? Sandra had to have forced him, which meant he had been unable to fight her invasion through his tracker. I lightly grazed Seth’s arm before turning to find Jack. Now, more than ever, I had to get to Palmyra.
I padded softly up to Jack and slid my arms around him, resting my chest against his back and my cheek between his shoulder blades. He had lost so much weight so quickly. His hand lifted and caressed my forearm.
You’ve been busy today. I haven’t seen you much.
I swallowed hard, working hard to keep all of my thoughts private. I’ve been sunning and enjoying all that this floating country club has to offer. Besides, you needed rest.
Jack turned in my arms. Don’t lie to me, Lexi. I know you’re going to Palmyra despite my begging you not to. He lifted strands of my hair, revealing the red streaks Briana had helped me with.
Let’s not talk about that right now. I linked my fingers with his. Follow me. I’ve got something a little more private planned for us. I flashed my best attempt at an easy smile.
I led Jack past the others and up the stairs to a higher deck on the bow of the boat. There, a table was set for two. Several lanterns cast a soft, candlelit glow around the table. Soothing music came through several hidden speakers.
“Dance with me,” Jack said.
“Of course.” I walked into his arms.
He drew my hand in and linked it with his over his heart. We swayed to the sounds of the music and the lapping of water below.
“What a strange world we’re sailing through,” he said. “On one hand, we’re experiencing an adventure aboard the kind of boat most people never even see from a dock. On the other hand, we’re here because we’ve faced terrible loss, the kind I wouldn’t wish on many of our worst enemies.”
I chuckled at his wording. “Yeah, we might wish the pain of loss on some of our enemies, but we’d be picky about it.”
Jack crooked a finger under my chin and angled my face toward his. “I’m sorry,” he said.
“What are you sorry for?”
“I’m sorry that I’m sick. I’m sorry that I didn’t take you away from Wellington the moment I figured out that we were both part of some giant government cloning project.” He looked up toward the stars then back down at me. Moisture pooled in his eyes until a single tear slid down his cheek. “Most of all, I’m sorry that our time together is going to get cut short.”
“Don’t say that,” I whispered. Tears threatened to fall—tears I had been fighting since the moment Sandra told me Jack would die without her help. I swallowed against an unforgiving lump in my throat. “I’ll fight for you. I’ll fight for us.”
“I know.” He pulled back just enough to reach into his back pocket. He pulled out a small, slender, silver box with a thin ribbon tied into a bow. “A present.”
I tried to smile, but my lips tugged downward. I opened the box to discover three hairpins, each decorated with beautiful red stones. “Rubies?”
“To match your new hair.” He fingered the streaks of bright red hair that extended behind my normal brunette. “But there’s more.” He took a barrette from the box. “Each pin has a rubber coating at the stick end of it. Pull that coating off like this.” He demonstrated by sliding the rubber covering away from the pin and holding it up in front of me.
“And it becomes a needle,” I said softly. “Does it have the paralyzing agent inside?”
“Yes. Enough to take down twenty or so people with each pin. It doesn’t take much.”
Conveniently, I had a ponytail holder on my wrist. I quickly wove my hair into a long side-braid, then, one by one, stuck the pins into the braid. Each had a protective clasp to secure it into my hair.
As I was clipping the third pin into the braid, a horn sounded below. I faced Jack, his eyes wide.
“What was that?” I grabbed Jack’s arm and held tight.
“Sounds like another boat.” He grabbed the silver box.
From below, we heard yelling, followed by a man’s voice through what sounded like a megaphone.
I ran to the side of the boat and leaned over the railing. Sure enough, another boat, one smaller than ours, had pulled up alongside our stern.
“It’s the Coast Guard. We have to go.” I started toward the stairs to the lower deck, but Jack stopped me.
“Wait.” He pulled something else out of the box. Something red.
“A ribbon? Jack, we don’t have time.”
“It’s not just a ribbon.” Any other time it would have been funny that Jack was giving me a silly red ribbon for my hair. “See the wire running through it? It’s a GPS tracker. Turn around.”
I did as he ordered. He inserted the wire through my hair and seemed to sew it into place throughout the braid.
“It’ll hold, and it’s waterproof. This will tell us where you are at all times—in case you decide to leave the boat.”
I cocked my head. “You knew I planned to leave in the morning, didn’t you?”
“I didn’t know when, but I knew nothing was going to stop you. Not even me, which is why—”
A loud, shrill scream cut through the air.
