himself to the unavoidable challenges ahead. It would be distasteful, but without any actual victims, or further word from the unnamed scientist, the case would be dropped and he would recover. Even if they demanded his resignation from the coveted position as the Midwest Region I Health Chairman, no mere mortal could remove him from his real seat of power.
Petra opened her eyes to a dim room. A hospital room, if the smell and quiet equipment was any indication. She felt prickly hot and chilled alternately and her skin ached. She sensed someone in the room, but couldn't see anyone clearly.
"Where am I?"
"Chicago General," answered a woman beside her bed. "Want to tell me who you are?"
Petra turned toward the voice, saw her sister, and gasped. "Are you okay? I thought he–it–killed you."
"Apparently so do a lot of other people. I'm tougher than that. From the looks of things, so are you."
"You're Jaden. My sister," Petra blurted. "You're the reason I survived."
"I'm Jaden Michaels, but the rest is up for debate."
Petra squirmed, ignoring the pain spiking her skin, so she could sit up. Looking into Jaden's tough, green gaze, she felt an instant connection and the truth of what most would consider impossible. "We are sisters. Born to different families this time, but to the soul, we're sisters," she insisted. "That thing in the warehouse killed me before, am I right?"
Jaden blinked, once then again. The struggle to believe, to accept played across her face. She cleared her throat and opened her mouth to speak, but Petra's patience snapped. She latched onto Jaden's hand and let the memories rush over her.
She didn't bother to sort out the details; she just let the scenes unfold in a peculiar route through a timeline Petra understood merely on instinct.
"Oh, you've broken the cycle," Petra said with a sigh. It felt like the biggest understatement of the modern era.
"And you've nearly broken my hand." Jaden withdrew.
"You're tougher than that," Petra echoed and watched those green eyes light up. She fiddled with the hospital sheet. "I recently experienced those last days of my earlier life. Re-experienced is a better word. I thought I was dreaming at first.
"I believed you'd come for me. I told him so then." Petra risked another glance at Jaden. "I just thought you'd like to know I believed in you. Then and now." She wanted to push, to somehow make Jaden understand how much this reunion meant to her. It should've upset her, this additional proof that she was unlike the rest of the world, but it filled her with a silly happiness instead.
Jaden reached out this time, stroking the hair off her forehead. Her hand was cool and gentle, and nothing else came through the touch but caring. "He hurt you to get to me. To prove I couldn't stop him."
"You stopped him."
Jaden's mouth tipped into a smile. "Temporarily then. This time forever." She sighed and hitched a hip onto the edge of Petra's bed. "I don't get what you did. Or what's brought us together. Any ideas?"
Petra felt a spurt of hope that the tenuous connection could grow into something close to a family bond. "You don't feel like a part of this world, do you? You live and work on the fringes, right? People don't understand what's important to you, because they can't see life through your experiences, right?"
Jaden shrugged. "Close enough. You've got to admit, most people don't run the circuit as often as I have. Maybe not even you."
Petra agreed. If she'd lived other lives, she'd completely forgotten all but the worst moment of one. "I knew when I found you we'd have that in common." She savored the connection, the pure ease of it. "But I may not make sense, even to you."
"Try me."
"All my life, this one anyway, I've been able to sense the darker side of things. I can sense an evil intent, but I've never saved anyone. I can help catch the criminals, but I can't spare the victims."
"Who can?"
"You've saved countless people just today."
"Okay. You've got a
Petra opened her eyes to a dim room. A hospital room, if the smell and quiet equipment was any indication. She felt prickly hot and chilled alternately and her skin ached. She sensed someone in the room, but couldn't see anyone clearly.
"Where am I?"
"Chicago General," answered a woman beside her bed. "Want to tell me who you are?"
Petra turned toward the voice, saw her sister, and gasped. "Are you okay? I thought he–it–killed you."
"Apparently so do a lot of other people. I'm tougher than that. From the looks of things, so are you."
"You're Jaden. My sister," Petra blurted. "You're the reason I survived."
"I'm Jaden Michaels, but the rest is up for debate."
Petra squirmed, ignoring the pain spiking her skin, so she could sit up. Looking into Jaden's tough, green gaze, she felt an instant connection and the truth of what most would consider impossible. "We are sisters. Born to different families this time, but to the soul, we're sisters," she insisted. "That thing in the warehouse killed me before, am I right?"
Jaden blinked, once then again. The struggle to believe, to accept played across her face. She cleared her throat and opened her mouth to speak, but Petra's patience snapped. She latched onto Jaden's hand and let the memories rush over her.
She didn't bother to sort out the details; she just let the scenes unfold in a peculiar route through a timeline Petra understood merely on instinct.
"Oh, you've broken the cycle," Petra said with a sigh. It felt like the biggest understatement of the modern era.
"And you've nearly broken my hand." Jaden withdrew.
"You're tougher than that," Petra echoed and watched those green eyes light up. She fiddled with the hospital sheet. "I recently experienced those last days of my earlier life. Re-experienced is a better word. I thought I was dreaming at first.
"I believed you'd come for me. I told him so then." Petra risked another glance at Jaden. "I just thought you'd like to know I believed in you. Then and now." She wanted to push, to somehow make Jaden understand how much this reunion meant to her. It should've upset her, this additional proof that she was unlike the rest of the world, but it filled her with a silly happiness instead.
Jaden reached out this time, stroking the hair off her forehead. Her hand was cool and gentle, and nothing else came through the touch but caring. "He hurt you to get to me. To prove I couldn't stop him."
"You stopped him."
Jaden's mouth tipped into a smile. "Temporarily then. This time forever." She sighed and hitched a hip onto the edge of Petra's bed. "I don't get what you did. Or what's brought us together. Any ideas?"
Petra felt a spurt of hope that the tenuous connection could grow into something close to a family bond. "You don't feel like a part of this world, do you? You live and work on the fringes, right? People don't understand what's important to you, because they can't see life through your experiences, right?"
Jaden shrugged. "Close enough. You've got to admit, most people don't run the circuit as often as I have. Maybe not even you."
Petra agreed. If she'd lived other lives, she'd completely forgotten all but the worst moment of one. "I knew when I found you we'd have that in common." She savored the connection, the pure ease of it. "But I may not make sense, even to you."
"Try me."
"All my life, this one anyway, I've been able to sense the darker side of things. I can sense an evil intent, but I've never saved anyone. I can help catch the criminals, but I can't spare the victims."
"Who can?"
"You've saved countless people just today."
"Okay. You've got a
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