Jack and I stared at each other, our eyes panicked. We both went quickly to the stairs and practically fell as we scurried down them. At the bottom, we slowed, trying to assess the situation before we showed ourselves.
Out on the main deck, a body lay on its side, and Addison
was draped over top of it. Jack! It’s Anita. Why would the Coast Guard bring Anita to our boat, unless—
That’s not the Coast Guard. And Sandra knows we’re here.
Is she alive?
Addison cried over her mother’s body. Her mom seemed to move her hand, but only barely.
“We have a message for Sarah Roslin from Dr. Sandra Whitmeyer,” the man with the megaphone announced. “We know you’re listening. Sarah, if you have not arrived at Palmyra in two days, Jonas Whitmeyer will be terminated, along with your clone twin and the twin of your best friend. Every hour after that time, if you have still not arrived, we will terminate an additional clone.”
I have to go, I mindspoke to everyone capable of hearing.
I know, Jack answered.
I’m ready. Addison sat up from comforting her mom and turned her tear-streaked face toward where Jack and I stood. Her power of knowing where we were at all times always caught me off guard.
I have to go, now, I said only to Jack. I turned and kissed him hard on the lips. He pressed his palm to the back of my braid. We kissed like it was our last. When he released me, I searched his eyes. Promise me you’ll hang on. I’m going to get that cure. That’s my promise to you. Promise me you’ll keep fighting. I won’t say goodbye to you. Never goodbye.
He leaned his forehead against mine. I’ll see you soon.
Soon.
~~~~~
Addison, make me invisible to the men on that boat.
Done.
The captain of the other boat—the boat that I didn’t believe for one second was actually the Coast Guard—returned to the bridge. They were leaving. I had to get on that boat.
Without giving myself time to think, I slipped behind Alyson. “Don’t turn around,” I whispered. “Addison has made me invisible to those men. I’m getting on that boat.”
Her back tightened. She started to turn her head toward me, but stopped herself. Her jaw hardened. “You can’t. You don’t have the tracker inserted yet. Besides, they’ll kill you.”
“They won’t know we’re there. Give me the tracker and I’ll take care of the rest.”
Alyson hesitated, but then reached inside her jeans pocket and pulled out the tracker. “But… How are you going to insert it?”
“I’ll manage. Sandra told me at The Farm that the trackers were self-directing once they slipped beneath the skin.”
“That’s true. You only need a small incision.”
I nodded. I’d just have to figure out a way to make that initial cut.
“And Lexi, don’t forget. You have to get this tracker on the satellite communication system and off the island’s cell tower as soon as you can. You cannot allow Sandra to gain control of your mind.”
I scooped up the small device from her hand, and she took hold of mine. “Lexi, I know I haven’t been a good mom, but… I want you to know how proud I am of you. And that I never stopped loving you. And your father… he’d be so proud of you, too.”
Lexi, they’re leaving, Addison mindspoke.
I swallowed hard. “I have to go. Take care of Anita for Addison.” Leaning in, I gave my mom a quick hug.
I hurried over to the side of the boat and climbed up to sit on the edge of the railing. The men on the Coast Guard boat were laughing and yelling. Before I could change my mind, I pushed off from the yacht and hurled myself toward the smaller boat below. I nearly missed and plummeted into the water, but thankfully I just made the distance. And thankfully, they were making too much noise to hear me land with a heavy thud. I turned and urged Addison over.
She climbed up onto the railing and did a graceful, ballerina-like leap onto the back of the boat.
A guy yelled, “Let’s get out of here.”
The boat pulled away slowly. I turned and looked up at Jack. I love you.
And I you.
I’ll see you soon, okay? Promise me.
See you soon.
“Never goodbye,” I whispered to myself. I blew him a kiss. As I lifted my hand away from my lips, gunfire rang out, and sparks flew from the top of La Luna y el Sol. I covered my mouth to stifle a scream.
What was that? Addison asked.
Everyone on La Luna y el Sol stared above them, except for Jack, whose face continued to point in my direction. I stared from him to the spot where sparks still flew in small bursts of light.
Lexi, Jack yelled inside my head. They just took out our satellite. We’ve lost all communication.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
The sun was rising on the port side of the boat. I crawled to a cushioned bench.
I’m going to puke, I mindspoke to Addison. I slapped a hand over my mouth, as if that would stop it, willing my body to suppress the overwhelming waves of nausea.
I can make those guys think they’re not seeing you spew into the ocean, but I can’t stop the sound or the smell.
Two men sat on tall chairs just a few feet away from us. One of them sliced a green apple with a pocketknife. The other finished off a granola bar and tossed his trash toward a metal tub, but missed.
Sitting up straight and looking to the front of the boat, I concentrated on the horizon in front of us, trying to settle my equilibrium.
My world tilted slightly. A waft of rotten fish smell made me gag, and my mouth continued to water. Without notice, the boat hit a large swell, sending us up and back down again. My stomach did the same thing. I grabbed hold of the rail and leaned over the side of the boat. I couldn’t hold it back. A ridiculous amount of liquid flew up my throat and out of my mouth, splashing into the water below. The wind sent some of the liquid splattering down the side of the boat.
“What the hell was that?” The man with the apple put his pocketknife away and peered down at the water.
I moved quickly to the other side of the boat, hoping I wouldn’t throw up again.
Addison, help, I said when I thought I was done for a moment. I couldn’t easily mindspeak when I was spending all of my energy concentrating on not being sick.
Exactly what am I supposed to do? Hold your hair? She stayed out of the way, curled into a tiny ball on the edge of a bench in the back of the boat. Find the horizon. Concentrate on that. That’s what everybody says when you’re carsick, anyway. I don’t get motion sick, so I wouldn’t know.
Of course you don’t.
When at last I thought I was done vomiting, I lifted my head slowly and watched the horizon again. The boat went over another large swell. This time I handled it okay. The two men continued to look over the other side of the boat, confused.
After another wave, I thought I saw something up ahead. I stood up. It was land. And not all that far away.
“Hey, Dave, I think this is puke,” Mr. Granola Bar yelled.
“What are you talking about?”
“Didn’t Dr. Whitmeyer say one of the clones could make themselves invisible?”
The two men began looking around the boat. Mr. Granola Bar called out to the guys on the open bridge above.
I stared at Addison. She shrugged. What are we supposed to do?
I looked around and found a couple of life jackets. They were bright orange—not exactly inconspicuous. But they would help us float.
A couple more men climbed down from the bridge. “What is it?”
“I think one of those clones is on board,” Mr. Granola Bar whispered, as if being invisible made us hard of hearing, too.
It was starting to get crowded on the deck. One wrong move, and someone would bump right into us. I glanced at the life jackets again, then noticed an emergency life raft beside them. It was packed into a sunshine yellow rectangle.
“Have you two been into the shine? There’s no one down here.” One of the men waved Granola Bar off.
Another man pointed to Mr. Granola Bar’s wrapper. “And clean up your trash. We’ll be on land in ten.”
I whipped my head around to face Addison. We both leaned over the side of the boat and peered ahead. Sure enough, we were drawing nea
rer and nearer to land.
What do you think? Palmyra? Addison asked.
Has to be. But I hadn’t implanted the tracker yet. What with the hiding and the nausea…
What do we do? Jump in the water? Wait ’til they’ve parked this stupid boat?
I closed my eyes as another wave of nausea hit me. Let me think. I drilled fingers into my temples.
The boat turned and seemed to be heading toward the western side of the island. Before we did anything else, I had to get that tracker implanted. If we arrived at the island without the tracker at the base of my skull, Sandra would know immediately that it was me and not Maya. Addison, you have to help me implant this tracker into my neck.
What? Are you crazy?
Probably. If I have any hope of moving around Sandra’s facility, I have to make her think I’m Maya. I just hoped Alyson had gotten the satellite back up and running. I wouldn’t be able to fool Sandra for long. And I had no way of knowing if Jonas was being controlled by Sandra.
Several hundred yards from shore, the boat’s engine was cut. My back stiffened. The men moved about the boat, covering and securing loose items.
I swallowed against another wave of nausea. Hurry, find something sharp to make an incision. The tracker itself was designed to do most of the work.
Lexi, I’m not going to cut your neck open with anything from this boat. No telling what types of bacteria you’d be putting into your blood. Oh—wait. Addison stood and started walking toward the front of the boat. There, she pointed. A first-aid kit. There’s got to be something in it.
Mr. Granola Bar turned and stumbled in Addison’s direction. She sidestepped him just in time, but her arm grazed his ever so slightly. He lifted a hand and scratched where the contact was made.
“Hey, Dirk,” a man yelled from someplace outside the boat.
I darted to the railing. A bald man in a tank top rowed a dinghy up to the Coast Guard boat. Hurry, Addi.
Mindsurge (Mindspeak Book 3) Page 24